How does heroin abuse affect pregnant women

June 5, 2015

How does heroin abuse affect pregnant women: Various health complications of Heroin abuse?

How does heroin abuse affect pregnant women is a worthy concern for all mothers and the family as a whole. Both the life of the mother and the unborn child will be at risk if treatment of heroin addiction is not done in good time

Heroin abuse can cause serious complications during pregnancy, including miscarriage and premature delivery. Children born to addicted mothers are at greater risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), as well. Pregnant women should not be detoxified from opiates because of the increased risk of spontaneous abortion or premature delivery; rather, treatment with methadone is strongly advised. Although infants born to mothers taking prescribed methadone may show signs of physical dependence, they can be treated easily and safely in the nursery. Research has demonstrated also that the effects of in utero exposure to methadone are relatively benign.

How does heroin abuse affect pregnant women: Pregnant & Using Heroin?

When we are struggling with drug addiction as adults we often find it to be very difficult to deal with. We first refuse to acknowledge that we have a problem with drugs and in the process our health deteriorates rapidly. Is there anything that can be done to remedy the situation? Certainly yes says doctor Dalal Akoury MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. The concern of many is the health complications that are associated with substance abuse. The problem is further complicated if the victim is a pregnant woman. When we are talking about pregnant women the whole situation changes because the effect is now not just on the adult but also to the unborn baby begging the question “how does heroin abuse affect pregnant women?” this is what we want to unlock in this even as we progress into this discussion.

There is no doubt that if you are pregnant and using heroin it is fundamentally crucial that you need to be under a doctor’s care. If you are already seeing a doctor for prenatal treatment, it is not just enough to see him but it is important that you be honest and informs your doctor that you are using heroin quantity doesn’t matter the doctor needs to know if he is to help you and your unborn child get better. Remember that your case needs special medical attention and holding any information may not serve you well in this case. You may be in denial but the truth of the matter is that if you’re using heroin during pregnancy, you baby is also using the same. This is because your baby depends on you for everything food, breathing and any other needs of life while in the womb.

How does heroin abuse affect pregnant women: Effects of heroin on the unborn child?

Heroin slows the growth of your child both during and after pregnancy. As painful as it may be if you do not get medical care in good time, it is four times more likely that your baby will die during your pregnancy or shortly after being born. This is because the baby will be too small to survive thanks to heroin abuse. Doctor Akoury explains that babies born of heroin addicts weigh about one-fourth less than average infants resulting in premature delivery in many cases. It is equally important to note that even a year after birth, most babies of mothers who used heroin while pregnant will still be much smaller than average, and have smaller heads. The complications are further worsened if you fail to get treatment for your addiction. What will happen is that, there’s a good chance that your baby will experience heroin withdrawal, which can cause them to suffer pains for months. Therefore if you are pregnant and using heroin, you need to get help now. This is not something that you can take care of on your own. Talk to the experts AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center and get the professionalism in this life threatening situation.

In an effort of trying to get solution, careful attention should be taken so that you do not add more problems than you already have. Like for instance if you try to go “cold turkey” and quit drugs too quickly, you can cause the death of your baby abruptly. Experts believe that this occurs because the baby suddenly becomes hyperactive, then oxygen deprived. For this reason, doctors usually withdraw mothers from heroin after the baby is born or very gradually during pregnancy and on very close supervision, and sometimes this is done by using a replacement drug like methadone. Besides the effects it has on the baby your heroin use puts you too at risk for some serious health conditions. For example, you have a 50 percent chance of developing heart disease, anemia, diabetes, pneumonia, and hepatitis during your pregnancy. These are much higher odds than the average mother faces.

How does heroin abuse affect pregnant women: How does Heroin Abuse affect Pregnant Women?

As is the case with every person who uses heroin, pregnant women who expose themselves and their children to this drug run the risk of developing a wide range of health complications with the greatest one being death. Accidental overdose can cause the death of the mother and can also result in spontaneous abortion of the fetus, and can lead to infant death shortly after birth but even if no fatalities occur, the results of heroin use during pregnancy can still be devastating:

Like everything a pregnant woman ingests, heroin can cross the placenta meaning that their babies can develop a dependence on the drug before they are even born. According to the American Pregnancy Association, heroin use during pregnancy can lead to the following conditions in the baby:

Premature birth or low birth weight
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
Bleeding in the brain
Impaired ability to breathe

Compared with a host of other risks, “low birth weight” may sound like a relatively innocuous effect but being born at less than 5 lbs., 8 oz., has been associated with myriad health problems, including heart failure, intestinal damage, and blindness. Various studies have linked low birth weight with an increased likelihood of developing certain health problems including hypertension, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes in adulthood. Women who use heroin while pregnant are also more likely than sober women to experience poor nutrition and inadequate prenatal care both of which put mother and child at a decided disadvantage. Effects including impaired immune function, delayed cognitive development, behavior disorders, and stillbirth have all been associated with substandard nutrition, while neglecting proper prenatal care can allow relatively manageable conditions to progress into more substantial threats to both mother and child. Finally experts are working round the clock to develop safer and more effective means of treating heroin addiction in pregnant women and you can get more information about the best treatment options available for you by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today.

How does heroin abuse affect pregnant women: Various health complications of Heroin abuse?

Parkinson’s Disease

June 2, 2015

Parkinson’s: An Argument for Periodic Treatment

Parkinson's Disease Parkinson’s disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders that have affected many people around the world and is still doing what it does best; debilitating its victims. The treatments that many patients have been subjected to only target the symptoms of the disease, some of which are eradicated but as for others the patients have to go for the treatments periodically to suppress the pain and severity of the symptoms of PD. There are various ways of treating those suffering from Parkinson’s disease; however it is recommended that a person should begin treatment as soon as he or she is diagnosed with the disease, lest it becomes a hard nut to crack. The tremors may become too severe if treatment is begun too late.

As opposed to other diseases whose causes are still a mystery, the cause of this disease is now known. Parkinson’s disease is caused by the continued loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain. Dopamine is an essential brain chemical that helps to regulate movement and emotional responses among other cognitive functions.

Dopamine deficiency is the salient feature of those suffering from Parkinson’s disease. The disease kills the dopamine producing nerve cells in the substantia nigra. The disease affects the substantia nigra in a way that it elicits the problems associated with reasoning, movement, sleeping and motivation. This disease is also linked to the formation of alpha-synuclein- these are clumps of proteins in the brain. These clumps of proteins only worsen the condition of the patient. It is the continuous death of the nerve cells in the substantia nigra that results in the patients developing tremors and rigidity as well as slowed movements. Other symptoms include; dementia, depression, insomnia, constipation and loss of balance. Dementia is usually suffered at later stages, a critical stage in which the damage has spread to the rest of the body.

Treatment of Parkinson’s disease with dopamine boosting drugs

As stated earlier the cause of PD is depletion of dopamine at the substantia nigra. Owing to this fact, doctors have been treating those suffering from PD with dopamine boosting drugs. These drugs help in elevating the levels of dopamine in the brain and so make up for the depleted dopamine. The most common of all the dopamine level boosting drugs is the levodopa. This drugs works in a way that it boosts level of dopamine as it turns into dopamine while in the body. It crosses the blood-brain barrier and is considered the most effective drug for PD. however this drug may not work efficiently without an enzyme inhibitor known as carbidopa as it will be broken down by blood enzymes before it reaches the brain. The enzyme inhibitor also prevents levodopa from being metabolized in the gastroinstenal tract, liver and other tissues thus more of it reaches the brain.

When used alongside carbidopa, the dosage needed to treat symptoms will be reduced and is the side effects like vomiting and nausea that are mostly suffered as a side effect of the drug. It will in turn reduce stiffness, tremors and slowness among other symptoms. It is however important to note that levodopa only addresses the symptoms but neither restores the normal release of dopamine nor slows the progression of the disease.

Levodopa never heals the damaged neurons but rather stands for the dopamine lost, it is therefore not targeted to heal the patient but rather to mitigate on the effects of the disease. therefore other therapies that may help ease the side effects of the drug as well as promote healing should be given due considerations by the patients and their doctors. Dieting may help improve dopamine levels in the brain naturally. There are scenarios when a patient will have to undergo surgery which may include deep stimulation with implanted electrodes.

Need for a lasting cure

Just like other neurodegenerative diseases the need for proper treatment must involve a therapy that will focus more on healing the damaged nerves and neurons as opposed to simply mitigating on the symptoms. Drugs or treatments that mitigate on the symptoms become a part of a person’s life as they have to undergo treatment periodically. In the end the use of levodopa may even result in a condition known as Dyskinesia. Doctors have been working on the viability of stem cell therapy in treatment of this disease. The treatment will targets the special features and abilities of the stem cells to form all cells of the body, the stem cells can be used to help in repairing the damage on the neurons producing dopamine and restore the normal levels of dopamine in the brain.

There are research findings that have elicited hope for those suffering from this disease as there has never been a treatment that fully heals those suffering the disease, it is hoped that the stem cell therapy is going to be a lasting solution.

For more information on viability of stem cell therapy in treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, visit www.awaremednetwork.com Dr. Dalal Akoury, an expert in integrative medicine will be of help. You can also check: http://www.integrativeaddiction2015.com to be up to date with the upcoming Integrative Addiction Conference 2015. The conference will equip you with knowledge on the unique approaches of telling addiction symptoms as well as how to help addicts.

Parkinson’s: An Argument for Periodic Treatment

Meditation in Addiction Recovery

May 24, 2015

Role of Mindfulness Meditation in Addiction Recovery

Meditation During the initial stages of recovery, a person may feel some kind of mental haziness. It takes lots of struggle for them to think clearly after stopping using the drug they are addicted to. They will also experience emotional instability. Failure to adjust to these changes may lead to relapse.

Integrative techniques that foster meditation and mindfulness have shown increasing promise in the successful completion of a drug addiction treatment program. Meditation’s ability to “retrain thought” can serve to alter cognitive processing in the brain, thus leading to healthier interactions in the brain’s reward center. The process of meditation also serves to produce stress-reduction naturally thereby reducing the powers of triggers, cravings and withdrawal symptoms in recovering individuals. In addition, meditation has been found to lower the rate of relapse in recovering addicts.

What is mindfulness meditation?

In mindful mediation a patient pays attention to the present moment. It aims at setting the mind free from thoughts that may rekindle the flame of addiction and cause relapse. Through it a patient learns to be aware of his thoughts and emotions without letting the emotions sway his judgment. As practice by Buddhists it is a non-judgmental form of observation.

It is also known as Sati as was in ancient Pali; which is a language in India. It is essential for those Buddhists seeking enlightment as it involves three elements; awareness, attention and remembering. If you have to succeed you must be aware of the object you are focusing on, pay attention to it and remember it.

How effective is Meditation in Addiction Recovery?

The body of evidence for the power of meditation in addiction treatment is increasing. As a matter of fact, a 2007 research presented that individuals who participated in meditation during addiction recovery gained higher levels of coping skills as well as amplified awareness of substance abuse triggers that aided addiction recovery. In another peer-reviewed study indicated the effects of prayer and meditation on dopamine levels, servicing the mind and body by creating contentedness and calm through the brain’s pathways, this helps as a substitute for the effects the drugs produced in the patient.

Meditation minimizes chances of alcohol and drug relapse

Meditation may also be effective in preventing relapse. Research has repeatedly shown that maximized sobriety is achieved when meditation is incorporated in treatment and recovery programs. Mindful meditation has been shown to assist patients in coping with mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and trauma.

Meditation and smoking cessation

Past researches have shown that mediation has effects on chemical dependency and this can be extended to nicotine addiction. Meditation has great effects in smokers and it has been verified that it increases recovery rates of smokers.

In a 2009 study of close to 160 smokers by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, it was established that mindfulness practices linked to lower physical addiction levels and floored withdrawal effects. Additionally, those who practiced mindful mediation techniques experienced a greater belief in their ability to quit smoking, showing that mindful mediation therapy may help those struggling with nicotine addiction.

Alternative and Eastern-based meditative practices incorporated into individual alcoholism and drug abuse treatment plans seem to garner some of the most promising findings in relation to emerging research. Another study was done in 2010 and it involved studying the use of the qi gong meditative practices by close to 250 substance abusers and it was found to increase the addiction recovery completion by about 14 percent. The substance abusers who were part of this study showed lower cravings, reduced withdrawal symptoms as well as reduced anxiety levels.

Similar results have been studied in one of the most popular forms of meditative practice in addiction treatment and recovery, known as Vipassana. Vipassana is a Buddhist nonjudgmental, observational practice, it seeks to harness thought positively in relation to cognitive identification with addictive impulses. A 2006 study on addicted and enslaved individuals found that Vipassana meditation minimized rates of alcohol, marijuana and cocaine abuse in released prisoners who learned the meditative technique. As a matter of fact, Vipassana participants also showed fewer alcohol-related side effects as well as fewer mental health conditions and even improved relations in social circles.

Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation in Addiction Recovery

These are some of the benefits of mindfulness meditation for people in recovery:

This practice makes life in sobriety far more enjoyable. The individual is able to get pleasure from even the simplest things.
Those who practice the technique find it easier to manage their interpersonal relationships
Early recovery is like an emotional rollercoaster. By practicing mindfulness, the individual will feel more in control and better able to deal with the highs and lows.
People who practice mindfulness will be better able to spot the warning signs that they are losing their hold on recovery. This way they will be able to avoid a relapse.
Cravings usually continue to arise in recovery. Mindfulness allows the individual to observe such thoughts without being carried away by them. People learn that they are not always responsible for their thoughts, nor do they have to be a victim to them.

Recovering fully from addiction is a challenging process that requires enough support for the recovering addict. Help and hope for addicts is available at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. Do not hesitate to call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) any day for assistance.

Role of Mindfulness Meditation in Addiction Recovery

NAD Therapy for Cravings Reduction

May 24, 2015

NAD Therapy For Reduction Of Cravings, Withdrawal Symptoms And Detoxification

NAD Therapy Contrary to what many people think, addiction isn’t just a disease of the body alone but also of the mind and therefore any therapy for addiction has to treat all these aspects to be successful. When you are being treated from withdrawal effects of any drug but the doctors fail to give a therapy that will help heal the conditions that create depression, fatigue and anxiety, the chances of relapse become even higher and you may not completely recover from the effects of the drug.

Similarly if you withdraw from a substance and do not understand the psychological and spiritual issues that promoted the need for it, then relapse is likely and the lessons of disease have not been learnt.

Integrative medicine avails the tools that are instrumental in assessing and treating the conditions in the body that culminate into fatigue, depression, and anxiety, thereby increasing the likelihood of chemical dependency. These include:

Hypothyroidism
Neurotransmitter deficiency
Gluten intolerance
Metabolic cofactor deficiency
Adrenal fatigue
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) deficiency

These “terrain issues” in the body have to be properly addressed so as to make detoxification easier and to inhibit relapse.

Addiction is a complex disease that must be properly addressed as it doesn’t only affect the body alone but also the mind. most of the symptoms that are exhibited in the body are developed within the consciousness, the body is just an avenue through which these emotional traumas, fears , irrational thoughts, chemical imbalances in the brain and conflicts are showed.

Diseases are a way through which the body seeks your attention and beckons self-exploration in pursuit of true healing.

One of the hardest stages in addiction treatment and recovery that those addicted to drugs have to endure is detoxification. this is necessary as drugs of abuse always alter the chemical balances in the brain hence this balance must be restored.

Drug withdrawal can cause symptoms such as sweating, fever, hallucinations and even seizures. The severity of these withdrawal symptoms can prevent a person from maintaining sobriety. It can even make it impossible for a person to stop using the drugs in the first place.

The coenzyme NAD, also known as “biological rocket fuel,” is a good approach to treatment of addiction and recovery. It might also help in reducing the drug cravings .

What is NAD?

NAD is an abbreviation that stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. this is an activated form of vitamin B3. It is naturally present within every cell in the human body. It not only helps in regulating gene expression but also mediates calcium levels. NAD is also a participant in a number of redox reactions – in other words, it reacts with oxygen in the body.

Owing to these reactions, It is a powerful anti-oxidant that can help in reducing the populations of dangerous free radicals hence protecting the body from aging and diseases that are caused by oxidative damage like cancer. nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide is also an essential component of the citric acid cycle known to many people as Krebs cycle; a cellular process that is essential for the production of energy for every cell and organ in the body.

How can IV NAD therapy benefit drug addicts?

When a drug of abuse is used for a long time, it alters the chemical makeup of the body. The addict will be glued to the drug and whenever he stops the brain has to begin learning how to work. For this reason any recovery plan must put in place ways to help the brain to rebuild and to function optimally. Without healing the brain the withdrawal symptoms and cravings for a drug will relapse.

Since NAD is essential for energy production, increasing the availability of NAD increases cellular energy. When the energy is increased the brain can more quickly rebuild its neurotransmitter population and fix its connections. This condition will help in rebuilding the brain and restoring its functions.

The NAD therapy results in an increased sense of well-being, clearer cognition. it also reduces the severity of the withdrawal symptoms.

What are the advantages of NAD over other detox methods?

NAD works better and quicker as compared to other detoxification methods. Just within four days of treatment with NAD the withdrawal symptoms as well as physical cravings are reduced. This can be especially inspiring during the beginning phases of drug cessation. Other detox methods take a while before they start working – with NAD infusions, recovering drug addicts are provided with near-immediate relief, encouraging them to continue pursuing sobriety.

NAD Therapy Unlike other treatment methods, NAD is completely natural and non-addictive. This therefore is a guarantee that the addict will not suffer another addiction as a result of the drug used in treating him that was addictive.

Addicts who have received NAD therapy have testified that it helps them feel better and more energetic. They have also shown NAD have reported decreased withdrawal symptoms and a diminished desire to use. Since this treatment has no side effects and has received positive reviews, it may be prudent and safe to try the therapy.

NAD therapy is offered at AWAREmed Health and Wellness resource center. Here we ourselves fully to offering lasting solution to the menace of addiction. Don’t hesitate to call Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) on (843)213-1480 for help.

NAD Therapy For Reduction Of Cravings, Withdrawal Symptoms And Detoxification

Dopamine and Infidelity

May 23, 2015

Dopamine, Infidelity and Sex Addiction

Dopamine People think of infidelity differently from other social vices like marijuana addiction. They need to think of these two phenomena the same way since the behavior that takes place during an affair mimics exactly the behavior of a drug addict. A person who is addicted to sex or is practicing infidelity has been compared to a moth attracted to candle light. And infidelity has been referred to as “flame addiction.”

Infidelity can be defined as unfaithfulness in a relationship. It is a societal vice that has far reaching negative impacts on relationships and most painfully marriages. Infidelity is one of the major contributors to the tremendous numbers of divorce cases witnessed in the world today.

Another vice that goes hand in hand with infidelity is sex addiction. Sex addiction is in most cases the seed upon which infidelity sprouts. It is a compulsive behavior that completely takes control over the addicts life. The addict is willing to sacrifice what he/she cherishes most in order to preserve and continue his/her unhealthy behavior. They use sexuality to regulate their emotional life like relieving pain or anxiety.

Helping sex addicts and infidels requires first understanding the science of what happens in the brains of these people and seeking to find a way of controlling these biochemical processes towards the desired direction.

What happens when one falls in love?

The brain will produce changes in neurochemicals that alter the feelings of normality at the beginning, a period of infatuation. Then there will be a surge of adrenaline which will take the love struck individual to unimaginable heights. After this serotonin will drop thereby leaving a feeling of emptiness and an obsessive preoccupation with the other person. As have always been known, dopamine is the lighter of the flame addiction (infidelity).

What is dopamine?

Dopamine is a very crucial hormone as it is crucial for such effects as boldness, improved memory, attention, elation and a temporary desire to explore the world and take risks. During orgasm the levels of dopamine surge intensely and the person will be affected in similar manner to a person who has taken heroin. Dopamine is the hormone that causes addiction and once its levels have been fluctuated it will take up to a week to return to normal.

After dopamine surge has calmed down, prolactin is released and it works against the effects of dopamine causing such effects as depression, irritability and depletion.

If you have been blaming your lover for your post-sex and post-romance frustration, you need to know the chemistry causing it. It is advisable to have non-orgasmic sex as it helps avoid the dopamine peak and its side effects.

Dopamine and infidelity

Dopamine may cause infidelity. when a couple has been married and nothing is kept new or fresh the dopamine levels will be low while when a person has been seeing an attractive person out of marriage and he/she seems unreachable the levels of dopamine will surge and so the pursuit begins.

Since time immemorial, mating and reproduction is an activity that was not for the faint hearted as an individual has to pursue the possible mate with efforts and even fights to win. This could not be possible without a reward system, so the reward center was placed in the brain dopamine and it heightens when the pursuit for mate is successfully finished, hence a motivation to the pursuer.

Something new in relationship will boost the dopamine level that is why a couple who has been married for a long time will spend some nights without sex but a man who has just had sex may have sex with other women as the level of dopamine will be rekindled with each new partner. Infidelity is fuelled when the partner is playing hard to get as it heightens dopamine level.

Dopamine and sex addiction

Sex is addictive. All human behaviors that are rewarding in nature are prone to be addictive and sex is just one of the many addictive human behaviors, once a person has tasted the waters it becomes very hard to quit. If you need to break the chains of sex craving you need to be principled and committed to the course as it’s not an easy task.

Addictions sometimes do overlap and replace each other. When a person falls short on the dopamine triggered by having sex, he will turn to another source like eating, to fill the vacuum. This explains why some people prefer smoking a cigarette after sex; they seek the dopamine heights from nicotine smoking to make up for the falling levels after sex.

Apart from dopamine here are other hormones that may cause happiness but it is the hormone that persistently asks you to repeat an act that induces pleasure even when it has adverse effects.

Dopamine is a vital hormone but the pleasure it offers is addictive but you will never be willing to face the truth as it will be very rewarding. You therefore need to mind the frequency at which you do some pleasurable activities as you may become addicted to them.

Is there hope for infidels and sex addicts?

Dopamine Understanding the process of flame addiction is crucial to healing—for both the victim and perpetrator. For any person who wants to quit philandering, it is essential to cut all the links between him/her and the mate with whom they had an affair.

Just like drug addictions quitting this behavior needs commitment, you may fail many times but you should not give up on your marriage. Feel open; seek help from leaders and people you respect.

Finally, Sex addiction is a serious menace, please call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre will give you the support you require and help you wrestle down this menace.

Dopamine, Infidelity and Sex Addiction

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