Natural Recovery From Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Recovering from drug and alcohol abuse can take years. Many people have chosen to help their recovery and restore their health with natural therapies, remedies and cleanses. For some, it has meant keeping their recovery going when others have relapsed time and time again. Rarely has support been provided in the form of natural options not just for the symptoms of withdrawal, but to restore the neural pathways that have been corrupted by the addictive pattern, handle some of the underlying coping mechanisms that are often ignored, and then to restore the health that is essential for keeping a job, enjoying your life and looking forward to the future.

Alcohol and drug abuse should really be recognized as the most widespread disease of the human race. Besides the psychological and lifestyle devastation that the addict experiences, there is also the toll on all those who truly love the individual and the grief and helplessness can be a kind of drawn out death.

Rarely has support been provided in the form of natural options not just for the symptoms of withdrawal, but to restore the neural pathways that have been corrupted by the addictive pattern, handle some of the underlying coping mechanisms that are often ignored, and then to restore the health that is essential for keeping a job, enjoying your life and looking forward to the future.

The human body responds equally to the destruction caused by the abuse of alcohol and drugs, even though the tissue damage may be in differing locations. Most typically, these lifestyles damage the liver, brain and lungs. Each of these areas receive large amounts of blood flow, and have large amounts of epithelial tissue which can screen and filter out harmful chemical residue from alcohol and drug use. However, the presence of these filtered toxins can actually destroy the very tissue that is trying to detoxify them. In fact, chronic use of alcohol and drugs can actually change the location and quantity of receptors for chemicals in the brain and body tissues, making emotional balance difficult at best. Relationships suffer, your work suffers, your life suffers, and most of all you are suffering.

Once you have made the decision to change your life, recovery can be difficult and unpredictable. Biochemically it can take the human body up to two years to chemically overcome habits it has developed during a time of abnormal bodily function. Many times the body had to survive without nutrition, without proper circulation or without proper immune function. Because of this the way in which the body functions at the start of the recovery process may be severely degenerated. The body will be reacting in survival mode, remaining sympathetic dominant for long periods of time. This brings on depression, anxiety, insomnia, anger outbursts and a slow healing process. You may not even be able to digest properly.

In order to support the body during recovery, there are a number of things which can help to restore normal balance, reducing addictive cravings, balancing emotional turmoil and beginning the physical healing process of damaged tissue.

THE WITHDRAWAL PHASE

During the initial period of recovery there is a very strong withdrawal phase in which the body attempts to function without the addictive substance. During this time, the addiction can be transferred to other things such as smoking or sugary foods in order to maintain the body’s dependence. In order to successfully recover, the body’s physical dependence must be broken.

First, to support the thyroid and begin to break the cycle of addiction, the following are essential: Selenium (I prefer Standard Process Cataplex E tablets), high grade Zinc and large amounts of protein in supplemental form. I suggest a combination of two Standard Process products, SP Complete and Whey Pro Complete. Together it is like eating an entire meal without the digestive distress, rapid weight gain and cost of high quality organic foods. Also, Tyrosine is important, which can be found in the following foods: raw egg, beef, chicken, fish, almonds and cheese or you can choose to supplement tyrosine.

It is also important to eat at least three times a day. Often, this is difficult because meals were frequently not the priority. But in order to restore structures and tissues which have been eroded away, you have to provide the building blocks necessary. At this time, more than any other time in your life, organic and natural foods are essential to limit additional toxins, chemicals and other substances from entering a body that is already overloaded.

The last important aspect of recovery is to undo the high acidification that the body has experienced throughout the period of addiction and abuse. All chemicals used in addiction create very high levels of metabolic acids and acid waste materials in the body tissues and change the very pH of the body systems. This is one of the most insidious and damaging aspects of addiction because it can affect all body systems, even creating illness and disease long after recovery has begun.

In order to prevent this, it is important to drink Kangen Water© which is highly alkaline water and has a higher antioxidant potential than any beverage including orange juice.

Gymnema — this indian herb is the strongest product on the market to break the addiction to sugar and to balance the body’s biochemical relationship with sugar. This is one of the key factors in alcohol addiction, because part of the addiction is to the sugar in the alcohol. For this reason many people in recovery are encouraged to eat ice cream when they crave alcohol. Gymnema stops that cycle cold! By rebalancing sugar in the blood, your energy surges, your mood stabilizes and you will find that you don’t need the sugar.

Valerian - many times the use of drugs and alcohol is to calm the body, slow the body down and allow you to relax. Valerian can do this naturally, even helping sleep cycles to return to normal.

Cramp Bark — muscle spasming and cramping is one of the most common withdrawal symptoms that can last for a few hours or a few weeks. This herbal extract eliminates muscle contractions and restores relaxation and balance to muscle coordination.

St. John’s Wort - not only is this herb essential for combating depression, it also is a very strong anti-viral, reducing the viral load on the liver and helping to support the immune system quickly.

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) — throughout drug and alcohol dependence, the brain loses its’ ability to absorb proteins into cells. This is the key to enable cells to not only absorb proteins, but also to manufacture essential body proteins for repair and rebuilding of damaged tissue.

Min-Tran or Orchex - these mineral tranquilizers help to calm down the nervous system and allow the body to restore mineral substrates stripped down during dependence. Orchex is especially good for men to restore libido, lower blood pressure and reduce anger outbursts. It’s rather like a dart-gun for a lion.

Emphaplex - if smoking has been a constant activity, then you will want to begin right now to offset the damage that has been done and to strengthen the breathing system. Respiration is the determining factor for the health and strength of the blood and ultimately the tissues. By using Emphaplex you can get deeper breathing and more oxygenation to tissues quickly, eliminating muscle pain, shortness of breath and chronic bronchial issues such as asthma.

Cataplex B - for alcoholism or drug abuse, increasing B vitamins very quickly can make the difference between relapse and recovery. This can balance the nervous system, the mood, the circulation and the energy systems in order to manage each day on a more even note.

THE DETOXIFICATION OR CLEANSING PHASE

Once withdrawal is complete, and this can take months, the next step is to clean out the body tissues and reduce the toxic load. This allows the immune system to strengthen and rebalances the nervous system, so that hormones are not competing with chemicals.

During this phase the body needs to rid itself of all the stored toxic material and debris which could not be removed properly during the time of abuse. This toxicity can take the form of metabolic waste acids in body tissue, commonly found in the joints, muscles and skin. It may also be in the form of undigested food in the intestinal tract, excess acids constantly produced in the stomach or excessive accumulation of gas causing abdominal bloating.

It is also possible that residue from the drugs and alcohol can also be released during this time triggering uncomfortable symptoms of drug or alcohol consumption, painful memories and sadness. For this reason it is vitally important during this phase to have support systems in place such as strong counseling support and stable familial support. It is also the time to begin natural therapies to speed the release of toxic material and to change the body’s habits based on the addictive life.

Lymphatic Drainage — the lymphatic system holds many of these toxic elements and also is the cleansing force for every tissue in the body. If you experience swelling or bloating, this is a sure sign the lymphatic system is congested. Machine-administered lymphatic drainage can really decongest the lymphatic system and when combined with natural clay treatments and heat application, the body can fully detoxify in a short period of time. At ISIS, we provide a three hour session that is specifically for this purpose, our Chinese Five Element Body Cure.

FAR Infrared Sauna — clinical studies have shown that the FAR Infrared Sauna can not only elminate alcohol and drug residue from even the deepest tissues, it can increase immunity, reduce scarring of the skin and get your circulation back in shape. It is one of the most amazing therapies available, even lifting depression in a single session.

Acupuncture — particularly for intravenous drug users, acupuncture can change the brain’s association with needle insertion to allow for healthy reactions to take place at the energetic points throughout the meridians. Often the use of needles for drug injection will wreak havoc with delicate meridian points near or at the injection sites, creating massive neurological and physiological short-circuits. In fact, many symptoms during the withdrawal phase are due to the brain’s experience at injection sites. Acupuncture is a painless way for the brain to restore a normalized experience with all meridian points and eliminate many uncomfortable body symptoms making the Detoxification phase much more tolerable.

NeuroModulation Technique - this little known amazing technique is a holistic type of psychotherapy that doesn’t involve talking, instead allowing the body to tell the story through kinesiology and scripted verbal instructions and directs the practitioner to which neural pathways need adjusting. It is almost like a passive type of counseling with incredible results on both the emotional and the physical levels.

Nutritional Support During This Phase -

SP Complete — this is a powdered body food designed to provide every essential mineral, vitamin and enzyme the body needs to function. We recommend at least two servings per day or more, if lack of food was a core component of the addictive behavior.

SP Cleanse — this blood cleanser removes toxic debris from muscles, joints, tissues and blood. Take 7 capsules three times each day between meals for at least six weeks.

Liver Detoxification Package - this is a comprehensive liver cleanser in a pill form, designed for seriously abused livers. It includes five products that are each taken three times a day with meals. It will enable the liver and the gall bladder to clear themselves of any toxic material filtered from the body during the period of abuse. The products used are Livaplex, Livco, Silymarin, AF Betafood and Cruciferous Complete. This must be done for a period of one to three months.

Intestinal Cleanse - many times the health of digestion has been compromised because of poor nutrition, large amounts of processed foods or fast foods and lengthy periods of time with no food intake. This intestinal cleanse is designed to not only clear out unprocessed material and eliminate excess gas and bloating, but it also is antimicrobial reducing excessive levels of bacteria. We recommend the Standard Process Purification Kit which addresses all aspects of intestinal cleansing.

THE HEALING & REBUILDING PHASE

Once the body has been cleansed, you want to increase the body’s ability to heal any damage that has occurred. This can be done by increasing the body’s immune system, providing anti-oxidants to speed rebuilding of cells, and certain herbal compounds designed to help with repairing damaged areas of the lungs, liver and brain. It is especially important during this period to take a healthy probiotic formula of acidophilus/bifidus to restore the normal bacterial levels that are essential for the gut.

OPC Synergy - this incredible anti-oxidant increases breathing and helps the body to quickly repair damaged cells, so that new and healthy cells can be formed, essential to the repair of the liver and the brain.

Ginkgo — this ancient herb increases the repair of the microcirculatory pathways in the brain and liver, helping to restore memory, focused thought and reducing headaches.

Hepatrophin PMG - this is a specially designed repair formula for the damage a liver sustains from alcohol abuse.

Neurotrophin PMG - this is a specially designed repair formula for the damage the brain sustains from drug abuse.

Pneumatrophin PMG - this is a specially designed repair formula for the damage the lungs sustain from smoking or cocaine inhalation.

Immuplex - this complex is designed to restore normalized function of a compomised immune system.

THE BALANCING PHASE

Now that the body is on the road to healing, it is important to maintain a daily balance for the body. We recommend choosing from the following for long-term recovery and body support. Remember that the longer addiction took place, the more compromised a system will be, often requiring support for the rest of your life.

Livaplex and Milk Thistle - to balance and continue the liver’s ability to handle stress and toxicity.

Symplex F/M - a formula designed to balance the glands of the body which respond to stress and addiction immediately. By maintaining healthy glands, the body can restore itself daily.

Min Tran - will increase the ability of the mind to stay focused and increase attention span. It also reduces feelings of anxiety, nervousness or hyperactivity.

Trace Minerals B12 - daily dose of minerals to ensure proper body function.

SP Green Food - this formula gives the body large concentrations of greens and anti-oxidants without any added herbs, synthetic additives or unnecessary ingrediants.

Vitanox - this formula will allow the body to rejuvenate daily and recover from exercise with strong herbal antioxidants.

Protefood - this protein supplement will help to build lean muscle and increase the ability of the body to continue repairing damaged structures.

Tribulus — this is the natural Viagra for both men and women which can help to restore a normalized libido.