Real concerns for smokers desiring to quite

September 4, 2015

Real concerns for smokers desiring to quite: Finding solutions to all your smoking frustrations

Please don’t because I understand the real concerns for smokers desiring to quite. I appreciate but no thank you.

Until you get there you may not understand the magnitude of the real concerns for smokers desiring to quite their smoking habits. The desire to quite is often very high in most smokers, but they are always pulled down by environmental events, social and physical events. Speaking to experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, it is very evident that smokers are easily angered, frustrated and irritated, they are anxious, depressed and often are worried about their BMI. These are some of the real concerns for smokers desiring to quite that we want to focus on in this article as follows.

Real concerns for smokers desiring to quite: What can I do about anger, frustration, and irritability?

Anger and frustrations are a common occurrence after one opts for quitting smoking, at this point you may feel jittery and short-tempered, and you may even want to give up on tasks and assignments more quickly than usual. Because of this you may be less tolerant of others and easily get into more arguments with people even at the slightest different in opinion. Over the years experts have been researching on the link between anger, frustrations and cigarette smoking and it was established that the most common negative feelings associated with quitting smoking are feelings of anger, frustration, and irritability. These negative feelings are always at their highest within the first week of quitting and may last for 2 to 4 weeks. For easy management of these negative feelings the following are some useful hints:

In all you do always remind yourself that these feelings are temporary and will fade with time.
Engagement actively in physical activities like taking a walk is very important.
Reduce from your diet caffeine by limiting or avoiding coffee, soda, and tea.
Try meditation or other relaxation techniques, such as getting a massage, soaking in a hot bath, or breathing deeply through your nose and out through your mouth for 10 breaths.
Always consult with your doctor about nicotine replacement products or other medications before you can administer any in your body.

Real concerns for smokers desiring to quite: What can I do about anxiety?

Doctor Akoury is registering that the feeling of anxious is almost becoming a routine every time one make effort of quitting. Ordinarily within a time spun of 24 hours of quitting smoking, you will most likely feel tense and agitated. You may also feel tightness in your muscles especially around the neck and shoulders. According to the various studies conducted in the past it has been established that anxiety is one of the most common negative feelings associated with quitting. Therefore if anxiety occurs, it builds over the first 3 days after quitting and may last 2 weeks. We can therefore apply the following tips in the managing anxiety:

Remind yourself that anxiety will pass with time.
Set aside some quiet time every morning and evening a time when you can be alone in a quiet environment it will help you remain focus objectively.
Engage in physical activity, such as taking a walk.
Reduce caffeine by limiting or avoiding coffee, soda, and tea.
Try meditation or other relaxation techniques, such as getting a massage, soaking in a hot bath, or breathing deeply through your nose and out through your mouth for 10 breaths.
Consult with your doctor about nicotine replacement products or other medications.

Real concerns for smokers desiring to quite: What can I do about depression?

It is normal to feel sad for a period of time after you first quit smoking after all you are losing something that you originally loved so much. Therefore progressively this mild depression will occur and normally it will commence within the first day of quitting and may progress for a couple of weeks, and disappear within a month. However if you have a history of depression which is associated with a more severe withdrawal symptoms including more severe depression then such depressions need to be treated in isolation as it may be an indicator of a more serious problem. Many people have a strong urge to smoke when they feel depressed and therefore the following tips may be helpful for you in the management of your depression:

Call a friend and plan to have lunch or go to a movie, concert, or other pleasurable event.
Identify your specific feelings at the time that you seem depressed. Are you actually feeling tired, lonely, bored, or hungry? Focus on and address these specific needs.
Increase physical activities. This will help to improve your mood and lift your depression.
Breathe deeply.
Make a list of things that are upsetting to you and write down solutions for them one by one.
If depression continues for more than 1 month, see your doctor. Ask your doctor about prescription medications that may help you with depression. Studies show that bupropion and nortriptyline can help people with a past history of depression who tries to quit smoking.

Real concerns for smokers desiring to quite: What can I do about weight gain?

Gaining weight is common after quitting. Studies have shown that, on average, people who have never smoked weigh a few pounds more than smokers, and, when smokers quit, they attain the weight they would have had if they had never smoked. Although most smokers gain fewer than 10 pounds after they quit smoking, the weight gain can be troublesome for some people. However, the health benefits of quitting far outweigh the health risks of a small amount of extra weight. Here are some tips for managing weight gain:

Ask your doctor about the medication bupropion. Studies show that it helps counter weight gain.
Studies also show that nicotine replacement products, especially nicotine gum and lozenges, can help counter weight gain. Because some people who quit smoking increase their food intake, regular physical activity and healthy food choices can help you maintain a healthy weight.
If weight gain is a problem, you may want to consult a nutritionist or diet counselor. And by the way this is one of the areas of strength of doctor Dalal Akoury and consulting with her will give you a clear head start on your way to recovery right way.

Real concerns for smokers desiring to quite: Finding solutions to all your smoking frustrations

Estrogen Imbalances Impacting on Addiction

March 10, 2015

The Effect of Estrogen Imbalances in the Disease of Addiction

Hormonal fluctuations affect women more adversely than men. The hormone estrogen plays crucial functions in the life of a woman and its supply should not be interrupted. However as a woman is aging the ovaries stop producing this hormone leading to a fall in the level of this hormone. When the level of the estrogen hormone has floored the duties of this hormone will be unattended to leading to myriads of health problems affecting women. Among other problems a woman will experience the following problems when the level of estrogen falls; vaginal dryness, irritability, low sex drive, mood swings, hot flashes and urgency of urination. Pellet implants have been used to treat migraine and menstrual headaches and have been found effective in dealing with menopause symptoms.

According to an article published in the Holy Hormones journal, Female hormones are potent modulators of brain chemicals, neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. the article reports that when a woman receives the bio-identical hormonal replacement therapy it does not only help with its anti-aging effects but also improves the general quality of life in women as it helps in preventing depression, anxiety and insomnia disorders all of which cause subsequent addiction.

Estrogen Imbalance

Hormonal imbalances cause drug craving

An investigation done at Florida Detox & Wellness Institute on all hormonal and brain chemical imbalance that can cause drug and alcohol craving it was proved that many female patients develop addiction issues because of midlife changes in estrogen and progesterone production. The Institute opines that the reason why these findings have gone undetected is because most addiction treatment centers do not routinely examine the hormones involved in the pituitary-adrenal-ovarian axis.

The involvement of estrogen hormone imbalances in addiction calls for a more integrated treatment to addiction. As opposed to treating only the visible symptoms of addiction, there is need for doctors to integrate spiritual counseling and modern brain science so that the imbalances in the brain chemicals can be corrected making the treatment whole. By evaluating the possible imbalance in the brain and correcting the imbalances by bio-identical hormone therapy, the electrical activity in the brain is balanced and this nullifies the chances of a patient attempting self-medication with drugs of pleasure and alcohol. Clinical studies done at Florida Detox & Wellness Institute have indicated that addicted patients will use drugs and alcohol either to stimulate under-active brain regions or to relax over-active brain systems. The unusual electrical activity in the addicted patient’s brain is typically caused by inherited or acquired biochemical and hormonal deficiencies.

The changes on estrogen levels in midlife causes hormonal imbalance in women and therefore for there to be a successful treatment of an addict there has to be an accurate diagnosis which is based on evaluation of neurotransmitter and hormonal and brain scan research. By normalizing the underlying biochemical and electrical imbalance drug and alcohol craving can be stopped. There is also need to identify the specific brain chemical and hormonal deficiencies as this will allow for more effective diagnosis of the root cause of the patient’s craving, thus eliminating alcohol and drug addictions.

Addictions that are common in the middle age population can be eliminated by correcting hormonal imbalances. As women approach menopause the decline in estrogen takes charge however the decline in progesterone hormone normally begins eight years earlier before estrogen begins to decline. It is important to note that the decline in hormones is a gradual process. The drop in levels of progesterone hormone in women will result in such experiences as anxiety and insomnia. Other clinical studies that were done at the Florida Detox & Wellness Institute have shown that the progesterone decline phenomenon is a common etiology of alcohol and drug abuse, which causes over 40 percent of our addicted middle age females.

The biochemical explanation for the increased anxiety experienced by midlife females is that suboptimal progesterone levels occurring in the presence of normal estradiol levels cause an increase in brain electrical activity. Progesterone essentially is a brain relaxing hormone because it converts to another hormone, allopregnanolone. This metabolite of progesterone, allopregnanolone, activates the same relaxing nerve receptor, the GABA-A receptor, as does Valium, Xanax and alcohol.

Estrogen Imbalance There is need for balance between the GABA activity and the estradiol production in the body. When there is a loss in GABA activity as a result of dropping progesterone levels a person will develop excess electrical activity in both, their central and peripheral nervous system. This phenomenon occurs because estradiol enhances the excitatory brain chemicals, dopamine and histamine. Their excitatory effect on brain electricity should be counter balanced with the GABA effect of progesterone. The new onset progesterone deficient middle aged female experiences newfound anxiety and insomnia that frequently precipitates the need for relaxing medication which ultimately causes subsequent addiction issues.

Women who have low levels of progesterone hormone will begin using alcohol and other drugs to relax their brain. When this happens, alcohol, just like Valium will activates the GABA-A receptor. This will make them drink more of alcohol increasing the units they take as time goes by as the wine will cease to be just a drink to her but a medication.

The effect of estrogen progesterone imbalance as well as other brain chemicals in causing addiction has been proved beyond any reasonable doubt and it is therefore very important for every addiction patient to ask for hormonal evaluation and restoration when receiving any addiction treatment.

Finally, if you are battling with addiction and is interested in the long lasting, effective addiction treatment therapy please call 843-213-1480 or contact Dr. Dalal Akoury is an experienced doctor who will be able to help you.

The Effect of Estrogen Imbalances in the Disease of Addiction

NAC, the Cystine-Glutamate Antiporter and Addiction

February 5, 2015

NAC, the Cystine-Glutamate Antiporter and Addiction

Addiction is one complex problem faced by many. There is no limit to how many things people can get addicted to. If you cannot go a day without watching a movie, and then it gets to a point when you must slot in a couple of hours in your daily schedule to watch movies then that is your addiction.

If you keep getting those cravings for soda or sugary meals, you try to stay without them but the urge is so much that you only calm down after satisfying that thirst then that is an addiction.

Addiction can be good or bad. You can be addicted to work, you love your work that you can’t spend time away from your job. That is addiction. Such positive addictions too may be unhealthy. If you are addicted to work for instance, you will hardly spare time for other essential activities, such as being with your family.

Other forms of addiction often associated with the term, such as drug and substance abuse are detrimental to your health. A person who is addicted to alcohol for instance cannot live without it. Their lives often revolve around the liquor. The same applies to coke, cigarettes, marijuana and all other recreational drugs. The substance of addiction gets to dictate how you live your life.

the Cystine-Glutamate Antiporter

Facts about addiction

The habit is a problem. You have to first admit it in order to be able to get over it. An addict who finds it difficult to get over the problem may often be tempted to blame it on someone, or something else. But that is not a solution, acceptance is key.

Giving in to one’s yearnings is a matter of choice. At the beginning of any addiction you often see yourself in control of the situation. You are not forced to do anything, you just do it because you enjoy the act. With time though, this control diminishes and you become increasingly more vulnerable to the substance of your addiction.

You are in a position to drop your addictions by saying ‘no’ to the substance. This is the premise under which psychosocial support for addiction recovery is usually built. Through guidance one is offered a way out of their drug or substance habit. At such point, it is upon you to decide whether or not you are going to adopt a clean lifestyle.

NAC and Addiction

N-Acetyl L-Cysteine is a chemically changed version of the non-essential amino acids in the body. NAC works by purifying your body by removing harmful toxins. It is highly essential in recovery from drug addiction. alcohol and other drugs commonly abused cause a lot of damage to the liver, lungs, kidneys and other organs and this is likely to result in chronic ailments that are life threatening. This amino acid is essential as it protects cells from getting damaged in addition to its role in preserving functions of the liver.

It is a known precursor to Glutathione which is the most effective in destroying free radicals. The amino acid works to protect the brain and the liver from damages caused by toxins like alcohol, acidic mater, particles found in the air and cigarettes smoke. It also has other significant functions that are key to the wellbeing of an individual.

Among them, it helps the body to promote its burning of fat and aids the muscle building process. Studies also indicate that it can rid the body of copper by a chelating effect, and is used in the treatment of particular diseases including bronchitis, emphysema and certain respiratory problems among adults.

NAC plays a key role in the production of white blood cells necessary for body immunity. The white cells fight diseases that attack the body and help boost the natural immune response of the body. As such, the amino acid is essential for the defense of the body against disease attack. It further helps in insulin metabolism and functions, which is key to the body’s blood sugar regulation.

the Cystine-Glutamate Antiporter

Sources of NAC

N-Acetyl L-Cysteine can always be naturally manufactured by the body on its own. The high-protein foods such as eggs and meat are however potent dietary sources of this amino acid. Other good sources include foods such as broccoli, garlic, wheat, onions and red peppers.

Other sources that can be recommended for this important amino acid for those who are recovering from the damage caused by drug addiction include nutritional supplements found in a number of nutrition outlets in different continents. It is however important to seek recommendations form a physician since this product is largely unregulated and health consumers are likely to purchase a product that contains incorrect amount of ingredients recommended for the particular patient.

NAC, the Cystine-Glutamate Antiporter and Addiction

Minors and College Drinking

July 21, 2014

Minors and College Drinking – Drug Addiction

We have a duty to protect our young people from living wasteful life in alcohol and drug addiction by pooling together for a better society.

By now if you have been with us on this link you must be aware that alcohol is widely available and aggressively marketed throughout society across the globe. It is the most frequently used and abused drug among youth in the United States and the world over compared to tobacco and other illicit drugs and although drinking by persons under the age of 21 is illegal, people as young as aged 12 to 20 consume about 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States for example. The available statistics is worrying notwithstanding the consequences of early use of alcohol. We are experiencing lots of problems with minors drinking and records indicate that about 5000 young people below age 21 die as a result of underage drinking including some 1600 homicides, 1900 from motor vehicle accidents and other like suicide, burns and many others.

According to NCADD (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence) an estimated 600000 college students are accidentally injured while under the influence of alcohol, 700000 are assaulted by their drunk colleagues and a further 100000 students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault and date rape. Yet over 11,000 teens in the United States try using alcohol for the first time every day and more than four million drink alcohols in any given month. When I said that the statistic is worrying I believe you now understand the magnitude.

Minors and College Drinking – Why do young people drink alcohol

Parents are a worried lot if these statistics are anything to go by. The question I beg you to answer is “is your child enclosed in the bracket of these finding?” like their seniors young people also drink for various reasons however it is very difficult comprehending the feelings behind their reasons. For instance:

Some young people often drink to forget about the family problems or issues with school performance.
Loneliness, low self–esteem, depression, anxiety disorder and other mental health issues lead many young people to drink alcohol
Young people turn to alcohol to deal with the pressures of everyday social situations
Young people may drink for a sense of belonging or to fit in when moving to a new school or town
Young people may drink to gain confidence or lose inhibitions
Young people are more likely to start experimenting with alcohol if they have parents who drink and if they do not get parental guidance about alcohol consumption.

Minors and College Drinking – What are the Risks

Irrespective of how they get into drinking the risks are dare once they start drinking they will be subjected to various health and safety risk like:

Young people who drink are more likely to be sexually active and to have unsafe, unprotected sex.
They are more likely to be involved in a fight, commit violent crimes, fail at school, use other drugs, and experience verbal, physical, or sexual violence.
Those who start drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcoholism later in life than those who begin drinking at age 21

Minors and College Drinking – Preventing Underage Drinking

This is very dynamic and requires a comprehensive and collective approach by all stakeholders. Currently there are three basic approaches which have been applied and are yielding positive results in prevention of the problem:

Controlling the availability of alcohol;
Consistent enforcement of existing laws and regulations; and
Changing norms and behaviors through education.

The enforcement of these three is working well in attempting to bring this problem into manageable levels.

Minors and College Drinking – Alcohol Poisoning

Many people die each year from acute alcohol intoxication known as alcohol poisoning or alcohol overdose with other thousands of others are being admitted to emergency rooms in various health facilities. Alcohol poisoning is becoming rampant in high schools and on college campuses. These are all explained by young people drinking too much and too fast.

Minors and College Drinking – Alcohol poisoning is a medical emergency

Alcohol is a depressant drug, once ingested it works to slow down some of the body’s functions like heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. When the vital centers have been depressed enough by alcohol, unconsciousness occurs. The amount of alcohol that it takes to produce unconsciousness is precariously close to a lethal dose. People who endure alcohol poisoning sometimes suffer irreversible brain damage.

Many students are surprised to learn that death can occur from acute intoxication. Most think the worst that can happen is they’ll pass out and have a hang-over the next day therefore knowing the signs and symptoms of acute alcohol intoxication and the proper action to take can help you avoid a tragedy.

Minors and College Drinking – Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Poisoning

Unconsciousness or semi-consciousness
Slow respirations (breaths) of eight or less per minute, or lapses between respirations of more than eight seconds.
Cold, clammy, pale, or bluish skin.
In the event of alcohol poisoning, these signs and symptoms will most likely be accompanied by a strong odor of alcohol.
While these are obvious signs of alcohol poisoning, the list is certainly not all inclusive.

In an attempt to bringing alcohol and drug addiction Dr. Dalal Akoury founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a facility in which she administer addiction treatment by offering exclusive NER Recovery Treatment to addicts the world over. Doctor Akoury is an expert who has been in this addiction discipline for two decades now and together with her team of experts they are also offering addiction treatment to other physicians and health care professionals through training, clinical apprenticeships, webinars and seminars. This is the place of choice for anyone suffering from addiction of any kind therefore any qualified professional can now be a part of this truly successful and fast addiction recovery treatment.

Minors and College Drinking – Drug Addiction

Being Safe from Drugs

July 11, 2014

Being safe from drugs-Drug Addiction

Being free from drug addiction is practically possible only if you take it upon yourself to stop drugs and choose good friends.

We have just discussed in our last posting the consequences of an addiction and drug abuse noting several elements among them the legal, health, social and financial consequences. These are pertinent issues in addiction and I hope that you have had time to read through them so that we can together make progress from there. If you have then I strongly believe that you have made an informed decision to keep distance from anything that can trigger an addiction. In this article we will make progress from that and concentrate on elements which when done will help you and possibly guarantee your safety from drug abuse. Achieving this will largely depend on you and the efforts you make to realize this objective. To start you off, you will need to:

Be committed to knowing yourself better that is to say consciously be sober.
Visualize the bright future ahead of you.
Meditate on the positives of your lovely family, friends and the people who matter to you most.
Think of how people of your age are making good use of their talents in various aspects like music, arts, poetry, sports, dance, acting, comedy, writing informative articles to make a better society and many more.
Visualize how great professions are made and how young people are filling in those professional positions like teachers, financial experts, business entrepreneurs, investors, doctors, lawyers, scientists and many more.

Having these positive points at the back of your mind will help you look at situations in life differently and positively. All the people in your mind right now who have made it or who are making it in life all have a story to tell and you can and should be like one of them if not all of them. This is the spirit I want to encourage you to have as we progress in the discussion. You must desire to be and remain focus and shun all risky activities, behaviors and bad associations. All these are achievable and the following are some of the tips which if worked upon, then you shall have started the journey of your great dream, remember the wise saying a journey of great distance begins with a single step, your single step is focus. Now let us look at other tips:

Being safe from Drugs-Creativity

Wisdom tells us that “an idle mind is the devils workshop” can you imagine who the devil is let alone renting him your mind to be his place of residence! This is not just a statement it is true and any right thinking person must take heed of this. If you are not properly engaged there is the likelihood that you will spend your time doing unproductive and useless things. If you are a student in school you have several options like joining the school football team, drama, musical instrument play classes or basketball or engage in charitable organizations to help people even if you are doing it without pay remember the joy and satisfaction one get in offering a helping hand to people, this may not have the monetary element but I can assure you that it is worth it than destroying yourself physically and psychologically by indulging in drugs and bad company.

Being safe from Drugs-Depression

Being depressed is a serious problem in human life because a depressed person can easily resort to drugs to relieve them of this situation. It normally create a state of loneliness, sadness, alteration of senses and bad moods causing them to give in to anything good or bad so long as it can bring this to an end. Depression is a serious health condition and must be given immediate medical attention. The medication must be administered by a medical doctor and not self-medication or prescriptions suggested by your friends. If you are still under the care of your parents then you must notify them immediately for action to be taken before it is too late.

Being safe from Drugs-Discover your Talent

You may be wondering how would one identify their talents and how it may be helpful in matters addiction, what you do and is capable of doing may be that talent waiting to be unlocked. You can unlock that talent by for example taking time to write or play a poem, drawing, painting, getting involved in a science project, reading or taking time to watch documentaries on a TV channel, or better still take time and participate in competitions. Believe me if you engage yourself in things like this you will certainly find one that is your talent. Doing this is meant to provoke that sleeping talent and also to help you position your mind in the proper thinking lane and staying focused on good things as opposed to destructive elements.

Take the lead role in doing thing personally and encouraging yourself positively

It is important that when doing things, you take them upon yourself because no one will help you solve your problems, doing thing your way helps you take control and maintaining focus. It may not be easy to do thing all by yourself especially new things you have never done before for example if you have never be into sports people may tease and jeer at you in manner of ways but this should not make you change your course instead take them positively and have fun over them by being humorous. Remember not everyone is a great sportsman but everyone can have fun in playing sport. Doing things yourself and relaying on your body to adapt to a game will help you understand the impact of drugs and the harm associated with it.

Being safe from Drugs-Choose only good friends

Many people get into drugs because of wrong associations and so the choice of association is very crucial for one to remain in the right path. Careful attention must be taken in doing this because it is not an easy one. It is not always easy to choose friends however one should be guided by what their objective is, like in our case we are looking towards staying in a drug addiction free environment. Like we have mention above the best friend would that whom you can learn something positive from for example if you are weak in drama and shy then you can associate with the best in drama this way you will be able to learn from the most active drama participants. Making the wright choice of friends enables you to remain focus but choosing wrong ones like those who smoke, drink alcohol or do drugs will definitely lead you into turmoil of drug abuse and addiction.

Following all these steps will surely let you make great improvement towards realizing good and healthy lives however in the event that you are already suffering from drug addiction then you will need to be treated first then you can follow through these guides. Good addiction treatment can only come from addiction experts like doctor Dalal Akoury who is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center where treatment is not only done by the experts but in a more friendly way taking keen interest in ensuring that the patients get well fast. To achieve this Doctor Akoury together with her team of experts will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE and you will have your life back and live it to the fullest there after.

Being safe from drugs-Drug Addiction

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