Sedatives and Chronic Pain Treatment

July 28, 2014

Sedatives and Chronic Pain Treatment

What are sedatives?

Sedatives refers to the drugs which when administered to a patient, they reduce tension and anxiety and cause sedation. They are drugs which cause calmness when taken by the patient. In chronic pain treatment, these drugs are administered with a purpose to kill the pain that the patient is experiencing. This is not a common medication though and it will only be made available to the public if the clinical trials have shown that the benefits of using the drug seemingly outweigh its adverse risks.

How are sedatives administered?

Sedatives are administered to patients in many ways. The mode in which the sedation is given will though be determined by the area on which the pain is being experienced. The modes through which sedation can be administered include:-

ü Through inhalation- through nose

ü Through mouth (oral)

ü Under the tongue

ü Or sometimes administered intravenously i.e. through the veins.

Is sedation helpful in pain relief?

Yes. Sedation is a medication that has been specifically developed to help people who are experiencing pain. This medication works by calming the nervous system and hence making the patient not to feel any pain. Sometime when you are experiencing chronic pain, it may be difficult for you to concentrate on anything or even have sleep. Sedation in this case can prove helpful to you.

Does sedation cure chronic pain?

There has been confusion in many people who use sedation and think they are treating pain. Sedation is not a curative medication for pain, but it is only meant to help the patient by providing temporary relief from pain.

Under what circumstances will sedation be important?

As earlier mentioned, these medicines should only be used when prescribed by a doctor, because they are known to be habit forming. This will make them less effective the next time you will need to use them.

This medication is normally in most cases prescribed to the patients who are experiencing difficulties in sleep. This is because it is very difficult for a person experiencing severe pain to get any sleep. In this case, the doctor will prescribe sedative medication which will help the patient in killing the pain and consequently the patient gets sleep.

Are there thing I should avoid when under sedation treatment?

Yes. Sedation if not well taken care of can be hazardous. Depending with the level of sedation, (e.g. Deep sedation) taking of other drugs like alcohol as this may cause extreme drowsiness and this can reduce breathing and if intense, death may occur.

When you will also want to stop taking sedation medication E.g. for sleep aid, do not stop abruptly. Instead discuss it with your doctor to be advised on how to gradually withdraw. The abrupt stoppage may subject you to withdrawal symptoms.

Which are the types of sedation?

The type of sedation medication to be administered to the patient will be determined by the doctor when the patient visits the doctor. This choice will though be based of the intended effect of the sedative in terms of intensity. The following are the common types of sedative medication:-

Minimal sedation – when this sedation is administered, the patients respond normally to verbal communications since this is a light sedative medication. Sometimes this method may though impair cognitive function and coordination, breathing in unaffected.
Moderate sedation – this is also referred to as cognitive sedation and the patient remains conscious and an respond purposefully to verbal commands either alone or by light simulation.
Deep sedation – if this type of sedation is administered to a patient, the patient cannot be easily aroused but responds to painful simulation. The patient may require assistance to breath.
General Anesthesia – this is normally a very serious sedation treatment and its intensity is high. The patient cannot be aroused even by inducing pain on him/her. Breathing ability may completely be impaired.

Does sedation have any side effects?

Sedatives Almost all drugs, prescribed or over the counter will have some side effects. In this case, sedation is no exception. Some of the powerful sedation medicines have very high chances of causing addiction to the patient, especially if they are abused. Apart from the risk of addition, these drugs may also sometimes produce unpleasant reaction to the patient. It is important to note that the reaction that results from different patients when they take a given drug is quite different and hence it is vital after you see a negative reaction to the drug you see your doctor as soon as possible.

Is sedation same as opioids treatment?

Not really. As mentioned earlier, sedation refers to the medication which is normally given to the pain experiencing patient in order to bring about calmness. On the other hand, opioids are curative mediations which are given to pain experiencing patient with aim of not just giving them a temporal relief from the pain but to get them a permanent solution to the pain. Therefore, in simple terms the difference between the two is that opioids are medications that cure pain while sedatives are medications meant to calm or cool down the pain. Both medications should be administered by a qualified physician though, to avoid risks of addiction.

Sedatives and Chronic Pain Treatment

IT’S BITTER SWEET: THE TRUTH BEHIND SUGAR ADDICTION

July 28, 2014

It’s Bitter Sweet: The Truth Behind Sugar Addiction

sugar addiction Almost every day in our diets we include sugary foods. Sugar is a source of sweetness that everyone will always want to get. Under normal circumstances, we take sugar in the form of food additive though some people will sometimes take it directly due to its natural sweetness. It is almost a common knowledge that sugar has been attributed to obesity and diabetes when taken in excess. This has neither made people all over the globe to reduce the intake of sugar.

Why bitter sweet?

Obviously sugar is very sweet. Its sweetness remains unquestionable, but the facts about the effects that the sugar has in our bodies makes it bitter. How? One of the negative facts about sugar is that it has been in the frontline contributor of obesity and diabetes. Due to its natural sweetness makes it a very rewarding food substance and hence leading many people to overeating and consequently obese.

Apart from these bitter facts about sugar, research has now shown that sugar is a “new tobacco”, worse than many addictive drugs we know and a secrete killer! You will not believe it, According to the research done by Dr. Mark Hyman et al, shows that sugar is over eight times more addictive than cocaine.

What makes sugar a very common source of addiction?

Unlike many other addictive drugs, which are illegal in many countries, sugar is a legal food substance all over the world. This makes sugar readily available and it is also cheap to acquire. The nature of its sweetness cannot also be underestimated as this is what actually makes a sugar a highly rewarding substance in the human brain.

How does sugar addiction occur?

Among the known foodstuffs which have capability to stimulate the pleasure centers in the brain, sugar is one of them. This center of pleasure which sugar stimulates is known as dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s pleasure and reward centers. Research has shown that sugar acts on human brain in the same way as cocaine.

When sugar is taken, just like any other dopamine producing substance it enters the brain system and activates the neurotransmitters responsible for pleasure. High amounts of dopamine are released to the system and hence the rewarding effects occur. This rewarding occurs in a form of pleasure that the person taking the sugar feels. With time, the number of dopamines which are released when the sugar is taken reduces and this results to the condition known as resistance. This eventually means in order to produce the pleasurable feeling, you have to consume more that you used to consume before. This launches a viscous cycle of increased consumption of sugar leading to further desensitization and end up with an insatiable appetite for sugar.

Another qualifier factor of sugar as a silent killer substance is that apart from the increase in consumption of sugar, the dopamine receptor decrease and there is a marked decrease also in their activity. This makes the part of human brain which is responsible for execution of functions such as planning, organizing and rational decision making paralyzed.

sugar addiction

What danger does this pose? This is a double cutting sword for the sugar addict. Apart from the fact that the addict will be required to consume more and more sugar to achieve the required pleasure effect, the addiction also makes it more difficult for the addict’s brain to plan ahead and makes wise decisions on foods to take. This makes the addict to keep on dangerously eating sugary foods. This poses more danger to the addict.

What does sugar have to do with obesity?

The understanding of the relationship between sugar and obesity may look hidden unlike its direct relationship with diabetes. The main reason behind obesity is overeating. So, does it mean sugar addicts eat more than normal people? Let’s find out by asking another related question, “How do we know that we have eaten enough food and hence stop eating?”

The reason why we will always know when we have had enough of food is that our brains have a hormone known as Leptin. This hormone sends a signal when one has had enough of a food and hence the person stops eating. This hormone is naturally produces in the fat cells and it functions well under normal healthy dieting. However, this hormone is easily interrupted by things such as ingesting too much artificial sweeteners, high levels of insulin and not forgetting excess sugar. When a sugar addict consumes excess sugar, this disrupts the hormone and hence it fails to function.

When Leptin hormones fail, the hunger homes begin to run rampantly and unopposed. This makes the addict feel hungry and hence want to eat every now and then. Every time such a person eats, there will be obviously overeating since there are no regulatory signals in the brain and this is why sugar addiction is highly associated with obesity.

Can sugar addiction be treated?

Sugar addiction is curable. The main problem is that sugar has high craving levels and when you will be recovering from sugar addiction you will need to be very much determined lest you will have relapse. If you have a sugar addiction, all you need to do is to visit a specialist, a doctor of psychologist and a recovery method that best suits you will be devised based on mediation or therapy.

IT’S BITTER SWEET: THE TRUTH BEHIND SUGAR ADDICTION

SEXUAL DYSFUNCTIONS RESULTING FROM DRUGS USE

July 28, 2014

What does sexual dysfunction mean?

It refers to the difficulty which may be experienced by and individual or even a couple during the normal sexual activity. It includes physical pleasure, desire for sex, arousal etc. In simpler terms, this is a condition resulting from problems getting and maintaining an erection, decreased libido level, delayed ejaculation and the lack of orgasm. The condition results to one or both of the people involved in sexual intercourse not being satisfied. It is a condition which can have many causes, ranging from physical, emotional and psychological causes. In this article though, we will dwell on the sexual dysfunction which results from drug abuse and prescription drugs.

Do drug substances cause sexual dysfunction?

Drug substances use has been among the leading causes of sexual dysfunction (Erectile dysfunction. This is because some of these drugs are interconnected with stress. As people execute their daily activities, stress becomes a common factor. Some of the drugs that people abuse are also capable of inducing stress in the person. What stress does is to cause the body release adrenaline which is known to fight with the erectile function.

There are unhealthy habits that lead to impaired circulation erode a man’s quantity and quality of erection include the excessive use of alcohol, illegal drugs abuse, and certain prescription medications or over the counter medication.

Recreational drugs that causes sexual dysfunction

There are drugs that are used by people for recreation purposes, but they are known to have influence on the sexual dysfunction. Some of these drugs include: –

o Alcohol – alcohol is normally taken by many people for relaxation among many other reasons. Although taking of little amount of alcohol has been proven to have little or no effect on sexual drive, the excessive consumption of alcohol may impair the person’s sexual abilities.

o Cocaine – this is an illegal drug in many countries but people still consume it. It has negative effects to the sexual drive.

o Marijuana – this is also another illegal drug in many countries. Its usage has immense effect to the brain and causes depression in some cases. This leads to stress which triggers decline in libido and general performance in sexual activity.

o Heroine

o Nicotine

o Barbiturates

o Amphetamines

Opiates that cause sexual dysfunction

These are drugs that are commonly used for pain killing purposes and in most cases they are over the counter unlike prescription medication. When they are appropriately used, many of the opiates have negligible side effects but upon abuse, many of them have severe side effects. Among these side effects, is their effect on the person’s sexual dysfunction!

The following are the common opiates that are known to have effect on the sexual dysfunction:-

o Codeine

o Methadone

o Morphine

o Fentanyl (innovar)

o Hydromorphone

o Meperidine

o Oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percodan)

Which are the Prescription drugs that cause sexual dysfunction?

sexual dysfuction Some drugs that are prescribed to the patients by doctors may have negative effect on the sexual functioning. This effect though comes as a side effect and the intended use of the medicine is therefore considered advantageous over the side effect. Thus the benefit that the drug gives makes it possible for us to overlook its effects on the sex drive.

The list of the prescription drugs that cause sexual dysfunction is too long and to list them will be impossible. This doesn’t though mean the prescription drug that you may be currently taking is part of these drugs which cause sexual dysfunction. The intensity of sexual dysfunction that is caused by different drugs varies also, and therefore some of the drug’s effects on sexual dysfunction are considered negligible.

The following are the common prescription drugs that have adverse effect on sexual dysfunction:-

Statins and fibrates

These are medications prescribed to treat high cholesterol in the body. Researchers have argued that while limiting the cholesterol in the body, which is the building block of hormones, these prescription drugs are likely to affect the production of testosterone, estrogen and other sex hormones. Statins can also cause rhabdomyolysis (a break in muscles) leading to joint pain and fatigue why leads low sex drive.

Blood pressure medications

One principle that the medication that is prescribed for high blood pressure treatment works based on is lowering of pressure in the blood. It lowers the pressure inside the blood to ensure that the heart doesn’t have to do a hard task in pumping the blood round the body.

Blood pressure itself can cause sexual dysfunction as well as its medication. In men this decrease in the blood pressure can lead to low or no desire for sex and also interfere with erection and ejaculation. On the other hand, In ladies, it can cause vaginal dryness, decrease in desire for sex or even difficulties in orgasm achievement.

The high blood pressure medication which has beta and alpha blockers has been found to have a big effect on the sexual activity. These medications work through sedation and making a person feel depressed hence through this interference with nerve impulses associated with arousal and reduction of testosterone level makes one’s sexual desire go down.

What do I do if I suspect my prescription medicine is causing sexual dysfunction?

As we have seen, not all prescription medication causes sexual dysfunction. But in case you suspect that the medication that the doctor has subjected you to is causing sexual dysfunction, you should consult your doctor who will examine whether the drugs are the cause for sexual dysfunction and advice your accordingly.

SEXUAL DYSFUNCTIONS RESULTING FROM DRUGS USE

Funding Cancer Treatment

July 28, 2014

How to Fund Your Cancer Treatment without a Loan
cancer Cancer is not only a dangerous disease but it is also one of the most expensive diseases to treat. Cancer patients in most cases have to rely on insurance that in most cases do not support alternative cancer treatments; even the most effective alternative cancer treatments are not supported by these insurance covers. These insurance covers are often approved by state officials who in most cases are corrupt to the use of this money in other treatments that will not benefit them. Needless to mention some of the insurance covers that cancer patients have do not settle the entire treatment cost but just settles a percentage of the entire cost leaving the cancer patient with another burden of looking for other financial sources to complete the treatment.

The financial crisis is something cancer patients are familiar with, patients face financial problems at different times in the course of the treatment. Some will need to look for the funds even before beginning the treatment, some will be broke in the middle of the training while some will lack money to take them through the remission period. Conventional cancer treatment methods are even the most expensive and an assumption that the United States has enough resources that can enable the citizens to treat cancer without financial problem is a lie. Americans just like any other cancer patient in the third world country feels the pinch when it comes to cancer treatment.

Financial crisis has caused many cancer patients to lose their lives as they were not able to complete the treatment. This is a problem that is still with us as the medical insurance is not helping the cancer patients in paying for the treatment and so the patients are forced to seek loans to help them pay for their treatment and this causes stress which is not good for cancer. This stress may affect the treatment.

However there is a financial product which can help the cancer patients to afford their treatment without taking a loan. In fact it allows the patient to access alternative cancer treatment that the insurance policy could not cover. This financial product was put in place to those people who were terminally ill not only from cancer but also other seriously expensive diseases to treat. Initially, this financial product was designed to help these people to enjoy there last days with a peace of mind. It was to allow them to quit their full time jobs and concentrate on other facets of their lives like having good time for the family, travelling and doing all other things that they could not afford to do before they die. However, this product can now be used by cancer patients to help them settle treatment bills.

Presents a better option to cancer patients.

In this option the patient’s whole life policy or term life policy or Group policy or FEGLI policy or Universal life policy and other types of life insurance policies that can be converted into whole life are sold to corporations with the highest bid. The corporations may buy the policy at a percentage of the whole life value at that time.

This allows the patient to obtain a given percentage of his whole life insurance policy in cash. He can then use this money to seek other alternative cancer treatments that are more effective than the conventional cancer treatments that the insurance could have paid for. Most people use this money for home treatment as they get quality time with their loved ones.

The patient will not have to sell all of his life insurance policies, he will only sell those policies that will give him enough money to spend on travel and treatment expenses. This money can help those patients who may have tried the conventional cancer treatments but did not succeed. It will help them settle bills for alternative cancer treatments. This money also give them a peace of mind, reduces their stress levels which is good for cancer recovery.

How to get the money

For the patient to benefit from this money, firstly his family will look for a broker who will be able to link them with the companies that buy the insurance policy. After the broker is contacted, he will look for the companies that can buy the insurance policy at the best price. He will let the family know of which company is ready to buy the policy at the highest price. The family will analyze the offer of the company, they are free to accept or decline the offer.

This money is very helpful as it allows the patient to heal faster. Most people do not always die from the effects of the disease but rather from the stress that is induced by the fact that they lack enough money to cater for their treatment.

Cancer After the family has obtained this money, the best thing to do is to seek an integrative cancer doctor who will be able to handle the patient well by incorporating all the treatment methods that can work better for the patient. This money is a valid alternative source of fund for cancer treatment especially for patients who could not afford it otherwise.

You need to learn on ways to prevent the disease. You need reliable information to help you do this. Contact Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) for more information on health matters and be empowered to take good care of your life. Check her website for more information

How to Fund Your Cancer Treatment without a Loan

Addictiveness of Sugar

July 28, 2014

Addictiveness of Sugar – The White Addictive Poison

Addictiveness of Sugar. It is not funny sugar is a legally accepted poison to your health. You can get help from the experts

A part from those committing suicide no one would want to poison themselves for fear of the consequences and love of life. But did you know that on a daily basis you are willingly adding poison in your body system? This sounds strange to your ears but it is the truth. I am talking about the sweet things and food staff you love and a day cannot go without having a bit. It may sound unbelievable to you that the normal sugar you add to your coffee, tea or milk is more addictive than cocaine, in fact it is not just addictive but it is eight time more addictive. How would you feel if you are told that researchers and medical professionals the world over are now saying that if they knew the effects and destruction that this substance has on people they would have banned it and placed it on the same list as cocaine. This substance is the cause of a pandemic of health issues, diabetes, obesity, disease and death. And what if you are told that you and your children are probably already addicts?

It is not my intention to scare you this drug is consumable and in fact, it’s not only legal to push, pedal, distribute and sell, it is also commercially promoted and advertised openly as one of the world’s most traded commodities. It is one of America’s top exported products of mass destruction alongside with weapons of war, alcohol, tobacco and entertainment. It is omnipresent in almost every food type and major American food brand. This addictive drug is one of the world’s most valuable agricultural commodities and is traded in the world market in the tune of billions of dollars by more than 123 countries. The secret of its deadliness is out in most developed countries and its use however has increased in spite of this knowledge and has more than doubled in developing countries. So what is this addictive, omnipresent, legal drug of choice? You have probably guessed it by now its C12H22O11 and I am almost sure that you are a user on some level of sugar.

Addictiveness of Sugar – Sugar

Research has established that almost everything, delicious and very addictive stuff, called sugar or sucrose or fructose or many other names it now goes by to hide its presence. Ever since laws have been implemented to specifically state the amount of sugar in their products, manufacturers have been using various other names to hide the actual amount of sugar contained in them. For instance look out for these sly labels – barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered syrup, caramel, corn syrup, confectioners’ sugar, carob syrup, caster name them, whatever their new nouns may be the all have a common denominator and that is sugar.

Addictiveness of Sugar – Yes we need Sugar

Yes we do need sugar (glucose) and our bodies cannot function without it. We can however get our required amount from healthy fruits and foods and we need not add the extra 4kg of refined sugar every month, over and above what we require. It is important to note that sugar is found in most of our food but the adding of extra sugar and the creation of sugary products has grown exponentially. Researchers tell us that the most efficient way to deliver a sugar fix is via the soft drink industry. Apart from the effects on your health, a sugar researcher tells us that drinking one sugary soft drink a day will increase your weight by 6kg per year. A bottle of Coke a day will increase your weight by 11kg per year. And don’t get me started on sugar substitutes and “diet” cold drinks. According to medical professionals they are nothing more than poisons. Medically most, if not all sugar substitutes are referred to as neurotoxins.

Addictiveness of Sugar – Behavior Change

So it will be important that you make a decision to limit your consumption of sugar and realize the benefits. For instance listen to this confession my mother became a diabetic (no surprise) she then stopped eating sugar and lost about 20kg in 6 months with no much physical activities and no change at all in her diet. After several hardest days (40) of my life I lost 5kg and now on day 71, am down 8kg. I have to add that I have been weight training and not eating bread.

I never started my sugar stoppage for weight loss. I really did it because I got to a stage when my health started to suffer and I was out of control. I needed an intervention and the opportunity to kick my own ass. My waist had gotten so big I was asked to participate in a commercial audition for an organization and believe it I was literally struggling to tie my shoelaces in the morning without a respirator. I was on thyroid medication and Nexium for gastro oesophageal reflux, I fought hard to sleep, I had no energy and by 3 o’clock in the afternoon wanted to take a nap, I always got colds and flu, I got muscle cramps and injuries and I felt all round crappy.

Today because a decision to change my behaviors I feel 100% healthier, I have stopped all of my medications, I sleep well, have more energy than ever before and I have lost 8 kg in fat. Not bad for just stopping and looking out for sugar. The most important and significant change is the fact that I have taken back control of my life from my drug of choice, beautiful, deadly, Florida icing – sugar.

Relapse

Unfortunately I have found that one of the only ways to beat an addiction is to be placed in situations of temptation again and again and having to say no. Every time you are tempted and you say no, you take back the power. You take the power away from the addiction one temptation at a time. You will find, like I did, that the universe will, with love and kindness, put you into situations of mass temptation the exact day and week you decide to take back your power. It is perfectly designed because you cannot take back your power unless you are tempted. Taking yourself out of a situation does not allow you to exercise personal control. It’s the hardest most satisfying ride you will ever take. I challenge you to be and obtain your superpower of self-control and you will have the best of your like I did.

What is your feeling of that confession? As you reflect about it, you will not find it to be smooth all the way and so you will need to seek for help from the experts like talking to Dr. Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center will help you achieve optimal weight loss if sugar brings obesity to your life. At this facility we focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE. Doctor Akoury is also an addiction professional of over two decades and you will be able to get all inclusive professional attention on both addiction and Obesity.

Addictiveness of Sugar – The White Addictive Poison

Category Archives: addiction