Dr. Carl Woodrow Christensen, MD

(NOTE: My wife (Cathy, a nurse practitioner) and I have recently opened a new practice at 2311 Shelby, 201-A, Ann Arbor 48103).
I have worked with patients with addiction and chronic pain since 2000.
Addiction is a chronic, often fatal illness that is misidentified as “lack of willpower”. Nothing could be farther from the truth; addicts and alcoholics are the most determined people you will ever meet. They are also accused of being evil; while the patient with depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder is not. Addiction is slowly being recognized as a mental illness that deserves the same compassion (and coverage for services!) as other chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension and asthma.
You can see a video of my talk on the Physiology of Addiction at: https://vimeo.com/100182685
There are multiple ways to treat addiction; please see our website (www.christensenrecovery.com) for more information. We may recommend residential treatment, outpatient …treatment, medication assisted therapy, and/or twelve step recovery programs.
Addiction during pregnancy is one of the most difficult conditions of all to treat. I am always amazed at the courage my patients have when coming forward and asking for help. I always try to start by congratulating them on this. Many patients are excited to work with treating their addiction and are able to move forward and change their lives. Some patients (as you can tell from the reviews!!) are reluctant and (understandably) upset to hear what they need to do. I enjoy taking care of both groups! The Eleonore Huztel Recovery Center (EHRC) is an outpatient clinic at the Detroit Medical Center where you can be evaluated, the proper treatment determined and recommended. Again, many patients do not like what they hear, but my job is to offer the best treatment possible. My goal is also for every mom to have the best chance at being able to raise their child.
Chronic pain is something that is often confused with addiction. Both patients may have tolerance to their medication (it doesn’t work anymore) and withdrawal when it is stopped. However, the chronic pain patient may also suffer from hyperalgesia, a condition where the pain medication actually makes the pain meds worse. The treatment for this is either to detox off the medication completely, switch to a different type of medication (buprenorphine), or to rotate to a different opioid.
Please feel free to contact me at our website: www.christensenrecovery.com.
Office locations (maps available at www.christensenrecovery.com):
Ann Arbor: 734 368 9871
Eleonore Hutzel Recovery Center (pregnant patients): 313 966 0029
Tolan Medical Clinic (methadone): 313 993 3964
Carl Christensen, MD, PhD, FACOG, FASAM

• Detroit Receiving Hospital

Iha Infectious Diseases Ann Arbor Campus

5333 McAuley Dr Rm 5011

Ypsilanti

MI

48197

USA

+17347128600

• Addiction Medicine
• Family Medicine
• Obstetrics & Gynecology
• Gynecologic Oncology

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