Israel’s Rambam Health Care Campus has used revolutionary new technology to cure a man with a severe painkiller addiction.
Previously taking over 130 pills a day, the patient, named ‘H’ for confidentiality, experienced a significant drop in cravings after receiving a breakthrough new therapy.
H, a man in his 40s, suffered a neck injury a few years ago and was prescribed opioid painkillers to cope with its effects.
Over time as pain reduced and H got back to regular life, he developed an addiction to the medication.
His body became so accustomed to the drugs that was at risk of severe withdrawal symptoms if he decided to stop taking them, even years after the injury.
These would include sweating, vomiting, and nausea.
Opioid compounds attach to receptors in the brain that not only remove pain signals but trigger a release of dopamine, a hormone the brain associates with feelings of pleasure and happiness.
The anti-addiction treatment in Haifa was made possible by a brand-new Israeli technology developed by Insightec, which combined MRI therapy with high-intensity focused ultrasound, meaning it is non-invasive.
Doctors gave H an experimental treatment using sound waves, analysing activity in a region of the brain responsible for part of the reward and motivation system, where dopamine is released.
The sound wave therapy provided doctors with the ability to dampen receptors for opioids and reduce H's desire for them.
The treatment lasted no more than 20 minutes, and H immediately reported a reduction in cravings.
Only a week later, his test scores showed that he had no opioids in his system. When asked how bad his cravings were, H told doctors they were a 0 out of 10.
He also now reports a reduction in his smoking habit from three packs a day to just a few cigarettes, and says he no longer experiences any desire for alcohol.
The new form of treatment was spearheaded by Dr Lior Lev Tov, lead investigator and head of the Functional Neurosurgery Unit of the Healthcare Campus.
“This is a major scientific breakthrough that could have far-reaching implications and reshape the way we approach treatment”, he said. “Five more Israeli patients with the addiction have been lined up for treatment soon.”
The hope is that the same treatment could be applied to help those struggling with ADHD, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s, along with other neurodegenerative and cognitive conditions.
Lev Tov also added: “There must be better supervision that makes it more difficult to get the [opioid] pills, except for painful cancers.”
Jerusalem’s Taub Centre, researching the consumption of narcotic painkillers in Israel, found that Israelis were one of the biggest consumers in the world.
This comes amid a significant rise in substance abuse and relapses in Israel after October 7, largely among survivors and those displaced by the Hamas attack.
Israeli authorities estimate that there are over 60 drug-related deaths per year, with medical experts suspecting that the real numbers are much higher.
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