LLU Behavioral Medicine Center news
- Behavioral Medicine Center helps patients break free from pain
- New methods being used to control pain
Behavioral Medicine Center
helps patients break free from pain
Joanne, a recovering drug addict, didnÕt buy her drugs from pushers
on the street or inject them with needles. She obtained them from her
doctor.
After being injured in a car accident, Joanne began taking prescription
medication for the constant, severe pain she experienced. When the medication
stopped relieving her pain, she started taking more and more.
By the time Joanne checked into recovery services at the Loma Linda
University Behavioral Medicine Center, she had isolated herself from
her family and believed that she had to have medication to survive.
ÒIt was the only thing I knew,Ó she says.
But after seven days of detox and six months of outpatient continuing
care, Joanne is seeing things more clearly.
ÒWell, because of the addiction, I think what happened was I started
isolating, living in my own world, in a world of drugs, and using the
drugs just to get through the day,Ó she says. ÒBut now I have a whole
new outlook on life. [This program] gave me a different perspective
on life and how it can be and what I need to do to maintain this sobriety.Ó
Designed for chronic pain (pain that recurs often and lasts indefinitely)
patients addicted to their pain medication, the Behavioral Medicine
CenterÕs pain track program relies on a multidisciplinary approach to
patient care.
This means that patients receive most of the care they need at one facility
from a varied group of medical professionals, such as an acupuncturist,
acupressurist, case managers, counselors, and physical therapists.
ÒMost patients with chronic pain who are addicted to pain medication
have a lot of other things involved, other psychological and psychosocial
problems,Ó says Peter Yuen, PhD, acupuncturist at the Behavioral Medicine
Center and at the Loma Linda University Health Care Center for Pain
Management.
To address these problems, patients participate in therapy sessions
with a psychologist. They are also assigned to a case manager, who makes
sure that they participate in the groups and therapies that will best
help them.
For example, patients can participate in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings,
womenÕs groups, support groups, exercise classes, and many more.
Jeff Alliva, CADAC, chemical dependency counselor and group facilitator
at the Center, thinks of himself as a coach teaching patients how to
redevelop an identity and a purpose.
ÒMost of them have developed a beliefÉthat they donÕt have a purpose
because they canÕt function like they used to. So what we do is have
them develop that and kick start their spirit again so they can start
being productive in their own eyes,Ó he says.
Patients attend groups during and after an initial detoxification period,
and they are slowly weaned from the narcotics theyÕve been using.
Because patients are treated without narcotics in the program, they
must learn alternative ways to deal with and lessen their chronic pain.
To this end, Dr. Yuen and pain track coordinator Karen Vercaigne treat
patients with alternative or physical medicine techniques--such as acupuncture,
acupressure, and electric stimulation--to relieve muscle tension and
pain.
After approximately 30 days of inpatient treatment, patients move to
the Behavioral Medicine CenterÕs recovery home, where they remain for
at least a week. After discharge, patients come two to three times a
week for treatment.
Perhaps one of the most noteworthy aspects of the program is that it
is a behavior modification program--it helps patients change their lifestyle.
Even patients who havenÕt yet completed their treatment will say that
the program changes lives.
In fact, the program has helped one patient, Carolyn, begin to rebuild
her relationship with her husband--after isolating herself from him
for more than 10 years. For Carolyn, the program was the difference
between life and death.
ÒI wonÕt go back out and use again,Ó she says. ÒThey were prescription
drugs, of course--legal--but that doesnÕt make you any less or more
of an addict.Ó
JoanneÕs daughter, Vicki, appreciates what the program has done for
her mother.
ÒI like her a lot better since sheÕs been here,Ó she says. ÒIÕm happier
because I know sheÕs getting the help that she needs.Ó
[Top of page]
New methods being used to control pain
 |
| Peter Yuen, PhD, a Behavioral Medicine Center therapist, works with a patient who suffers from debilitating migraine headaches. |
ÒThink about this,Ó he says. ÒA surgeon cuts you open, takes your appendix out, and everythingÕs perfect. WhoÕs going to heal the wound for you? Your body.Ó
Dr. Yuen uses acupuncture to stimulate the bodyÕs natural healing process. Acupuncture involves inserting thin metal needles into specific points in the body. To stimulate these points further, the needles can be rotated or used to conduct a weak electric current.
ÒThe acupuncture is a tool we can use to enhance the healing process,Ó Dr. Yuen says. ÒAlso, itÕs very well-studied now that acupuncture can stimulate the release of endorphins in your body so it can help your pain.Ó
Acupuncture is also gaining national acceptance. The National Institutes of Health now believes acupuncture to be useful as a secondary or alternative treatment for muscle spasms, menstrual problems, nausea, addiction, and other difficulties. In addition, some insurance companies are beginning to pay for acupuncture treatments.
Joanne, a former pain medication addict who suffers from chronic pain, bears witness to the benefits of acupuncture. ÒWhen Dr. Yuen starts applying the acupuncture itÕs almost an instantaneous relief,Ó she says. ÒThe pain just drains outÉ. The benefits are just unbelievable.Ó
[Top of page][TODAY, September 24, 1998][News and media page]
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