Healing Leaky Gut effectively for good health

February 15, 2016

Healing Leaky Gut effectively for good health: What the body can fight at a time

The time for Healing Leaky Gut effectively for good health is now

From our previous article we noted that Leaky Gut also known as intestinal sponginess has the ability to cause a host of health complications in the life of humans and all these have adverse effects on our wellbeing. We appreciate that the intestines is the engine where a host of activities and systems take place in people’s live including digestive system, nervous system, and immune system. These systems can only function well when they are in perfect health and that is what we want to focus on progressively in this article. We are going to borrow heavily from the expert opinions from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury who is the MD, President and founder of the same about their understanding of healing Leaky Gut effectively for good health. The question we now want to address is “who well can we keep these systems healthy?” stay with us on the link to get first-hand information on how to keep them healthy.

Looking at the society we live in today, it is very evident that the modern life is not all that friendly to us and more so it is very hard on the gut. This then causes the body and particularly the digestive tract to be vulnerable to varies attacks including being easily affected by stress, processed foods, alcohol, medications, and bacteria. These effects pose serious chronic irritants which can easily lead into inflammation and progressively to so many other leakages in the thin and delicate lining of your intestinal wall.

When addressing this problem (healing Leaky Gut effectively), it is important to remember that even a tiny leak can cause astonishingly big problems. Nonetheless a healthy gut will be very selective about what is passed into your body through the bloodstream. This is in total contrast of what happen with a leaky gut which can release undigested food elements, bacteria and toxins into the bloodstream. Such impurities in the system will cause potentially outsized immune response says doctor Dalal Akoury.

Healing Leaky Gut effectively for good health: The lining of the gut

According to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center there are no two ways when it comes to the health of the gut. As a matter of fact if the damage to the lining of one’s gut is that bad such that substances regularly leaks through, it can cause serious health complications to the direct victim. That is why every effort is being made to have the gut kept healthy at all times and in line with that recent discovery indicates that leaky guts can even lead to autoimmune disorders. Therefore the vicious cycle kind of shape this problem is taking must be broken professionally. We appreciate that our bodies can only fight these conditions up to certain limits that is to say “If someone is struggling with chronic conditions like stress, disease, or inflammation, the normal repair and maintenance of the gut gets postponed because of the limitations.” In other words such limitations doesn’t allow for simultaneous operations.

Healing Leaky Gut effectively for good health: What damages the gut?

Several elements can cause damage to the gut however the main culprits may include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, as well as sugar, alcohol, processed foods, and any food that is likely to trigger an allergic response. Besides those other irritants include chronic stress, toxins, and microbiome imbalances. The greatest challenge currently is how common such irritants have become in our daily lives. Actually professionally nobody will be surprised that intestinal-permeability problems are prevalent. It is no wonder experts are establishing that these days virtually everybody’s gut leaks to some degree.

Healing Leaky Gut effectively for good health: Damage Control

In the past Leaky gut syndrome has been treated by the integrative and functional-medicine community for several decades. However as changes takes shape with new technologies coming in, other new mainstream medicine are being acknowledged to its treatment too. This then ushers us to the next question which is “what has really changed?” The point is that the detection that human health and behavior are deeply influenced by a huge population of microorganisms living primarily in our guts shook up a lot of experts. To that effect, the western medicine’s acceptance of the leaky gut model has been nothing short of a sea change.

Symptoms of a leaky gut vary meaning that if the leakage is negligible, the symptoms will mostly be limited to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, explains doctor Dalal Akoury, MD, President and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. However more significant leaks are most likely to produce body wide symptoms, adds doctor Akoury, including fatigue, joint pain, rashes, respiratory issues, asthma, and autoimmune responses including psoriasis.

Finally as the condition of the gut degrades, the health impacts can be dramatic. Therefore if you think you or anyone you know may be experiencing the symptoms of a leaky gut, it’s prudent that action is taken promptly to have the problem addressed professionally. Even as you are contemplating doing that, remember that the regeneration of cells is one of the good news you have in this process. The fact that the cells of the intestinal lining replace themselves every three to six days is a serious relief meaning that, given the proper support, your gut can repair itself quickly.

Healing Leaky Gut effectively for good health: What the body can fight at a time

Gut health expert treatment recommendations

February 15, 2016

Gut health expert treatment recommendations: The five R’s application

Gut health expert treatment recommendations for wholesome health

In our series of articles addressing the issues surrounding gut health and the brain, we want to further explore this discussion by focusing on what the experts are saying about this condition. This is going to be interactive and informative discussion that you do not want to miss. I want therefore to prevail upon you to keep reading even as we seek the opinion of experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center on this particular agenda. To help us understand better, we want to look at Gut health expert treatment recommendations in a designed formula we are going to baptize the “five R’s” denoted as: remove, replace, reinoculate, repair and rebalance. By the time we will be done with the five R’s, you will be on the know and take appropriate actions to remedy the situations

Gut health expert treatment recommendations: Remove

Suppressing the symptoms with different kinds of medication does not help in cases like this and therefore option would be identifying and removing the source of gut-lining irritation this way you’ll be walking the right path to total eradication. You can also take the following steps into consideration:

Diet elimination d: Eradicating common irritants like sugar, dairy, gluten, soy, and the chemical additives found in many processed foods can provide a remarkably quick relief, who notes that sugar alone is enough to cause gut problems for many. A properly conducted elimination diet can help you pinpoint which foods are causing trouble: you can test this by eliminate a given food stuff for some time maybe two weeks, then reinstating it and observations of the effects.

Keeping of food journal: keeping records of what you feed on how they affect you is very important. Any feeling of bloat, fatigue or gassy would mean that food item must be added to your elimination list. Most likely your gut is telling you what foods it is sensitive to and obedience would be very necessary.

Limit use of alcohol and NSAIDs: Alcohol taxes the liver and steals nutrients from the gut. NSAIDs inhibit the body’s production of prostaglandins, substances needed to rebuild the intestines’ lining. If you use a full therapeutic dose of NSAIDs for two weeks, there is a 75 percent chance you will develop a leaky gut that doesn’t go away when you stop taking the drug.

Root out infections: Leaky gut can be instigated by any number of pathogenic microorganisms and parasites that thrive in the gut’s warm, mucosal environment. If food-level interventions aren’t helping, find a healthcare practitioner to run tests and administer treatment to you. Remember that with the present of parasites in the body, it may not matter the quality and quantity of nutrients you have, they won’t just help you under such circumstances, says doctor Akoury.

Gut health expert treatment recommendations: Replace

The second step is to give your body what it needs to rebuild the gut lining. Experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center have associated the inside of the small intestine to a towel covered with millions of little loops (called villi), which are further covered with millions of little fibers known as microvilli. If the gut is leaky, those fibers get matted thereby hampering regrowth and the absorption of nutrients from food and the vicious cycle continues because the villi need those nutrients to revive. Therefore to solve this riddle Gut health expert recommends:

Take more of whole foods: it is important to note that the body needs the components in their real, fresh food to repair any damage and rebuild healthy new tissue. Whole foods are full of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, plus enzymes the small intestine needs to heal. You can also prioritize non-starchy vegetables and lean proteins by eat plenty of good, whole-food which help strengthen cellular membranes. Therefore as the body heals, it will trigger the elimination of toxins and other byproducts through the large intestine. And for this to happen effectively, the body will need lots of fiber inform of roughages from the food stuff from colorful vegetables, berries, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole-kernel grains. Doctor Akoury advises that to be safe one should work towards taking at least 30 grams of fiber a day.

Supplement with glutamine: The most plentiful free amino acid in the body; glutamine supports immunity and digestion by fueling the cells that line the small intestine. Glutamine heals the intestinal lining more than any other nutrient and it is recommended that one takes 10 to 20 grams daily.

Consume more of omega-3 fatty acids: These are beneficial to the gut calming inflammation and rebuilding healthy cell walls. In animal studies, adding essential fatty acids improved the tight junctions between the gut lining’s cells and enabled the gut to fend off additional injury.

Gut health expert treatment recommendations: Reinoculate

Once your body has patched up the leaks in the gut, you need to help it grow a healthy layer of good bacteria flora that help protect the GI tract and assist with digestion. These beneficial bacteria strengthen your immune system, improve metabolism, help your body make vitamins, and aid in the absorption of minerals. The two most important groups are lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.

Add a probiotic: High-intensity probiotic support rejuvenates and replenishes a microbiome damaged by antibiotics or a poor diet. Doctor Akoury recommends a high-potency probiotic of at least 50 billion active cultures twice daily. For added insurance, he says, choose one that is enteric-coated, meaning it will ferry the bacteria through the stomach’s acid and release them into the alkaline intestines.

Gut health expert treatment recommendations: Repair and Rebalance

Finally once you’ve got your gut on the road to wellness, it’s time to focus on lasting lifestyle changes. Sliding back into the habits that caused your leaky gut will only invite the return of health problems you want to avoid. Here are two key strategies for supporting ongoing gut health:

Eat mindfully: this may sound off show but nonetheless before taking your first bite, look at your food and take in its aroma. This will trigger the cephalic phase of digestion, an initial release of enzymes that help break down your food. And as you eat, chew thoroughly, paying attention to your food’s flavor and texture. Avoid multitasking or rushing while you eat. Take pauses and breaths between bites, allowing your digestive system to keep pace.

Calm your central nervous system: Under stress, the body’s nervous system kicks into fight-or-flight mode the opposite of its rest-and-digest mode. Recalibrate by cultivating a calmer, more centered state. Consider a daily meditation or yoga practice. Or on a stressful day, swap heavy weightlifting for a tai-chi class. Take note that each time when you change your thoughts you change your physiology as well.

Gut health expert treatment recommendations: The five R’s application

Addiction effects on intimacy and sexual health

February 15, 2016

Addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships: The danger of substance abuse

You need sexual satisfaction? stop using drugs because addiction affects sexual health negatively

As the problems of drug addiction get rooted into the society, its effect begins to manifest in many areas of life including relationships. When we talk of relationships and addiction, a lot can be derived from this and so for the purpose of this article, we want to focus our discussion on how addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships. To this effect doctor Akoury who is an addiction expert of several decades says that for those who constantly abuse alcohol and drugs, this becomes their main source of problem in their sexual life something that can have serious complications in their relationship.

With alcohol and drug abuse in the picture under this circumstance, one of the most immediate casualties from substance abuse will be intimacy. Because the substance of abuse is effective in mind alteration, it may not be possible for users of such drugs to maintain healthy relationships while under the influence of the same. And as the addiction takes tall in them, it will completely take over their life leaving no room for any other meaningful activity. Before any corrective measure is taken, the victim falls into illusion and self-absorption causing them to remain that way until they are treated and delivered from the scourge of addiction. According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, total recovery from addiction will automatically cause recovered patients to regain their ability to be intimate and enjoy healthy sexual relationships.

Addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships: Intimacy defined

As we progress into this discussion, lets us understand what intimacy really is. Broadly the word intimacy is derived from a Latin word meaning inner. We can therefore say that it is the closeness or interpersonal relationships involving both physical and emotional intimacy.

Emotional intimacy can vary in degree and it refers to the closeness that people feel for one another while physical intimacy mostly refers to sexual and romantic contact. Progressively an intimate relationship is understood to include a number of elements like:

Trust
Where partners in a relationship will have widespread knowledge about each other.
Partners in an intimate relationship will feel warmth, affection and care for each other.
The expectation of the relationship will be long term.
Persons in an intimate relationship may mean that those involved think in terms of us rather than me.
Those involved in such a relationship will be committed to each other.
There is an expectation that the other partner will treat them fairly.
They share and agree mutually on many beliefs, experiences, and opinions.

Addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships: Importance of intimacy

Intimacy is an important aspect of being human because of several reasons. Drug addiction and misuse of alcohol has been proven to be the biggest enemies of intimacy and that has necessitated our discussion on this topic “addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships.” Therefore for you to make certain informed decisions, the following are some of the importance of intimacy in any relationship:

It is through intimacy that partners in a relationship get to appreciate and fully understand who they are. This closeness can easily be altered if either of the partners is struggling with addiction thereby creating rift between them and eventually killing any form of intimacy.
Luck of intimacy is very fundamental when it comes to the breakages of marriages and other romantic relationships. The damage that this omission (intimacy) can cause can be very painful thereby causing the feeling of un-fulfillment and more so to the sober partner who will in most cases be the one noticing that the relationship is lacking in intimacy.
On matters spirituality, Intimacy can be very vital and it may not be possible to progress as a unit in spiritual terms if people feel locked out from others.
Intimate relationships provide strength and support needed for the individual partners giving them the comfort that they do not have to face life on their own.
Egocentricity and self-centeredness can lead to a great suffering. However by being intimate with one another partners will be able to break down their own barriers and turn their focus away from themselves.
The sense of incompleteness is bound to happen because partners may feel that something is missing in their life if they do not have an intimate sexual relationship. Promiscuous sex without this feeling of closeness can be a hollow substitute.
If people lack intimacy in their life it can leave them feeling lonely. Loneliness can be very catastrophic in peoples’ life because it makes them vulnerable to other health complications including depression. The danger of this is that individuals may turn to maladaptive behaviors for solace.
Intimacy and sexual relationships are one of the most rewarding parts of the human experience. It is a real shame if people miss out on these aspects of being alive.

Addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships: Substance abuse and intimacy

Finally experts are registering that when people are so much into misuse of alcohol and drugs, then maintaining any meaningful intimate relationship becomes very close to impossible. This is expressly true because knowing what drugs are users will become obsessed with these substances and the implication is that they will become so much frustrated with their habit leaving no room for anyone else. And as the individual falls further into addiction they may even lose all interest in sex completely. Remember that addiction effects drive the individual into a world of delusion and selfish action. It will not be possible for another human to trust them fully, and this will prove to be a barrier to intimacy. Nonetheless with all these happening, the individual addict may still have people who love them, but the damage shall have been done meaning that, every time there will be a sense of wariness mixed in with the affection. That is to say, the person who is abusing alcohol or drugs may feel almost incapable of feeling true affection.

Addiction effects on intimacy and sexual relationships: The danger of substance abuse

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction

February 12, 2016

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction: Individual therapy

The common problem many people have today is not knowing how to deal with all these addictive problems. take for instance behavioral treatment of sex addiction is one such conditions that experts have been following for sometime now. We want to inform you of some of the insights you need to know in this journey so that you can take appropriate remedial actions when faced with such challenges

Sex therapy
- Available from licensed therapists dealing with sex addiction and covered by the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals.
- Also available from licensed therapists certified by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists.
- Intensive outpatient programs are available for those patients who may be in crisis but do not require hospitalization for their illness.
  - These programs usually last for several weeks or several months.
  - Work toward stabilizing the lives of patients recommended for treatment of sexual addictions.
  - Lead to individual therapy, group counseling, couples counseling
  - The goal is to help patients address, understand and overcome triggers in everyday lives leading to compulsive sexual behavior and acting out.

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction: Cognitive behavioral therapy

This is a form of psychotherapy which stresses solving current problems and eliminating unhelpful thinking.
Problem-focused and action oriented
- is effective for the following conditions:
  - eating disorders
  - sexual disorders (including sexual addictions)
  - anxiety disorders
  - mood disorders
  - dependency disorders
  - tics
  - psychotic disorders
- This form of therapy is based on the belief that changing maladaptive thinking changes the actions and emotions of those who can do this. Another form of cognitive behavioral therapy believes that changing one’s relationship to the maladaptive thoughts can be equal as effective (and easier).
  - Encourages people to identify and challenge erroneous beliefs to decrease personal stress and end self-defeating behavior.
  - Encourages patients to replace maladaptive coping skills with more effective strategies by challenging the way patient thinks and the way they react to certain habits and behaviors
    - This therapy has six phases
      - Assessment or psychological assessment
      - Reconceptualization
      - Skills acquisition
      - Skills consolidation and application training
      - Generalization and maintenance
      - Post-treatment assessment follow-up
    - In adults, CBT has been shown to be effective for
      - anxiety disorders
      - depression
      - eating disorders
      - personality disorders
      - psychosis
      - schizophrenia
      - substance abuse disorders

BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction: Psychodynamic therapy

Similar to psychoanalysis, but less intensive

Relies upon the relationship between the therapist and client more than other in-depth psychology.
Has been used in individual psychotherapy and family therapy
Core Principles
- An emphasis on intrapsychic and unconscious conflicts and how they relate to development
- seeing defenses as developing in internal psychic structures to minimize unpleasant consequences of conflict
- A belief that psychopathology develops as a result of early childhood experiences
- A view that internal representations of experiences are organized around interpersonal relationships
- A conviction that life issues and dynamics will re-emerge as part of the client-therapist relationship called transference and counter-transference
- use of free association to explore major conflicts and problems
- focusing on interpretations of transference, defense mechanisms, and current problems and working through these areas
- trust in insight as critically important for the success of therapy

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction: Group therapy

Therapeutic Principles

- Universality of experience
- Altruism
- Installation of hope
- Imparting information
- corrective recapitulation of the primary family experience
- Development of socializing techniques
- Imitative behavior
- cohesiveness
- existential factors
- Catharsis
- Interpersonal learning
- Self-understanding
- Therapeutic goals
  - To use the group process and group context as an agent of change

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction: Twelve steps

This is a program which uses guiding principles to outline a course of action to solve specific problems such as alcoholism, drug addictions, and compulsive diseases
These programs usually have 12 “steps” or guiding principles and usually use spiritual language to help the person solve their current problems.
- They have a large number of members and have been applied to some problems of a compulsive nature, including alcoholism, drug abuse, gambling, overeating, sexual addictions and others.
- They also have auxiliary groups which usually run concurrently with the other groups for family members and friends of the person directly involved
- They encourage their members to take responsibility for the problem behaviors which brought them to the group, and point the members in the direction which will enable them to control and resolve their problems
- They claim a greater rate than other programs and encourage their members to keep coming back after a relapse
- Use “sponsorship” to help group members control their compulsive behavioral
  - A sponsor is an individual who has more time in the program and is experienced at developing coping skills aimed at cutting down the compulsion and repairing the consequences of the initial problem that brought the client into the group

Behavioral Treatment Of Sex Addiction is one that can be done by way of individual therapy or even group theraphy

DIALECTICAL-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

This is a modified form of cognitive behavioral therapy to treat people with Borderline Personality Disorder and chronically suicidal individuals and which has since been applied to people suffering from
- Traumatic brain injuries
- eating disorders
- mood disorders
- spectrum mood disorders
  - self-injury mood disorders
- sex abuse survivors
- chemical dependency
This type of behavioral therapy combines
- standard cognitive therapy techniques for
  - emotional regulation
  - reality testing
  - with distress tolerance
  - acceptance
  - mindful awareness
- The first type of behavioral therapy experimentally demonstrated to be effective in treating BPD
  - a randomized study showed reduced rates of suicidal gestures
    - psychiatric hospitalizations
    - and treatment drop-outs
  - Teaches the patient to see therapist as ally rather than as antagonist
  - Involves four components
    - Individual
      - one-on-one sessions with a therapist
        
        subjects discussed are
        
        weekly issues—issues that have come up during the week. In order of importance, these are
        
        Self-injurious, suicidal behaviors, and life-threatening behaviors
        
        Therapy-interfering behaviors
        
        behaviors that threatened to “derail” or interfere with the course of treatment
        
        Quality of life issues
        
        improving skills usage
        
        Group meetings
        
        meets once per week for two and one-half hours and focuses on four modules
        
        core mindfulness
        
        being aware, from moment to moment of the stream of awareness from a first-person perspective
        
        interpersonal effectiveness
        
        emotional regulation

COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

http://regenerativepotential.com/integrativeaddictionconference/

The Biblical View of Sexuality

February 10, 2016

Understanding Biblical sexuality

When one reads across the Bible, a wide range of topics are presented throughout is chapters. It primarily contains teachings that guide the human race on how to morally live. One human fundamental topic that has been explored throughout the scriptures book is sexuality. The Bible gives teachings on how human can exist morally as far as sexuality is concerned. There are those scriptures citing that talk of sexuality in great details. According to the Bible, sex as a practice is mainly viewed as a reproductive practice through which God, on the creation time intended for man to use to feel the Earth. Apart from reproduction, sex was also a manifestation of love between two married individuals and was sacred. Here down is how the Bible views sexuality.

According to the Bible, Genesis, sex was supposed to be practiced by married individuals, who after becoming husband and wife, became one flesh. This infusion into one flesh or soul was enabled through making love. Gen 2:24, 25 reads, “A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh”. Sex, as portrayed in the Bible, is, therefore, a tool for bonding a husband and wife into a lasting relationship.

Sexuality in the Bible is also viewed as a manifestation of marriage. Couples, according to the Bible, become married through an act of making love to each other. In the book of Exodus, the Bible says that having sex is in its self a form of marriage. It says, in the book of Exodus 22: 16, 17, “If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins. So the bible’s view on sexuality does differ greatly with the view taken by the contemporary world.

The Bible also portrays sex as a Godly gift that should be treasured and shared between two individuals who love each other and most importantly, husband and wife. Genesis talks of making love as a show of a man’s love to his wife, and the joy the two get as a result of doing the act. Gen 24: 67 say, “Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and her married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her, and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”

Biblical sexuality

The Bible, therefore, emphasizes the purity of people and should therefore only be practiced when and only if one is married. Meaning that pre-marital sexual activities is not encouraged by the bible. And even those who get married are allowed by the Bible to practice fidelity in marriage. So married couple should only have sex with their marriage partners. Sex, therefore, had two purposes mainly, having children and for pleasure in marriage.

Sexual vices such as rape are also talked about in the bible. The Bible condemn such acts and just like in the contemporary society, the scriptures also provide for penalties subjected to those commit such offenses. In the ancient society, rape was punishable by death. The book of Deuteronomy clearly spells out the penalty. In Deuteronomy 22: 25, 27 we are told that, “But if out in the country a man happens to meet a girl pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die, for the man found the girl out in the country, and though the betrothed girl screamed, there was no-one to rescue her.” The book also in different chapters, speaks strongly against other sexual immoralities such as pre-marital sex, and cheating among the married.

Prostitution is also condemned very strongly in the Bible. Viewing sex as a sacred gift given to man by God purposely for pleasure and reproduction after marriage, the bible is against prostitution as a practice. In the book of Leviticus, God gives Moses set of rules to help the Israelites live with high morals. One of the immoralities they are warned against is prostitution. In Leviticus 19: 29, it reads, “Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.”

Sexual immorality is also advised against in the Bible. In the book of first Thessalonians, the Bible advice humanity to desist from sexual immorality. 1 Thessalonian 4: 3-5 says that ” It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God.” This sums up sexuality as viewed by the Bible.

Understanding Biblical sexuality

Category Archives: outpatient addiction treatment