Alcoholism and Nutritional Intervention

     Many people have experienced in some way the negative impact of alcohol dependency. Alcohol abuse is defined as people who use alcohol daily or in binge episodes to their detriment. Alcoholism describes those who drink to excess, even when it damages the person's health, social and work relationships. Many issues may influence a person's unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Some factors contribute to alcoholism such as stress, anxiety, depression, a certain psychological event, loss of job, social status, familial history, hypoglycemia, gender and ethnic race. Drinking to excess, daily and/or even binge drinking affects every organ in the body. The main organs that are typically mentioned with regards to damage from alcoholism are the liver, kidneys and the brain. However, some diseases linked to alcoholism are:

• depletion of B vitamins, folic acid, essential fatty acids (especially DHA from fish oil is not converted in the brain), antioxidants and poor dietary choices due to filling up on high calorie drinks
• skin disorders such as acne rosacea  and eczema
• bone diseases such as osteoporosis and osteomalacia
• rusting of the brain cells leading to cognitive decline, Alzheimer's, dementia, vertigo, confusion, memory loss, anxiety and depression (10% of all alcoholics go on to commit suicide)
• cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, high cholesterol, hypertension and stroke
• reproductive issues such as impotence, menstrual irregularities, hot flushes, uterine or ovarian fibroids or cysts, infertility and birth defects like fetal alcohol syndrome as well as offspring with developmental delay and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• cirrhosis of the liver, increased liver enzymes and hepatitis
• pancreatitis and pancreatic insufficiency
• blood sugar disorders like hypoglycemia and diabetes
• women are more susceptible to effects of drinking than men. For example, alcoholics suffer with breast cancer more often than non-alcoholics. It seems alcohol raises negative estrogen levels, perhaps because it impedes the liver's ability to use glutathione, depletes folic acid which interferes with the body's ability to detoxify harmful compounds
• sleep issues such as night sweats, insomnia with frequent waking which leads to further depression, anxiety and cravings
• excessive drinking causes oxidative damage (rusting of the cells, that leads to aging of the cells and wild cells) because it depletes the super antioxidant glutathione leading to brain damage with alcohol abuse.
• recent studies have found that even moderate alcohol consumption is linked to a greatly increased risk of cancer incidence.

     People who crave alcohol may actually have a masked carbohydrate addiction. Those who come from families of diabetics and hypoglycemics tend to develop alcoholism more frequently. Those with a yeast or fungal overgrowth may imbibe more in alcohol than they should. They may actually crave alcohol but it feeds bad bacteria in the stomach, sinus and intestinal tract and when they lay off the sugar, yeast, mould and carbohydrate found in alcohol they feel tired from die off of these fungal forms.

How do we support someone with alcohol addiction?

• test them for hormonal imbalances like high cortisol stress hormones, dopamine, serotonin or gaba imbalances. When one keeps these feel good hormones in  balance it can reduce the craving for alcohol. Contact the clinic about these tests if you would like further information on how we test our practice members

• reduce their intake of refined carbohydrates, sugars and trans fats and keep their nutrition optimal. Increase their intake of healthy fats (epa and dha from fish oil and MCT from coconut oil), increase their vegetables and fruits, eat lean proteins such as fowl, fish, game and other lean meats and limiting excessive starchy carbohydrate intake to keep blood sugar stable

• tailor suit a supplement regime based on their specific needs such as addressing nutrient deficiencies like B vitamins, folic acid, trimethylgycine, amino acids, antioxidants and essential fatty acids

• help balance their beneficial flora by eating a proper diet, increasing the use of fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut or taking probiotics that contain lactobacillus or bifidobacteria and/or anti-fungals

• consider counselling for stress and alcohol addiction, some treatment programs offer excellent services that help the person to safely eliminate alcohol and work on the person's unique triggers

• detoxification protocols may be appropriate under professional supervision

Happy New Year

Wishing you and your family a healthy, prosperous and happy New Year. Thank you for reading our newsletter. Hope you enjoy it for years to come.

Blast the Fat Group

Upcoming "Blast the Fat" group is full, please let us know if you would like to attend another group in the future.

January Coupon For New Practice Members Only

Book an initial appointment with a live cell test and receive a complimentary food sensitivity testing using EAV.

Please bring this coupon to your appointment. Offer expires January 31, 2012

Are Your Friends or Family Feeling as Well as They Should?

We know you want your friends and family to be healthy and some of them just don't feel as well as they should. For the month of October and November, if you refer a friend to the clinic for an initial appointment, you will receive a free live cell test with your next visit (coupon value of 70.00). We will email or mail you a coupon after your referral has had their appointment.

Holiday Closures

• Thursday December 29th
• Friday December 30th

Packages for Regular Clients

For a few months we have offered coupons for live cell tests and visits. We now have new packages that save you even more money on your visits, live cell tests and your supplements. For more information click here

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