Category Archives: addiction

Opioid-Abuse

Challenges in Using Opioids to Treat Pain in Persons With Substance Use Disorders

March 11, 2016

OpioidsMore often than not, pain and abuse of substance exist together and their co-existence makes treatment of one without the other difficult. In most cases, if the pain is to be addressed, then the substance abuse has to be dealt with first. Opioids are compounds that look like opium in their addictive properties or psychological effects. They are sometimes used as pain relief whenever patients are in severe pains and other pain reliefs seem to be inefficient. Opioids are narcotics and as such are to be used moderately to prevent addiction. This is why when there are cases with patients who are already used to substance abuse, using Opioids tends to just aggravate the problem of substance use. These challenges in using opioids to treat pain in persons with substance use disorders are what this article seeks to talk about.

Pain and Substance use

16 to 24 percent of Americans have been reported to have problems with alcohol abuse. 8% out of the total American population, from 12 years and older, do have a problem with illicit use of substance within a given month. Substance use disorders have been seen to be more significant in medical populations. For instance, 19 to 26% of hospitalized patients have substance use disorders, 40 to 60% are people that have sustained a major trauma, 5 to 67% are those who have been or are being treated for depression. From the above, it can be seen that the treatment of chronic pain poses challenges as the patient may just pick up an appetite which may be hard to shake off, long after their stay in the hospital.

Clinical and Ethical Challenges

Persons who have had a history with substance use are less likely to have an effective pain treatment. It is not as if the pain treatment is not effective but because such people are used to substances which have considerably altered or increased their tolerance and adaptability for such substances, even the most potent pain relief in their right doses will appear ineffective. This is where opioids come in.

Mild to moderate pains can easily be taken care of with physical modalities such as ice, rest and splints but when pains are severe, opioids appear to be one effective way of managing them. Clinicians are however concerned that opioids may be misused by patients. Opioids use in patients with substance use disorders does not only raise complex clinical issues, it also raises ethical issues. This is where the challenge lies. Principles of justice and beneficence demands that all persons have equal access to an effective pain treatment. However tension sets in when such persons are used to substance as the principle of non-maleficence asks that a medical practitioner ‘do no harm’ first when there are concerns about misuse which may cause harmful consequences.

Multidimensional Nature of Pain

Pain is multidimensional in nature. This is another challenge posed to treatment of pain. Pain is subjective, rather than objective, making it hard to actually verify if it exists. Since they are transferred by sensory and emotional experience, one can actually have pains without any physical signs that corroborate this. Therefore, since pain cannot be verified to be existent or not, it is advised that all clinicians attend to all cases of pain seriously. Some patients have the knowledge of this and may often feign pain in order to obtain opioids for non-pain related cases. Also, a patient with addiction who also has pains may not be able to properly coordinate or tell where the pain ends and a craving for opioids begins because actually, it may feel the same way. For instance, pain complaints come with distress calls, and when craving starts as well, the patient may show signs of serious distress. The chronic pain disorders’ spectrum as against addictive disorders is the same for everyone making it hard for actually append treatments accordingly. In patients with no past history of substance abuse, administering opioids is a whole lot easier than when it has to be administered to patients who history of substance abuse because it is very hard to tell when they are actually in need of opioids for pains.

In cases where clinicians are not sure, they have been taught to ask questions such as asking the patient how intense the pain is and asking them to describe their pains on the scale of 0 to 10. Sometimes, this may be useful in knowing the intensity of pain and at other times, some other methods needs to be worked up. In cases where pain seems to be persistent, not only the pain is assessed, the impact it will have on the individual receiving pain treatments will also have to be accessed. Such impacts as how it affects sleep, mood, stress level, work functions and recreational activities.

The challenges in using opioids in treating pains in persons with substance use disorders is high and complex and in most cases, clinician tend to evaluate the results. If the patient seems to get better by the use of Opioids, they should generally not be too concerned about the addiction. What can be done is to supervise the use on a short-term basis.

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
addiction

Addiction a big theme in 2016 American Election: Why Are All the Candidates Talking About Addiction?

March 10, 2016

addictionRecently, the topic of addiction seems to have been getting influx of attention, even among the presidential candidates in the 2016 election. Why is addiction a big them in the 2016 American Election? Why are all the candidates talking about addiction all of a sudden as if it was never there? Is this some political tactics to appeal to the minds of Americans who have been affected by addiction or have had families who died because of addiction?

Well, no one knows the mind of a politician, I believe, but beyond that, I believe drug addiction is something that has affected most families more than any other kind of epidemic, around the world and I guess it has actually reached the politicians too. It wasn’t as if it was never there but they just never decided to face it head on.

So Why the Sudden Addiction Attention

According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in the United States of America alone, more than 23 million people of ages 12 and above have had need for rehabilitation for exposure to illicit drugs, including drugs that were prescribed, and alcohol. This figure is a representation of one person out of every 10 in the United States. These are only random figures, it doesn’t even include people with hidden addiction issues who never come out to request help; it doesn’t include people who are addicted to smoking – that’s more like a normal addiction.

I believe this has gotten bad enough and if the future of America is to be preserved and there will be people to be governed, safe streets and safer America, then the presidential candidates need to start looking for ways of better dealing with the spread of addiction in the society. Some people are of the school of thought that when it was only black people, no one was concerned about it and now that it has reached the white people, then attention is given. As much as I will like to believe that blacks may be more used to substance abuse, it doesn’t mean that whites have not been among the addicted. There have been many white Americans and there are still many more who are dealing with addiction. I believe a more general and realistic point of view is, there is a problem that needs to be tackled and that needs to be done urgently.

If something takes out 1 out of every 10 child in the US, that’s bad enough. Addiction is more like a subtle epidemic. It doesn’t come with red signals. In most cases, it starts with a good intention. A patient is given opioid for pain and by the time he or she is through with pain treatment, there is a craving for the feel good that opioid gives and then addiction begins. Some other youth got exposed to heroin. Just one shot and its like walking on heavens. The he goes back to take more and then, he got hooked absolutely. Everyone could be a victim. According to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who lost a friend to addiction, “It can happen to anyone!”

Come to think of it, the best brains and talents are the ones that are getting stolen everyday by addiction to substance use. People with promising lives just get snatched one day because they never got the right help. I really believe it is time this was tackled. At the time of publishing this article, reports show that heroin use among US youths have doubled over the past 10 years according to CDC. Deaths related to heroin use has quadrupled between 2002 and now. Obviously, if the government does nothing about it, the citizens can do it all by themselves.

How Addiction should be viewed

In the past, drug addiction has been seen as a king of crime. It’s pretty simple, you get caught with crack, you get jacked by the police. It is a crime to be in possession of narcotics, period! While this has worked in the past to help reduce the circulation and distribution of these harmful substances, it hardly can work in today’s settings. One way of tackling the spread of addiction is to view drug use as issues of public health rather than issues of crime. This has been the general consensus now among the politicians.

When it becomes the issues of health, people tend to get aware and come forward for help. Many youths fear that if they present themselves for treatment for addiction based on substance abuse, they may get arrested and thrown into the prison. Once they all know this is not so, they most likely will come forward because the truth is, no one really wants to stay addicted.

So if addiction is a big theme in the 2016 American Election and all the candidates are talking about it, then it’s a right step in the right direction, it means it is time for a change and many families won’t have to keep losing their loved ones to substance use addictions.

You are invited to the Aware Med Network’s Integrative addiction conference where bothering issues on addiction and ways forward will be discussed.

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Excess sugar consumption

Healthy Foods for effective weight management

February 28, 2016

What kinds of foods are you feeding on?

Healthy foods

Healthy Foods for effective healthy weight management is the beginning of getting that lean body you seriously need.

This is a worthy question for all of us especially with the effects of addiction in most of our societies today. What we feed on counts a lot into how our health is and even the health of those around us. Like for instance when we don’t manage effectively what we eat, we are actually increasing our risks of being obese and you can imagine the health consequences of being obese or over weight. And so we ask how healthy is your food or should I say how bad is your diet? Experts are very clear in their findings that healthy foods are in themselves a good source of good health and lean weight. And for us to understand this, we spoke to experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury who in her working experience of more than two decades now have been very resourceful in helping people across the globe find their place in the society by delivering natural healing to this problem of addiction.

If therefore you want to be a good manage of your weight, you must take keen interest of the food you are taking on a daily basis. We are aware that food is a substance that we need daily for the constant supply of energy but even in that good state, if we use food wrongly, it will be the very first to cause you serious health problem. But because we feed on various kinds of food stuff daily, we can use this opportunity to redeem ourselves from the scourge of food addiction by choosing only to feed on healthy food. In brief the point I am driving home is that if we work on our diet, we can be sure to reduce our weight with very minimal pain. Therefore with the right food, we are going to manage the weight problem progressively, but for now let us focus our attention on the foods to avoid for effective weight management.

All snacks with Carbs

Anytime you consume crackers, dry cereals, bread your body responds by converting the carbs into simple sugars then deposit them into your blood stream. The body then releases extra insulin which supports sugar absorption as fast as possible. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD), a weight loss expert from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center says that the sugar absorption leads to low sugar level in the body, which makes you crave for more sugary foods and more carbs. Some sugary foods have no nutritional value to satisfy that instant energy you need. As you consume more carbs, you also consume more healthy fats as well as more protein which is difficult to digest.

Healthy Foods for effective healthy management: Frozen meals and low fat foods

Food manufacturers use a lot of sodium to preserve food. Sodium naturally retains water for a longer time. So when you eat these foods, you eat sodium into your body which will cause you a lot of bloats and that will not work well with your efforts of weight loss. Besides that researchers have supported the idea of people eating low fat food. The problems however is, as a result of the removed flavor the manufacturers add sugar to the food. This added sugar is not good for weight loss campaign.

Healthy Foods for effective weight management: Artificially sweetened Drinks, grapes and fruit juice

When you want to reduce weight, you need to avoid any sweetened drinks as they are carbonated. They then make your stomach feel full, thus makes you eat less. Alongside with that many people like taking fruit juice as take aways believing that they are healthy. The truth is most of them miss out on the fact that during their preparation, a lot of sugar is added to flavor them. The consequence of that is they end up consuming a lot of sugar unknowingly. Fruit juice taken without sugar is good and is highly encouraged. And when it comes to grapes, the are sweet and of course being fruits, they are people’s favorites thinking that taking them is a good idea. The truth is, grapes add more sugar into your system since they have high sugar content which then starts craving for more sweeter stuff. If you want to include grapes in your diet, ensure you also have some protein, with low calorie to stabilize your blood sugar.

White rice, certain breakfast cereals and salted nuts

White rice does serious harm to the weight loss campaign. Unfortunately, this is something that many people do not take serious. As compared to the brown rice, it has little nutrients. It is processed very fast thereby sending your blood sugar up. This is likely to results into energy crash which comes not so long after eating the white rice. This will then prompt you to look for food in order to energize the body more. Brown rice is also more nutritious and has less craving as compared to white rice.

Bread is generally low in fat but high in sugar. Do you take bread as a healthy food? Remember that bread has sugar, and its intake translates to a lot of sugar in the body. Natural cereals high in protein can therefore be a good substitute in place of bread. Besides that nuts are good because of the protein they add to the body. However, the salted nuts add more calories into your system. Unsalted nuts on the other hand are better because there will be no consumption of salt.

 Most pasta canned and dried fruits

Many of us love pasta because of the energy it adds but what we forget is that it is simply carbs. Most carbs are not healthy foods and only add a lot of blood sugar which is quite unhealthy. As for canned fruits researchers have established that they are loaded with sugar, hence are not good for people working on their weight loss programs. Remember that too much consumption of canned fruits adds a lot of sugar to the body therefore instead of the canned fruits; you can go for the fresh fruits. On the other hand most of the dried are loaded with sugar. So, to avoid too much of sugar uptake, you must avoid dried fruits at all costs. If you eat a lot of dried fruits, you add a lot of sugar into your system which if not burned, will lead to added weight.

Healthy Foods for effective weight management: Alcohol

Amazingly enough, alcohol lovers are always ready to shell out even to the last coin, even when taxes are increased. Alcohol is harmful in nature. It adds more calories to the body, which then leads to addition of more weight. Those taking alcohol make poor decision when it comes to food. They then end up eating fried foods every time they take alcohol.

Finally the list is endless and from the discussion it is evident that most of the food items we feed do more harm than good to health. It is no wonder that for effective weight loss we must all take keen interest in balancing the foods we eat, since all of them add up to something in your body. this may pose a challenge and if that is the case then doctor Dalal Akoury will be more than willing to help you out up on scheduling for an appointment with her.

http://regenerativepotential.com/integrativeaddictionconference/

 

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Beautiful Face of Young Woman with Clean Fresh Skin close up iso

Stem cell facelift magic of natural beauty today

February 28, 2016

Stem cell facelift the magic of natural beauty today: When you want your skin rejuvenated

Stem cell facelift

Stem cell facelift the magic of natural beauty today. It have very minimal or no side effects making it the most desirable option for many

The cost of finding beauty is running people mad across the globe. People would do all it takes to look beautiful and youthful. And because of this a lot of new ways of keeping beauty are being discovered to meet the ever increasing demands of rush for beauty. To that effect we want to impact in you positively on how you can keep looking younger and beautiful in the most natural way without having to compromise your skin texture with chemicals. Technology is offering solutions to the problem of beauty and therefore we want to focus our discussion on this article on one of the newest discovery known as stem cell facelift. And to get the best out this we spoke to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury who is also the MD, President and founder of the facility. Having been in practice for well over two decades, doctor Akoury is an expert in several discipline including beauty, weight management and addiction. She is sharing with us about the new technology (stem cell facelift) of keeping beauty.

Doctor Akoury says that stem cells are a unique type of cells that can be found naturally in the body of a human body. These cells can develop into different other types of tissues under the right circumstances and because of their versatile properties, the stem cell skin care industry has tapped in this opportunity and have been working round the clock to find ways to use these cells in more skin care treatments. One treatment is an alternative to surgery, and is referred to as a stem cell facelift. This treatment is a non-surgical anti-aging procedure that uses cells from your body to treat specific areas of the face. During this procedure, stem cells extracted from another part of your body are injected into problem areas on the face to tighten skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. The good news about this is that in comparison to the surgical facelift methods, the stem cell facelift does not involve any major surgical incisions and does not involve the lifting or suturing of facial skin. It is an advanced form of the traditional fat grafting techniques, with more emphasis on the stem cells than on the fat or adipose.

How is it done?

Under normal circumstances the stem cell facelift treatment will begin with the administration of a local anesthesia to the patient. And depending on your doctor’s assessment a general anesthesia may be used during a stem cell facelift. The area from which the cells are to be harvested, usually the thighs, abdomen, flanks or hips, is disinfected using an antibacterial soap to decrease the chance of infection. Since the fat is to be removed by liposuction, an incision is made at the donor site and a tumescent fluid is injected into the area. A small cannula is then used to extract the fat containing the stem cells. These cells are then isolated and mixed with a small amount of fat to be used in the injection. Growth factors, embedded with micro-hyaluronic acid beads are added to this mixture of stem cells and enriched fat.

Tiny incisions of about 2-3mm will also be made on the face of the patient, within the natural lines and creases. The fat is then injected in small amounts into three facial layers. This prevents clumping and helps the injected fat spread more evenly. The layered injection process of the stem cell facelift is different from traditional fat grafting, where only one layer is injected with fat. The first layer is in the mid face, near the bones. The second injection layer will be directed at the facial muscles while the third layer goes just beneath the skin surface. The stem cell facelift is completed with a chemical resurfacing of the skin. This is done to remove fine lines as well as to stimulate the stem cells present underneath.

Stem cell facelift magic of natural beauty today: Where can it be used?

Age causes a loss of tissue volume and a stem cell facelift can be a viable option for improving the appearance of aging skin. Areas where this can be useful are the hollows under the eyes, jawline, temples, cheek, laugh lines, lips, chin and nasolabial folds. People often wonder how long this special beauty magic will last, and according to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, this can last even up to ten years depending on the patient keeps to the regular care as prescribed by the physician.

Are there any side effects associated with Stem Cell Facelifts?

This is one of the questions that will always find its way back time and again. And to respond to that it is one process that is almost free from any side effects primarily because the fat acquired during a stem cell facelift is from the patient’s own body. It therefore means that compatibility is guaranteed. Experts have proven that there is less chances of any serious side effects or tissue rejection. However there may be some minimal bruising and swelling due to the small size of the incisions which is relatively little scarring. And most patients often regain their normalcy within a very short time of less than ten day of the facelift.

Finally remember that contrary to the belief of some people that the newly injected stem cells can produce collagen, it is still a subject of discussion and it is yet to be proven in humans. Therefore if you are looking for beauty and you are wondering where to start from, look no further. Having read this article, you are very close to finding your destiny if only you can schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today.

http://regenerativepotential.com/integrativeaddictionconference/

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
callto-action

Pre transplant test result in Stem cell transplant

February 28, 2016

Pre transplant test and procedures leading to Stem cell transplant: How to get ready

Pre transplant test

Pre transplant test and procedures leading to Stem cell transplant are just steps leading to your perfect health you deserve only if it is done professionally

From our previous article, we discussed about the stem cell transplant and the benefits attached to it and we now want to further the discussion by focusing on the pre transplant test and procedures leading to stem cell transplant. Experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury are going to be very instrumental in helping us put all the facts around the pre transplant test into perspective. From experience doctor Akoury says that any person planning to undergo through stem cell transplant will have to undertake certain tests and procedures to ensure that their health and status are perfect for the process to begin. Besides, the individual must be physically prepared to go through the transplant. It is also important to note that this may not be a one stop evaluation as it may take a couple of days before it is proven beyond doubt that the patient is ready for the transplant. In addition to that a surgeon or radiologist will implant a long thin tube (intravenous catheter) into a large vein in your chest or neck. The catheter, often called a central line, usually remains in place for the duration of your treatment. Your transplant team will use the central line to infuse the transplanted stem cells and other medications and blood products into your body.

Pre transplant test and procedures leading to Stem cell transplant: Collecting stem cells for transplant

When the patient is now ready, depending on the situation an autologous stem cell transplant can be planned and if this is the case then the patient will undergo a procedure called apheresis primarily to collect blood stem cells. But before apheresis, the patient will first receive daily injections of growth factor to increase stem cell production and also to move stem cells into the blood circulation so that they can be collected. Doctor Akoury says that it is during apheresis, that blood is drawn from a vein and circulated through a machine. The function of the machine is to separates the blood into different parts, including stem cells. These stem cells are then collected and frozen for future use in the transplant with the remaining blood being returned to the patient’s body.

On the other hand in the event that an allogeneic stem cell transplant is planned, the patient will have to find a donor who will donate the stem cell for the transplant. This process is often called a stem cell harvest or bone marrow harvest. The donor’s stem cells will be drawn from their bone marrow or their blood. It is only at this point that your transplant will team make a decision on what is better for you based on your prevailing situation.

Pre transplant test and procedures leading to Stem cell transplant: The conditioning process

Before the commencement of the transplant, one must go through the pre-transplant tests and procedures and after all that is done the next step is known as conditioning. During this process of conditioning, the patient will be taken through mild chemotherapy and possibly radiation primarily to:

  • Destroy any cancer cells particularly if you are being treated for a malignancy
  • Suppress your immune system
  • Prepare your bone marrow for the new stem cells

The process of conditioning will differ from patient to patient depending on a number of factors, including your disease, overall health and the type of transplant planned. You may have both chemotherapy and radiation or just one of these treatments as part of your conditioning treatment. And like any other treatment the process of conditioning is bound to be some side effects including the following:

  • Organ complications, such as heart, liver or lung failure
  • Bleeding
  • Infertility or sterility
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Infection
  • Anemia
  • Fatigue
  • Cataracts
  • Diarrhea
  • Hair loss
  • Mouth sores or ulcers

Because these side effects could cause discomfort to your health, doctor Akoury advices that you could to take some medications or other measures to reduce them (side effects).

Reduced-intensity conditioning

Based on your age and health history, it may be better for you to receive lower doses or different types of chemotherapy or radiation for your conditioning treatment. This is called reduced-intensity conditioning. Reduced-intensity conditioning kills some cancer cells and somewhat suppresses your immune system. Then, the donor’s cells are infused into your body. Donor cells replace cells in your bone marrow over time. Immune factors in the donor cells may then fight your cancer cells.

Pre transplant test and procedures leading to Stem cell transplant: What to expect

After conditioning, the stem cell transplant can take place. On the day of your transplant, called day zero, you are given the stem cells through your central line using a process known as infusion. The transplant infusion is painless. You are awake during the procedure. The transplanted stem cells make their way to your bone marrow, where they begin creating new blood cells. It can take a few weeks for new blood cells to be produced and for your blood counts to begin recovering.

Bone marrow or blood stem cells that have been frozen and thawed contain a preservative called dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) that protects the cells. Just before the transplant, you may receive medications to reduce the side effects the preservative may cause. You’ll also likely be given IV fluids (hydration) before and after your transplant to help rid your body of the preservative. Side effects of DMSO may include: nausea, fever, diarrhea, chills, hives and red urine. Remember it is not necessarily that everyone will experience side effects from the preservative some may not experience anything while for some people those side effects are minimal.

Pre transplant test and procedures leading to Stem cell transplant: After your stem cell transplant

Finally when the new stem cells enter the body, they will move down to your bone marrow and within a short time, they multiply and begin to make new, healthy blood cells through a process known as engraftment. And even though the new cells will be forming up it will take some time may be several weeks before the number of blood cells in your body starts to return to normal. This may differ with people as the case may thereby taking a little longer with some people. Nonetheless as a way of ensuring safety several days or weeks after the stem cell transplant is done, the patient will some tests to monitor their condition. During this period you may need to take some medications to help you manage any complications like nausea and diarrhea. Remember that after this is done you will need to be under close medical observation just to ensure that any arising complication is addressed in good time.

http://regenerativepotential.com/integrativeaddictionconference/

 

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

  • Recent Posts

  • Blog Categories