Medical Services: Detox & Medical Care
When it comes to providing modern, high-quality medical services, it is no longer an option to separate treatment for the body and the mind. Today’s medical professionals know with certainty that mental and physical health are deeply intertwined. Numerous studies reinforce the interplay between these two aspects of human health: physical self-care improves mood, confidence, outlook and perceived happiness; while maintaining mental wellness increases an individual’s likelihood to eat well and exercise and lowers the risk of several physical illnesses.
Our facilities were among the first to be certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), and we remain one of only a few organizations with this distinction.
As a top-tier addiction treatment provider, Origins Behavioral HealthCare is acutely aware of the mind-body connection. Drug or alcohol addiction, though classified as a mental health disorder, has clear physical symptoms. Other mental health disorders frequently lead to physical health concerns from poor nutrition and hygiene to high blood pressure and digestive problems. The patients in our programs require physical and psychological healing — not only to address the immediate symptoms presented upon admission to Origins but also to build a foundation for long-term recovery. When our patients leave our programs, they have the tools they need to stay physically and mentally healthy for life.
Our exceptional medical services are an essential part of our mission to provide complete recovery for our patients. The healthcare provided at Origins is of the same high caliber as our mental health programming and complements the clinical care and therapy that our patients receive. Our medical services are provided in-house and on-site, ensuring clear communication between the members of each patient’s care team as well as convenient access to medical and clinical providers for seamlessly integrated care.
If you are an individual, family member or referring healthcare provider seeking high-level, comprehensive addiction treatment, please contact us to learn more about our admissions process today. At Origins Behavioral HealthCare, we are committed to guiding you, your loved one or your patient on the path to wellness.
Medical Services Provided
The broad range of superior on-site medical services we provide contributes to our renowned reputation as a leader in drug and alcohol addiction treatment. Our programming includes medically managed detox as well as ongoing medical care for the management of concurrent physical conditions. Our medical services are provided by our on-staff medical team of licensed and experienced doctors, nurses and psychiatrists.
Medical Detox
Medical detox is a critical step in recovery for many of our patients. Individuals with acute or active substance addictions often struggle with a deep-seated dependence: over the course of addiction, the body becomes chemically imbalanced as it learns to rely on drugs or alcohol to produce certain hormones or neurotransmitters. Without drugs or alcohol in its systems, the body becomes physically unstable, resulting in uncomfortable and often dangerous withdrawal symptoms. Detox is the process during which a patient passes through withdrawal to begin reestablishing natural brain and body function. Medical detox, also called medically monitored detoxification, is a program in which patients are overseen by doctors, nurses or other medical professionals as all traces of drugs or alcohol leave their body. This approach ensures patients are not at risk of health complications as withdrawal symptoms appear. At Origins, our detox program utilizes safe medications, careful nutritional planning, alternative interventions and more to keep patients’ symptoms under control, while providing round-the-clock monitoring from our expert staff to ensure safety.
Other Medical Treatment Services at our Texas and Florida Recovery Centers
Our medical specialties include non-narcotic pain management, medication management for individuals with co-occurring mental health disorders, and addiction-informed approaches to common physical conditions. Origins is also a pioneer in age-specific recovery care, including care for older adults. We are sensitive to the physical health concerns that often accompany the aging process, and we have full-time nursing staff available for older patients who enroll in our residential programs.
Key components of Origins’ comprehensive medical services include:
- Thorough physical evaluations upon admission
- An expert medical staff experienced in addiction medicine
- Staff psychiatrists who prescribe appropriate medication according to continuing assessments
- A residential unit for older adults which is adjacent to a 24/7 nursing facility
- Treatment of chronic pain with non-narcotic medications and other therapies
- Education about ongoing health management
- Personalized discharge plans that include medical care recommendations
Responsible Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Opioid Addiction
Opioid addiction is a disease which affects the body, mind and spirit, and because addiction is very difficult to break, many people with opioid use disorders struggle to make it past the early days of recovery. Medical research definitively indicates that many people with opioid addiction benefit from some form of recovery-oriented medication during the treatment process. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, MAT may increase patient retention and decrease the rate of relapse. At Origins, we offer two types of MAT – both with very different uses.
Suboxone for Acute Withdrawal Symptoms
Over a decade ago, the FDA approved the use of an opioid-naloxone combination (buprenorphine, also known as Suboxone) for the treatment of opioid dependence in the U.S. This medication can suppress a person’s desire for opioids by providing a partial block on opioid receptors in the brain. It also partially stimulates this receptor and helps relieve the excruciating withdrawal symptoms that can lead to relapse. Buprenorphine is offered to all opioid-addicted patients during the Detox and withdrawal process.
Vivitrol for Recovery Support
Vivitrol is a non-narcotic extended-release version of the daily oral medication naltrexone. It is given once a month via injection. Vivitrol is an opiate blocker that prevents opiates from connecting with receptors in the brain. When used tandem with other clinical and spiritual therapies, this medication combats the obsession to use and decreases the potential for a person to experience a high if they relapse. Until they are able to heal emotionally and spiritually, this medication can be used as non-addictive medical support during the delicate months of early recovery.
Addiction and Physical Health
Addictive drugs and alcohol are sometimes called “mind-altering” substances because they directly affect brain function to produce the effects of being drunk or high. However, these substances also cause or exacerbate physical health issues as they are processed through the body. There are three main ways in which drugs or alcohol interact with the physical body: how they are consumed or taken, the physical repercussions of an altered mental state, and how a particular substance is filtered out of the body.
Drugs or alcohol are taken in ways that allow the mind-altering chemicals to enter the bloodstream. When an individual drinks alcohol, it is processed through the digestive system and absorbed through the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat. When someone smokes marijuana or crack cocaine, the substance is absorbed through the tiny blood vessels in the lungs. Injecting a drug like heroin delivers it directly into the blood. But all of these methods involve other body systems — the mouth, throat, and stomach; the nose and lungs; the skin and blood vessels. The damage caused to these organs can lead to a range of concerns including infection, deterioration, increased risk of organ-related cancer, and even organ failure.
The substance then travels through the bloodstream to reach the brain, where the active chemicals trigger over-or under-activity in pathways that regulate mood, energy, sociability, or pain. While on the surface these effects seem purely psychological, every one of them comes with a set of physical manifestations. The sleepy euphoria of heroin and opioids, for example, is accompanied by a severely slowed heartbeat. Stimulant drugs like cocaine, on the other hand, can drastically increase heart rate. Drugs like ecstasy and MDMA are known for causing jaw and muscle tension. Alcohol causes dehydration, poor physical coordination, and gastrointestinal upset. In cases of overdose, many of these physical effects can become severe enough to result in a physical health emergency and even fatality. And, over time, repeatedly subjecting the body to these concerns can cause long-lasting effects like a weakened heart, temporomandibular joint disorder, thin stomach lining, or chronic migraines.
Finally, just like the foods, beverages, medications, or otherwise that we put into our bodies, the drugs or alcohol must be filtered out. As this occurs, the effects of being drunk or high wear off. Within the body, though, the potent and harmful chemicals contained in drugs or alcohol are being processed through essential organs like the liver, intestines, and kidneys. Repeated exposure to harsh substances can cause irreparable organ damage over the course of active addiction.
Comprehensive Medical Services are Key to Recovery
Alcohol and drug use affects the body in so many adverse ways that addiction-informed medical treatment is often necessary for reversal or reduction of health issues. For our age-specific programs at Origins, we also account for the ways in which aging and early-onset addiction multiply the risk factor for co-occurring physical and medical illnesses.
Common conditions that we treat as they appear concurrently with addiction include:
- Liver disease, including hepatitis and cirrhosis
- High blood pressure
- Malnutrition
- Cardiovascular problems
- Neurological problems
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- HIV/AIDS caused by unsterile needles related to intravenous drug use
- Kidney disease
- Bladder disorders
Integrated Medical Services with Expert Providers
Medical conditions occurring alongside addiction need to be treated at the same time as addiction, in the same place, with the same treatment team. As patients move through detox and residential levels of care, our team keeps a close eye on both mental and physical health. Our continuing care plans also include recommendations for ongoing medical care and a focus on self-care practices related to total health and wellness.
We match innovative and evidence-based addiction treatment practices with medical care from providers who understand addiction. Our multidisciplinary team includes skilled nurses, psychiatrists, and medical doctors, all of whom have addiction treatment experience: patients receive high-quality care informed specifically by their substance abuse diagnosis.
Contact Origins Behavioral HealthCare
Origins Behavioral HealthCare provides premier residential and outpatient addiction treatment for men and women of all ages. We have locations in Palm Beach County, Florida, and Dallas and South Padre Island, Texas, including specialized age- and gender-specific programming. Reach out to us today to learn more about our medical services and to find out how we can help you, your loved one or your patient get the treatment necessary to achieve lifelong health, sobriety, and fulfillment. Call us at 561-841-1296 to get started.