tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16770752430370404722024-03-10T23:24:00.242-04:00Health in Recovery Sharing insights, research, and holistic resources to enhance physical, mental and spiritual health in recovery.HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-42883354567284861152018-10-20T19:34:00.000-04:002018-10-20T19:34:52.191-04:00Earthing: Self-Healing from the Ground Up<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is a scientific method for self-healing available literally in your own yard or somewhere nearby, called "earthing" which allows us to practice self-healing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tapping into the body’s built-in system for relaxing and recharging is something many of you do without even realizing it, especially in the spring and summer. I’m not talking about ciestas, although power-naps are great. I’ll give you a hint- this type of energy healing is often experienced by gardeners & beachgoers. Understanding why we feel so good at the beach or gardening will hopefully give you a fresh glimpse into how energy healing works. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Getting Grounded</span></h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grounding by walking barefoot on beach</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You’ve probably experienced how a barefoot walk on the beach can effortlessly rejuvenate you. Maybe you garden and when you’re down there with hands in the soil, you feel particularly “grounded”. Why is that? It’s not just about the fresh air, the sunlight, or that you’re taking a break from work. While those are all valid contributors, the biggest factor in our feeling of wellbeing at the beach or in the garden actually comes via our relationship to the earth’s magnetic field.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As humans, we are in fact meant to “get grounded.” What does that mean anyway? According to Merriam-Webster, grounded means:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Mentally and emotionally stable; an adjective used to describe someone who is sensible and has a good understanding of what is really important in life”</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Connecting to the Earth’s Electro-magnetic Field</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Did you know the earth has its own energy field, just as we each do?
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The earth’s geomagnetic field is what causes a compass to point North. Notice the needle subtly oscillates back and forth? Every moment somewhere on the planet, lightning is striking the earth which keeps the earth charged as an electromagnetic field. This energy pulsing from the earth vibrates in a low frequency range, averaging between 7-10hz. Scientists refer to this as the “Schumann Resonance” after the German atmospheric physicist who proposed this theory in 1950’s which was confirmed by further research in the ‘60s.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLX1q6S5kBgbFMIvYqm2PUM1E0iDTHrAPwYhI3rMSrwoPEwmtPkU7lNjKNCAjiM-FVoHRPO_NvOpbHBo9S3BIPUfxRIs5bh6AEgYvQJMWnIxcM6GDYpHnnS4eomrw4WzjRIwvXzaB8UfIa/s1600/schumann+alpha+waves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="1600" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLX1q6S5kBgbFMIvYqm2PUM1E0iDTHrAPwYhI3rMSrwoPEwmtPkU7lNjKNCAjiM-FVoHRPO_NvOpbHBo9S3BIPUfxRIs5bh6AEgYvQJMWnIxcM6GDYpHnnS4eomrw4WzjRIwvXzaB8UfIa/s320/schumann+alpha+waves.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is important to note that this low frequency range is compatible with our body’s electromagnetic system. For example, our own brainwaves measure in that range – and the 7-10hz waves fall in the particularly healthy Alpha and Theta realm, which are dominant when we meditate. The various specific low frequencies have been associated with healing mechanisms in our body.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Specific <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2018/06/pemf-therapy-for-healing.html" target="_blank">pulsed electromagnetic frequencies</a> (aka <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2018/06/pemf-therapy-for-healing.html" target="_blank">PEMF</a>) when emitted near the skin, have been found to stimulate our natural mechanisms for healing such as tissue repair. For example, 7hz supports bone growth, 10hz ligament repair, and the list goes on.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wired for Walking Barefoot </span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thousands of years ago the Chinese accurately mapped out how energy flows in the body through specific channels known as “meridians.” Acupuncture is based on this scientifically validated information from Traditional Chinese Medicine. [So is <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2017/09/emotional-freedom-technique.html" target="_blank">Emotional Freedom Technique</a>, which is like self-applied emotional acupressure!]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is a meridian for each organ system. Each organ system has functions <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recharging by connecting through kidney 1</td></tr>
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related to our health that extend beyond just the physical organ itself which western medicine typically focuses only on the organs’ biochemical functions For example, you may know our kidneys are involved in helping filter our blood, but as a system (organ plus channels) part of its job includes serving like our batteries– what charges us with the “chi” (energy) to power up the body in general.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The kidneys’ meridians begin with “Kidney 1”, a point located on the bottom of your feet – in the perfect location to receive energy from the earth’s electromagnetic field. Our skin is a great conductor. We are meant to walk barefoot. Through our feet, we naturally can receive the transfer of free electrons from the earth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Gardeners, there are also important meridian points in your hands as well that also allow for the energetic benefit of digging in the dirt.
Much has been written on this concept of self-healing via the connecting with the earth’s energy. If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind how “grounding” or “earthing” works, check out this book by Dr. Stephen Sinatra on <a href="https://amzn.to/2CX38Zt" target="_blank">Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Connecting It All
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXP268eunxfJ4gU5O0FEyUsjH3Lud7lkb1HBu5AV16A-TOhLSdUcsbGjE6UpNyaj5R-ks9yPmmtwwBh0EM5ghR3IEIsOhzwwI45flOlLmHN3k70Ol2z7Jplo0uF8mim8C2_33ZHPLhTSp/s1600/EnergyMedicine+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXP268eunxfJ4gU5O0FEyUsjH3Lud7lkb1HBu5AV16A-TOhLSdUcsbGjE6UpNyaj5R-ks9yPmmtwwBh0EM5ghR3IEIsOhzwwI45flOlLmHN3k70Ol2z7Jplo0uF8mim8C2_33ZHPLhTSp/s320/EnergyMedicine+book.jpg" title="energy medicine book" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you really want to delve into the science, you must read the book <a href="https://amzn.to/2S3czLf" target="_blank">Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis</a>, by Dr. James Oschman. He comprehensively explores research which has validated various energy healing techniques. Some energy practitioners use hands-on methods. The energy emitted from their hands during healing sessions has been measured and found to be in the similar frequency range as the earth’s Schumann Resonance (7-10hz.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other practitioners utilize advanced non-invasive devices, also scientifically validated, that administer specific <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2018/06/pemf-therapy-for-healing.html" target="_blank">pulsed electromagnetic fields</a> (<a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2018/06/pemf-therapy-for-healing.html" target="_blank">PEMF</a>), designed to resonate with aspects of your own energy system to naturally bring it back into balance for self-healing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In summary, you can practice taking a few minutes out of your day to attune to the healthy frequency of the earth! Disconnect from electronic devices, distance yourself from wifi, and connect with the healthy waves that we are wired to receive. Walk barefoot in the grass, on the beach, or in your garden and enjoy this simple act of self-healing from the ground up.
</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-37816766992031797702018-06-13T13:30:00.000-04:002018-06-13T19:56:34.874-04:00PEMF Therapy For Healing <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">PEMF Therapy is one of the most powerful modern healing modalities for effecting positive change on all levels: physical, mental, and spiritual healing and well-being. To appreciate PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic fields), you need to have a basic understanding of how fields of energy play a vital role in life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As humans, we are all electromagnetic beings. Everything on earth has a specific vibration; every cell, every organ, every system in the body has a vibration a.k.a. frequency. Science has confirmed this, including research indicating the unique frequencies of every organ in the body. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Energy Fields and Your Health </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ever seen <a href="https://amzn.to/2JPGB3W" target="_blank">the movie “The Living Matrix”</a>? Have you heard of the part of your body called connective tissue? This is where the flow of electrons (electrical energy) takes place. Information is communicated via energy in the body. Everything begins with energy! Photosynthesis for example, involves the conversion of electromagnetic energy from sunshine into the basic materials necessary for life! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also, think of every complex biochemical function in the body- like the release of hormones, the absorption of nutrients… ever wonder what’s telling your body when to do these things? The instructions (or information) is communicated via your electromagnetic energy system. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Think of the body as an orchestra; when everyone in an orchestra is in tune individually and in harmony working together, beautiful music is made. In the body, the same concept applies; when all the individual organs and systems are operating a healthy individual frequency and in harmony together within the body, optimal function results (you feel great, perform great, look great). When something throws of the balance of energy flow in the body, function is affected. If one section or instrument is off in the orchestra, say percussion is off beat – it affects the whole orchestra and quality of music. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stress in any part of the system can throw off the overall flow and harmony, thus affecting the output (how you look, feel, and function). What can throw off our body’s optimal harmony? Physical trauma (injury, surgery), emotional stress, biochemical stress (toxins in our foods & water), toxins in our environment (in the air we breathe), and electromagnetic stress which is often all around us! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just as there are healthy waves of energy (healing frequencies, like those which our organs vibrate at when functioning correctly), there are unhealthy waves of energy. Most people know they don’t want to live right under high tension power lines, right? Think about other examples of daily exposure to unhealthy types of waves such as cell phones, microwaves, wifi, computers, etc. These unhealthy waves of energy can cause interference in the healthy flow of our electromagnetic system. Highly sensitive people can literally feel the effects of those waves, but they affect all of us regardless of if you can physically perceive the energy or not.
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What is PEMF? </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">PEMF stands for pulsed electromagnetic fields, or pulsed electromagnetic frequencies. PEMF devices emit invisible pulses of energy, in a specific range of frequencies (measured in hertz). They use only healthy frequencies of energy which are known to facilitate various types of healing in the body. For example, pemf in a specific range of frequencies have been shown to promote bone healing, other frequencies promote muscle health, others nerve regeneration, some ligament repair, and specific frequencies help the body deal with microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi - like candida. Some frequencies are utilized to promote metabolism including specific macronutrient, micronutrient, and mineral assimilation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This book provides a solid explanation of PEMF and it’s health benefits: <a href="https://amzn.to/2rpdcSZ" target="_blank">PEMF - The Fifth Element of Health</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the youtube series </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Exploring Energy In Everyday Life,</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rebecca Karchere and Mary Von Ohlen featured an </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">informative discussion on PEMF in this episode:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What Can PEMF Help with? </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thousands of published studies validate the benefits of PEMF, ranging from its efficacy in providing pain relief and injury healing, to aiding with depression and osteoporosis, just to name a few health conditions PEMF has improved. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Dr. Oz show featured PEMF for pain relief several years ago. Check it out:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Check out the following Ted Talk - please note this was not actually a brand new discovery as the speaker may imply - but his research and explanation provide valid information on this topic. They filmed the effects of specific pulsed electromagnetic frequencies on microorganisms, and on cancer cells!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Physically, we know that specific resonant frequencies support: bone, ligament, muscle and nerve repair. PEMF has resulted in reduced anxiety, depression, and the effects of stress. Clients have reported other benefits such as an overall improvement in sense of wellbeing, clearer thinking, better sleep, and improved ability to meditate. </span><br />
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ONDAMED, A Sophisticated PEMF Device </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://ondamed.net/us/" target="_blank">ONDAMED</a> is an advanced tool from the field of biomedical technology developed in Germany, by electronics engineer Rolf Binder, based on 25+ years of research and experience. ONDAMED has been used by doctors and practitioners in the USA since 2002, and in Europe for several years prior. ONDAMED comes from the latin roots standing for “Wave Medicine”, as in energy waves! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Other PEMF devices exist, but many doctors and holistic practitioners choose to learn the ONDAMED system based on its multitude of uses, the sophisticated pre-set programs (combinations of effective fields of energy based on years of practitioners’ successes in the field), and most importantly the ability to customize very specific programs of energy for each individual client. The training of the practitioner to utilize the client’s pulse response to determine the best PEMF energy to administer based on their body’s response. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FdT_LAms3kkSrQgwgs1axvDZOIatNopZgUaI86UBwhcb62ZZ6cH-M-f3BBG5PF_R0IKNVbjffD6zcm2zxfpgUj9omm12Y_oUeehWZl27NreLnuaQIavpE6uF_orhX1x7s9Vm-ZoS87ST/s1600/mary+with+teen+ondamed+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="pemf for addiction, pemf recovery, ondamed addiction" border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FdT_LAms3kkSrQgwgs1axvDZOIatNopZgUaI86UBwhcb62ZZ6cH-M-f3BBG5PF_R0IKNVbjffD6zcm2zxfpgUj9omm12Y_oUeehWZl27NreLnuaQIavpE6uF_orhX1x7s9Vm-ZoS87ST/s320/mary+with+teen+ondamed+2.JPG" title="ONDAMED safe non-invasive pemf therapy " width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ONDAMED practitioners are trained to assess your body’s VAS (vascular autonomic signal, accessed via feeling your pulse). The practitioner can scan through specific energy programs in the ONDAMED administered to you while feeling for your body’s response which enables us to choose the best specific fields of energy for your body and also apply it in the specific areas of your body which respond to it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Again, the practitioner will feel a reaction in your pulse (VAS) wherever there may be areas of meridian blockage (as in Chinese medicine and acupuncture meridians, the circuits where energy travels within the body for proper communication), or inflammation, presence of pathogens, old scar tissue, stuck emotional energy, or some other issue that seems to require the specific field of energy to resolve itself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The concept of resonance in physics applies to how the ONDAMED works. One dictionary definition of resonance is: “Oscillation induced in a physical system when it is affected by another system that is itself oscillating at the right frequency”. Or if you are among the many people who have a hard time comprehending these complex laws of physics, you may simply think of how you use the term in your day to day life- when something “resonates with you”, it makes sense or it “just feels right”! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Your body will resonate with the specific fields of energy which it needs to facilitate healing and optimal wellness. This resonance is detected via the subtle response in your VAS; the practitioner feels for this pulse response while he/she administers various programs from the ONDAMED device. What’s particularly unique is that even while in the process of assessing, the client is simultaneously receiving healing energy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dr. Sylvia Binder discusses the safety of ONDAMED and how it works to locate dysfunction in the body:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How PEMF can Support Addiction Recovery </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For a multitude of reasons, PEMF benefits anyone recovering or seeking from recovery from an addiction. The following lists just a few of the areas in which ONDAMED pemf therapy can support individuals recovering from alcoholism or other addictions; there are specific ONDAMED programs designed to help with: </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cravings </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Smoking cessation</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Neuropathy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stress Reduction</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Improved Sleep</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Enhanced ability for Relaxation and Meditation</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Liver support (and all the other organ systems)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Promoting overall feeling of Well-being</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The list goes on and on. Common triggers for a struggling or recovering addict of any kind include physical ailments, stress, emotional discomfort, and spiritual disconnection – all of which a PEMF system such as ONDAMED can help your body's natural ability to heal, and in ways that few or no other modalities can.
</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-30763244537885997772018-01-31T15:10:00.000-05:002018-01-31T15:10:09.710-05:00How To Visualize For Manifesting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgs1FB3-C5ms2rO_6cYs1Sb69T3bBUEkqMmqwlUr1lGwEeOYorz6n91jO3XDnLXdnrgg4y29lLA4lJooS-A4wySG4VsHaxC52OfnNigXvEZaM26Z6BhIWFMhQXyU7uJmKu3vJuAbsgHFWO/s1600/vision_board_2018JPG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="visualize your dreams, visualization process" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgs1FB3-C5ms2rO_6cYs1Sb69T3bBUEkqMmqwlUr1lGwEeOYorz6n91jO3XDnLXdnrgg4y29lLA4lJooS-A4wySG4VsHaxC52OfnNigXvEZaM26Z6BhIWFMhQXyU7uJmKu3vJuAbsgHFWO/s320/vision_board_2018JPG.JPG" title="how to visualize for manifesting" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You have probably heard it is important to visualize your dreams in order to have success in manifesting them. Do you wonder what exactly that means? Is there a process to successfully visualize for manifesting what your desire?
There are a few key elements to understand in the visualization process, and the basic recipe calls for 4 main ingredients for success: think, feel, believe and act.</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Think about what you want. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Feel what it will be like to achieve it. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Believe that you really can manifest your dream. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Act accordingly. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before you can begin to visualize your goals, obviously you need to identify them. The first step is to think about what you want to manifest. Get clear on what you desire.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Thinking and Feeling in Manifestation</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In essence, the concept behind the Law of Attraction teachings is that our experiences are directly related to what we think about. What you focus on, you attract, so focus your attention on what you desire.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The idea that our thoughts and imagination contribute to what we manifest in life has been around for ages, and in popular literature since at least the early 20th century. Napoleon Hill published the classic “Think And Grow Rich” in 1937. Wallace D. Wattles wrote “The Science of Getting Rich” back in 1910!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the launch of the movie “The Secret” in 2006 (and the book The Secret), which was inspired in part by those older classics, came a sudden popular interest in the Law of Attraction phenomenon it featured. Related books on the topic sprung up filling the New Age and Self-Improvement sections at Barnes and Noble, and Oprah interviewed related author and speakers on her epic daytime show. Esther and Jerry Hicks book titled “The Law of Attraction” became a #1 bestseller and Esther continues to have an enormous following over a decade later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9qwZMVe2WVY" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many people, however, seemed to miss the key ingredient to the “thoughts become things” magic. You have to get into the vibration of what you want to manifest, which can take more than simply thinking about it. Conveniently, the action part of successfully manifesting with the Law of Attraction also was lost on some individuals.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“The starting point of all achievement is desire.”—Napoleon Hill</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thinking in specific terms is usually your best bet. If you are able to describe in detail that which you wish to manifest, you are more likely to get into alignment with that goal. Note: write it down! Those who write down their goals are more likely to achieve them.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhCGRs4sWd1eQWZ3Ur0idW6EJ2UvDj7Xdi5enskoYHdLS-gsk8bx5yWfW8Yh4ON6m_pfnele7J9y03EYHkIpbaHW5enyu6B_ASG45QJPcDixpLZI64iiuGFCrSzzydB9VLJ1dXRIRHm0p/s1600/write+journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="visualize to manifest, write down your goals" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhCGRs4sWd1eQWZ3Ur0idW6EJ2UvDj7Xdi5enskoYHdLS-gsk8bx5yWfW8Yh4ON6m_pfnele7J9y03EYHkIpbaHW5enyu6B_ASG45QJPcDixpLZI64iiuGFCrSzzydB9VLJ1dXRIRHm0p/s320/write+journal.jpg" title="Write down what you want to manifest" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you begin to think in more detail about what you desire, it also helps bring you into the feeling of it. Feeling is the key! You get into the vibration of what you want by feeling it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you are feeling positive emotions, you will resonate with and attract more positive experiences that align with those positive feelings.
If you’re thinking about what you want, yet having feelings about the not having it, your focus is actually on the lack of abundance. Consequently, you will continue to attract things that align with the vibration of “not enough.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What about the <i>seeing</i> part of visualization?</span></h3>
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Doesn’t visualizing have to do with literally seeing something? Well, yes, one definition of visualize is to literally “make something visible to the eye.” The primary definition, however, is “to form a mental image; imagine.”</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You can’t do it unless you imagine it”—George Lucas</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What if I’m not a visual person? You may be the type of person who has difficulty being able to picture things. Some individuals have a vivid visual imagination; others not as much. It’s okay either way! Really the most important sense you use in imagining is in the feeling of it.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo8wAyqND4_Jd6cI5vcZLa0OT5lbAOvTo_vnwLG8R23b6oYZs_xx5IWC4w5-TH-ndTDzNHei9fSORmCP87IGfdjTFLQOJbyDDPzzDWw7AboX9t7TSq6Bp7NPly-0Zi3_Kbfa9z36OfcW-/s1600/visualize+your+goals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="visualize for manifesting, feeling when visualizing " border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo8wAyqND4_Jd6cI5vcZLa0OT5lbAOvTo_vnwLG8R23b6oYZs_xx5IWC4w5-TH-ndTDzNHei9fSORmCP87IGfdjTFLQOJbyDDPzzDWw7AboX9t7TSq6Bp7NPly-0Zi3_Kbfa9z36OfcW-/s320/visualize+your+goals.jpg" title="imagine and feel " width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Regardless of whether you visually imagine it— seeing the picture in your mind’s eye
— simply think about what you want. Then, pretend as if it’s already happening. Think about what it will be like to be in that dream situation you want to manifest. Now, as you’re in that imagining place, notice how you feel. Do you feel happy? Joyful? Free? Satisfied? Fulfilled? Adventurous? Excited? Grateful? Notice those positive feelings and just allow yourself to feel them now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is a time to be more general in your thinking. As you get more specific in your visualization process, if you notice doubts start to creep in, back up and be more broad in your focus. Think of the broad feelings and general outcome you desire until you feel more positive, allowing whatever details to emerge naturally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*Note: if when imagining your future self in that successful manifestation, you feel anything negative arise, you will need to shift your mental blocks to manifesting. Check out the <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2017/09/emotional-freedom-technique.html" target="_blank">Emotional Freedom Technique</a> as a great method to clear any blocks!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do Vision Boards Work?</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Along with The Secret came the vision boards trend. If you’re not a “visual person” in terms of your ability to “see” things in your imagination, then a vision board can also help you add that visual element to your manifestation process.
There seem to be two different approaches to creating vision boards, and two different approaches to what you do with them once completed. With either, typically the process involves finding pictures and/or words to cut out of magazines and paste onto a poster board.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One approach to creating the vision board suggests just looking through magazines and cutting out anything that catches your interest, stirs positive emotion or desire. For example, it could be a cute picture of a monkey and you cut it out and paste it somewhere on your board. In this approach, you don’t choose the picture because you literally would like to have a pet monkey! It just feels fun or invokes some positive feeling for you so you include it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPlCbrSRg6Ow2OlUgZcyVAIskWuFfSWiDvU732Dv1VNxQLStaENFe27hjvy-_JoAMOTAIcAI8Br3eNrepcjcvCMuHx9q4bgxcMT_shSUEXEGszUmv-Mew-twddMy3TfOMLWs75ffFAgp7/s1600/Vision+Board+for+Manifesting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="do vision boards work, using vision board for manifesting" border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPlCbrSRg6Ow2OlUgZcyVAIskWuFfSWiDvU732Dv1VNxQLStaENFe27hjvy-_JoAMOTAIcAI8Br3eNrepcjcvCMuHx9q4bgxcMT_shSUEXEGszUmv-Mew-twddMy3TfOMLWs75ffFAgp7/s320/Vision+Board+for+Manifesting.JPG" title="creating vision board" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other approach to vision boards I have seen people take, is to have goals in mind
and then search out pictures and words that best match those desires. For example, you specifically want to manifest an orange jeep wrangler so you look for an ad that has that image in it. You want to manifest a life partner, so you look for happy couples in a wedding magazine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once created, some people like to hang their vision board somewhere they can look at it daily for inspiration; others simply make it and then put it away, out of sight, to revisit in the future and discover what unfolded. In the latter method, take the monkey image example mentioned previously. Someone may put that board away and revisit a few years later having forgotten about the monkey picture pasted, only to realize it aligned with a trip they ended up manifesting in which they thoroughly enjoyed interacting with monkeys it the wild!
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Which approach is correct? I would say either, as long as you are in that feeling place when you make them. Whether you’re searching for specific types of images, or letting an image grab your spirit, it’s how they make you feel that matters most. As for after you make it, if looking at the vision board regularly continues to evoke that positive feeling response and helps you stay in the manifesting vibe, use that as a tool to remember to get into that feeling place daily.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Power of Belief </span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Believe that abundance exists and that you have access to it— that you can attract it into your personal experience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Within all of us is a divine capacity to manifest and attract all that we need and desire.”—Wayne Dyer</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe part of you doesn’t believe that you can attract the degree of abundance you desire. If that’s the case, start from your present truth. Look around your current environment and circumstances for examples of abundance. Abundance is all around us.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIB_lQBLXsG85Uzre4BRY7wwHBafkb62psSPs7Unma7YXzDlREsoNEFP4fZCrLtuMhDtsKs-Gx8TELYl4XE7KrQlQg8mMvpP9chKGmQhKFg44lWks0Mzd7lOw2bRZzBRe5i3qavblpSrvB/s1600/morning+dew.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="abundance in nature, the power of belief in manifesting" border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIB_lQBLXsG85Uzre4BRY7wwHBafkb62psSPs7Unma7YXzDlREsoNEFP4fZCrLtuMhDtsKs-Gx8TELYl4XE7KrQlQg8mMvpP9chKGmQhKFg44lWks0Mzd7lOw2bRZzBRe5i3qavblpSrvB/s320/morning+dew.JPG" title="focus on abundance " width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Perhaps you are looking for material abundance and your focus is presently on the lack thereof. Shift your focus to other types of abundance first. Affirm the abundance that presently surrounds you. You can always begin with nature— are there trees where you live? Grass? Water? Notice and think about the number of leaves on the trees, or blades of grass, or drops of water in your surroundings. Consider what other areas you already have in abundance— friends? Health? Family? Love? If you can attract abundance in one area, why not another!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And…. Action! </span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other misstep reported by those who initially got excited about the Law of Attraction was the lack of action. If you sit on your couch visualizing and then never leave your couch, do you really believe your dreams are just going to fall into your lap? Life is about movement and flow. You typically need to leave your living room to get the energy moving and allow the energetic aspects that support your dreams to come into your experience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Those who find courage to pursue their dreams, manifest gladness of their souls.”
―Lailah Gifty Akita </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It can take courage to choose to be in your power and own your ability to consciously use your energy to manifest positive things in your life. It’s worth it. It’s about the pursuit of experiences that resonate with you from a place of joyful imagination.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you consistently practice this art of visualization, and get into alignment with your joyful journey of manifesting your desires, you can trust your intuition. Take actions accordingly. Do the next natural thing that keeps you on that path.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Acting in accordance with your dreams doesn’t mean spending money you don’t have or making wild irresponsible decisions; it means starting to make little lifestyle changes that align with that ultimate dream. If how you feel when you visualize is a sense of freedom, find actions during your day that support that feeling in your current situation. “Roll down the windows and let the wind blow back your hair!” (Fellow Bruce fans know where that comes from.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bottom line: Enjoy the journey. Keep visualizing and follow your dreams! Remember that happiness is not a destination. Successful manifestors understand that happiness comes from enjoying the now, regardless of which phase you are in. Have fun with your visualizing to manifest what you desire. In the process, if you are focusing on the positive aspects you have already manifested into your experience, you will not only create your own happiness in the now but also be better poised to attract what you are visualizing to manifest in the nows yet to come.
</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-87576152106769223342017-12-05T23:11:00.000-05:002017-12-05T23:11:03.150-05:00Healing Through Writing – A Solstice Poem <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZybO-otYkUERYGwEzJBCTVlaH6iTDYDNxuKH2ptYEarsVh8yyfe5vAxD0KOWCq4AMNkxzCrROEjitsJNFdTc0GmdflJkovURTH9O6UQBQ6hcmNS-yn3e_YYQTDxd78RcySss-91lrVCS/s1600/winter+light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1280" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZybO-otYkUERYGwEzJBCTVlaH6iTDYDNxuKH2ptYEarsVh8yyfe5vAxD0KOWCq4AMNkxzCrROEjitsJNFdTc0GmdflJkovURTH9O6UQBQ6hcmNS-yn3e_YYQTDxd78RcySss-91lrVCS/s200/winter+light.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Writing can be a potent therapeutic tool, especially as an outlet to aid in the process of healing from grief. Recently, I found myself spontaneously writing this timely poem as I approach a significant anniversary of a traumatic loss in my life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is a cathartic piece of writing for me; I'm sharing it here with the intention that it might evoke some hope for healing in your own journey. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">12<span style="font-weight: normal;">~</span>21</span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>by Mary Von Ohlen </i></span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Yellow butterfly before my eyes</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Where if you could I know you’d rise.</i></span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>'Twas the smoothest landing we’d ever felt; </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Then devastation never before dealt.</i></span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>A decade of darkness, a wrong December,</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Maybe some things better not to remember;</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>And others yet I yearn to find</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>From cloudy archives of my mind.</i></span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Forty seasons of missing you? </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>A day at a time, I pull through.</i></span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Like waves of the ocean are never done,</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The tears now pass as quickly as they come.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>With ironic twists, the energy shifts;</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>A soul returns, more lessons learned…</i></span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Realizing it will always be warm where you lie;</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>That the sun was so bright when we passed in the sky;</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>No present from you under the tree,</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>But your greatest gift is inside me. </i></span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Your soul still holds me tight for sure;</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>May solstice steal my light no more! </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>To look with wonder, no longer from fright;</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Discover from darkness, there’s infinite Light.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>------------</i></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx03SCYqOajU1BHRUDB-gYfyA9zRfaSzwI2NgygmKw15rjH_uaCOaZhFMLK4wipW4KY1XvGX8nawVl3uAY4UMD0SqvGtHAmbTknCixh7FFROk9KFoygoOsTjcknLQ-q3JDa8b2eKgZn_AS/s1600/winter-forest-sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1280" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx03SCYqOajU1BHRUDB-gYfyA9zRfaSzwI2NgygmKw15rjH_uaCOaZhFMLK4wipW4KY1XvGX8nawVl3uAY4UMD0SqvGtHAmbTknCixh7FFROk9KFoygoOsTjcknLQ-q3JDa8b2eKgZn_AS/s320/winter-forest-sun.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As we embark upon winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the supportive energy of this season is ideal for introspection. To continue your personal path of recovery, consider writing a poem or simply journaling your thoughts and feelings in regards to any losses or wounds you may still carry. </span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I invite you to share your reaction to my poem or any other related thoughts on grief, healing, or the solstice in the comment section below! In addition to writing, check out the previous article on my top <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2017/11/holistic-resources-to-heal-from-grief.html">holistic resources to heal from grief</a>. </span></span></div>
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HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-49916595571848912192017-11-04T16:07:00.000-04:002017-11-04T16:07:07.272-04:00Holistic Resources To Heal From Grief<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbKVXE4ND1KpY4K1YV2lEyfmn7drDcAWwVOCuFYLu6GMTppo-5Hw6_x0jN7dxukBEweFKD9fEWgmHfSoETrUhiix5QLUeSzxPASM1fHs7rLIEPuk9hfw9p82PM91aABfNaHOj0xoznAea/s1600/church+light+candles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="recover from grief, grief in recovery " border="0" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="1280" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbKVXE4ND1KpY4K1YV2lEyfmn7drDcAWwVOCuFYLu6GMTppo-5Hw6_x0jN7dxukBEweFKD9fEWgmHfSoETrUhiix5QLUeSzxPASM1fHs7rLIEPuk9hfw9p82PM91aABfNaHOj0xoznAea/s320/church+light+candles.jpg" title="Healing from grief" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Healing from grief is one of the most challenging but expansive processes you may endure as a human being. Suffering a traumatic loss affects our physical body, our mental and emotional health, and our spiritual well-being. With that in mind, and having had my share of grief as well as lots of personal knowledge of and direct experience with the benefits of holistic modalities that helped me through grief recovery, I felt compelled to share some...</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">7 Holistic Resources that Helped Me Heal From Grief</span></b></h3>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. EMDR For Grief </span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">EMDR stands for <a href="http://www.emdr.com/" target="_blank">Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing</a>. It is a therapeutic natural modality facilitated by a licensed psychotherapist or social worker. EMDR utilizes a method which simulates what our brain seems to attempt during REM sleep, allowing for a rapid processing of trauma. If you’re not familiar with this holistic form of psychotherapy, check it out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I actually chose to do an independent research study on this fascinating modality as a psychology undergrad. It was very new back then; I’m happy to see how widely it has since expanded. You can <a href="http://www.emdr.com/SEARCH/index.php" target="_blank">probably find an EMDR clinician</a> near you. </span><br />
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2. EFT For Grief</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-0c3fbf37-8866-da4f-9981-38f57dbe15a1"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-0c3fbf37-8867-9e3d-3244-21945370176d"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span>Emotional Freedom Technique, commonly referred to simply as “EFT” or “Tapping,” is a phenomenal tool for working through the various stages of grief. From the growing field of Energy Psychology, EFT combines the proven wisdom of ancient Chinese healing with modern psychology. This invaluable healing aid is probably my favorite of all time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As an <a href="http://maryvonohlen.com/" target="_blank">advanced EFT practitioner </a>myself, I have had the honor of facilitating the EFT process with clients who presented with recent raw grief as well as old stuck grief. I have personally utilized EFT in my own process of healing from various forms of loss, including clearing PTSD symptoms associated with sudden tragic loss. I explain more about this mind-body technique and the different choices in which you may utilize EFT (from self-administered to professional guidance by a certified practitioner) in a previous <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2017/09/emotional-freedom-technique.html" target="_blank">article on Emotional Freedom Technique</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Note: if you prefer the more traditional route of working with a psychotherapist, seek out one certified in EMDR. Less traditionally but on the rise, you may find a psychotherapist in your area who is certified in Emotional Freedom Technique. Some EFT practitioners (coaches and therapists) offer <a href="http://maryvonohlen.com/" target="_blank">distance appointments</a>, as this technique can be facilitated via webcam or even phone once you are familiar with how it works.
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3. Adrenal Support For Grief </span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFPGkoq5yCU6FxodYRfZ2oZ3D5BCtCXmaOVCYa_-B-ORsP64Ty9zXenH4YTJ4hdxN-fJUuXjmv5mbJLpX3jlbiZTsZreCzsS3AgfFJuObZJI9WZ8JYHoNCEN5PvdItSBWfJ_wQJnd8K52/s1600/grief+depression.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="adrenal support for grief, resources for grief" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFPGkoq5yCU6FxodYRfZ2oZ3D5BCtCXmaOVCYa_-B-ORsP64Ty9zXenH4YTJ4hdxN-fJUuXjmv5mbJLpX3jlbiZTsZreCzsS3AgfFJuObZJI9WZ8JYHoNCEN5PvdItSBWfJ_wQJnd8K52/s200/grief+depression.jpg" title="stress from grief" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Physically, it is very important to support your body under the stress of grief. The loss of a loved one, especially if sudden and unexpected, triggers the stress response and the cascade of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol as a result. Grief can consequently take a toll on your adrenal glands, which are responsible for the release of these stress hormones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Have you ever seen someone who’s been under chronic stress? They can end up pretty sickly due to the physical brunt of the stress the body endures. Aware of this as a health professional, I knew it was important to tend to my physical wellbeing as much as I was able to, during the often exhausting grief process.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One simple action I took was to take a supplement for adrenal support. Adaptogenic herbs, such as ashwaganda, rhodiola, and eleuthro (siberian ginseng) can help support the adrenal glands affected by the stress brought on by grief. Adaptogens, as their name suggests, physically help the body adapt to stress. They have a balancing effect on the body. The supplement I personally use is <a href="https://www.shop.com/maryvo/Bliss+trade+Anti+Stress+Formula-559052307-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">Bliss Anti-Stress Formula</a> which includes some of the aforementioned adaptogens and more. Check with your health practitioner before starting a new supplement.
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4. Total Body Modification (TBM) and Neuro Emotional Technique (NET)</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For unique comprehensive support of my physical health, I have often sought out practitioners who use holistic techniques called Total Body Modification and <a href="https://www.netmindbody.com/more-information/an-introduction-to-net" target="_blank">Neuro Emotional Technique</a>. Both TBM and NET utilize applied kinesiology (muscle testing) to identify underlying physiological, structural and emotional causes of imbalance in the body. Both modalities involve subtle non-invasive techniques or remedies to stimulate the body to naturally “correct” whatever underlying imbalance is discovered. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While I have also trained in some TBM and NET myself, I personally find this to be a modality best received by a fellow practitioner (unlike EFT, which I am able to effectively self-administer based on my training.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. Support Groups</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTJnJ08l2Ju_z1lWb1H7sSSalo3rkqi0Xi9BWNcp223S03Ga5jeUBMjnaSvNdbnHyBU0rLr-hoC6FurDZ0v9vvx0GkJkWX3RztT7Lm_QDYSirXcp8O0oYCd-QKwcVs4mShWmSByoSiJfz/s1600/group+support.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTJnJ08l2Ju_z1lWb1H7sSSalo3rkqi0Xi9BWNcp223S03Ga5jeUBMjnaSvNdbnHyBU0rLr-hoC6FurDZ0v9vvx0GkJkWX3RztT7Lm_QDYSirXcp8O0oYCd-QKwcVs4mShWmSByoSiJfz/s320/group+support.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Receiving the support of other human beings is crucial. Of my Top 7 resources here, support groups are the most affordable– often absolutely free– resource for grief support. It is easy to isolate in your grief; while taking ample alone time is part of the process, it’s crucial to balance it with human connection. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you’re a member of a spiritual community or involved in a 12 step fellowship, share about your grief there to receive support. Or specifically seek out a bereavement support group. You should be able to find a grief support group in your local newspaper, or checking with a local hospital or your town’s social services department to refer you to a group near you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Having already been connected to a community when I endured sudden grief, I personally received an outstanding amount of prayers, calls, messages of support as soon as my support network heard about my loss. In the intense shock of the initial loss, many of those specific messages are hazy at best but what stands out to me were two separate voicemails from long-term sober folk whose simple words “you don’t have to go through this alone” were the most comforting. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Overall, the support from individuals who had been through grief and </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">experienced a similar type of loss as mine, were the most helpful. When you experience loss, you suddenly find yourself a member of a club you perhaps never realized existed… Based on your specific loss, perhaps you joined the ranks of the broken hearted, or the motherless daughters, the young widows, or whatever demographic that uniquely understands your brand of pain. As dark as that may sound, it’s important to connect with people with whom you can relate and ideally who can offer hope from the other side of that loss.
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">6. Spiritual Books on Grief </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Especially in early stages of profound loss, you may experience some insomnia. I recommend you keep spiritual books by your bedside for when that occasion arises. There are countless books on the subject of grief and loss. Especially if you naturally gravitate towards books, this is a time you could particularly benefit from the non-fiction variety to help further support yourself through the process of healing. You may find that you become more inquisitive about the afterlife, and if so, there are plenty of books on the topic of afterlife as well.
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">7. Spiritual Intuitives </span></h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTa4WGkztCBSIYT1F9qe1PMdWzxl0TiXvgka87HsdWa5yWr_oGmoyr9XtmcgEg_qyABzGp9-iHJMwlQgCQIDuB6-JcqUW5X7qfuK4CAtElBb1JpejT80UYQxccj1dPaZ8rpGr8evY-dRPS/s1600/Roland.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="580" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTa4WGkztCBSIYT1F9qe1PMdWzxl0TiXvgka87HsdWa5yWr_oGmoyr9XtmcgEg_qyABzGp9-iHJMwlQgCQIDuB6-JcqUW5X7qfuK4CAtElBb1JpejT80UYQxccj1dPaZ8rpGr8evY-dRPS/s200/Roland.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...with Roland Comtois <br />after an event in 2012. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Reading the spiritual books on afterlife opened me up even more to the possibility of connecting with a loved one’s energy on the other side. Friends and acquaintances at the time recommended (without me even asking) specific intuitive professionals to seek out. That got my attention and I soon took them up on the suggestion. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One was in a group format, with popular medium, <a href="https://blessingsbyroland.com/" target="_blank">Roland Comtois</a> (check out his book, And Then There Was Heaven, in which my thank you note to him got quoted!). A seasoned intuitive named <a href="http://denisetoth.com/" target="_blank">Denise Toth</a> was amazing as well (I worked with her by phone, she is semi-retired in Georgia), and of course over the years I have relied on the intuitive guidance from my friend and colleague, the clairvoyant healer <a href="http://purenewtrition.com/" target="_blank">Rebecca Karchere</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As much as EMDR and EFT helped me to shift the mental and emotional trauma behind the grief, I must say that the emotional/spiritual healing that occurred from my direct experiences with these psychic mediums, struck me as the most profound. It is difficult to articulate the nature of healing that can occur on this level – as with anything energy-related, it really must be personally experienced for full effect.</span><br />
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Pick a Resource That Resonates with You </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In summary, I implore you to be gentle with yourself during the emotional roller coaster of the grief process. Know that you will indeed feel lighter and stronger again. As always, I’m a big fan of taking advantage of resources that can accelerate any otherwise painful and potentially long process. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I encourage you to pick one of the recommended holistic resources above that is new to you. If you really want to gift yourself the best self-care through your grief, pick one resource that supports the physical aspect, one that supports the mental/emotional healing, and one specific to the spiritual support. After all, you deserve a “whole” healing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Feel free to share your grief and healing experiences in the comments section below. Wishing you comprehensive healing and personal growth as you move through your own personal process of grief recovery!</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-23481059409803236452017-10-10T15:50:00.000-04:002017-12-16T20:59:52.977-05:00Finding Your Flow <h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What Does it Mean to Find Your Flow? </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The term <i>flow</i> embodies a concept that is crucial in the field of healing and recovery, and also applies to life in general. When things are in sync or in harmony, there is a healthy balanced flow of energy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Traditional Chinese Medicine and meridian-based modalities such as Acupuncture and <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2017/09/emotional-freedom-technique.html" target="_blank">Emotional Freedom Technique</a>, are rooted in the concept that the healthy flow of energy in our body facilitates a state of well-being. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The definition of flow:
<i>a steady continuous stream of something </i></span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgx4u27NEd5PxfMibznS9Lj6C6ls6hq32NHnlURK2dnS_SS1OMF6fME9n0ISg9SZp1RSSxnbxBqE2yxqHR7wpsMOsDbziUR2at5AovvnYn1X6-_snIOqQ9JWsqaXuKudbQ4CDXoI39fLD/s1600/FLOW+GO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="positive flow, finding your flow, healing flow" border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="1600" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgx4u27NEd5PxfMibznS9Lj6C6ls6hq32NHnlURK2dnS_SS1OMF6fME9n0ISg9SZp1RSSxnbxBqE2yxqHR7wpsMOsDbziUR2at5AovvnYn1X6-_snIOqQ9JWsqaXuKudbQ4CDXoI39fLD/s320/FLOW+GO.jpg" title="go with the flow" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Phrases that come to mind on this topic include “go with the flow” and “flow freely.” It seems to imply ease, simplicity, and effortlessness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Think of a leaf floating down river. It doesn’t put forth effort; it gets effortlessly carried along by the flow of the river. It doesn’t have to think about how to get around the rocks; the flow of the stream moves it gracefully around any obstacle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Positive Flow </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While pondering the term flow, I realized that not even one negative association emerged; flow seems to naturally have a positive connotation. The word flow itself elicits the concept of abundance. Everyone likes it when money flows, right? Even financial expert Suze Orman references flow. She said:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“When you are grateful—when you can see what you have—you unlock blessings to flow in your life.” </i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Flow implies movement. Do things always seem to be in motion? Well, they should be—sounds like life. Our planet itself is always moving. All living things have constant movement. The lack of movement is essentially death. We stop blood flow, we’re doomed. No flow of oxygen? Death will follow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Movement is what drives our brain development (a topic for a future article, I won’t digress in explaining this here.) And conversely, lack of movement is what contributes to degeneration. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them—that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”</i>–Lao Tzu, ancient Taoist philosopher</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Blockage or resistance may be considered an antonym to flow. As the wise father of Taoism suggested in the aforementioned quote, resistance can bring discontent. Thus it would follow that flow is more likely to produce happiness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In The Zone </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“<i>In Positive Psychology, flow, also known as the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.</i>” (Wikipedia) </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Positive psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, claims that flow is the secret to happiness. Check out his Ted Talk on the topic: </span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" scrolling="no" src="https://embed.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" width="854"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Any athlete or artist knows what it means to be “in the zone,” where it’s almost like you are on autopilot, effortlessly performing your passion as the energy or focus needed just seems to flow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We want things to flow. In planning for a positive process, such as in business, people will utilize a flow-chart. Flow also applies to ideas and creativity. A mastermind group may form for discussion to help elicit a flow of ideas. In order to organize my thoughts into this article, I needed to be in a state of flow as opposed to “writer’s block.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Flow in Your Outer and Inner Environment </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the practice of Feng Shui, your physical environment is designed to foster flow in alignment with your goals. Feng Shui experts help you de-clutter and strategically arrange your home or workplace using natural elements to balance the energy of the space. The intended outcome is to create harmony in your surroundings, which in turn supports positive shifts in the other areas of your life. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gJHRTsUFdQNxQsZEdVCFm04mk5W8yiIFlMtUk65c1kthMAgTcYUswejshj8dtDWngLa-_9uIeeDNH2emQo-dUDKeaOL-h4DgfPHOpp43kTo1bZdKHY1i6sUnlMsXjEmddyUl6SPaUXVs/s1600/flowing-creek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="finding your flow, flow of life, stream of energy " border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gJHRTsUFdQNxQsZEdVCFm04mk5W8yiIFlMtUk65c1kthMAgTcYUswejshj8dtDWngLa-_9uIeeDNH2emQo-dUDKeaOL-h4DgfPHOpp43kTo1bZdKHY1i6sUnlMsXjEmddyUl6SPaUXVs/s320/flowing-creek.jpg" title="flowing river" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are various examples of flow, such as a continuous stream of: information, ideas, money, oxygen, creativity… the list goes on. But most commonly, our minds may go to examples of liquids when we think of things that flow. Blood flow. A stream of tears. Bodies of water—such as a flowing river or the ocean’s tidal flow. All of these instances display how flow is an inherent inevitability found throughout nature. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We also think of flow as pertaining to something that operates in a cycle or rhythm. Nature functions in cycles. From the planets in our solar system, to our ocean tides, and every living organism on earth, they all function in cycles and are comprised of energy. As human beings, we too are included on that list!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are steady continuous streams of energy flowing through us. When these streams of energy are in proper balance and flowing freely, the result is wellness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Spiritual Flow in Recovery</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The primary text of Alcoholics Anonymous uses the term <i>flow</i> a few times. In each instance, flow seems to be utilized in a spiritual context.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"<i>In the face of collapse and despair, in the face of the total failure of their human resources, they found that a new power, peace, happiness, and sense of direction flowed to them.</i>"—p.50</span></blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGnH87ay9JHBgqO6kMDglr-CZeArbUrYIe4fPTk-3klML_s16FDLbZ5xBrTzanyuDtLIXiEhl7wVbNqH0SwiGlbjvOT5PnfdHNAy2EgX46Rr7PuGFmGKsPtnLDPbf4biRO2Hh69w27JXi/s1600/meditate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="spirituality in recovery, spiritual flow, meditation in recovery" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGnH87ay9JHBgqO6kMDglr-CZeArbUrYIe4fPTk-3klML_s16FDLbZ5xBrTzanyuDtLIXiEhl7wVbNqH0SwiGlbjvOT5PnfdHNAy2EgX46Rr7PuGFmGKsPtnLDPbf4biRO2Hh69w27JXi/s200/meditate.jpg" title="11th step meditation " width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In admitting powerless over alcohol or other drugs, and starting </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the 12-step process of addiction recovery, some early promises of a better life are offered as in the previous quote. It suggests that in letting go of trying to control things via self-will, we free of ourselves up to access a new form of power which will just flow in if we allow it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"<i>As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of [a higher power], we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow, or the hereafter</i>."—Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 63 </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The A.A. authors directly associate this energy that flows with a spiritual form of power. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"<i>Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from [a higher power]... If we carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of [the higher power]'s spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense.</i>"—Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 85</span> </blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here they seem to suggest that a new power – a sixth sense – comes to us by simply becoming aware of the spiritual energy that flows in. Again, consider the phenomenon in sports when athletes are "in the zone." In that state of flow, they have keen physical and mental awareness. Likewise perhaps, when in the spiritual flow we may have keen spiritual awareness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finding Your Flow </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Within our diverse array of holistic information and resources to be explored here, HealthinRecovery will introduce you to information and methods to help you remove anything that may be blocking or hindering your natural flow, to promote your body’s ability to heal itself, and empower you to connect more consciously with your own powerful energy— your higher self and/or higher power— to find your flow and enhance all aspects of your health in recovery. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please post a comment below to share your own thoughts or experiences on being in the <i>flow</i>. </span><br />
<br />HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-6960306591576932862017-10-05T16:04:00.001-04:002017-12-16T21:03:25.976-05:004 Steps To Asking For Help <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Asking for help is an essential part of self-care. There is no shame in it. Well, perhaps you’re one of the many who do in fact feel some shame around the thought of asking for help. For lots of people, this common human act does not come easily nor feel natural to do. So here are four tips you may find helpful in the process. <strong><br /> </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">1. Assess and Acknowledge</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKMXua_bzW0Jvuvwm9I4OpRUwQPvFfFl8e10-GVrTOj7xoMkhmvTzYCwAn1zcUJ1ujYuyHwI1UMQUgg_Aj6eWjwln_fW37aVEN-J_PiPSEAmip0d-oPJxoM9B6ctPUVcsCS08Z0soKiPO/s1600/pad-black-and-white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="asking for help" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKMXua_bzW0Jvuvwm9I4OpRUwQPvFfFl8e10-GVrTOj7xoMkhmvTzYCwAn1zcUJ1ujYuyHwI1UMQUgg_Aj6eWjwln_fW37aVEN-J_PiPSEAmip0d-oPJxoM9B6ctPUVcsCS08Z0soKiPO/s320/pad-black-and-white.jpg" title="Step 1 in Asking For Help " width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First, consider what you want to accomplish. What is it that you need or want to do that may require help? Obviously there are a ton of possible scenarios. Whether you need to ask for help in regards to your career, a family or relationship matter, a personal issue, or any other goal, write down what you want to be able to do or achieve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It may be helpful to list any steps you know would be involved in the process of reaching your desired outcome. Then, separate out which ones you can do on your own without any further information or assistance, and which ones you require additional information or help to carry out. What don’t you know or what can’t you do on your own? You may need help in the form of information– perhaps expertise in an area unfamiliar to you, or physical help of some kind (ex: some things simply require an extra set of hands!), financial support, or something else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">2. Accept and Surrender</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCZ7fwI7RY2I5P9ygWdhVdyDNJX0vVvIxY4TiUqUkYaIWjrT2BY9Ptzk5LxlTgE_LyEjmyxDfjCqL3BIAvFwYMLMCpT4pOdyszrmFC_m6FmLE1vd2crbn2qIGhQBqRpWUPF-NdjdFJlO5/s1600/white+flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="surrender, asking for help " border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCZ7fwI7RY2I5P9ygWdhVdyDNJX0vVvIxY4TiUqUkYaIWjrT2BY9Ptzk5LxlTgE_LyEjmyxDfjCqL3BIAvFwYMLMCpT4pOdyszrmFC_m6FmLE1vd2crbn2qIGhQBqRpWUPF-NdjdFJlO5/s200/white+flag.jpg" title="Surrender to Win " width="200" /></a>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s okay to not know everything or be able to do everything on your own. Coming to this honest conclusion around what you need in order to move forward with a goal, which involves some degree of help, is essential to the process. Now that you see in black and white exactly what you need help with, can you accept that this goal of yours is not going to come to fruition without a little help?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is a saying, “surrender to win.” It’s a prevalent concept in the addiction recovery community. Why? Because letting go and asking for help is often a necessary component to actually enjoying success in overcoming most of life’s significant challenges. Addiction is just one strong example.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Definitions of “surrender” include:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><em><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to agree to stop fighting, hiding, resisting, etc., because you know that you will not win or succeed</span></em></li>
<li><em><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to agree to forgo especially in favor of another</span></em></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You see, surrender doesn’t mean you failed. It’s about recognizing that you <em>will</em> fail if you don’t shift to the winning side. In our discussion here, the battle is in your indecision between trying to tackle some challenge alone versus utilizing help. On one side is you, the lone warrior, and on the other hypothetical side is the help of others. Surrendering means you give up that lone warrior losing battle– wave the white flag signaling you are ready to move over to the winning side: you plus help. Yay! Welcome to the winning team.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Okay, now are you ready to receive some help? If yes, skip down to #4. If not, that’s okay! You’re in the majority if step #3 applies to you. And more good news: you haven’t even asked for help yet but by reading this far you’re about to get some.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">3. Remove Resistance</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Let’s face it, you’re already stressed because of the situation you need help with, and the thought of asking for help is likely stressing you out even more. Regardless of the reasons behind your apprehension around asking for help, if there’s fear there then your physical and emotional system is likely responding accordingly– with the stress response. It’s easier to make a decision and act on it when you are calm and clear as opposed to in a state of stress. In the spirit of practicing receiving help, please accept this simple yet profound tool I’m about to share with you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The best resource I know for removing resistance is a holistic technique called EFT which stands for <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2017/09/emotional-freedom-technique.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Emotional Freedom Technique</a>. Perhaps you’ve heard of it as EFT has significantly grown in popularity in recent years. It’s also casually referred to as “tapping” especially after Nick Ortner’s book, The Tapping Solution, became a New York Times best seller.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can apply basic EFT as a self-care tool that will calm down your nervous system to take you out of that fight/flight/freeze response that stress has led you to. Furthermore, it can help you shift your limiting beliefs around the concept of asking for help – especially if you <a href="https://maryvonohlen.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">work with an advanced certified practitioner</a> to customize the process with you. For more info on EFT, see my article "<a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2017/09/emotional-freedom-technique.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">All About Emotional Freedom Technique</a>."</span><br />
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">4. Seek and Receive Help</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once you’ve acknowledged and accepted your need for some assistance, and<br /> removed mental or emotional resistance to asking for help, you will find yourself more open and willing to actually ask for help. Now it’s time. You just need to determine where to go for help. That might be an obvious piece of the puzzle for you, or it may involve a little research but thankfully there’s something called <a href="https://www.google.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Google</a> for that.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1IC0NHjTAJKO4lK2TkuZpD1hlmkGezvJJnuBaA7314hOaA9zAcsvX-UYlAPtewgIwSSUBSBE2A55T9NDVps4_MvHBiYHufEgr8bzzqvFbNSJlTt0IjkOtNTOft3s0KMQmDoRtmLtZzY9/s1600/life+saver+help.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" receive help, how to receive help" border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1IC0NHjTAJKO4lK2TkuZpD1hlmkGezvJJnuBaA7314hOaA9zAcsvX-UYlAPtewgIwSSUBSBE2A55T9NDVps4_MvHBiYHufEgr8bzzqvFbNSJlTt0IjkOtNTOft3s0KMQmDoRtmLtZzY9/s320/life+saver+help.jpg" title="Seek and Receive Help" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Consider again what you assessed in step 1 and what you need to get what you want. Seek out the information, physical support, or whatever form of assistance you need, from a trustworthy source. Set yourself up for success in that way. Obviously, don’t go to an empty well for water (someone who has proven to not be available for help) and I wouldn’t suggest going to your financial advisor for emotional support, or your psychotherapist for financial help. You get the idea. Note: People who you have helped you in the past are likely to help you again (this is related to the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2011/11/16/do-me-a-favor-so-youll-like-me-the-reverse-psychology-of-likeability/#114638b57e30" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Ben Franklin Effect</a>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bring that energy of openness and willingness you hopefully have just reached by this stage, and go ahead and take appropriate action by seeking out a reputable potential source of help and asking for it! If the first person, organization, or potential source of help does not come through for whatever reason, don’t give up! Stay open and willing and continue to seek until you receive the help you desire. Usually it is just a matter of time when you are in that place of openness and willingness to take action for your own self-care.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">After Receiving Help, 1 Extra Powerful Tip:</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Remember to really take in the results of stepping out of your comfort zone to ask for help and successfully receiving help. Don’t just express thanks to the person or source of support you received; actually <em>feel</em> the gratitude within you as you reflect on the help you manifested. I find that a grateful person typically receives what they need. Stay in that grateful vibe and you will continue to thrive!</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-58822049815918446432017-09-28T16:01:00.000-04:002019-08-05T14:15:39.553-04:00Emotional Freedom Technique <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What’s this “Emotional Freedom Technique” all about? Maybe you’ve heard of EFT by now. Even though it’s founder, Gary Craig, came up with EFT back in the early 1990’s, it has quickly gained considerably more traction in the past few years. Sometimes people aren’t familiar with it when I say “Emotional Freedom Technique” but then as I begin to explain it, they say “oh, you mean ‘Tapping’?” Yes. Emotional Freedom Technique is sometimes more casually referred to as “tapping” because of how you actually perform it. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">EFT is an invaluable resource for your physical, mental and spiritual health in recovery! </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Allow me to explain what EFT is, how and why it works, and how to go about using it. </span><br />
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What Is Emotional Freedom Technique? </span></h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDV4lPXlAjkxNu5ZMX8IBHb-MM2VYn1KuoJEi1O9ZZMr6enOELxm6i4vQLYWSV3UINYLsnUusoo38xIVAebfGYOgjgl_AR25xb2qz80xw2VLPmD5-VxSOsDWhlN3Qi2EIwRQdmnnbD2RjA/s1600/acupuncture-needles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="EFT Chinese medicine, EFT accupressure" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDV4lPXlAjkxNu5ZMX8IBHb-MM2VYn1KuoJEi1O9ZZMr6enOELxm6i4vQLYWSV3UINYLsnUusoo38xIVAebfGYOgjgl_AR25xb2qz80xw2VLPmD5-VxSOsDWhlN3Qi2EIwRQdmnnbD2RjA/s400/acupuncture-needles.jpg" title="Acupuncture needles stimulate meridian points" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Acupuncture uses needles to stimulate meridians; EFT uses gentle finger taps.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">EFT is a mind-body technique that is based on an understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine and modern psychology, blended into a practical technique that falls under a newer category of healing officially termed, Energy Psychology. EFT has been explained in the shortest of terms as “psychological acupressure” or briefly described as “like emotional acupuncture without the needles.” These common comparisons are drawn because the technique invo</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">lves applying gentle rhythmic stimulation (tapping) with your fingertips on a specific sequence of points on the body that correspond with the meridian system. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While various early cultures recognized the presence of energy in the body, the ancient Chinese are credited with accurately mapping out the specific channels in the body in which the energy travels. Thousands of years later, the existence of these pathways called “meridians” have been validated by an <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=meridians" target="_blank">array of scientific research</a>. According to Chinese Medicine, each meridian is associated with an organ system, and each organ system relates to physiological functions as well as having a relationship to specific emotions. For example, excessive anger relates to the liver and would be indicative of a disturbance of energy flow within that organ system.
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What is a negative emotion? An emotion that is toxic to the body and interferes with its balance and harmonious functioning. Fear, anxiety, anger, bearing a grudge, sadness, hatred or intense dislike, jealousy, envy—all disrupt the energy flow through the body, affect the heart, the immune system, digestion, production of hormones, and so on.” —Eckhart Tolle</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Gary Craig designed EFT which derived from Thought Field Therapy, a technique developed by clinical psychologist, Dr. Roger Callahan. After training with Callahan, Craig put together an algorithm based on TFT to form EFT as a more simple recipe that can be used effectively without the detailed knowledge of the meridian systems nor the diagnostic methods necessary in TFT. In this way, an EFT practitioner could use a basic sequence of points regardless of the different types of health complaints presented by the client, whereas in TFT there are many variations depending on the diagnosis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the following youtube video, we briefly discuss the history of EFT, highlight some of the research on EFT and energy psychology, and explain some of the science behind how it works... </span><br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yKfSBaOxs_8" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">During an EFT session, the practitioner will guide the client where and when to tap on a specific sequence of points and to simultaneously bring their awareness to the problem (negative emotion, belief, traumatic memory, or even a physical symptom), speaking specific phrases aloud about the problem. The psychological ingredients of the EFT process is akin to aspects of the well-established exposure and cognitive therapies from the field of clinical psychology. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The premise of EFT is that all negative emotions involve a disruption of the client’s energy flow, and that the combination of the meridian tapping with the psychological process resolves that imbalance in the energy system and consequently the emotional discontent. The progress is measured by the individual’s subjective rating of distress, before and after each round of EFT, thus helping to determine when the issue or each aspect of the issue has been fully resolved.</span></span><br />
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How “Tapping” Became Even More Widespread</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The casual reference to EFT as “Tapping” became more popular after Nick Ortner’s bestseller named “<a href="https://amzn.to/2MmihaQ" target="_blank">The Tapping Solution</a>” published by Hay House was released in fall of 2014. This release was synchronistic as just a couple months later the unimaginable school shooting tragedy occurred in Sandy Hook, CT which just so happened to be Nick Ortner’s neck of the woods. Ortner launched into action, creating the Tapping Solution Foundation which supported bringing in top notch trainers to teach therapists, social workers, and holistic practitioners like myself, how to apply EFT for trauma to help spread this healing technique in the communities in and surrounding Sandy Hook, CT.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23iO_wlzKGYN2xdac6VtPNPK5q_kv5bJBMZ0OhnlvUUOZbmpoFIV2V7eMrXYhNCyQBkzQFe6yDZBZ5l5cQuN3bEzzWvD5XcB37BV-IA1hyphenhyphen3oqPQk5eS0wvtkNXuvC5cg1SSVAT9WhmvYT/s1600/stress+temples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23iO_wlzKGYN2xdac6VtPNPK5q_kv5bJBMZ0OhnlvUUOZbmpoFIV2V7eMrXYhNCyQBkzQFe6yDZBZ5l5cQuN3bEzzWvD5XcB37BV-IA1hyphenhyphen3oqPQk5eS0wvtkNXuvC5cg1SSVAT9WhmvYT/s200/stress+temples.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We often unknowingly stimulate <br />
meridian points when stressed. </td></tr>
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Emotional Freedom Technique is also very popular in the UK, and there are practitioners all over the world. Over the years, the empirical data has mounted with a tremendous amount of documented case stories detailing the effectiveness of EFT. While there are thousands of pieces of empirical evidence for EFT’s success rate for a wide range of various physical and mental health challenges, the gold standard of research is by use of Randomized Controlled Trials. RCTs are typically what the American Psychological Association requires as part of their essential criteria for validating efficacy of a modality. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The APA has deemed Emotional Freedom Technique as “efficacious” or “probably efficacious” for a variety of health issues including anxiety, depression, PTSD and phobias. EFT has also met the “evidence-based practice” standards set forth by the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices of the US Government. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This ever-growing body of research and governing boards validating the effects of EFT probably also serve as a driving force behind the increase of EFT’s popularity among not only holistic health practitioners and coaches but licensed therapists in the mental health fields as well. If you’re interested in more details on EFT research, check out the <a href="http://www.energypsych.org/?Research_Landing" target="_blank">Association For Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) research section</a> which even indexes the studies based on condition, scientific rigor, case studies, and review articles. </span></span><br />
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How Does EFT Work? </span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vOsjsx-__4DeZL2Rs5bKA9RR3NDgrIiap-3PoVA2c8glH45_Qp2gixMdHddGKTi_zF1X2igRfmV08dfQ3QYuXodr4aEtb_ZG06PiWQILUZmTx7D6H3P3yodrTILpdOieMnrxPalt8JZn/s1600/brain-amygdala.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="EFT amygdala, limbic system " border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1198" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vOsjsx-__4DeZL2Rs5bKA9RR3NDgrIiap-3PoVA2c8glH45_Qp2gixMdHddGKTi_zF1X2igRfmV08dfQ3QYuXodr4aEtb_ZG06PiWQILUZmTx7D6H3P3yodrTILpdOieMnrxPalt8JZn/s320/brain-amygdala.png" title="EFT affects our stress response" width="297" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We know EFT affects the amygdala (a part of the limbic system that sort of acts like the switch that sounds the stress alarm) in a way that seems to calm down the stress response even when the client actively focuses on a negative thought or memory. Instead of triggering a cascade of chemical activity typically induced by anxious thoughts or memories, tapping on the EFT points down regulates that response– sending the signal instead that there is no need to “sound the alarm” so to speak. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We also know from from controlled research, that EFT has been shown to significantly reduce cortisol which further points to this part of how EFT works. In a study by Dawson Church PhD, three groups were compared: individuals who received an hour EFT session, individuals who received an hour of talk therapy, and a control group who simply rested for an hour. Cortisol levels measured before and after revealed no significant reduction for the control group nor the talk therapy clients (no major change in stress physiologically) but a significant decrease in cortisol for those who received EFT (significant physiological stress reduction.) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">According to clinical psychologist David Feinstein, PhD who has extensively researched Energy Psychology, EFT works because:</span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-2b39f941-c9fe-c458-1d2f-3be35bc83676"><span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Emotional Freedom Technique tapping on acupuncture points (along with related techniques) while an anxiety-evoking memory or thought is brought to mind sends signals to the brain that turn off the anxious response in the moment and rapidly alters the brain chemistry that maintained that response.”</span></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ample evidence from the body of <a href="http://www.energypsych.org/?Research_Landing" target="_blank">research on Energy Psychology</a> points to the fact that Emotional Freedom Technique affects our stress response and somehow helps create a lasting cognitive shift. Explaining the exact mechanism behind this phenomenon can get technical. Instead, I will try to summarize it in the simplest of terms: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By tapping on the EFT points, we are both calming the nervous system and helping facilitate the healthy flow of energy along the meridian system, which allow the body to be in an optimal state to heal itself. Doing this while focusing attention on the issue allows for a shift to take place in the mind and body. Unconscious, unprocessed aspects of physical and emotional issues can be uncovered and shifted safely and relatively quickly through this process. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Again, it is research that validates just how effectively and rapidly these therapeutic changes can take place. Take for example <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23364126" target="_blank">the study “Psychological trauma symptom improvement in veterans using emotional freedom techniques: a randomized controlled trial”</a> in which combat veterans with post traumatic stress disorder who were given six 1-hour EFT coaching sessions showed such significant improvements that 90% of the group who received EFT sessions no longer met the clinical diagnosis for PTSD! And the EFT results proved lasting at follow up months later. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Who Can Benefit from Emotional Freedom Technique?
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Honestly this is one of those techniques that can virtually benefit anyone. So if it resonates with you, try it! As I mentioned the how EFT soothes the nervous system, obviously anyone dealing with stress can benefit from tapping. I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t qualify in that regard!
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9BkO0Kge9Q46rR1hc7ef4HrSUCL9Mk3fuePK-ZIH6SBjZIrQvrCaKli-ZxJPpQLRHiGYB7QNGzd4WxQdTv99orxy1azR4tnI7Y1xw6IPBykPlnlLo6U-Gi9i5FhKwxyslT_hAXn1vLSv/s1600/basketball-1474505_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="EFT basketball, EFT underlying issue, EFT for teenage issue" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9BkO0Kge9Q46rR1hc7ef4HrSUCL9Mk3fuePK-ZIH6SBjZIrQvrCaKli-ZxJPpQLRHiGYB7QNGzd4WxQdTv99orxy1azR4tnI7Y1xw6IPBykPlnlLo6U-Gi9i5FhKwxyslT_hAXn1vLSv/s320/basketball-1474505_1920.jpg" title="EFT for chronic pain" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EFT resolved the cause of my knee pain<br />
that began during high school basketball.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a mind-body technique, EFT can simultaneously help with physiological and psychological benefits. For example, we might be targeting a physical symptom of yours, and at the conclusion of our session you report not only significant physical symptom relief but also notice decreased anxiety. Or, conversely, we may focus on resolving an anger issue and by the sessions’s end you notice your chronic pain has lessened along with your emotional resentment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Personally, I have utilized EFT over the years for all sorts of physical and emotional challenges and also to shift limiting cognitive beliefs. My first time doing EFT guided by a practitioner resolved a nail biting habit since childhood. Later, after going through extensive training on EFT myself, I was able to apply it to other issues both acute and chronic. EFT helped me discover and resolve the emotional underpinnings of physical issues such as knee pain and weakness that emerged as a teenager; process intense grief; heal from traumatic events; immediately diffuse anger or anxiety right when it arises; shift limiting beliefs around money and success; fend off shingles outbreaks (yup, it’s not just an elderly person’s issue! I had Shingles 3 times in my 20’s before I discovered this technique!) and improve my immune response by decreasing stress to avoiding getting a full blown cold or flu. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Working with clients, I’ve guided individuals to use EFT with a wide arrange of issues and goals such as: past trauma, anxiety, physical injuries and pain, digestive issues, anger, depression, restrictive breathing, resistance to change, inner child issues, indecision, relationship issues, addiction recovery support, quitting smoking, weight loss support, and more! As EFT founder Gary Craig says “try it on everything!” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">EFT for Self-Care – Can you do it on your own? </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For many people, their first encounter with EFT may be hearing about it through a friend or health practitioner. A simple internet search reveals an overwhelming endless amount of websites, articles, videos, books, scripts – all sorts of info about EFT now. It can be confusing and you don’t always know what you’re getting.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="EFT self-care, tapping on your own" height="267" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/qemO4cwTvXV0SaHof_m8m_4gfXXLWCrOzPMWmBLuoZByvi-UzfgE1mL4Jw1Jx0hIwTo1sxabNYC-MFPKDWorZbRbdDPUa-rIu-FVDO_g4R_YjqeWQ9rkOnExKGzLQ89qXkUkrW7H" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" title="Monkey stimulates own meridian point" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Could animals be instinctively touching meridian points for their self-care?</td></tr>
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<span style="clear: right; color: #333333; float: right; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-2b39f941-caca-a88f-0060-3592ca7bbb5e"></span>You can self-administer EFT. In fact, Gary Craig came up with the technique in hopes of making it more accessible and applicable for the masses. Just tapping the sequence of points alone promotes a calming effect to your nervous system and is a healthy daily routine if you go no further than that. Doing EFT on your own can be effective if you know what you’re doing. Regardless, self-administered EFT is certainly not the same as working with a practitioner who guides you and directs the process, which in turn makes it easier for you and likely to be most effective. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I work with my clients, we do in-depth guided EFT sessions together with the goal of making accelerated progress on the clients’ specific individual goals but also, as a result, the clients get familiar enough with the process that I am able to then instruct them how to best utilize EFT between sessions and then on their own indefinitely for maintenance. This is a priceless self-care tool. While there are countless EFT videos and resources out there, I strongly suggest first receiving customized guidance from an accredited professional before delving in to the self-administered EFT on your own! It’s worth the investment in learning to gain knowledge in properly applying this lifelong tool. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Working with an EFT Practitioner
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Choosing the type of EFT practitioner depends on your personal preference and your health challenges or personal goals. Are you looking for someone with a medical background, or a more holistically-oriented background? Do you want guidance around a specific set of issues that would benefit from a specialty area or additional training by the practitioner – for example, addiction recovery specialty or weight loss? A holistic coach with background and training in those areas may be the best fit. Or for example, if you suffer from complex trauma and a mood disorder – that is definitely when a licensed therapist specializing in those conditions is ideal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When deciding on an EFT practitioner, consider if would you prefer a life coach or health coach, an energy practitioner, or a licensed therapist of some kind. Some people enjoy the professional yet slightly more casual relationship of working with a coach versus a traditional therapist; others like the clinical nature of working with a licensed therapist. I’ve met some clients who prefer not to get involved in the traditional realm due to privacy issues with insurance and not wanting to get labeled formally with a diagnosis in order to receive coverage from their HMO. To each their own– do what’s right for you.
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<span style="clear: left; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-2b39f941-cacf-a731-008c-a039a8a3359e"></span>Whether you choose a certified coach or holistic practitioner, or a licensed therapist– a psychologist, counselor or social worker– pick an EFT practitioner who has been formally trained (through advanced levels beyond just the basic level courses), via a reputable organization such as ACEP or AAMET. The largest international accrediting board for EFT practitioners is AAMET, The Association for the Advancement of Meridian Energy Techniques. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I personally went through AAMET’s advanced trainings and found them top notch. <a href="http://maryvonohlen.com/#services" target="_blank">Some EFT practitioners, like me, offer distance appointments </a>via phone or webcam so location is not an issue. Clients who feel more comfortable in their home also tend to prefer this convenient option. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Everyone's needs are unique – do what is best for your individual situation and find the EFT practitioner that resonates best with you. The important thing is that you are taking action toward your own self-care by seeking guidance in utilizing this fantastic holistic technique. Feel free to leave a comment below with any general questions about Emotional Freedom Technique, or if I can be of assistance in helping answer any individual questions you have about EFT, or to request a consultation, please contact me at <a href="http://maryvonohlen.com/">MaryVonOhlen.com</a>.
</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-45263365130577919752017-07-23T15:06:00.000-04:002017-07-23T15:06:04.592-04:00Connection & Well-being <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In thinking about the relation between connection and well-being, it occurred to me that some of the most prominent and challenging mental health conditions today relate to a lack of connection. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyYDprnHky-ABTb_q9N-fF6YND669ldRweoMvka23F9osM35wItYhVfrkNxGifVOBgPiV29FH1FyxMdlOfUjR5cFHvKV9L1TgoSOOQNCa8F2CT77AcIGkeDhXhMTvxucQInapJCoAp2c7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-23+at+2.46.39+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="269" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyYDprnHky-ABTb_q9N-fF6YND669ldRweoMvka23F9osM35wItYhVfrkNxGifVOBgPiV29FH1FyxMdlOfUjR5cFHvKV9L1TgoSOOQNCa8F2CT77AcIGkeDhXhMTvxucQInapJCoAp2c7/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-23+at+2.46.39+PM.png" width="214" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If I had to pick an antonym for connection in the social/emotional sense, it would be isolation. Anyone who is isolated is disconnected in some way. Isolation—or an absence of connection—can contribute or lead to depression, anxiety, and addiction. The reverse is also true: depression, anxiety, and addiction can be very isolating. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Physically when we are disconnected, our health deteriorates. Take the example of the prisoner in solitary confinement—the ultimate punishment—which involves little or no light, no stimulation, limited movement, and no socializing. Imagine being alone in a dark room with no connection to the world other than an occasional delivery of food; disconnected from nature, people, information, stimulation of any kind... What happens? One can go crazy. The prisoner left alone in isolation long enough will experience a decline in health, both physically and mentally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Connection is Crucial </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are stages in life in which without connection we literally can’t survive. An abandoned infant will die if left alone long enough. The elderly can reach a point when they similarly rely on the care of others to meet their basic physical survival needs. An incident of acute injury for an otherwise self-sufficient human may require reliance on others for basic needs during a period of time.
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Throughout the animal kingdom there are examples of the importance of connection. Whether for hunting, migrating, or fending off dangerous predators, the concept of “strength in numbers” applies for survival. A wild animal is less likely to attack a group of its prey, however one is extremely vulnerable when isolated from its group. Check out the masterful meerkats: they rely on the power of their mob to defend against predators that would easily defeat them in individual confrontation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Beyond physical survival, people of course bond together for emotional support as well. Outside of the common social links to family and friends, when faced with a particular challenge, people will even seek out the support of strangers. One can find a support group for nearly anything they may experience. Why? There is comfort in connection, and value in shared experience. There seems to be a dynamic energy that accompanies human interaction – the collective energy of the group being more powerful than an individual’s alone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Having supportive relationships is one of the strongest predictors of well-being, having a notably positive effect.”
—According to the CDC </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Emotionally, our primary human needs and desires tend to inherently involve others, such as: to be understood, recognized, appreciated, or loved. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Connection as Coping </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Abraham Maslow was one of the earliest psychologists to expand the field of behavioral psychology to focus on studying the nature of happiness. In 1943, Maslow introduced his famous hierarchy of needs, an approach to understand human motivation. A key element to his theory suggests a hierarchical order to the way we approach our needs. I might sum it all up as follows: first physical (survival and safety), then emotional and social, and then spiritual.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFIwzqKnTVwvXX_nYBEw6WA5M0HyfSLIeEhKMTVmMZ6zUlBf_yGYL9cwn5tk-yPyvdFduHyMfGqAGcCTdpuI6_UW78960wHyaBKKkGgVaBnjdw98_9G37WLWhovgzceVRbYPe4qF5VoSP/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-23+at+2.38.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="614" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFIwzqKnTVwvXX_nYBEw6WA5M0HyfSLIeEhKMTVmMZ6zUlBf_yGYL9cwn5tk-yPyvdFduHyMfGqAGcCTdpuI6_UW78960wHyaBKKkGgVaBnjdw98_9G37WLWhovgzceVRbYPe4qF5VoSP/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-23+at+2.38.43+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once we have met our basic physical needs (food, water, air, shelter), we look to fulfill our emotional and social needs a.k.a. “love and belongingness needs” which include interactions with others—social, friendship, intimacy, etc. In light of our topic here, you could think of this category as our “connectedness” needs. Next comes what Maslow called “esteem needs”: our self-respect and reputation. Obviously our reputation has to do with how others perceive us, so this also pertains to connection in way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When we are fulfilling our needs in these first areas, Maslow believed us to </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">be </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“coping” with life, i.e. meeting basic needs of life. Social connection falls in that “coping” realm. Next came Self-actualization needs, all about the motivation for personal growth and fulfilling one’s potential. In his later expanded-upon model, Maslow followed the self-actualization stage with “transcendence needs” which relate to a more spiritual fulfillment through the desire to help others succeed in their own self-actualization. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maslow suggests these higher order needs are what seem to create a more profound sense of happiness or deeper satisfaction versus the more fleeting momentary gratification of the lower level needs. In simple terms, we are more likely to derive lasting happiness from our self-improvement or from helping others grow than we are from having a meal or a one night stand. Essentially, beyond the basic needs for physical survival lies the need for connection and the need for purpose. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Connection and Addiction </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The two higher level needs that Maslow highlighted in humanistic psychology, self-actualization and transcendence, are intrinsically met in 12-step addiction recovery. Positive personal growth is a natural subsequence of successfully doing the work involved in a 12-step recovery program. The Preamble to Alcoholics Anonymous states a “primary purpose” which involves not only staying sober but helping other alcoholics to achieve recovery. To achieve long-term success, the individual must not only engage in that recovery process which facilitates self-actualization; the maintenance phase of recovery involves meeting transcendence needs as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">During a Ted Talk in 2015 entitled “Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong,” Johann Hari reflects on his personal exploration around the world to study addiction in order to better understand those who suffer with it. His focus turned to this topic of connection:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">((spoiler alert)) Johann Hari concluded: “the opposite of addiction is connection.” As a holistic addiction recovery specialist, I appreciate his perspective and agree with it, in part; returning to my original assertion that the opposite of connection is isolation, I do agree that isolation and mental dis-ease go hand in hand. Feelings of aloneness and of feeling “different than” absolutely feed addiction, as well as anxiety or depression. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While some of the most profound solutions and truths in life are simple in nature, addiction is a multi-faceted illness. Suggesting “all you need is love” (cue the Beatles) is a beautiful but somewhat over-simplified explanation to this issue which by its nature suggests that it requires a more comprehensive and detailed approach. To honor the energy of Johann Hari’s intention, perhaps we could label any multi-faceted holistic approach to addiction under the broad umbrella of integrating connectedness and “coming from a place of love.”
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Connectedness in Spiritual Solitude </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Part of what makes me doubt that “the opposite of addiction is connection” is my suspicion that a sense of isolation, to some degree in each of us, is an ironic part of the human condition. A synonym for isolation is solitude—a state of being alone, implying being separate from others. I’m reminded of a poem that was sprung on us for interpretation as a pop quiz in college in our study of Canadian literature (yes, when you attend St. Lawrence University, just miles from the border, there are classes specific to Canadian culture!) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was the passage: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>I lie upon my bed and hear and see. </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The moon is rising through the glistening trees; </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>And momently a great and sombre breeze,</i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>With a vast voice returning fitfully, </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Comes like a deep-toned grief, and stirs in me, </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Somehow, by some inexplicable art, </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>A sense of my soul’s strangeness,</i></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>and its part </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>In the dark march of human destiny.</i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>What am I, then, and what are they that pass </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Yonder, and love and laugh, and mourn and weep? </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>What shall they know of me, or I, alas! </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Of them? Little. At times, as if from sleep, </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>We waken to this yearning passionate mood, </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>And tremble at our spiritual solitude.</i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">—from “The Largest Life” by Archibald Lampman </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I recall noticing the subtle shift of the author’s perspective from writing in first person to switching to “we” in labeling this state of spiritual solitude. My interpretation was that Lampman was alluding to the irony in the fact that what we all share is that feeling of being alone at times. In the midst of those moments of spiritual solitude, perhaps a common thread to the human experience is pondering our purpose. We all wonder, “why am I here.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, in connecting with each other, especially on an emotional and spiritual level—in sharing our fears, insecurities, perception of aloneness, our search for understanding and purpose—perhaps we tap into one of the most primary means of improving that very sense of spiritual solitude which seems to contribute to addiction and depression. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In addressing any form of dis-ease or mental illness, we all can take a lesson from the successful approach of 12-step programs in that: recovery of any kind, not just with addiction, requires a “we” approach; utilizing connections and our connectedness as human beings is an invaluable ingredient to our individual and collective well-being.
</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-44431903590285198992017-07-13T18:25:00.001-04:002017-12-16T18:11:15.637-05:00Why Connect? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For a long time now, I have felt that part of my purpose in life is to connect individuals with holistic resources to support their health and personal growth. I know this site serves as one key platform in which I can do exactly that—share helpful information, tools, and resources that may connect with individuals in recovery seeking to enhance their wellbeing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What precisely does the word “connect” mean? Here are a couple dictionary definitions of connect:</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9559999999999997; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to link to a power supply</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to join together so as to provide access and communication</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I think of the concept of “connecting” and the ways in which we connect, a few things come to mind. I think of one person connecting with another (whether physically or emotionally); connecting with a higher power, or your inner self (through prayer or meditation); or connecting with nature (physically engaging with the natural environment—i.e. taking walk in the woods, a swim in the ocean, listening to the birds, gardening, etc).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also think of “connecting the dots,” as in putting together pieces of information to better understand something or “see the whole picture.” We connect to sources of information or educational outlets. Information is powerful when it is used to apply appropriate action.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More or Less Connected</span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These days, with the explosion of technological advancements and social media—</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CFEenergy/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #410099; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/cfeenergy" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #410099; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, LinkedIn, etc.—we seem to be constantly “connecting” on our latest gadgets. Certainly this phenomenon has successfully expanded opportunities for connecting people. Or re-connecting for that matter. How else would you be able to ever communicate again with that random friend from kindergarten that moved the following year, if you hadn’t come across their photo on Facebook over 30 years later?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HqD9pt1e64bAb8gSFGF1dfDf6O2KGvh9rfj33lzpg7x4VnGl9FFpl-jC7Buw4iht4VsbExPs_D628sDfv5iKK-2ipzi5f2cOTAIMwSDYKysg7iw1iZyC-74UnyO-ZBkMDknNsbCYeiTt/s1600/walking+near+power+lines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1131" data-original-width="1600" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HqD9pt1e64bAb8gSFGF1dfDf6O2KGvh9rfj33lzpg7x4VnGl9FFpl-jC7Buw4iht4VsbExPs_D628sDfv5iKK-2ipzi5f2cOTAIMwSDYKysg7iw1iZyC-74UnyO-ZBkMDknNsbCYeiTt/s320/walking+near+power+lines.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alternately, technology supports a form of disconnection. We have become more disconnected perhaps from ourselves and certainly from nature. Kids today certainly spend more time in front of a screen than playing outside compared to just a couple decades ago. Consider how much your own daily habits have changed just since the advent of the cell phone. Remember when waiting for an appointment or the train, you simply sat or stood alone with your thoughts? Maybe you watched a bird fly by, said hello to a stranger, noticed the cloud formations, paused to reflect on your day? We tend to do this a lot less these days when we have our smartphone on us 24/7 and the invisible pressure to constantly be connected through our devices.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While the advancements in technology have in fact helped us connect with each other more across the globe in new innovative ways, we are also simultaneously doing harm to ourselves by decreasing our time otherwise spent doing healthy activities that stimulate our brain and body. We inevitably end up cutting back on activity that promotes connecting to the earth’s natural magnetic field which helps us be in harmony, while increasing our exposure to unhealthy EMFs which cause discord in our systems. But that is a whole topic of it’s own to be covered!</span></span></div>
<h4 style="line-height: 1.32; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 8pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Power Supply</span></span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVO1L9YI4AU7vW6duMEphvfc06Peao9Kr6y2usmQouDEVvnkb5Kmqlwz89QwoW_ZaNLv9u4RcOHGLKgzwwjrokW__vcTO5805iqZj88X9_8ozjnFuWcPoTAaBd9qDB9hLjjXcAzvxeIwO/s1600/lightening+stars+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="1024" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVO1L9YI4AU7vW6duMEphvfc06Peao9Kr6y2usmQouDEVvnkb5Kmqlwz89QwoW_ZaNLv9u4RcOHGLKgzwwjrokW__vcTO5805iqZj88X9_8ozjnFuWcPoTAaBd9qDB9hLjjXcAzvxeIwO/s320/lightening+stars+water.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the first definition of the word <i>connect</i> is “to link to a power supply,” what might be examples of a “power supply?” Looking back at those previously discussed, it could be another human being, a higher power in terms of spirituality or religious belief, the earth or nature, information, or really any form of energy—including electrical energy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 12-step recovery groups, there is reference to a “power greater than yourself” and the exact association is left up to the individual as to what that “power” is for them. It could be one’s personal higher power, that perhaps they call “God.” It could be the group of individuals (the power of more than one individual coming together; and, like in Gestalt theory, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts). Or some people may rely on some specific set of Principles—benevolent ideals that, when aligned with, may provide power to that individual.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For some of you, perhaps your personal beliefs include a concept of a “power within.” Regardless of whatever your individual beliefs may be in terms of spirituality, in the field of Energy Medicine or Energy Healing, we know based on science that our body is made up of energy and runs on energy. That energy can be considered a source of power. When you learn how to harness it properly, the results demonstrate the effects of this power.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Access and Communication</span></span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As previously mentioned, information itself can be a source of power. English philosopher Francis Bacon is credited with the simple quote,</span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 1.92; margin-bottom: 11pt; margin-left: 34pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Knowledge is power.”</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The second definition of the word connect that I referenced above is “to join together so as to provide access and communication.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Famous novelist, Tom Clancy, also is quoted on the subject. He said,</span></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 1.92; margin-bottom: 11pt; margin-left: 34pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Information, knowledge, is power. If you can control information, you can control people.”</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Conversely, I believe if you share information you can empower people. That is the essence of my mission – to empower through awareness. </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I envision a world in which effective tools for self-care and empowerment are available to everyone, and aim to do my part by creating awareness via information, education and resources that are accessible from anywhere and offering something for everyone. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9VtA4kkgwKMXp753bFuwxUMSKVtgUUmVL0LA079Rshx0nvK6CbMtKry7DY5W05hG7n0mgnbwhgRsq117D2JEXtXFPfm-d_fe6hog8jAkeISsPmll3qRubxylWtHoYZeqGOe-80B-OHoT/s1600/Westport+path.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="different paths to recovery " border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9VtA4kkgwKMXp753bFuwxUMSKVtgUUmVL0LA079Rshx0nvK6CbMtKry7DY5W05hG7n0mgnbwhgRsq117D2JEXtXFPfm-d_fe6hog8jAkeISsPmll3qRubxylWtHoYZeqGOe-80B-OHoT/s320/Westport+path.JPG" title="paths to recovery " width="240" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, knowledge alone is not necessarily powerful. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">AA founder Bill Wilson conveyed that warning in recounting his own story when he wrote, "Surely this was the answer: self-knowledge. But it was not, for the frightful day came when I drank again." </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Knowledge that increases <i>awareness</i> that can then be followed accordingly by taking <i>action</i> – that is definitely powerful. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are many different paths that lead to greater health in recovery; choose the routes that resonate with you. I will continue to share more options for you here so "keep coming back." </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have thoughts or questions about anything mentioned in this article, leave a comment below to connect and contribute to the discussion.</span></span></div>
HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-67925538655677389542017-03-15T21:26:00.000-04:002017-12-16T18:07:08.671-05:00Natural Therapies for Recovering Alcoholics<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are so many fantastic natural therapies and modalities available to support and enhance health and sobriety of recovering alcoholics and addicts. Having vast personal and professional experience with a broad range of holistic resources— various natural, complementary techniques, remedies, and healing methods from the fields of alternative health and energy medicine— I'll outline some of my personal favorites.
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>"God has abundantly supplied this world with fine doctors, psychologists, and practitioners of various kinds. Do not hesitated to take your health problems to such persons."</i></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 133 </span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">7 Effective Natural Therapies for Recovering Alcoholics & Addicts</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In no particular order, here are seven effective holistic modalities you may find helpful to support your health in recovery. After all, you didn't get clean and sober to feel like garbage or rely on other harmful substances, right? It's a lot easier to find "happy, joyous and free" when you're feeling healthy physically, emotionally and spiritually. The following can help in one or all three of those realms of well-being.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">1. Nutritional Therapy for Recovery</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Besides important dietary changes— like to <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2011/07/reasons-for-recovering-alcoholics-to.html" target="_blank">avoid sugar</a> (after you're over the early cravings hump!) and learn to balance your blood sugar naturally— nutritional supplementation may be ideal to help restore your biochemistry after years of depleting your vitamins and minerals with alcohol and other toxins. AA founder, Bill Wilson himself was an advocate of vitamin therapy in sobriety. Most specifically, <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2009/05/bill-wilson-supports-b-vitamins-for.html" target="_blank">Bill W. recommended B vitamins for recovering alcoholics </a>based on research and his own personal experience. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A consultation and assessment with a clinical nutritionist or naturopath may be <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh998wrQLxp6dTEZ9M48GXMQZsUGnR9-QxKQdUSkmA5buyRAci3cSos3TzG4QZD23ilRMAQ0J3jLQzBeP_emsTplpuha-S_EeNUzM6oiI9xJ71qK5IezmgejAbZDa30J6IeoWNZrUi500ZJ/s1600/dna-1811955_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="nutrition for recovering alcoholics" border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh998wrQLxp6dTEZ9M48GXMQZsUGnR9-QxKQdUSkmA5buyRAci3cSos3TzG4QZD23ilRMAQ0J3jLQzBeP_emsTplpuha-S_EeNUzM6oiI9xJ71qK5IezmgejAbZDa30J6IeoWNZrUi500ZJ/s200/dna-1811955_1920.jpg" title="Nutrition and epigenetics" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nutrition affects gene expression</td></tr>
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ideal to direct your nutritional therapy, especially if you have other serious medical concerns. Others may choose to work with a knowledgable <a href="http://maryvonohlen.com/" target="_blank">health coach</a> to receive practical customized guidance on dietary changes and nutritional support. Or, you can utilize a free online assessment to get some idea of where to begin — I like to use this free <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/NutriPhysical-t.xhtml?tkr=s16079" target="_blank">nutri-physical nutritional analysis</a> tool. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Considering the toll active alcoholism takes on our digestive health, recovering alcoholics and addicts would do best to take vitamins and minerals in the best absorbed format whenever possible. When you take the nutri-physical, look for the isotonix supplements recommended in the results – those have optimal absorption so you get the most out of what you take.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">2. Chiropractic Therapy Beneficial for Recovering Alcoholics </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you've never been to a chiropractor, you may not realize that chiropractic therapies offer far more than a solution to your back pain. That being said, it certainly wouldn't hurt to get a structural check-up from the neck down. Chances are, during your active alcoholism, you probably banged yourself up in one way or another. A fall, an accident, a physical altercation, or even old sports injuries – any of these can throw your spine out of alignment and impinge on your otherwise healthy flow of information running through your spinal cord and nervous system. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From a neurological standpoint, chiropractic adjustments can stimulate the brain in a very powerful manner. The most advanced degree available for this profession is a Diplomate in Chiropractic Neurology. Seek out a chiropractic neurologist if you'd like a chiropractic physician who utilizes functional neurology assessments to direct their physical manipulations and therapies in a specific manner to balance your brain function. Chiropractic neurology helps strengthen underlying functional weakness in the brain that can contribute to symptoms like neurologically-based depression or migraines, to name just a couple examples.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">3. EMDR Therapy for Unresolved Trauma in Recovery</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L7rzL8tejb5xba07eDdrIaeqWRPFJ4Zi12RbipJLns27RtVj0UQ76fq9I2t8O-smREYriTbnMgrrM7nDS9NuyzWZ1a2L8UbbVBFYtampp2YyEa8cJHyrxKINK6s8igmhoEIxUv_62yED/s1600/eye-movement-therapy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="emdr therapy alcoholism" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L7rzL8tejb5xba07eDdrIaeqWRPFJ4Zi12RbipJLns27RtVj0UQ76fq9I2t8O-smREYriTbnMgrrM7nDS9NuyzWZ1a2L8UbbVBFYtampp2YyEa8cJHyrxKINK6s8igmhoEIxUv_62yED/s200/eye-movement-therapy.jpg" title="eye-movements-therapy" width="155" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">EMDR is a holistic technique used in psychotherapy to accelerate processing of underlying causes of psychological stress. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Re-processing. T</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">his integrative approach e</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ngages the use of s</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">pecific eye movements to rapidly resolve emotional disturbances. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It taps into the brain's natural ability to heal from the effects of trauma by consciously using the type of eye movements that normally take place during REM sleep. With EMDR, a licensed therapist guides the process so the patient's mind and body can processes the stored experiences behind psychological stress. Extensive research supports the use of EMDR especially for trauma. What recovering alcoholic or addict does not have some degree of emotional disturbances stuck from past experiences? If you're seeking the traditional psychotherapy approach, look for a licensed professional who is certified in this phenomenal modality. You can <a href="http://www.emdr.com/find-a-clinician/" target="_blank">search for a clinician on the EMDR Institute website</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">4. Massage Therapy or Reflexology in Recovery </span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0iAQRge5l7j0v97pvJCOOWLSZCqF1xYqn9fNBE7BUvjU2PGPabnb3jrwWvUPFRWLTuBrlUZaidfXBImtOKmWsqI8ZPWNxZOOvWMrI2ipgq8NGkizHd_3AKf5hktYLjTgjVOHe-b6xB_z/s1600/massage+therapy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="massage for recovering alcoholic" border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0iAQRge5l7j0v97pvJCOOWLSZCqF1xYqn9fNBE7BUvjU2PGPabnb3jrwWvUPFRWLTuBrlUZaidfXBImtOKmWsqI8ZPWNxZOOvWMrI2ipgq8NGkizHd_3AKf5hktYLjTgjVOHe-b6xB_z/s200/massage+therapy.jpg" title="massage therapy for recovery" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Touch is so therapeutic. Especially in early recovery, a hands-on modality like therapeutic massage or reflexology is so beneficial. Besides the myriad of health benefits that massage facilitates, it can serve as a means to help you get grounded and also back in touch with your physical body which has likely been neglected, numbed, and or mistreated in any of the ways active addiction allows. On the whole, massage brings wellness benefits to many of the systems of the body that took a beating from misuse and biochemical abuse... including benefits to the nervous, circulatory, cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, and other systems!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you are more comfortable remaining fully clothed, try foot reflexology which affects all those systems as well but by only massaging the associated reflex zones of the feet. Many reflexologists additionally train in aromatherapy which incorporates therapeutic essential oils for an even deeper holistic experience. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">5. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An incredible holistic tool, whether used in the most basic format for self-care or in deeper advanced sessions with a certified practitioner to guide you, Emotional Freedom Technique is a must in your relapse prevention toolkit. This mind body technique will help you learn to bring your body into balance, get your energy flowing, calm your nervous system on your own, and find access to your intuition for clarity and confidence. EFT is brilliantly blends the wisdom of ancient chinese medicine and the energy meridians with modern psychology. Please read this concise overview on <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2017/09/emotional-freedom-technique.html" target="_blank">Emotional Freedom Technique</a> and see what I mean when I tell you this natural therapy is indispensable for recovering alcoholics and addicts of any kind. Contact me if you want to learn or experience this technique – I offer <a href="http://www.maryvonohlen.com/" target="_blank">distance EFT coaching sessions</a> via phone or webcam. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">6. Neurofeedback for Recovery</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback that focuses on training your brain to improve its function. Utilizing a QEEG, quantitative electroencephalogram which measures the electrical output of the brain, trained neurofeedback practitioners map out your brainwave function to determine where areas of imbalance exist. Then, based on those findings, the patient undergoes a targeted series of neurofeedback training sessions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h423g_DCE6c" width="560"></iframe></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">During the treatment sessions, the patient has sensors connected to a computer to continually measure brainwave function. By simply observing feedback that reflects your brain activity— noticing specific changes while watching a movie, a game, or listening to music that is based on your brainwave activity— the brain effortlessly learns how to regulate itself (increase or decrease certain types of brainwaves) more effectively. Neurofeedback has been effective for a wide variety of symptoms related to brain function, such as attention and memory, depression and anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, cravings, and more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For an interesting and informative overview of neurofeedback, check out the book </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2nb8yrl" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">A Symphony in the Brain: The Evolution of the New Brainwave Biofeedback </a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. There is also some fascinating research related to alcoholism, substance abuse, and specific brain wave patterns! Note: one reputable neurofeedback program I have experience with is offered through chiropractic physicians who chose to undergo training in brain biofeedback, as both modalities have positive effects on brain function. In fact, chiropractic in combination with neurofeedback can enhance the results. Check out <a href="https://braincoretherapy.com/" target="_blank">Braincore Neurofeedback</a> for more information on that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">7. Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Field (PEMF) Therapy </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Energy medicine has worked throughout the ages, it's just western contemporary science that is only beginning to catch up to validate it's effects. People often say "oh you mean reiki?" to which I reply, no, energy medicine encompasses far more than that one <i>putative</i> (not measured by conventional means) energy modality. <i>Veritable</i> energy fields can be measured by modern technology, such as vibrational sound and electromagnetic fields. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times";"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q8mwog1SXig" width="560"></iframe></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One amazing realm of energy medicine utilizes cutting edge technology that generates specific electromagnetic frequencies– that are natural and normal to the body– that can stimulate specific healing functions in the body. For example, frequencies of pulsed electromagnetic fields in specific hertz (units of measurement) have been found to help with jumpstarting healthy responses in the body, such as certain frequencies for tissue repair, nerve regeneration, fracture healing, etc. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7K-etF8relLEvirK6xvBfbmHwNXPS_wYEOozRWmrlvlK78zLtUaGq4T3B-ejZb8BsdXBL-pYjfumK8PKqGa_EiU3583gMM2zlAFQgCOXTLME7vVwY2n5j_3ClN0tNx6ce724DogqEetd/s1600/mary+with+teen+ondamed+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="natural healing, recovering alcoholics, holistic recovery " border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7K-etF8relLEvirK6xvBfbmHwNXPS_wYEOozRWmrlvlK78zLtUaGq4T3B-ejZb8BsdXBL-pYjfumK8PKqGa_EiU3583gMM2zlAFQgCOXTLME7vVwY2n5j_3ClN0tNx6ce724DogqEetd/s200/mary+with+teen+ondamed+2.JPG" title="pemf therapy is ideal for recovery" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ONDAMED uses PEMF for healing </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are a growing number of PEMF devices in the world, as <a href="http://www.ondamed.net/images/publications/MedicalPEMFStudies2.pdf" target="_blank">PEMF research</a>
proves impressive outcomes. I chose to work with the sophisticated</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.resonatingwellness.com/ondamed.php" target="_blank">ONDAMED therapy system</a> which was created by a brilliant biomedical engineer in Germany. This type of energy work is safe, non-invasive, extremely focused, and customized based on the client's individual response from their nervous system. Clients and practitioners report phenomenal results with stress and pain reduction, accelerated healing of acute and chronic challenges, successful smoking cessation protocol, hormonal balancing and so much more! The <a href="http://www.resonatingwellness.com/ondamed.php" target="_blank">ONDAMED therapy</a> often leads to profound natural <a href="http://resonatingwellness.blogspot.com/2013/10/testimonial-caseys-ondamed-success-story.html" target="_blank">physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits</a> — all of which are conducive to supporting relapse prevention, and enhanced health and well-being in recovering alcoholics and addicts. </span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-72607274099508155862015-11-17T19:29:00.000-05:002017-12-16T18:02:01.241-05:00Charlie Sheen HIV Still Drinking <h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6E74pSa7sGjbqgQXQzdBKcgM0FOvVLXFeo91ygvW0EuMZHPtDrLb22Y7YxTzrrgKwxeI3Er2_mtA-iFZT8YrH9oLy530SRq5bTH1Jkt9Q7K2s1NSFSgkNcH0TlvcHFB3FWqV_HWaEFr3/s1600/Sheen+HIV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="still drinking, Charlie Sheen, active alcoholic, HIV " border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6E74pSa7sGjbqgQXQzdBKcgM0FOvVLXFeo91ygvW0EuMZHPtDrLb22Y7YxTzrrgKwxeI3Er2_mtA-iFZT8YrH9oLy530SRq5bTH1Jkt9Q7K2s1NSFSgkNcH0TlvcHFB3FWqV_HWaEFr3/s200/Sheen+HIV.jpg" title="Charlie Sheen admits still drinking HIV positive " width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sheen admits to Still Drinking</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Charlie Sheen being HIV positive is not exactly earth shattering news. No one seems as focused on the most important part of the story: that this well known alcoholic/addict, despite his HIV diagnosis, is still drinking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alcohol is a Drug </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This morning (Nov 17, 2015) The Today Show featured an interview with Charlie Sheen by Matt Lauer. After Sheen’s announcing his news that he was diagnosed HIV positive four years ago, Matt eventually asked a couple direct questions pertaining to Charlie’s substance abuse. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Matt Lauer: “Are you still doing drugs? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Charlie Sheen: “No, I’m not.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Matt: Are you still drinking? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Charlie: “I’m still drinking a little bit, yeah.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For whatever reasons, people still tend to separate alcohol abuse and drug abuse, creating the dangerous illusion of a distinction in the mind of an addict. When it comes to addiction, alcohol is a drug. Drug addicts are wise to abstain from alcohol as well as other drugs. Yet due to the societal influences which create the distinction, drinking too often slips into a gray territory so easily manipulated by the drug addict. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alcoholics Drinking “A Little Bit”</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking from the world of addiction recovery, those on the other side of the illness would argue the reply to Matt Lauer’s question “Are you still drinking” requires a one word answer: yes or no. Adding the “a little bit” only points to the attempt to defend the behavior, as if to justify it is okay based on the quantity. In truth, that is the slippery slope of addiction. The mental obsession leads the untreated addict to justify “a little bit.” That “little bit”, however little, opens the door to the physical aspect of the addiction which entails the compulsion for more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Imagine if Matt were to ask Charlie “Are you still having unprotected sex with prostitutes” and his reply were to be “A little bit, yeah.” Risky behavior is risky behavior. The point is, that a self-admitted drug addict who is still engaging in drinking is an active addict, regardless of how they may present in the moment. It’s a game of Russian Roulette - it’s a matter of when, not if, someone will get hurt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death.” -Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 30. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Against Doctor’s Orders? </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sheen’s doctor explained to Lauer that his “biggest concern with Charlie as a patient is his substance abuse….. more than what the HIV virus could do in terms of shortening his life.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let’s take a rational look at whether or not Charlie Sheen, as the example here, should be drinking. If you’re an alcoholic, it’s not a healthy choice to drink. If you’re not an alcoholic, not drinking shouldn’t be an issue for you, right? If you can take it or leave it, go ahead and leave it if your doctors suggest that. Charlie’s doctors are very concerned about his substance abuse history and the fact that his health with HIV diagnosis relies on his ability to take consistent actions daily. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If Charlie drinks a little, and a little eventually leads to more, and he goes on a bender… not only are we talking about his behavior putting himself at risk for his HIV viral load to increase, but his recklessness would likely extend to harming others as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Leading by Example </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A little later in the interview, Matt goes on to say, “A lot of people might say: ‘Charlie, you should stop drinking; you say you’ve stopped doing drugs- you need to stop drinking as well.’” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Charlie: “Well, perhaps the freedom of today might lead to that as well.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We can only hope that to be true. As the saying goes, “you’re as sick as your secrets”. Only Charlie himself knows his true motivation for coming out with this information, whether entirely just to put an end to the “shakedowns” resulting from his shady encounters, or to genuinely come clean and make a fresh start.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sheen claims that he will continue to speak to raise awareness about HIV. While that is an admirable intention, that fact is that speaking as a still-drinking addict with HIV, Charlie may be doing more harm than good.</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-83879120434760972382012-12-01T19:25:00.002-05:002017-12-16T17:19:28.487-05:00Best Fish Oil To Take<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do you choose the best omega 3 fish oil supplement to get the best bang for your buck and for your precious body? You need to find the best quality source of fish oils with the ideal amount and type of omega 3 in the supplement. When you get the highest quality in the best form and the correct amount, you can accurately assess its value and know you are getting what you pay for in the omega 3 supplement you choose to take.
<b> </b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Choosing The Best Source of Fish Oils
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcj5F00pXUJM7MliyIyVRvPtL7t61j3LcrKKwGMNrqAM4b92kOvZ3QpTjEliZeJTVhx68w78TIFYF893TnJEYI5ntqXKcM41YV3CLDW2XKOmzVENU6i-nkHDpLkWGVg-QV1F2eU-fFiKh/s1600/mercury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="best type of fish oil" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcj5F00pXUJM7MliyIyVRvPtL7t61j3LcrKKwGMNrqAM4b92kOvZ3QpTjEliZeJTVhx68w78TIFYF893TnJEYI5ntqXKcM41YV3CLDW2XKOmzVENU6i-nkHDpLkWGVg-QV1F2eU-fFiKh/s1600/mercury.jpg" title="" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When it comes to choosing the best source of fish for your omega 3 supplements, size matters! Many commercial products on the market use large fish as their source for oils. This is a problem because the larger the fish, the longer their life span and the more toxins they are likely to accumulate. That’s why it is best to use small fish, such as anchovies or sardines, as your source of fish oil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next important factor is finding a fish oil supplement that is rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Many products on the market do not contain a significant percentage of EPA and DHA. EPA and DHA are the most studied form of omega 3 thus having the most clinically supported health benefits. Most commercial omega supplements only have about a third of the actual EPA and DHA, not the over all amount of "omega 3" implied on their label.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Quality Assurance in Omega 3 Fish Oils</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Serious quality and safety assurance measures should be taken with the form of Omega III fish oil you choose to put into your body. Fish are exposed to various metals, toxins, PCBs, lead and mercury -- all of which are hazardous to your health. Providing the highest quality control is costly and unfortunately not all companies take this issue seriously. Be sure to do your due diligence in researching the type of fish and the methods and standards the company undergoes to assure clean, safe, high quality and purity supplements.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Watch out for Cheap Omega 3 Supplements</span></b></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2opJFbPd-UALBoC7fslXGAKWSm4RZxSn35OHQfbp4cdNS68cwxJ3_I_HrFo6_SqFCopB04ngO29PsF3x6F48saSuxuisgUm7qVZ8NwU_r8J6Dk3W1pcAYtCdFPsPaOJRDsjv95lcl4d-9/s1600/cheap+fish+oil.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="whichi fish oils not to take" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2opJFbPd-UALBoC7fslXGAKWSm4RZxSn35OHQfbp4cdNS68cwxJ3_I_HrFo6_SqFCopB04ngO29PsF3x6F48saSuxuisgUm7qVZ8NwU_r8J6Dk3W1pcAYtCdFPsPaOJRDsjv95lcl4d-9/s200/cheap+fish+oil.jpeg" title="" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You get what you pay for; cheap supplements have less quality ingredients and smaller amounts of what you need. They may not truly be as safe as they seem, and they certainly won't provide you with the health benefits you seek if you are getting a poor quality product.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sadly, today many doctors still do not have the awareness or time to do their homework and specify what type of omega 3 supplements to direct you to buy. So, the typical patient ends up leaving the doctor’s office with the vague instructions of “take fish oils” and often turn to their neighborhood drug store or Costco outlet and purchase the cheapest form since they are not educated on the difference.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a real shame- finally MDs are starting to make a great recommendation in suggesting omega 3 supplementation, but patients are left to their own devices and end up unknowingly taking poor quality substandard supplements. Remember folks, “you get what you pay for” so beware of cheap supplements on supermarket shelves or online. Know what company you are buying from and how they create their supplements!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Which Omega 3 supplement is best?</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You want the highest concentration of EPA and DHA you can get without a prescription. That’s right, there is actually a prescription form of omega 3 now made by a drug company. Out of pocket it runs you about $8 a day! And there are possible side effects. Here’s one reason why- the FDA won’t allow drug companies to add antioxidants to their product, so the fish oils are likely to become rancid! Prescription? No thank you!
<a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Heart+Health+trade+Essential+Omega+III+Fish+Oil+with+Vitamin+E-561800368-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">Heart Health™ Essential Omega III Fish Oil with Vitamin E</a> is the best available fish oil as it meets the previously discussed factors and goes above and beyond in its safety and quality assurance measures.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsMB0zhBq38ymadteiHogOi1hnU3LgOXRR0FDK2UmnujOvx4e8scw0wARDWmhpx5PORKMjvIPQfJv85iwsyYm9hLpoLTqIc9wVuZxGvaGfg3b_vsVnrBKfebVizuhyphenhyphenjk_SIk2l-WGW1dRO/s1600/sardines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="best source of fish oil" border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsMB0zhBq38ymadteiHogOi1hnU3LgOXRR0FDK2UmnujOvx4e8scw0wARDWmhpx5PORKMjvIPQfJv85iwsyYm9hLpoLTqIc9wVuZxGvaGfg3b_vsVnrBKfebVizuhyphenhyphenjk_SIk2l-WGW1dRO/s200/sardines.jpg" title="" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remember size of fish matters- the smaller the better – they use anchovies and sardines as their primary source of fish oil because of their size and short life cycle making them extremely low in contamination, and then they go through an intense purification process.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amount matters- <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Heart+Health+trade+Essential+Omega+III+Fish+Oil+with+Vitamin+E-561800368-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">Heart Health</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">™</a> Essential Omega III contains 3000mg of fish oil, which is triple the amount found in most commercial products. The NutraMetrix doctors chose to provide three grams of EPA and DHA in their supplement because research studies have demonstrated to be the most clinically effective amount to promote overall cardiovascular health benefits.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTooIIFGryK2BC049aLOQjDDUKllrZiQAoq3NY14xHwz4LbFA15BPYM8zYpe7Rqv71nmgnHuLzYavTYXnsG2FV0_rgJuoKC5wsDaMw9FUCH4udxosaGR_1LmhL8napwnk2vCRC2BVFFSsJ/s1600/regulatoryPractices.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="mercury free fish oil" border="0" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTooIIFGryK2BC049aLOQjDDUKllrZiQAoq3NY14xHwz4LbFA15BPYM8zYpe7Rqv71nmgnHuLzYavTYXnsG2FV0_rgJuoKC5wsDaMw9FUCH4udxosaGR_1LmhL8napwnk2vCRC2BVFFSsJ/s200/regulatoryPractices.jpg" title="" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This fish oil is tested not once but twice to confirm it is free of any mercury, lead, PCBs or other heavy metals. It is tested by the manufacturer and then again by an independent testing company. This brand only uses fish oil that meets or exceeds standards set by the USA (CRN), the European Union (EU) and Canada (CFIA).
Also, it contains Vitamin E because not only does natural vitamin E provide a host of its own health benefits including cardiovascular support, it serves to provide antioxidant protection for the DHA and EPA.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtNKVFYfcKbNh2U2_9gu_miSN9uouaAYVomn_5dfcW_rjsyeJKoHiaOHpVGtBur8BjfbD3Aw22IswbM-sAPqoqB0J39_yFPokdyoEnauCEw7frAoWHqiA9dt4BA-raCvNvyqlwIBM0D3c/s1600/nM+omega.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="best fish oil to take" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtNKVFYfcKbNh2U2_9gu_miSN9uouaAYVomn_5dfcW_rjsyeJKoHiaOHpVGtBur8BjfbD3Aw22IswbM-sAPqoqB0J39_yFPokdyoEnauCEw7frAoWHqiA9dt4BA-raCvNvyqlwIBM0D3c/s200/nM+omega.jpg" title="" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So not only do you not have to worry about it being<i> rancid</i> (see <i>prescription</i> omegas), but you get added benefits with the right form of vitamin E. What’s important to note is that many commercial dietary supplements use the synthetic form of vitamin E, but this one uses the natural form, d-alpha tocopherol, so it is better absorbed and utilized in the body.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Read more details about the best fish oil recommended by health professions who really care.</b> Use the following link and scroll down to read up on the science research, benefits, ingredients and FAQ about this highly recommended form of Omega 3 supplement: <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Heart+Health+trade+Essential+Omega+III+Fish+Oil+with+Vitamin+E-561800368-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">Heart Health™ Essential Omega III Fish Oil with Vitamin E. </a></span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-70063315525976703072012-08-18T14:43:00.000-04:002017-12-16T17:16:58.314-05:00Joey Kovar Reality of Addiction<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Upon learning of the death of reality tv star Joey Kovar, I was saddened by another heartbreaking casualty in the addiction battle. One can only hope that some small blessing in disguise comes out of what otherwise is just plain tragedy. Despite previously having some time in recovery, Kovar was found dead yesterday, at age 29, after several years of his public battle with alcoholism and drug addiction.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kovar & Dr. Drew (VH1 Celerity Rehab)</td></tr>
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<b>Celebrity Addicts Bring Addiction Closer to Home</b> </h4>
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Before the advent of shows like Celebrity Rehab and Sober House, news of Joey Kovar’s death would not have even made top headlines. When his fellow Celebrity Rehab member, Mike Starr, tragically died from addiction, his death most likely would have just been another random headline about some celebrity drug addict found dead. Only Alice in Chains fans for the most part would have been talking about it. However, within minutes of the announcement of his death in March, Mike Starr was a trending topic on Twitter, with countless civilians and celebrities alike chiming in on the sad report. What was different about Mike Starr? We got to know him. The millions who tuned in weekly to Celebrity Rehab witnessed Mike’s struggles and saw that beneath the angry addict was a lost teddy bear with a big heart. We got to see the person behind the persona, behind the addiction. The same goes for Joey Kovar whose private life was mainstreamed through The Real World on MTV and then Celebrity Rehab on VH1. When Kovar was sober, he was determined to be a positive influence on the masses. </div>
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<b>Progressive and Fatal</b></h4>
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Addiction is a progressive and fatal disease. Untreated, the addiction gets worse and worse - ultimately resulting in a premature death. Commonly, most lay folks to the world of addiction only view two aspects of the addiction scene; First, the oftentimes deceivingly glamorized lifestyle of rockstar-type celebs during their active “partying” daze. And later, folks learn of the end of the line aspect of addiction when news of tragic overdose, suicide, or accident ends in death as in the examples of Mike Starr and Joey Kovar, to name just a couple.
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Being found dead as a result of addiction is certainly not glamorous. Thus the countless numbers of every day non-famous individuals who die daily as a result of addiction never make the news. The truth is, addiction is absolutely an epidemic in the US and worldwide; and when you add the family and friends of addicts to the picture, there are many more millions of people affected by the disease.
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<b>Looking for Hope in Tragedy</b> </h4>
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It’s safe to assume that Dr. Drew’s goal in creating the shows Celebrity Rehab and Sober House was not only to help some celebrities get sober but also to educate the masses on the truth about addiction and the hope of recovery. And sadly, part of that quest involves bringing widespread awareness to the hard truth of the casualty rate in this addiction war.<br />
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While it may seem relatively commonplace to lose a celebrity to booze and drugs, they represent just a grain of sand in the broad landscape of everyday millions who suffer from the deadly illness!
So as we send our prayers out to the friends and family of the latest celebrity casuality of addiction – Joey Kovar this week- let’s add an intention that this tragic loss carries forth a hidden blessing… As sober Joey certainly would have wanted it.<br />
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Let’s hope that there is a positive twist on this tragedy in what cannot be measured or viewed in the news – that a result of greater awareness of the progressive fatal nature of alcoholism and addiction exemplified through Joey Kovar’s public battle, many struggling individuals whose stories we will never hear about in the news, actually get help and stay sober.
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HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-83092038594192363012012-07-19T14:40:00.001-04:002019-07-11T14:54:32.407-04:00Physical Health in Addiction Recovery<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEog1QK-nDA4CxnqJWjmbojmeLQBir3B-ncMqvrY1qC_BD0KN4mJ3UdJpcatHj86c3ZgSiB7lJoOkflHRgLr1N-QP9PUdFa4RlKolJqbRwqUNwbZhgiRH6dIL0cvPRI2yXXgkYJGBThlAK/s1600/WHY+TO+ADDRESS+YOUR+PHYSICAL+HEALTH.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="physical health alcoholism, recovering alcoholic health, physical health in recovery" border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEog1QK-nDA4CxnqJWjmbojmeLQBir3B-ncMqvrY1qC_BD0KN4mJ3UdJpcatHj86c3ZgSiB7lJoOkflHRgLr1N-QP9PUdFa4RlKolJqbRwqUNwbZhgiRH6dIL0cvPRI2yXXgkYJGBThlAK/s320/WHY+TO+ADDRESS+YOUR+PHYSICAL+HEALTH.png" title="Physical Health in Addiction Recovery" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Addiction is a disease that affects the <i>body</i>, mind and spirit. Apart from the action of physically abstaining from the alcohol and recreational drugs, most people in recovery are not given further advice in regards to addressing the physical effect of the disease on your body. Many recovering alcoholics are not aware that, late in his life, Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson was trying to educate doctors on the importance of vitamin supplementation in the treatment of alcoholism.
In the A.A. text, there are references to the physical damage from addiction such as:
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“… the acute poisoning from which he suffered, how it deteriorates the body of an alcoholic…”</i> —Alcoholics Anonymous p.157</span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The main reasons to address your physical health in recovery: </span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. To aid in staying clean and sober, give your relapse prevention a boost. Taking certain actions can give you a physical advantage, i.e. addressing cravings by balancing your blood sugar, to help you stay away from a drink or drug. Remember, half of H.A.L.T. is purely physical (Hungry, Tired). Plus, addressing your physical health can support your mental and spiritual recovery too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. To help reverse the internal damage done, decrease chances of future health challenges, and enhance quality of life so that recovery can be enjoyed to the fullest and your capacity for service work maximized.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_5g7JZ5ADVhdIawKNHeaaEOW75mvZ5HuThaxftsSIrQ1IqkoWqKBWoP5Lfj_h4x9FvvZrwdTKFEeglZ8i4nbFAge4ans0UvvRQpRw0YsOz6736vYsoxEuAJKyJ4gP25kk_5daHuopSha/s1600/long+term+effects+alcohol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_5g7JZ5ADVhdIawKNHeaaEOW75mvZ5HuThaxftsSIrQ1IqkoWqKBWoP5Lfj_h4x9FvvZrwdTKFEeglZ8i4nbFAge4ans0UvvRQpRw0YsOz6736vYsoxEuAJKyJ4gP25kk_5daHuopSha/s400/long+term+effects+alcohol.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“A body badly burned by alcohol does not often recover overnight”</i> A.A., p. 133</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Self-sabotage, risky behavior and a conscious or subconscious death-wish naturally accompany active addiction. As a result of an attitude shift after putting down the drug, you may suddenly realize that you are likely to live a lot longer than you perhaps previously (consciously or subconsciously) anticipated. Depending on how long you have been sober, perhaps that thought has already crossed your mind. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So once you have accepted that you are likely to live a longer life sober, why not start treating your body right so that you can enjoy quality of life in the quantity available to you now. Assuming you didn’t get sober to be chronically sick, tired and miserable; you really ought to consider how to address this critical physical aspect of your recovery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Awareness + Action = Results. To create an action plan for your physical health and wellness in recovery, you can seek out a <a href="http://maryvonohlen.com/" target="_blank">holistic practitioner or coach who specializes in wellness and addiction recovery</a>, or a clinical nutritionist or naturopathic physician who has experience working with recovering alcoholics and addicts.</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-20731751213974430712012-06-30T19:34:00.000-04:002017-12-16T17:10:40.439-05:00Nicotine Addiction Genetics<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07LPchyphenhypheneU7ZdcYF1v5rz3cT4Mz7kJKITV-KvWZ3fyLQWcIKWMBTFw-Dl065iejwFMe4oD0Drr9bkleY3DkaUYcDw1gEV2G8rahBg6iRkQ0afg14JVe-Vrs9AytvUkI6jva8Nlz3X3M_OW/s1600/cigarette_bySuperFantastic+on+flickr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07LPchyphenhypheneU7ZdcYF1v5rz3cT4Mz7kJKITV-KvWZ3fyLQWcIKWMBTFw-Dl065iejwFMe4oD0Drr9bkleY3DkaUYcDw1gEV2G8rahBg6iRkQ0afg14JVe-Vrs9AytvUkI6jva8Nlz3X3M_OW/s200/cigarette_bySuperFantastic+on+flickr.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">credit: SuperFantastic on Flickr</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wonder why some smokers instantly get hooked on cigarettes while others can just have a cigarette now and then? The latest research has suggested that genetics plays at least some role in nicotine addiction, and researchers have identified which individual genes seem to be involved. While the genetic link to addiction is certainly not a new subject, there remains plenty left to uncover to answer questions such as: to what extent genes are responsible for addiction and its consequences; and what underlying genetic mechanisms specifically cause the vulnerability?</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Latest Research on Nicotine Addiction and Genetics</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Researchers from Germany, France and Russia have contributed to important findings on this topic. Two years ago, researchers discovered a specific gene cluster (3 genes) involved with posing a risk factor for nicotine dependence. Recent studies revealed that a variation in one or more of the genes in that cluster seem to be present in a significant percentage of smokers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For example, if the gene alpha5 (one of the 3) is mutated, they found that an individual is more likely to become addicted to nicotine and more prone to developing lung cancer! Moreover, it is a balance of activity among these genes within the cluster that appears to be the key in making individuals vulnerable to nicotine dependence. (Silke Frahm et al. Aversion to Nicotine Is Regulated by the Balanced Activity of b4 and a5 Nicotinic Receptor Subunits in the Medial Habenula. Neuron, May,12, 2011, Vol. 70, Issue 3, pp: 522-535.)</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Potential Impact of Research on Nicotine Addiction and Genetics </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is the significance of this ongoing research into the genetic influence on nicotine addiction? Considering the World Health Organization estimate that tobacco use causes at least five million deaths a year across the globe, any and all insights into the contributing factors to this epidemic may be helpful in prevention. In spite of broad education campaigns in the USA targeting smoking prevention and the greater awareness today of great health risks from nicotine use, each day an estimated 1,000 American youth become daily smokers according to the Center For Disease Control.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Imagine if there were a genetic screening for young people that determined their genetic variations such as the aforementioned types linked to an inclination towards nicotine addiction and lung cancer. Empowering individuals with this unique information about their own specific likelihood of developing addiction and disease based on this lifestyle choice could in fact be just the deterrent that keeps a person from gambling with picking up that first cigarette. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Consider the impact if genetic screenings became affordable and integrated into the healthcare system so that a pediatrician were able to educate their young patients not only about general risks of smoking but inform them of their unique genetic risk potential, directly stating “you are particularly at risk for addiction and lung cancer if you try smoking.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Learning one’s own very specific genetic propensity towards addiction and cancer might in fact break through some of the denial that is otherwise reflected by the widespread use of nicotine in spite of the general knowledge of potential health risks. It could help to reduce the fearless “it won’t happen to me” common attitude among youth who try that first cigarette. Hence the potential application of continued research on the genetic component of nicotine addiction may hold the key to prevention and decreasing the incredible amount of smokers and nicotine-related deaths locally and worldwide.</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-40845709817211131792012-04-24T20:09:00.000-04:002017-12-16T17:08:02.480-05:00Grief Behind Resentments<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Resentments may be related to grief. We grieve the loss of things we had or thought we had, or things we expected to get that we didn’t. Resentments are sparked by an unmet expectation. Grief is the result of a perceived loss – and in the case of resentment, it’s an expectation not met that creates the sense of loss. Think about a resentment you currently hold or one you once had; you should be able to connect it with some expectation and perceived loss.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Remember what’s behind every resentment/anger? Fear is always the culprit. Fear, that “evil and corroding threat", always seems to fall into one of two types: fear of losing something we have or fear of not getting something we want. There you have it: some sort of loss, whether real or imagined. Resentment by definition basically means to “re-feel” and that is what grief is about– feeling and re-feeling emotions related to a loss of some kind.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoj5tv4CRhbParcJPW1Xtw8TipEN82TJXZW1PPnxcds3XNpWd_MDFd49CJti9td5g2cf6NRzTpHNqfxTmi8-vYVTXorUHDVWBXYxmt_vdiHUdCWQ706nOzWVfrdnrYM4qk8LJBv5r2-8G4/s1600/tear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img alt="recovering alcoholic grief, resentment behind grief" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoj5tv4CRhbParcJPW1Xtw8TipEN82TJXZW1PPnxcds3XNpWd_MDFd49CJti9td5g2cf6NRzTpHNqfxTmi8-vYVTXorUHDVWBXYxmt_vdiHUdCWQ706nOzWVfrdnrYM4qk8LJBv5r2-8G4/s200/tear.jpg" title="Grief and Resentment" width="191" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grief is not linear. Sometimes recovering alcoholics or addicts will be surprised and even ashamed when resentment resurfaces towards a person whom they had already addressed via past 4th step work or therapy. Old feelings of grief, such as anger or resentment, can resurface when triggered by a new perceived loss… perhaps same person, new circumstance… or a different person, same circumstance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Let's look at an example. Suppose you get engaged and you are happy with your fiancé, but you find old feelings of resentment surfacing towards an old love who dumped you when you thought you were going to get engaged. Then you may wonder why these feelings would arise even when you do not feel resentment toward your current relationship, but it is perfectly normal for a new situation to trigger an old resentment. It simply is a signal that you have the opportunity to work through some other aspect or piece of the grief process from that old loss; and by working through it, you can learn from it and avoid having it negatively affect future relationships.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When we manage to get through the anger/resentment, usually sadness and disappointment lie just below it. Again, those feelings – part of grief – are due to the perceived loss. Like with every process of grief, the final goal is acceptance. When one reaches acceptance, feelings of joyfulness - essentially the opposite of resentment - are once again possible thus making the challenging process of working through grief worth the often challenging process. To help work through your resentment associated with grief, check out our article on <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2017/11/holistic-resources-to-heal-from-grief.html">Holistic Resources to Heal from Grief</a>. </span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-24883511471407740852011-07-14T15:51:00.000-04:002017-12-16T17:04:00.155-05:00Reasons for Recovering Alcoholics to Avoid Sugar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alcoholic / Addict or not, sugar is not healthy for any of us based on the many health reasons to avoid sugar. “Living Sober” and some of the other AA literature actually encourages the newly recovering alcoholic to utilize sugar (candy, cookies) in times of physical cravings for alcohol. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This alternative - sugar - is obviously a better choice than picking up a drink! However, many of us recovering alcoholics and addicts develop a habit of continuous sugar use and abuse well beyond those early days in sobriety, when the physical cravings have long since passed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take two minutes to read the list below about how sugar affects our health and wellbeing. When we educate ourselves to understand WHY something is unhealthy for us, we are much more likely to avoid the unhealthy substance!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The following list of reasons to avoid sugar is from Dr. Victor Frank, founder/creator of Total Body Modification. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The 78 reasons to avoid sugar:</b></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Sugar can drowsiness and decreased activity in children.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Sugar can adversely affect children's school grades.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8. Sugar can cause kidney damage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10. Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">11. Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">12. Sugar may cause copper deficiency.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">13. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">14. Sugar may lead to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, and rectum.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">15. Sugar can cause colon cancer with an increased risk in women.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">16. Sugar can be a risk factor in gall bladder cancer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">17. Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">18. Sugar can weaken eyesight.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">19. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which can narrow blood vessels.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">20. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">21. Sugar can produce acidic stomach.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">22. Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">23. Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">24. Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and gray hair.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">25. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">26. Sugar can produce tooth decay.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">27. Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">28. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">29. Sugar can case a raw, inflamed intestinal tract in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">30. Sugar can cause arthritis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">31. Sugar can cause asthma.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">32. Sugar can cause candidiasis (yeast infection).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">33. Sugar can lead to the formation of gallstones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">34. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">35. Sugar can cause ischemic heart disease.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">36. Sugar can cause appendicitis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">37. Sugar can exacerbate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">38. Sugar can indirectly cause hemorrhoids.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">39. Sugar can cause varicose veins.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">40. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraception users.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">41. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">42. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">43. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">44. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">45. Sugar leads to a decreased glucose tolerance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">46. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">47. Sugar can increase total cholesterol.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">48. Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">49. Sugar can change the structure of protein causing interference with protein absorption.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">50. Sugar causes food allergies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">51. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">52. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">53. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">54. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">55. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">56. Sugar can cause cataracts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">57. Sugar can cause emphysema.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">58. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">59. Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">60. Sugar lowers the enzymes' abilities to function.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">61. Sugar can cause the loss of tissue elasticity and function.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">62. Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">63. Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">65. Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">67. Sugar can cause constipation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">70. Sugar can cause hypertension.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">72. Sugar can cause an increase in certain brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">73. Sugar can cause depression.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">74. Sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high-sugar diets compared to low-sugar diets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">75. Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">76. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">77. Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness, which increases risk of blood clots.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">78. Sugar can increase the risk of Alzheimer's Disease.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Clearly, sugar has a wide array of adverse effects on our health. Recovering alcoholics and addicts in particular need to be educated on the influence of this substance so commonly consumed inside and outside the rooms of 12 step meetings and rehabs. Clearly, there are an abundance of reasons to avoid sugar in recovery.</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-61575105097852512842011-03-03T15:00:00.000-05:002017-12-16T16:00:08.148-05:00Tools For Codependency<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many recovering alcoholics and addicts discover in recovery that they also have struggles associated with codependency. Historically, the problem known as codependency arose from Alcoholics Anonymous and the realization that the family members of alcoholics had their own unique set of character traits and relationship difficulties, and so the program known as Alanon was born. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, we know today that dealing with codependency isn’t solely an issue for those in Alanon; it is pervasive among members of A.A. and N.A. as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most alcoholics and addicts come from families with some history of alcoholism or other addictions. Typically adult children of alcoholics (ACOA), or adults that grew up in some other similar dysfunctional family situation, tend to have these codependent traits that cause difficulty in their relationships. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are 12 step programs that specifically address the issue of codependency such as Alanon, ACOA, and CODA (codependents anonymous). Some treatment centers also offer programs specifically designed to help people address these issues. For example, the renowned Caron Foundation in Pennsylvania not only treats addiction but also offers a personal growth workshop called "<a href="https://www.caron.org/our-programs/breakthrough-at-caron" target="_blank">Breakthrough</a>" that involves an intensive 5-day program focusing on the root of codependency issues. If you have the ability to attend this popular workshop, it is a great place to start if you are just beginning to recognize codependency issues, at any stage in your sobriety / recovery. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A primary objective of Health In Recovery is to help connect people in recovery to additional resources to augment whatever program of recovery they hopefully already utilize. After all, Bill W. encouraged us to seek “outside help” in addition to A.A. With that in mind, a fantastic simple tool known as <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2017/09/emotional-freedom-technique.html">Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)</a> could be the most important “outside” self-help method to have in your toolkit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The following is a review I wrote after reading the e-book called “EFT For Codependency Recovery” by <a href="http://www.recoverytapping.blogspot.com/">J.P. Bailey</a> that teaches how to use EFT directly on codependency issues:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnPrXksh-HuTKsMyaubFK2eNUp-KJgf0mkmoI8BGKTN-wKVmSCtTsK-6ysvgiBs4IhjcgbNEZALNRlz6EqaZuDr_sKBLCKCo04SFad6r_CrlMcwVRaQU3cfY94WfS8ixlAm7NrGWK48hd/s1600/EFT+for+Codependency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnPrXksh-HuTKsMyaubFK2eNUp-KJgf0mkmoI8BGKTN-wKVmSCtTsK-6ysvgiBs4IhjcgbNEZALNRlz6EqaZuDr_sKBLCKCo04SFad6r_CrlMcwVRaQU3cfY94WfS8ixlAm7NrGWK48hd/s200/EFT+for+Codependency.jpg" width="144" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Upon learning of J.P. Bailey’s work, I was immediately struck by the crucial need that it addresses by brilliantly blending her experience and research on codependency with the growing research on energy psychology and EFT. What a natural fit and effective solution to share with the world to empower the millions struggling with recovery. Her book is a refreshing straight forward explanation of the many codependency traits common to adult children of dysfunction, followed by a comprehensive step-by-step manual to immediately incorporate the tool of EFT to accelerate codependency recovery. I am constantly reminded of the pervasiveness of codependency amidst the recovery community, and EFT is a phenomenal simple tool to help address this otherwise complex and extremely challenging issue. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">J.P. Bailey has shared an important contribution to the recovery field with her book and manual, EFT For Codependency Recovery. I confidently recommend it to all my readers, colleagues, and clients.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you would like to <a href="http://maryvonohlen.com/" target="_blank">work one-on-one with an advanced EFT practitioner</a> who specializes in recovery, support is available via phone or webcam sessions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is an abundance of literature on the subject of codependency. Explore the help that is available– via 12 step programs, therapists who specialize in codependency, intensive programs such as <a href="https://www.caron.org/our-programs/breakthrough-at-caron" target="_blank">Breakthrough at Caron Foundation</a>, and self-help manuals such as <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Freedom-Techniques-Codependency-Recovery-ebook/dp/B00FGWGGOQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513457854&sr=8-1&keywords=eft+for+codependency" target="_blank">EFT for codependency recovery</a>, or personalized <a href="http://maryvonohlen.com/" target="_blank">EFT sessions 1-on-1</a> with a certified practitioner, to overcome the effects of this pervasive condition among alcoholics and addicts and enjoy healthier relationships, emotional health, and freedom from codependency in sobriety and recovery.</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-222474823895352132011-02-26T12:38:00.000-05:002017-12-16T17:00:14.486-05:00AA Success Rate<h3>
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AA Success Rate in Question</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With Charlie Sheen’s latest rant claiming that AA is a cult and dismissing it as an effective solution supposedly having only a 5% success rate, this controversial topic seems blog-worthy. The “cult” part is not even worth addressing as it is so preposterous, and if Sheen was really an AA member “for 22 years” he should certainly know that is a classic ridiculous myth. The success rate of Alcoholics Anonymous, however, is a more interesting topic… </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dr. Drew Pinsky, celebrity addiction specialist, was approached by TMZ about Charlie Sheen’s comments and noted that Sheen had a point about the success rate not being great, yet in the same breathe Dr. Drew clarifies, “<i>but [A.A.] DOES work when people do it!</i>”</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A.A. Success Rate Impossible to Measure</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the time spent in Research Methods classes long ago, I can confidently say that it is impossible to accurately measure the success rate of Alcoholics Anonymous. There are simply so many factors that make it impossible, and countless variables that can’t be controlled for a valid study. I won’t waste our time detailing all of them here, so you’ll just have to trust me on that if you have no background in scientific research. Besides the obvious (how does one study and track an anonymous population?), I will just address a couple key points that come to mind.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbJ-QUtluod2p6I46QKSPZmWs1cGFu0pZccr_jkkOFey8mGGoW1wWeI8GjDAPMSRcQF5vs3FFUdgjS3SxuvvceKdYsQIqDe6ThYWeb9YO-Muwj107WsvWwI8dn-rGVXk_WtcNDhY6ASpj/s1600/12Steps12Traditions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbJ-QUtluod2p6I46QKSPZmWs1cGFu0pZccr_jkkOFey8mGGoW1wWeI8GjDAPMSRcQF5vs3FFUdgjS3SxuvvceKdYsQIqDe6ThYWeb9YO-Muwj107WsvWwI8dn-rGVXk_WtcNDhY6ASpj/s200/12Steps12Traditions.jpg" width="128" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How do you define success in AA? And how do you define AA membership? The problem is that most people who attempt to estimate the AA success rate base it on the number of AA members with a certain length of sobriety reported (which again, is impossible to measure anyway) compared to an overall number of “AA members” (also impossible to accurately measure!). This leads to the question of who is considered “members”. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the 12 traditions of AA, all that is required for membership is “a desire to stop drinking”. Even by that loose definition, you still couldn’t include every single person who has attended an AA meeting because there are plenty of people who are court ordered to attend (apparently our judicial system thinks the success rate is high enough to warrant AA attendance mandatory for offenders suspected to have a drinking problem). </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A.A. Meeting Attendance Today</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There was a better chance at more accurately estimating the success rate of AA in the early days, when there were few groups, and members tended to have just one local meeting they attended… in contrast to today, where in some areas you could attend several different meetings in the same day in the same town… and the meetings may have 50+ in attendance which also makes it difficult to keep track of who is who, much less who has been sober for how long and who is actually attempting to work the 12 steps.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Every day, countless individuals wander into an AA meeting just to check it out. Thousands more go to numerous meetings but never attempt to start and/or complete working on all 12 steps which are the basis of AA’s method of recovery. For example, the AA literature states that those who do not complete the 5th step are very likely to relapse…. They also wrote of their own attempts at recovery: “half measures availed us nothing”. So certainly the founders expected that members must work the 12 steps if the individuals truly wished to acquire long term sobriety, as the founders did.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Dry” or “Sober”</span></b></h4>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TtvjWmLZTKwYvEgrFYgiDwgAjBc3feoLhjUiOVkL8doKWvBtub-yEoMmA9FLrPcLDmZgVTBYj8OmyRHQxaQHzsN731iC6j1WUzVpzhKJFhIGKqS_-KbeWp5w-PdGiFe02ZcUrsYUqxaV/s1600/BigBook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TtvjWmLZTKwYvEgrFYgiDwgAjBc3feoLhjUiOVkL8doKWvBtub-yEoMmA9FLrPcLDmZgVTBYj8OmyRHQxaQHzsN731iC6j1WUzVpzhKJFhIGKqS_-KbeWp5w-PdGiFe02ZcUrsYUqxaV/s200/BigBook.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="132" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">30 million Big Books sold</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">AA is a 12 step program, not a “just go to meetings” program. It is a spiritual program of recovery based on actively working a process of 12 steps and integrating them into one’s life. You can’t measure that – it’s subjective by nature. You can measure if someone is “clean” or “dry” from drugs and alcohol for a period of time, but is difficult to measure true sobriety. AA founding member, Bill Wilson advocated emotional sobriety, and the happier life that results from being emotionally sober (aka alcohol-free AND living spiritually). …which is why when Charlie Sheen publicly spews negative angry rants, and in the same moment claims he is “clean and sober”, sober AA members must shake their heads as while he might be clean of drugs and alcohol but he does not sound the least bit emotionally sober.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Success Rate of the Early A.A. Members</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the early days of AA, when it was much easier to get somewhat of an accurate estimate of membership and length of sobriety, the founders did attempt to estimate the success rate. In the foreword to the 2nd edition of the book Alcoholics Anonymous (the main text of AA), printed in 1955 just 16 years after the original edition, they wrote:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“Of alcoholics who came to A.A. and really tried, 50% got sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with A.A. showed improvement. Other thousands came to a few A.A. meetings and at first decided they didn't want the program. But great numbers of these-about two out of three-began to return as time passed.”</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wow, so essentially they reported at least a 75% sobriety success rate of those who kept showing up and working at it. That was before the days of our modern rehabs, outpatient services, alternative 12 step programs, countless self-help books, etc. It was straight AA; the spiritual 12 step program where people were encouraged to work all 12 steps right away as Bill did, and they only focused on the main text of Alcoholics Anonymous as the instructions for sober living. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If there were a way to measure the amount of people who actively participate in AA meetings and work the 12 steps as recommended by the founders of AA, then that would be the population to survey for length of sobriety to determine the success rate of AA as a program! I wish there were a way, as I am confident the success rate would be high for those whom are honestly, willingly, and consistently working through the suggested 12 steps of recovery outlined by the founders of A.A. in the original text of Alcoholics Anonymous. …and with an accurate report of A.A.’s actual effectiveness, Charlie Sheen couldn’t blame AA’s success rate for his chronic relapses.</span><br />
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<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Charlie Sheen didn’t learn the 12 Traditions apparently…</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of the reasons Alcoholics Anonymous established the 12 Traditions was to address this type of issue- when a celebrity announces their participation in AA and then proceeds to comment about AA in the media, they are representing A.A. which is exactly what the Tradition says not to do (regardless of positive or negative comments about the program, AA does not wish to be represented by any individual on the level of press). It is good that Sheen does not claim to be a member of AA currently while his behavior seems manic, full of anger and grandiosity. As another Tradition states, AA is a program of attraction, not promotion. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hopefully the countless hopeless alcoholics who could indeed benefit from Alcoholics Anonymous were not influenced by the ranting of one sick misguided celebrity who may be “dry” of his own accord but it not “sober” by AA standards. Thankfully, AA as a whole is too strong to be affected by Charlie Sheen’s public inaccurate defamation.</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-79176592510533918152011-01-09T19:44:00.000-05:002017-12-16T16:55:12.818-05:00Nutrition in Alcoholic Myopathy Treatment<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Role of Nutrition in Alcoholic Myopathy </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Upon reviewing the research on the treatments and the <a href="http://healthinrecovery.blogspot.com/2010/08/alcoholic-myopathy.html">causes of alcoholic myopathy</a>, there is an obvious relationship between malnutrition and alcoholic myopathy yet little can be found regarding specific nutritional recommendations in the treatment of chronic alcoholic myopathy for those interested in addressing this important factor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As there is a need for more studies on this sparsely researched topic, it is difficult to predict what specific effects on alcoholic myopathy may be expected from nutritional interventions. However, to get this dysfunction in the first place, one must drink alcohol excessively; and since heavy or chronic drinking leads to malnutrition, it is wise to consider nutritional therapy regardless of whether it will have a definite effect on the myopathy itself. Nonetheless, in determining a nutritional approach it makes sense to first consider the known deficiencies associated with myopathy…</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Protein, Amino Acids in Alcoholic Myopathy Treatment</span></b></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5o8ayhRcwcLzolez6Nl-sDjHYibKFFsQ5C1IHtYW7S5nym39gYVwvdq5rQyfojsqTnQX_OyQZViH0H1veAf4zVLMjpk7dmge0j9xouAz0hmZOgvDVc-ZFWXL304VVOjZSNLChz9BLNBOc/s1600/protein+muscle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5o8ayhRcwcLzolez6Nl-sDjHYibKFFsQ5C1IHtYW7S5nym39gYVwvdq5rQyfojsqTnQX_OyQZViH0H1veAf4zVLMjpk7dmge0j9xouAz0hmZOgvDVc-ZFWXL304VVOjZSNLChz9BLNBOc/s200/protein+muscle.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Since protein deficiency has been directly linked to myopathy, it is a good place to start. A nutritionist or health coach may be able to guide you in evaluating your protein intake to ensure you are getting the proper support of that key macronutrient involved in muscle health. While protein deficiency might have been a contributing factor to the myopathy, adequate protein intake is certainly necessary in the recovery from muscle atrophy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, which is synthesized to build muscle. Some suggest that supplementing with amino acids may help accelerate the repair of muscle damage in myopathy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alcohol use disrupts the production of growth hormone, which also plays a major role in muscle development. Research suggests that decreased levels of growth hormone may also contribute to the myopathy of skeletal muscles, as with alcoholic myopathy. Certain amino acids stimulate the pituitary gland to produce and release growth hormone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_616025171"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Prime+trade+Ultra+Secretagogue+HGH+Enhancer-559053470-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">Prime™ Ultra Secretagogue</a> is an excellent amino acids supplement recommended by many doctors to naturally and safely stimulate the body’s natural production of human growth hormone. It helps build protein to build lean muscle, in addition to offering a multitude of other health benefits. Be sure to scroll down when you check out the </span><a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Prime+trade+Ultra+Secretagogue+HGH+Enhancer-559053470-p+.xhtml" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Prime™ Ultra Secretagogue</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> page to learn more about the research, ingredients and benefits.</span><br />
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<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
Antioxidants in Alcoholic Myopathy Treatment</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1563069295"></span><span id="goog_1563069296"></span>There is evidence that suggests free radical damage in the pathogenesis of alcoholic myopathy. Free radicals are unpaired electrons, aka reactive oxygen species, which cause a chain reaction of damage of cells as they attempt to steal their missing electron from any nearby source. Antioxidants are able to replenish the unpaired electrons thus ending the cycle of damage. However, without sufficient antioxidants to combat the abundance of free radicals, the damaging process continues - and can affect any area of the body, including muscle tissue. Free radicals are caused by many factors including environmental toxins, alcohol, smoking, and physical and emotional stress to name a few.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNavjkBrsKDMVbRrvsbRbKx1_5lB79oF_Yqi2Us5NsS7uGy69VE_VdjD5AbYs_DsOgRXbk40Yi6zviVgRvWpdwuuLqe6VyUs3gVLzbTOEjuU1smnroCSTDOVPtD0LtCNWntlvUeU5FLOn/s1600/antioxidant.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNavjkBrsKDMVbRrvsbRbKx1_5lB79oF_Yqi2Us5NsS7uGy69VE_VdjD5AbYs_DsOgRXbk40Yi6zviVgRvWpdwuuLqe6VyUs3gVLzbTOEjuU1smnroCSTDOVPtD0LtCNWntlvUeU5FLOn/s200/antioxidant.gif" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Active and recovering alcoholics arguably have even more oxidative stress (free radicals) than the average person, and thus would benefit from antioxidant supplementation regardless of the potential benefit in the treatment of myopathy. Specific antioxidants called OPCs are awesome free radical fighters that also are known to help maintain normal muscle and nerve function – OPCs are potentially beneficial not only for myopathies but neuropathies as well; and some research suggests peripheral neuropathy may co-occur with alcoholic myopathy in 72% of cases!). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We also know that alcohol promotes inflammation in the body. Regardless of the type of myopathy, an effective antioxidant can address any inflammatory issues likely present in the recovering alcoholic (and definitely present in the active alcoholic!). Certain OPCs can act as a natural anti-inflammatory agent and are also known for a multitude of other health benefits. <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+OPC+3+reg+-561800349-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">Read more </a>about the amazing benefits and science behind a highly absorbable and powerful <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+OPC+3+reg+-561800349-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">OPC supplement</a> ideal for recovering alcoholics.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Calcium and Alcoholic Myopathy Treatment</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Research suggests chronic hypocalcemia (deficiency in calcium) may contribute to the increase in muscle damage in alcoholic myopathy. Everyone knows calcium is important in bone health, but it is also crucial in muscle function. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, crucial to many health functions. All muscle fibers use calcium. Alcohol impairs the absorption of calcium! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some other factors affecting your calcium levels… </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Myth: “I drink milk, so I get plenty of calcium”. Fact: the calcium in most dairy products we consume is not bioavailable (we don’t absorb it!). You are better off skipping the pro-inflammatory dairy products, and increasing your green vegetables which have calcium that you will actually absorb.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Smokers – studies have shown that smoking interferes with efficient calcium absorbtion. Soda drinking (regardless if caffeinated or not, diet or regular) depletes calcium. Coffee and caffeine deplete calcium.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+reg+Calcium+Plus-561800352-p+.xhtml?&omcmp=s02064" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nwom3c7zgdNLzqcVJI5wvTvsnsFuFSxahX2TR3wtzEccdftTmA7xAS8_IzI38jZFkd1quZlWfuXVkNpER5NfBYoq1ZLKJAIyMW-z1N0166NHKpv8Tcb1r9VzFmGZ_HxZcuFtMwXBBav6/s200/calcium+plus+label.jpg" width="177" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also, those deficient in vitamin D are at risk for calcium deficiency as well because vitamin D is necessary for absorption of calcium… and many myopathy sufferers have been found to be deficient in vitamin D!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are a lot of poor calcium supplements on the shelves. Many contain the wrong form, wrong amounts, and/or not the correct additional ingredients necessary for calcium absorption (ie vitamin D3 and magnesium) in the proper amounts. Individuals with alcoholism in particular have done damage to their digestive systems, so it is imperative to take the most absorbable form of a high quality calcium supplement. Get more <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+reg+Calcium+Plus-561800352-p+.xhtml?&omcmp=s02064" target="_blank">information on the best calcium supplement</a> we have found (see label).</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Vitamin D in Alcoholic Myopathy Treatment</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Research has concluded that low vitamin D levels are related to muscle fiber atrophy, and vitamin D deficiency itself may induce myopathy. Low vitamin D levels are frequent in alcoholics. Studies show that vitamin D stimulates growth of muscle fibers. Regardless of whether the vitamin D deficiency caused the myopathy, vitamin D is helpful in recovery from the muscle atrophy. Experts estimate that most of the population is deficient in vitamin D. If in doubt, ask your physician for a blood test to evaluate your 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels; levels should be above 50 ng/ml (125 nmol/L) year-round. Read more about the research, benefits, and FAQ on a <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+reg+Vitamin+D+with+K2-561800345-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">high quality vitamin D supplement</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In conclusion, hopefully more will be revealed in the future on this topic of nutritional supplementation in the treatment of alcoholic myopathy sufferers. In the meantime, as individuals seek to integrate a nutritional approach to treatment of alcoholic myopathy, a few important supplements to consider include: <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Prime+trade+Ultra+Secretagogue+HGH+Enhancer-559053470-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">Prime™ Ultra Secretagogue</a>, <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+OPC+3+reg+-561800349-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">OPC-3</a>, <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+reg+Calcium+Plus-561800352-p+.xhtml?&omcmp=s02064" target="_blank">Calcium Complete</a>, and <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+reg+Vitamin+D+with+K2-561800345-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">Vitamin D</a>.</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-45006594630954269392010-08-13T15:42:00.001-04:002017-12-16T16:39:12.284-05:00Alcoholic Myopathy<h3>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What Is Alcoholic Myopathy?</span></b></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Type 2 muscle atrophy</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Myopathy means muscular disease, and generally refers to a disorder in which muscle weakness develops due to some malfunction of the actual muscle fibers. In addition to muscle weakness, symptoms of myopathy may also include muscle cramps or spasm and muscle stiffness. While some recovering alcoholics may have never heard of alcoholic myopathy, it more common than one may think. Some research indicates that about one third of heavy long-term drinkers, aka alcoholics, develop skeletal myopathy.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WjrzGYkSXDfRdZVLCIm3R6RtgCOVGsfiePyrX5xT7C6o9Rg9hLoiU_NDZMQkqMJq2xgJi42jBfcQCQ_39HiGNyiO8WswOzaunSxCDYEUKGKO4NszdxNDpgVmAAXWBsuMspQ4z9LpG1GJ/s1600/New+Picture.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WjrzGYkSXDfRdZVLCIm3R6RtgCOVGsfiePyrX5xT7C6o9Rg9hLoiU_NDZMQkqMJq2xgJi42jBfcQCQ_39HiGNyiO8WswOzaunSxCDYEUKGKO4NszdxNDpgVmAAXWBsuMspQ4z9LpG1GJ/s200/New+Picture.bmp" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The history of the myopathy related to alcoholics can be traced back to the 19th century, when there were reports of “alcoholic paralysis” which is believed to be referencing the muscle disease known today as alcoholic myopathy. Most specifically, in the mid 1800's, Magnus Huss wrote Alcoholismus Chronicus in which he reported identifying muscular weakness in patients resulting from alcohol use. Later, in the 1950’s and 1960’s, researchers went on to discover two distinct types of alcoholic myopathy: acute alcoholic myopathy and chronic alcoholic myopathy.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Acute Alcoholic Myopathy</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Acute alcoholic myopathy develops suddenly, during an episode of binge drinking or immediately following during withdrawal. Acute alcoholic myopathy is also called “alcoholic rhabdomyolysis”. It can come on rapidly over the course of a few hours and can advance over a few days before receding over the week, given the individual abstains from alcohol. Acute myopathy can present mild to severe symptoms as a result of myonecrosis, the breakdown of muscle tissue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Symptoms of acute alcoholic myopathy may include muscle pain and swelling in addition to the classic weakness. Often the acute symptoms are reported upon awakening from an alcoholic stupor; they may also accompany withdrawal symptoms and delirium tremens. Tests have revealed that acute alcoholic myopathy affects type I muscle fibers, which can heal rapidly; however type II muscle fibers are involved in chronic alcoholic myopathy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Typically, full recovery from acute alcoholic myopathy occurs in a matter of days or weeks; however, in extreme cases when kidney failure or hyperkalemia (abnormal potassium level in the blood) occur, the alcoholic may actually die during the episode of acute myopathy. Otherwise, research has shown it takes about 7 to 10 days for the serum creatine kinase levels (reflecting the health of the muscle) to return to normal range. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chronic Alcoholic Myopathy</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In contrast to the acute form, chronic alcoholic myopathy develops much more gradually and lasts far longer. While the acute version may include muscle pain, chronic alcoholic myopathy is usually painless. The absence of pain and gradual onset may explain why it is frequently overlooked and not diagnosed until the symptoms have been present for several years. The recovery time for chronic myopathy is slower and can take many months (again, given the patient abstains from alcohol use). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chronic alcoholic myopathy is associated with long term alcohol abuse (i.e. years of daily alcoholic drinking). It evolves slowly, over weeks or months as opposed to its acute counterpart which can develop in a matter of hours or days. The main symptom of chronic alcoholic myopathy is muscle weakness and atrophy. It affects proximal muscles, and type 2 muscle fibers. Interestingly, long term corticosteroid use can lead to similar type 2 atrophy as well, a.k.a. “steroid myopathy”.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other disorders which may co-occur with chronic alcoholic myopathy include peripheral neuropathy. While with myopathy the primary dysfunction exists within the muscle itself, with neuropathy the dysfunction pertains to the nervous system (i.e. nerves or brain). Some research suggests peripheral neuropathy is associated in 72% of cases. </span><br />
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<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What Causes Alcoholic Myopathy?</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Studies have linked the damaging effects of toxic ethanol (drinking alcohol) to alcoholic myopathy. The injurious effects of acetaldehyde as well as ethanol have been directly linked with alcoholic myopathy. Interestingly, acetaldehyde is also a prime suspect in the cause of hangover symptoms.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On a molecular level, the exact mechanism behind how alcohol produces myopathy remains elusive. Various studies and theories have been presented. Impaired IGF-1 signaling, protein deficiency, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and other factors have been considered. For example, some research results suggested that protein deficiency and ethanol contributed to muscle atrophy in rats given alcohol and those underfed protein had the greatest myopathic effect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Research suggests that ethanol consumption and malnutrition can lead to alcoholic myopathy, and most likely it is a combination of both working synergistically to produce the myopathy. The long term effect of alcohol abuse itself tends to cause malnutrition, so long term daily drinkers set themselves up to be malnourished, and thus also more vulnerable to the possibility of chronic myopathy.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Treatment for Alcoholic Myopathy</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If the root of alcoholic myopathy is ethanol consumption and malnutrition, obviously abstinence from alcohol and proper nutrition are the best place to start. Alcoholic myopathy generally begins to reverse once the individual achieves complete abstinence from alcohol. So if you are a newly recovering alcoholic experiencing chronic myopathy, it is important to know the recovery typically takes many weeks or several months.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the recovery time frame varies, proactive steps such as nutritional interventions may help to accelerate the recovery process. Physical therapy and acupuncture are sometimes utilized as well to target the effects of chronic myopathy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is a quick response from a neurosurgeon who answered an online inquiry from an individual who asked: is there any treatment for alcoholic myopathy? The MD answered…</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Alcoholic myopathy is a tough condition:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. stop alcohol</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. correct liver dysfunction</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. get a muscle biopsy to be sure the dx is correct.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. See a nutritionist</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Be followed carefully by a darned good neurologist</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. slow rehab with careful attention to enzyme changes.”</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There seems to be little information on specific nutritional information to benefit individuals suffering from alcoholic myopathy. After further research, a <a href="http://healthinrecovery.blogspot.com/2011/01/nutrition-in-alcoholic-myopathy.html">follow up article</a> is posted with more detailed suggestions for a proactive holistic approach to potentially accelerating recovery from alcoholic myopathy - check out article on "<a href="http://healthinrecovery.blogspot.com/2011/01/nutrition-in-alcoholic-myopathy.html">Nutrition in Alcoholic Myopathy Treatment</a>".</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-7889783774111798662010-07-15T16:50:00.001-04:002017-12-16T15:17:17.326-05:00PTSD in Sobriety<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Connection between PTSD and Alcoholics/Addiction</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and alcoholism / addiction often go hand in hand. Self-medicating symptoms of anxiety and depression associated with PTSD can lead to substance abuse. Also, active alcoholics or addicts may be more susceptible to experiencing certain types of trauma based on circumstances and potential risky behavior sometimes associated with addiction. Therefore while people who have endured trauma are more likely to have drinking problems, people with drinking problems are also more likely to have experienced psychological trauma of some kind.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is PTSD</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome can develop after exposure to an event that causes psychological trauma. The exposure can involve actually experiencing the event or witnessing the trauma. Symptoms of PTSD may include nightmares or flashbacks, <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=70&Itemid=1">sleep disturbances</a>, avoidance or negative responses to associations with the trauma (i.e. people, places, situations), emotional numbing, anger, hypervigilance, or anxiety. The symptoms must be present for more than a month after the event, otherwise it may be “acute stress disorder” which is short-term. Untreated, the symptoms of PTSD can be experienced for years beyond the initial trauma. Finally, for the official diagnosis of PTSD, the set of symptoms must impair normal life functions i.e. in work or relationships. Note: “unmanageability” comes to mind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">People commonly associate PTSD with individuals who have suffered an obvious major trauma such as with combat veterans and abuse or rape survivors… Indeed, there is a prevalence of PTSD in those populations but it is certainly not limited to those. </span><br />
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ACOA and PTSD</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PTSD is not always caused by a single traumatic event; it can be from a series of intense or even more subtle traumatic experiences. Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA) are an example of a subgroup that may be particularly likely to have endured traumatic events in childhood leading to PTSD as an adult. Abuse, neglect, or other psychological trauma may be experienced as the result of growing up in an alcoholic environment, in which one or more parents or caregivers were untreated alcoholics / addicts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many recovering alcoholics and addicts are also ACOA. Adult Children of Alcoholism in particular should consider ruling out PTSD if suffering any of the symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress. While they may not recall one particularly traumatic event, an ACOA may have experienced a series of less intense but traumatic experiences which can lead to PTSD alike. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Which Came 1st: the PTSD or the Addiction?</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s sort of a “chicken or the egg” situation. Trauma can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms in an effort to numb the pain, and thus lead to substance dependence. By the same token, when engaging in behaviors that accompany an addictive lifestyle, an alcoholic or addict is more likely to be in a situation where trauma can occur. Or both may be the case; some alcoholics may experience traumatic events prior to active addiction as well as during their active years. Binge drinkers may even not recall exposure to a traumatic event if it occurred during a blackout! </span><br />
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Dealing with PTSD in Sobriety</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Regardless of when the trauma occurred - before or during active addiction - untreated PTSD is sure to affect an individual after starting the process of addiction recovery. As most therapists will tell you, you have a much better chance at healing your psychological traumas if you first put down the alcohol and drugs. Once the initial fog lifts and you are sober, it can be your first time really experiencing the effects of PTSD if you have been self-medicating with booze or drugs for years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In early sobriety, previously numbed anger or anxiety associated with PTSD may surface. The alcohol and drug use could have masked sleep disturbances otherwise present with PTSD, thus resulting in sleep difficulties or insomnia in recovery (see related article on <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2010/06/natural-cures-for-insomnia.html">dealing with insomnia in sobriety</a>). Certainly anger, anxiety and sleep problems can only aggravate the daily struggle to stay sober in early recovery. These symptoms alone do not necessarily equate to PTSD but it is a good idea to consider ruling it out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You’re as sick as your secrets.” Intrusive thoughts regarding old memories can surprise the newly recovering alcoholic who may have thought he/she had dealt with the memories or left the past in the past. Consider how many people relapse in anticipation of step 4, or when between step 4 and 5. Imagine uncovering memories of old traumas which trigger heavy emotions… leading to the danger of picking up a drink or drug before sharing it all with a sponsor. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even when the recovering alcoholic with PTSD makes it through the 5th step with a sponsor, he/she may be disheartened by a lack of relief that may have been anticipated based on the experiences shared by others who successfully complete the 5th step who do not suffer from PTSD and thus may find more relief from the steps alone. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Treatment for PTSD in Sobriety</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Clearly if there are concerns of potential PTSD in sobriety, it is crucial to seek treatment. The 12 steps are a great tool that will help support the process of addressing the PTSD, but outside help is recommended for recovering alcoholics/addicts who may suffer from post-traumatic stress. Remember, A.A. literature states: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>“God has abundantly supplied this world with fine doctors, psychologists, and practitioners of various kinds. Do not hesitate to take your health problems to such persons.” </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ideal treatment for any disorder is one which treats the underlying cause of the disorder. Let’s face it: PTSD is not a deficiency of medication… although sometimes people suffering from PTSD can end up on anti-depressants or anti-anxiety drugs from their primary physician or psychiatrist. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Medication alone is not appropriate treatment for PTSD; the drugs only serve to medicate some of the symptoms in that case. This is why the typical recommendations for treatment of PTSD involve psychotherapy (not psychiatry), typically in the form of a cognitive behavioral therapy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A particularly effective and clinically supported modality in this field is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). EMDR has been rated by the APA in the highest category of effectiveness and research support for treating trauma, based on the extensive clinical research performed validating it as a significantly effective treatment modality for PTSD in particular. EMDR can safely accelerate the healthy processing and healing from the traumatic memories underlying PTSD. To learn more about this effective modality, visit the <a href="http://www.emdr.com/index.htm">EMDR Institute</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2017/09/emotional-freedom-technique.html">Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)</a> is another effective method used by therapists as well as coaches and holistic practitioners to help clients deal with the effects of PTSD. Similar to EMDR, EFT utilizes is a mind-body modality but that can be utilized for self-care in addition to guided sessions with certified practitioners. Research on EFT supports it's efficacy in the treatment of PTSD including with combat veterans; and a published <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5499602/" target="_blank">review of recent research</a> concluded: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.9991px;">According to published reports, systematic reviews of the published evidence, a meta-analysis of seven RCTs, and practitioner consensus, most cases of PTSD are remediated in ten EFT sessions or less. As a safe, efficacious, and easily learned self-help method, EFT should be offered to clients as an initial treatment option immediately after diagnosis."</span> </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Note: the long term emotional stress of PTSD can contribute to physical stress on the body as well – see related article on <a href="http://healthinrecovery.blogspot.com/2010/05/nutritional-support-during-stress.html" target="_blank">nutritional support during stress</a> to address the physical aspect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In summary, when present PTSD is a crucial component to address in sobriety. Whether newly recovering or sober for a number of years, whenever this becomes evident it is necessary to address. You need not suffer silently with PTSD, and the symptoms can put you at risk for relapse. As with alcoholism, there is a solution! Utilize all the tools and outside resources available to effectively deal with PTSD in sobriety, and subscribe to this blog for more health information pertaining to recovering alcoholics and addicts.</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-67488634204905749672010-06-09T15:52:00.001-04:002017-12-16T20:47:43.054-05:00Natural Cures For Insomnia<h3>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dealing with Insomnia in Recovery</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Getting enough sleep is essential for recovering alcoholics and addicts, as insomnia and poor sleep can not only negatively affect your health but also can contribute to risk for relapse. The slogan H.A.L.T. reminds us of four common risk factors to watch for daily. “T” is last but not least! Tired? Are you sleeping enough and getting a good night’s sleep?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alcohol affected your sleep and the quality of it. Whether you are in early sobriety or have long term recovery, research suggests that recovering alcoholics regardless of recovery time have a higher incidence of insomnia than the general population. The studies also suggested that difficulty falling asleep is more of an issue in recovery than staying asleep.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Caffeine Factor in Insomnia</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When newly sober, some recovering alcoholics and addicts start drinking lots coffee even if they were never coffee drinkers in the past. It is easy to justify the caffeine habit, which typically doesn’t end you up in jails or institutions, in contrast to the booze or other drugs you kicked. But in early recovery, a healthy sleep cycle is often one of the last things to finally normalize. When a sponsor hears from a newcomer that he/she is having trouble sleeping, the immediate reply is typically “how much coffee or soda are you drinking?” and “and how late in the day do you have your last cup?” Experience dictates to rule out this common and significant factor first, as caffeine is a known culprit to disrupt sleep!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Depression Factor with Insomnia</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Depression and insomnia often go hand in hand. Until recently, professionals had assumed the link between depression and insomnia was that the depression caused the insomnia. However, when they studied patients with both who were treated for the depression, they were surprised to find that depression relief did not result in insomnia relief. Newer studies actually suggest that treating the insomnia will in turn likely help relieve the depression for those who suffer from both.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some research provides evidence that 55 to 60 percent of patients with depression who do not respond initially to antidepressant medication improve with the addition of <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+reg+L+Tryptophan-561800343-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">tryptophan supplementation</a>. In addition to insomnia, Tryptophan has been used in the treatment of depression either alone or in combination with antidepressants.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Diet for Healthy Sleep</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here is yet another health issue that can be helped significantly with the proper diet. Again - like with weight loss, mood, energy, etc – the key in eating is balancing your blood sugar. If you eat right throughout the day, you are more likely to get to sleep easily and sleep better through night. Frequent small meals throughout the day, made up of lower glycemic foods, will help balance your blood sugar and thus support your goal of insomnia relief. For more information on a healthy eating plan in recovery, check out these <a href="https://www.tlsslim.com/maryvo" target="_blank">TLS programs</a> that support healthy blood sugar in addition to other health benefits.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Meditation and Hypnosis for Insomnia</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Meditation is known to provide all sorts of health benefits, including relief for insomnia and sleep problems. Research that investigated the effects of daily meditation on insomnia sufferers found that all of the following improved in the patients using meditation: sleep latency, total sleep time, total wake time, wake after sleep onset, sleep efficiency, sleep quality and depression. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Regardless of your amount of time in recovery from alcoholism or addiction, it is never too early to start incorporating some form of meditation into your daily life, especially if you are experiencing insomnia. </span><br />
<a href="http://3recovery.hypnosis4u.hop.clickbank.net/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXK2y90NgUyRAv7tiOAdsj8hFJ5N9F_K_5a4b9GprrGIuWpwfzfJedJhhuVrVMApWQxUJLQxb5SUpBGr7OyBr7LTpbTrNrQcSzuD6mj5QwW8oaAaCIQLqj03IbNrVuyczD5zsDYJ_WBFE/s200/hypnosis+sleep.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Guided meditations and hypnosis audio programs can also be very effective for those suffering with sleep problems. Hypnosis helps your mind and body relax, and can help your brain learn how to easily go into an alpha state (for healthy sleep) and utilize the subconscious to reduce worry and anxiety that tend to pervade the daily thoughts of insomnia sufferers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can seek out a local hypnotherapist, or save money by trying out an audio download online. Licensed hypnotherapist <a href="http://3recovery.hypnosis4u.hop.clickbank.net/">Steve G. Jones</a> is a well-known expert whose very affordable recordings come highly recommended - check out <a href="http://3recovery.hypnosis4u.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">Steve G. Jones's website</a> to find an audio program specifically for insomnia.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Natural Supplement for Sleep Problems</span></b></h4>
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<a href="http://www.marketamerica.com/maryvo/index.cfm?action=shopping.wpGoShopProducts&skuID=13062" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKuyCr89Lwwj9Kz7rUcVeR5f9ep8vSBjCp2mcIWIO2x1yKOK6sIWrwoxPR0hPkUOfGnkcY3SYEwmSK3INGx3fTURBNzk5IQwStDfKrWqZel6DFEqfpVzcngs5TqiH6xjE-UsPAlcgCaqC/s200/L-tryptophan.jpg" width="76" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You may have heard of tryptophan in terms of Thanksgiving, a holiday definitely not associated with insomnia! The real culprit behind post-thanksgiving dinner sleepiness is this essential amino acid present in the turkey, L-Tryptophan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin production followed by melatonin - which aids in sleep. Serotonin is also the feel good neurotransmitter so supplementation with a <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+reg+L+Tryptophan-561800343-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">quality L-tryptophan</a> product has also been shown to improve mood. Note that you can also take tryptophan day and/or night. A dose before bedtime is ideal for helping those who have trouble falling asleep. A dose in the daytime can also help elevate your mood and will not make you sleepy.<a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+reg+L+Tryptophan-561800343-p+.xhtml" target="_blank"> L-tryptophan</a> also is useful in times of stress or grief, when <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2010/02/best-natural-methods-to-quit-smoking-in.html" target="_blank">quitting smoking</a>, and when quitting drinking!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The other great thing about natural supplements like <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+reg+L+Tryptophan-561800343-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">L-tryptophan</a> to support a healthier sleep is that they are not “habit forming”. Obviously recovering alcoholics and addicts in particular ought to consider prescription drugs as the alternative and seek healthier options first, leaving medication as the last resort. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sleep medications such as Ambien can be addictive, and is meant for short-term use only, so it is nice to have a natural solution that is safe to use long-term that addresses insomnia symptoms and also perhaps the underlying cause of the sleep problems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Other Holistic Solutions for Insomnia </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In addition to working the 12 steps, recovering alcoholics and addicts can take a proactive approach using natural methods like <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+reg+L+Tryptophan-561800343-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">tryptophan</a> to curb insomnia and thus strengthen relapse prevention and enjoy better health in recovery. If you suspect your neurological health is the root of your insomnia, consider looking into neurofeedback therapy. A neurofeedback program such as <a href="http://braincoretherapy.com/" target="_blank">Braincore</a> will utilize a QEEG to evaluate your brainwave patterns to identify any neurological patterns that can be resolved with a series of <a href="http://braincoretherapy.com/how-it-works/" target="_blank">neurofeedback sessions</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To delve deeper into underlying causes of insomnia, you may also want to check out utilizing the <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2017/09/emotional-freedom-technique.html" target="_blank">Emotional Freedom Technique</a> (EFT). EFT is easy to learn the basic technique to apply yourself to generally calm your system to help you fall asleep. If you work with an <a href="http://maryvonohlen.com/" target="_blank">advanced EFT practitioner</a>, you can delve deeper to use EFT to clear any underlying mind-body causes inhibiting your healthy sleep. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In summary, if you try just one natural remedy for insomnia check out <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+reg+L+Tryptophan-561800343-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">trytophan</a>. For a comprehensive approach to combat insomnia both physically and mentally, add in a little meditation during the day and listen to a <a href="http://3recovery.hypnosis4u.hop.clickbank.net/">hypnosis audio</a> at bedtime. To address deeper patterns behind your insomnia, consider natural modalities to improve your sleep such as <a href="http://www.healthinrecovery.com/2017/09/emotional-freedom-technique.html" target="_blank">Emotional Freedom Technique</a> and/or <a href="http://braincoretherapy.com/how-it-works/" target="_blank">neurofeedback</a>. </span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677075243037040472.post-59269959468782859822010-05-24T14:15:00.000-04:002017-12-16T15:38:37.097-05:00PAWS in Sobriety<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PAWS is not some cute AA acronym that stands for something like Please Act Wisely Sober; PAWS is actually a diagnostic term for a set of symptoms called Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome that can occur for a long time after you put down the alcohol or other addictive drugs. Research has suggested that up to 95% of recovering alcoholics and addicts when tested show the presence of brain dysfunction. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Essentially, that is PAWS – symptoms from a dysfunction in the nervous system after quitting booze and drugs. Not to be confused with <a href="http://healthinrecovery.blogspot.com/2010/05/wet-brain-in-sobriety.html">Wet Brain Syndrome</a>, PAWS is a temporary condition. Do not panic, this too shall pass! However, you can take positive action to help get through it faster and with more ease!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Symptoms of PAWS</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you first detox off alcohol and/or drugs, acute withdrawal is experienced. After a week or two of continuous abstinence from alcohol and drugs, Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome may be experienced and can last for 3 months to 2 years into sobriety. For most people, PAWS is regenerative - meaning over time and with proper care the symptoms will diminish and damage can be repaired.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Symptoms of PAWS can include difficulty solving simple problems, reacting either overemotionally or having emotional numbness, sleep disturbances, memory problems, inability to think clearly at times, difficulty managing stress, and sometimes problems with physical coordination may present as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The cognitive symptoms can lead to diminished self-esteem as well. Note, not all of these symptoms may occur and each does not happen constantly but rather periodically. The severity and length of occurrence of PAWS varies individually; it does not look the same for everyone.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What Causes PAWS</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Damage to nervous system from the alcohol and/or drugs causes the physiological nature of PAWS, in combination with the other component of PAWS which is the emotional stress of having to deal with life without the old coping mechanism of drugs or alcohol. How much brain dysfunction your addiction has caused + how much psychosocial stress you experience in sobriety = the severity of PAWS. With proper care, it can be reversed.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Taking Action Against PAWS</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>“… and courage to change the things I can.” </i>This is one of those things you can take positive action to help get through it more rapidly and in a healthier manner. PAWS causes symptoms that are not particularly conducive to your sobriety. In fact, recent research supports the belief that PAWS can contribute to incidents of relapse. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As part of a relapse prevention strategy, it is important to address the physical aspects of your alcoholism which includes taking proactive steps to treat PAWS. Your first couple years sober are difficult enough without the added challenges of PAWS symptoms like sleep disturbances and trouble thinking clearly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Education is always a good start (Education leads to proper Action which leads to Results!). Getting a better understanding about PAWS can ease some of the anxiety and confusion, and help prevent self-esteem problems that can result in the absence of such awareness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next, find healthy ways to manage your stress. Stress can be caused by PAWS and also stress exacerbates the symptoms of PAWS so stress management is key. Working the 12 steps with a sponsor is not only the best method for relapse prevention in general, but also a great component to stress management. Meditation is highly recommended. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Find what works for you, it can be as simple as setting time for deep breathing daily. <a href="http://healthinrecovery.blogspot.com/2010/05/nutritional-support-during-stress.html">Specific nutritional recommendations</a> can really give you the edge on managing stress as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last but not least, get educated about ways to improve your physical health most specifically in terms of your nervous system. If you do just one thing physically to support your nervous system, supplement with a high quality <a href="http://www.shop.com/maryvo/Isotonix+reg+Activated+B+Complex-604981550-p+.xhtml" target="_blank">B vitamin Complex</a>. Bill Wilson, A.A. founder, was a big proponent of supplementing with B vitamins to support recovery! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You are not powerless against PAWS. Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome can be treated by applying the recommended actions listed above, and you can enjoy a long healthier life sober!</span>HealthInRecoveryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566605493842063017noreply@blogger.com2