The River Source implements naturopathic therapy into our rehabilitation program, and many of our families ask us about what this type of therapy entails. Naturopathy is a form of alternative medicine that is non-invasive and relies minimally on surgery or drugs. Instead, it focuses on strength and vitality that comes from within.
There are many reasons why we have chosen to use naturopathic medicine as the backbone of our program, and we feel that it’s this particular factor that makes The River Source highly successful. After all, it’s this type of therapy that supports our vision of healing the mind, body, and spirit, together, as a whole. Recovering addicts learn a new appreciation for their body and how to achieve happiness and peace from within without relying on any type of drug, prescribed or not.
Case Example from a River Source Patient
Consider this example. Matt came to our residential treatment facility with a suitcase in one hand and a bag of medications in the other. His wife explained that Matt’s addiction spiraled out of control when he had surgery on his shoulder last year and was given pain medications to ease the discomfort. Matt had always struggled with controlling his drinking, and he also experimented with drugs like marijuana and cocaine.
When the doctors wrote him steady prescriptions for painkillers, everything took a turn for the worst. In Matt’s bag were mood stabilizers, antidepressants, painkillers, anti-inflammatories, narcotics and sleep aids. His wife feared that he would either overdose or ingest a lethal combination of drugs. Matt desperately needed our help.
How Naturopathic Medicine is Different
Now, imagine that using traditional medicine, we would have taken away those prescription drugs and replaced them with new drugs. That wouldn’t make much sense, and it wouldn’t teach Matt how to reconnect with his body. With naturopathic medicine, we focus on the following:
Therapeutic Nutrition: Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids and antioxidants that strengthen the immune system and heal the body.
Nutrient Therapy: These nutrients are administered through an IV and include essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids. This IV therapy is what is used in our natural detox that replenishes the body and removes toxins from the body.
Western Botanical Medicine: Using plants to prevent and treat symptoms of a disease, such as garlic, gingko, and chamomile that have positive effects on the mind and body.
Physical Manipulation: Here is where we address the physical parts of the body and use techniques such as massage, physical therapy, and hydrotherapy to strengthen the body and manipulate the soft tissues.
Homeopathy: A form of medicine that triggers the body’s natural healing response. These ‘medicines’ are non-toxic and highly diluted.
Psychological Counseling: This type of counseling uncovers the reasons why addiction may have occurred. Many of our patients need to sort out their past struggles in order to overcome their addiction.
How Naturopathy Helps Addiction Patients
Bringing us back to our patient Matt, you can see how beneficial naturopathic rehabilitation is to his drug addiction. Matt has always relied on drugs to bring him relief, and filling him with different medications wouldn’t have taught him how to end his dependence on prescription medication.
With homeopathic detoxification and therapy, Matt’s body is replenished using nutritional IV therapy and rode off the toxins with dry sauna therapy. He continues on healthy vitamins and minerals that give his body the strength that is needed, and he participates in massage therapy and yoga to relax the mind and body. He attends psychological counseling to address the underlying reasons for why he has always felt the need to mask his symptoms with drugs.
Matt is also taught essential coping skills. Our society doesn’t help much either; Matt fears that any type of ailments he has, doctors will always reach for a prescription to give him instead of therapeutic treatments. Fortunately, finding a respectable naturopathic doctor is part of Matt’s aftercare plan, as well as attending his meetings.
Matt’s story is an all-too-familiar one we see at The River Source, but we are pleased that naturopathic therapy is comprehensive and addresses the mind, body, and spirit without relying on traditional medicine for everything. While recovery remains an ongoing process, experiencing true healing that comes from the mind, body, and spirit is the most effective way to overcome an addiction. No other therapy is as comprehensive and physically, mentally and spiritually rewarding as naturopathic medicine.
Naturopathic therapy is an integral part of our program and a prime factor for our program’s continued success in helping struggling addicts like Matt. To learn more about our program, contact The River Source at 866-294-9331.
