Pain and stress can often lead people down the path of substance use, as they turn to prescription opioids or other substances in an attempt to find relief. Though substances may dull the pain or stress for a time, more and more must be taken to continue the feeling of relief, which can eventually lead to addiction.
Thankfully, local residents have the opportunity to take part in a free initiative that helps to address the needs of the whole person through safe and effective pain and stress management techniques. Home Remedies: Community Options Addressing Pain and Stress is hosted by Partners Aligned Toward Health and the Mitchell-Yancey Substance Abuse Task Force through a grant from the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
In May of 2018, Home Remedies began delivering weekly classes to educate the community about local alternative and complimentary medical practices, to provide participants with opportunities to take part in a variety of practices and to build participant capacity to implement pain/stress relief strategies on their own. From the beginning, the overarching goal of the initiative has been to reduce the use of opioids for pain relief.
Physicians at chronic pain rehabilitation centers across the country emphasize the need to treat pain via different modalities, rather than treating it with medication alone. The Home Remedies initiative highlights evidence-based options approved by the National Institutes of Health as effective alternatives to opioids for pain relief. The modalities highlighted by Home Remedies include mindfulness practices and alternative approaches, such as anti-inflammatory diet, acupuncture, movement therapy, massage, and more.
One component of every weekly Home Remedies class is mindfulness. “Mindfulness, or mindful attention, is simply the practice of stopping, noticing and reflecting on what one is experiencing in the moment, with curiosity and free of judgment,” explains Margot Rossi, who serves as Program Coordinator and is a Certified Mindfulness Educator. “Mindfulness practices are mental exercises that focus our attention, for example on our breathing or sounds around us. Regular practice is proven to positively affect our choices, improve our concentration and memory, and shift our response to stress and pain.”
This pioneering initiative connects participants to local complementary healthcare providers who share strategies and benefits of complementary practices that can be used in addition to or in place of pharmaceutical pain medication, or more invasive procedures like surgery.
“It’s rare that a community has an educational opportunity to access this information at no cost directly from licensed or certified professionals who practice locally,” Rossi adds. “Many doctors are not aware of the benefits of alternative medicines for pain management or haven’t developed a network of trusted alternative medicine providers to share with patients. Home Remedies supports providers and patients alike as they seek alternatives to address pain and improve quality of life.”
This year, classes will take place on Saturday mornings in an effort to enable more people to participate. In addition, the location has been shifted to the Dottie Owens Great Room in the upper level of the Spruce Pine Toe River Arts Council building. For the most up-to-date information on the session schedule, visit the Home Remedies web page at www.path-homeremedies.org.
