Tag Archives: Internal medicine

Holistic treatment

Educating drug users effectively

May 19, 2017
Educating drug users

Educating drug users effectively on the modalities of keeping their brain healthy by quitting drug use

Educating drug users effectively: Alcohol and drug addicts

Being quite while drugs and alcohol are ruining our societies is not an option. We all have a duty of educating drug users to ensure that drug use is brought to manageable levels. Good health is the most valuable gift we can ever have and we can’t afford losing it to drugs and misuse of alcohol. Therefore, the duty of impacting addiction knowledge to both users and nonusers must be prioritized. That’s why doctor Dalal Akoury MD President and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is advocating all people to be more empowered in addition literacy at the Integrative Advanced Medicine Institute (IAM Institute) where healthcare givers are trained to equip them wholesomely for the liberation of our societies from this scourge.

We appreciate that addiction being what it is, taking that bold decision may not be very easy for many people since addiction is something many would not want to associate with. But the most important thing is that we lend a helping hand to drug addicts and all alcoholics. Doctor Dalal Akoury MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are acknowledging that one common trait of many drug addicts and alcoholics are problems interacting with others in social situations. This is known as a lack of social skills. Sometimes this difficulty is what leads an individual to addiction in the first place. If this describes you, we want to invite you to enroll with IAM Institute for your enrichment and empowerment to make a difference. We’re aware that some people have been addicted to substances for such a long time that it has affected their social development. Therefore if anyone is lacking social skills, then that calls for social skills training.

When opting for social skills training for an alcoholic or drug addict then these are some of the things that you must be ready to take the following into consideration: you must be ready to learn how to interact with friends, family members and even colleagues at work. You must also know how to interact in social situations especially when drugs and alcohol will be served or present and finally you must take a firm stand in declining any offer to use drug and alcohol, in other words, you must be well armed with the refusal skills. That is to say when you say NO it must remain that way irrespective of the prevailing circumstances. Such training is offered at IAM Institute with doctor Akoury and her team of experts. Remember that social skills training is closely associated with behavior therapy to remove unwanted behaviors and replace them with desirable behaviors. It must be noted that for the desired result, social skills training may not be very effective on its own but when combined with other cognitive behavioral therapy treatments, its effectiveness can be realized.

Educating drug users effectively: Interpersonal relationships and substance abuse

Social skills training can teach drug and alcohol addicts how to relate with coworkers, friends, and family in a variety of social settings. Clients will learn such skills as Listening as well as talking; that is, two-way communication, empathy, understanding unspoken clues such as body language and assertiveness, and how not to be taken advantage of. These are essential and are only possible when users are well equipped with all the addiction knowledge they need to have.

Educating drug users effectively: Alcohol and drug addicts

 

 

 

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What Causes Neurodegenerative Changes

July 27, 2015

What Causes Neurodegenerative Changes

Neurodegeneration is a medical condition of the nerve system that generally refers to a gradual loss of neurons. It is a condition of damage to the nerve cells both in structure and functionality. Neurodegeneration changes also used to refer to the death of nerve cells. It is an age related condition of the brain. Neurodegeneration is however a blanket terminology. It involves several disorders. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD), HIV-related cognitive impairment, and Huntington Disease (HD) are just but a few.

  1. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)

This is degenerative brain condition that gradually erodes memory. Alzheimer’s disease AD distorts one’s ability to think clearly. It is characterized by progressive failure to solve simple numerical problems and inability to perform simple tasks. AD is reportedly the root cause of dementia. Based on several research findings, AD accounts to close to 70 percent of all cases of the brain disease. AD is one of the neurodegenerative changes that increase exponentially with age. It is even reported the number of Americans with the AD condition stands at well over 5.1 million. For an in-depth explanation of the disease please click on www.awaremednetwork.com.

AD is a genetically inherited condition. Chances of inheriting the disease are however minimal, at a low of 5% or less. Signs of the disease often begin to show at an age, 65. However there are forms of AD that can indicate early signs at as low as age 30. Early-onset Familial Alzheimer’s Disease (EOFAD) is one such. There are genetic materials that can increase or reduce proneness of a person to the disease but do not necessarily cause it. You may call up Dr. Dalal Akoury of integrative Addiction Institute and International Organization of Integrative Cancer Physicians for incisive information on genetic composition of AD and its transmission through generations.

nerve degeneration

Naturally the first sign of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is loss of memory especially about recent events. Memory lapses may also occur however not profound. An example of a person suffering early signs of these neurodegenerative changes is one asking the same thing over and over, even when that same question has been properly answered in recent prior conversations. While at home they struggle to find such small items like handkerchiefs or wallets. Ever wondered why some people constantly leave foods on the cooker? AD victims are actually worse in the kitchen. Their foods always burn. The disease often progresses from mild AD, Moderate AD to advanced stages of the Neurodenerative changes of Severe Alzheimer’s Disease. Eee…very crazy, I guess many of us are victims. This is why you must sign up for this year’s August integrative addiction medicine conferences. Click on http://www.integrativeaddiction2015.com for more information.

  1. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

This is a degenerative brain condition that often affects the motor neurons in adults. It is one of the most common forms of neurodegenerative changes in the U.S. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) often causes a discerned loss of neurons that normally connects the brain to the muscles. It affects both the dorsal superior motor neurons and the lower inferior neurons of the spinal cord in the rest of the body. This condition is well very popular in the U.S. according to population studies, the figures stand at an astonishing 5600 patients each calendar year, with well over 15 new victims every single day. Men are reportedly 20% more prone to this type of degenerative change compared to women. You may click on www.awaremednetwork.com to further research on ALS and the other neurodegenerative changes. Dr. Akoury will be of great assistance too in understanding genetic composition and transmission of the ALS.

Basic symptom of ALS involves a feeling of weakness in the arms. Other symptoms include clumsiness, stiffness, and slowness. Muscles in the said organs often become smaller as the disease progresses. Other symptoms; cramping and twitching even though are common in much healthier people, tend to be profound when one is nursing ALS. It is for the same reasons the degenerative change is normally ignored in its primary stages. ALS does not uniformly progress from one stage to the other in every victim. The disease is however worse at an advanced stage, paralysis. There are not specific laboratory tests to ALS however low co-ordination between the fine motor neurons always serves a good one. Again, there are various professionals attending this year’s August integrative addiction medicine conference, catch some of them via the above link. The speakers are carefully selected to handle a number of subjects across a wider array of medical problems you might be interested in knowing treatment of such neurodegenerative changes.

  1. Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD)

CBD is sometimes called Corticobasal ganglionic degeneration (CBGD). Clinically, It is similar FrontoTemporal Dementia (FTD). Just like the AD above, CBD is also characterized by loss of neurons and contraction of certain parts of the brain among them; the basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex. The disease is more often diagnosed in patients within the age brackets of 45 and 70. CBD is hardly genetically transmitted down the generations. The symptoms vary from locomotive difficulties to cognitive discrepancies. They are usually very unique. It is therefore advisable to refer suspected patients to a practitioner with good experience with the disorder. Consistent advances in scientific studies and research have led to a better understanding of CBD among other neurodegenerative changes hence improved medical care and therapeutic interventions.

NEURODEGENERATIVE changes

  1. Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)

This is a cluster of related neurodegenerative changes resulting from progressive deterioration of the temporary and font lobes of the human brain. In a case similar to that of AD, FTD greatly affects decision making, emotional control, speech and general behavior of the patient.

Frontotemporal dementia is a cluster of related conditions resulting from the progressive degeneration of the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain. These areas of the brain play a significant role in decision-making, behavioral control, emotion and language.

  1. HIV-related Cognitive Impairment

Thanks to antiretroviral interventions, effects of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) on the nervous system have declined. Few cases however still exist. HIV- related impairments can be broadly categorized into Asymptomatic neurocognitive impairments, mild neurocognitive disorder, and HIV-associated dementia (HAD). The first two categories barely have any visible symptoms. However the third category, HAD has from time to time indicated severe effect on the victims both clinically and on their daily life activities. As earlier mentioned, cases of HAD are however rare. The other form of neurodegenerative change is the Huntington Disease (HD), which affects the underlying neurons of the brain. You may visit any of the above links for more information on HD and the other neurodegenerative changes. Once again click http://www.integrativeaddiction2015.com for your chance to participate in the integrative addiction medicine conference mentioned earlier.

Neurodegenerative Changes

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Increasing hopes for those willing to escape addiction

July 24, 2015

Increasing hopes for those willing to escape addiction: Alternative addiction recovery options

Increasing hopes for those willing to escape addiction

Increasing hopes for those willing to escape addiction is the right thing that every one of us should do to help those suffering both directly and indirectly from drug addiction complications.

The kind of life demands in the societies we are living in today makes life very difficult especially for people struggling with addiction. Depression and stress are all written over us and we are often pushed to the wall to the point that we resort to doing wrong things to quench our life’s frustrations. Alcohol and drugs have become the silence to most individuals fighting the challenges of life. It therefore means that we all have a duty to play in bring back hope to the generation that is soon becoming hopeless. That is why we are purposing through this forum to candidly discuss this topic of increasing hopes for those willing to escape addiction. Like we have said that people are faced with different life situation and majority have resorted into drugs and are now dependence to these drugs. We are also aware that many are willing to kick out from their lives the substances they are abusing, but because of the addictiveness of those substances, they are unable. That is why we the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury we want to bring to you hopes of recovery.

Even though we are living at a time when there are a lot of people indulging into drug use, we are equally privileged that as opposed to a century ago when there were very limited treatment options for people struggling with addiction, we now have so many treatment options that can sometimes be confused or even lost for choice. And besides that there has been a growing number of evidence based treatments for addiction recovery and there are also countless alternative treatments. Amidst all these options that can be confusing, there is some good news about these new developments and that is at least now with the growing number of options, it can only mean that there is almost certainly going to be something to suit everyone. And that is what we want to ride on in this discussion.

Increasing hopes for those willing to escape addiction: Alternative treatment options defined

Alternative treatments fall under the category of alternative medicine, and this means that it lacks or has limited experimental or clinical evidence. The boundary between alternative treatments and conventional medicine is not always clear cut because it is possible for alternative treatments to become considered conventional medicine once there is enough evidence to support it. An example of this would be Aspirin which is based on a traditional herbal cure made from the bark of the willow tree. These alternative treatments can also be referred to as complimentary medicine.

Increasing hopes for those willing to escape addiction: Medical treatments for addiction recovery

It is regrettable that up until the twentieth century addiction was viewed as a common problem to do with moral failing instead of a medical problem. However in the last few decades there has been a shift in position, and this has led to the creation of addiction medicine. This absorption of addiction into medicine has increased since MRI imaging has established that addiction can lead to physical changes in the brain. Now instead of viewing this behavior as a moral choice it is more common for physicians to see it as a chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory, and related circuitry. Addiction medicine is still in its infancy but it aims to provide treatments that are evidence based and proven to work. With these discoveries, it is possible these days that addiction can be treated from scientifically approved medications and that introduces as to the discussion of evidence based addiction treatments as follows.

Increasing hopes for those willing to escape addiction: Evidence based addiction treatments

Doctor Dalal Akoury and her team of experts are categorical that evidence based treatments are those that are backed by reliable and quality research. In other words, these are medication which have been scientifically researched on tested and confirmed to be sound for a given treatment. In our context such treatments may include the following include:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for addiction has been extensively studied, and its efficacy is well supported. This uses a psycho-therapeutic approach to the problem.
  • There is good evidence that the 12 Step approach does work for many people. The research also indicates that it is not an approach that works for everyone.
  • The Community Enforcement Approach is gaining support within the literature. This involves supporting the individual in the community, and it is often combined with a voucher scheme.
  • There is reliable evidence to support motivational enhancement therapy as a means to help the individual gain the motivation to quit.
  • A number of pharmaceutical agents have been discovered that are of benefit to those looking to escape addiction. These drugs can make the withdrawal period easier or eliminate cravings.
Increasing hopes for those willing to escape addiction: Standard treatments and alternative treatments

Professionally doctor Akoury affirms that there is no need for people to choose between standard treatments and alternative treatments. She emphasized that these other approaches are referred to as complementary medicine because the idea is that they should be used alongside evidence based therapies. We must not allow ourselves to lose focus on the ultimate goal of eliminating all manner of addiction from our societies. In that spirit of staying focused, I want to conclude this discussion that increasing hopes for those willing to escape addiction is a worthy course and must be embraced by all means. That is why in her own wisdom and great concern to the suffering of many people Dr. 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. Remember that doctor Akoury’s practice focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. Ours is not just about increasing your hopes but ensuring that your addiction problem is professionally addressed and to hand you back your life for comfort and enjoyment going forward.

Increasing hopes for those willing to escape addiction: Alternative addiction recovery options

 

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The Neurochemistry of Female Sex Addiction

May 3, 2015

The Neurochemistry of Female Sex Addiction

Female sex addictionSex addiction is a problem that many people are battling with in the US and the world over. However in the past it was thought that men were the main victims of sex addiction but research has since proved that this is a lie as women are more prone to this vice as opposed to women. Another factor that makes women more of victims is the fact that generally society has always associated women who are addicted to sex as sluts while men who are addicted to sex are often thought as studs. The reality of the matter however is, both genders are at a loss when addicted but what makes it easier for men to find help is the fact that they are free and can express their problems when addressed by their therapists and this openness helps them find help. On the other hand, women afraid of all the negative tittles they will be associated are often afraid to open up and let the problem be known and this will manifest in various behavioral changes.

Orgasm and dopamine

Most people who engage in sex for recreational purposes are often in pursuit for the highest sexual climax otherwise known as orgasm. According Wilhelm Reich orgasm naturally helps in discharge of excess bio-energy with the additional liberation of feeling energy, and he also recognized the negative consequences of blocked sexual energies. However it’s quite unfortunate that in addition to exciting peaks, orgasms tend to produce powerful negative side-effects that are only now becoming better understood. This is due to predictable trends in hormonal activity which seem to be similar in all mammals to ensure certain evolutionary objectives, especially the wide mixing of gene pools and the safe raising of offspring. This is achieved with the following neurochemical changes.

As expected there are hormones that come to play; dopamine, the reward hormone; prolactin, the hormone of satiation; oxytocin, the cuddle hormone, and levels of androgen receptors, which all powerfully affect our mood, our desire for intimacy, our perception of our mate, as well as our susceptibility to addictive activities and substances. These hormones can also have different but generally related functions.

The levels of dopamine will abruptly fall and this will induce the usual withdrawal symptoms. The fall of dopamine is rather immediate in men while it takes time in women to occur. As the level of dopamine falls the level of prolactin will heighten and the androgen receptors fall after orgasm. Low testosterone in women is associated with irritability and anger. In sexually-satiated rats it has been shown that serotonin and endorphin levels also rise, and this also decreases dopamine and raises prolactin levels. Oxytocin levels fall after conventional orgasm but remaining in close contact may help to counter this drop and sustain oxytocin levels. It is the fall of dopamine to the lows that is associated with all the withdrawal effects and women, deprived of affection will engage in sex repeatedly to enjoy the magical bliss of dopamine heights during sex especially at orgasm. This is a ‘high’ that is often compared to the feeling those using drugs of pleasure often crave.

Apart from behavioral changes a female addict will suffer from disturbed hormone equilibrium that may last for a week or two, a period in which she will be battling these side effects; being more irritable, dissatisfied, and anxious or depressed. This is exactly the same process and length of time prolactin levels need to recover during withdrawal from cocaine.

Another stimulant that is involved in sex is the phenylethylamine (PEA). PEA is also present in cocoa and chocolate and elevates energy, mood and attention. PEA is produced in greater amounts when one is in love and when this stimulant is in low levels, a person will feel unhappy and deprived.

as mentioned in earlier article, most women get addicted to sex while in pursuit of love and affection, When a woman first fall in love she becomes bonded by rising PEA, oxytocin and dopamine levels .When she is are sexually aroused by close contact her dopamine level rises further and at the time of orgasm she will have a dopamine brainstorm which one researchers have compared to the effects of heroin on the brain. Dopamine is active in all addictions, even in people who have forgotten what sex is. Most of this activity is in the limbic system, the oldest part of the brain.

What causes addiction in women?

Female sex addictionThe honest truth is that what causes sex addiction women is until now poorly understood but researchers have pointed fingers at childhood neglect or abuse, such as physical or emotional abandonment or other forms of trauma. Most of females who are sex addicts are reported to have experienced sex abuse as children. Early child abuse of nearly any kind can impair a child’s ability to bond in healthy ways as an adult, leading to chronic relationship intimacy issues that can eventually morph into sexual addiction.

Research suggests that there’s also a strong neurochemical component to both eating disorders and sexual addiction. One can become addicted to the potent neurochemical rush that occurs during an exciting sexual or romantic encounter. This neurobiological blend includes highly satisfying dopamine as well as adrenaline, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins. Women suffering from emotional or psychological issues such as depression or anxiety and from childhood trauma or profound trauma as an adult can unconsciously use this neurochemical response to cope with stress and painful emotions. Compulsively reliving or re-enacting the pleasurable fantasies and experiences sets up an addictive cycle of using sex and sexual fantasies to control intensely painful emotions.

Integrative Addiction Conference 2015

Finally, sex addiction is not a light matter. It’s a problem that is still holding many women captives .This problem needs to be treated effectively through integrative medicine. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an expert at this. Call her on (843) 213-1480 for help.

The Neurochemistry of Female Sex Addiction

 

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