Understanding how opiates work is something that most people are not that well-educated about. This poses a major problem, given that the United States has some of the highest opiate abuse rates in the world. Every hour, over five people die due to drug overdoses within the US. The first step in reducing opiate addiction rates is to educate people on how opioids work and how they lead to a high level of addiction seldom seen.Dr. Russell Surasky is someone who has become an expert on opiate addiction. He is triple board-certified in neurology, addiction medicine, and preventative medicine. Dr. Surasky is the medical director of Bridge Back to Life, which is a multi-center outpatient addiction treatment program that helps those addicted to dangerous opiates like fentanyl. He has also founded the Surasky Neurological Center for Addiction in Great Neck, NY.Dr. Surasky believes that once someone understands how opioids work, they will also realize why it is incredibly difficult for someone addicted to them to stop cold turkey. Rather than being a moral failing, as politicians have been telling us for decades, addiction is a complex chronic disease that includes a lifetime risk of relapse. Thankfully, there have been advances in our understanding of the brain and how opiates affect it. There are now treatments, which Dr. Surasky uses, that have the power to reverse the neurological damage caused by opiates, leading to a permanent recovery.The first step in understanding opioid addiction is to understand what opioids are themselves. Generally, the word opioid refers to drugs that originate from the opium poppy. These include morphine, codeine, heroin, fentanyl, and others. Synthetic drugs like Oxycodone and Hydrocodone, known as Percocet and Vicodin, are also classified as opioids. The way they work is by lighting up the opiate receptors in the brain and spinal cord. These opioids have the power to significantly reduce the amount of pain someone feels. However, opiate receptors will also play into how we feel, both mentally and emotionally. That leads to opioids temporarily improving someones well-being. In fact, they will drastically lower feelings of depression and anxiety in the user, but only temporarily.Opioids that get prescribed to mitigate pain can indeed provide pain relief. However, they do so at a cost. It is very easy to misuse them and get hooked on them. That is due to these drugs overstimulating the brain's reward system. There is a euphoria experienced when using opioids that, once gone, turns to depression.As soon as the drug wears off, it will detach from the opiate receptors it was locked into, which tells the brain that it needs more. Thankfully, there are safe and non-addictive methods today that can effectively wean people off of opiates, including Vivitrol and spinal adjustments, among others.
Original post:
Dr. Russell Surasky Helping Others Understand Opioid Addiction and the La - The Jerusalem Post
- How to Identify and Prevent Frostbite - A Healthier Michigan - December 28th, 2024
- Preventive care with Nutrition key to overcome heightened disease burden in India: Experts - ETHealthWorld - December 28th, 2024
- UNM researcher is advancing HIV Prevention and Health Equity for Native Americans - Albuquerque Journal - November 16th, 2024
- CVS Health expands access to primary care services at select MinuteClinic locations - CVS Health - November 16th, 2024
- Decrease in syphilis diagnoses among gay men most likely linked to preventive antibiotic use - NBC News - November 16th, 2024
- Breakthrough T1D Leads Effort to Make Screening for T1D Part of Recommended Preventive Services in the US - cnhinews.com - November 16th, 2024
- Pakistan Has The Worlds Highest Diabetes Prevalence - And Lacks Focus On Prevention - Health Policy Watch - November 16th, 2024
- Herbal medicine shows great potential in treating and preventing dementia - Earth.com - November 16th, 2024
- Health and Wellness Market to Grow by USD 1.93 Trillion (2024-2028), Driven by Rising Focus on Health Programs, AI-Powered Report Highlights Market... - November 16th, 2024
- Care for body and mind. And important prevention. - KODA Storyboard - November 16th, 2024
- The 8th World Integrative Medicine Congress - Preventive Care as a Priority, Universal Health for All - openPR - November 16th, 2024
- World Pneumonia Day 2024: 6 symptoms of pneumonia in the elderly - Health shots - November 16th, 2024
- Mercks Clesrovimab (MK-1654), an Investigational Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Preventative Monoclonal Antibody, Significantly Reduced Incidence... - October 22nd, 2024
- New Strategies to Extend the HIV Treatment Cascade for CVD Prevention - Infectious Disease Special Edition - October 22nd, 2024
- Shea fights breast cancer with family support - nwestiowa.com - October 22nd, 2024
- Cancer hospitals' cancer prevention plansand what's foiling them - Newsweek - October 22nd, 2024
- The Wright Medicine: Breast Cancer Awareness Month a time to tout preventive measures - Valley Advantage - October 22nd, 2024
- Prevention and Management of Urolithiasis With Parsley and Barley Among the Hail Population, Saudi Arabia: Is It Fact or Not? - Cureus - October 22nd, 2024
- Leveraging Patient Data for Early Healthcare Interventions: Insights from Gerard Hanratty of Browne Jacobson - Healthcare Digital - October 22nd, 2024
- Why Wes Streetings prevention agenda is sinister - The Spectator - October 22nd, 2024
- An injectable HIV-prevention drug is highly effective but wildly expensive - NBC News - September 13th, 2024
- Top preventive health tips your internist wants you to know - American Medical Association - September 13th, 2024
- National Falls Prevention Week: Turning awareness into action - McKnight's Long-Term Care News - September 13th, 2024
- UToledo Health Mobile Clinic Takes Preventative Care on the Road - UToledo News - September 13th, 2024
- Twice-Yearly Injection Cuts HIV Risk by 96%, But Will Cost Cut Access? - The Mercury - Manhattan, Kansas - September 13th, 2024
- Von der Leyen to ramp up EU healthcare union and focus on preventative treatment - MedWatch - September 13th, 2024
- Kate Middleton's preventative chemotherapy explained: The gruelling drugs that are proven to stop disease retu - Daily Mail - September 13th, 2024
- Personalised prevention in England - The Health Foundation - September 13th, 2024
- Stay on top of your fur baby's health: the importance of scheduling routine vet visits - FoxReno.com - May 17th, 2023
- Preventive healthcare - May 9th, 2023
- What Is Preventive Health and Why Is It Important? - May 9th, 2023
- What Is Preventive Medicine & Why Do We Need It? | AUC - February 16th, 2023
- Preventive Medicine | Journal | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier - December 3rd, 2022
- Migraine - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic - December 3rd, 2022
- Functional Medicine of Idaho | Preventative Root Cause Medicine - December 3rd, 2022
- These 2 Staten Island nurses believe IV hydration drips and vitamin shots are key to long-term health - SILive.com - December 3rd, 2022
- CNBCTV-18 and IIM-K's India@2047 Leadership Series: Challenges and opportunities in the fintech and healthcare sectors - Forbes India - December 3rd, 2022
- As N.W.T. mulls health coverage changes, petition calls for preventative HIV drug to be free - CBC.ca - September 20th, 2022
- EU regulator backs wider use of AstraZeneca COVID therapy - Reuters - September 20th, 2022
- Choose integrative medicine for health and wellness - Technique - September 20th, 2022
- The high hospital bills we make victims of rape and sexual violence pay - Vox.com - September 20th, 2022
- 4 Anti-Aging Products Youre Using All Wrong, According To Skincare Experts - SheFinds - September 20th, 2022
- Why Now is the Time to Double Down on Virtual Care - HIT Consultant - September 20th, 2022
- Tell Giselle: The price of good help is priceless - Wilkes Barre Times-Leader - September 20th, 2022
- Heron Therapeutics Announces U.S. FDA Approval of APONVIE (HTX-019) for the Prevention of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV) - BioSpace - September 20th, 2022
- Pickleball injuries are on the rise: 5 preventive tips to keep you on the court - The Manual - September 20th, 2022
- The next big social movement and other takeaways from our regular meeting - POLITICO - September 20th, 2022
- 15 Mushrooms and How to Use Them in Vegan Cooking - VegNews - September 20th, 2022
- Use of honey in the management of Chemotherapy | CMAR - Dove Medical Press - September 20th, 2022
- Celebrity Strategy Consultant Predicts What Will Be The Most Impactful Area In The Pharmaceutical Industry - Forbes - September 20th, 2022
- C2C Care Course The Preservation of Our Global Photographic Heritage: Here, There and Everywhere - aam-us.org - August 3rd, 2022
- Loneliness: Causes, Effects And Prevention Forbes Health - Forbes - August 3rd, 2022
- Prevention and wellness is the new model, a leader from Henry Ford Health System says - Becker's Hospital Review - August 3rd, 2022
- FACT SHEET: White House Summit on Building Lasting Eviction Prevention Reform - The White House - August 3rd, 2022
- Getting Back to Employer Health and Wellness Programs - Cone Health - August 3rd, 2022
- Do ICDs Still Work in Primary Prevention Given Today's HF Meds? - Medscape - August 3rd, 2022
- Alzheimer's-defying brain offers clues to treatment, prevention - Harvard Gazette - August 3rd, 2022
- Wind-fanned lightning fire prompted precautionary evacuation notices near Medical Springs Sunday evening - Baker City Herald - August 3rd, 2022
- Experts discuss importance of cancer screenings and early detection - Merck - August 3rd, 2022
- King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research to test samples for monkeypox - The Hindu - August 3rd, 2022
- Consolidated guidelines on HIV, viral hepatitis and STI prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations - World - ReliefWeb - August 3rd, 2022
- Dr. Sanjay Gupta: While monkeypox cases rise, why are we waiting for the cavalry to rescue us? - CNN - August 3rd, 2022
- SCYNEXIS Announces U.S. Food and Drug Administration - GlobeNewswire - August 3rd, 2022
- Governor Whitmer declares August 2022 as Breastfeeding Month, highlights additional breastfeeding observances - Michigan (.gov) - August 3rd, 2022
- New student education program supports drug and alcohol abuse prevention - The Ohio State University News - July 25th, 2022
- Suicide prevention training for health care providers a first step in longer-term efficacy - University of Washington - July 25th, 2022
- Pharmalittle: Congress may miss deadline to pass FDA user-fee bill; ViiV is urged to lower price for its HIV prevention drug - STAT - July 25th, 2022
- Prevention of Bipolar Disorder Episodes: Is It Possible? - PsychCentral.com - July 25th, 2022
- GAO Found Gap in Dirty Bomb Prevention - Government Technology - July 25th, 2022
- Florida man in apparent medical distress crashes car through beach crowd before hitting the water - CNN - July 25th, 2022
- Study: Preventive care scarce in LGBTQ+ community - - Medical Marketing and Media - July 25th, 2022
- The rise of preventive insurance purchases in India - ETHealthWorld - July 25th, 2022
- Why Are My Feet Always Cold? Cold Feet Causes and Treatment - Prevention Magazine - July 25th, 2022
- Agency looking to open overdose prevention site in Saint John amid 'poisoned' drug supply - CBC.ca - July 25th, 2022
- UVA Expert Offers Insight on the Use of Dietary Supplements for Cancer Prevention - UVA Today - July 25th, 2022
- Alzheimer's: Targeting key protein in blood may slow progression - Medical News Today - July 25th, 2022
- NPPC, FAS focused on ASF prevention in the Philippines - MEAT+POULTRY - July 25th, 2022
- Implementation of IPT in people living with HIV | RMHP - Dove Medical Press - July 25th, 2022
- NL starts preventive vaccination against monkeypox in Amsterdam, The Hague - NL Times - July 25th, 2022
- Precautionary measures you can take against brain haemorrhage - Times of India - July 25th, 2022