Seeking the experts opinion about Pain Management

July 22, 2015

Seeking the experts opinion about Pain Management: Pain management health center

Seeking the experts opinion about Pain Management is very important because from there you will realize that it is not only medication that relieves pain. Other activities like exercise are also good for re leaving pain.

We have been making inroads in the line of pain management with a view of living a more comfortable life without pain. But we have also realized that pain will always be there with us as long as we live. This means that we have to device means and methods of living with it or better still ensuring that what we have as pain is manageable and has little or no effect on the comfort of our lives. For a couple of articles we have posted in the past we noticed that there are several kinds of pain and doctor Dalal Akoury MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center has been very instrumental in helping us put several things about chronic pain to perspective. We therefore want to introduce another dimension of looking at pain holistically by seeking the expert’s opinion about pain management in the current society. It is important to note that pain is a global problem and must be treated with a lot of seriousness it deserve. Take for example a country like America with a population of about 50 million people living with chronic pain this should be a serious point of concern. With such a huge population struggling with pain living a full and active life may be compromised and may seem like an impossible dream. If this is troubling you, then we want to give you hope that all is not lost and giving up must never be an option. Doctor Akoury says that in the event that the pain treatment you have tried doesn’t provide relief as you would want it to be, a pain clinic may help.

If you are wondering what a pain clinic is, then worry no more this is a health care facility that focuses on the diagnosis and management of chronic pain. Your specific pain will be addressed professionally in such facilities where professionalism is the practice. It is important to note that some of these facilities specialize in specific diagnoses or in pain related to a specific region of the body which can be an added advantage to your specific needs. These health facilities are also known as pain management clinics. Most of these pain clinics often use a multidisciplinary approach to help people take an active role in managing their pain and regaining control of their life. These programs are focused on the total person needs and not just the pain.

Seeking the experts opinion about pain management: What does a pain clinic do?

This is a very good question. Therefore it is important to note that even though pain clinics may differ in their respective focus and offerings, most of them involve a team of health care providers that can help you with a variety of strategies to manage your pain. These health care providers are likely to include doctors of different specialties and gifting’s as well as non-physician providers specializing in the diagnosis and management of chronic pain. These providers may include psychologists, physical therapists, and complementary and alternative therapists such as acupuncturists or massage therapists. Together, they will put together a pain management plan for you.

Seeking the experts opinion about pain management: Strategies for pain relief and management

When you visit any of the pain clinics your therapy plan will be tailored to your specific needs, circumstances, and preferences. And just for your consumption, depending on the cause of your pain, the administration of treatment may include one or more of the following:

Medications in many cases, patients are prescribed treatment before receiving other forms of therapy. Medications for pain may include:

Non-aspirin pain relievers – These drugs, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), relieve minor pain and are sometimes combined with other drugs to provide greater pain relief.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – These are available over the counter or by prescription, these drugs may include ibuprofen (Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn) are used to treat pain and inflammation.

Corticosteroids – Available only by a prescription, these cortisone-like drugs are used for more severe inflammatory conditions.

Opioid pain medications – this morphine-like drugs are often prescribed short term for acute pain or for cancer pain. Occasionally, doctors prescribe them for chronic, non-cancer pain.

Antidepressants – Originally designed to treat depression, these drugs can be useful for relieving certain types of pain. Antidepressants may also promote sleep, which can be difficult when you are in pain.

When you are struggling with certain pain and you are seeking for treatment, it is important for you to appreciate that many at times it is not going to be medication alone. Ideally medications alone may not be enough to treat chronic pain. Other treatments may be more effective than medications, and medication may be more effective when combined with other treatments. Therefore the other available treatments offered by pain centers may include:

Injections – Local anesthetics, sometimes combined with a corticosteroid, may be injected around nerve roots or into muscles and joints to relieve irritation, swelling, and muscle spasms.

Nerve blocks – If a group of nerves, called a ganglion or plexus, causes pain to a specific organ or body region, injections with local anesthetics may be useful for blocking the pain in that area.

Physical and aquatic therapy – A physiatrist (doctor specializing in rehabilitation medicine) or physical therapist may prescribe a specially tailored exercise program to increase function and decrease pain. Other physical therapy options at pain clinics may include whirlpool therapy, ultrasound, and deep-muscle massage.

Acupuncture – This ancient Chinese practice involves inserting very thin needles at specific points on the skin to relieve pain.

Psychological support and counseling – Although pain is a physical sensation, many people in pain suffer emotionally with feelings of anger, sadness, and hopelessness. Dealing with unrelenting pain can affect your ability to hold a job, maintain a home, meet family obligations, and relate to friends and family members. Psychological support, along with medical treatment, can help you manage your condition.

Relaxation techniques – In addition to counseling, mental health professionals can teach you self-help techniques such as relaxation training or biofeedback to reduce stress and relieve pain.

Surgery – Although sometimes surgery is clearly necessary to relieve a problem that is causing pain, it is often a treatment of last resort. If pain has not responded to any other treatment, surgery on certain nerves may offer relief and allow you to resume normal activities.

Seeking the experts opinion about Pain Management: How to Find a Good Pain Clinic

If you decide you want to try a pain clinic, your doctor should be able to refer you to one that offers services to help your specific pain problem. If your doctor cannot help you, try the following:

Your local hospital – Ask your local hospital or medical center if they have or are affiliated with a pain treatment center. If the hospital does not have one, ask to speak with their department of anesthesiology, which may have doctors on staff who can refer you to a different hospital.

Organizations – Organizations that support pain research or advocate for pain patients may be able to help. Like for instance, you may call the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

Because there are many forms of pain treatment and not all centers offer the same services, it’s important to do your homework before you consent to treatment. Find out what types of pain therapies are offered, what the specialists’ credentials are, and if they have successfully helped others with your type of pain. Finally if you have any concern about pain doctor Akoury will be able to help you out in the most professional way call her today.

Seeking the experts opinion about Pain Management: Pain management health center

Coping with chronic pain and Depression

July 21, 2015

Coping with chronic pain and Depression: Things you need to do when in pain

If coping with chronic pain and depression is giving you helpless night, then you need to seek for help immediately. Early treatment will go along way is dealing with the problem effectively.

Pain is one thing that we will always live with and we cannot just wish away. If you have not been in any kind of pain the probably you don’t know what pain is and so I will take time to briefly describe to you what pain is. According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, doctor Akoury says that medically pain could derived its meaning in relation to a sensation that hurts. It therefore means that there will be no pain without being hurt, feelings of discomfort, distress and in other times agony and this will also depends on the severity of the pain. When in pain you must be able to understand that generally pain can either be steady and constant and in such cases you may feel some aches. Besides that it might be a throbbing pain – a pulsating pain. The pain could have a pinching sensation, or a stabbing one. From the definition, we can comfortably say that it is not practically possible for one or those who suffer from chronic pain to feel stressed and depressed at times. This is no surprise, given the fact that “chronic pain” usually means pain that lasts more than three to six months. Nonetheless prolonged pain appears to set up a pathway in the nervous system that sends pain signals to the brain, even in the absence of an underlying anatomical problem. Therefore to understand the significance of pain well we are going to focus our discussion on the possibilities of coping with chronic pain and depression. Doctor Dalal Akoury MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center will be sharing with us more about pain from a professional point of view.

Besides that it is important to appreciate that some chronic pain may be due to a diagnosable anatomical problem, such as degenerative disc disease or spinal stenosis that can cause continual pain until successfully treated. More often, the chronic pain has no clear anatomical cause, as in failed back surgery syndrome or chronic back pain without an identified pain generator. In such cases, the pain is itself the disease. Yet again for some people, the stress and depression resulting from chronic pain can become consuming, and can even worsen and prolong the pain. Increased pain can, in turn, lead to increased stress and depression, creating a cycle of depression and pain that can be difficult to break. To be fairly safe from all these pains, there are certain things that we can do to prevent, manage or minimize chronic pain and depression. The following are some of the things you can do:

Coping with chronic pain and Depression: Minimizing the chances of developing chronic pain

Talking to a physician about symptoms of depression or stress, or a history of depression, while still in the acute pain phase can alert a physician to the need for consideration of both conditions in creating a treatment plan for the patient’s spine health. While one patient may demonstrate a full recovery from the initial injury, a patient who is more prone to depression and stress, shows signs of depression and/or stress, or who has a history of clinical depression may be more vulnerable to developing a chronic pain problem that persists beyond the initial acute pain complaint. An informed physician can suggest a treatment plan early on that treats the patient’s mental state as well as their physical pain, minimizing the chances of the patient developing a chronic pain problem.

It is advisable for patients to talk with their doctors if they experience any of the following common symptoms of depression that is changes in sleeping patterns, appetite and feelings of anxieties.

Remember that stress a lone can manifest itself in several ways. Therefore it is important for patients to seek their doctor’s opinion if they think or believe that they are displaying symptoms characteristic of stress-related back pain, which are similar to those of fibromyalgia: Back pain and/or neck pain, diffuse muscle aches, muscle tender points and sleep disturbance and fatigue. Besides that doctor Akoury says that chronic pain can also be exacerbated by things such as physical de-conditioning due to lack of exercise and an individual’s thoughts about the pain. Patients can help thwart their pain from developing into or minimizing chronic pain by engaging in an appropriate exercise program and practicing distraction, guided imagery and other cognitive techniques.

Coping with chronic pain and Depression: Stress triggers that can increase chronic pain

Patients can monitor how their own stress and anxiety affects their back pain by keeping a diary of when their back pain changes and what kinds of stress could be triggering the pain. This exercise can redirect a patient’s focus from the pain to the elements in their life that affect their pain. Identifying stress triggers or emotional triggers that affect the pain will give the patient the opportunity for better pain relief through avoiding or eliminating these stress triggers. Recognizing how depression and stress affect their pain can lessen anxiety by giving patients more control over their chronic pain problem.

Coping with chronic pain and Depression: Share your experience about depression

Doctor Akoury says that depression and an emotional reaction to chronic pain are normal. However many patients do not speak to their physicians about their depression because they believe that once the initial pain problem is resolved, the depression, anxiety, and stress they are feeling will go away. Nevertheless, secondary losses from a chronic pain problem, such as changes in the ability to do favorite activities, disrupted family relationships, financial stress, or the loss of a job, can continue to contribute to feelings of hopelessness and depression. Therefore talking to a physician about your feelings of depression will keep the physician better informed and better able to provide appropriate care. Remember that depression can affect the frequency and intensity of pain symptoms, and the healing process. In the meantime it is important to appreciate that getting simultaneous treatments for both the back pain and depression is healthy and will give the patient a better chance of realizing a full recovery.

Coping with chronic pain and Depression: Seek multi-disciplinary care for pain and depression

Did you know that by sharing your story with your physician about the challenges of depression, you can be creating an opportunity for a multi-disciplinary course of treatment involving both a physician and a mental health professional? This is very possible and with a team approach formula, both the pain problem and the depression are monitored simultaneously, and both doctors can communicate about how each area affects the other. It’s important for physicians to understand that changes in the physical symptoms of pain can also be related to changes in a patient’s mental state. Finally remember that even as you seek for these medications, some common treatments for pain, including opioid pain medication, can actually worsen your depressed situation. This worsening depression can then affect the physical presentation of the pain. Therefore if both physical and mental well-being is being monitored closely by medical experts, treatment and medication recommendations, including antidepressants, can be made that take both the physical pain and the emotional health of the patient into account. There are a lot more that can be done to remedy the situation. Therefore you can schedule for an appointment with doctor Akoury for more professional guidance today.

Coping with chronic pain and Depression: Things you need to do when in pain

Addressing complications of Depression and Chronic Pain

July 21, 2015

Addressing complications of Depression and Chronic Pain: What is chronic pain?

Addressing complications of Depression and Chronic Pain is something that needs to be done continuously for stability in life and health

Chronic pain can be described as any pain that lasts much longer than would be expected from the original problem or injury. Up on registering chronic pain in the body, the body is likely to respond in various ways. There are certain facts that we need to understand clearly and we are going to be relying on the expert’s opinions from the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury. And to start us off doctor Akoury says that chronic pain may be characterized by abnormalities in brain hormone, low energy, mood disorders, muscle pain, and impaired mental and physical performance. Chronic pain worsens as neurochemical changes in your body increase your sensitivity to pain and at this point you begin to have pain in other parts of your body that do not normally hurt. Ordinarily nobody would want to be subjected to any kind of pain and that is going to be our focus under the topic of “addressing complications of depression and chronic pain.” So many questions have been raised by many of you and doctor Akoury is going to respond to them as we progress into the discussion. In the meantime you may want to schedule for an appointment with the expert (doctor Akoury) today for a one on one professional advice.

Addressing complications of depression and chronic pain: What happens with chronic pain and depression?

This is a worthy concern and for sure when you are struggling with both chronic pain and depression, you’ll definitely have plenty of company. It will interest you to note that depression is one of the most common psychological issues facing people who are suffering from chronic pain. This problem if not addressed timely can really complicates the patient’s conditions and treatment. The most worrying thing is that prevalence of these problems is escalating on a daily basis. Like for instance according to the American Pain Foundation, they have registered that about 32 million people in the U.S. alone have had pain lasting longer than one year. And about one quarter to more than half of all the population that complain to their doctors registering depression. And on average up to 65% of those depressed individuals are also complaining of pain and yet again those people whose pain limits their independence are especially likely to get depressed. These statistics are a reflection of how depression and pain are a serious threat globally. It has now become an epidemic that must be addressed from all quarters if we want to enjoy comfort in life says doctor Akoury.

Addressing complications of depression and chronic pain: Is there a cycle of depression and pain?

One would not be punished for saying that pain is a trigger of depression. In fact it has been established from various studies that pain can provoke an emotional response in everyone. Like for instance if you struggling with some pain, you may also have high anxiety, irritability, and agitation. These are very normal accompaniment feelings when you’re hurting. Even though this is so, the good news about all this process or relations is that under normal circumstances, as pain subsides, so does the stressful response. However with chronic pain, you’re likely to constantly feel tense and stressed. Nonetheless with time, the constant stress can result in different emotional problems associated with depression. Doctor Akoury says that if you are suffering from these chronic pains and depression then you are likely to experience some of the problems: Altered mood, work issues, fatigue, physical deconditioning, financial concerns, chronic anxiety, weigh gain or weight loss, anger, social sleep disturbances, isolation, legal issues, confused thinking, family stress, reduced sexual activities, fear of injury, decreased self-esteem and irritability.

Addressing complications of depression and chronic pain: Why is there an overlap between depression and chronic pain?

Scientifically some of the overlap between depression and chronic pain can be explained. It has been established scientifically that depression and chronic pain have a common denominator and that is, they both share some of the same neurotransmitters brain chemicals that act as messengers traveling between nerves. Depression and chronic pain also share some of the same nerve pathways.

Besides that it is important to note that the impact of chronic pain on an individual’s life can also contribute to depression. In fact chronic pain can exact pressure and force you to struggle with tremendous losses, such as the loss of exercise, sleep, social network, relationships, sexual relationships, even a job and income. These losses can make you feel depressed and bring a total change in your life and even to that of your loved ones. With this depression will then magnify the pain and reduces your coping skills. It therefore means that when you used to exercise and be active when you felt stressed, with chronic pain you can no longer deal with stress in this manner.

Experts while carrying out research, they compared people with chronic pain and depression to those who only suffer chronic pain. It was established from that research that those who suffer with both depression and chronic pain report: more intense pain, less control of their lives and more unhealthy coping strategies. Therefore since chronic pain and depression are so intertwined, they are often treated together. In fact, some medications can improve both chronic pain and depression. That is why you need to seek for a more professional input if any of these discussions suits your situation. You may be wondering on where to begin, we are here to help you do the right thing and with the right people. Remember that Dr. Akoury made a decision to create a medical 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. This is what doctor Akoury intends to achieve if only you can schedule for an appointment with her today.

Addressing complications of Depression and Chronic Pain: What is chronic pain?

Addiction changes brain structures and their functions

July 18, 2015

Addiction changes brain structures and their functions: Addictions’ Effect on the Cerebral Cortex

Did you know that addiction changes brain structures and their functions all for the wrong reasons? What you smoke, drink or inject could affect your brain functions badly.

The brain as an organ is a single unit which is driving the whole body daily operations. It is composed of many different parts otherwise known as regions and structures. The brain’s main role is that of transmitting effective communications to various parts of the body. This communication system enables the various regions and structures to coordinate their activities well. Each of these regions and structures are independent and serves different purposes. One of the biggest enemies to these regions and structures is the problem of drug addiction. This condition can alter these regions and structures. Besides that, addictions can also alter the way brain regions function. Therefore in this article, we are going to discuss the regions and structures that are affected by the addictive process. It is therefore very important to appreciate that addiction changes brain structures and their functions in very many ways. And going forward, we will be relying on the expert opinions from doctor Dalal Akoury and her team of experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center in reviewing the brain’s role in some of the commonly observed problems associated with addiction including the following:

Impaired decision-making, impulsivity, and compulsivity
Drug-seeking and cravings
Habit formation, craving, withdrawal effects, and relapse triggers and
Stress regulation and withdrawal

Addiction changes brain structures and their functions: Impaired Decision-making, Impulsivity, and Compulsivity

The cerebral cortex is the outer most layer of the brain. The cerebral cortex is further divided into four areas. These four areas are: the frontal lobe (or frontal cortex), parietal lobes (left and right), temporal lobes (left and right), and occipital lobes (left and right). Each area is associated with certain brain functions: One area of the frontal cortex is called the prefrontal cortex. It has a vital role in higher-order functions. These functions include language, spatial learning, conscious thought, judgment, and decision-making. The process of addiction can negatively affect this area and alter its functioning.

Addiction changes brain structures and their functions: The prefrontal cortex

This enables us to make rational, sound decisions. It also helps us to override impulsive urges. If acted upon, these impulses urges can cause us to act without thinking. This is usually not in our best interest. For instance, suppose I’ve had a bad day at work. I may have an impulsive urge to tell my boss exactly what I think of her. To act on this impulse is not in my best interest. Fortunately, my prefrontal cortex is functioning quite well. I still have my job!

Obviously, this ability to inhibit impulses is very helpful. It enables us to function well in society. It protects us from harm by allowing us to consider the consequences of our actions. However, when the pre-frontal cortex is not functioning correctly, the opposite occurs. Addiction causes changes to the prefrontal cortex. These changes account for two characteristics of addiction: impulsivity and compulsivity.

Impulsivity is the inclination to act upon sudden urges or desires without considering potential consequences. Sometimes people describe impulsivity as living in the present moment without regard to the future. On the other hand, compulsivity is a behavior that an individual feels driven to perform to relieve anxiety. Once a person performs the compulsive behavior, the anxiety goes away and restores comfort. Thus, the presence of these behavioral characteristics in addicted persons indicates that changes to the prefrontal cortex have occurred. Unfortunately, these changes also make the discontinuation of drug use more difficult.

When we talk of addiction changes brain structure and their functions, the message being delivered is that an addiction is a process that coordinates the transition from impulsive to compulsive behavior. Impulsivity occurs during the early stages of addiction. During this phase, people impulsively act on powerful urges to experience the pleasure of their addiction. Anxiety is not associated with the urges during these early stages. Instead, addiction reflects acting on impulsive desire to receive immediate pleasure from the drug or activity. People are not considering the future consequences.

Addiction changes brain structures and their functions: The shifting progress of addiction

As addiction progresses a shift begins to occur. At this point, the compulsive aspect of addiction takes hold. When this shift occurs, people are no longer pursuing their addiction solely for pleasure. The compulsions compel them to participate in their addiction to relieve anxious, uncomfortable feelings. These may arise at the mere thought of stopping the addiction for any reason (supply shortages, lack of opportunity, etc.). At this later compulsive stage, “pleasure” comes in the form of relief from these anxious, uncomfortable feelings. Thus, despite the negative consequences of addiction, the addictive behavior continues in a compulsive manner.

Another way to describe the pre-frontal cortex is to think of it as a braking system. The pre-frontal cortex acts as the brain’s brakes. It sends out signals to inhibit particular behaviors or actions. When addiction damages this brain area, it limits the brain’s ability to control other behavioral systems as well. Imagine how difficult it would be to operate a car without brakes. At this point, we might say the brain is “high-jacked” by the addiction. The prefrontal cortex also projects to other brain regions associated with addictive problems. These include the reward system; memory and emotion; and stress regulation centers of the brain. Therefore, damage to the prefrontal cortex may further interfere with the functioning of these other brain regions as well.

Although addiction damages the brain’s brakes (pre-frontal cortex) this is not to say there is a complete loss of control. We are not slaves to our biology. We have a tremendous amount of control over our actions. This is true even when impulsive and compulsive forces are operating. This recognition is vitally important if someone wishes to recover from addiction. When a person consciously decides the costs of addiction outweigh its benefits, they become motivated and able stop. This allows them to actively counter the effects of addiction on the pre-frontal cortex and other brain regions. Therefore if this description suits your situation, then you are in the right path and calling doctor Akoury today will go a long way in helping you solve all the addiction problems you may be having.

Addiction changes brain structures and their functions: Addictions’ Effect on the Cerebral Cortex

How does substance abuse affect the brain

July 17, 2015

How does substance abuse affect the brain: The most dynamic and complex organ of the body

The question everybody is asking is “How does substance abuse affect the brain?” This organ must be protected by all means from all kinds of addictions.

The brain is the engine that drives the human body. If the brain is healthy, then it will process all the information given to in in a healthy manner, in the same way if it is struggling with an impurity, the processing of information will also deliver impure result. Therefore we need to understand the brain well if we want to get full optimum from it. We must also care for it well and keep it safe from all substances which are likely to bring damage to it and that is why we want to focus our discussion on how does substance abuse affect the brain. This is a very wide topic and for a couple of times we will be running a series of articles touching on the effects of addiction to the brain. Remember that the brain is the most dynamic and complex organ in our bodies. I believe that you are interested in finding out how to care for this most vital organ of your body. Therefore it will do you good to keep on the link to find out more from the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury. According to these experts, the proper functionality of the brain delivers quality assurance of our very survival. Doctor Akoury says that when our brains (the human brain) functions well, we are constantly adopting or adjusting to our environment (our surroundings) changes well. What many may not know is that this smooth adaptation is the work of our brain. And ironically, it is the brain’s ability to be so adaptive that contributes to the formation of all manner of addictions. From the various studies conducted by researchers across the globe, it has been established that addiction has direct effect to the brain and that it causes changes to the brain in at least four fundamental ways:

Addiction causes changes to the brain’s natural balance (homeostasis).
Addiction alters brain chemistry.
Addiction changes the brain’s communication patterns.
Addiction causes changes to brain structures and their functioning.

With the help of the professionals we have on board from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, we are going to discuss each of these fundamental changes that come with the effects of addiction to the brain progressively.

How does substance abuse affect the brain: Addiction changes the brain’s natural balance homeostasis?

One of the fundamentals in our response to the question of discussion “how does substance abuse affect the brain” is that addiction will always change the brain natural balance which is scientifically known as homeostasis. The truth is that addiction interferes with an important biological process called homeostasis. Scientifically the human body is considered as a biological system. All biological systems attempt to maintain a “normal” balance, known as homeostasis. Doctor Akoury says that the brain actually functions as the administrator of this balance by making various adjustments where is necessary to maintain a balanced, well-functioning, biological system. Each person’s “normal” balance is individually determined. Drugs of abuse and activity addictions lead to changes in this normal balance.

Chronic over-stimulation of the brain (like that which occurs in addiction) interferes with the maintenance of this balance (homeostasis). When the brain has difficulty maintaining homeostatic balance, the wonderfully adaptive brain makes adjustments. It does this by creating a new balanced set-point. The creation of a new balance is called allostasis. This may not be very clear to many, but let me make it simpler by using a daily life illustration. Take for instance if you add more weight by 20 units, you will try fitting into your clothing’s despite the discomfort. But with time this will not be bearable and so you will have to adapt to the new body size by buying new clothes that will fit you well. Once this is done you will be more comfortable and at this point you will get used to the fact that your cloths are now large size and not medium or small sizes as it used to be and in the process your homeostasis balance changes from medium to large. And with this adjustment you become comfortable again. Nonetheless the reverse can also take place in the future where the added 20 units may be lost to keep healthy and when that happens you will be compelled to make further readjustment to your clothing size by buying smaller sizes. Therefore even though at this moment you will be healthy due to the loss, you will still need to make an unpleasant and costly adjustment by buying smaller clothes. This is very similar to the unpleasant adjustment the brain must go through when people try to give up their addiction. Although this is a positive change, we will be uncomfortable while the brain makes readjustments to suits the present circumstances.

How does substance abuse affect the brain: The brains ability to cope?

I hope that the concept is coming out clearly from the above illustration. But nonetheless even with the brain’s wonderful ability to make the readjustments, these changes are still causing significant changes to the brain’s functioning. And in fact it is these changes that account for many behaviors associated with addiction such as:

The powerful and lustful need to obtain drugs or continue with the indulgence of harmful activities despite the harm to self or loved ones
The difficulty of quitting an addictive drug or activity, and
The obsessive, all-consuming nature of addictions such that little else in life matters

This is because addiction caused the brain’s balance to change to accommodate the addiction. Once changed, the brain requires the addictive substance or activity in order to maintain this new homeostatic balance. Finally we all have a duty to keep our health above board and the brain is playing a key role in ensuring that this dream is realized. Therefore anything that makes the brain to function improperly must be the biggest enemy to us. I am talking about substance of abuse. Drugs and alcohol are not helping us in anyway. All we get from them is poor health and social discrimination. I want to offer you a solution if you or anyone you know is struggling with any form of addiction. You can schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for a one on one sharing of what you are going through and she will in the most professional way offer you lasting solutions to all your concerns.

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