Pain management today has become synonymous with opioid medications. Once widely regarded as the sole treatment option for any kind of pain management necessities, doctors are now taking another careful look at opioids. Global death rates of opioid overdose have steadily risen in recent years, giving doctors a reason to reconsider their go-to prescriptions for pain management. Pain management does not have to be completely reliant upon painkiller medications, though they can play an important and even essential role in reducing the pain of pain management patients. There are non-narcotic options for medications which pain management patients can utilize instead of narcotic opioids which are highly addictive. In addition, there are other forms of treatment and self-care for pain management which don’t’ require the use of any medications.
Doctors have found that simple lifestyle changes can greatly reduce the presence of physical pain. Too often there is a combination between lifestyle and opioid medications which can result in addiction. For example, opioid medications blo0ck opioid receptors in the brain which are the brain’s natural source for providing pain relief. Especially when these medications are abused in high amounts, the brain becomes dependent upon them. Now the only source of opioid production, the brain needs the opioid medications in order to feel less pain. Simultaneously, the brain has lost its ability to have a threshold against pain. The tolerance is not just in regards to the medication to treat pain, but to pain itself. As a result, pain is sharpened and the brain becomes more sensitive to it. Lifestyles changed to being too focused on pain and pain reduction, which, by way of affecting learning and memory association, the brain has come to believe the cure for which is more opioid medications.
Smarmore Castle, a private clinic and residential treatment center outside of Dublin, treats prescription painkiller addiction and pain management with a comprehensive approach to mental and physical health. Our clients work with our consultant psychiatrist and a personal therapist to develop a plan of treatment which might include detox, medical treatments, utilization of the 12 steps, and complementary therapies to heal the body. A specialised chronic pain programmed encourages the use of specific pain management treatments to help clients realise that addicting medications are not a requirement for pain management:
Cognitive behavioral therapy focused on pain
Relaxation therapies including yoga, pilates, sauna therapy, steam room therapy, aquatherapy and more
TENS therapy using electrical stimulation for muscle healing
Gentle physical training to recondition the body
Mindfulness, meditation, and mindfulness meditation which have been scientifically proven to reduce the symptoms of chronic pain and improve pain management
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Real change is possible at Smarmore. We treat addiction as a disease of the brain, providing clients with the utmost care and quality treatment for optimum health of mind and body. Residential detox and inpatient programmes at Smarmore utilize the proven Castle Craig model, helping thousands of clients for decades. For information, speak with one of our caring staff members today at +353 41 214 5111.
