Tag Archives: Substance abuse

Workaholism-An Addiction Or A Quality To Be Appreciated?

December 4, 2014

Is Workaholism An Addiction Or A Quality To Be Appreciated?

workaholismNo company would be willing to employ a lazy bone, someone who will not take his work seriously, takes the least time at work and yields too little, very social but not very committed to the staff goals and objectives. Such a person has no place in the employment world. Every company would be willing to employ people who are committed to the company goals and can go an extra mile like working overtime when need be for the benefit of the company, somebody whose work helps the company to achieve great milestones and increases the output of the company. However we need to know where the boundary lies as there are people who will spend all their time in the workplace ignoring the other facets of life, they are engraved in the jobs they do so much that they become synonymous to their offices, they spend most of their lifetime working and they seem not know when to stop working and attend to their other facets of life- the workaholics.

What is Workaholism?

This refers to compulsiveness about working; a person who is subject to workaholism is referred to a workaholic. He cares more for work than any other thing to him he will work even if what he is doing is unnecessary, life without work means no sense to him. Workaholism is something that has not been addressed well and so many people who are suffering from this situation may be blinded by mere congratulations that they receive by bosses who might be aware these people’s relationship with work is abnormal. In fact the workaholics are exploited at the expense of their own social lives, they suffer broken families and some do not even marry as they are always at work and do not even attend social events where they could meet their potential spouses. Workaholics can only be good employees but are very poor in parenting and so are mostly involved in family feuds. Workaholism involves excessive time spent working, preoccupation with work to the exclusion of other life facets, loss of control over the parameters of one’s work and disenchantment with work, and negative social, emotional, and health consequences. The etiology of workaholism is not clear but may pertain to persons with compulsive personality traits, who are driven to work harder than that demanded from work contexts, and who have learned to place work as a main means of gratification compared to other lifestyle alternatives. As they spend most of their time occupied with work seeking gratification through work they may become affected health wise and so there is need for workaholics to professional help.

Is it an Addiction or a Quality to be appreciated?

Work addiction unlike other addictive life practices like sex, drug use and even gambling is little understood. There is scarcity of literature on the issue of work addiction and therefore a gap for those seeking to know more about workaholism. The subject of workaholism or addiction to work has been debated and still is being debated as to whether it is a quality to be appreciated or a serious problem that needs professional help. While many employers have viewed workaholics as a productive people workaholism has been linked to some issues both socially and as a family. In one study it was found that workaholics burden their children with roles as they are mostly away working and cannot accomplish most of their responsibilities, their children therefore begin their parental roles much younger and when they are still incapable to handle such stuff. Some of the problems that are associated with work addiction include the following.

Frustration and agitation

Just like any other person chained to other addictive behaviors a person who is addicted to work will suffer when they are forced to stop working even for just a day. They will be agitated and frustrated as work has become their only source of measuring success. It is therefore clear that workaholism is just another addiction that should be addressed just as much as drug addiction and other addictive behaviors like gambling. The fact that there is no law that workaholics break by overworking has only made matters worse for families of these people.

Low energy levels

Workaholics suffer  low energy levels as they always have work that never stops spilling over to other aspects of their lives, workaholics can stop doing other healthy practices like exercise and good nutrition just to continue working and can lead to other health issues like obesity and even increased risk to other diseases some symptoms that have been seen in workaholic include; sleep disorders, weight gain , role conflicts with fellow workers , taking sick-leave , high blood pressure, anxiety and depression and physical pain that may be caused by strain in the body muscles. These people lack control of their work and are overcommitted therefore leading to emotional exhaustion.

Workaholism

Conflict both at work and home

Workaholics are not very social people. They do not value relationships and hence spend most of their time away from their families therefore they create a gap that they ought to fill as parents- spending time with those who depend on them. This often results in conflict that may even cause a breakup between a man and his wife. Needless to mention children of workaholics grow up craving for parental love as most of the time their workaholic parent will be away from them. At work their over commitment nature will always create a gap between him and other employees as he is always in a hurry trying to accomplish a lot therefore will not have time for lunch break charts and grapevine engagements that work well in creating a bonded work family.

Finally, the topic of work addiction has attracted lots of debate but still there is little literature on this issue but from the negative aspects associated with it, it is clear that it is not really profitable to a worker. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is committed to availing help to addicts by availing some of the most integrative approaches to healing an addict chained to any behavior. Call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

Is Workaholism An Addiction Or A Quality To Be Appreciated?

 

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Severe Mental Illness and Substance Abuse

December 1, 2014

Persons with Severe Mental Illness Are Prone To Substance Use

Severe Mental illnessPeople with severe mental illness (SMI) are more prone to substance abuse than those who are not suffering from severe mental illness. Both epidemiological and clinical studies that have been done on this have attested to this fact. The findings of these researches have also pointed out that Individuals diagnosed with SMI are also at greater risk of hospitalization, homelessness and suicide and experience more difficulty in different spheres of their lives. Most studies have shown that individuals with SMI are more prone to substance abuse. However other studies that have been done on the same issue have not linked the two phenomena. The substances used most frequently by persons with SMI are alcohol, followed by cannabis and stimulants. Sedatives and hallucinogens are used less frequently by those with SMI. Amphetamine use is greater in persons with psychotic disorders compared with the general population. Studies have shown that both cannabis and, to a greater extent, amphetamines can provoke psychosis. Because individuals do not use cannabis or amphetamines alone, but use them in combination with several other substances, examining the effects of the use of a specific substance on mental illness is particularly challenging. A review showed that substance use has adverse long-term effects on cognitive functions in persons with SMI. The substance that has been found to affect the individuals most negatively is alcohol while cannabis use has little influence on the cognitive functions of the individuals.

Several studies have shown that many people with SMI tend to achieve full remission of their substance use while others relapse frequently. Research from different treatment settings indicate that 30 per cent of those with less severe mental illness and heavy substance use attain sustained remission, while up to 60 per cent of those with SMI and less severe substance use attain sustained remission.

There is however a lack of studies on how persons with SMI experience abstaining from substance use. Nevertheless, research on substance use by clients without the comorbidity of mental illness indicates that social support is important to successful change in behavior of these people. Clients claim that they benefit from interventions that address their multiple recovery issues as opposed to ones that emphasize recovery strictly in sobriety terms. Another qualitative study has noted the participants’ view that highly structured programs and cognitive behavioral techniques are crucial to achieving abstinence. Not only is sobriety a lifelong struggle for many clients, but also is perceived as a challenging state because of the risk that the person becomes complacent after achieving sobriety. This may indicate a need for substitute dependency to maintain the abstinence.

It is of importance to examine how individuals with a psychotic disorder experience quitting substance use and to investigate reported experiences of former abstinence periods by participants still using substances. Two qualitative studies with a primary focus on how persons with SMI experience abstaining from substance use have reported that clients view substance use as one of many sources of difficulty over a troubled life course and that social support is critical to staying clean, lack of support in most cases makes it difficult for these individuals to quit using these drugs. One ethnographic study of clients’ perspectives showed that giving up substances was seen as a source of both pleasure and pain, and presupposed a certain level of rationality.

Study findings

In a study done by Henning Pettersen, Torleif Ruud, Edle Ravndal and Anne Landheim with an objective to find out experiences of abstaining from substances of persons diagnosed with SMI. They examined both the reasons given and the requirements and strategies used when abstaining. The main reasons for quitting substance use were social relationships and meaningful activities. It was found that the stated requirements and strategies used in the search for sobriety were detachment towards people and places, positive thinking, controlling feelings and emotions, and fear of dependency. A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews was conducted, and a descriptive and explorative design was applied. This study included a purposeful sample of 11 patients with SMI and substance use being treated by assertive community treatment teams. Henning et al concluded that the results from this study are consistent with those from other qualitative studies on the importance of social relationships and meaningful activities as expressed reasons for abstaining. The strategy of actively avoiding a former adverse milieu to reach sobriety is consistent with findings from one similar study. The strategies of fear of adverse consequences, positive thinking, and controlling feelings and emotions found in the present study have not been reported by other qualitative studies.

The study had eleven participants of which nine were men and two were women. The ages of the participants were between 27-63 years. Most of the participants had a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, but persons diagnosed with bipolar disorder or an unspecified psychotic disorder also participated. For most participants, SMI had preceded their substance use. The treatment of the participants took duration of between 14-30 months after the first interview.

Severe Mental illnessCannabis and amphetamine were the main substances used in the study but alcohol and other prescription drugs were also used to a lesser extent. However most of the participants used a combination of the substances. At the time of the study four of the participants were abstaining from substance use. Their abstinence periods ranged from 3 to 18 month. At the time of the first interview seven of the participants were still using substances. By the second interview, the abstainers were still abstinent and the users had continued their use. The abstaining group and the group of users did not differ significantly in their psychiatric diagnosis or history of substance use. The 11 participants shared their experiences of shorter and longer periods of abstaining from substances. Some of them talked of their abstaining periods retrospectively, and some were abstaining at the time of the interview. From the findings of this study it is therefore safe to conclude that people suffering from SMI are more prone to substance abuse than people who don’t.

Finally, We at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are committed to availing help to addicts by availing some of the most integrative approaches to healing an addict. We advocate for natural healing to all kinds of addiction. Call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

Persons with Severe Mental Illness Are Prone To Substance Use

 

 

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Intoxication, Reward and Tolerance

November 25, 2014

Neurobiology of Intoxication, Reward and Tolerance

RewardAs stated earlier, neurobiology is the study of cells of the nervous system and how these cells are organized of these cells into functional circuits that process information and influence behavior. Neurobiology is a sub unit of both biology and neuroscience. Neuroscience is much broader as a scientific study of the nervous system than neurobiology. Neurobiology helps us to understand how the neurons are affected by whatever we ingest. The neurons as you and me now know are very crucial as they are the chemical messengers that transmit signals to initiate certain crucial responses. However these neurons are often affected by drugs of abuse that in most cases depletes them rendering them incapable to function normally. As studied earlier in our brain there are different neurotransmitters that perform different purposes to ensure that all functions of the brain are well attended to. There are inhibitory neurotransmitters as well as excitatory neurotransmitters and the balance between these neurotransmitters must be achieved for better functioning of the brain but these drugs of abuse interferes with these balance by causing depletion of certain neurotransmitters creating an imbalance between the different categories of the neurotransmitters in the brain. In this article we try to find out how intoxication, reward and tolerance come about to users of alcohol and other drugs.

Intoxication

According to World Health Organization (WHO) intoxication is a condition that follows the administration of a psychoactive substance and results in disturbances in the level of consciousness, cognition, perception, judgment, affect, or behavior, or other psychophysiological functions and responses. The disturbances are related to the acute pharmacological effects of, and learned responses to, the substance and resolve with time, with complete recovery, except where tissue damage or other complications have arisen. They further explain that the term intoxication is a term that is commonly used in alcoholism and is the same in meaning to the common term drunkenness. Alcohol intoxication manifests in such symptoms as slurred speech, unsteady gait, disorderly conduct, impaired judgment, slowed reactions, loss of memory, vomiting, euphoria and insensibility among others. Alcohol has contents of ethanol among other fermented stuff. When taken ethanol will produce its depressive effects on certain areas of the brain resulting in physical and mental impairments. These problems will continue as the level of alcohol consumption is increased, therefore more alcohol means more intoxication.

Here is what happens in the brain

When alcohol is taken it increases the effect of the body’s naturally occurring neurotransmitter gamma amino butyric acid (GABA). As I mentioned earlier neurotransmitters are substances that chemically connect the signals from one nerve to the next allowing a signal to flow along a neural pathway. An inhibitory neurotransmitter (alcohol) reduces this signal flow in the brain. This explains how alcohol depresses both a person’s mental and physical activities. When you take alcohol 20% of ethanol will be absorbed into the bloodstream from the stomach while 80% is absorbed from the small intestines. However the more the ethanol stays in the stomach the slower it is absorbed into the bloodstream and the lower the peak in blood alcohol concentration. This is why when a person takes alcohol with empty stomach he will be intoxicated within such a short time. The food in the stomach normally slows the rate of alcohol absorption lowering the peak in blood alcohol concentration.

The reward system

The reward system is mainly dominated by the excitatory neurotransmitter known as dopamine. This hormone gives the brain its ‘high’, the euphoric feelings that is commonly sought by people who use drugs of recreation. Close to all addictive drugs directly or indirectly target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, cognition, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. The overstimulation of this system, which rewards our natural behaviors, produces the euphoric effects sought by people who use drugs and teaches them to repeat the behavior. The persistent release of dopamine during chronic drug use progressively recruits limbic brain regions and the prefrontal cortex, embedding drug cues into the amygdala through glutaminergic mechanisms and involving the amygdala, anterior cingulate, orbitofrontal cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the obsessive craving for drugs Despite dopamine being the dominant neurotransmitter in the reward system there are also other neurotransmitters that work to modulate both the reward system and the psychomotor effects of addictive drugs. However there is still little literature to support this and so dopaminergic system is still the biggest consideration when reward system is to be tamed. Naturally the balance between the excitatory neurotransmitter and the inhibitory neurotransmitters enables proper functioning of the brain but with drugs the drugs will suppress the inhibitory neurotransmitters flooding the brain with dopamine which is the fuel behind reward.

RewardUnderstanding tolerance

Tolerance refers to a situation when a person ceases to react to a drug in initial doses and therefore higher dosage is needed for the effects to be achieved. This normally happens when a person has been using the drugs for a long time. This is common in the use of opioids in pain management, the patient will cease to respond to initial dosages and therefore need higher dosages to calm the pain. For example, morphine is often used for pain. It works by binding to opiate receptors where it triggers the inhibition of an enzyme called adenylate cyclase that orchestrates several chemicals in the cell to maintain the firing of impulses. After repeated activation of the opiate receptor by morphine, the enzyme adapts so that the morphine can no longer cause changes in cell firing. Therefore higher dosages will have to be administered for the pain to be calmed.

Finally, Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is committed to helping all people trapped in drug addiction. Call on her today at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

Neurobiology of Intoxication, Reward and Tolerance

 

 

 

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Shared Medical Appointment: An Innovative Practice Model

November 22, 2014

Shared Medical Appointment: An Innovative Practice Model

A visit to a physician can always be such a tense moment. This is often characterized with a lot of anxiety and high expectations on the part of the patient. As a patient you want to get well. Yet you are also torn between the desire to get well and the fear of negative outcomes. It is usually worse with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions, asthma and ulcers.

It is based on such considerations and a hoard of others that it becomes necessary for the medical practitioner to adopt a method or initiate one that is more likely to make the medical appointment a less excruciating experience.

If the practitioner is able to turn the tension of the moment into a fun filled experience then it is a definite straight up success. It is not just the victim who enjoys the benefit of the experience with the medic, rather, the medical expert also stands to derive considerable gratification from handling a satisfied patient. No palm wetting, no forehead sweats; just a cool and non-tense exchange between a medic and his or her patient.

Impetus for the shared medical appointment approach

The shared medical appointment can be said to be resulting from the above line of considerations, to make the experience a natural process.

This shared medical appointment model, also referred to as group visits, cluster visits or problem solving drop-in group medical appointments (DIGMA) has been orchestrated with the core objective of inspiring the medical practitioner to come up with, implement and appraise shared medical appointments chiefly for patients with diabetes.

The model is basically an innovative approach that has a distinctly different methodology as opposed to the usual diabetes education classes. It involves a group of 12 to 16 patients meeting up with a doctor, medical assistant, behaviorist, nurse, and dedicated documenter for a time period of one and a half hours.

The traditional diabetic classes on the other hand usually address self-management techniques, the question of exercise and recommended nutrition for these patients. The group visits provide medical evaluation, the coordination and provision of precautionary services, mechanisms of adjusting medication, all which often miss in the ordinary diabetic classes.

The model succeeds in its conception as being innovative since it is found to improve the care offered to conventional patients of chronic disorders which primarily include diabetes as well as asthma, coronary disease, and urological conditions by aiding the use of available resources far more efficiently.

shared-Medical-appointments

The majority of successful shared medical appointment programs have included an element of case management and between-visit care coordination. The program is traditionally headed by a nurse, a physician or nurse practitioner.

If you set up a limited component of care management for group of patients who attend the programs of these cluster visits the program can be quite a useful step toward a wider use of care coordination within your field of practice.

A patient of diabetes may use these shared medical appointment programs in the place of a primary care or they can as well alternate the two sets of care arrangements: group visits and the one-on-one care units.

Other than the group education services typically offered in group visits, collective problem-solving, focused secluded or partially private health evaluations which allow for personalized medication adjustment; the programs may also involve ordering of referrals and preemptive services.

The sessions may always vary. They may go from one hour to even several hours depending with the physician-patient arrangements. Each session may have a varied number of attendees, with the typical maximum being 20 persons.

Benefits of the Group Visits Model

shared-medical-appointment Past medical records have indicated that patients generally enjoy interacting in a shared form of environment. There are less cases of tension associated with medical situations and this can always provide a lot of encouragement to those who attend the sessions while providing them with essential tips that may not be received in a short medical visit.

Physicians also benefit from the change of pace typical of these programs and have a chance to innovatively and much more thoroughly attend to the matters presented by chronic disorders which are common in most of the primary care circumstances.

Evaluations of the shared medical appointments have also reported a general increase in satisfaction levels of the patients and clinicians along with improved quality of care offered in the cluster situations. There have also been a reduction in the aggregate emergency section and specialist visits by these patients. This indicates a general possibility of increased perfection in following the directions provided during the sessions.

What makes the cluster visits even more beneficial is the communal environment created by the group approaches. Patients are able to share experiences freely and feel relieved by the existence of certain critical but shared experiences. It is human nature that you feel better when you know that you are not alone in your situation. Just the environment alone, the sight of many people supposedly in for the same course is enough to relax a patient’s nerves.

The patients attending the sessions are able to share their concerns collectively and get responses. This may help in two different ways. A patient who is either shy or simply unwilling to ask a pressing question may benefit from another patient asking the same. Secondly, a patient may get response to a question that he or she might have forgotten to ask the nurse or the physician in attendance. In general, the patients learn from the healthcare team in session, from one another as well as from the environment itself.

About the doctor

Dr. Dalal Akouri has years or experience attending to patients with various life threatening chronic illnesses and is proud to have improved the lives of such patients. You too can join this vast community of patients who have seen the fruits of her work by contacting het today.

Shared Medical Appointment: An Innovative Practice Model

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Recovering Addiction; Natural Medicine

November 18, 2014

 Natural Medicine for the Recovering Addiction

There are problems that we suffer from today that can be easily solved if we leaned on Mother Nature. We however have been blinded and tied to the orthodox treatment standards that do not offer lasting solutions to our diseases. Most if not all of the orthodox medical interventions focus on treating the symptoms of a disease and not on healing the person wholly. Addiction is one problem that many people have suffered from and still many people are stuck to even today. The biggest problem with Recovering Addiction  is that to help the addicts to stop using the drugs other substances are used to help satisfy their cravings these substances may make them dependent, they will not be able to feel normally without using the substances hence giving rise to severe withdrawal symptoms whenever they try to creep out of them.  The addicts therefore need to explore some of the most effective healing approaches that can only be availed by nature. The natural medicine has been used in fighting addiction for a long time. In most Asian countries the natural addiction treatments are used by many are greatly preferred.

People turn to substance of abuse for a momentary salvage from their physical and emotional problems but after along use of such drugs their physical and mental health becomes greatly debilitated. The nervous system becomes affected and the entire body becomes unable to perform most of its functions effectively. To effectively treat an addict a more integrative approach should be used to ensure that not only the symptoms are treated but the entire system that is affected by the use of the drug is rectified and the person can enjoy life without fear of addiction to the substance troubling him in the future.

Recovering Addiction

Recovering Addiction

Natural medicine is focused on the patient, Recovering Addiction

Most of the healers who use natural medicine in curing recovering addicts are integrative in their approach to healing the patient. This focus on healing the patient aims at detoxifying the body and all the affected systems by the long-term drug use, replenishing all the needed nutrients that the use of the drugs had depleted in the body and boosting the immunity of the addict to be able to resist the urge to indulge in drug use. The treatment is therefore focused on whole person healing. The drugs o not only affect the physical being of a person but affects the entire trinity; the body the spirit and the mind. With such a treatment everything about the addict changes including his behavior.

After along use of drugs the body loses some of the most valuable nutrients, therefore it is crucial to have these nutrients replenished during the recovery process. Some of these crucial minerals and vitamins that are depleted after long use of drugs include; calcium, magnesium and even zinc.

Detoxification is a crucial process in addiction recovery, the liver and the digestive system should be cleansed and the nervous system strengthened and restored treating any type of debility in the nervous system. Some of the crucial minerals and vitamins that are available naturally and in bio-friendly forms that can be supplemented to benefit an addict include;

Zinc– zinc is a mineral that plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism. As said earlier the use of alcohol and drugs of abuse causes a zinc deficiency. Low zinc levels can cause liver deterioration and diminished functioning of the reproductive organs, immune system, and skin. A recovering addict should supplement zinc using Zinc picolinate which is considered bio-friendly.  Eating foods that are rich in zinc like pumpkin seeds can also help an addict.

Calcium– Calcium is one of the most important nutrients for strengthening the nervous system. Caffeine, sugar, alcohol, and other drugs often cause the body to eliminate calcium. Caffeine, for example, has been shown to double the urinary excretion of calcium. Several studies have demonstrated low serum calcium levels in alcoholics. Low levels of calcium and magnesium levels are often the root of irritability, muscular spasm, and pain experienced by alcoholics and drug addicts. A recovering addict should consider 1000 mg of elemental calcium per day in divided doses, preferably at the beginning of meals. Nutritionists however advocate for green sources of calcium.

Herbs that can be used to promote healing in recovering addiction

Thunbergia laurifolia– This herb is commonly used in Thailand for detoxification. This herb is potent enough to cleanse the body of harmful; effects of the long-term use of drugs and alcohol. It also works well in reducing fevers. In a recovering addiction it may help in clearing all the debris of alcohol and drugs.

Dandelion– This herb is widely used in Europe as an excellent liver detoxifier and mild diuretic. It increases the flow of bile and encourages both the transformation and transportation of nutrients. It has been used historically to treat liver disorders, arthritis and gout. In the Recovering addiction it will ease the transportation of nutrients in the body and restore energy in the cells.

Recovering Addiction

Recovering Addiction

Ginkgo – this herb has many medicinal properties. It is known to increase energy by enhancing cellular glucose uptake. It is also a scavenger of free radicals. Its other benefits include; it encourages peripheral circulation and improves short term memory. It is good for a recovering addict as it’s improves cognitive functions.

Finally, Here at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center we are committed to availing help to addicts by availing some of the most integrative approaches to healing an addict. We advocate for natural healing to all kinds of addiction. In case you are struggling with addiction just call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

 Natural Medicine for the Recovering Addiction

 

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