|
|
 |
| From A Few Of This Week's
Patients |
|
Retired Judge
"I
want to thank Patty,
JJ, Kara, Jessica, Andrew, Jean, Steve, Frances,
Cate, Kathy, Paula, Leigh, Loree, the cooks, the
chefs and if I forget anyone it's not on
purpose. The food was
excellent and the chefs were responsive to those
who cannot eat that which was on the
menu. The chef would smile and
make you what you needed. The
facility is perfect. I gained
my life back. All organs in my
body work now.
I could have gone home when it was tough
and that would have been a
non-accomplishment. Therefore,
if you are not here to help yourself then you are
really not doing this for the right reason. This
must be done because you want it."
Charter Boat Operator
"I
can't find the words about my stay here at
Novus. At 59 years of age, I've
never experienced a more rewarding
experience. The people
associated with this institution is what makes
it. I could see all the
patients feel it which makes it that much more
rewarding. I'd like to point
out how Steve attended directly with some personal
issues and was right on top of it.
JJ, I know he's God's replacement on
earth. If there is a word above
super, he is it. Then there is
Kara who was so attentive-she let nothing slip
by. Patty is more than a
nurse. I can sit and talk to
her about anything. She's a
mother, sister and friend.
Can't find someone more
understanding. Kathy thanks for
your smile everyday-can't believe how it
helps.
The food-I know a 4 star rating is the
highest but I give it a 5 star.
You've given me hope that at some point
down the road, I can make amends and be a
productive person in society. I
seriously doubt I could feel this way this morning
had I not attended Novus. Thank
you is not enough. You've given
me a new life."
Lawyer
"JJ, Kara and Kathy were very kind and
helpful. Everyone else was very
friendly and supportive. They
made suggestions but did not force a point of view
on you. The
food-awesome. What I enjoyed
was not having a roommate. This
is a top notch facility. I am
clean and am leaving with a positive
attitude. By allowing me the
freedom to relax and not be forced into constant
activity when I was feeling bad, I am stronger
today. This experience has
reinforced my need for sobriety but the desire is
to do it for myself and not anyone
else."
Cable
Installer
"The staff was excellent and
caring. I genuinely felt that
everyone to include the cooks has our well being
at heart. The food was
superb. The facility was great
and the grounds were serene.
Considering the circumstances for why I
came to Novus, I was overwhelmed on how caring and
thoughtful everyone was. Upon
entering, I was greeted as family rather than a
guest. The atmosphere that is
Novus greatly eased my transition from dope sick
junkie to healthy productive person.
In the short time I was here not only did I
detox from pain meds (something I haven't been
able to accomplish on my own) I was also able to
get my finances and life in order.
Again, something that while I was on drugs
I haven't been able to manage.
Fact is, prior to detox a large portion of
my income was going to drugs, in turn causing me
to want more drugs to forget about my money
problems. Coming here not only
cleaned my body of that harmful addiction but
cleared my brain of the guilt I constantly felt
when I would lie to my friends and
family. I feel the staff truly
cares about each and everybody that enters this
building. They are committed to
helping in anyway that they can to relieve us of
this horrible weight that many of us
carry."
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
THE NOVUS MEDICAL
PROTOCOL
By Steven L. Hayes,
Director
|
|
WHAT IS A MEDICAL
PROTOCOL?
Webster's Medical
Dictionary defines protocol as, "A detailed plan
of a scientific or medical experiment, treatment,
or procedure." A medical protocol is a
compilation of the successful actions of medical
practitioners, and allows one to achieve the same
success on patients by following the steps of the
medical protocol.
Specific medical protocols are
developed to deal with specific diseases or
conditions. For example, there are
established medical protocols for dealing with an
infection, cancer, heart problems or with
indigestion. As more information about how to deal
with medical conditions is discovered, medical
protocols are often changed.
EXAMPLES OF
PROTOCOLS
In the 18th century,
medical doctors believed that blood was the
carrier of diseases. The medical protocol
for a sore throat and high fever was a procedure
called bloodletting. Bloodletting drained
the bad blood out and allowed the body to produce
good blood which was supposed to lead to recovery.
This was the medical protocol followed by the
doctors summoned when George Washington, after
riding in the freezing rain, returned home and
began to have a high temperature and sore
throat. The use of this protocol is
what is now believed to have actually caused
Washington's death.
There have long been
medical protocols for detoxing people off of drugs
and alcohol. When someone was an alcoholic
in the 18th century and wanted to quit drinking,
they were often locked in a room and not allowed
to come out for three to four days. Most
people survived the treatment but some had
seizures and died. A similar protocol was
often followed for people who were addicted to
opium smoking. While very painful, it
rarely had fatal consequences. In the Civil
War, the medical protocol for treating many
gunshot wounds to the leg or arm often called for
amputation of the limb because they did not have
the ability to control the spread of infection.
IMPORTANCE OF
MEDICAL PROTOCOLS
Without medical
protocols, medical treatment would be totally
reliant on the skill of the practitioner and the
availability of diagnostic equipment. We
would have some doctors prescribing one course of
treatment, but down the street a doctor would
prescribe a different course of treatment for the
exact same medical problems. We want
our medical professionals to use tried and
successful methods and not to experiment on us as
if we were lab animals. This is why medical
malpractice has developed the standard that a
treatment is not considered negligent if it meets
the standard of the medical community --if all
other medical practitioners follow a similar
protocol.
Of course, in some areas
of medicine there really are medical protocols
based not on actual medical tests but on opinion,
such as in many areas of psychiatry.
A PROTOCOL IS NOT
ENOUGH
Although there is science
involved in the development of a successful
medical protocol, administering it is still an art
insofar as how the protocol is applied. You
may have had this experience. You had a
cavity and went to a dentist who was so skilled in
the art of dentistry that you barely felt the
drill. Then a few years later, you go to
another dentist and even though this dentist
follows the same protocol, he is less skilled in
the art of dentistry and it seems that the entire
time you are in his chair you are trying to ignore
the pain.
Another example is
surgery. I once asked a surgeon how he would
select a surgeon to operate on him or a member of
his family. He said that it was easy.
All you have to do is find the surgeon whose
patients recover the fastest. The more
skilled the surgeon, the more rapidly their
patients recover.
Like in all areas of
life, the more skilled the person is in applying
the technology of a subject, the better the
result.
DETOX
PROTOCOLS
Today we have medical
detox protocols that have successfully helped
millions of people detox from drugs and
alcohol. These protocols generally use
buprenorphine to assist people to withdraw from
opiates like OxyContin, Vicodin or heroin, a
milder benzodiazepine to assist in alcohol
withdrawals, and a milder benzodiazepine to assist
with withdrawal from other more damaging
benzodiazepines like Xanax. In each of these
instances, the dosage given the patient is
gradually reduced each day until the patient is no
longer taking the drug. This is called the
"taper".
THE NOVUS MEDICAL
DETOX PROTOCOL AND ITS
APPLICATION
Based on the comments
that we get from our departing patients, Novus is
certainly demonstrating a high level of skill in
the application of the detox protocol. This
is particularly apparent when you factor in the
comments from our patients who have experienced a
detox at one or more other facilities. These
"veterans" of other detox facilities are often the
most enthusiastic because they can compare the
skill in which the medical protocol is applied at
Novus with the often lesser skill applied at the
previous detox facilities they visited.
At Novus, we incorporate
a standard medical detox protocol, but we also
have made some additions that have allowed our
patients to detox more comfortably and more
rapidly than patients in most other medical detox
facilities. How do we account for the
difference between Novus and other
facilities? One difference is the use of
vitamin IV's and other natural
supplements. It has long been
understood that alcohol often dehydrates the body,
but more and more research is indicating that not
only alcohol but other drugs will cause
dehydration and also affect the body's ability to
retain vitamins and other nutrients. A
body that is dehydrated and lacking in essential
vitamins and nutrients will have a much more
difficult time during the withdrawal process and
the recovery time will be longer.
We see
some remarkable changes in a very short time when
our patients are given these vitamin IV's and the
supplements. This makes the patient
stronger and more able to effectively deal with
the withdrawal and recover much more
rapidly.
The second addition is
derived from Novus' understanding that all people
metabolize drugs and alcohol differently and all
people have DNA that determines how the
metabolized drugs and alcohol are
handled. This can explain why two
similarly-sized people can drink the same amount
of alcohol and one will be sitting quietly in the
corner while the other is dancing around the
room. Or why two people can have the same
operation, take the same type and amount of
painkiller and one becomes physically dependent
and addicted while the other is able to stop
taking the painkiller without any withdrawal
symptoms.
The third addition is not
strictly related to medical matters but involves
the environment that is created at Novus --
private rooms, televisions with DVD's, great food
and a friendly and genuinely caring staff.
Although we used to be surprised that all
facilities are not like Novus (at least in their
attitude toward their patients), it is so commonly
reported by our patients who have experienced
other detox facilities that we now understand that
the environment at Novus is very special.
When someone arrives at
Novus, they are assessed by our medical
professionals and started on the standard detox
protocol and the standard taper for the drug from
which they wish to detox. Again, the
medical staff knows that the patient is to be
viewed as an individual and is to be completed on
his or her detox as soon as it's safely and
comfortably possible. This means that we
observe how the patient is doing and ask for input
from him or her. If the patient is
responding well, then the patient is consulted and
the speed of the taper is likely increased.
If the patient is having some difficulties with
the standard detox protocol, then the speed of the
taper is usually decreased.
While
someone is at Novus, it is not uncommon for the
speed of the taper to be increased and/or
decreased several times. According to our
patients who have been to other detoxes in the
past, this is not normal. Many other places
apparently do not vary the medical detox protocol
regardless of how the patient is doing. At
these facilities, if the patient is not doing well
on the standard taper, the medical team will shrug
and not change the taper. If the patient is
doing well and wants to speed up the taper, the
medical team will shrug and not change the taper.
We believe that dealing with each patient as an
individual, our IV's and natural supplements, and
our environment are why patients write success
stories that rave about their experience at Novus.
THE
FUTURE
Major changes to medical
detox protocols are coming in the next five to ten
years. Researchers are now speaking
about the real possibility of being able to take a
fluid sample from the addicted person, run a DNA
test, and then be able to tell a detox facility
exactly the dosage of the medication that will
produce the most rapid, comfortable and safe
results for each patient. This will help us
at Novus because then we will know the exact
medication and dosage to use and will not have to
be making as many changes to the taper. It
will be good for all those who go to other detox
facilities as well because the other facilities
will have no excuse for not treating each patient
as an individual.
|
|
|
|
|
