Fighting addiction begins in the brain effectively

September 28, 2015

Fighting addiction begins in the brain effectively: To fight addiction, feed your brain

Fighting addiction begins in the brain effectively and this must be done with utmost care owing to the sensitivity of the brain. Essential nutrients must never be in luck

As the nerve center of human life, the brain is very essential in very many ways. Nothing will happen in the body without it being registered in and from the brain. The brain therefore plays an integral function in keeping the body communications to various parts of the body. Having known the importance of the brain, we now want to narrow our discussion to some of the specific role the brain play in fighting addiction. Therefore the focus of our discussion is going to be on the topic “fighting addiction begins in the brain effectively.” That topic begs to ask how is this possible and what do we know about the brain, addiction and effects of addiction to the brain? These are very fundamental questions of concern which we want to address progressively as we settle into the discussion. To help us in this, we are going to seek the professional opinion of experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) and founder of the same. To start us off, doctor Akoury shares with us her personal experience with her clients over the years as follows.

Fighting addiction begins in the brain effectively: Denial and denying the brain essential fats

As we have said time and again that denial is the biggest problem we all face when dealing with addiction, that fact is very evident in most clients that I have been privileged to help get through their addictive situations. At one point I was attending to a client who for purposes of confidentiality I will refer to as Miss XYZ. Ideally if you met Miss XYZ, you might presume she had everything to live for. And just to share briefly about her in her early thirties she was doing well as a junior executive who was married with two young children. Yet when XYZ opened up as she sat on my couch during a session, she narrated to me how her troubles at home and work had brought her, more than once, to put a killer knife at her wrist and imagine ending her emotional pain forever.

For over a decade Miss XYZ disorderly drank bottles of wine every night and regularly smoked marijuana alongside taking pain killers. Even though she knew her actions she denied it first to herself, her family and to me (her doctor) that substance abuse was a part of her problem. “I’m not an alcoholic,” she said with a lot of confidence. Because she was such a long way from even addressing her (conventional) addictions, I inquired about what else she was ingesting and so I ask “What did you eat for breakfast?” That question revealed to me that she wasn’t just intoxicating her brain but she was also starving it of the essential nutrients. It was almost a routine for her skipping breakfast most days and when she took it will be only a cup of coffee or glass of juice once in a while. According to her, she put soy milk in her coffee because she thought that all dairy and meat products were unhealthy. She also avoided fat in all her foods because she believed fat would make her fat (are you like her?). What she didn’t know is that the brains rely on healthy fats for their functioning and for that reason two fats, EPA and DHA, are particularly known for their mood-boosting qualities. By avoiding any fats she was literally avoiding foods that would provide her brain with these naturally essential and therapeutic molecules.

Doctor Akoury continues that realizing all these she asked her to go to a local lab for some blood test. We talked about her making some dietary changes, especially the merits of nutrient-rich brain foods, such as eggs and fish. She admitted in a guilty whisper, “I’ve been craving a hamburger” and you will agree with me that wasn’t really surprising. Like a good number of other women of reproductive age, her there was great deficiency of iron in her blood further explaining what was lucking in her body to function well. With this deficiency she actually felt listless; she lacked the energy to cope with her demanding job and a family as well.

Fighting addiction begins in the brain effectively: Certifying the brains nutrient needs

With so many challenges standing in the way of recovering from addiction, the simplest first step is to stop depriving your brain of good and necessary food and nutrients. Experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are very categorical that recovery will partly depend on developing new chemical pathways by which the brain overcomes habitual behaviors. This we want to emphasis that you owe it to your recovery as it will nourish the brain to poise it for better learning, stable moods and less intrusive cravings. Even though there are so many bad things Miss XYZ did, the good news is that eating to support recovery need not be a deprivation: It can be delicious and remember that when you feed your brain with essential nutrients from their natural sources, you are taking better care of yourself, which is a fundamental step in rebuilding your brain and your self-esteem. A diet geared to stabilize mood and minimize cravings will be high in omega-3 fats from fatty fish, folates from leafy greens, vitamin B12 from eggs and meat, and the many brain-healthy nutrients amply found in colorful fruits and vegetables. Instead of the sugar (dopamine) rushes from eating simple carbohydrates, the sustained feeling of fullness from healthy foods can fortify you in your recovery.

Finally when Miss XYZ changed her diet, her moods stabilized and her suicidal thoughts dissipated. The killer knife was now used properly for cutting meat, fish, and vegetables. The conclusion of my therapy with her was that a better-nourished brain and taking control of her eating habits were very instrumental steps in addressing her alcohol and drug problem. At this point she could now listen to the concerns of family members about her addiction. She became more responsible and registered with a support group. She stuck with her diet and got in the habit of regular exercise instead of daily sugar or alcohol. Miss XYZ is now celebrating many years of sobriety a recovery journey that began when she took her first bite of real food for breakfast. You can also benefit from the same by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for the commencement of your recovery program.

Fighting addiction begins in the brain effectively: To fight addiction, feed your brain

Initial training of children on healthy lifestyle

September 26, 2015

Initial training of children on healthy lifestyle: Protecting children from the danger of food addiction

Initial trainings of children on healthy lifestyle

Initial training of children on healthy lifestyle is very important if we want to protect them from future complications on their body organs including the brain

Is your child professing some signs of addiction to what goes round in the environment? How well do you know what your child feeds on and do you ever impact on them positively to live their lives in a health way? These are some of the concerns that we find ourselves struggling with in our day to day life. We are actually living at a time when life demands and work commitments have taken most of our time and so we often have very little time for ourselves and our families. Experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center have established that in our quest of providing good life for our family by working hard or do I say by spending more than three quarter of our time at our work stations, we often put our children on the sport light thereby subjecting them to the danger of embracing acts that can only lead them to living a very unhealthy lifestyle in the future. It is because of this fact that we want to focus our discussion in this article on the initial training of children on healthy lifestyle. Doctor Dalal Akoury a veteran addiction expert of more than two decades laid a foundation in correcting this problem by establishing a medical center whose main objective is to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals to find their own inner healing power.

She says that empowering people is very instrumental in unlocking the stalemate of addiction and this should begin at the very initial stages of a child’s life. In our previous postings we highlighted some of the techniques available for preventing childhood addiction on food and as we progress into this, we just want to encourage you to make reference to that. In the meantime I want to pose a challenge to you by asking that “are you living a life that can be seen as healthy and that when your child emulate he/she will be proud that I am healthy today because I learned it from my parents?” like I had mentioned more than 75% of our time we spend at work and we have left our children in the care of teachers and housekeepers who may not be doing a good job in training our children to feed on healthy food. To complicate the matter further we ourselves we don’t lead by example. The kind of food we stock at home are loaded with tones of calories. Because of this habit we all need help to bring radical change in the life of our children. This is what doctor Dalal Akoury and her team of experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center does best. It will however interest you to note 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 is the kind of professional you need in situations like this and therefore if this description suits your case, then you can call doctor Akoury on telephone number 843 213 1480 and schedule for an appointment with her for further professional deliberations. In the meantime, let us narrow our discussion to some of the significant elements that you can adopt to help you train your child on healthy living and more so in the line of eliminating the dangers of food addiction. The following guidelines could work for you:

Initial training of children on healthy lifestyle: Encourage new foods in your menu

This you can do by embracing the following:

Serve a new food with one your child likes.
Being patient and keep offering new foods, even if they are rejected at first and assume that your child will like new foods.
Offer new foods in a relaxed environment.
Don’t use food as a reward, pacifier or punishment.

Initial training of children on healthy lifestyle: Make mealtimes a positive experience

Mealtimes should be relaxed and happy. Suggestions include:

Let your child explore food by touching and expect some mess.
Let children feed themselves and give help if needed.
Enjoy family meals together at a table, so children can watch and copy others, try the family foods and enjoy company while eating.
Keep mealtimes relaxed. Don’t have too many distractions like the TV on.
Offer encouragement, but don’t argue or force your child to eat.
Talk pleasantly to your child at mealtimes, not just about food.
Don’t ask your child to eat quickly.

Initial training of children on healthy lifestyle: Safety suggestions

To reduce the risk of choking, safety suggestions may include the following:

Always supervise young children when they are eating.
Encourage your child to always eat sitting down to prevent falls and reduce the risk of choking.
Avoid small hard foods such as nuts, raw carrot, hard lollies and popcorn. Offer lightly steamed vegetable sticks instead.

Initial training of children on healthy lifestyle: Drinks for children

It is very important that you offer all drinks to your children in a cup. Sometimes children fill up on drinks, particularly sweet ones like juice, and this leaves less room for foods. This you can avoid by:

Offering up to three cups of milk only each day, with water at other times for thirst. Full fat milk should be given up to two years of age and then reduced fat may be given.
Remember that juice and sweetened drinks are unnecessary.

Initial training of children on healthy lifestyle: Seeking for professional help

Many parents worry about their children’s eating at some stage, particularly in younger children when food intake and appetite appear to change daily. Therefore if this concerns you, then you should ask for professional help if:

You have concerns about your child’s growth
Your child is unwell, tired and not eating
Mealtimes are causing lots of stress and anxiety.

Finally remember that good training on healthy feeding and acceptable healthy lifestyle are the foundations that will make children grow up in resistance to the temptation of wrong food stuff that can be very addictive and injurious to their general well-being. This should be the desire of all parents so that together we can bring up young and vibrant healthy society now and in the future.

Initial training of children on healthy lifestyle: Protecting children from the danger of food addiction

Keeping healthy and lean weight during vacation

September 25, 2015

Keeping healthy and lean weight during vacation: Don’t bring back extra pounds as your token

Healthy living will go along way in keeping healthy and lean weight during vacation and after. We must all embrace changes in our lifestyle if this is to be achieved.

The time to leave behind alarm buzzers, nagging bosses and household chores is here with us and all the plans have been concluded to set off. Unfortunately, one thing just won’t go away that is your worry of packing on some weight in your let lose moments. Doctor Akoury gives a very sincerely comment that “traveling can be very synonymous with ditching your diet willpower and the motivation to exercise, causing you to bring back some unwanted weight gain along with that tan.” This is everyone’s concern during such times and it is what we want to focus on even as we take some time to discuss the essential of keeping healthy and lean weight during vacation. Professionally doctor Dalal Akoury makes emphasis that it is not always a must that when you leave on vacations, then you will be careless to drop all your previous efforts of losing weight progressively. That is not the case because you can actually make this your vacation to be the best and perfect time to keep lean and healthy. Take a moment and reason with yourself comparing this time and other busy times while at work. You will realize that during vacations you are more relaxed, you sleep well and because of being free, you have adequate time to move around exploring your new environment. If you have not noticed then we want to let you know that the additional walk time, comfort sleep and relaxation are very good tools of keeping fit and healthy. In other words you can keep the fire of losing weight burning even during vacation. All you need to do according to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is to balance your usual healthy habits with a bit of extra indulgence. Therefore to keep you on the move, our team of top nutrition and fitness experts shares with you some of the best and most realistic ways to enjoy your getaway without totally wrecking your diet.

Keeping healthy and lean weight during vacation: Packing with you healthy snacks

To avoid wasting calories on hotel vending machine food or unhealthy airport fare, bring your own nutritious snacks to keep on hand and only chose hotels where fitness expert and trainer are experienced enough to help you continue with your exercise even when away from your home town. Being smart in this area would mean keeping a stash of protein bars in your luggage so that you can resist the temptation of potato chips at the airport snack shops. By bringing food stuff that’s non-perishable like little baggies of nuts and dried fruit or fruit that can last a few days out of the fridge like the bananas and apples you will be ensuring that you are keeping distance with all temptations that may compel you into unhealthy feeding. It is important that you keep such food items within reach like for instance you could stuff them in your bag when you’re at the beach or sightseeing this way you can eat every few hours if not, you’ll wind up starving and may overdo it at your next meal. Another good tip is to stock up only healthy snacks for the day, like a box of whole-grain cereal or fresh fruit, from your hotel breakfast buffet.

Keeping healthy and lean weight during vacation: Work out at the Airport

Normally you realize that your airline will indicate about 90 minutes before departure time and I want to ask, if you were discipline and followed the directions and got to the airport 90 minutes before your flight what do you do with that free time at the airport? This is a very good opportunity for you to do some mini exercise. Like for instance instead of burying your head on a novel seated in those unhealthy seats, you could use the long hallways to your advantage to speed-walk back and forth around the terminal. While doing this remember the safety of your luggage which you could entrust in the care of your family, and take turns stretching your legs. This may look waste of time but the benefits far-outweigh the inconveniences you may be thinking of. As you continue engaging in the work take a look around the place and if you spot any set of stairs whose destination is not restricted, waste no second, climb those to add some intensity to your mini-workout. The power walk will also help you avoid pigging out on airport snacks and give you an energy boost to start your vacation on a healthy note.

Keeping healthy and lean weight during vacation: Bring your workout with you

You don’t need to spend hours a day working out, but squeezing in some form of daily exercise gives you a cushion to enjoy that extra appetizer or beachside cocktail. If your vacation spot lacks a good hotel gym or places to get in exercise outdoors, plan ahead and pack equipment you can use in the comfort of your hotel room before you head out for the day or during the downtime between your daily activities and dinner. A jump rope can fit into any suitcase and provides a great power workout for you wherever you will go. Incorporate it as part of the following circuit workout: Alternate a minute of jumping rope after a minute each of crunches, push-ups, and lunges. Repeat a few times for a travel-ready express workout. Exercises DVD’s that can be played on a laptop in your room are another great way to squeeze in a workout whiles you are away.

Keeping healthy and lean weight during vacation: Take advantage of the hotel’s facilities

When making you hotel bookings it is important that you make enquiries about their gym facilities. It will not be advisable to assume that the hotel gym is going to be inadequate because you may be pleasantly surprised to find state-of-the-art equipment and televisions to help pass the time. Remember that these days most gyms facilities have extended hours and some are even open 24 hours daily meaning that you can work out when it’s most convenient for you. Besides that, doctor Dalal Akoury further recommends calling the hotel before you arrive to see if they have partnerships with local gyms (a great way to experiment with new classes) or can recommend other nearby opportunities, like yoga or Pilate’s studios or hiking or biking paths. There’s also the hotel pool and it is always advisable to do this first thing in the morning before the pool is open for kids. With all these guidelines taken up you are likely to keep healthy, lean and well balanced weight during your vocations.

Keeping healthy and lean weight during vacation: Don’t bring back extra pounds as your token

Is it possible to be sober again

September 25, 2015

Is it possible to be sober again: If yes then how?

Is it possible to be sober again? this is the question that many ask and we want to reaffirm that with timely and proper treatment, sobriety is very possible.

If you have been struggling with drug addiction for a long time the word sobriety can be very elusive for your consumption. This is so because if you have made several attempts to quit and each time you try you fail again and again, it is only normal that as human you will be discouraged and ask, “Is it possible to be sober again?” many people have found themselves in such situations and gave up while other who got the guidance of addiction professionals we taken through various treatment programs and eventually recovered from their addiction habits. We therefore want to bring to you the message of hope that sobriety is not only possible to people but it is also very possible in your situation no matter the intensity of your addiction or the length of time you’ve been addicted to the substance you are struggling with. As professionals from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, we have been on the front line delivering sobriety to millions of our clients and your case will not be an isolated one. Therefore if you are struggling with drug addiction, we want to encourage you that even though you mind is tuned on the negativity that sobriety seem like an impossible goal, it is honestly possible and recovery is always within reach no matter how hopeless your situation seems. With the right attitude giving up will not be an issue. So if this description suits your case we want to invite you to the home of addiction solutions (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) who is a veteran addiction expert of more than two decades of exemplary service to the people across the globe. You can therefore schedule for an appointment with her today for the commencement of your addiction recovery today in the meantime, we want to give you some insight on what you can do in preparation of your journey to full recovery as follows:

Is it possible to be sober again: Make a decision to change

This is often the biggest and most challenging step since most addicts often live in denial. Taking that bold step to change may be an uphill task but even with that we want to encourage you that if this is your problem, then don’t think you are alone, many people have been there and it is actually normal to have the feelings of push and pull about giving up your drug of choice because of the attachment you have built over the years. We will always be there for you because we understand that change is never easy and committing to sobriety involves changing many things some of which may include:

The way you deal with your stressful moments
The people you associate with on a daily basis
The things you do during your free time
How you think about yourself

You may wonder if you’re really ready for all that change or if you have what it takes to quit. Doctor Akoury says that recovering from addiction is a long process, one that requires time, commitment, motivation and support. Besides that you need to be very honest with yourself when embarking on this journey of recovery. On our part we want to give you the following tips to help you in making that very important decision:

It is important that you keep track of your drug usage in terms of quantity and time of usage. Through this you will be able to have a clear sense of the role addiction is playing in your life.
Get to know all the pros and cons of quitting, as well as the costs and benefits of continuing your drug abuse.
Consider the things that are important to you, such as your spouse, children, career and health. How does your drug use affect those things?
Talk it over with someone you trust. Ask the person how he or she feels about your drug use.
Ask yourself if there’s anything preventing you from changing. What are some things that could help you make the change?

Is it possible to be sober again: Explore your treatment options

Doctor Akoury says that once you’ve made the decision to challenge your drug addiction, then it’s now time to explore your treatment choices. As you consider the options, keep the following in mind:

There’s no magic bullet or single treatment that works for everyone – When considering a program, remember that everyone’s needs are different. Drug addiction treatment should be customized to your unique problems and situation. It’s important that you find a program that feels right.

Treatment should address more than just your drug abuse – This is very important because addiction affects your whole life, including relationships, career, health, and psychological well-being. Treatment success depends on developing a new way of living and addressing the reasons why you turned to drugs in the first place. It may have been because of your inability to manage stress, in which case you’ll need to find healthy ways to handle stressful situations.

Commitment and follow through – Drug addiction treatment is not a quick and easy process. In general, the longer and more intense the drug use, the longer and more intense the treatment you’ll need. But regardless of the treatment program’s length in weeks or months, long-term follow-up care is crucial to recovery.

There are many places to turn for help – Not everybody requires medically supervised detox or an extended stint in rehab. The level of care you need depends on your age, drug use history, and other medical or psychiatric conditions. In addition to doctors and psychologists, many clergy members, social workers, and counselors offer addiction treatment services.

Finally having made this worthy decision, it is important that even as you seek help for drug addiction, it’s also important to get treatment for any other medical or psychological issues you may be experiencing. If you need professional assistance then calling the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center should be your starting point because we believe that your best chance of recovery is through integrated treatment for both the substance abuse problem and the mental health problem. This means that we will be able to professionally combined both your mental health and addiction treatment and address them simultaneously and by the time we will be done with you, your life will never be the same.

Is it possible to be sober again: If yes then how?

Childhood food addiction prevention techniques

September 24, 2015

Childhood food addiction prevention techniques : The best feeding habits for kids

Techniques for preventing childhood food addiction involves incorporating the children in decision making on what they want to eat ant to what quantity.

We are all concern in seeing how our children are being brought up in all dimensions. In our quest of bringing them up, we sometime do certain things ignorantly that impacts quit negatively in the development of our children. We spoke with experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a facility that was established by a veteran addiction expert primarily to make a difference in people’s lives. In her over two decades of working experience doctor Akoury has really made immense contributions in transforming peoples’ lives from all walks of life across the globe. We are therefore privilege to have such brains to help us understand some of the childhood food addiction prevention techniques even as we progress into this discussion. Doctor Akoury is very categorical that children can eat and enjoy a wide variety of foods and textures and will not complain much as we do. It is therefore very important that all parents and guardians to taking opportunity when the children are still young to encourage them to enjoy family meals and even go beyond the family means by trying a wide range of other foods, tastes, flavors and textures.

Experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center have established that toddlers and young children have a natural ability to sense when they are hungry and when they are full a function that most of us adult may not have. Ordinarily children will learn to eat what the family eats and that will only be possible if they are offered the same food and encouraged to try it. Low-fat or restricted diets are not always recommended for toddlers primarily because this may result in poor growth and development. Nonetheless we all ore our children the duty of care to ensure that as we feed them they do not engage in feeding habit that can have serious addiction impact in their lives in the future. In that regard, let us take some time to briefly highlight some of the concerns parents may have in bringing up their children to be free from the temptation of being addicted to food.

Childhood food addiction prevention techniques: Common parental concerns

In the process of feeding kids we must all appreciate that quit often selective way of eating will be a common occurrence in toddlers. This selectiveness is not just with the children but take a keen look at the kind of lifestyle we live today. For sure we can all attest that the world has become an exciting place and ironically food may be less important when there are many other things to do. In that breath the following are some of the reasons why children’s eating patterns may change:
Slower growth – ordinarily children’s growth often slows down in their second year. This means at this point of time they will often have smaller appetites and consequently need less food. That also means that the quantity of food eaten from day to day can change dramatically. It is however important to note that even though sometimes parents get worried of these changes, they actually normal and doesn’t mean that your child is being difficult or is unwell.
Eating and snacking – children rarely follow our triangular traditional meal pattern of breakfast lunch and dinner instead they tend to feed on smaller and regular snacks. This satisfies their small tummy sizes and provides them with adequate energy to keep moving all day. The amount eaten at mealtimes, and more so in the evening meal may be smaller than parents would like. However, children can balance the amount of food eaten with exactly how much they need if they are given the opportunity to enjoy good foods and are not forced to overeat or finish all the food on the plate. This means that healthy snacks are important to help provide the energy and nutrition your child needs during the day.
Fussy eating – showing independence is part of normal children development and this often includes refusing to eat foods that you offer. Remember that by rejecting any given food does not necessarily mean the child doesn’t like it therefore next time if you offer it on another day they are likely to enjoy it. Other common children eating behavior may include:
• Meal-time irritabilities and food refusal
• Delay in self-feeding
• Preference for pureed foods or difficulty with chewing
• Overeating
• Reduced intake of food or reliance on drinks.

Childhood food addiction prevention techniques: Empower the children to make decision

Your role as parent to your child is to decide what food and when to offer it, but the child decides whether or not to eat and to what quantity they’ll eat. Remember that children eat when they’re hungry. They have a natural ability to sense when they are hungry and when they are full. Therefore insisting that your child eats more than they choose to is not advisable because doing so is likely to encourage them to overeat in the future and probably become addicted to certain foods particularly those that you are forcing on them. Professionally doctor Akoury recommends that it is you let your children decide whether they will eat and how much they will eat. This may not sound reasonable for you but remember it is one of the best techniques for preventing childhood food addiction.

Childhood food addiction prevention techniques: Mealtime suggestions for parents
As a parent you need to be on top of everything and the following are some suggestions you could adopt:
• Be a positive role model by eating a healthy, balanced and varied diet together as a family.
• Serve the same foods as the family eats.
• Remember that children need smaller meals and regular snacks.
• Don’t worry too much, a child’s appetite and food intake can vary daily.
• Offer small serves and give more if needed.
• Let them tell you they’re full and don’t force a child to finish all food on their plate.

Finally it is always said that teach a child the way to go and when they grow up they will not depart from it. This is often taken for granted but if we want to bring up healthy children who will be lean and free from food addiction, we must chose to lay good foundation from the beginning. Therefore if you are not so sure on how to go about it, then you may want to schedule an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for more professional advice.
Childhood food addiction prevention techniques: The best feeding habits for kids

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