Category Archives: Natural Addiction Treatment Certification

sexual-addiction

What is Sexual addiction?

March 18, 2016

Sex addiction explained.

Sexual AddictionSexual addiction is best described as a progressive intimacy disorder characterized by compulsive sexual thoughts and acts. Like all of the present forms of addictions, the negative impact of addiction on addict and family members progressively increase with the progress of disease. This addiction if left unattended, take a toll on the addict’s life and forces the individual to heap on the addictive behavior to have the same level of satisfaction that was attainable through less effort at the beginning of disease. As every individual possess unique personality, the intensity of disease is also variable for every addict. For some their addictive behavior does not surpasses the grim need of masturbation, extensive addiction to pornography or cybersex and other chat sex facilities but for others, it can acquire a more severe form forcing them to get involved in certain abnormal activities like exhibitionism, voyeurism, obscene phone calls, child molestation or rape. It is not necessary that this disease forces individuals to commit sex crimes. They can keep it personal because statistics show that not all sex offenders are sex addicts but there is a significant percentage i.e. 55% who can be considered sex addicts.

Sexual addiction could not be put into distinct categories because of the variability of reasons and factors but still chiefly it involves excess addiction masturbation, pornography, prostitution, fantasy, sadistic or masochistic behavior, Exhibition/Voyeurism, other excessive sexual pursuits like child molestation, insatiable lust for partners, rapid switching of partners for sexual satisfaction, emotional detachment and lack of satisfaction through normal sexual practices. The National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity states that a sex addict will continue to engage in certain sexual behaviors despite facing prospective health risks, financial and economic harms, shattered and unsuccessful relationships or even arrest.

It is an established fact that sex offenders do not solely act for sexual delight, but rather out of a troubled desire for authority, supremacy, control or vengeance, or a perverted and distorted expression of anger. A sex addict may suffer a single form of sexual addiction or it may practices all of its forms depending upon the severity of disease and course of time an addict have been indulged in these activities.  Sexual addiction is usually considered an emotional/psychological sexual disorder but it does manifests itself in physical form. Sometime it’s evident from ones behavior that they are thinking about some really perverse act as it becomes difficult for addicts to control their behavior.

Sex addicts often face problems defining healthy boundaries, they either completely become desolate, depressed, mysterious, frustrated, and humiliated or they could become completely opposite of these, being excessively getting involved with people sexually regardless of respecting the choice of their partners or potential partners towards them. Majority of sex addicts could not walk out of unhealthy relationships because of their extreme paranoia of abandonment. On contrary to this, their sexual lust might make them leave their healthy relationships in the worst of ways without caring about the emotions of people around them.

Sexual addiction can develop due to factors that encompass all aspects of an individual’s life. Researchers have found that there could be some biological explanations for sex addiction. An individual could have a genetic tendency towards emotional volatility, impulsivity or negative attention seeking behavior. Existence of other metal conditions like stress, anxiety or depression can also play a major role in manifestation of sexual addiction. Higher levels of sex hormones are other key players that can increase the chances of excessive involvement in sexual activities. Psychologically, those that have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, or have a tendency toward “manic” states, are much more likely to engage in excessive or risky sexual behavior. Apart from these causes an early history of child abuse, molestation or exposure to explicit content at an inappropriate age can result into aberrant sexual behaviors.

Sexual addiction can have deleterious effects on individual’s life and the life of those around them. According to the stats of Departmental Management of the USDA, about 38% of men and 45% of women with sex addictions have a venereal disease as a result of their behavior. On the other hand in female addicts pregnancy is a main side effect related to these sexual practices. In a survey, around 70% of women have experienced an unwanted pregnancy due to their untamed sexual ventures. Socially, sex addiction can result in decline of personal relationships and decreased productivity in working environments, resulting in financial problems. Health wise, these excessive sexual activities greatly increase the chance of contacting sexually transmitted diseases.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders, Volume Four categorizes sex addiction, under the category “Sexual Disorders”. It is immensely imperative to know that although sex and porn addiction are not “formally” diagnosable, these situations exist and often present with very unpleasant consequences and towering levels of distress, guilt, and emotional tumult. If you can relate to the symptoms mentioned above, or know somebody who meets these criteria, do not hesitate to ask for help. There are a number of available options for treatment including psychotherapy, medication and hormonal therapy but diagnosis and self-assessment is the key to get help in the first place. If you think you need help we are organizing an international conference titled “Integrative Addiction conference” whose sole purpose is to unite medical health professional, psychologists and other stake holder on one platform. Speakers from all over the world are going to discuss multiple aspects of addiction. This is just a tremendous opportunity to get a lot of valuable information without any kind of hesitation. You can find more information here http://integrativeaddictionconference.com/ . Get yourself registered today and avail this opportunity to understand yourself and your loved ones in better ways. Alternatively if you have some valuable suggestions and knowledge of the said field, you can join us as one of our speakers, so register right now and spread awareness. After all it’s the right of every human being to be loved and understood despite of innumerous flaws we all possess.

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normal-sexuality

What Is Normal Sexuality? What Affects Your Sexuality

March 17, 2016

What Affect Our Normal Sexuality?

Normal sexualityAlthough Biology plays a very vital role, the way sexuality is perceived, expressed or acted upon differs with different cultures. As such, what is seen as normal sexuality in one culture may not be normal in another. Basically, sexuality talks about people’s sexual interest and/or attraction to others. It is the potential to have sexual or erotic feelings and experiences one to the other. The subject of sexuality is therefore a complex one since there are many cultures around the world. In other to be able to tackle with this subject, in some way, we will have to zero down to what ‘normal’ is within most cultures.

Scientifically, when something is said to be ‘normal’, it means average. Contrarily, when something is said to be ‘healthy’, it means it is adaptive. What this infers therefore is that what is normal sexuality depends on many things, apart from culture now, just like it is pretty difficult for an individual to answer the question “Am I normal?” The truth is, what defines a healthy sexuality varies to a large degree.

Because of these variables, we often wonder whether our sexual needs, desires or interests are normal. As a matter of fact, married people who use the services of therapists often ask about normality. Therefore to define normal or abnormal sexuality, it is necessary to define “sexuality” and “abnormality” Sexuality includes every component including, and is not limited to,  sexual behaviors, sexual desires, sexual attitudes that one is engaged in, sexual function, preferences and identification. Psychologically, on the other hand, abnormality is seen from 3 perspectives

  1. The Frequency Perspective: Which considers the abnormality of a behavior based on the rarity of occurrence in a general population
  2. The Social Norms Perspective: Which considers the abnormality of a behavior based on what is socially acceptable
  3. The Maladaptive Perspective: This considers the abnormality of a behavior when it causes problems in the life of the person who exhibits such behavior.

Sexuality or a sexual behavior is therefore said to be abnormal when it is not reported frequently from the frequency perspective. The problem with this perspective is that frequency can only be based on what is reported. If a particular sexual behavior is not reported, it doesn’t mean it is not in existence. If people are not willing to disclose, then the frequency will be low. A very large portion of sexuality-based researches are based on self-report. People get asked sensitive questions such as sexuality and they are expected to answer correctly. But more often than not, people distort the truth. For instance, women may be asked about how many sexual partners they keep or they have had so far in their lifetime. In most studies, women round down while men round up. In both cases, the figures are distorted and not exact giving results that are either an over-representation or under-representation of that the truth is. In most studies therefore, based on the frequency perspective, what is normal sexuality refers to sexual feelings towards the opposite sex. This is the most frequently reported.

Looking at the social norms perspective of normal sexuality, one can see clearly that this has to do largely with religion, politics, societal beliefs and ancestry. In most cultures around the world, the term ‘normal’ refers to what is ‘more acceptable’. Rather than seeing ‘normal’ as what is ‘absolutely acceptable’ and abnormal as ‘absolutely unacceptable’, each culture finds a way of identifying a range or spectrum of behaviors that may be more or less acceptable. Also, what is normal culturally tend to change over a period of time. For instance, pre-marital sex may be abnormal in the 1950s but is now acceptable in the 2000s. Normal sexuality from this point of view is pretty dicey as many cultures practice many kinds of sexuality and it is therefore difficult to find a ‘general normal’ from this perspective.

From the Maladaptive point of view, normal sexuality is beheld from the perspective of what is ‘healthy’, not what is ‘average’. This perspective therefore only seeks to know whether a sexual behavior is causing troubles, bringing harm to the individual or to the whole society. While the first two perspectives, the Frequency and the Social Norm perspective are seen as ‘objective’, trying to zero down on what is acceptable, the maladaptive point of view cares less, it only wants to know whether what is seen as normal or abnormal by the first two perspectives interferes with someone’s life. As long as it doesn’t, it is considered normal and when it does, it is considered abnormal sexuality.

Obviously, from the above definitions of ‘What is Normal Sexuality?’, it is clear that the topic of sexuality is very complex. I personally think what can be done to do justice to this topic is to ask questions such as

  1. Is this acceptable to me and my partner?
  2. Is this sexuality manipulative, exploitative, coercive or self-destructive?
  3. Does it cause any kind of harm to my partner or the society as a whole?

WHAT AFFECTS SEXUALITY?

Sexuality is normal in itself. It is biological and it is what develops with an individual right from birth. What affects sexuality is mostly external, rather than natural or internal. For instance, a female might have found out she is never satisfied with intercourse without clitoral stimulation. Because her partner does not seem to be into this, she finds it hard to discuss and as such, she over time resolves that clitoral stimulation may be something unacceptable for her partner. She recedes to a life of sex without satisfaction.

Also, the taboos of masturbation may prevent an individual from discovering sexual pleasure based on hand stimulation and because of this, such individual finds it hard later in life to direct their partners on how to use this method to bring them sexual satisfaction.

For me, most have come to believe that their ‘manliness’ or self-worth is largely based on their ability to please their partners. He therefore puts all focus on performing rather than enjoying sex. When the partner doesn’t seem to be satisfied, such men get depressed or start having sexual anxiety which cause problems such as erection dysfunction, which later causes problems in the relationship.

These and many more external factors affect human sexuality. You are invited to the AwareMedNetwork Conference where issues such as this and more will be discussed exhaustively. Please visit the official website to register.

 

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Opioid-Abuse

Challenges in Using Opioids to Treat Pain in Persons With Substance Use Disorders

March 11, 2016

OpioidsMore often than not, pain and abuse of substance exist together and their co-existence makes treatment of one without the other difficult. In most cases, if the pain is to be addressed, then the substance abuse has to be dealt with first. Opioids are compounds that look like opium in their addictive properties or psychological effects. They are sometimes used as pain relief whenever patients are in severe pains and other pain reliefs seem to be inefficient. Opioids are narcotics and as such are to be used moderately to prevent addiction. This is why when there are cases with patients who are already used to substance abuse, using Opioids tends to just aggravate the problem of substance use. These challenges in using opioids to treat pain in persons with substance use disorders are what this article seeks to talk about.

Pain and Substance use

16 to 24 percent of Americans have been reported to have problems with alcohol abuse. 8% out of the total American population, from 12 years and older, do have a problem with illicit use of substance within a given month. Substance use disorders have been seen to be more significant in medical populations. For instance, 19 to 26% of hospitalized patients have substance use disorders, 40 to 60% are people that have sustained a major trauma, 5 to 67% are those who have been or are being treated for depression. From the above, it can be seen that the treatment of chronic pain poses challenges as the patient may just pick up an appetite which may be hard to shake off, long after their stay in the hospital.

Clinical and Ethical Challenges

Persons who have had a history with substance use are less likely to have an effective pain treatment. It is not as if the pain treatment is not effective but because such people are used to substances which have considerably altered or increased their tolerance and adaptability for such substances, even the most potent pain relief in their right doses will appear ineffective. This is where opioids come in.

Mild to moderate pains can easily be taken care of with physical modalities such as ice, rest and splints but when pains are severe, opioids appear to be one effective way of managing them. Clinicians are however concerned that opioids may be misused by patients. Opioids use in patients with substance use disorders does not only raise complex clinical issues, it also raises ethical issues. This is where the challenge lies. Principles of justice and beneficence demands that all persons have equal access to an effective pain treatment. However tension sets in when such persons are used to substance as the principle of non-maleficence asks that a medical practitioner ‘do no harm’ first when there are concerns about misuse which may cause harmful consequences.

Multidimensional Nature of Pain

Pain is multidimensional in nature. This is another challenge posed to treatment of pain. Pain is subjective, rather than objective, making it hard to actually verify if it exists. Since they are transferred by sensory and emotional experience, one can actually have pains without any physical signs that corroborate this. Therefore, since pain cannot be verified to be existent or not, it is advised that all clinicians attend to all cases of pain seriously. Some patients have the knowledge of this and may often feign pain in order to obtain opioids for non-pain related cases. Also, a patient with addiction who also has pains may not be able to properly coordinate or tell where the pain ends and a craving for opioids begins because actually, it may feel the same way. For instance, pain complaints come with distress calls, and when craving starts as well, the patient may show signs of serious distress. The chronic pain disorders’ spectrum as against addictive disorders is the same for everyone making it hard for actually append treatments accordingly. In patients with no past history of substance abuse, administering opioids is a whole lot easier than when it has to be administered to patients who history of substance abuse because it is very hard to tell when they are actually in need of opioids for pains.

In cases where clinicians are not sure, they have been taught to ask questions such as asking the patient how intense the pain is and asking them to describe their pains on the scale of 0 to 10. Sometimes, this may be useful in knowing the intensity of pain and at other times, some other methods needs to be worked up. In cases where pain seems to be persistent, not only the pain is assessed, the impact it will have on the individual receiving pain treatments will also have to be accessed. Such impacts as how it affects sleep, mood, stress level, work functions and recreational activities.

The challenges in using opioids in treating pains in persons with substance use disorders is high and complex and in most cases, clinician tend to evaluate the results. If the patient seems to get better by the use of Opioids, they should generally not be too concerned about the addiction. What can be done is to supervise the use on a short-term basis.

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smoking

Solving addiction worries to know the action point

February 26, 2016

Solving addiction worries by asking to know action point: The most points of concern for many

Solving addiction worries

Solving addiction worries must be prioritize as failing to do so is causing family disintegration at an alarming rate.

Some of the problems we go through are only affecting us because we often don’t ask about them. Do you know that solving addiction worries is possible just by being aggressive by asking questions and getting answers to them? The holy book records that “my people don’t find because they don’t ask” are you struggling with this addiction problem and you are just quite there? We want to help you find answers to your problems. Talking to us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center should be your starting point. This facility take pride in solving problems and your problem is only a problem because you have not shared it. Would you want to get solutions today? Doctor Dalal Akoury MD, President and founder of this facility want to help you and as you continue reading through this content, you will notice that it is about asking and getting answers. Keep reading and make a healthy decision today to live a more robust and healthy life with the experts.

Solving addiction worries by asking to know action point: Is there a difference between physical dependence and addiction?

The answer to this is absolutely yes. It is important to note that besides the chronic and harmful consequences that come with addiction, it is also characterized by the weakness or failure to stop using that particular drug; neglecting or failure to meet work, social, or family obligations; and, occasionally depending on the drug, tolerance and withdrawal. When tolerance sets in, the consequence is that the of physical dependence meaning that the body adapts to the drug, thereby demanding for more of it to achieve a certain effect (tolerance) and eliciting drug-specific physical or mental symptoms especially where there is a sudden stoppage (withdrawal) of the supply/use of the drug in question.

Physical dependence can happen with the chronic use of many drugs—including many prescription drugs, even if taken as instructed. Thus, physical dependence in and of itself does not constitute addiction, but it often accompanies addiction. This distinction can be difficult to discern, particularly with prescribed pain medications, for which the need for increasing dosages can represent tolerance or a worsening underlying problem, as opposed to the beginning of abuse or addiction.

How do other mental disorders coexisting with drug addiction affect drug addiction treatment?

In response to this concern, it is important first to note that drug addiction is not behavior but a disease of the brain commonly coming with other mental disorders. Available statistics indicate that up to 6 in every 10 people struggling with an illicit substance use disorder equally suffer from another mental illness; the same is true with users of licit drugs like tobacco and alcohol. Many of the people struggling with addiction are also suffering from mental disorders what is medically known as co-occurrence condition 9suffering from tow conditions at the same time). Successful treatment for such patients sometimes become very difficult more so if individual conditions are addressed differently. Because of the intertwined condition, both conditions must be assessed and treatment done simultaneously. Experts are in agreement that treating both illnesses simultaneously in an integrated fashion which is generally the best treatment approach for these patients.

Is the use of medications like methadone and buprenorphine simply replacing one addiction with another?

This is a good question but the answer to that is No. these (Buprenorphine and methadone) are prescription drugs only administered under medical experts authorization, they are taken under strict adherence of medical doctors and are safe and effective for treating opioid addiction when used as directed. They are administered orally or sublingually (i.e., under the tongue) in specified doses, and their effects differ from those of heroin and other abused opioids. Like for instance, heroin is administered through injection, snorting or smoked thereby causing an immediate “rush of intense euphoria. The rush is then short lived and in just a little while it wears off and ends in a “crash.” At the point individual will experience an intense craving to use the drug again to stop the crash and reinstate the euphoria. If this is not managed well the cycle of euphoria, crash, and craving may continue repeated several times in a day. This is often the most painful part or stage of addiction which must be addressed in the best and most professional manner.

Solving addiction worries by asking to know action point: Can exercise play a role in the treatment process?

Many people become less active as they approach their sunset days but this is one of the biggest mistakes we often make. And so in response to the question the answer is “Yes.” Exercise should be done regularly and it is increasingly proving to be one of the most attractive components in many treatment programs more so when combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Exercise may exert beneficial effects by addressing psychosocial and physiological needs that nicotine replacement alone does not, by reducing negative feelings and stress, and by helping prevent weight gain following cessation.

How does drug addiction treatment help reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C (HCV)?

Looking at the mode of administration of most of these drugs, they are mostly administered through injection. And one of the characteristic of drugs is that it causes users to lose focus. It is at this point when the damage is done. When users are drunk the will most likely share the needles they use further putting them at more risk of contracting HIN/AIDS and other STDI. Besides that drug-abusing individuals are likely to engage in risky sexual behavior further subjecting them to the risk of contracting these diseases. Finally by now you must have appreciated why solving addiction worries is very important if we have to live a more healthy life. It is our desire to see you enjoy your life for a very long time. Therefore if you or any one you know is struggling with any kind of addiction, you have an opportunity to redeem yourself by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury for professional treatment.

http://regenerativepotential.com/integrativeaddictionconference/

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Nutrition benefits

Compulsive Overeating and food Addiction

February 17, 2016

Food Addiction and the consequences attached: The compulsive overeating

Compulsive overeating

The compulsive overeating, excessive craving for and consumption of specific foods are way of life in this order

Even as we look at food addiction and the consequences attached to it, it is important to appreciate that food addiction is a term that is used to describe a pathological disorder; which may include, the compulsive overeating, excessive craving for and consumption of specific foods. Similarly to binge eating disorder, this condition is characterized by an abnormally large intake of food that can be very harmful to the individual consumer and this can result in compulsive overeating. We will look into details what it entails to have this behavior of compulsive overeating as we progress into the discussion. In the meantime, the concept of food addiction has long been for a long time been a subject of doubt with the main stream medical establishment. However, with the new developments and various researches being conducted, facts are coming out and for sure it has been established that the neurological similarities between food addiction and drug dependence is real. And besides that many experts are in agreement that food addiction is a major culprit behind binge eating disorder (BED).

As it is commonly known (compulsive overeating), food addiction like BED is grounded on an obsessive-compulsive relationship to food. According to the experts at Yale University, there research findings concluded that BED shares majority of its characteristics with addictive behaviors, including inability to take full control and consistent usage irrespective of knowledge of all the negative consequences attached to this behavior. Apart from that other experts have also noted some similarities between the effects of certain foods and narcotics. Like for instance over the years doctor Dalal Akoury who is the MD, President and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center has been concentrating on the comparison of fructose corn syrup to both heroin and cocaine because all these have been processed primarily to make them more potent concentrated substances capable of generating intense pleasure. Further still and according to other studies, it has actually been established that people who consume purified carbohydrates in the form of refined flours and simple sugars become habituated to their intense stimulation”. Doctor Akoury and other addiction experts assert that other concentrated foods, such as refined foods that contain white flour, have this same effect during their calorie-dense intensity.

Food Addiction and the consequences attached: The actual Compulsive consumer

Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center alludes that just like it is with other addictive behavior, the compulsive eater will be obsessed with the object of the compulsion, like food for instance. Under these circumstances, the individual will develop a compulsive urge or craving to have a bite and will most of the time eat irrespective of whether they are hungry or not. This will often cause the victim to binge in secret, away from others for fear of being ridicule. And in the process they lose control over how much quantity of food they feed on progressively. Just for a better understanding, lest consider this illustration, under normal circumstances, a compulsive eater for example may consume a whole box of cookies when he/she intended to have just appease. Loneliness, anger, depression, insecurity, boredom and anxiety are considered the biggest triggers to this behavior. And though this behavior will be very evident, the victims will always find it more convenient to deny any act of overindulgent to eating.

Food Addiction and the consequences attached: Where obesity comes in

Compulsive overeating usually results in obesity. Nevertheless, experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are registering that under normal circumstances the compulsive eater may not necessarily identifiable by their body size because as it is, there are many women who eat compulsively and at the same time they are also compulsive dieters. Meaning that, there is a clear distinction between being overweight and being obese. And that is to say that overweight is weighing more than one should for his or her body structure, height, and sex. But in all this, it is very important to note that, there is great possibility of someone being overweight and still be in good health. Take for example the athletes weight lifters and others who do muscle-producing exercise, they are often overweight but have a very low proportion of body fat. Individuals who are obese, however, are more than 30 percent over their ideal weight and have a high body fat content.

Obesity being a health condition, it can lead to serious health complications if medical remedies are not taken in good time. Like for instance, excessive body fat is associated with diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. It is also linked to varicose veins, problems in pregnancy, digestive disorders, arthritis, and respiratory disorders. And when the compulsive eater is a female and of course many are females. They will have very low self-image, a preoccupation with body size, feels a lack of control over her environment, feels depressed, and tends to turn anger inward. And as we had mentioned earlier, overeating is a way to alleviate boredom, stifle negative emotional feelings, calm down, relax, and feel comforted.

Though most obesity is considered to result from overeating due to psychological causes, some people are thought to have a physiological basis for their problem. One theory, the set point theory, suggests that people are born with different natural set points for a particular body weight in response to weight changes, metabolic or physical reactions occur to maintain the weight at which the body is “set.” This may in turn cause the person to eat more to maintain his/her set weight. If the person has a high set point, he/she will tend to be overweight or obese.

Finally the fat cell theory posits out that adipose tissue also known as fat cells can affect body weight by increasing either in number or size. It is thought that in childhood a greater number of fat cells than normal are produced because of overfeeding. In dieting, the fat cells become smaller but are not eliminated. The person appears to be of average weight. However, when the person does not diet but eats a normal amount of food, the many fat cells enlarge, thus causing them to again and eventually become overweight. Therefore if this concerns you and you want to get professional solutions, then take that phone and schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today and your life will never be the same again.

Food Addiction and the consequences attached: The compulsive overeating

 

 

 

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