Improving public health by quitting alcoholism

May 30, 2015

Improving public health by quitting alcoholism: Tackling alcohol misuse

Improving public health by quitting alcoholism is very important. By seeking for professional help the addictiveness of alcohol will not be a problem any more

I have a question for you as we begin this discussion and the question is “do you drink alcohol? How do you categorize your drinking, is it moderate, binge or heavy drinking? As you soul search in response to that I want to introduce to us a topic of discussion torching on the improving public health by quitting alcoholism. You and I form the public meaning that what we do will impact to the public (us) either negatively or positively. While appreciating that we are liberalized and that we enjoy lots of freedom including freedom to choose, an epidemic is looming if something is not done in good time to address the problems emerging as a result of alcohol use. I know that alcohol is not an illegal substance and its consumption is very much supported by different laws of the land of course with some measures to control its usage, but depending on your response to the questions raised above are the measures put in place working for you?

We are going to make general comments on this introductory article about the effects of alcoholism in our societies and subsequently in the coming article we will be dealing with specifics of what misuse of alcohol is doing to people’s lives. We will be talking to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center to help us bring clarity in many issues as possible. Therefore I want to request you to stay on the link and if you know of any of your friend or loved ones that is struggling with alcoholism, then you can be of help to them as well. As we progress into the discussion, I will urge you to make health appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury the M.D and also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center and she will be of great help to you on all your concerns.

Improving public health by quitting alcoholism: Misuse of alcohol a burden to the economy

The trend with which alcohol is being misuses is not a secrete anymore and no one can bury his head under the sun and still hope for things to improve on their own. As a matter of fact this has brought with it extremely serious problems to the public health in most states across the globe. The burden of caring for alcoholics and the cost of rehabilitating them is not just hurting to the individual families, but also to the whole societies globally. It must be understood that alcohol is one of the most bused drug and it is also directly linked to a series of health complications including high blood pressure, mental ill-health, accidental injury, violence, liver disease and sexually transmitted infection. Despite the information available to the public about the dangers of misuse of alcohol the public and even the authorities will still support this killer drug. You may be wondering why I am saying all, but the magnitude of the problem is very big. Like for instance I recently visited one of the towns in one of the nations and I was surprised that the number of bars and liquor shops were more than all schools, hospitals, churches and mosques put together. What does that one communicates to you? It simply means that our children are getting into this mess at very tender age.

Improving public health by quitting alcoholism: The impact of alcoholism to the societies

If we allow our daughters and wives to be highly intoxicated with alcohol what products do you think we will get on conception? Children are literally being introduced into the world of alcohol taking at that very initial stage of their lives. It is all about freedom of choice and right to social around. Does it mean that in the process of exercising your right of choice you now have a permit to violate the right of that unborn child who has not chosen to be feed on alcoholic substances through the mother? This is the most disturbing thing and one that is very difficult for me to understand. But since am not able to understand why such things are allowed to happen to the un born children, I will advise that if this article is describing any of your habits and you have just realized that something is not right and some fixing needs to be done, all is not lost for you. And it is never too late for anyone to make a decision of changing with an aim of quitting the bondage of alcoholism. All you need to do is to ensure that you consult well before settling on the health provider. You must only go for the best with good truck result oriented records. One in which professionalism is the virtue and the experience is above board.

I know that getting the right rehabilitation facility may be very difficult for some of you and why we recommend that you talk to your physician to help you in the identification of the right institution. Remember that no mistakes should be done either in the beginning, middle or at the end. It has to be right all through says doctor Akoury. In the meantime it will interest you to note that because of the magnitude and the great suffering of people both young and old with very little help being given to them, doctor Dalal Akoury made a decision to create a medical center (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) whose main objective is to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals to find their own inner healing power. Dr. Akoury’s practice focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. Now that you know a bit of what alcohol addiction does to your health and with the sound foundation that doctor Dalal Akoury will deliver to you up on scheduling for an appointment with her, I want to encourage you to take to first step of calling her today so that no time is wasted. Your quick recovery is our priority and we will deliver that to with a lot of dedication, commitment and professionalism while treating all issues with great confidentiality.

Improving public health by quitting alcoholism: Tackling alcohol misuse

How to Boost Dopamine Levels Naturally

May 20, 2015

Boosting Dopamine Levels Naturally

Dopamine is a vital brain chemical that is responsible for crucial functions. Dopamine allows for feelings of bliss, pleasure, euphoria, drive, motivation, focus, and concentration. Dopamine is involved in the frontal cortex in executive functions like attention and feelings among others. In the rest of the body, dopamine is involved in nausea, in kidney function, and in heart function. Though only relevant to most people when it comes to such aspects as motivation, addiction, attention or lust, dopamine is a crucial neurotransmitter that also does vital functions in different pathways. As a neurotransmitter the hormone transmits messages from nerves. When a nerve releases dopamine, it crosses a very small gap called a synapse and then attaches to a dopamine receptor on the next nerve. So when dopamine is depleted the impulses sent by the nerves can’t be transmitted and hence may impair brain functions such as behavior, mood, cognition, attention, learning, movement and sleep.

dopamine

Here are some ways to naturally boost dopamine

Adopting a healthy diet– healthy eating helps in solving most health problems. By adopting a healthy diet you are taking a good leap into naturally boosting your dopamine levels. Foods rich in carbohydrates, vegetables, whole grains, whole grain pasta, rice, broccoli, spinach, lettuce among other healthy foods can go a long way in boosting dopamine levels. Eating fat processed foods will do the opposite. You may also eat sweet foods like chocolate, only a couple squares of good quality chocolate with a high percentage of Cocoa in it can raise these chemicals. You can also get an adequate supply of B vitamins, folic acid and vitamin C because these vitamins play a role in transmitting brain chemicals. Spicy foods like chili peppers and jalapenos are also good for the course. The heat triggers the release of endorphins, so the spicier the better. You may get help from a nutritionist who may give you a list of foods that may be of benefit.

Acupuncture – acupuncture has been used for a long time and has been very effective in restoring the flow of energy in the body. Among the Chinese acupuncture is a highly regarded ancient treatment of complex diseases. Apart from boosting the flow of energy it helps in the release of dopamine and endorphins and this explains why many therapists use acupuncture to help their patients who are struggling with addiction to drugs and other substances.

Eating animal proteins- foods that are rich in animal proteins are good for boosting the levels of dopamine in the body. This includes many varieties of fish, chicken, turkey and other forms of poultry. It also applies to most types of meat as well as eggs. These tyrosine-rich foods offer an effective way to maintain or increase dopamine levels. For vegetarians there are vegetable sources of proteins that can help in the same way, these may include; sesame seeds, almonds, peanuts and legumes.

Eat fruits especially bananas.

Eating fruits especially the ripe bananas help in regulating dopamine because they have a high concentration of tyrosine. Other food sources of tyrosine include almonds, apples, watermelons, cherries, yogurt, beans, eggs and meats. It is important to note that foods alone generally do not have the therapeutic amino acid levels necessary to boost dopamine levels for someone experiencing major depressive disorder. Therefore, to boost your dopamine levels adequately, tyrosine supplementation is often needed.

dopamine

Meditation– meditation has been practiced for a long time, thanks for its therapeutic effects. Through meditation the fatigue in the nervous system is mitigated and so their performance is enhanced. Doing meditation right helps in production of dopamine at required levels. Meditation is a common practice in Asia especially among the Chinese. There are therapists who can help you achieve this. At AWAREmed Dr. Dalal Akoury will help you achieve this.

Herbal supplements – Some herbs like St John’s Wort, 5-HTP and L Tyrosine can all increase dopamine in the brain. These herbal supplements will even help restore the levels of dopamine after use of drugs such as opiates.

Exercise – when you exercise there are lots of benefits that you can reap from exercise. Exercise is one of the best natural ways to produce serotonin, dopamine and endorphins. however to enjoy the benefits of exercise and help boost dopamine levels and other vital neurotransmitters you need to do more vigorous exercise as stronger the physical demand you place on your body, the greater the release of endorphins. You should try weight training and high and low intensity exercises. Hit the gym and reap big.

Sex – sex is helps in boosting the dopamine. A long session can dramatically increase dopamine. When a person is suffering from withdrawal effects of drugs and dopamine is at lows then sexual intercourse can be a good remedy.

These are some of the many ways to help boost your dopamine levels naturally, there are other ways of boosting dopamine but you need to discuss with your doctor if you want to be safe as some of the supplements will cause you great harm; not everything bought over the counter as natural supplement is harmless. In fact to get help in case you have been using drugs of abuse that have since led to the erosion and depletion of dopamine levels in your brain you are advised to seek the help of an integrative doctor who will evaluate which option will best fit your condition. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an expert at this. Call her on (843) 213-1480 for help

Boosting Dopamine Levels Naturally

Antibiotics in Foods is a Health Risk

May 2, 2015

Are The Antibiotics In Your Food And Your Meet Destroying Your Health?

Antibiotics The common adage that whatever you eat affects your health comes in handy here. we are supposed to be eating foods that help in building our bodies and laying a fortress that is not easily passed through by diseases, however with everybody having eyes fixed on the financial gains he can reap from the foods he grows it has become rather common to find that our foods are grown with enhancers that are at the end of the end of the day very dangerous to anybody eating them.

It is estimated that 99 percent of farmed animals in the US raised for food are raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). In fact, 80 percent of the antibiotics used in the US are used in agriculture. This enough to show you that the meet eaten in the US is highly concentrated in these antibiotics that eventually may turn out to be more dangerous than beneficial to us.

CAFOs are costly to your health

These foods may be easily available and priced affordable but when you take them after some time you will realize that the price at which these foods like pork, beef, egg, dairy and poultry are sold in the supermarket isn’t a true reflection of what they cost you. Most of these animals are raised like inanimate objects; they do not have even space to move, they do not see the sunlight, they do not get a gasp of fresh air and they have no clean place to sleep. theirs is to eat and eat until they are mature to be sold, eating boosters that they may mature faster, but after they are eaten for a long time is when the problems may set in.

The CAFOs are not very beneficial to you. if there is anybody who benefits from the CAFOs then only the farmers of these animals and the few involved in the industry are but the consumers stand at a loss and its quite unfortunate that while CAFOs have mastered the art of growing profits, they’ve overlooked the basic natural laws that govern growing animals and this culminates in huge health risks on those consuming these foods.

When antibiotics are used in an uncontrolled manner as has been used in the US agricultural sector they lead to an antibiotic-resistant disease. Approximately 25 million pounds of antibiotics are administered to livestock in the US every year for purposes other than treating disease, such as making the animals grow bigger faster. this are ways to maximize profits often hidden within these line ‘boosting food security ‘but the bitter reality is that those antibiotics, and even worse, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, are transferred to you via meat and even through the animal manure that is used as crop fertilizer.

According to Dr. Dr. Arjun Srinivasan, associate director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is even bigger problem than antibiotics simply being left behind in your meat as it’s a practice that is promoting the spread of antibiotic-resistant disease.

“The more you use an antibiotic, the more you expose a bacteria to an antibiotic, the greater the likelihood that resistance to that antibiotic is going to develop. So the more antibiotics we put into people, we put into the environment, we put into livestock, the more opportunities we create for these bacteria to become resistant.” Dr. Arjun advises.

The genes that make the bacteria resistant is often shared by other bacteria, therefore the drug resistant bacteria that contaminate your meat may share these genes with other bacteria in your body making you more susceptible to sickness. Drug-resistant bacteria also accumulate in manure that is used in the fields to grow crops and enters waterways, allowing the drug-resistant bacteria to spread far and wide and ultimately back up the food chain to us. Therefore we are exposed to this risk and it is now more than just eating the beef, the pork or the poultry.

CDC links antibiotic-resistance illnesses to food

Antibiotics In America alone antibiotic-resistant bacteria infect 2 million people every year. these infections leads to death of 23,000 Americans every year but this is nothing in comparison to the estimation of the UK prime minister David Cameron that by 2050 antibiotic resistance will have killed 300 million people, with the annual global death toll reaching 10 million. This is really a big reason to worry.

CDC has also linked antibiotic-resistant illness to food. The CDC reports that 22 percent of those illnesses are caused by food especially the foods that are sourced from CAFOs.

The composition of your microbiome is somewhat like a fingerprint. It’s unique to you but, unlike your fingerprints, highly impressionable and constantly changing. As reported by Scientific American: “The ecology of the gut microbiome may trigger or contribute to a variety of diseases, including autoimmune disorders and obesity, research suggests. Factors such as early environment, diet, and antibiotic exposure have a lot to do with why people differ from one another in the composition of their microbiomes.”

Generally when your gut flora is unhealthy, then you will be predisposed to many health problems therefore eating these foods that may culminate into antibiotic- resistance illnesses are a big leap into a haven of illnesses that eventually causes many deaths. The CAFOs generally are harmful to your gut health and so are other foods that are genetically engineered to enhance growth and pump in more profits.

There is much more to the foods we eat than just getting full and equipping your body with the needed nutrients. The foods may also cause you diseases. These foods related illnesses need to be treated effectively through integrative medicine. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an expert at this. Call her on (843) 213-1480 for help.

Are The Antibiotics In Your Food And Your Meet Destroying Your Health?

Treating ALS With Stem Cell Therapy

May 2, 2015

Stem Cell Therapy As a possible Treatment of ALS

ALS ALS is an acronym that stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, it is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is rapidly progressive, fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells which are responsible for controlling voluntary muscles actions that we can control the leg, face and arm muscles. ALS is the most common disease of all the diseases in group known as motor neuron diseases, which are characterized by the gradual degeneration and death of motor neurons. These are fatal diseases that have not been very easy to treat.

The motor neurons are very vital communication links between the nervous system and the voluntary muscles of the body that are located in the brain, brain stem, and spinal cord. Messages from motor neurons in the brain are transmitted to motor neurons in the spinal cord and from them to particular muscles. This communication is interrupted by ALS which leads to degeneration of both the upper and the lower motor neurons and thus messages are not sent to muscles. After sometime the malfunctioned muscles will begin to waste away which eventually leading to the brain losing its ability to control voluntary movements.

Symptoms of ALS

ALS in most cases begins subtly and might be assumed but over a time it escalates into more devastating symptoms. some of the earliest symptoms that ALS victims have to endure include fasciculations, cramps, tight and stiff muscles, muscle weakness affecting an arm or a leg, slurred and nasal speech and difficulty chewing or swallowing. The physicians often use these symptoms as suspicion of ALS.

The symptoms will show on the part of the body where the muscle is affected most. however most of the times the symptoms often first show in the arms and hands and they will feel their arms and hands fail them in performing simple tasks such as lifting a spoon, dressing up, unbuckling the belt, writing or even opening a door. Otherwise the symptoms may show with the legs becoming affected leading to tripping and tumbling over. When the symptoms begin with either the arms or the feet, it is known as limb onset ALS but when the symptoms first show as slurred speech it is termed as bulbar onset ALS.

Once the disease has begun either through limb onset or bulbar onset, the muscle atrophy will spread to the rest of the body parts as the disease progresses. Such problems as swallowing, forming words, speaking and even moving will be experienced.

ALS is a serious disease but since now there is no conventional treatment that addresses the damage that is caused, therefore till now there is no cure for ALS and other motor neuron diseases. The only treatment available today for ALS focuses only on relieving the symptoms and improving the quality of life. Drugs that are currently used like Riluzole are not very effective and can never cure the disease.

Can stem cells help in treatment of ALS?

ALS The application of stem cells in treatment of various degenerative diseases has become so popular over a time. With ALS however the cause of muscle atrophy is not even known but still ALS is a degenerative disease and therefore if there is to be a treatment that is effective then it has to focus on correcting the damage on the motor neurons. There are researchers still working to find out what causes ALS and whether the stem cells can be used to treat ALS and other motor neuron diseases. There are different types of stem cells but mesenchymal stem cells have generated a lot of interest in researchers for their ability to heal.

Research on stem cells for treating ALS

The fact that the motor neurons are located in the brain and in the spinal cord make it very complicated to do research on the damaged cells. However there are some researchers who have braved this barrier to find some meaningful findings. A team of scientists at Harvard University in the USA used skin cells from an ALS patient to tackle this menace. The researchers began by first transforming the skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells lab-grown stem cells that imitate the actions of embryonic stem cells that have the ability to make all the different cells of the body. After growing these stem cells, the researchers then used them to grow motor neurons that had been damaged by ASL. This research was done in 2008.

Using stem cells as a therapy for ALS

The stem cells have the ability to form other cells and tissues of the body hence can be used to replace the damaged cells. They have also been found to be effective in regeneration of cells and hence are very useful in treatment of degenerative medicine. However there has been a thought that just transplanting lab grown stem cells may not help a great deal in healing those suffering from ALS. It is thought that there are a lot of factors that cause ALS, the transplanted stem cells may also be damaged. However there is still need for research in this area to unearth the possibility of the stem cells to treat the ALS.

Finally, Degenerative diseases have debilitated many people but it is treatable. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an expert in integrative medicine and a founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Center located at Myrtle Beach South Caroline. Visit her for more information on most lifestyle diseases.

Stem Cell Therapy As a possible Treatment of ALS

Stem Cell Treatment for Back Pain and Joint Disease

May 1, 2015

Relieve Chronic Pain without Surgery Stem Cell Treatment for Back Pain and Joint Disease

Joint diseases are known for the pain they cause. Then there is the back pain that many people are tied to without relief. There is little that is done to avail the much needed permanent relief to the patients enduring the chronic back and joint pains. To some people pain may be synonymous to addiction as that is where their addiction stemmed from. The common way of dealing with pain is to give the patients pain medication that in most the case is to help them endure the pain rather than correcting the mishap in the joints and promote healing. The opioids that are mostly used by pain patients often cause addiction and dependence when used for a long time. However there is now a ray of hope for these patients suffering from chronic back pain and joint diseases.

It has been reported that Medical researchers are trying a new treatment for low back pain. Their hope is that harvesting and then re-injecting the body’s own bone marrow which is rich in stem cells may repair worn-out discs in the spine and promote recovery. The stem cells have been a center of focus in degenerative medicine and several experiments that have been done on the use of stem cells for treatment of degenerative disease have raised hope of patients. Already there are doctors using the stem cell therapy in treating their patients suffering from various diseases.

The researchers are reported to have done a small study in which none of the patients reported any adverse effects on their pain after they were treated with the bone marrow derived stem cells. Therefore the study is deemed safe and effective. However the team of researchers admitted that there is still more research that is needed to be done on the area but still they maintained that it is a promising cutting-edge treatment.

“I tell everybody that this is experimental, with a capital E,” said Dr. Joseph Meyer Jr., an anesthesiologist and pain medicine specialist at the Columbia Interventional Pain Center, in St. Louis. “We don’t know if it works. I do believe that it’s safe, but it might not do anything for you.”

For the study, Meyer and his colleagues reviewed the case histories of 24 patients who were injected with their own bone marrow aspirate cellular concentrate (BMAC). Bone marrow concentrate contains adult stem cells, which have been called the body’s own repair kit because they can change into different cells and tissues in the body and potentially heal different kinds of tissues that are often affected by various diseases.

The patients that Dr. Meyer used in the experiment were reported to have suffered from chronic low back pain for anywhere from three months to 12 years and had had shown some evidence of degeneration, or damage, to the discs that cushion the bones of the spine. Disc degeneration is common with age, and it is thought to be a major cause of low back pain. Most of the times patients will be advise to exercise and reduce weight but if these methods fail to give any desirable results then the only option available for the patients has been invasive spinal fusion surgery.

“Fusion is a big, big step with questionable effectiveness,” he said. “Often, you’re back in the same boat a year later.”

As noted by Dr. Meyer, the invasive spinal fusion surgery is not really a lasting solution but rather helps temporarily as the problem will reoccur later most even more unbearable. He therefore opines that the stem cell treatment is potentially the best treatment that patients should consider before delving into spinal fusion surgery.

The healing potential of the stem cells

Joint disease From the experiment that Dr. Meyer conducted, a procedure that he did by using a long needle with which he harvested stem cells from the bone marrow of the patients and re-injected it into the spinal discs that had problems, half the patients used in the in the experiment went back to their other procedures over the next 30 months, making it impossible to know what might have affected their back pain. Of the other 12 who had no other kinds of treatment, 10 reported that their pain lessened in the two to four months after their injections. After a year, eight patients were still reporting significant pain relief, while three said their back pain had not improved. One patient had not yet reached the 12-month mark. After two years, five said their back pain was better, and three had no improvement. For the other four, it was still too early to tell.

Nevertheless, the healing powers of the mesenchymal stem cells have been hailed by different doctors, institutions and researchers. The stem cells owe their ability to treat to their unique properties; they are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods; they are unspecialized; and they can give rise to specialized cell types. It is these distinct characteristics of the stem cells that make them effective in treatment of degenerative diseases.

With research that has been done on the effects of stem cells injection in healing the patients suffering from joint pain and other pains, it can be concluded that there is more hope for those suffering from these diseases. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an expert in integrative medicine and a founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Center located at Myrtle Beach South Caroline. Visit her for more information on most lifestyle diseases.

Relieve Chronic Pain without Surgery Stem Cell Treatment for Back Pain and Joint Disease

Tag Archives: Disease