Understanding the specific nutritional impact on addiction

August 27, 2015

Understanding the specific nutritional impact on addiction: Detailing nutritional impact on individual substances of abuse

Understanding the specific nutritional impact on addiction will help you take timely precautions before the damage is too overwhelming to handle.

While looking at the nutritional impact on individual substances of abuse, we discussed at length specific substances like alcohol and opioids in the previous article. You can make reference on that however for the purpose of this article, under the title “understanding the specific nutrition impact on addiction” we want to further on the discussion specifically exploring on the on other substances of abuse like stimulants and marijuana. Besides that we are also going to find out from the discussion how promoting self-care and a healthy life style will benefit this worthy journey of eliminating drug addiction. Dealing with matters relating to addiction is never easy and therefore consulting with able professionals from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) is very much in order.

It will interest you to note that doctor Dalal Akoury is one of the most respected addiction professionals globally who out of her passion of offering lasting solution to all she made a passionate decision of creating a medical center (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) whose primary objective is to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals into finding their own inner healing power. Besides that, it will also interest you to appreciate that Dr. Akoury’s practice focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. This therefore means that if you are struggling with any kind of addiction of whatever nature and irrespective of the level of your addiction, this is the place and home of lasting solutions. If this description suits your needs, then you can call doctor Akoury on telephone number 843 213 1480 to schedule for an appointment with her to have all your concerns addressed professionally and in good time. In the meantime, let us progress with our quest of understanding the specific nutritional impact on addiction following.

Understanding the specific nutritional impact on addiction: Stimulants

Stimulants, including crack, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamine, nicotine, and caffeine, generally lead to decreased appetite and weight loss. Cocaine has been associated with anorexia and eating disorders and may impact energy intake and requirements. Large amounts of stimulants result in insomnia, paranoia, anxiety, malnutrition, and memory problems. Therefore when individuals first discontinue stimulant use, dehydration and electrolyte imbalances may occur, so careful monitoring is important. Since low weight and eating disorders may be of concern, encouraging and educating patients on proper nutrition and helping them achieve a healthy BMI is important.

Methamphetamine abusers commonly suffer severe dental problems that interfere with diet quality. According to one of the studies, it was established that up to 41.3% of methamphetamine users had dental disease and nearly 60% had missing teeth. Doctor Akoury is suggesting that based on such facts it is necessary that dietitians should take lead role in offering nutritional education to support dental health and recommend foods with an appropriate consistency.

Understanding the specific nutritional impact on addiction: Marijuana

Marijuana, which impairs memory, attention, judgment, and balance and increases heart rate, is the most commonly used drug in the United States. The main nutritional impact of this drug is increased appetite. Long-term users may be overweight and may need a calorically restricted diet and an exercise program to help them achieve a healthy weight. Since marijuana is a fat-soluble drug, it can take up to six months for a daily user’s brain to return to normal functioning after abstaining.

Understanding the specific nutritional impact on addiction: Promoting self-care and a healthy lifestyle

Various professionals should help promote a healthy lifestyle to accompany substance abuse patients’ recovery. Important aspects of self-care include physical activity, proper sleep, and devoting time for pleasurable activities. These activities may help to keep patients positive, improve health, establish new routines, and reduce idle time that may lead to relapse. Exercise is thought to stimulate some of the same circuits in the brain as do most substances, so promoting healthful activities may be a good way to replace old behaviors. Lack of sleep can lead to a decrease in well-being, reduced cognitive function, and reduced energy, so encouraging patients to practice healthful bedtime routines is beneficial.

Patients must be educated on the importance of nutrition in their recovery process. Grocery shopping, cooking, and preparing foods are important skills that dietitians can promote for patients in recovery. Cooking classes or recipes may be of interest to clients who are unsure about how to cook or are looking for ideas for healthful options. Financial struggles and unstable living situations are common obstacles to recovery that can lead to food insecurity, which significantly contributes to the nutritional status of drug abusers and to relatively unbalanced diets. Educating patients on nutrition resources, budget-friendly options, and support may be helpful.

Finally in order to achieve this worthy course, some serious commitments must be made and everyone must pool together in one direction of finding solutions. In that respect it is necessary that the dietitians play the overall and important part in the process of recovery for all patients seeking help for substance abuse. It must be appreciated that in many situations the obstacle of denial will pose a serious challenge and therefore consistency in encouragement in going to be very paramount. Doctor Dalal Akoury reiterates that many patients must be professionally encouraged to understand how nutrition can play an important part in their recovery process. The commitment in encouragement must not be a one stop thing instead it should be continuous because this is the only way through which victims of substance abuse will be able to get the much needed help to navigating the struggles that arise so that they can achieve a healthy lifestyle. Doctor Akoury encourages that this is a challenge that we must all be ready to take so that together we can make a difference.

Understanding the specific nutritional impact on addiction: Detailing nutritional impact on individual substances of abuse

The crimes of terrorism and legalizing drug use

August 20, 2015

The crimes of terrorism and legalizing drug use: The association between crime and drug addiction

The crimes of terrorism and legalizing drug use are two different things that must be dealt with soberly if we have to keep and maintain a healthy and peaceful society.

We are living at a time when very many things you would not imagine happening in life. The rate of crime is escalating and becoming very sophisticated every day. Many lives are lost in one single act of crime thanks to the availability of drugs in the market that has made criminals to get the psych for crime. Because of this the global safety is not guaranteed and that is why we want to focus our discussion on the crimes of terrorism and legalizing drug use in our states. Will this real help put to check this problem that is causing a lot of fear among people in the society? This is a subject that can be debated endlessly and therefore we want to engage the services of doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) who besides being a veteran addiction expert of several decades is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. This facility was formulated primarily to help people who are struggling with any form of addiction regain their lives and be productive in the society.

Doctor Akoury is registering that it is regrettable that dealing in illicit drugs is continually becoming a very big business not just in your country but across the globe. Today we have very many organized and dangerous drug cartels in most countries that are deeply rooted in this killer business and the most painful part of this is that they are using the proceeds accruing from their criminal activity to raise more havoc in the societies. These cartels are causing a lot of constrain in the delivery of security services in some states since a lot of efforts are put in ensuring that their activities do not cause harm to the innocent citizens. In the process of doing this other sectors may be compromised which means that the status quo is likely to continue for very long time if the drugs continues to be affordable and easily accessible in the market as it is now in most streets of our cities across the globe.

The crimes of terrorism and legalizing drug use: Should drug use be legalized?

As the debate rages on doctor Akoury states that one of the ideas put forward in this discussion is that of legalizing drugs. Those who are supporting this view argue that it would facilitate and help in the reduction of crime especially those that are associated with drug abuse. Their point is that when dealing in drug is legal then chances are that addicts would not have to resort to criminal behavior to fund their habit. The costs of drugs could be put to check by setting rates which addicts could afford without having to steal in order to get the supply. Besides that they also elude that these drugs could also be taxed and the revenue realized from these could be used to fund drug rehabilitation treatment. Alongside with that this school of thought is also seeing the possibility of realizing reduction in the attraction to drugs. To them many people will often be curious at things that are prohibited and restricted and so by allowing its use this will be eliminated hence the reduction of substance abuse.

Nonetheless the opposing views is very categorical that the effects of drug abuse is so devastating that letting people lose to it will kill the moral fabric of the society and most importantly, we are going to register very disturbing figures in terms of death, sicknesses and crime due to more addictions. Besides that the reason of revenue is inconsequential as this would place an extra burden on taxpayers, the authorities and the State as a whole in the logistics of caring and administration of treatment to the increased number of people being addicted to the drugs.

If you are still with us in this discussion I want to believe that we are heading somewhere. Now that we are progressing well doctor Akoury possess this concern, “what do you do with those people who are addicted to committing an offences day in day out?” remember that these people may or may not be addicted to drugs but one common denominator the have is that they have an addiction, which in this case is addiction to crime. These are very tricky occurrences and we will be lying to ourselves if we say that we understand because for sure there is no easy answer to this debate will still continue. However it is important to pick certain points in this all issue and appreciate that the questions raised are very pertinent and cannot just be ignored. That is why professionally it is said that prevention is better than cure therefore you do not willfully create a problem because you have the mechanisms of solving it says doctor Dalal Akoury.

The crimes of terrorism and legalizing drug use: Addiction and crime prevention measures

It has been suggested that unless we can change human nature itself then crime will always be with us. Crime is normally first propagated in the mind before it’s execution and so the wellness of the mind is a perfect remedy for everyone. Doctor Akoury is of the strong opinion that while we appreciate that drug addiction is well connected with crime, the two can be separated and each can be dealt with individually and in isolation. It will be an uphill task for the authority to ensure that drug barons are arrested because many of them are always walking free while their little clients are the ones being arrested and when they are arrested, the have the resources to buy their way out into the street again. This element of corruption must stop for our society to be safe.

Finally and on the professionals point of view, the option of treatment is the best and for this to yield any meaningful fruits, it is highly recommended that we all engage the services of real professionals in addiction to help in addressing this problem. Therefore to start you off this long journey of addiction recovery and reduction of crime levels from our societies, it will be very important for you if you are struggling with any form of addiction to schedule for an appointment with the home of experts (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury today for the commencement of your recovery process immediately.

The crimes of terrorism and legalizing drug use: The association between crime and drug addiction

Correcting the brain damage from drug abuse

August 5, 2015

Correcting the brain damage from drug abuse: The generator of pathological activity

Correcting the brain damage from drug abuse must be every ones priority if we have to defeat addiction and its consequences

Did you know that drugs are the major cause of the death of the brain cells? The brain is one of the most sensitive organs in any human body where everything starts and ends. Death is always registered the moment ones brain stops functioning. Therefore we all have a duty to keep the good health we have by correcting the brain damages from drug abuse and doctor Dalal Akoury is going to take us through the discussion to unlock some of the sensitive things that we must do to keep the proper functionality of the brain. According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury, this could be the worst damage they cause to the brain. And remember that the degree of the brain damage from drug abuse is always defined by the prognosis of recovery. Sometimes unfavorable changes in the brain of a drug addict are so much overwhelming that they are not even able to realize the problem let alone the need for treatment. And even if they are, the deformed psyche, expressed in loss of willpower, doesn’t allow them to complete the treatment and refrain from using the drugs. Nonetheless such situations often come to the extreme cases. Besides that under normal circumstances addiction often creates a center of addiction in the brain, or so-called a generator of pathological activity for drug craving.

To illustrate this, let us take an example of a condition we are all familiar with that of epilepsy. This disease is characterized by periodically recurrent seizure syndrome and when a small portion of the brain cells (it can be quite small in size), figuratively speaking, “going crazy”. From time to time they reach the level of excitation which covers the whole brain. As a result, a person loses consciousness, falls down, the total muscle spasms make him convulse. When he comes regains his consciousness, he doesn’t remember what happened to him. Medically these “haywire” cells are called the generator of pathological activity. Now the connection is that about the same generator is formed in case of a drug addiction. However in this case the generator is that of attraction to drugs, self-excitation of which with different periodicity may also cover the entire brain and cause an uncontrollable, overpowering desire to take drugs thereafter. The activity of the generator leads to a constant, obsessive thoughts about drugs. Without treatment, this generator can persist for years, even if the person does not use the drugs during that time. Along with the formation of the generator of attraction to drugs, there is another type of brain damage from drug abuse, to the nervous system of a drug addict.

Another reason why correcting the brain damage from drug abuse is necessary is because the regular drug poisoning leads to severe changes in metabolism in the cells of the nervous system and especially in brain cells. These cells contain neurotransmitters which are the active substances whose presence in the inter-neuron synapses provides the transmission of electrical impulses to effectuate the functions of all kinds of nervous activities, including the higher nervous activity of a man’s mind, emotions, feelings, willpower, and so on. Doctor Akoury reiterates that the constant presence of the outer psycho active chemical substances badly affects the processes of neuro-transmission in the brain. And remember that the altered brain reactivity will reflects in the changes of well-being and behavior pattern of an addict. When this happens he becomes lethargic, listless, emotionally limited. Gradually he will begin to lose interest in life, his cognitive abilities dwindle. Against this background, frequent outbreaks of anger and irritability become regular.

It’s fair to say, that shortly after the “fix”, the deficit of neurotransmitters in an addict’s brain temporarily shifts back to “normal”, and the victim feels better for a while. However, with each subsequent dose of narcotic, the further infringements in neuro transmitter systems of the brain ultimately become more and more profound.

Correcting the brain damage from drug abuse: Drug withdrawal

During the “withdrawal” the most unpleasant sensations are connected with an abrupt plummet of content of neurotransmitters in the brain. For instance, the dopamine content due to severe lack of transmitters can’t be utilized in time and may exceed the normal level few times. The excessive amount of dopamine is a real poison to the brain.

Drug withdrawal (especially opiate withdrawal) physically and mentally is a very disruptive condition. It may last from few days to a few weeks. You can get more information about opiate (Heroin, Methadone) withdrawal by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today and she will be more than willing to help you find answers to all your questions today.

It is further important to note that during withdrawal some time will lapse and within a few days the level of neurotransmitters will gradually returns to normal even though this may not be completely done, but all the same the symptoms of drug withdrawal subsides. Besides that another danger will come in handy waiting for the patient. This is commonly known as “dry withdrawal”. After some time, when seemingly all is over, sometimes without any reason, but mostly after the stress, the balance of neurotransmitters breaks down again. At this point the patient starts re-experiencing some mental discomfort, nervousness, sleep disorders, hot-and-cold flashes and aggravated attraction to drugs.

Drug addiction, like many other chronic diseases, is characterized by fluctuating course, with alternate “ups and downs”. Most of the failures happen exactly on the peaks of these “ups”. That is why all drugs have the toxic effects and damages the body’s cells. This damage causes some element of pain in an individual and to fight this pain the victim will have to take more drugs further causing addiction to that substance and the situation to becomes a vicious circle: that is to say, the higher dose of drugs the more pain they cause, the more pain the more need to take the higher dose. As a result, the euphoric effect of the drugs, which was so attractive at the beginning, quickly disappears and leaves an addict to continue taking the drug just to avoid the pain and let him somehow to function “normally”.

Finally from the discussion we have seen that drug addiction is a very complex disease, which is fixed in many levels of the organism. Simple and quick methods, such as coding or isolated psychotherapy are absolutely inactive. To this doctor Akoury says that professionally drug addiction requires a serious multi-stage treatment at all levels and that will be very helpful in correcting the brain damage from drug abuse effectively.

Correcting the brain damage from drug abuse: The generator of pathological activity

Simple explanations about stem cell addiction therapy

August 4, 2015

Simple explanations about stem cell addiction therapy: Understanding stem cells

Simple explanations about stem cell addiction therapy can go along way in offering solutions to those who are struggling with all forms of addiction.

We are going to have a series of articles about stem cells as we progress, but in the meantime we begin by giving a simple explanations about stem cell addiction therapy a what really stem cell are? These (Stem cells) are elemental cells that can develop into any type of specialized cells on their own. It simply means that stem cell can become any of the over two hundred different cells in the human body (brain cell, kidney cell, lung cell etc.) and like I have mention, these cells have a unique ability for self- regeneration or renewal through mitosis (cell duplication). That ordinarily means that each cell is capable of producing more stem cells on its own. Doctor Dalal Akoury one of the most respected addiction expert’s reports that stem cells come in two major basic categories including embryonic cells which are withdrawn from the umbilical cord blood and adult cells extracted from the bone marrow adipose tissue or processed blood which are potentially used in medical practices.

Simple explanations about stem cell addiction therapy: Stem cell technology for addiction

Scientifically so many studies have established that more than fifty percent of addictions are as a result of genetic predisposition. For instance, children born out of drug addicts parents are 7-9 times more prone to developing an addiction in their life. We can say that their brain is prewired for drug abuse, alcohol abuse or any other substance abuse, and the danger is that even after they have been taken treatment therapy successful they may relapse into some other form of addictions meaning that they are genetically bound to such substances. Besides that even if a person have lower predisposition for dependencies, they may as well and up with some kind of addiction. How does that happen? Ordinarily these do happen by abusing any addictive substances and connecting it with joyful feelings, the effect of that is that we are training our brain to associate that substance with happiness and the consequences of that is, we will be motivated to seek for that substance more often thereby resulting to addiction.

Doctor Akoury from her many years of experience says that with all these practices taking place, it is almost becoming obvious that product of all these process which is drug addiction becomes very difficult to treat irrespective of whether it is genetically imposed or acquired over time. The difficulty is coming because the brain in this case will need some kind of rewiring. When the brain chemistry has changed, what follows is that brain cells become addicted meaning that treatment must be performed on cellular level. That is the technicality we are likely to face from such experience however, the good news is that with the numerous researches done in the past decades experts have established that treatment can actually be successfully achieved with the application of stem cell therapy.

Simple explanations about stem cell addiction therapy: Stem cell addiction therapy as a method of treating drug and alcohol addiction

As we pointed out earlier, to successfully treat addictions, we need to approach the problem on a cellular level. Brain chemistry must be rebalanced and all the dead cells must also be replaced. According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury this can be achieved by transplanting cells into the section of the brain which controls reactions to various substances including drugs, alcohol or any other addictive substances. Stem cells then begin their reproduction and conversion into new healthy brain cells. The result of this will be the simultaneous replacement of old and corrupted brain cells whose life cycle has ended. The significance of this action will be that, that section of the brain is overwhelmed with healthy cells. With this practice being done from time to time, eventually, the rebuilding of that section of the brain that controls addictions will lead into complete healing.

The good news about stem cell addiction therapy is that it is the purest method of treating addictions since the process itself mimics natural development of the human body. It is the future of the addiction therapy practice in drug rehab centers, since it is non-toxic (no medication is used), it is painless (unlike some other methods) and above all it is very safe and successful. And now with this discovery of the most efficient and reliable treatment of addiction, we should all remain focus in pursuing our individual and collective objective of kicking out drug and alcohol addiction from our lives and societies. This new treatment technique will not be helpful if we keep the problem to ourselves. Denial is a very big impediment to the success of addiction therapy. Therefore if you or anyone you know a friend or a loved one is struggling with any form of addiction, they you own then a duty of care in ensuring that first you share what you now know and second being the connection point to their treatment process. You have a duty of encouraging them to accept that they have a problem and that the problem is not as a result of anyone’s weakness or weak character but on which is considered a disease. Denial will be there but giving up mush and should not be an option in this fight against substance abuse.

Finally make it up on yourself to share the challenges you may be experiencing with the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center so that you can get all the techniques you need to win your friends over for treatment. When you have achieved that, then you can now schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury either for yourself or on behalf of your loved ones so that a detailed evaluation can be done and you are put on the right treatment program that will leave you much healthier and ready to face life with confidence and live it to the fullest thereafter.

Simple explanations about stem cell addiction therapy: Understanding stem cells

How addiction changes the brains communication pathways

July 18, 2015

How addiction changes the brains communication pathways: Neuronal plasticity

it is a pity how addiction changes the brains communication pathways is directly causing many a lot of suffering both physically and psychologically.

It is very interesting to study some of the things that cause problems in your life and particularly in your health. For quite some times now we have been studying the brain and how it is affected by various substances. In we deed mentioned something about the brain’s electro-chemical communication system stating that it is a communication system that sends information through a vast network of interconnecting neurons. By and by the brain begins to develop a preferred or standard pathway to send signals between neurons (neural pathways). Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury MD and founder of the facility can now confirm that in the past it was believed that the brain’s neural pathways will be completely formed by the time we reached adulthood. Nonetheless the recent scientific findings have established that this is a continuous process and in fact the human brain continues to create new neurons and form neural pathways throughout our entire lifespan. That is why neurons are seen as dynamic cells that are constantly adapting to changing circumstances. It therefore means that if an injury or damages happens to an individual’s brain (such as a stroke or injury) the neurons will make new communication route around the damaged area. Scientifically doctor Akoury says that this ability of recreation of neurons is known as neuronal plasticity. Nevertheless we want to focus on the response the question of the discussion that “how addiction changes the brains communication pathways”.

Doctor Akoury says that neuroplasticity is responsible for the regulation of our learning processes and this enables us to adapt to our surroundings conveniently. To better understand neuroplasticity let us consider using this illustration. The brain forms neural pathways in a way that is similar to the formation of a demarcated hiking pathway. The more we travel a path, the faster, easier, and more familiar that path becomes. As the routine continues it becomes more visible, smoother, and easier to travel on. It therefore becomes a preferred route for many. This is also how neural pathways are formed. With time the brain forms familiar neural pathways which then become habitual routes. And in the event that the familiar route is blocked the brain responds swiftly by forming a new route around the blockage. And from the illustration, suppose you walk through the bush each day to visit a friend. You use the same trail each time and one day as you travel along your familiar path, you discover a huge tree has fallen over. It’s blocking your passage. You will need to forge a new path to go around the tree. At first, this new path will be narrow, difficult, and slow. It might even be uncomfortable. However with time, it will become a well-worn, comfortable path. It will be just as easy as the original path.

How addiction changes the brains communication pathways: Substance abuse chemically altered the brain’s operations

New neural pathways are formed as addiction develops. This is because addiction chemically altered the brain’s communication system. When you take that drug away, the brain must again form new neural pathways. Just as when we had to forge a new trail in the bush, this is initially uncomfortable. Neuroplasticity explains why the initial period of recovery is difficult and uncomfortable. But we know from our hiking trail example, this difficulty is only temporary. According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center this information is very helpful to know when attempting recovery. We can be successful if we preserve through this brief, uncomfortable period. Remember, it was difficult and uncomfortable to forge a new pathway around a fallen tree. The same is true for the initial period of recovery. It can be difficult and uncomfortable while these new neural pathways are forming. As long as the recovering person does not give up during this initial period of discomfort, new neural pathways will form that support recovery. These new pathways will become more established and better developed over time. As they do, recovery becomes easier and more comfortable.

How addiction changes the brains communication pathways: The effects of addictive substances on the brain

By now I believe that from the emphasis we have made about the adaptive and the dynamic qualities of our brains ensure our survival, you are somewhere as far as keeping the brain healthy is concern. The next point I want to raise on how addiction changes the brains communication pathways may be quite unfortunate. Why do I say so, it is because the brain’s ability to be so adaptive is also at the root of addiction. Doctor Akoury says that the brain has the ability to adapt not only to the harmless substances and activities but also to the strong effects of addictive drugs and activities. And when it does, there will be damaging changes happening in the brain regions which are associated with reward including the memory and emotion, decision-making and stress regulations. These changes to our brain make the repeated use of addictive substances or activities very compelling. The good news is that our brains’ neuroplasticity allows us to correct these changes! Therefore, although addiction leads to structural changes in the brain, we are capable of learning new coping skills. The brain’s plasticity allows these new coping skills to be imprinted.

Finally we will be discussing these structural changes in the next series of articles and we want to urge you not to go away but to stay with us on the link and where possible invite a friend too. In the meantime having such powerful information about the most sensitive organ in your body the brain is very helpful in keeping you healthy. I am saying so because when you know, you will not do things that will cause herm to your health, and if you have already caused an injury, then you can take measures to remedy the situation by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury to professionally take your through the recovery treatment process today.

Tag Archives: Addiction and drug abuse