Understanding connections between obesity and food addiction

August 21, 2015

Understanding connections between obesity and food addiction: When food becomes a problem instead of a source of energy

Understanding connections between obesity and food addiction is very real in the sense that both if not addressed in good time, can lead to serious and life threatening complications.

Is it really true that people can be addicted to food? If we need food to supply the energy we need in the body then does it make sense to insinuate that food can be very addictive? This is what we want to interrogate in this case study of understanding connections between obesity and food addiction. In the past we have been making reference to addiction as a dependence on any substance that causes the affected individual to feel powerless to stop. And because of this fact, millions around the world are today struggling with addictions problems, and surprisingly food addiction is among one of the most common forms of addiction that doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is going to help us rediscover as we progress into the discussion. Several studies have established that nearly 80% of gastric bypass pre-surgical patients suffer from food addiction. These studies, along with those of other investigators, also found that the behavioral biochemical causes and effects underlying food addiction are nearly identical to those of other self-destructive addictions.

Understanding connections between obesity and food addiction: Turning to food to cope with feelings of low self-worth

One of the most common behavioral characteristic of people who are suffering from self-destructive addictions is the feeling of not being good enough. The feelings of low self-worth in turn may cause a poor self-image, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, a need to over achieve and an intense and chronic fear of failure. These are not experiences that are not conducive for life and must not be given space to grow. Measures must be taken to prevent them however if they are already with us, then immediate treatment solution must be taken professionally. If you are struggling with any kind of addiction, you must never demine yourself for being in such situation instead you need to seek for help by calling doctor Dalal Akoury to schedule for an appointment so that your problem can be dealt with professionally in good time.

It is regrettable that some of the problems we have with addiction are society based. Studies have established that as a society, we have set certain unattainable standards which are very unreasonable and unrealistic for worthiness. So whenever one is not able to meet such they feel belittled and this is seen as of great impact to the addicts who are not only suffering from the negative feelings about themselves but are also struggling with the element of stress and failure to develop the stress coping skills or strategies. The dangers comes in the sense that instead of confronting life stressors directly or finding healthier ways to manage emotions such as through exercise, journaling, relaxation, spiritual care, therapy etc., the “addict” often seeks to avoid unpleasant feelings by eating, drinking alcohol, smoking, using drugs, gambling and various other ways of escaping from reality.

Doctor Akoury is reporting that according to one collaborative study it was established that more than 90% of pre-surgical morbidly obese patients use avoidance stress coping behavior to handle emotions, seeking comfort from negative feelings and stressful situations through the use and sometimes the abuse of food. And remember that there are strong associations between avoidance coping behavior, food addiction and lack of control over eating, with most food addicts feeling that they have no control over their addiction in spite of having complete knowledge of its negative social and health consequences. Nonetheless they compassionately recognize the adverse effects the addiction has on friends, family, and self, but feel powerless over such behavior. This generates feelings of guilt and remorse thereby worsening the addictions and setting in motion a vicious cycle of avoidance and abuse.

According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, negative feelings toward self, remorse, guilt and inappropriate stress coping behavior is likely to cause neurochemical changes within the brain which can adversely influence mood and cause a physical dependency for the addictive substance. These neurochemical defects occur in the limbic system of the brain, the area of the brain responsible for controlling moods and basic functions such as eating.

Understanding connections between obesity and food addiction: The Body’s Stress Response

When individuals are confronted with stressful situations, specific hormones are produced, which help the body to cope with the situation. One of the body’s stress response pathways, known as the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis, generates a series of brain hormones that eventually lead to production of cortisol by the adrenal gland. Cortisol helps to make available more sugar to the brain and other parts of the body to help cope with the stressful event.

Individuals who are under chronic stress (including those who have constant negative feelings of self) have an overactive LHPA axis. Hyperactivity of this axis has been reported in individuals who are obese as well as alcoholics, drug users, smokers and victims of early abuse or trauma. Elevated cortisol levels on an ongoing basis are not only harmful to health, but also harmful to mood. It can cause depression. It also affects mood by interfering with the actions of one of the brain’s major messengers, serotonin. Serotonin defects cause depression and anxiety. Many alcoholics, smokers, drug addicts and obese individuals suffer from depression and anxiety. Nicotine, alcohol and certain drugs increase serotonin activities and temporarily improve mood. These addictions are a means of self-medication.

Understanding connections between obesity and food addiction: Food as Medication

Carbohydrates also raise serotonin levels and enhance mood temporarily. Studies have shown that the majority of individuals who are obese crave for carbohydrates. Low serotonin and stress induced activation of the LHPA axis are also known to increase the risk for substance abuse and food addiction through another feel good pathway, the dopamine reward system.

The pleasure derived from substances such as alcohol, nicotine and certain drugs are, in part, due to the stimulation of dopamine. Eating foods high in sugar, fat or even the smell or taste of an individual’s favorite food activates the dopamine reward system, producing pleasure and satisfaction. Frequent use of addictive substances, such as nicotine, alcohol and food, reduces the pleasurable effects of the dopamine reward system so that more and more of the substance is required to derive satisfaction. Therefore to be safe if this description suits you, then you need to seek for help now by consulting with the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury and all your addiction problems will be addressed professionally leaving you comfortable and healthy to live your life to the fullest.

Understanding connections between obesity and food addiction: When food becomes a problem instead of a source of energy

Aromatherapy for people in drug addiction recovery

July 27, 2015

Aromatherapy for people in drug addiction recovery: Alternative therapies for people in recovery

Aromatherapy for people in drug addiction recovery can be a better option in finding the solution to the problem of drug addiction.

Because of the intensity of drug addiction in our communities, a lot is being done to minimize the effects of drug addiction. Even though there are significant improvement on the approaches taken today from treating addicts as people with weak morals to the realization that addiction is a disease that needs to be treated objectively, a lot more still needs to be done if we are to defeat this problem in its entirely. We spoke to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) and also the founder of the same and doctor Akoury is very categorical that recovering from an addiction to alcohol or drugs can pose a serious challenge, nonetheless, she acknowledges that there are many great resources available that can make the process easier. She continue to register that any minor discomforts that the individual experiences during the initial settling in period to sobriety may be challenging but all the same they are worth it owing to the accruing benefits to be gained by this new way of living. Professionally she says that it is very possible to reduce these discomforts significantly to their very minimum levels. One way of doing this is to make use of alternative therapies such as the application of aromatherapy for people in drug addiction recovery. This is what is going to form the basis of our discussion in this article and I would want to encourage you to stay on the link for more worthy health information about aromatherapy for people in drug addiction recovery.

Aromatherapy for people in drug addiction recovery: What is aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is one of the oldest practices that we can speak of today dating back for several centuries. It has been experienced by different cultures around the world – it is believed to date back to time immemorial to say the least. Doctor Akoury says that even though aromatherapy has not been scientifically proven, it is today classified as one of the types of alternative medicine for holistic treatment. It involves using various plant materials and aromatic ingredients in order to produce scents that are believed to be beneficial to the mental, physical, and spiritual health which are commonly under attack by the prevalence of drug addiction. The individual benefits from the properties of these mixtures which are administered to the body through inhalation with essential oils forming the bugger part of the ingredients used in aromatherapy. According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, it is important to appreciate that these essential oils are made from the oils of plants or other compounds. These oils are usually obtained by distillation which is the method of separating mixtures through boiling. The different essential oils that are created by this process are not only used for aromatherapy, but can also be useful in cosmetics and sometimes even food. It therefore means that there are very many different types of essential oils that are used for a multitude of purposes with one single essential oil being rich in up to a hundred different compounds inside it.

Aromatherapy for people in drug addiction recovery: How aromatherapy works?

The good thing about aromatherapy is that it is pocket friendly, in other words an individual can begin reaping the benefits from aromatherapy without having to spending much money. All that you will need is some essential oil and a diffuser. The purpose of the diffuser is to heat the essential oil so that it can enter the air as a vapor. There are also some aromatherapy products that can be directly inhaled or applied to the body. However, this should only be done with products designed for this purpose. If you ask me how pocket friendly are these oils then the response will surprise you because the essential oils vary in price with small quantities of 15 ml costing anywhere from $5 to $50 noting that these days it is possible to find things at much cheaper prices online. That is why it is important to only deal with a reliable supplier. Having talked about diffusers, it is important to appreciate that there are different types of diffuser available with some using candles while others will use a special electrical light bulb to heat the essential oil. It is usual to mix the oil with water in the diffuser. Doctor Akoury advices that patients must be careful enough to carry out thorough investigations about the types of products in the market to make very informed decisions on which product that will serve them better and deliver the healing.

Aromatherapy for people in drug addiction recovery: Aromatherapy benefits during recovery

Even though this is an alternative to addiction treatment, it is important to note that aromatherapy cannot cure addiction absolutely however its compounds can be of value to people recovering from an addiction. The following are some of the benefits of using these products:

Some essential oils can be effective at helping people relax. Ordinarily this can be very important for people in the early stages of recovery who often find it difficult to adjust to their new life free from the substances they were using before.
It is fairly common for people in the initial period of recovery to complain of a fuzzy brain this can occur as a result of the initial withdrawals or post-acute withdrawal symptoms (PAWS). There are some essential oils that can increase mental clarity.
Many people complain of difficulties in sleeping during the early days of recovery. Essential oils in evening will be able to relax them and put them in the mood for good and comfortable sleeping time.
Meditation can be of great benefit to those who are recovering from an addiction. Some people find that essential oils help them fall more easily into a meditative state although people need to be careful because if the aroma is too noticeable it will act as a distraction.
Some of these products can be good at lifting people’s mood.
There are oils that can help people reduce their anxiety levels.
They can also help lessen the impact of withdrawal symptoms such as body discomfort and nausea.

Finally the fight against substance abuse is never going to be over if we do not face it as it is and make efforts in its prevention. We as a society must pool together to have this scourge out of our communities and lives by engaging the experts who understand addiction squarely. For that reason I want to introduce you to the home of experts (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) under the able leadership of doctor Akoury for any concerns you may be having. If this means anything to you then you make that call today and schedule for your appointment with some of the veteran addiction experts in the medical discipline and all your concerns will be professionally addressed with lots of confidentiality.

Aromatherapy for people in drug addiction recovery: Alternative therapies for people in recovery

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

Naloxone and Sex Addiction

May 23, 2015

The Role of Naloxone in Sex Addiction

Naloxone Sex addiction is not yet recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as a distinct diagnosis and they coat it in names like hypersexual disorder but are just that, it doesn’t reduce the severity that those addicted to sex suffer. Sex addiction is one of the most common addictions today that many teens as well as adults alike are enslaved to. Sex addiction has been on the rise thanks to the digital age that has availed pornographic materials at the click of the button. Just like with other forms of addiction exposure to erotic movies, books and pornographic clips play a role in escalating the rates of addiction generally and increasing an individual’s chances of getting into the bottomless abyss of sex addiction.

However, there is a misconception that sex addiction is just about sex, Robert Weiss the director of Sexual Recovery Institute in Los Angeles is quick to rubbish this, he says that sex addiction isn’t just about sex but rather the obsession about sex. Sex addiction is characterized by compulsive sexual thoughts and actions. If a person has a sex addiction he will no longer have the power to control the sexual desires that will crawl his mind all the time. When a person is addicted to sex he loses his will not only in controlling his/her desire for sex but he will also lose focus on other aspects of life as his thoughts become caged in a sexual abyss.

Just like any form of addiction sex addiction has its share of darkness, when one is addicted to sex, he will suffer the consequences in all his spheres of life; socially, physically and emotionally. As have been evident those who are addicted to sex may never maintain any steady relationship and even they may become withdrawn and find it hard to easily mingle in social circles. Like in heroin addiction, the brain chemistry will be adversely altered; the neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin become dependent on the acts of sex as they will become the only avenue through which the levels of dopamine can be boosted. When this doesn’t happen they will exhibit down feelings and depression and anxiety will find their way in.

However, sex addicts should be treated with care and shown love as most of them never played a part in the events that culminated into sex addiction. Statistics have shown that most of those who are addicted to sex got there because of acts of sexual abuse they were subjected to earlier in their lives. Sex abuse is a leading cause of sex addiction. Nevertheless the cause of sex addiction doesn’t matter what matters is the menace is real and is underrated by the American Psychiatric Association. The addicts need help just like other people addicted to drugs and other behavioral addictions.

Some of the signs and symptoms of sex addiction include;

Like I stated earlier, sex addiction impacts your life in all spheres; socially, physically and emotional. But since I can’t tell all about sex addiction in a single post, I will not delve much into these categories of the signs and symptoms.

Sex with multiple partners– when a person has an obsession for sex he may not draw the redline to demarcate who he involves with sexually and who he doesn’t and so he may engage in sexual activities with even strangers and this may put him / her at risk of venereal diseases.

They may often suffer mental emotional torture as the feelings of guilt loneliness and fear may creep in their thoughts most of the times they are lonely. Feelings of emptiness may even catapult their urge to meet new sexual partners.

Treating sex addiction with naloxone

Today there is little literature on the effectiveness of naloxone in treatment of sex addicts. There have been few research studies that have been done on the same and even the very studies that have been done were done on a much smaller scope to communicate any reliable information. With this said, naloxone isn’t a new drug as it has been used in the past for treatment of heroin overdose and addiction to opioids. This drug has been a favorite for many addicts and doctors as it is non-addictive unlike other opiates like methadone. It has been particularly been found to be effective in treatment of addiction-induced respiratory depression. It is also useful in ultra-rapid detoxifications and helps restore balance in the brain chemistry. Naloxone is an antagonist and works by blocking receptors in the brain hence breaking the chain in reward mechanism.

Today the WHO still maintains that naloxone is an essential drug owing to its effectiveness in treatment of heroin addiction. Its use in health institutions all over the world is approved by the FDA. There is much to be done in order to show the effects of this drug on sex addiction treatment. There has been growing body of interest in its use in the area as it has been found to be free from abuse by those using as it is not addictive.

Sex addiction isn’t about sex, it is the obsession about sex and lots must be done to free anybody caged in this. We at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are committed to giving help to those addicted to sex. Could you be a victim of this menace, feel free to call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) for help.

The Role of Naloxone in Sex Addiction

Perpetual Fear of Exposure Ruins Relationship

May 21, 2015

Perpetual Fear of Exposure Ruins Relationship with Partners

Relationship Any form of addiction works on the addict as some form of self-soothing emotional escapade from all sorts of pressures and anxieties that addicts face in life as a result of the drug use or as a result of life complexities.

Addicts attempt to meet their primary emotional and mental needs with a substance or behavior which supersedes reason. No matter how much sex or pornography a person consumes, the core emotion with which they are struggling is unmoved, and the feelings of emptiness are exacerbated by the very “remedy” intended to bring relief. People free of addiction tend to meet those primary needs with healthy physical and relational behaviors that serve as a priority over other forms of connection.

When one partner in a marriage or relationship is a sexual addict, both partners will have to suffer. The extent to which each partner is impacted by the sexual compulsivity will vary depending on the type of addiction, the length of time he has been a victim, the pace of progress of the menace, the presence/absence of children in the family, presence of other co-occurring addictions among other factors. In every marriage, if a partner has sex addiction, the impact is enough to cause gross damage to the relationship or the family. There is therefore need for treatment so that the condition of the addict may not worsen. However, the partner who is not yet addicted also needs help.

A sexual addict will leave the partner feeling guilty and shameful and sometimes even bitter and these calls for counseling to help them eradicate these thoughts from their minds as they may escalate into more serious effects. These feelings will have a negative bearing on the relationship and the un-addicted partner may begin viewing him/herself as an object of desire that is abused and misused, with these thoughts he/she is bound to be distant and this creates discord in the relationship.

How can fear of exposure in a female sex addict ruin a relationship?

Fear of exposure causes a female sex addict to act in certain ways that jeopardize her relationships. The shame from her sexual acts and the fear of being exposed and rejected are powerful motivators that keep the sex addict trapped in isolation. She closes himself off, not realizing she’s creating a “vacuum of emptiness” inside. This “vacuum of emptiness” is unbearable and so she “fixes it” by acting out sexually. But her acting out only produces more shame and emptiness, and a vicious cycle sets in.

To try to run from the mess she is on the inside, she fakes it on the outside. Some will spend more of their time din their jobs and neglect the time they have for their partners; they mostly do this in hope that their success in their careers may fill their vacuums in love.

Some will turn to food, drugs, relationships and alcohol in pursuit of a fix for the vacuum they ail from, all these will only beckon more sexual acts that only make the relationship between her and her husband sour. However even after engaging in sexual activities with different people the hunger for more will be insatiable hence they will remain trapped in the behavior.

She becomes increasingly self-centered.

In her isolated state the sex addict becomes the center of her world. She becomes obsessed with acting out (or not doing so) her wants, problems, feelings and she also becomes very worried about what people think and say about her.

She obsesses about acting out, (or not acting out), her wants, her problems, how she is feeling at the moment, looking successful and what others think about her. She also becomes egocentric and judgmental making it hard for her to be understood and pleased by the rest of her family members; her children and husband as well as those in the extended family circle.

Her values will also change and she may become a person whose character is wanting and no one really would like to spend time with.

Her perceptions, values and decision making processes are distorted.

She doesn’t see how her decisions affect herself and others and she can’t see the devastating long term consequences of her choices. Her distorted ambitions and her insecure and narrow perspective leave her prone to making big mistakes when crucial decisions need to be made both in her personal and professional life.

She’s blind to the fact that the course she’s on is destructive to herself, her family, her employer and the church.

Fear causes fatigue and anxiety that affect general health.

relationship The stress sex addiction puts on her immune system and lowers it making the addict more susceptible to diseases like colds and other infections of the respiratory system.

Sexual addiction alters the shape of the brain and drains natural levels of serotonin. It also interferes with the nervous system and may also affect your sleep and energy levels will be drained. Depression and anxiety will find their way in and cause the mayhem they are known to cause; emotional instability. With depression they will be bound to use antidepressants to ease the tension and this may be a leeway to some ailments.

Fear of exposure by female sex addicts has far reaching effects on their social lives. At AWAREmed Health and Wellness resource center, help and support is available. Call Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) for expert advice.

Perpetual Fear of Exposure Ruins Relationship with Partners

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