NEURAL PROLOTHERAPY

July 26, 2014

NEURAL PROLOTHERAPY CURE FOR PAIN

What is pain?

Pain refers to a natural response by the human body to prevent us from causing more injury on the already injured area. The intensity and persistence of pain gives rise to two types of pains: – one of which is the pain that experience briefly then disappears. An example of this kind of pain is the one we experience when we touch a hot object. This pain disappears after some time. The second time of pain is the one that persists and occasionally this is the kind of pain that takes you to the doctor. It is referred to as chronic pain. This pain is normally termed as neurogenic pain.

How do we experience pain?

Pain is normally communicated to the brain through our autonomic nervous systems which composes of nerves. These signals are sent to the brain once a given part of the body is injured, saying that it is in pain. The interpretation of this signal takes place in the brain and it then makes us aware of the pain, which prevents us from making more injury to the affected area.

What is neural therapy?

This is a treatment of gentle superficial injections that treats chronic pain and dysfunction through resettlement of autonomic nervous systems (ANS) at the site of pain. This results to normal signaling from the nerves to the tissues and the organs that they control.

The autonomic nervous systems functions without our deliberate in order to control vital activities such as blood circulations, metabolism, body temperatures, heart beats etc. The problem with this system is that it can be disturbed by some negative influences such as pollution, toxicity, noise, stress etc. If this disturbance happens, the autonomic nervous systems will not be able to function normally and hence effects such as chronic pain.

The only solution to this problem is by restoring the system to its functional state. The good news is that researches have proven that neural therapy has the capacity to restore this system so that the autonomic nerves can communicate normally again.

Neural therapy can be used to treat quite a wide variety of conditions. Such conditions which can be addressed by this therapy are the chronic pain. Chronic pain condition can improve significantly even after just one treatment. Some of the conditions which benefit from effectiveness of this treatment are Neuralgia, Sciatica, Neck and back pains. The effectiveness of prolotherapy can be realized when a person is treated with neural therapy prior to or at the same time as the prolotherapy treatment.

Is neural therapy treatment painful?

This treatment uses a very thin needle to inject and thus it is almost painless. The needle which is used to inject this sugar solution under the skin is almost the size of hair. This means you may not even feel it. The advantage of this treatment method when used to treat pain is that it will relief you of pain almost immediately. The relief comes within a few seconds of the injection since the injection focuses on the pain area.

How long does it take me to be pain free?

When subjected to perineural injection therapy, these treatments should give you pain relief anywhere within two hours to two days. In case the pain comes back within one hour after the medication session, it is very likely that the therapy won’t work for you and thus other medication option may need to be considered. The other treatment which will be of help in this case is the Prolotherapy. After every session, you should remain painless for longer and longer periods until the pain doesn’t come back or it may even never come back at all.

NEURAL PROLOTHERAPY

Can I be able to stop my pain medication after this therapy?

Yes. Many of the people who have undergone this therapy have reported to have been on narcotics and nerve pain medicine for long time. At the end of the therapy when the pain has gone, you can actually stop your pain medication. This is one of the reasons why neural therapy makes it possible for you to treat pain while remaining free from addiction. It saves you the addiction which would have resulted from the prolonged use of these pain killing medications which are reported to be among the leading contributors of drug related addictions. It is although advisable that when you are stopping your pain medication you should do it gradually (slowly) to avoid the withdrawal effects which follows abrupt stoppage of taking addictive substance.

Are there any side effects of using NPT?

This therapy doesn’t have many associated side effect, but prolonged soreness at the injection site and temporary bruising may be among the uncommon side effects. Just like with any other injection, NPT injection may pose potential risks of infection, fever, allergy, and sometimes no relief or even worsening of pain however, these are rare cases to be reported and if they occur, NPT may not be the causation.

Are there restrictions in terms of activities that one can do while under this treatment?

When you are under this treatment, we in fact encourage activity. If you remain active, your blood will be flowing well. Exercise helps much when undergoing this treatment. Therefore there are not restrictions on activities when under this medication.

Where do I get this treatment?

You don’t have to be worried about this anymore! The best known doctor who many people recommend when it comes to Prolo Neural Therapy, Dr. Akoury is here for you. Call us today and get your problem addressed.

NEURAL PROLOTHERAPY CURE FOR PAIN

Understanding Food Addiction

July 25, 2014

Food Addiction: Is it True?

Food Addiction Addiction has been known to emerge as a result of a prolonged habit. This means that addiction doesn’t always have to result from drugs, but it can as well come as a result of behaviors such as shopping, internet, gambling and not forgetting eating. Eating to many of us is an activity that we normally do when it is time for eating or simply when we have to eat. This is sometimes not the case. Especially with fast foods which by nature are palatable and mouth wetting. If a person has access to such foods, he/she may develop a behavior of every time wanting to eat these foods. This is despite the fact that some of these foods may have negative health effects, such as body being overweight. At this point, the person taking the food is considered addicted.

How do you know you are a food addict?

There are common habits which can suggest whether or not you may be suffering from emotional eating and food addiction. You should examine yourself based on these habits and if you identify yourself with one or several of them, you should consider visiting a professional to discuss your eating habit. The following are some of such habits:-

The addict may develop fear of food – the person may seem to avoid some foods. These people suffer the views that such foods are harmful and thus avoid them. They will always give excuses for not being able to take the food and sometimes will try to avoid events in which the food is to be eaten.
Emotional eating – the people with food addiction will seem to un-necessarily eat a lot of food. This is especially the case when they are stressed, anxious or worried. This habit of overeating leads one to feeling guilty and hence the anxiety about their eating habit makes them to eat even more. This habit of overeating can easily become a viscid downward spiral.
Abrupt weight loss or gain – many addicts of food will suffer poor body image and a feeling that they want to lose weight. This weight loss is normally not easy when someone is eating un-healthily. For a food addict to maintain the required diet it is almost impossible and thus an intervention is required for such a person to be helped to recover. This problem can be solved by many of nutritionists and doctors. If you are suffering from food addiction, you should consider visiting a doctor or a nutritionist to get you problem solved.
Food addicts may engage in substance abuse – the food addicts frequently engage in abuse of dangerous substances such as laxatives. They also engage in harmful activities such as self-induced vomiting, frequent fasting and excessing exercise.
The food addicts may be food possessed – the addicts of food who are food obsessed are normally very easy to be observed. These people will always want to talk about food. They are ever thinking about food, the amount of food they can eat every day, the amount they previously ate and they possess anticipation to eat.

How can food addiction be overcome?

Are you a food addict? Or do you know a person who is a food addict? The knowledge of how addiction can be treated is vital. Unlike the other types of addiction, overcoming the food addiction is not easy. For example when dealing with drug addiction, you will be encouraged to stop taking the drug, but it is impossible to stop taking food. So how can a food addict overcome?

You need to reprogram your taste buds – if you are addicted of sugary foods, you need to start reducing the rate at which you take these sugary foods. Try to also avoid adding sugar to the foods that are not supposed to be sweet. Try to slowly reduce taking of sugary foods in the favor of fruits and vegetables. This will restore your sensitivity in the taste buds and reduce craving for the addictive food.

Food Addiction

Have a good planning of your meals – avoid just eating what your mind thinks about. It is important to plan your health eating and ensure you eat responsibly, by avoiding overeating. An addict will always rave for a given food, so try to avoid being drawn to taking the unplanned foods.
Hunger moderation – another factor that causes people to overeat is hunger. You should learn to moderate your hunger and eat the food amount that is healthy to your body.
Understand your weaknesses – as a matter of fact, each person has a given food that he/she cannot turn down. For example, there are some people who cannot go past a place selling ice cream without having to buy. The best way to do away with what you cannot resist is to avoid it. Avoid the places which will tempt you with these foods.
Get yourself healthy ways of cope – when you stop taking some foods, there will be left a void, for example the time used to walk looking for cookies. Ensure you do a healthy activity during this time, for instance hiking or going out with friends.
If the therapeutic treatment methods do not work to help you out of the food addiction, opt the medical treatment. Visit your doctor and be open to discuss the problem with him/her.

Food Addiction: Is it True?

Effective Addiction Treatment

July 24, 2014

Effective Addiction Treatment – Principle Procedures Discussed

Brain

Principles of Effective Drug Addiction Treatment . If addicted seek help from the experts

Addiction is a devastating health condition even though it is treatable; it is an illness which affects the brain function and behavior by making alterations in the brain structures and functions which then results into changes running long after recovery from the drug addiction. This may explain why recovering drug addicts are at risk for relapse even after long periods of abstinence and notwithstanding the potentially devastating consequences.

Complexity

Due to its complexity, there is no single treatment which is applicable for everyone. Amalgamating various treatment settings, interventions, and services to an individual’s specific problems and needs is critical to their eventual success in returning to productive functioning in the family, workplace, and to the society.

Accessibility

Treatment should be accessible because an addict may not be keen about entering treatment, maximizing on the readily available services the moment people are ready for treatment is critical. Potential patients can be lost if treatment is not readily accessible. As with other chronic diseases, the earlier treatment is administered the better.

Multiple needs

Effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just their drug addictions. To be realistic treatment must address the individual’s drug abuse and any related medical, psychological, social, vocational, and legal problems. It is also important that treatment be appropriate to the individual’s age and gender.

Treatment duration

The duration of treatment will depend on the individual’s needs and the level of their addiction. Studies has established that drug addicts require at least 3 months in treatment to significantly reduce or stop their drug use however the best recovery is realized with longer durations of treatment. Recovery from drug addiction is often a long term process and frequently requires multiple episodes of treatment. As with other chronic illnesses, relapses to drug abuse can occur and should signal a need for treatment to be reinstated or adjusted. Because individuals often leave treatment prematurely, programs should include strategies to engage and keep patients in treatment.

Counseling

Individual or group counseling and other behavioral therapies are the most commonly used forms of drug abuse treatment. Behavioral therapies vary in their focus and may involve addressing a patient’s motivation to change, providing incentives for abstinence, building skills to resist drug use, replacing drug-using activities with constructive and rewarding activities, improving solution finding skills, and facilitating better interpersonal relationships. Also, participation in group therapy and other peer support programs during and following treatment can help maintain abstinence.

Medication

Medications are an important element of treatment for many patients, especially when combined with counseling and other behavioral therapies. For example, methadone and buprenorphine are effective in helping heroin addicts or other opioids stabilize their lives and reduce their illicit drug use. Naltrexone is also an effective medication for some opioid-addicted individuals and some patients with alcohol dependence. Other medications for alcohol dependence include acamprosate, disulfiram, and topiramate. For people addicted to nicotine, a nicotine replacement product (like patches, gum, or lozenges) or an oral medication (such as bupropion or varenicline) can be an effective component of treatment when part of a comprehensive behavioral treatment program.

Assessment

An individual’s treatment and services plan must be assessed continually and modified as necessary to ensure that it meets his or her changing needs. A patient may require varying combinations of services and treatment components during the course of treatment and recovery. In addition to counseling or psychotherapy, a patient may require medication, medical services, family therapy, parenting instruction, vocational rehabilitation, and/or social and legal services. For many patients, a continuing care approach provides the best results, with the treatment intensity varying according to a person’s changing needs.

Mental disorders

Many drug-addicted individuals also have other mental disorders. Because drug abuse and addiction both of which are mental disorders—often co-occur with other mental illnesses, patients presenting with one condition should be assessed for the other(s). And when these problems co-occur, treatment should address both (or all), including the use of medications as appropriate.

Detoxification

Medically assisted detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug abuse. Although medically assisted detoxification can safely manage the acute physical symptoms of withdrawal and, for some, can pave the way for effective long-term addiction treatment, detoxification alone is rarely sufficient to help addicted individuals achieve long-term abstinence. Thus, patients should be encouraged to continue drug treatment following detoxification. Motivational enhancement and incentive strategies, begun at initial patient intake, can improve treatment engagement.

Effectiveness

Treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective. Sanctions or enticements from family, employment settings or the criminal justice system can significantly increase treatment entry, retention rates, and the ultimate success of drug treatment interventions.

Monitoring

Drug use during treatment must be monitored continuously, as lapses during treatment do occur. Knowing their drug use is being monitored can be a powerful incentive for patients and can help them withstand urges to use drugs. Monitoring also provides an early indication of a return to drug use, signaling a possible need to adjust an individual’s treatment plan to better meet his or her needs.

Treatment Programs

Treatment programs should assess patients for the presence of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases as well as provide targeted risk-reduction counseling to help patients modify or change behaviors that place them at risk of contracting or spreading infectious diseases. Typically, drug abuse treatment addresses some of the drug-related behaviors that put people at risk of infectious diseases. Targeted counseling specifically focused on reducing infectious disease risk can help patients further reduce or avoid substance-related and other high-risk behaviors. Counseling can also help those who are already infected to manage their illness. Moreover, engaging in substance abuse treatment can facilitate adherence to other medical treatments. Patients may be reluctant to accept screening for HIV (and other infectious diseases); therefore, it is incumbent upon treatment providers to encourage and support HIV screening and inform patients that highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has proven effective in combating HIV including among drug abusing populations.

Finally these are just a few notable principals of helping yourself be free from drug addiction however it will be necessary that you seek professional advice from the experts like doctor Dalal Akoury who has been in the addiction discipline for over two decades helping people the world over. Doctor Akoury also founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center where together with her team of experts are focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Effective Drug Addiction Treatment – Principles Procedures Discussed

The Human Brain

July 24, 2014

The Human Brain – Human Operation Manager

The Human brain. Being the nerve center and regulator of all body functions, drugs must not be allowed to get into the brain

Have you ever considered how the brain works, the a mount of information being processed by this organ is huge and what is surprising is how orderly and efficient hey are being processed. Take for example one of the life practical example like driving a car. A lot of multi-tasking will be taking place like you position yourself well on the steering wheel, focused on the road and not sleeping, communicate with your feet, leg, hands and arms, knowing where the brakes are among very many things like listening to the radio, talking to your passengers. Can you imagine the kind of speed involved in processing such an amount of data all at the same time! While you look at these tasks as simple either because of your driving experience it may not be so if you bring the nerve center in the picture. In fact all these you are able to do them because of the proper functionality of your brain and so how does the brain work all these efficiently and perfectly?

Different Brain Regions Contribute to the Regulation of Different Functions

Taking our example of driving as the bigger task, the brain will break it into smaller units like communicating, hearing, seeing etc. for them to be processed. A section of the brain will analyze movement of objects we see, the other part will be organizing the tasks in other words each part of the brain carry out specific task meaning that whenever a given task is to be done the right information is processed by that specific part of the brain. The other aspect of the brain is that in the event that a section of the brain is damaged then all the functions done by that section will not be done and that is why in an accident if the occipital lobe at the back of the brain is damaged then blindness occurs but other unaffected areas like seeing and movement continues to function normally because the job of seeing is highly compartmentalized, individuals who have lost one aspect of sight like the ability to see colors or to recognize faces, may still be able to do other visual tasks can you imagine being able to recognize people by hearing their voices but not being able to recognize them by their faces when you see them?

The advantage of this localization of function is when larger jobs are parceled out throughout the brain they all can be done at once. This decentralization of labor adds great speed to our ability to understand what is happening in the world around us, to analyze it, and then to generate appropriate responses. Dealing with information in this way is called parallel processing and it has been used by the computer scientists in the development of computers.

The human brain consists of several large regions, each of which is responsible for some of the activities necessary for life. These include the brainstem, cerebellum, limbic system, diencephalon, and cerebral cortex.

The brainstem is that part of the brain which connects the brain and spinal cord. This part of the brain is involved in coordinating many basic functions such as heart rate, breathing, eating, and sleeping.

The cerebellum coordinates the brain’s instructions for skilled repetitive movements and for keeping balance and posture.

The limbic system is involved in regulating emotions, motivations, and movement. It includes the amygdala and hippocampus, which is important for memory formation.

The diencephalon contains the thalamus and hypothalamus. The thalamus is involved in sensory perception and regulating movement. The hypothalamus is an important regulator of the pituitary gland, which directs the release of hormones throughout the body.

The cerebral cortex makes up the largest part of the brain mass and lies over and around most of the other brain structures. It is the part of the brain accountable for thinking, perceiving, and producing and understanding language. The cortex can be divided into areas that are involved in vision, hearing, touch, movement, smell, and thinking and reasoning.

Drugs on the Reward System in the Brain

The same ways specific areas of the brain control seeing and hearing, specific brain areas also control emotions, motivations, and movement. These functions are carried out by a part of the brain called the limbic system. The limbic system prevails on how we react to the world around us. Imagine a cool sunny day. You finish your work early and head to your favorite park for a leisurely walk with your dog. You are feeling so mellow that when the dog slobbers on your clean shirt, you merely scratch him behind the ears. Nonetheless on another day you have a completely different experience when you have to work late, traffic is up, and the dog runs away instead of coming to welcome you home. This time when the dog slobbers on you (after he finds his way home again) you shove him away and scold him.

The feelings you have in those two different situations are a result of your limbic system at work. The limbic system uses memories, information about how your body is working, and current sensory input to generate your emotional responses to current situations.

The limbic system is involved in many of our emotions and motivations, particularly those related to survival, such as fear and anger. The system is also involved in pleasurable activities necessary for survival, such as eating and sex. If something is pleasurable, or rewarding, you want to do it repeatedly. Pleasurable activities engage the reward circuit (or system), so the brain notes that something important is happening that needs to be remembered and repeated. The reward system includes several interconnected structures the ventral tegmental area (VTA), located at the top of the brain stem; the nucleus accumbens; and the prefrontal cortex). Neurons from the VTA relay messages to the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex. Information is also relayed back from the cortex to the nucleus accumbens and the VTA.

Most drugs of abuse activate the same VTA and nucleus accumbens neurons and that is why drugs produce pleasurable feelings to the drug user. And, because the feelings are pleasurable, the user wants to continue to experience the pleasure which they felt during previous drug use.

One of the reasons that drugs of abuse can exert such powerful control over our behavior is that they act directly on the more evolutionarily primitive brainstem and limbic structures, which can override the cortex in controlling our behavior.

The Human Brain – Human Operation Manager

Employees and Drug Addiction

July 24, 2014

Employees and Drug Addiction – Workplace

Workplace must be accommodating enough to discourage drug addiction. Stressful set ups will only injure any meaningful gains made.

The reality of addiction related problems in the workplaces is becoming a common phenomenon and unless we positively come out to address it we will soon not have an economy to run as organization or nations. The prevalent of addiction cut across all sectors of life of both the individuals and the society and when it does it destroys one’s health, relationships, emotional well-being and this effects eventually finds their way in the workplace bringing very negative results. It is believed that majority of people struggling with addiction are employed in various sectors of the economy and because of this their performance is reduced to about two thirds in relation to those employees free from the scourge.

Various studies have established that prior to enrolling for treatment these employees were unproductive due to consistent absconding of duty, lateness or just lazing a round because of their addiction problems. This is a clear indication that employees addiction impacts negatively to their work performance which eventually translate to the inflated cost of doing business to their employers beside the dented reputation of the organization image and goodwill. In the interest of this it’s important to consider and understand the role of the workplace and the employer in the addiction recovery process. Therefore:

Why is it Difficult for Employees to Ask for Help?
It may not be easy for employees to seek for help for fear of being victimized by their employers and the related stigmatization. However employers should take note that support their employees with addiction problems to reach out for help not only benefits the employee in terms of their physical, emotional, and mental health but also benefits the organization in many productive ways.

The Benefits of Addiction Treatment

As indicated above helping employees with their addiction conditions in beneficial to both the employees and the employer as discussed below.

Benefits to an Employee and the Employer – when our mental health is good, we are able to cope with the hassles and stressors of everyday life. We are purposeful and productive. But our mental health is poor it can impact a variety of aspects of our lives. When someone is suffering from mental health problems or illness, such as a substance abuse problem or other type of addiction, the impact on the individual can be more pervasive and severe. Co-workers may perceive these types of individuals as difficult or unreliable, and this can create a very unpleasant work environment.

When mental health or other medical conditions become so severe, the individual may have to take a leave from work for an extended period of time. This can escalate:

Disability costs
Benefits utilization
Replacement costs and
Costs associated with lost productivity.

Failing to address the underlying mental health problems of the employee increases the likelihood of the individual developing recurring problems at work. However, with adequate intervention and an ongoing treatment strategy, someone suffering from a mental health illness such as an addiction can experience good mental health and an improved quality of life.

How Employers Can Help?
There are several ways an employee can benefit including some of the recommendations made by the Mental Health Commission of Canada which include the following steps to be taken by the employers at workplaces:

Health promotion and prevention of psychological issues at work
Early identification of psychological problems and optimal treatment of mental health conditions to reduce disability and to support a return to work strategy.

Early Intervention for Best Results
What makes the establishment of wellness programs even more imperative, is that research has demonstrated that individuals struggling with an addiction, on average wait thirteen and a half years before entering residential treatment. The goal therefore is, to intervene early with an employee who has a substance use or behavioral addiction problem, before it progresses and worsens over time. By establishing a non-punitive, supportive organizational culture involved in the psychological well-being of their employees, an organization can minimize the potential escalating costs associated with employees and their problematic substance use and behavior.

Treatment Benefits beyond Absenteeism, Tardiness and Productivity
Even though studies have established the above as some of the costs and benefits associated with addiction in the workplace, employers must not limit their evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of treatment based exclusively on workers’ absenteeism, tardiness and productivity. The economic benefit of addiction treatment goes beyond these variables to include reduction on-the-job errors, accidents and injuries, and reduced disability costs. Other benefits may include improved morale, decreased conflict among workers and reduced costs associated with dismissal, hiring and training. Depending on the workplace context, other potential benefits can also include reduced legal liabilities and minimizing potential negative impacts on organizational reputation and trust between stakeholders and clients.

However it is understandable that becoming involved in employees’ psychological well-being is not an easy feat for employers and when performance is affected, it’s difficult to have the tough talk. This is where adequate training and education for managers and employees would help organizations to overcome this potential barrier.

The Bottom-Line and Beyond
Appealing to “the bottom line” and outlining the economic benefits of addiction treatment has shown to be an effective way to engage employers in the recovery of their employees’ addiction. The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as a primary neurological disease affecting brain reward, motivation, memory and its related circuitry. Because it is a chronic brain disease, addiction requires treatment and management over a lifetime unlike other chronic diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Addiction can be as devastating as any other illness and is classified as a disability by many employment legislations across the globe.

It is therefore very important to assist employees in their recovery process. Common barriers such as shame, organizational denial, and enabling behaviors of coworkers can prevent employees from seeking help for this medical and psychological problem. Employers need to understand the ways that their organizations may maintain these barriers and appreciate that employer involvement in the recovery process is beneficial for both the employee and the organization.

Effective addiction treatment that includes long-term continuing care and support from family and employers is a mutually beneficial solution to a problem that often permeates a variety of aspects of an individual’s life – including their work. So when it comes to your employees and addiction it is your business to liaise with reputable addiction professionals like doctor Dalal Akoury who founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center where addiction treatment is administered in total focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Employees and Drug Addiction – Workplace

Category Archives: addiction