Tag Archives: detox

Post-acute withdrawal

Broad addiction treatment categories and care

November 1, 2016
Broad addiction treatment categories

Broad addiction treatment categories and care for all ages

Broad addiction treatment categories and care: Where does treatment occur?

The broad addiction treatment categories and care normally occur in a various settings. These categories can be diversified and every individual patient has a choice to settle on any depending on the intensity of their addiction levels. Many people with addictions start their initial treatment at one level like for instance at the crisis services for detoxification and then move through the system until they can function as a productive and independent member of society. These treatment stages are not cast on stone and therefore can be changed according to convenience. Nonetheless when one is through with treatment and has attained the maximum benefits from the treatment experience, he or she can be discharged says doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) who is a veteran addiction expert of many decades having been of great help to many people across the globe. Doctor Akoury reiterates the importance of appreciating that each category of care provides a different intensity of treatment meaning that the expert’s opinion will be very vital in settling in any of the categories of treatment.

In the recent consolidation of alcohol treatment services and substance abuse treatment services into chemical dependence treatment services has resulted in four broad categories of care. We will be focusing our discussion on the four categories of treatment taking into consideration that currently even private licensed practitioners also provide alcohol and substance abuse treatment even though they are not reflected in the four categories. Now let us take a look at the summery of the four categories as follows:

  • Crisis Services (detoxification and withdrawal)
  • Inpatient rehabilitation
  • Residential Services
  • Outpatient Services

Broad addiction treatment categories and care: Crisis services-detoxification and withdrawal

According to the professional explanations given by the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury, chemical dependence crisis services manage the treatment of alcohol or substance withdrawal, as well as acute disorders associated with alcohol or substance use. These services are often provided early in a person’s course of recovery and are relatively short in duration, and to be more specific, the process takes approximately three to five days, although some chemicals may require up to 30 days of managed withdrawal. It is also important to note that when administering crisis services it is most likely to lead to a referral for a continued care in a longer-term treatment setting.

Crisis services may include medically managed detoxification in a hospital, medically supervised withdrawal in either an inpatient/residential or outpatient setting and medically monitored withdrawal in community-based settings. Doctor Akoury further says that while services will vary with the patient and the setting, in many instances such services may include:

  • Medical management of acute intoxication and withdrawal
  • Assessment
  • Stabilization of medical and psychiatric problems
  • Counseling
  • Pharmacological services
  • Determination of appropriate long-term care and
  • Referrals for other services.

Finally all these are efforts being made to ensure the broad addiction treatment is achieved. You too can become part of this worthy course by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury and experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center to professionally get firsthand the knowledge you need to be safe from all elements of addiction.

Broad addiction treatment categories and care: Where does treatment occur?

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addiction

Brain pleasurable principle and drug addiction

October 15, 2016
Brain pleasurable principle

Brain pleasurable principle and drug addiction needs to be distinguished for proper treatment

Brain pleasurable principle and drug addiction: Neurotransmitter

One of the functions of the brain is to registers all pleasures as they happen and in the same way, irrespective of their origin. That is whether they are associated with a psychoactive drug, a monetary reward, a sexual encounter, or a satisfying meal. The fact is in the brain pleasurable priniciple has a distinct role which is the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, a cluster of nerve cells lying underneath the cerebral cortex. Dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens is so consistently tied with pleasure that neuroscientists refer to the region as the brain’s pleasure center.

All drugs of abuse, from nicotine to heroin, cause a particularly powerful surge of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. The likelihood that the use of a drug or participation in a rewarding activity will lead to addiction is directly linked to the speed with which it promotes dopamine release, the intensity of that release, and the reliability of that release. Therefore addictive drugs provide a shortcut to the brain’s reward system by flooding the nucleus accumbens with dopamine. The hippocampus lays down memories of this rapid sense of satisfaction, and the amygdala creates a conditioned response to certain stimuli.

Brain pleasurable principle and drug addiction: Learning the process

Previously it was believed that an experience of pleasure alone was enough to compel people in to consistent seeking of addictive elements or activities. However new research findings indicates that the situation may be more complicated. This is because dopamine’s are not only responsible for the experience of pleasure but are also playing a role in learning and memory which are the two key elements in the transition from liking something to being addicted to it. Currently the philosophy about addiction is that dopamine interacts with another neurotransmitter, glutamate to take over the brains system of reward related learning. Remember that this system has an important role in sustaining life because it links activities needed for human survival (such as eating and sex) with pleasure and reward.

Finally, it may interest you to note that the reward circuit in the brain may include areas involved with motivation and memory as well as with pleasure. Addictive substances and behaviors stimulate the same circuit and then overload it. And therefore repeated misuse of any addictive substances or behavior will cause nerve cells in the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex (the area of the brain involved in planning and executing tasks) to communicate in a way that couples liking something with wanting it, in turn driving us to go after it. That is, this process motivates us to take action to seek out the source of pleasure. This can be very unhealthy more so if the source of pleasure is drugs. Many often run to drugs for pleasure and as such, the prevalence of drug abuse is on the rise. We can choose individually and collectively to correct this by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury MD, who is a veteran addiction expert and also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center for help today.

Brain pleasurable principle and drug addiction: Neurotransmitter

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Career and drugs

Polysubstance Abuse detox and Addiction

September 20, 2016
Polysubstance Abuse detox

Polysubstance Abuse detox and Addiction and parental duties in controlling drug addiction inspires and motivates users to agree to medication

Polysubstance Abuse detox and Addiction: Treatment procedures

It must be noted that before the administration of any treatment that addresses the underlying causes of polysubstance addiction, detoxification must first be done. Polysubstance abuse detox is more complex and problematic for several reasons. Accurate history of total substances abused must be obtained, and the patient may not be able or willing to provide complete details. Determination of the actual substance being used has to be made using screens for breath, urine, and blood.

Some patients can be treated on an outpatient basis, but others, particularly those with alcohol, sedative, hypnotic, opioid, and anxiolytic abuse may require hospitalization or inpatient detox. Repeated abstinence failures or severe anxiety, depression, or psychotic symptoms lasting 1 to 3 days after abstinence may also require inpatient substance abuse treatment. On admission of the patient, detoxification for opioids will began to show classic alcohol withdrawal symptoms, some professionals will administer treatment routinely to their detox patients with thiamine until a determination could be made that there was no history of alcohol use. Experts are confirming that diagnosis and treatment of patients who have been on psychotropic medications while they were already addicted is more difficult. Therefore if a patient doesn’t know, or is unable to discuss, use of opioid drugs and it’s been days since their last drug use, opiate withdrawal symptoms can lag and urine screens my not be able to detect the drug.

Treatment for mixed addiction that also includes alcohol use may include benzodiazepines during the acute phase of alcohol withdrawal. Benzodiazepines can help decrease tremors and prevent or reduce increases in heart rate and blood pressure.

Polysubstance Abuse detox and Addiction: Evaluation Factors

If you are concern of the duration treatment will take, then it is important to note that the length of the treatment program can only be determined by how long and what type of substance dependence the patient has, whether or not organ damage exists, any underlying mental illness, the patient’s desire to change and willingness to undergo treatment, adequacy of the patient’s social support system, treatment choice, and plans for ongoing care.

Polysubstance Abuse detox and Addiction: Polysubstance Addiction is there hope?

Finally it is worth noting that fighting polysubstance abuse is not easy owing to the multiple of substances involved. It is very much different in relation to cases where a single substance is in question however it can still be done successfully. The success depends on the individual’s determination and discipline to follow through on the requirements to abstain completely from substance abuse. Such determination and discipline does not come easily, especially for hard-core or long-term abusers and addicts. There may be repeated relapses before stability becomes a part of the recovering addict’s life. And that explains why doctor Akoury founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center to help in the treatment of all kinds of addiction problems. With her team of experts all your addiction related complications will be addressed professionally if only you can schedule for an appointment with her today.

Polysubstance Abuse detox and Addiction: Treatment procedures

 

 

 

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heroin addiction

Heroin treatment solution and opiate addiction

September 2, 2016
Heroin treatment solution

Heroin treatment solution and opiate addiction begins with detoxification effectiveness

Heroin treatment solution and opiate addiction

When one has come to terms with the addictive nature of these substances, the next point would be finding solution. Like for example when heroin is the problem, then heroin treatment solution become necessary. And for better understanding, doctor Dalal Akoury MD president and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center share with us the heroin treatment solutions as follows.

Detoxification/”Detox”

The primary objective of detoxification is to relieve withdrawal symptoms, stabilize participants and prepare them for longer-term treatment. Symptoms of withdrawal most of which peak between 24-48 hours after the last use include: restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps and uncontrollable leg movements. Medications like Subutex may be used to minimize withdrawal symptoms.

Residential Drug Rehab

This is a situation where residential treatment participants come to live in a safe, supervised setting for 30 days or more. Normally the intention of residential rehab is to create an environment where patients are able to remain focus to the assignment of recovering from their addiction. Some of the services offered may include drug education both individual and group counseling, family counseling and making referrals by way of making introduction to community-based self-help groups & referrals to community resources.

Therapeutic Communities

Research published by The National Institute On Drug Abuse states that one of the most effective drug-free treatments are the therapeutic community (TC) programs lasting 3 to 6 months. TC programs are residential, with participants and therapists living together. The program length gives participants the time they need to stabilize from their drug use and to develop new, healthy behaviors and support networks.

Outpatient Treatment

More intensive treatments may be followed by outpatient treatment regular structured therapeutic groups and individual counseling several days a week, usually for several months. Outpatient participants have stabilized in terms of their drug use, and are appropriate for a level of care that isn’t monitored or structured 24/7.

Community-Based Self-Help Groups

Group like Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous, along with non-12 step based programs, are designed to help addicts attain long-term abstinence. Group members gain new tools and support networks to deal with their addictions.

Maintenance Programs

Some heroin addicts do not find complete abstinence feasible. In these cases, a maintenance approach providing a small dose of medication so individuals can function without going into withdrawal is employed. The use of methadone, buprenorphine (Subutex) and levomethadyl has been found to most effective in the maintenance programs.

Finally the duty of managing heroin addiction must be done collectively and not to be left to the government authorities alone. All of us are affected and we all have a duty to perform. When doctor Akoury made the decision to form 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 was guided by this common fact of collective responsibility. 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 makes her one of the best professionals you can rely on with your addiction problem. You can reach her on call to schedule for an appointment with her for the commencement of your addiction treatment.

Heroin treatment solution and opiate addiction

 

 

 

 

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Drug administaration

Toxic substance testing and detoxification

September 1, 2016
Toxic substance testing

Toxic substance testing and detoxification that delivers victims from their addiction complications

Toxic substance testing and detoxification: The liver functions

Detoxification specialists use a variety of tests to determine the causes contributing to toxic conditions. These causes include infections, allergies, addictions, toxic chemicals, and digestive and organ dysfunction. Blood, urine, stool, and hair analyses, as well as allergy tests, are used to measure a variety of bodily functions that may indicate problems. Detoxification therapists usually have access to laboratories that specialize in sophisticated diagnostic tests for toxic conditions which is very helpful in toxic substance testing and detoxification therapies thereafter. People who have toxemia are often vulnerable to infection because their immune systems are weakened. Infections can be caused by parasites, bacteria, viruses, and common yeast. Therapists will screen patients for underlying infections that may be contributing to illness.

Doctor Dalal Akoury says that for good result, the liver function must be studied closely with blood and urine tests because the liver is the principle organ in the body responsible for removing toxic compounds. When the liver detoxifies a substance from the body, it does so in two phases. Tests are performed that indicate where problems may be occurring in these phases, which may point to specific types of toxins. Blood and urine tests can also be completed that screen for toxic chemicals such as PCBs (environmental poisons), formaldehyde (a common preservative), pesticides, and heavy metals.

Another useful blood test is a test for zinc deficiency, which may reveal heavy metal poisoning. Hair analysis is used to test for heavy metal levels in the body. Blood and urine tests check immune system activity, and hormone levels can also indicate specific toxic compounds. A 24-hour urine analysis, where samples are taken around the clock, allows therapists to determine the efficiency of the digestive tract and kidneys. Together with stool analysis, these tests may indicate toxic bowel syndrome and digestive system disorders. Certain blood and urine tests may point to nutritional deficiencies and proper recovery diets can be designed for patients as well.

Detoxification therapists may also perform extensive allergy and hypersensitivity tests. Intradermal (between layers of the skin) and sublingual (under the tongue) allergy tests are used to determine a patient’s sensitivity to a variety of common substances, including formaldehyde, auto exhaust, perfume, tobacco, chlorine, jet fuel, and other chemicals.

Food allergies require additional tests because these allergies often cause reactions that are delayed for several days after the food is eaten. The RAST (radio allegro sorbent test) is a blood test that determines the level of antibodies (immune-globulins) in the blood after specific foods are eaten. The cytotoxic test is a blood test that determines if certain substances affect blood cells, including foods and chemicals. The ELISA-ACT (enzyme-linked immune-serological assay activated cell test) is considered to be one of the most accurate tests for allergies and hypersensitivity to foods, chemicals, and other agents. Other tests for food allergies are the elimination and rotation diets, in which foods are systematically evaluated to determine the ones that are causing problems.

Before the therapist could do anything on the patient, it is important that they first carry out an evaluation on the patient and counsel patients closely to determine and correct lifestyle, occupational, psychological, and emotional factors that may also be contributing to illness. Up on establishing this, then treatment can commence. We at the home of solution (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury we will do that professionally to make sure that not stone is left unturned.  We understand what is happening to you and toxic substance testing and detoxification therapies are very powerful tools of reinstating your health to perfection. You can talk to us today by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury and we will not disappoint.

Toxic substance testing and detoxification: The liver functions

 

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