Pain management treatment has come a long way over the last couple decades. When I first started practicing medicine in the late 1990s, if a patient had a back injury, you’d write them a prescription for 30-40 tabs of Vicodin or Percocet and have them take it every six hours. It was all about relieving…
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Hypnosis is a state of human consciousness involving heightened, focused attention, reduced peripheral awareness and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.
People who experience unbearable trauma as children often dissociate from the experience―both in the moment and as they grow―because the pain of the experience runs deep. Unless they have therapeutic help or a supportive caregiver who can guide them through it, they tend to store trauma away and may even pretend it never happened.
Twelve-step alternatives are just as effective as the 12 Steps, according to a recent study by the Alcohol Research Group. The study looked at over 600 people’s support group involvement and substance use over 12 months. We need more research to make any definitive claims about alternatives to AA and similar groups. But I’m not…
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The use of hypnoanalgesia (the use of hypnotic suggestion to alleviate pain) can be traced back to the 15th century, although the first clinically detailed literature on hypnosis for pain is attributed to the famous Spanish physician, Santiago Ramón y Cajal.
By Jack Gilbert, LCSW, Clinical Director at The Ranch PA It’s very common for your life and needs to be off balance when you love someone with an addiction. This can lead to high levels of emotional and physical stress and put you at risk for developing your own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual problems.…
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Drunk driving too often results in life-ending or life-altering tragedy. In 2016, Pennsylvania State Police arrested 19,518 drivers for DUI, a 3.8% increase from the prior year. The good news is in 2016, the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes in the state dropped to its lowest level in 20 years.
By Jack Gilbert, LCSW, Clinical Director at The Ranch PA Recovery from drugs and alcohol doesn’t begin and end in residential addiction treatment. It’s a lifelong journey that takes persistence and hard work. It’s one that doesn’t typically follow a straight line, but zigs and zags, curves, meanders and sometimes changes directions.
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By Robert Matylewicz, DO, ABAM, Medical Director at The Ranch PA The term “moderate drinking” gets thrown around a lot these days. Seems like every time you turn the corner, there’s a new study proclaiming alcohol’s health benefits or warning of its dangers. Just like any substance that has potential for abuse and addiction, it’s…
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Treating addiction often creates ethical challenges. If you could get somebody off heroin, would it be worth it? Even if it meant risking the potential of them getting addicted to another substance? What if using that substance was much safer than using heroin? Would that change your answer?