Opiates, like heroin, morphine and codeine, by their nature are highly addictive. When someone becomes addicted to opiates, he needs to go through detoxification as well as a treatment program to get him off and keep him off the drug. A natural opiate detox is one that doesn't use any other sort of drug to alleviate the sometimes painful symptoms of withdrawal.
Natural Detox
A natural detox is a more holistic approach than medical detoxes, which prescribe a replacement drug like methadone to ease the addict's detox symptoms.
Though drugs aren't used to aid in the natural detox process, the person isn't simply left alone to fight through his cravings. Depending on the facility, the staff could use acupuncture or massage to treat withdrawal symptoms. They may use homeopathy, naturopathy, nutritional care or Eastern care.
Homeopathy
A facility that uses a homeopathic approach to opiate detox uses herbs, extracts and minerals during a person's withdrawal period to help the body eliminate the addictive substances. A person will still experience symptoms of withdrawal, but not as long, since the herbs or extracts expedite the process of elimination.
Naturopathy
The naturopathic method takes a different, holistic route to detoxification. The philosophy is that the body can heal itself. The person lives in the healthiest environment (open, natural, positive, supportive), engages in healthy activities (hiking, swimming, being outdoors under the sun), eats wholesome meals and partakes in massage or acupuncture. Each factor is believed to aid in the detoxification process. Again, the person will still experience the symptoms of withdrawal, but it will be less severe because the body is ultimately living in the most optimal conditions.
Nutritional Detox
The nutritional approach to detox is similar to the naturopathic method, except that it relies solely on food and diet. When a person only consumes natural fruits and vegetables, juices and soups (this will be the main diet for detox), the body will naturally detoxify itself in a short amount of time. This is coupled with exercise and dietary supplements to reduce the severity of the symptoms.
Eastern Approach
The Eastern approach combines each of the other methods already described. Herbs and extracts are used, along with a change in diet and exercise. Yoga, meditation and acupuncture are common, as is an internal look at one's self. With this approach, you are treating the body, mind and soul of a person.
Time Frame
When someone is going through withdrawal, she will begin to experience symptoms 6 to 12 hours after she last used, and she may take three to five days to fully detoxify the body. Of course, the period of time a person's detox will take is often based on both the substance of abuse and the length of that abuse.
Sometimes, when a person goes through a more traditional detox program, using a medication to alleviate symptoms of withdrawal, the detox period will last longer. This is because another drug has been introduced into the body.
Considerations
It isn't advisable for someone addicted to opiates to simply detox himself without the supervision of a medical professional. Depending on the severity of the addiction, an unsupervised detox could result in lasting cardiopulmonary issues or death, especially when going through a rapid detox.
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