Addiction Solution Source

Here is an addiction treatment locator service provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the US Department of Health and Human Services. Also, additional prime resources are listed.

It is possible to overcome drug addictions but you will probably have to look outside the box of “conventional” addiction treatment programs to find the answer. Standard treatment programs often don’t take into account the “physiological basis” of drug abuse, an oversight some see as the main reason for their low success rates.

Although it isn’t logical to enter a program where the success rate is low, people have been doing so for years. Part of the reason may be that most people don’t realize that alternatives exist – viable alternatives with excellent success rates using the holistic medicine approach.

Dr. Joan Mathews-Larson, one of the pioneers in the holistic treatment of alcohol addiction, stated: “the conventional treatment system is antiquated because it isn’t based on science. It’s based on someone’s notion that there is some psychological flaw in alcoholics and that if we talk to them long enough, we’ll straighten them out”.

The following graph was adapted from Dr. Joan Mathews-Larson’s book, “Seven Weeks to Sobriety”. Dr. Larson was the first to show that the Orthomolecular Medicine approach, when added to a conventional psychosocial treatment model, could double and even triple the expected long-term recovery rates for alcohol and drug addicted people.

The word “chiropractic” gets its’ name from the Greek words chiros and praktikos which means “done by hand”. Chiropractors diagnose and treat the misalignment of the spine and the resulting mechanical disorders that affect the nervous system and hinder good health.

In 1895, Daniel David Palmer (Father of Chiropractic) asserted that 95% of all health problems could be treated, or even prevented with spinal adjustments. This statement is based on his theory that misaligned vertebrae (subluxations) impede the function of the nervous system thus contributing to a wide variety of health issues.

Chiropractors locate these subluxations and, through gentle adjustments, restore the body’s normal functions. With the vertebra in place, the nerve passages open and regulatory impulses are free to pass allowing the body’s nervous system to heal itself. This method goes directly to the root of the problem. It does not mask symptoms like addictive prescription drugs often do.

A large-scale human study, dealing specifically with the area of drug addictions, affirmed the validity and effectiveness of chiropractic adjustments. Conducted by Dr. Jay Holder with the University of Miami School of Medicine and the Florida Chiropractic Society, the study showed dramatic results. The 18-month project demonstrated that those patients receiving these special treatments saw an almost 100% retention rate. The rate of retention, or how long a person stays in treatment, is vital because completion of a well-established and supported program assures a high success rate.

The “torque release technique”, developed by Dr. Holder, treats addiction by removing the subluxations band realigning the vertebrae. This, Dr. Holder asserts, “removes the interference with the normal functioning of the nervous system.” When the spine is misaligned, it interrupts the sequence of chemical changes necessary to maintain health and well-being. When the natural flow is interrupted, it results in what Dr. Holder calls “reward deficiency syndrome” and the body seeks the feeling of well being elsewhere.

Amino-acid Therapy is a powerful natural means of healing and repair from drug abuse. This approach offers a highly effective alternative to standard addiction therapies.

It is generally accepted that 20 amino acids are important to human nutrition for adults. They are the chemical units or “building blocks” of the body that make up proteins. They are all crucial to our health for repairing the body, promoting proper functioning of the blood, and enhancing communication within the brain and nervous system.

Amino acids are divided into two groups: essential and non-essential. Both types of amino acids are necessary for human functioning. The difference between the two groups is that essential amino acids are not synthesized by our bodies so it’s essential that we get them from another source. Because amino acids are not stored in the body like fats or carbohydrates, we have to consume them on a regular basis to maintain normal physical and mental health.