Posts Tagged ‘Prescription Drugs’

Holistic Approaches to Addiction – Incorporating Natural Methods to Aid in Recovery

Comments: 0September 14th, 2010 by admin



One of the growing trends in drug treatment is the rise of holistic drug rehab programs throughout the country. The holistic approach to drug recovery incorporates elements of mind, body and spirit into traditional centers to combat drug addiction. Holistic treatments can be included in dealing with dependencies such as heroin, cocaine, addiction to prescription drugs and recreational illegal drugs. Remember, that many drug rehab programs will have you go through a detox so you can deal with the withdrawal symptoms more easily.

These can involve tapering down as well as substitutions to ease the body through the transition. You’ll also be getting support, counseling and new tools to deal with the underlying anxiety that triggers the cravings.

Nutritional Therapy

Proper nutrition is a key factor in the rehabilitation process. It is what allows the body to detoxify as well as heal itself from the effects of drug use. A holistic approach to diet and nutrition is intended to restore the brain and the rest of the body to the optimal level of functioning. Proper nutrition for each individual is different. For some it may be beneficial to remove all foods that contain additives and/or preservatives.

Vitamins and Herbs

Addicts may need to adopt a speciald diet to help eliminate the toxins stored in their bodies from not only their drug habit, but also poor eating habits they may have adopted while they were using. Examples of detox diet foods, herbs and vitamins are:

Onions and Garlic – helps eliminate harmful metals from the body

Dandelion Root – increases the flow of bile to aid in digestion

Vitamin C – A water-soluble vitamin, Vitamin C may help decrease side effects of detox, such as headache or nausea

Milk Thistle – an antioxidant, assists in liver cell regeneration

Support System

Successfully making it through the recovery process is something that requires support. Since drug rehabilitation is both mental and physical the process can be totally draining as the person has to detoxify, get healthy as well as recover from the mental and emotional effects of their habit. The elimination of negative thinking and influences from the individual are essentiall to the creation of a new, drug-free life. Without support and understanding the success of the recovery of the individual is greatly reduced. Some people with drug addictions suffer from what psychiatric issues such as bipolar disorder or major depression disorder. When you have a dual diagnosis of a substance abuse problem with a mental health illness, treatment needs to be tailored to address this.

Spirituality

Holistic drug rehabilitation centers may also provide massage, yoga, meditation, as well as other relaxation techniques to aid in the recovery process. Many professional rehabilitation clinics will incorporate a “higher power” into the recovery process or encourage spiritual development for a recovering addict. In addition to a support system, a person in recovery needs to be able to find support within themselves. Practices that develop a connection between mind, body and spirit are encouraged. Some examples of these practices are Tai-Chi, Yoga, Meditation, and dance.

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Posted in Alcohol

How to Defend Your Pet Against Anemia

Comments: 0August 17th, 2010 by admin



Anemia is a condition that occurs in pets when their red blood cell count is lower than normal. Red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen to different parts of the body. The hemoglobin in the red blood cells causes blood to have a red tint and is the responsible party for delivering the oxygen. If the number of red blood cells being produced drops then your pets body has to work much harder to get oxygen to different parts of the body. Anemia causes animals hearts to beat faster, causes a depressed mood, makes their gums turn pale and fatigues them.

Anemia can be extremely serious if it is not caught and treated right away. A young dog or cat are at an added risk for developing anemia if they are infested with fleas or internal parasites. Their bodies are much more easily weakened when their blood is being fed on. Be sure to get rid of fleas and worms right away if your dog or cat is very young.

Anemia can be caused by three categories of problems – loss of blood, low red blood cell production and hemolysis.

Many things can cause the loss of blood. The most common are injury or trauma to internal organs, parasites and blood vessel damage. There are also a whole group of substances that can cause damage leading to blood loss. Make sure your pet stays away from cooked onions, any type of OTC or prescription drugs, propylene glycol, zinc and copper.

Hemolytic anemia is the most common form of anemia found in pets. It is caused by immune-mediated diseases. When this occurs the body actually attacks its own red blood cells rather than the germs that it would normally attack. Certain breeds of dogs are more prone to get this – including poodles, spaniel breeds and Old English sheepdogs.

If anemia is serious your pet might need medication and an IV of blood or fluids. Just make sure that you get them to the vet right away if you are seeing any symptoms.

Make sure that you keep an insect and worm repellant on your pet, feed them a balanced diet and give them regular exercise. Dandelion, ashwagandha and milk thistle can all be used to boost the immune system and levels of hemoglobin. Make sure that you take extra care when your cat or dog is really young. They are more likely to get anemia when they are puppies and kittens.

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Discover The Benefits Of A Drug Rehab Program

Comments: 0February 18th, 2010 by admin



You already know that a drug addiction is not a good thing. Whether it is prescription drugs where the addiction came on accidentally as a result of legally prescribed medications to treat something, or whether it is the illegal street drugs that are purchased on back alleys or dark basements, drug addiction is something that needs to be addressed.

Frequently, the addicted person cannot see the addiction, or writes it off to just being one of those things that they require in their life. But addiction to anything, whether alcohol, drugs, cigarettes/nicotine, or virtually anything else is not healthy, and in the case of alcohol and drugs, can be life threatening. If you love someone who is an addict, the best thing you can do for them is to get them into an alcohol rehab program or a drug rehab program for their own benefit.

The hardest thing about the whole process is to get the addict to realize, understand, and accept the fact that they are an addict. The vast majority of addicts do not realize this, and until they realize it, you are going to be pushing and pulling them into rehab, instead of them going willingly. There are alcohol and drug counselors who can help you with this task by talking with that person, and these services are often city, state, or county sponsored and are therefore at minimal or no cost.

There are multiple levels to a drug rehab program or an alcohol rehab program. Some programs merely scrape the surface and focus on detox, where they work to get the chemicals out of the body of the addict. While this is certainly a step in the right direction, it is often not the whole story. Other programs take the next step, which includes detox but also includes getting to the underlying reason why the addict feels that the alcohol or drugs are necessary. It might be due to the collapse of a marriage, loss of a job, a dire financial situation, or a host of other reasons, but the trained professional will work with that person to help them understand that the alcohol or drugs are not a solution to the problem, and in fact make the problem even worse.

If someone you love is addicted to drugs or alcohol, you need to get them to talk with a counselor about it, with the end goal being to get them into a good alcohol rehab program or drug rehab program. There is virtually nothing worse than watching someone you love destroy their own lives, and if they cannot see the damage they are doing, then it is something that you can do for them for their ultimate good.

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Posted in Alcohol

Treating Herpes

Comments: 0December 16th, 2009 by admin



Genital herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in America. In some cases it can be accompanied by painful outbreaks and a diagnosis may create many emotional ramifications. Once a person finds out they have herpes, they can decide if treatment is a feasible option for them to look into.

Some people never have herpes outbreaks, and ma decide to bypass a treatment regiment. But for the people who do experience outbreaks and if these outbreaks are frequent, long-lasting and/or very painful, finding out about different kinds of treatments is a good idea. Treatment proves helpful in the management of physical symptoms and when the physical symptoms of genital herpes are alleviated, much of the emotional stress associated with the virus is alleviated as well, then people who have the virus can lead lives that are not dictated by their herpes diagnosis.

A physician may prescribe doses of oral antivirals, designed to shorten the life of an initial outbreak and decrease severity of recurrences. People who experience numerous outbreaks can take oral antivirals daily for up to one year to decrease virus activity and prevent recurrences.

However, a more cost-effective, successful and easily accessible way to treat herpes is with nutraceuticals – or herbal treatments. There are many benefits to taking herbal treatments for herpes.

One of the main reasons a person may choose to opt for natural treatment for herpes is the fact that the ingredients in natural treatments are indeed, natural. They were not produced in a lab and often do not carry the side effects associated with prescription drugs. And many nutraceutical treatments for herpes and other conditions offer money-back guarantees if you are not pleased with their results.

Another reason natural treatments are a good choice in herpes management is that they are more cost-effective than prescription drugs. In a time when health insurance is scarce and a person needs relief from their herpes outbreaks, a natural treatment is a great choice.

And since discussing genital herpes with a physician may be difficult, or if you want to keep your condition confidential, many nutraceutical products are available without going to a doctor for a prescription. You can easily manage your herpes condition successfully and cost-efficiently.

In addition to treating herpes with medication-pharmaceutical or nutraceutical-here are some additional things that you can do to keep your genital herpes outbreaks under control:

Ways You Can Treat Genital Herpes

* Wash the genital area in a salt bath. This cleans, soothes and dries the sores.

* Take pain relievers and simple analgesics (i.e. aspirin), apply ice directly on infection and use creams that have an anaesthetic component. Keep in mind that creams may slow down drying and should only be used sporadically for pain relief.

* Wear loose underclothes, preferably cotton (avoid nylon), to reduce pain associated with outbreaks.

* For people who have painful urination, drink lots of fluids, because this dilutes urine and reduces pain.

Regardless of the treatment method you choose, it is important to always maintain other healthy lifestyle practices like getting adequate sleep, avoiding stressful situations, eating a balanced diet and following safe sex practices. When a person who has genital herpes engages in a healthy lifestyle and takes the proper safe sex precautions and undergoes some type of treatment regiment, the chances of genital herpes affecting his/her life are reduced greatly.

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Posted in anemia