2018-10-15 12:30
These were not my words, but the words of a patient who completed a 5-day opioid detox with us a few weeks ago. A couple of years ago, his detox would probably have been 3 days—he beli… Read More
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blog.thecolemaninstitute.com
Over the past nine years, The Coleman Institute has helped to free over 1,000 patients from the damaging effects of heroin use and other narcotics.
2018-09-05 12:30
Over eleven years ago I answered an ad in the paper for a job as a Family Nurse Practitioner. (Yes, we actually still used the newspapers and looked in the classifieds for jobs at that time… Read More
2018-08-20 12:30
Every now and then, I get questions about whether we still do the Anesthesia Detox. This treatment method has many names and variations, including an Advanced Rapid Detox, an Ultra-Rapid Det… Read More
2018-08-03 12:30
Our Coleman Institute staff regularly meets to discuss the kinds of things medical offices must discuss. Occasionally at these meetings we look at our website and ask ourselves if it is comm… Read More
2018-07-31 12:30
A body, left to its own devices, manages pretty well.
Breathing, digestion, circulation, and metabolism are all nicely orchestrated with only the minimal input from the inhabitant of said bo… Read More
2018-07-27 12:30
We were delighted to get the news last week that Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia has started covering our treatment program. They have decided to cover the detoxification proce… Read More
2018-07-19 12:30
Part of the reason the Coleman Institute is so successful in helping patients from around the world detox off various substances (alcohol; opioids, including heroin, buprenorphine, and metha… Read More
2018-07-12 12:30
Patients who are making the decision to stop using opioids have a few choices. They can go cold turkey. Difficult and painful, but doable. For some people this happens when they are in jail… Read More
2018-05-07 12:30
Typical scenario at the Coleman Institute:
A patient and their support person arrive at the office to begin an accelerated opioid detox from heroin, fentanyl, Dilaudid®, Percocet®, V… Read More
2018-04-27 12:30
Often, I feel like the only thing I have been writing and teaching about the last few months is how bad fentanyl really is, how many people it is killing, and how it is increasingly becoming… Read More
2018-04-12 12:30
I just heard an incredibly disturbing report on National Public Radio (NPR) this morning. The report was called: Fentanyl-Laced Cocaine Becoming A Deadly Problem Among Drug Users.
More and m… Read More
2018-04-12 12:28
1. Go slow or go fast, either way, be prepared for inevitable side effects.
Getting off benzos such as Ativan®, Xanax®, and Klonopin® is tough. Detailed methods for slow weaning… Read More
2018-04-03 12:28
It was a pretty typical day at the Coleman Institute. Patients were being seen in various stages of recovery: a patient at the beginning of a detox off Opana®, another a few days into a… Read More
2018-03-26 12:28
I started a new patient, Jimmy, for his Accelerated Opioid Detox today. He thought he was coming off heroin, but his urine also revealed fentanyl…almost a daily occurrence now at the… Read More
2018-03-15 12:28
Patients who have stopped using opiates and gone through the withdrawal process often wonder why their energy is so low and ask about ways they might boost it.
After extended use of opioid p… Read More
2018-02-26 13:28
The sad fact is that there are thousands of overdoses happening in the US every day. For the last year or so, over 120 of these daily overdoses were fatal, but there were many more where the… Read More
2018-02-15 13:28
The theme of Connectedness is permeating much of what I am reading and listening to these days…and how disconnection and isolation is such a hallmark of the patients with addiction we… Read More
2018-01-31 13:28
I was recently invited to speak to a class of student nurses and discuss how 12-Step Recovery programs like AA can help an alcoholic or addict Read More
2018-01-31 13:28
My good friend sends me articles she reads that have to do with addiction. This morning she sent me a quick story from the New York Times that describes a woman’s experience of having… Read More
2018-01-19 13:28
John is a 60-year-old man who was the victim of a motor vehicle accident in 1996 that left him with multiple injuries, including skull, vertebral and other bone fractures. He was hospitalize… Read More
2017-12-21 13:28
I was riding my bike when a huge flatbed roared past me. Stenciled onto the back of the cab were big red letters: TOWING and RECOVERY.
I thought, “Now that would be an interesting way… Read More
2017-12-21 13:28
When I write blog articles, my inspiration is drawn from the courageous patients who are re-writing the stories of their lives. Usually when I ask for permission to tell someone’s stor… Read More
2017-12-20 13:28
Last month, a long-awaited research study was published that will help patients and physicians make decisions on which treatment to use for opioid dependence. For quite some time, Suboxone&r&hell…Read More
2017-12-19 13:28
To choose nursing or medicine as a profession usually means that sometime in your career, you will be covering weekends and holidays. So when my children were young, I had to take my turns d… Read More
2017-12-04 19:10
Several months ago a 26 year old man from Northern Virginia came to the office for an Accelerated Opioid Detox. He had been using heroin for about two years after being on oxycodone for surg… Read More
2017-12-04 19:10
Last week was busy and wonderful at The Coleman Institute’s main office in Richmond, Virginia!
We helped a married couple with two children detox off a variety of opioids, most recentl… Read More
2017-11-27 19:10
I always like to forward good tips about staying sober during the holidays. We see so many patients who talk about their ‘triggers’ during those times. I thought this article con… Read More
2017-11-21 19:10
There are multiple suggestions for detoxing after indulging in the overabundance of food and drink that many people experience during the Thanksgiving holidays. Warm water plus lemon, drinki… Read More
2017-11-13 19:10
I had the pleasure of seeing my patient Isabel (not her real name, but I love this name) in the office today for her regular monthly Vivitrol® injection. Vivitrol® is a long-acting… Read More
2017-11-13 19:10
I recently attended a conference where participants were challenged to surrender their electronics, tobacco products, alcohol, sugar, caffeine, gum, any medications or supplements not prescr… Read More
2017-10-25 18:10
It should be no surprise to anyone reading this newsletter that we are in the middle of the worst opioid epidemic to ever strike our country. Thanks to fentanyl (a powerful synthetic opioid)… Read More
2017-10-25 18:10
Helping to restore people to wholeness is really what our business is. For those who have taken a detour on their road to being the best version of themselves, we offer hope.
We get people o… Read More
2017-10-23 18:10
I had a great visit with my patient, Edward (not his name) earlier this week. Edward grew up in West Virginia and started using Oxycontin® toward the end of his high school years. He got… Read More
2017-09-20 13:28
I heard from Ken (not his real name) yesterday. Ken completed an Accelerated Opiate Detox with us about 5 weeks ago. The burden lifted from his shoulders is immense, he told me. He wakes up… Read More
2017-08-29 13:28
In the last 10 years or so, we have embarked on a big experiment in this country - by allowing much easier access to marijuana.
There are many reasons this has happened. We have come to beli… Read More
2017-07-11 13:28
At The Coleman Institute, we continue to assist people with a medical withdrawal from short acting opiates, but we have a growing number of patients who are seeking our services to help get… Read More
2017-07-06 13:28
Why do people love coming to The Coleman Institute?
Partly it’s because our method of Rapid Non-Addictive, Medically Assisted Withdrawal from opioids just plain makes the experience to… Read More
2017-06-23 13:28
Most people who get into recovery do so when the pain of their using and the pain of their lifestyle is greater than the fear of stopping and trying a new way of life. Usually, this requires… Read More
2017-06-19 13:28
Earlier this month we worked with a family from South Carolina at our Richmond Coleman Institute office. Accompanied by his parents and younger sister, Tim (not his real name), a 27-year-old… Read More
2017-06-09 13:28
We just helped a gentleman with a Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) to get off Opana® (oxymorphone). He was injecting about 40mg/day, often supplemented with oxycodone.
When a patient c… Read More
2017-06-07 13:28
Raphael (I don’t use patients real names, so I thought this would be a fun one) came to the office recently to have his monthly Vivitrol® injection. Vivitrol® is the trade name… Read More
2017-05-25 13:28
We have seen an increase in patients coming to The Coleman Institute (TCI) for rapid detox from Roxicodone (also known as Roxycodone). Roxicodone is a strong prescription pain medicine that… Read More
2017-05-11 13:28
“No one made me come to treatment – That’s good, right?” – I hear this all the time. Patients who come to us for help say this frequently. They are convinced th… Read More
2017-05-10 13:28
If you are daring to stop using drugs or alcohol, you are daring to believe there is something better out there for you.
It is a huge leap of faith to give up something that has so consisten… Read More
2017-05-08 13:28
I received a rather desperate call from a patient who’d recently completed an Accelerated Opiate Detox with us at The Coleman Institute. Jean*is the mother of three young children. Pri… Read More
2017-04-10 20:30
Emptying
I am a fan of Fr. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest in New Mexico. He’s a little controversial in some more conservative Catholic circles, and perhaps that’s why I like… Read More
2017-04-10 13:28
I’ve spent some time recently listening to interviews with Dr. Rick Hanson, a neuro-psychiatrist. Based on his and others’ research, he teaches very specific strategies that have… Read More
2017-03-23 00:30
Unfortunately, it happens all the time. Patients are prescribed narcotic painkillers for legitimate reasons and then, become addicted to them. Most of the time, the doctors who are prescribi… Read More
2017-03-10 02:30
I just returned from a weekend conference about breaking habits and addictive behavior. The speaker, Mukta Kaur Khalsa, Ph.D., has worked in rehab clinics for 40 years and trained with India… Read More
2017-03-03 02:30
Recently a mother of one of my patients expressed her concern that although her daughter was willingly going through our Medically Assisted Opioid Withdrawal process and committed to not usi… Read More
2017-02-24 02:30
“The human soul doesn't want to be fixed, it simply wants to be seen and heard. The soul is like a wild animal - tough, resilient and shy. When we go crashing through the woods shoutin… Read More
2017-02-10 02:30
The Opioid Epidemic has clearly gained national attention.
Recent legislation allows qualified doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants to treat 275 patients with Substance Use… Read More
2017-02-04 02:30
It was very gratifying to see Benjamin* for his naltrexone implant follow up appointment earlier this month. He first came to TCI-Richmond for his rapid opioid detox about eight months ago t… Read More
2017-01-26 02:30
Besides helping people release themselves from chemical addictions and launch new lives through our various Accelerated Opioid Detox programs, we also have a pretty robust family practice.
M… Read More
2016-12-23 02:30
Season’s Greetings!
Just wanted to share one of the excellent bloggers that support people in recovery. Here Jean talks about Supportive Normies on her blog Unpickled, and how non-drin… Read More
2016-12-22 02:30
We've known for a long time that opiates are fantastic pain killers for physical pain. We use them in medicine all the time. Opiates relieve the pain of terminal cancer, general surgery and… Read More
2016-11-24 02:30
These are the words I heard from a middle-aged patient who came into the office a few weeks ago. He said to me: “I hate it. Every 3 days I have to re-apply my Fentanyl patch and I can… Read More
2016-11-23 02:30
A few years ago we shared the article below from the “Crying Out Now” blog as the holidays approached. It can be a difficult time for sober people or people struggling to get or… Read More
2016-11-16 02:30
Not every patient we see for follow up after a detox has profound spiritual experiences to share with us.
Billy was in last week. He’s 23 and is eight months clean. Grinning like a kid… Read More
2016-11-12 02:30
A patient we have come to know very well is with us again—his third time—for help with a rapid opiate detox. It won’t be as rapid as when he was getting off a gram of heroi… Read More
2016-11-05 00:30
When I was eating lunch recently with my friend Ellie, who volunteers at the Richmond jail teaching meditation and yoga (www.ellieburke.life), she mentioned a quote by Dr. Parker Palmer, an… Read More
2016-09-29 20:40
Peter R. Coleman, MDby Peter R. Coleman, MDA lot of the patients who come to us to be detoxed off opiates have never used street drugs. They are chronic pain patients who have become depende… Read More
2016-07-29 12:51
by Peter R. Coleman, MD Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services decided to increase the number of patients that physicians can treat with Suboxone®. Beginning aro… Read More
2016-06-28 18:41
by Peter R. Coleman, MDRecently, the New York Times ran an article proposing that most opiate addicts should receive Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). I couldn’t agree with th… Read More
2016-05-27 15:35
by Peter R. Coleman, MDThe internet is a marvelous thing. It can bring us information at lightning speed and help us learn things, get places, and entertain ourselves. Some of us older folks… Read More
2016-04-26 17:06
On April 14th and 15th at Virginia Commonwealth University COBE hosted "From Research to Rehab: A Town Hall Meeting on Substance Use and Young People." Over 300 researchers, practitioners, i… Read More
2016-04-11 17:51
By Joan R. Shepherd, FNP I’m not saying that miracles can’t and don’t happen anytime and anywhere, but seeing miracles is a daily occurrence in my job.For instance&hel&hell…Read More
2016-03-28 16:18
by Peter R. Coleman, MDJust when you thought the heroin epidemic was bad enough, now we are seeing a new and even worse epidemic - Fentanyl. We started to hear about Fentanyl sin… Read More
2016-02-29 14:09
by Peter R. Coleman, MDTitan Pharmaceuticals has been developing their long lasting Buprenorphine implant for about 10 years now. They have been trying to get the FDA approval for many years… Read More
2016-01-29 00:02
by Peter R. Coleman, MDFor a long time, it has been known that dopamine is the pleasure molecule. After all, it is common knowledge that a large amount of dopamine is released in the nucleus… Read More
2016-01-05 01:48
by Gabriella Pinto-CoelhoFor those struggling with an addiction to alcohol or another substance, the end of the year can be a challenging time. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s… Read More
2015-12-22 17:33
by Peter R. Coleman, MDRecently, we have been hearing more and more about the idea that if people can sustain recovery for 5 years, they are (almost) cured. The concept is, just like a cance… Read More
2015-12-08 22:01
by Gabriella Pinto-CoelhoFor some, the holiday season can be a time of year filled with love, family, and joy. And for others, it can be a total you-know-what-show. A lot of it depends on yo… Read More
2015-11-20 23:28
by Gabriella Pinto-CoelhoA new study out of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism paints a bleak picture of drug addiction in the United States. Certain social factors like… Read More
2015-11-13 14:58
by Gabriella Pinto-CoelhoThere’s no doubt that the population of individuals seeking treatment for opioid addictions now is vastly different than the same group profile in the 1990's o… Read More
2015-11-05 21:02
by Peter R. Coleman, M.D.I recently watched the movie “Wild” starring Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed - a young woman who was having serious problems and felt like the best s… Read More
2015-11-05 21:02
by Peter R. Coleman, M.D.I recently watched the movie “Wild” starring Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed - a young woman who was having serious problems and felt like the best s… Read More
2015-11-03 21:55
by Gabriella Pinto-CoelhoA new study out of the University of Michigan has shed light on some disturbing facts around teenagers and opioid abuse: high school students who are prescribed opio… Read More
2015-10-19 20:51
Published: Friday 16 October 2015 at 5am PSTMedical News TodayExcessive alcohol use continues to be a drain on the American economy, according to a study released by the Centers for Dis… Read More
2015-10-06 20:37
by Gabriella Pinto-CoelhoWhile it is always sad to hear that anyone is heading to rehab, publicly announcing your decision is also a demonstration of bravery and vulnerability. It is hard en… Read More
2015-09-23 14:10
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be launching a new program, Prescription Drug Overdose: Prevention, for a pilot group of 16 states: Arizona, California, Illinois, K… Read More
2015-09-17 20:37
by Gabriella Pinto-CoelhoA pair of studies suggests that the insular cortex, a specific region of the brain, may play a central role in addiction. Scientists discovered this groundbreaking c… Read More
2015-09-11 19:45
Published: Friday 11 September 2015 at 6am PST by www.medicalnewstoday.comAlthough prescription drug misuse is on the decline among adolescents, one in two patients tested between the a… Read More
2015-09-10 14:58
by Gabriella Pinto-CoelhoHistorically, the study of the human psyche is plagued with a lot of “don’ts” and “shouldn’ts.” Psychology and Psychiatry are pri… Read More
2015-08-31 20:58
Do Cravings Ever Go Away? by Peter R. Coleman, MDRecently, I have been asked by a few people if I still have cravings for drugs or alcohol. The questions took me a little by surpr… Read More
2015-08-21 16:15
Bill Knaus Ed.D.Science and SensibilityIdeas and Actions for Kicking Bad HabitsProblem habits are high on the list of things that most people want to overcome. For example, do you worry… Read More
2015-08-10 16:04
by Joan Shepherd, NPJust another word about anxiety. We survived as a species because our brains have the ability to respond to what they perceive as dangerous. The brain perceives danger&md&hell…Read More
2015-07-29 17:47
by Peter R. Coleman, M.D.Recently, a fellow practitioner sent an emaiI containing an article from Newsweek magazine, which was published back in February, 1999. Now, 15… Read More
2015-07-24 12:57
by Patricia Byrne It has been a very interesting month. Since my first post I have connected with old high school friends who have active or recovering addicts in their f… Read More
2015-07-14 12:56
by Gabi Pinto-CoelhoAmerica: the land of the free and the home of the stressed. Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly proud and grateful to be an American, and stress is not a uniquely A… Read More
2015-06-26 16:03
Reprinted from www.commonhealth.virgina.govForget MultitaskingWhen dogs have a job to do, they give it their undivided attention. It turns out people should probably do the same. Stanford re… Read More
2015-06-16 15:52
by Peter R. Coleman, M.D.We are currently living through an epidemic of opiate abuse. Over 60 people are dying every day from these drugs. And the main problem is that our young p… Read More
2015-06-15 15:56
by Gabi Pinto-CoeloMark Twain once said, “Comparison is the death of joy.” But, let’s be honest, we all compare ourselves to other people from time to time. We evaluate eve… Read More
2015-06-01 15:16
To become the person you want to be, you need to stop making excuses. BY MARSHALL GOLDSMITH Executive Coach, Author, Speaker@coachgoldsmithIn his book Triggers… Read More
2015-05-23 10:00
From the Staff at The Coleman Institute Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
Chris Newcomb, M.Div.I am a child of the 1980’s. This is great for many reasons one of which includes cheesy 80’s game shows. Do you remember “Press You… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
By Chris Newcomb, M.Div.It was a tough battle. The enemy was big…a lot bigger than me! He had powers greater than mine. But, I had trained hard. I… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
In 1983, Dr. George Vaillant published a book titled “The Natural History of Alcoholism”. It was the result of a landmark study conducted in the Boston area. There… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
ByChris Newcomb, M.Div. I work for an alcohol and drug detox center. I meet many different people and wish I could remember all of them in vivid detail. Unfortunately, my br… Read More
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