Posts Tagged ‘Withdrawal Symptoms’

What Causes Drug Addiction?

Comments: 0September 4th, 2011 by admin



Addiction is a serious problem. Prescription medication and illegal drugs are both causing major problems in our modern society. This is because many synthesized drugs interfere with natural levels of dopamine in the brain, and thus have the potential to trigger an addiction.

Dopamine is one of the pleasure chemicals. Drugs can cause a temporary burst of the dopamine neurotransmitter in the reward pathway, which creates euphoria and pleasant feelings. But when exposed to this repeatedly the brain tries to counteract the abnormally high dopamine levels. Since it cannot control the drug the brain instead modifies itself to become less receptive to dopamine, and therefore maintain more normal levels. This is done by depleting the dopamine receptors in the neurones.

As the brain becomes less receptive to dopamine, the person becomes tolerant of the drug. In order to create the same pleasurable experience they will have to increase their drug use or their medication. This can cause a cycle, where the brain is constantly reducing the number of receptors to normalise dopamine levels and the person is driven to seek out more drugs as a result.

Without continuing the drug use, the person will experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Because the brain has reduced its ability to respond to dopamine and the person has been artificially raising the levels of this neurotransmitter through drugs for some time, they find it hard to cope without them. The body’s own dopamine levels no longer has the effect it should and the person will not derive the same amount of pleasure from activities that they used to, or that other people normally would. Along with withdrawal symptoms, there will also be cravings which can make it increasingly difficult from refraining from returning to drug use.

The good news is that over time the withdrawal symptoms will cease. Just as the brain will reduce the dopamine receptors when levels of the neurotransmitter are atypically high, it will increase the number of receptors when levels are lower than normal. But during this time it is essential that the person who is battling an addiction gets a lot of support from their friends, family and medical professionals.

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Posted in Alcohol

Meth Addiction Treatment and Drug Rehab Advice

Comments: 0February 22nd, 2011 by admin



It’s a purely-synthetic and highly-addictive drug that has wrecked lives all throughout the globe. Meth (methamphetamine) – also known as ‘crystal’ in the United States, ‘yaba’ in Thailand and ‘shabu’ in the Philippines – is abused by a wide cross-section of society, from blue collared workers to corporate types, causing unimaginable costs to society in general.

It’s more dangerous than the highly potent cocaine even. Dr. Michael Abrams of Broadlawn Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, says Meth ‘is the most malignant, addictive drug known to mankind.’ He explains that the body has enzymes that break down cocaine, which is basically derived from coca leaves, but these enzymes are powerless with methamphetamine.

Dealing with persons addicted to this drug is not at all easy. Affected people are both physiologically and psychologically changed. Among the dangerous physical effects of meth use are increased blood pressure and breathing rates, stomach cramps, cardiac arrhythmia, insomnia, paranoia, hallucinations, stroke and even death.

A lot of meth-dependent individuals have tried to get rid of the habit unsuccessfully. It’s hard to wake up one morning, say ‘no’ to it and forget about it. Curing an addiction just doesn’t work that way. Treatment should be done step by step and in a long term, each step being quite relevant to the one before it.

There’s no pill that can flush out all the settled harmful substance in your system. It takes a lot of determination on your part and the informed persistence of the people who are trying to help you overcome your dependence. Withdrawal symptoms include depression and other forms of psychological impairment that may last for several months.

While dealing with addiction appropriately was a major concern the world over a long time ago, several organizations have done significant efforts that effectively help sufferers to overcome their cravings. There is no other best way to solve it but to send meth dependents to drug rehabilitation centers.

At drug rehab facilities, people get a holistic treatment for their problems. In there, they will be given honest and caring support so that these affected ones will find their way back towards their happy and normal lives. The victims will be staying in the drug treatment facility for as long as they still show strong cravings for it.

Recovery from meth dependence is a possibility, but the withdrawal period can be tough on the patient and there is a possibility for relapse. While some prosperous nations have numbers of drug rehabilitation centers, poor ones don’t. That is why this global problem has not been significantly dealt with. Worse, the number of meth addicts continues to rise.

Ultimately, meth addiction treatment relies on the support of the sufferer’s family and loved ones. It’s basically a social concern that needs a social solution. Knowing the reasons and circumstances that led the person to methamphetamine dependence and taking these away from his environment during and after the rehab period will be a great help.

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Posted in Alcohol

What Does a Drug Rehabilitation Program Consist Of?

Comments: 0July 22nd, 2010 by admin



The term drug rehabilitation refers to the medical or psychotherapeutic treatment of such individuals who are addicted to alcohol, prescription drugs, or such drugs as cocaine, heroine, or amphetamines. The purpose of drug rehab program is to enable the addicted person to stop using those drugs so that he/she can again be welcomed in the society and live a normal life without any legal, moral, family, financial, or social pressure. People addicted to drugs ruin their life. Not only the addicted person but those related to him are also affected.

The goal of drug rehabilitation centre is to help a person in having a permanent sobriety. The firsthand goals are to minimise drug abuse, help the addict to live a normal life, and to lessen the medical and social intricacies related to drug abuse and addiction.

It has been proven by scientific researches that treatment for drug abuse can lead a person to live a normal life. It should be kept in mind that the drug rehabilitation program consists of several sessions of treatment.

In a remedial process, medication and behavioral therapy are used either alone or in a combination depending on the condition of the subject. As a first step, detoxification is carried out which is coupled by behavioral treatment and finally followed by preventive therapy to avoid relapse. Initial signs of recovery are important, but avoiding relapse is the most essential component to retain its effect. Sometimes subject confronts relapses in varied occurrences. This requires return to initial treatment.

Extreme care should be taken of the individual during the process to assure that he/she will becomes successful in leading a lifestyle free from drugs. In treatment process, medication helps patient in various ways. Medication keeps a check on the withdrawal symptoms throughout detoxification.

This is the first step of drug rehabilitation program. Patients who do not receive any further treatment after drug supported withdrawal show similar behavior to those who were never given any treatment. Medications are used to help restore normal functioning of brain, to inhibit relapse, and to reduce desire for the drugs during the process. At present, drugs are available for heroine, morphine, nicotine addiction.

Behavioral treatment is the next step for the patients involved in medication process. In this process, patients are helped to change their mindset and activities and are engaged in healthy activities. Behavioral treatment is also for the medication process and people continue the therapy for longer period of time.

Outpatient behavioral therapy is for those who come to the clinic regularly and it mostly comprise of psychoanalysis. On the other hand, residential remedy program is for those who suffer from serious drug addiction. In this, patients have to live in therapeutic communities (TCs) for 6 t 12 months. These TCs follow well -prepared plans, and is normally for those who have been addicted for a longer period of time or were engaged in criminal actions and have not been socialising for a long time. The purpose of TC is to help the patient to live a normal life.

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Posted in Alcohol

Herbal Remedies And Drug Addiction – Can Herbs Help?

Comments: 0May 9th, 2010 by admin



Drug abuse refers to the availing of a drug for purposes which the drugs are not intended to, or using a drug in excessive quantities. Drug addiction is a state of physical and psychological dependence on a drug. The physical addiction is often characterized by the presence of tolerance, such as needing more and more of the drug to achieve the same effect, and withdrawal symptoms that disappear when further medication is taken.

Almost all sorts of different drugs can be abused, including illegal drugs, such as heroin or cannabis, prescription medicines such as tranquilizers or painkillers and other medications that can be availed off the supermarket shelf, such as cough syrups or herbal concoctions.

This depends on the nature of the drug being abused, the person taking the drug and the circumstances under which it is taken. Some medications, like for example certain sleeping pills or painkillers are physically addictive. They have a specific effect on the body which leads to tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. Others may lead to a psychological addiction if people have a craving for the effect that the drug causes.

There has been some speculation that some people may be more prone to drug abuse and addiction than others. Research is being carried out into whether there may even be genes that predispose certain people to addiction.

The methods employed by Chinese traditional medicine practitioners is an effective example of just how effective herbal remedies could be for drug addicts. One famous herbal method used for addicts is moxibustion. Moxibustion is a variation sometimes employed, and is referred to as the slow burning on or over the body of special herbal “cones” , in which a stick or cone of burning mugwort or herb, Artemesia vulgaris, and is placed over an inflamed or affected area on the body. The cone is placed on an acupuncture point and burned. The cone is removed before burning the skin. The purpose of this therapy is to stimulate and strengthen the blood and the life energy, or qi, of the body.

There are also a number of herbs that have been researched to be effective in controlling the urges of drug addicts, as well as in helping them tone down their craving for more addictive opiates.

Homeopathic Opium – This herb is effective for minor hangouts, or sudden spells of dizziness or floating, and should be taken in the morning after.

Passion Flower – This herb can be taken as a tea or in a tincture, it also works as a bit of a depressant, though it has a mild narcotic effect.

Valerian – Valerian can be taken as a tea or in a tincture, This herb is from where Valium was derived from, and acts as a good sedative. It is also calms the nerves while in the process of detoxifying.

ScullCap – This herbal concoction can be taken as a tincture or a tea, and is effective for calming the nerves, nervous headaches & associated .

Social circumstances are important in drug abuse. Peer pressure, emotional distress and low self-esteem can all lead individuals to abuse drugs. Ease of access to drugs is another influence. People abuse drugs for many reasons. Understanding what the person’s motivation is helps to explain why that person is abusing drugs. Proper consultation with a herbalist and a psychiatry expert are needed whenever one tries to employ herbal remedies to the drug problem.

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Posted in Alcohol

Nutrition and Hay Fever

Comments: 0August 27th, 2009 by admin



At a young age, I was diagnosed with allergy problems. My nose used to run almost non-stop and I never went anywhere without pocket fulls of nose tissue. Considering the amount of mucous that used to flow out of my nose, my mother seriously considered having my adenoids removed. Fortunately, I avoided that surgery and found a better way.

It was not until my twenties that I figured out that two things that I believed were health foods were poison for me. Being a skinny, underweight kid growing up, I forced myself to drink several glasses of milk and plenty of bread products each day. After all, these were “healthy foods” endorsed by my family, schools, media and the government. Who was I to argue?

After a nutritional consultant, Mitch Kronen, recommended that I give up milk and wheat, I actually gave it a try. Keep in mind that foods that we are allergic to often develop into a craving. While withdrawing from an allergic food, one often finds themselves craving the very substance that makes them ill. This is why some people undergo withdrawal symptoms when they try to give up tobacco, alcohol or junk food. The allergic reaction has become a mild high over the years. Most people do not realize that when their body’s rebel against something. They misinterpret the allergic reaction to a mild high.

The first taste of beer, tobacco or sugar might turn off some people if they have never had it before. But, slow introduction not only builds up a resistance, but also a dependence. Many people are allergic to food substances like milk and wheat and do not even know it.

Milk allergies are often confused with lactose intolerance. Milk allergies occur when the body produces poisons to fight off the “invading” milk casein proteins. Sometimes a body with a Leaky Gut Syndrome (a permeable intestine barrier) allows too many toxins, bacteria and allergens into the blood stream. Lactose intolerance is when a body, usually an adult, no longer has the lactase enzyme needed to digest the milk sugar lactose. If you are only lactose tolerant, you can probably digest cheese as cheese contains a small amount of lactose.

Either situation still puts toxins into the blood stream and irrates mucous membranes. The small vessels in the eyes, mucous membrane and skin become inflamed. The best solution in either case is to avoid consuming milk. You can get your calcium from vegetables, meats and seafood. Seaweed, like Kombu, is high in calcium and other minerals.

Wheat and other allergic foods, will also cause allergic reactions. To find out, just eliminate the suspected food for a week. Usually you will feel better when you stop eating the offending food.

The next step to fighting allergies and hay fever is to build your own immune system. By getting enough exercise, fresh air, sleep and proper foods you can build up your immune system to where it can increase its tolerance to eating well will usually increase your health to the point of being able to tolerate allergic foods, dust, pollen, etc.

Vitamin supplements can help. 100 to 500 mg. of vitamin C three times a day works for some people. I have had good success with 100 mg. of niacin and panothenic acid (vitamin B5).

Probiotics can also help. Buy building up friendly bacteria in your intestines, you will avoid the build up of harmful bacteria, which in turn produces histamines which bring on allergies. Keep your gut healthy and your sinuses will thank you for it.

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Posted in Allergy And Sinus