Category Archives: Preceptorship Addiction Treatment

Potent Pot: Is Marijuana Getting Stronger?

July 20, 2014

Is Marijuana Getting Stronger?

The debate on the potency level of marijuana is all over the world. Researches have also been conducted to try and answer the question of potency of marijuana of these days with reference to how it used to be 40years below the line. The U.S. federal government has been among those interested in getting the truth about the matter, and they said that the levels of potency have risen anywhere from 10 to 25 times since the 1960s. Whether this is a myth of reality remains debatable. Researches from elsewhere have seemed to concur with this argument and put it across that the potency levels of marijuana are on a rise.

marijuana

These researches have bee criticized especially by those people who are advocates of marijuana legalization. They argue that the data that formed the sample group was skewed and biased since the geographical area that it covered was not reliable. They argue that marijuana from different places is different from others from elsewhere in terms of their potency. Nevertheless, one thing is outstanding from the findings of different independent researches in that they all indicate potency of marijuana is on a rise.

Is legalizing Marijuana the answer?

This is also another motion which has attracted debate. There are proponents for legalization of marijuana and at the same time those against the idea. One thing that is outstanding is that the acceptance to the legalization of the “weed” is gaining grounds. In some areas in the world the usage of marijuana has already been legalized. Could this be the solution? Let’s look at some facts about legalization of marijuana:-

  • Marijuana is by far safer than most of already legal drugs

Researches done on the effects of marijuana when compared to some of the already legalized drugs are amazing. A person will look at drugs such as Cigarettes and alcohol and assess their known effects when consumed, then comparing with marijuana will leave one wondering which of them should be legal. From the study published by the U.K pointed out that the harm that is posed by drug such as alcohol and cigarettes is by far worse than what marijuana can. About the negative stigma, it pointed out that this is in most cases a matter of perception since the drug has been illegal and only those ready to break the law have been using it, hence people have had a culture of negative view to the drug.

  • Very low risk of abuse – unlike many other drug substances, marijuana has a very low risk of abuse. This is contrary to the belief; marijuana is not as addicting as one may think. Researches done by some doctors like Dr. Sanjay Gupta, “Why I changed my mind About Weed” show that chances of addiction to the marijuana users lies at 9-10%, while amazingly other already legal drugs like cigarette poses addiction dangers at 30-35% of its users becoming addicted.
  • Medicinal value – marihuana has been proven to have medicinal values. For instance, it has been extremely successful in relieving nausea which comes as good news to the patients of cancer and HIV/AIDS. It also has ability to relax muscles of tension and spasm and chronic pains.
  • Useful as sleep aid – as a matter of fact, sleep is essential to every human being. It is recommended that every person should get enough sleep which is prescribed to be, at least 6 hours in 24 hours. This has not been the case for many people due to a number of reasons. In this case, there is really a great need for the sleep of such persons to be facilitated so as to get them out of dangers of not getting enough sleep. Marijuana is known to be a substance which can help in the facilitation of sleep and relaxation. This would actually a good substance to a person missing sleeps. But how does the person get help from and illegal substance? Actually the weed should be legalized to ensure that people can purchase it from stores any enjoy its benefits.

marijuana

 

  • Even successful people smoke marijuana – even though marijuana has been illegal, its user have been many. The important thing to note is that there are many known successful users of marijuana all over the world. This includes prominent people in governments, artists, footballers etc. this is enough evidence that marijuana cannot prevent development in people as it used to be argued.
  • Marijuana is not a gateway drug – contrary to the belief that smoking marijuana will lead one to using other drugs; researches have indicated that the person who uses marijuana first, using the other drugs is a correlation but not causation. It goes ahead to explain that if a person smokes hard drug first, the chances of smoking other light drugs like cigarette which are harmful than marijuana are low. This means marijuana is really a good thing.

How are experiences of people from countries where marijuana is legalized?

Some research have been done covering the areas where the marijuana usage has been legalized. The amazing finding was that most of the people were positive about the laws of legalization of the weed. For instance, the research done in Colorado through voting, the result showed that 54% believed the legalization of marijuana was really a good idea.

Is Marijuana Getting Stronger?

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High Dose Vitamin C Therapy and Addiction Treatment

July 18, 2014

High Dose Vitamin C Therapy

This is a technique of addiction treatment, which is based on nutritional therapy. Vitamin C is a critically important water-soluble antioxidant, since it protects proteins and lipids from free radical damage which is associated with infection, intensive exercise and other stressors that can injure cells. High dose vitamin C has been studied as treatment for patients with varied illnesses especially its ability to help drug addicts in recovery.

What is high-dose vitamin C?

Vitamin c is also referred to as L-ascorbic acid or ascorbate. This is actually a nutrient which human beings should get from food as part of dietary supplement since our bodies cannot manufacture it. It works with enzymes to play a key role in making collagens.

Vitamin c can reach high levels when taken to the blood vessels via intravenous (IV) the when taken by mouth. These high levels have proven strong to the extent of killing cancer cells.  Deficiency in this vitamin when severe causes scurvy.

High Dose Vitamin C Therapy

Oranges are rich in Vitamin C

What is the function of Vitamin C?

The following are some of the important functions of vitamin C;

  • Vitamin C helps in the protection of cells and keeping them healthy.
  • Another importance of vitamin c is that it is necessary for the maintenance of healthy connective tissue, which gives support and structure for other tissues and organs.
  • Another remarkable function of vitamin c is that I help in the healing of wounds.

How is ascorbate administered?

There are usually two ways through which vitamin C can be administered. One of the ways is through intravenous (IV) infusion or alternatively be taken by mouth. Researches have indicated that the levels of vitamins reached when the intravenous method is used are higher than when taken by mouth.

Are there side effects when vitamin C therapy is used?

From the past pool of clinical experiences IV administration does not have any side effects. However, there are some disadvantages. The course of therapy for instance is long.

What makes Vitamin C essential in treatment of addiction?

Vitamin C offers a natural means of treating patients from addiction. Vitamin c is known to be an essential tool in the making of neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters are important to our bodies since they are responsible for carrying thoughts, feelings, and commands all around our bodies. Particularly, we need vitamin c which will produce serotonin, the neurotransmitter that is affected by most commonly used medications for depressions and addictions generally. It is recommended that we include fresh fruits and vegetables in our daily diets.

What are some of sources of natural vitamin C?

Vitamin C and Addiction TreatmentThe sources of natural vitamin c include fruits and vegetables. These are the main sources of vitamin c in our bodies. It is encouraged that anyone who wants to consume fruits and vegetable should go for the fresh ones. The following are some of the sources of vitamin C;

  • Strawberries – these are foods rich in vitamin c and on top of vitamin c, they will provide you with fiber and antioxidants.
  • Citrus fruits – these fruits include oranges, grape fruits lemon and limes.
  • Acerola Cherry – these are small fruits which are normally red in colour. They are scientifically known as Malipighia punicifolia.
  • Papayas – papayas are common fruits all over the world and a good source of vitamin C.
  • Black Currant – this is another rich source of vitamin c, with around 180mg per serving. It is also rich in other nutrients like potassium, iron, vitamin B5 and phytochemical.
  • Kiwi – it may come as surprise to learn that these small bright green fruit has more that vitamin C than an orange. They have also been proven to be high in flavonoids and have as much potassium as bananas. Recent researches have indicated that children who eat these Vitamin C rich fruits will experience stronger respiratory tract than children who do not eat of it.
  • Guavas – guavas are good source of vitamin c, with one serving containing over 250mg. this is even over twice your daily needs and they will also provide you with fiber, folic acid, potassium and manganese. This makes guavas one of the best foods to add in your diet. The good thing with guavas also is that they are readily available, with their availability almost in every supermarket.
  • Melons – melons are also rich in vitamin C, with one cup providing around 67mg of vitamin c. on top of vitamin c, it will provide you with plenty of Vitamin A and Potassium. Water melons are known to give plenty of vitamin c, as one serving will provide around 112% of your daily requirements.
  • Dark leafy greens – greens are also a good source of vitamin c. these greens include:- kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, watercress, Spinach, and others. They all provide different amounts of this nutrient.
  • Broccoli – this can be eaten raw or cooked. One serving of it will give you 90mg of vitamin c. it is also one of the known detox foods to add in your daily diet.
  • Cauliflower – one serving of cauliflower will give you up to 46mg, and also it is rich in vitamin K, folate and dietary fiber.
  • Tomatoes – another good source of vitamin c that we cannot leave out is tomatoes. This is almost an obvious ingredient in every diet. Try using dried tomatoes as they are rich in many other nutrients on top of vitamin c.

Note that the sources of vitamin c, the list is too long and we cannot exhaust it here. The examples given above should only give you a light of some of the foods rich in vitamin c. Therefore choose your diet wisely today and benefit from this vitamin!

High Dose Vitamin C Therapy

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Opioid Epidemic: Veterans Remain At High Risk

July 17, 2014

Stay Away From Opioids, They Are Addictive!

OpioidsOpioid addiction is an ugly state, as we have always written about in this blog. Over the years, we have heard of celebrities who have succumbed to opioid addictions and we wonder, where is the problem? Addiction is a gradual process, and so are its effects in the body. Let’s discuss this topic in this post.

What are opioids?

These are drugs that are known to be relievers of pain. They work by lowering the number of pain signals your body sends to your brain and also changing how your brain responds to these pains. There drugs normally they are safe, but when they are misused they are very addictive.

What is Opioid addiction?

This refers to the pleasurable desire created in your body by the misuse of opioids which makes you want to use them every time.

Which are the examples of these opioid drugs?

The opioid drugs include:- opium, fentanyl, codeine, heroine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, methadone, oxycodone, tramadol paregoric just to mention a few.

What is opioid drug tolerance?

Tolerance to drug refers to when your body over time gets used to the effects of the drug. When this happens, you may have to take a higher drug to attain the effect you used to attain before. When you use opioids for a long time, especially when abused, a time will be reached when your body gets used to the drug and it cannot have any reasonable effect to your body. If this becomes the case, if you want to use opioids to cure pains, it won’t be possible.

What about opioid dependence?

This refers to a point reached when the person has used a drug for a long time, such that his/her body works changes because they have taken drugs. Withdrawal effects are a common thing in this case, and the victim cannot stop taking the drug. The withdrawal effects prevent the person from stopping taking the drugs and therefore in everyday life, the person will need to take these drugs for survival.

How to spot addiction?

  • Craving for drug is a common way of knowing that you are addicted to a drug. In this case, you will feel like you cannot control your urge for the drug. The opioid addicted person will every minute want to take the drug not as a matter of choice but forced by the body urges.
  • If you find that you keep using the drug every without doctor’s prescription, even if the drugs are causing harmful effect on you, you may be addicted. This taking of drugs in most cases will not be a personal choice but you just find yourself taking them.
  • An increased tolerance for the drug is normally an indicator that the drug has gotten used to your body and consequently resulting to addiction. For instance, if the opioid addict has some pain and takes the drug that used to previously help in similar situation, It may not have any significant impact. This will require usage of a more powerful drug than the one the person used to previously take.
  • If you find that you are spending excess in terms of time and money on drugs, this could be an indicator of addiction. Since the addicted person will not be able to do without the drugs, it is common that the person will be a regular visitor to the drug dealers to purchase the drug every now and then. This will translate to the person spending too much money and time to acquire the drugs.
  • Addiction to opioids is also known to cause excess weight gain or weight loss. If you find that you are gaining weight or losing weight abruptly and you healthy status is good, then the reason could be that you have been addicted in opioids.
  • Another indicator of addiction in opioid that we cannot overlook is the act of turning to crime to pay for more opiates. This is a common case in places where people are not economically developed. This person will need money to purchase the drugs but since the money is not there, the person may end up in criminal activities while sourcing money for the purchases of the drugs. This will commonly result in pretty crime activities.

How is opioid addiction treated?

The treatment of opioid addiction is never an easy task, since opioid addiction is a complex disease which has physical, mental, social and emotional factors associated. For any successful treatment therefore, all these factors must be addressed. This treatment may be administered as outpatient program but in some cases in patient is the only option. This is normally the cases when it has caused mental problems to the addict.

opioids

The following are some of the key treatment methods:-

  • Detoxification – this is often the first attempt at treatment. This involves supervised withdrawal from the drugs. This is normally supported with medication to help the patient withstand the withdrawal effects.
  • Medication – here the addicts are sometimes introduced to milder opioids, whose quantities are drastically reduced during the medication period. This is normally helpful in helping the addict slowly withdraw from the drug usage.
  • Treatment facilities – this is a method of treatment in which the patient may be referred to a self-help group which helps the person in the recovery time.
  • Therapies – these are therapies which may be prescribed to the patient. This could be an activity like exercise. This will help the patient emotionally by not thinking about the drug every time.

So now we have seen all the consequences and solutions of opioid addiction. Are you ready to recovery from this addiction? All you need is to call or visit AWAREmed and you will be helped out by highly experienced professionals.

Stay Away From Opioids, They Are Addictive!

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Homeopathy Treatment and Addiction

July 16, 2014

Homeopathy Treatment for Addiction

This is a natural method of treatment which is based on the philosophy that body has ability to heal itself. It is one of the oldest methods of natural treatment dating back to the late 1700s when it was founded in Germany. This medicine views symptoms of the illness as normal response of the body while it is in the process of healing itself. An interesting principle of this medicine is that, “like heals like” which means if a substance can cause symptoms when given to someone, it means the substance can be used to cure the illness if given small amount.

How does it work?

Since this medicine believes that giving a small amount of a symptom causing substance can heal the illness, it uses small substances which are diluted in water. These substances are diluted until no part of the original substance remains undiluted.

This kind of medicine is used to treat extremely wide range of conditions, which include physical conditions like asthma and psychological conditions like depression.

Is this medicine safe?

Yes. Homeopathic remedies are generally safe and they have no history of residual effects. The risks and side effects which may arise from the usage of these methods are clinically thought to be negligible.

Homeopathy Treatment

When is homeopathy useful?

If we look at history, homeopathy has been used in the maintenance of long-term illnesses such as:-irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis among others. They have also been used in the treatment of minor injuries including cuts and strains. This medicine is still useful in those areas, but it has been cautioned that homeopathy is not appropriate for treatment of illnesses such as heart diseases, cancer, major infections and emergency. This is for obvious reason that these kinds of illnesses require urgent treatment and failure to which they are known to pose life threat and one may die.

Where do I get these medicines?

As a matter of fact, homeopathy is not commonly available in most of the hospitals in the world. This is because homeopathy is normally practiced privately. However, there are hospitals and therapeutic health care centers which offer this important medicine. Are you now wondering where they are located? AWAREmed is your solution! We have homeopathy medicines in our store and professionals who will help you out. All you need to do is to visit us all call us for details.

How is the medication process?

The process or procedure which will be used when you visit a health facility for medication will vary, but a few things will always be common.

When you visit a homeopath for the first time, a point of interest will be to first grasp your health status and pointing out any specific health condition. Therefore, they will most likely ask you about any specific health condition, but also more importantly your general wellbeing, lifestyle, emotional state and even diet.

What happens next? Based on the information collected above, the homeopath will be able to decide on your course of medication. This treatment in most cases will take the form of homeopathy remedies given as pills, capsules or sometimes tincture.

It is important to note that the course of treatment will depend on the individuals and the homeopath’s assessment of your condition. It is also vital noting that, just like many other treatment and recovery methods, the results are always not instant especially in the view that this method that will rely on the body to heal itself after ensuring necessary conditions for recovery are maintained. Regular assessments by the homeopath may be consequently important to know the progress. Ensure that you keep in touch with your homeopath regularly for assessment of your progress.

What Can We Conclude About Homeopathy?

Homeopathy TreatmentThere are a few thing that we can conclude from this treatment, one of the outstanding ones being that there is no enough evidence to the believe that substances can that induce certain symptoms can be used to treat them. Also the idea of shaking those substances into water has not been proven whether it can produce a reliable medicine though it has in many cases healed patients.

It can be argued that, since the substances which are used in the shake to produce the medicine are usually diluted with water up to a point where the original substance parts are not available, it is likely that in the final medicine there will be no single molecule of the substance. What does this imply? It is possible for us to conclude that homeopathic remedies are nothing but water. Thus the argument of them being able to treat becomes questionable.

It is also possible that the people who use homeopath remedies see improvements in their health due to the phenomenon known as the placebo effect which is the power of the mind to influence the body. This is also referred to as “having faith”, something which will make you believe the medicine will heal you even if the medicine doesn’t have any capability to make any noticeable change. It is always important for us to be aware of the placebo effects before we judge the medication that we are undergoing.

Homeopathy Treatment for Addiction

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INTERNET ADDICTION AND ITS TREATMENT

July 14, 2014

Tackling Internet Addiction

Internet addiction is an impulse control disorder that does not usually require use of intoxicating drugs. It’s also very similar to drug addiction and even gambling. These addicts of the net may at times build up emotional affection to friends they meet online. Some of these friends that they have never met physically before in their lives. Some will even create activities online to keep them going back to the net. These platforms like social networking websites, chat rooms are just some of the aspects that these internet addicts use.

Blogging has also been known to keep internet lovers for many, many hours on screen while searching for internet topics and even end up trying to imagine themselves in the topic of discussion. What is blogging? It’s a web blog where a person can post their comments or ideas while keeping ordinary journal of events.

Just like other addictions, internet addicts usually have the desire of connecting to the real people or at least who they think are real through the net. They find it as an alternative to connecting to people who they would have not achieved by and large. This addiction is growing so much and very fast rate among the youth. The fact that gadgets like mobile phones are easily attainable has also widely contributed. There is also very little restrictions as to who and what age one should handle a phone. The world has gone very digital that a day without internet can be a very long day for these addicts.

internet addiction

Effects of internet addiction

Just like any other addictions, internet addiction will most of the time end in academic, , personal, financial, occupational and even family problems that are more often characterized by other addictions. Most real life affairs like marriage, friendship and even social life are always affected because of too much use of the internet because these addicts spend too much of their time in seclusion. They don’t spend enough time with the real people around them. They become so anti social that people will start finding them awkward because of the time they spend on the internet.

Have you even seen the people who surf the net and when they see someone approaching they hide whatever it is they were doing in the net? Well these are just some of the characteristics of internet addiction. They always don’t like people knowing that they spend too much of their time on the net. These kind of actions will also lead to the detriment of a quality relationship that was once very stable.

Some will even go as far as creating multiple online identities or profiles where they will pretend to be someone other people and even engage people in conversation using all those identities. They even go as far believing that all those identities are real. People who are susceptible to this kind of addictions are mostly people with very low self esteem of themselves. The ones who feel unwanted and inadequate in the society or among their peers

Addiction is addiction and people facing internet addiction are bound to face severe withdrawal symptoms that will include mood swings, fear, anxiety, loneliness, sadness, anger and even depression. Others will even be bored and have stomach upsets. Too much dependency on the net will also make someone develop medical problems that will most of the time include backaches, dry eyes and carpal tunnel syndrome. Some are even known to have eating irregularities, difficulty in sleeping and even poor personal hygiene.

Signs and symptoms of internet addiction

When one stays on the net for more hours than he had expected and is still not satisfied. When your thoughts are constantly on what you had encountered or watched on the net earlier even when you are not online and is anxious about the next episode or series or program. When you find yourself gradually remaining alone without friends, job or even an important relationship that there once was then know that you are headed to the problem of getting addicted to the net. Some even go as far as lying to close friends, bosses, family members and even therapists that they don’t have such problems in an attempt to hide the extent of the addiction.

Help and treatment of internet addiction

Agreeing and accepting that one has a problem with internet is the first step to getting help. There are usually trained addiction therapist who will more often execute assessment to find out the level of addiction and give an appropriate care. Counseling and abstinence can help resolve internet addiction. One needs to get help as soon as possible as this addiction has led to serious problems such as infant deaths or malnutrition due to neglect by their parents or caretakers who spend more time on net instead of tending to them due to internet addiction.

Tackling Internet Addiction

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