Opioids crisis and HOMEOPATHIC MANagement

            Opioids crisis and HOMEOPATHIC MANagement

   Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone(Oxycontin), hydrocodone(Vicodin), codeine, morphine, and many others. 
 The opioid epidemic or opioids crisis is the rapid increase in the use of prescription and non- prescription opioid drugs in the United States and Canada beginning in the late 1990s and continuing throughout the next two decades. Opioids are a diverse class with moderately strong painkillers, including oxycodone, hydrocodone and a very strong painkiller, fentanyl, which is synthesized to resemble other opiates such as opium-derived morphine and heroin. 

 The potency and availability of these substances, despite their high risk of addiction and overdose, have made them popular both as medical treatments and as recreational drugs. Due to their sedative effects on the part of the brain which regulates the treatment and as recreational drugs. Due to their sedative effects on the part of the brain which regulates breathing, the respiratory depression, and may cause respiratory failure and death. 

   Thoughts on the treatment of pain & the ongoing opioid crisis: anyone who listens to, reads or watches the news, know that there is a galloping opioid crisis in America. In 2012, 259 million physician prescription was given for opioids, more than plenty to for each America adult to hold their own bottle of pills. More to the point, 4 to 5 new heroin users began their addiction roller coaster misusing prescription painkillers. It's not only important for prescribing to change, which is happening state by state, we also need to be able to offer patients better options in pain management and options that work, if you like to read further on the topic of the opioid epidemic and natural medicine perspective. We are increasingly motivated to help and support our patients who suffer from all manner of physical pain, including to help prevent their starting on opioid medications, which when absolutely indicated and used judiciously, can be very useful. 

Homeopathic Medicines for specific pain conditions:

    Homeopathy is often overlooked as a modality for pain management. However, it deserves to be a first line treatment due to its safety, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness. 
     Limitations to the acceptance of homeopathy in the United States include physicians lack of familiarity with the research studies, which primarily come from Europe, where homeopathy is integrated into national healthcare systems of nearly all European countries. 

  A well-known principle of homeopathy is that the medicine must be individualized to the patient. If 5 Patients is with fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis are likely to receive 5 different medicines from a professional homeopath because each patient has a unique pattern of symptoms. However, this primarily applies to chronic conditions. 

    In an emergency situation, or in the case of very virulent diseases, the nature of the trauma or infection imposes the same symptom pattern on nearly everyone. Arnica is useful in almost all acute cases of soft- tissue trauma with bruising, swelling, and soreness. This makes it possible to create a standardized protocol using Arnica for post-surgery recuperation or for sports injuries. Hypericum for numbness, tingling. 
  When it comes to short-term or palliative pain management
the prescriber typically chooses from among the homeopathic medicines well known historically for clinical  effectiveness (Perhaps 3 - 20 top medicines for each condition), among them, the choice is then based on individual characteristics, does the patient find relief from a heating pad or from an ice pack, for example, do they prefer to limber up an aching joint, or do they need to keep it still. 

Homeopathic Medicines for other pain conditions:

- Hypericum: whenever there is nerve pain, such as following oral surgery or in an impending root-canal situation. 
- Chamomilla:  as often as once an hour for excruciating tooth pain in adult as well as in teething infants. 
- Symphytum: For pain and swelling after dental implant surgery as well as Arnica, which is always useful for postoperative pain and swelling. 
-Belladonna: Throbbing pain.
-Coffee: Agonizing pain relieved by cold water in the mouth, with oversensitivity to any sensory stimulation. 
-Hepar sulph: Dry socket become infected. 
-Silica: To expel the contents of the socket. 

-Rhus tox and Ruta: for joint pain with a stiffness that is worse in damp weather, needs to be limbered up and feels better from the application of heat. These two difficult to differentiate. Patients needing Rhus tox swinging a joint to limber it up or restlessly pacing in the waiting room. Rhus tox is the medicine most often used for fibromyalgia. Ruta has additional those whose knees go out from under them going downstairs. 
-Bryonia: For a patient with the opposite symptoms, they feel worse from stretching and in fact worse from the slightest motion, even the jarring motion of a heavy tread, so they tend to guard or splint their joints. 

   while research shows that homeopathy can treat headaches successfully, such a wide range of medicines can be useful in that it would be impossible to distill them into just a few recommendations. One leading homeopathic reference work lists likely medicines for headaches, makes a randomized controlled trail difficult if not impossible.  

  More importantly, the homeopath will ask what stress or trauma might have led to the pattern of repeated headaches. Then the homeopath will choose from among dozens of medicines well known to be effective for headaches.