Opiate Use Leads To Decreased Sex Hormone Levels

November 13, 2014

Opiate Use Leads To Decreased Sex Hormone Levels

opiate addiction Opiates have been used for a long time in pain management. They are the best in dealing with chronic pain and so have been used worldwide to help patients with chronic pain especially cancer patients to cope with their pain and promote their recovery. The use of opiates in pain management however is little understood by the general public especially because the media has never portrayed them favorably. However the public are slowly waking up to the realization that opiates are not as bad as they are purported to be but are very essential in our hospitals to day. They have become a necessity for analgesia and patients undergoing chronic [pain have become dependent on them. Without these opiates the patients will suffer greatly.

The use of opiates in treatment of chronic pain has however been associated with deficiency in androgens. Testosterone is one of the most crucial hormones in the body as they are responsible for sex. In case deficiency in testosterone a person will suffer low sex drive. It may lead to hypogonadism which today is one of the problems that see men weep in the night for failing to rise to occasion and satisfy the sexual needs of their marital partners. Apart from hypogonadism and low levels of androgens, the long term use of these opiates may also cause such problems as adrenal dysfunction, pituitary dysfunction, and abnormality in growth and reduced bone density. When a patient has used the opiates for a long time it lowers the levels of testosterone, it is this hormone that is responsible for masculinity, bone density and even sound sex life. All these problems arise as a result of decline in testosterone and other sex hormones, opiates use being the cause of the decline in the sex hormones. Several studies have revealed that long term use of opiates in pain management causes opiate induced hypogonadism characterized by very low levels of androgens especially the testosterone hormones. The use of opiates in pain management has not only been linked to decline in sex hormones but also abnormalities in glucose and lipid metabolism.

There some side effects that patients who have used opiates in managing pain for a long time suffer, these side effects are often well managed through myriads of medical practices that may also involve hormone therapy to restore balance in hormones and help evade all the gross problems that are associated with deficiency in crucial hormones in the body. Specifically symptoms that are often associated with opiate induced hypogonadism include sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis, lack of libido, low sex drive, reduced muscle mass and loss of strength in men. In most study reports osteoporosis and poor sex functions are credited to low levels of testosterone hormone. Women are also not spared since long term use of opiates will also alter the functions of estrogen hormones making them prone to these symptoms as well.

Hormone supplementation

opiate addiction A patient undergoing opiate treatment will suffer these side effects but all will be well after some time when they have broken free from the dependence on these drugs. The levels of testosterone will surge to normal levels and so will estrogen in women. This process occurs naturally, however some people will opt for hormone supplementation which may work as the process of treatment is going on but doctors advise that this may not be good as it discourages the body to signal its natural hormone production.

Patients have suffered opiate induced hypogonadism but most cases go unrecognized hence the patients are not easily helped to deal with the situation. The decline in testosterone levels is caused by opioid drug inhibition of Luteinizing Hormone often abbreviated as LH. LH is a pituitary hormone which is involved in testosterone production. LH also helps in direct inhibition of testosterone itself. It also causes the inhibition of the entire endocrine system and adrenal hormone suppression.

Researchers have also found that it is not only opiates that are used in pain management that causes decline in sex hormones and all the other symptoms associated with the fall in level of those hormones. Another cause of decline in these sex hormones is the treatments that are used to help the patients to overcome dependency on these opiates. These substances may include methadone which is commonly used in treating patients who have become dependent on opiates after long term use to manage pain. As shown in a new study treating opioid dependence with methadone can dramatically lower testosterone levels with men being the victims.

A cross-sectional study of more than 1000 adults led by Dr. Zena Samaan showed that the men who were treated with methadone for opioid addiction had roughly one quarter of the testosterone found in the men who did not use opioids. This study shows how methadone has adverse effects on testosterone levels in men. In women however there was no notable change.

“We expected that men would have lower testosterone. That was not something new,” principal investigator Zainab (Zena) Samaan, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences in the School of Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, told Medscape Medical News.

“What was surprising was the magnitude of the reduction,” Dr. Samaan concluded.

She opined that doctors should be updated by following research findings on this issue so that they will know how to manage these symptoms that are associated with decline in testosterone. She encouraged doctors to check the hormonal levels of patients before putting them on opioid therapy and continue with this check in regular intervals to help manage testosterone levels.

There are various natural addiction treatment mechanisms that can help patients addicted to opiates other using methadone that may lead to decline in testosterone levels. Here at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center we encourage natural addiction training for physicians, Nurse, practitioners, Physician assistants and counselors so that they can avail a better alternative to opiates addicted patients. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is committed to availing help to every patient. Call on her at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

Opiate Use Leads To Decreased Sex Hormone Levels

Enzyme Therapy and Cancer

August 7, 2014

Enzyme Therapy As Used In Cancer Treatment

Enzyme Cancer treatments are known for quite severe side effects on the patients. Known treatment like chemotherapy and radiation therapy not only kill the cancerous cells I the cancer patient but also kill the healthy cells. This will lead to the patient’s getting more deteriorated as time goes by and may eventually lead to loss of weight, skin becoming darker and even hair loss. Pain associated with these methods of treatments cannot be underestimated. Researchers and doctors have been involved in lots of research work in a bid to get the best cancer treatment that is devoid of the disadvantages the conventional cancer treatment methods are known for.

Today, there are various ways through which cancer patients can be treated but your doctor may be helpful in identifying the best treatment you can get depending on whether the cancer is prostate, breast, mouth or even lung cancer. The doctor may also monitor your reaction to a specific treatment and decide whether to continue with it or adopt a better treatment for the disease. These discoveries are a breakthrough not only to cancer doctors but also to cancer patients have been seeking alternative treatment to the disease and the enzymatic therapy is one of the alternatives that the patients are trying their hands on.

Enzyme therapy as an alternative cancer treatment involves the patient taking supplements of enzymes. Enzymes are natural proteins which are very important as they stimulate and accelerate most biological reactions in the body. Digestive enzymes, which are mostly produced by the pancreas help in digestion as they break down food and help with the absorption of nutrients into the blood. Metabolic enzymes build new cells and repair damaged ones in the blood, tissues, and organs. The metabolic enzymes so are important for optimum cellular functions.

The history behind the enzyme therapy

Enzyme therapy is synonymous to John Beard. John Beard, who was a Scottish scientist, was the first person to use the pancreatic enzymes in cancer treatment in 1902. After this discovery the enzyme therapy was used by doctors in treatment of other diseases. Doctors in Germany are said to have used the enzyme therapy in treatment of such diseases as multiple sclerosis, cancer, and viral infections. The use of enzyme therapy has not stopped as some enzyme mixtures are still being used in other European countries.

The enzyme therapy was introduced in the United States in the 1920s by Dr. Edward Howell. Dr. Howell opined that by eating raw meat, people created an enzyme surplus in the body, which resulted in better health and increased resistance to disease. The doctor reasoned that the more the enzymes a person has in his body the efficient the normal bodily functions as well as the stronger immunity. Since the enzyme therapy was introduced in the United States, very many doctors have advocated its use especially as a part of the broader metabolic therapy regimen. Today there is an enzyme preparation that is being studied in the United States for possibility of being used alongside chemotherapy drugs in treating cancer patients.

Despite the fact that the enzyme therapy is widely used in treatment of cancer and other diseases, any well-designed studies showing that enzyme supplements are effective in treating cancer is not yet available. The major question that everybody asks and has kept enzyme therapy as an alternative cancer treatment quite controversial is that; enzymes when taken by mouth are broken down to amino acids before they are absorbed into the bloodstream, so how do they reach the tumors when taken by mouth?

The studies that have been done to verify the effects of the enzyme therapy on the cancer patients have borne different results. A study that was done in India found that taking enzymes helped to mitigate the side effects of the radiation therapy. Researchers however argue that the patients were not blinded, they knew they were taking enzyme supplements and so the results could have been achieved as a result of the patients’ expectations. Another study was done in Germany, in this study the patients were blinded as they did not know that they were taking enzyme supplements. This study did not show any positive effect of the enzyme therapy on the cancer patients.

There are other researchers in Eastern Europe who have tried to find out if this therapy is effective in cancer treatment. The general finding of these research works have showed that enzyme supplements may improve the quality of life and may generally have other benefits. Most of these studies sought to find out if enzyme therapy could be used in mainstream cancer treatments. These findings however were disputed on the basis that the patients were not blinded.

Enzyme Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez did another study that involved pancreatic cancer patients. The findings of this research were published in Nutrition and Cancer in 1999. The study found that patients who were treated with pancreatic enzymes survived longer than patients with pancreatic cancer who were not under enzyme therapy. However an expert oncologist recently disapproved of the findings.”The study was small and obviously prone to several biases. Not only is the comparison with national averages unadjusted for confounders, but the principal results are based on patient selection; twelve patients who did not comply with treatment were excluded from analysis.” The expert oncologist’s review stated.

Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an experienced integrative cancer doctor that has helped many cancer patients in their fight against the disease. She has worked hard not only in treating the disease but also in availing informational support to cancer patients at Awaremed which has become a place called home for many cancer patients. Call on her now and get help on cancer.

Enzyme Therapy As Used In Cancer Treatment

Homeopathy Treatment and Addiction

July 16, 2014

Homeopathy Treatment for Addiction

This is a natural method of treatment which is based on the philosophy that body has ability to heal itself. It is one of the oldest methods of natural treatment dating back to the late 1700s when it was founded in Germany. This medicine views symptoms of the illness as normal response of the body while it is in the process of healing itself. An interesting principle of this medicine is that, “like heals like” which means if a substance can cause symptoms when given to someone, it means the substance can be used to cure the illness if given small amount.

How does it work?

Since this medicine believes that giving a small amount of a symptom causing substance can heal the illness, it uses small substances which are diluted in water. These substances are diluted until no part of the original substance remains undiluted.

This kind of medicine is used to treat extremely wide range of conditions, which include physical conditions like asthma and psychological conditions like depression.

Is this medicine safe?

Yes. Homeopathic remedies are generally safe and they have no history of residual effects. The risks and side effects which may arise from the usage of these methods are clinically thought to be negligible.

Homeopathy Treatment

When is homeopathy useful?

If we look at history, homeopathy has been used in the maintenance of long-term illnesses such as:-irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis among others. They have also been used in the treatment of minor injuries including cuts and strains. This medicine is still useful in those areas, but it has been cautioned that homeopathy is not appropriate for treatment of illnesses such as heart diseases, cancer, major infections and emergency. This is for obvious reason that these kinds of illnesses require urgent treatment and failure to which they are known to pose life threat and one may die.

Where do I get these medicines?

As a matter of fact, homeopathy is not commonly available in most of the hospitals in the world. This is because homeopathy is normally practiced privately. However, there are hospitals and therapeutic health care centers which offer this important medicine. Are you now wondering where they are located? AWAREmed is your solution! We have homeopathy medicines in our store and professionals who will help you out. All you need to do is to visit us all call us for details.

How is the medication process?

The process or procedure which will be used when you visit a health facility for medication will vary, but a few things will always be common.

When you visit a homeopath for the first time, a point of interest will be to first grasp your health status and pointing out any specific health condition. Therefore, they will most likely ask you about any specific health condition, but also more importantly your general wellbeing, lifestyle, emotional state and even diet.

What happens next? Based on the information collected above, the homeopath will be able to decide on your course of medication. This treatment in most cases will take the form of homeopathy remedies given as pills, capsules or sometimes tincture.

It is important to note that the course of treatment will depend on the individuals and the homeopath’s assessment of your condition. It is also vital noting that, just like many other treatment and recovery methods, the results are always not instant especially in the view that this method that will rely on the body to heal itself after ensuring necessary conditions for recovery are maintained. Regular assessments by the homeopath may be consequently important to know the progress. Ensure that you keep in touch with your homeopath regularly for assessment of your progress.

What Can We Conclude About Homeopathy?

Homeopathy Treatment There are a few thing that we can conclude from this treatment, one of the outstanding ones being that there is no enough evidence to the believe that substances can that induce certain symptoms can be used to treat them. Also the idea of shaking those substances into water has not been proven whether it can produce a reliable medicine though it has in many cases healed patients.

It can be argued that, since the substances which are used in the shake to produce the medicine are usually diluted with water up to a point where the original substance parts are not available, it is likely that in the final medicine there will be no single molecule of the substance. What does this imply? It is possible for us to conclude that homeopathic remedies are nothing but water. Thus the argument of them being able to treat becomes questionable.

It is also possible that the people who use homeopath remedies see improvements in their health due to the phenomenon known as the placebo effect which is the power of the mind to influence the body. This is also referred to as “having faith”, something which will make you believe the medicine will heal you even if the medicine doesn’t have any capability to make any noticeable change. It is always important for us to be aware of the placebo effects before we judge the medication that we are undergoing.

Homeopathy Treatment for Addiction

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