OPIOID PAIN MANAGEMENT FOR CHILDREN AND INFANTS-THE NEW TREND

The use of opium as a drug for healing or numbing pain is an ancient practice, and this is the reason that our society today has seen a significant increase in the drug addiction. Practitioners and medicinal doctors are of the opinion that the substance abuse and the misuse have roots much deeper than anticipated and this is the reason they are reconsidering the amount and the frequency of the opium prescribed.

Many of the patients that have been analyzed over a period through longitudinal study and are reported to have developed this habit through their adolescence and usually through various medications that were prescribed to them.

Over the years there have been a lot of efforts and rallied drives to curb the use of the different addictive substances, and various other drug consumption, only the usage of opium as an addictive substance is on the rise. The most apparent reason that it’s on the frontline is the prescription of opium as a treatment drug by pediatricians.

Though medicines contain a lot of other addictive substance, the amount of the drug that these medicines have is alarming as they are highly misused later in life. The addiction is accelerated and more frequent as compared to other drugs.

The prominently visible differences in an adolescent's behavior are bad grades, violent behavior, disciplinary issues and problems with friends. The alarming thing about this opium consumption is that it starts due to being easily available and it’s usually offered by parents and the doctors themselves.

During this time, the parents and the elders around fail to realize the gradual addiction that develops. This leads to the continuous undetected use.  The reason the issue has become more prevalent is the lack of understanding from the pediatricians who prescribe this opium containing medicines.

The conventional use of opium in medicines and painkillers has been the sole reason the consumption has increased. Today there has been more than a 100% increase in the opium overdose deaths. The addiction makes the patients unaware about the quantity that they end up consuming which might also become fatal for them.

Opioids have an anti-inflammatory, soothing and numbing effect, and therefore they are present in painkillers and analgesics. The painkillers are a major form of prescription drug consumption, and there is no difference of opinion when it comes to opium.

The trend to excel in the field that has been opted is now on the rise. The increased competitiveness and "having the edge over other competitors" notion is what that has led to an increase in the use of painkillers. Young athletes who are vying each other to remain on top all year round end up causing wear and tear on their bodies. This leads to consuming high dosage of painkillers, which otherwise might be unnecessary as it could have been managed with rest and lighter medicines. The trend has to be nipped at the roots, and that is in the hands of the doctors.  

Are you currently taking opioids? Do you want to seek alternative pain relieving solutions?

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What is Spinal Fluid Flow (SFF) and it’s Role in Pain Management?

What is Spinal Fluid?

Spinal fluid is also known as Cerebrospinal fluid is a colorless liquid that is found in the brain and the spinal cord. It is produced in the ventricles of the brain. The fluid prevents the wear and tear in the brain by providing a cushion to the brain inside the skull. It is also present in the spinal cord and provides the buffer in its case.

It is present along the whole length of the spinal cord. The movement of the fluid is bidirectional, and it pulsates through the inner ear where it is formed, through the brain and along the spinal cord to the sacrum. The liquid flows in the same rhythm as the blood is pumped through the vessels.

Though there is a conflict of opinion amongst the researchers about the direction of the flow of the liquid, it is a fact that the liquid flows in both directions. The contents of the fluid are all derived from the blood plasma. The fluid has the same sodium levels, but different electrolyte levels and comparably higher chloride levels than the blood plasma. The fluid does not contain any red blood cells and has a fixed amount of white blood cells. The quantity of which should not be exceeded otherwise it counts as a medical condition.

The Spinal Fluid and Pain Management:

The fluid is said to contain a high amount of nutrients and it releases these nutrients when it travels along the length of the brain and spinal cord. The exit point of the fluid is the brain but how it moves back up to the brain to be reabsorbed and a newer and fresher supply of the fluid released, this mechanism is still unclear. There is a belief that the fluid's flow may be promoted through proper breathing.

To understand the role of Spinal fluid in pain management, it is important to have an understanding of the benefits that a healthy Spinal fluid has for the body.

•    The Spinal Fluid provides crucial strengthening nutrients to the spinal cord and the nerves nodes at the end of the spinal cord.

•    It provides a buffer and helps friction and wear and tear amongst the nerves in the spinal cord. It acts as a cushion for the spinal cord.

•    The spinal fluid also helps in carrying away the waste material resulting from neuro-inflammation and the harmful substances from the spinal cord to be discharged from the body. The accumulation might prove to be poisonous and leave the body impaired of movement.

•    It also helps in carrying the therapeutic drugs to the right points hence increasing the healing of the body.

Spinal Fluid management can help many people with chronic back, and leg pains and the flow of the fluid can be increased with the support of age-old techniques of cycling, walking, and yoga. There is a very famous measure that was advised to John F. Kennedy to help ease his fluid's flow, and that was a rocking chair.

For more information schedule a Free Consultation with Dr. Tom Macek and start alleviating chronic pain naturally.  

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