Treating Addiction Naturally
It’s no surprise that addiction is a debilitating condition that most Americans live with on a daily basis. Whether it is an addiction to drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping or gambling, all addicts have the common desire to block out the pain by covering it with a potentially dangerous behavior. Wanting to feel happy instead of feeling depression, anxiety and anger is an understandable concept. However, getting to your happy place by substance abuse is neither healthy nor beneficial.
For most addicts, the addictive behavior works for a while, eventually they need more and more to get the same effect, which may lead to a dangerous road. A major fear that people addicted to drugs and alcohol face when getting sober is the withdrawal phase. Withdrawal symptoms be so severe that without medical supervision, the addict may face a fatal situation. Mostly these withdrawal symptoms are treated with pharmaceutical drugs, however some people are not comfortable treating a substance abuse problem with any type of drug. For those who want a more natural approach to recovery, chiropractic care may be the answer.
Holistic treatment plans are becoming more and more popular when it comes to treating addiction, with chiropractic being a forerunner in the field. Many clinics are able to create custom treatment plans for their patients that involve a combination of chiropractic adjustments and diet. Many chiropractors have found that with this type of alternative therapy, the patients experience less severe withdrawal symptoms soon after starting the treatment and were able to end their dependency on substances in as little as five weeks, in some cases.
Studies support the benefit of using chiropractic therapy to treat addiction. The research done at the University of Miami School of Medicine showed that 100 percent of the patients that followed through a chiropractic based treatment completed the program, compared to the 72 percent of people that average completion of a more traditional program that involves the use if pharmaceuticals. Studies also able to severity of the withdrawal symptoms and anxiety levels during the chiropractic therapy. The study tested two groups, one where the patients received only chiropractic and another that only used pharmaceuticals. The results showed that the chiropractic group experienced a drastic reduction in their anxiety after a month, where it took a year for the pharmaceutical group to reach the same level.
Chiropractic is a natural way to affect the biology and psychology of the body and brain. Keeping it in line with its natural state may be a way to treat people struggling with addiction without the use of other medications.
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