www.learnnaturalhealthonline.com
How to Assess the Fitness Levels of Your Kids
If you're wondering just how healthy your children are, you can find the answers yourself by taking a look at their eating and exercise habits. By establishing healthy habits in childhood, your kids will likely maintain these habits into adulthood. This can be a good thing if they eat well and exercise now, but if not, then they're more likely continue with poor eating and sedentary habits into adulthood, which leads to a host of disease risks and conditions. Ask yourself these questions (answer yes or no to each) to determine where you child stands now, and how you can improve as a family.
Exercise Questions
1. Does your child enjoy at least 30 minutes of physical activity daily?
2. Does your child have active hobbies & pastimes, such as playing outdoors, riding his bike, and engaging in individual or group sports?
3. Does your child seem comfortable with his body?
4. Does your child appear to enjoy being active?
5. Does your child have access to exercise equipment, such as a bike, jump rope, good shoes, balls, or sporting equipment?
6. Do you exercise and make it a priority?
7. Does your family get active together by walking, hiking, doing yard work, swimming, or playing outside?
8. Do you know how much exercise is appropriate for your child's age?
For every "yes" answer, pat yourself on the back--your family has done well with establishing some healthy exercise habits. For every "no," try to see how you can improve your family's lifestyle. Remember, as a parent you are in control. Your children will emulate your habits, so if you don't exercise, verbally express negative attitudes towards exercise, or if you don't encourage your children to be active, then maybe you need to work on changing your own actions; your family will follow suit.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Your mind
Featured Articles<< Back to List
Exercise Your Mind to Change Your Body
by Dave Hubbard
I have been motivating and educating people on exercise and fitness for almost twenty years. I enjoy teaching people the truth concerning how their body works–either for or against them–depending on how they exercise.
I believe it's best to first exercise your mind before you exercise your body. Comedian Emo Phillips once said, "I used to think that the brain was the most wonderful organ in my body. Then I realized who was telling me this." Very funny! But seriously, it is your brain that tells you what to do. So if you expect your brain to instruct you accurately, it must receive accurate information.
Let's begin this session of mind-exercise with the following statement of fact: As it relates to cardiovascular fitness–especially building a strong heart and lungs–aerobics is bad science!
Yes, you read that correctly. If your goal with exercise is cardiovascular conditioning to prevent heart disease, a heart attack and to build a strong heart and lungs–there is a much more effective method of exercise than aerobics.
Most people don't think about the fact that their heart is a muscle. Here's a fact missed by just about everyone. To keep your heart beating longer and stronger, long duration endurance training is the last thing that it needs. You will do much more for your heart by exercising in brief spurts.
Less is more
Conventional wisdom says that your heart needs endurance training to remain healthy. But heart attacks aren't caused by a lack of endurance. Heart attacks typically occur at rest or at periods of very high cardiac output. Often there is a sudden increase in demand. A person lifts a heavy object, receives an unexpected emotional blow, etc. The sudden demand for cardiac output exceeds that heart's capacity to adapt.
What you really need is faster cardiac output. By exercising for long periods, you actually induce the opposite response. When you exercise continuously for longer periods of time, your heart has to become more efficient. Greater efficiency comes from "downsizing". You give up maximal capacity because smaller can go further.
A recent Harvard study examined middle-aged men, exercise, and cardiovascular health. Researchers found that men who performed repeated short bouts of exercise reduced their heart disease risk by 100% more than those who performed long duration exercise.
In an article by Al Sears, M.D., titled "Aerobics is Dead!" he states: "The biggest mistake of the 1980s is finally over and done with... Jumping around for 45 minutes to an hour won't boost your lung capacity, it won't strengthen your heart–it won't even help you lose weight. Even worse, aerobic training -- the kind most doctors and even the federal government tout as the path to good health -- can actually wreck your body. Do enough, and aerobics will make you sick, tired and old before your time."
If you only exercise within your current aerobic limits, you do so without improving your aerobic capacity. In other words, you never push hard enough to stop to catch your breath. This kind of aerobic exercise trains your body for endurance and efficiency. That sounds great, right? But this kind of "logic" causes "shrinkage:" Smaller muscles, smaller heart and smaller lungs. What's worse, it wipes out your heart's and lung's reserve capacity.
Your reserve capacity is what your heart and lungs use to deal with stress. Injuries or physical trauma, a shocking emotional blow, etc. ... these all demand reserve energy. Reserve capacity means your heart has the ability to pump more blood, faster in times of stress. Reserve capacity for your lungs allows them to deal with high exertion like lifting, carrying, running or going up stairs. Without reserve capacity, you are much more likely to drop dead from a heart attack or pneumonia when faced with stress.
How's your brain workout so far? In this mind-exercise session, that was your stretching! I know at this point you're saying to yourself, "Are you kidding me ... all those hours of aerobic exercise have been counterproductive for my heart and lungs?" "Certainly that can't be right!" But it is right. Let me ask you this; have you ever seen a Cheetah jogging? For that matter, have you ever seen any animal jog?
The animals that have the strongest hearts and lungs–and oh-by-the-way–the strongest leanest bodies, are those animals like Cheetahs whose physical exercise consists of; (A) short bursts of highly intense sprinting in pursuit of their prey, and (B) after pouncing on their catch, continue their short-duration-high-intensity-strength-training by using every muscle in their body in a wrestling match. After all that (it usually takes less than ten minutes), they settle down for a big meal.
Notice that the preceding "exercise" description was void of aerobics. It was rather, a brief but highly intense anaerobic workout. Therein lies the secret, you do not have to do aerobic exercise to have a lean strong body and a strong stress-proof heart.
Good news: You can greatly increase your metabolism and lose weight by exercising in short intervals at a high intensity where the demand for oxygen is much higher than can be supplied. This type of exercising (Burst Training) creates a debt of oxygen in just one minute. As you resume normal activities, your body will repay that debt of oxygen. This repayment of debt means that your body burns extra calories throughout the day without any additional workout time.
Few people understand that when Nautilus exercise machines where invented (early 1970's) the "big idea" was more than the unique cam shaft allowing for a more consistent and smooth motion with variable resistance. A big part of the "big idea" was "the program."
The program consisted of how all of the different machines were used in sequence and without rest in between sets. It was called circuit training. The university I was attending on a football scholarship purchased all of the Nautilus machines, and actually built a separate room so that each machine could be strategically placed and used exactly as prescribed.
I will never forget my first experience with Nautilus. The entire football team was brought to the Nautilus room and each machine manned. The remaining athletes stood in line waiting their turn to jump into the circuit. The instructions where that on the coaches whistle everyone was to work as hard as they could on the machine they were on, for only one minute. When the minute was up the coach blew the whistle again and everyone hurriedly moved forward to the next machine, and the whistle blew again immediately. When I finished my ten minute workout, as described, I ran out of the building and did what just about every other well conditioned athlete did–I threw up!
Many years later I stepped out of professional football and into a sedentary job. I went from pushing weights to pushing pencils! My playing weight as an offensive tackle in the NFL was 285. This, coupled with my lack of desire to exercise (I felt like I had exercised enough for two lifetimes), along with a serious back injury from a parachuting accident–produced a fitness crises.
I was thick and tired of it! Remembering my Nautilus circuit training experience, I went to work on figuring out a way to do a series of exercises that could be done in the convenience of my own home, at a very high level of intensity. I was determined to recreate my unforgettable Nautilus experience but in such a way that would allow me to get the same results without big expensive machines.
The conventional approach of exercising 2 to 3 times a week for 30 to 45 minutes, was not working for me, and for that matter not working for most of my friends who were also busy professionals with families. I had an idea. Instead of working out a few times a week for long periods of time, what if you could get the same results by working out every day, but in only ten minutes?
The following statement had a profound impact on changing my attitude about how long and how often I exercised:
IT'S FAR BETTER TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH
FOR 2-3 MINUTES A DAY, THAN
FOR 45 MINUTES 2-3 TIMES A MONTH!
The key to your fitness success long term, is to exercise EVERY DAY, but at a very high intensity level. Get in, get out, and get it over with! If done correctly, you will have exercised harder, and at a much higher efficiency level then otherwise spending 30-45 minutes.
(1) Increase the frequency and intensity of your exercise
(2) Decrease the time spent doing it to between 10 and 15 minutes max.
(2) Rest only briefly between exercises, and as you get into better shape eliminate your rest stops altogether.
Good bye aerobics ... good bye jogging for hours on end ... good bye feeling guilty for yet again missing a workout at the gym because the day got too busy. Hello lean strong muscles...hello strong heart and lungs, and energy to spare...hello satisfaction for having worked out like a Cheetah everyday this week.
Now that you've exercised your mind, why not change your body?
About the Author: Former NFL player Dave Hubbard, known today as America's Fitness Coach®, has been lecturing on how to Get Fit For Life for over 20 years. Learn more at www.Fit10.com.
Exercise Your Mind to Change Your Body
by Dave Hubbard
I have been motivating and educating people on exercise and fitness for almost twenty years. I enjoy teaching people the truth concerning how their body works–either for or against them–depending on how they exercise.
I believe it's best to first exercise your mind before you exercise your body. Comedian Emo Phillips once said, "I used to think that the brain was the most wonderful organ in my body. Then I realized who was telling me this." Very funny! But seriously, it is your brain that tells you what to do. So if you expect your brain to instruct you accurately, it must receive accurate information.
Let's begin this session of mind-exercise with the following statement of fact: As it relates to cardiovascular fitness–especially building a strong heart and lungs–aerobics is bad science!
Yes, you read that correctly. If your goal with exercise is cardiovascular conditioning to prevent heart disease, a heart attack and to build a strong heart and lungs–there is a much more effective method of exercise than aerobics.
Most people don't think about the fact that their heart is a muscle. Here's a fact missed by just about everyone. To keep your heart beating longer and stronger, long duration endurance training is the last thing that it needs. You will do much more for your heart by exercising in brief spurts.
Less is more
Conventional wisdom says that your heart needs endurance training to remain healthy. But heart attacks aren't caused by a lack of endurance. Heart attacks typically occur at rest or at periods of very high cardiac output. Often there is a sudden increase in demand. A person lifts a heavy object, receives an unexpected emotional blow, etc. The sudden demand for cardiac output exceeds that heart's capacity to adapt.
What you really need is faster cardiac output. By exercising for long periods, you actually induce the opposite response. When you exercise continuously for longer periods of time, your heart has to become more efficient. Greater efficiency comes from "downsizing". You give up maximal capacity because smaller can go further.
A recent Harvard study examined middle-aged men, exercise, and cardiovascular health. Researchers found that men who performed repeated short bouts of exercise reduced their heart disease risk by 100% more than those who performed long duration exercise.
In an article by Al Sears, M.D., titled "Aerobics is Dead!" he states: "The biggest mistake of the 1980s is finally over and done with... Jumping around for 45 minutes to an hour won't boost your lung capacity, it won't strengthen your heart–it won't even help you lose weight. Even worse, aerobic training -- the kind most doctors and even the federal government tout as the path to good health -- can actually wreck your body. Do enough, and aerobics will make you sick, tired and old before your time."
If you only exercise within your current aerobic limits, you do so without improving your aerobic capacity. In other words, you never push hard enough to stop to catch your breath. This kind of aerobic exercise trains your body for endurance and efficiency. That sounds great, right? But this kind of "logic" causes "shrinkage:" Smaller muscles, smaller heart and smaller lungs. What's worse, it wipes out your heart's and lung's reserve capacity.
Your reserve capacity is what your heart and lungs use to deal with stress. Injuries or physical trauma, a shocking emotional blow, etc. ... these all demand reserve energy. Reserve capacity means your heart has the ability to pump more blood, faster in times of stress. Reserve capacity for your lungs allows them to deal with high exertion like lifting, carrying, running or going up stairs. Without reserve capacity, you are much more likely to drop dead from a heart attack or pneumonia when faced with stress.
How's your brain workout so far? In this mind-exercise session, that was your stretching! I know at this point you're saying to yourself, "Are you kidding me ... all those hours of aerobic exercise have been counterproductive for my heart and lungs?" "Certainly that can't be right!" But it is right. Let me ask you this; have you ever seen a Cheetah jogging? For that matter, have you ever seen any animal jog?
The animals that have the strongest hearts and lungs–and oh-by-the-way–the strongest leanest bodies, are those animals like Cheetahs whose physical exercise consists of; (A) short bursts of highly intense sprinting in pursuit of their prey, and (B) after pouncing on their catch, continue their short-duration-high-intensity-strength-training by using every muscle in their body in a wrestling match. After all that (it usually takes less than ten minutes), they settle down for a big meal.
Notice that the preceding "exercise" description was void of aerobics. It was rather, a brief but highly intense anaerobic workout. Therein lies the secret, you do not have to do aerobic exercise to have a lean strong body and a strong stress-proof heart.
Good news: You can greatly increase your metabolism and lose weight by exercising in short intervals at a high intensity where the demand for oxygen is much higher than can be supplied. This type of exercising (Burst Training) creates a debt of oxygen in just one minute. As you resume normal activities, your body will repay that debt of oxygen. This repayment of debt means that your body burns extra calories throughout the day without any additional workout time.
Few people understand that when Nautilus exercise machines where invented (early 1970's) the "big idea" was more than the unique cam shaft allowing for a more consistent and smooth motion with variable resistance. A big part of the "big idea" was "the program."
The program consisted of how all of the different machines were used in sequence and without rest in between sets. It was called circuit training. The university I was attending on a football scholarship purchased all of the Nautilus machines, and actually built a separate room so that each machine could be strategically placed and used exactly as prescribed.
I will never forget my first experience with Nautilus. The entire football team was brought to the Nautilus room and each machine manned. The remaining athletes stood in line waiting their turn to jump into the circuit. The instructions where that on the coaches whistle everyone was to work as hard as they could on the machine they were on, for only one minute. When the minute was up the coach blew the whistle again and everyone hurriedly moved forward to the next machine, and the whistle blew again immediately. When I finished my ten minute workout, as described, I ran out of the building and did what just about every other well conditioned athlete did–I threw up!
Many years later I stepped out of professional football and into a sedentary job. I went from pushing weights to pushing pencils! My playing weight as an offensive tackle in the NFL was 285. This, coupled with my lack of desire to exercise (I felt like I had exercised enough for two lifetimes), along with a serious back injury from a parachuting accident–produced a fitness crises.
I was thick and tired of it! Remembering my Nautilus circuit training experience, I went to work on figuring out a way to do a series of exercises that could be done in the convenience of my own home, at a very high level of intensity. I was determined to recreate my unforgettable Nautilus experience but in such a way that would allow me to get the same results without big expensive machines.
The conventional approach of exercising 2 to 3 times a week for 30 to 45 minutes, was not working for me, and for that matter not working for most of my friends who were also busy professionals with families. I had an idea. Instead of working out a few times a week for long periods of time, what if you could get the same results by working out every day, but in only ten minutes?
The following statement had a profound impact on changing my attitude about how long and how often I exercised:
IT'S FAR BETTER TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH
FOR 2-3 MINUTES A DAY, THAN
FOR 45 MINUTES 2-3 TIMES A MONTH!
The key to your fitness success long term, is to exercise EVERY DAY, but at a very high intensity level. Get in, get out, and get it over with! If done correctly, you will have exercised harder, and at a much higher efficiency level then otherwise spending 30-45 minutes.
(1) Increase the frequency and intensity of your exercise
(2) Decrease the time spent doing it to between 10 and 15 minutes max.
(2) Rest only briefly between exercises, and as you get into better shape eliminate your rest stops altogether.
Good bye aerobics ... good bye jogging for hours on end ... good bye feeling guilty for yet again missing a workout at the gym because the day got too busy. Hello lean strong muscles...hello strong heart and lungs, and energy to spare...hello satisfaction for having worked out like a Cheetah everyday this week.
Now that you've exercised your mind, why not change your body?
About the Author: Former NFL player Dave Hubbard, known today as America's Fitness Coach®, has been lecturing on how to Get Fit For Life for over 20 years. Learn more at www.Fit10.com.
Save the environment
www.learnnaturalhealthonline.com
100 Ways to Save The Environment
Download a Printer-Friendly PDF of 100 Ways to Save The Environment
In Your Home – Conserve Energy
Clean or replace air filters on your air conditioning unit at least once a month.
If you have central air conditioning, do not close vents in unused rooms.
Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120.
Wrap your water heater in an insulated blanket.
Turn down or shut off your water heater when you will be away for extended periods.
Turn off unneeded lights even when leaving a room for a short time.
Set your refrigerator temperature at 36 to 38 and your freezer at 0 to 5 .
When using an oven, minimize door opening while it is in use; it reduces oven temperature by 25 to 30 every time you open the door.
Clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load so that it uses less energy.
Unplug seldom used appliances.
Use a microwave when- ever you can instead of a conventional oven or stove.
Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot.
Reverse your indoor ceiling fans for summer and winter operations as recommended.
Turn off lights, computers and other appliances when not in use.
Purchase appliances and office equipment with the Energy Star Label; old refridgerators, for example, use up to 50 more electricity than newer models.
Only use electric appliances when you need them.
Use compact fluorescent light bulbs to save money and energy.
Keep your thermostat at 68 in winter and 78 in summer.
Keep your thermostat higher in summer and lower in winter when you are away
Insulate your home as best as you can.
Install weather stripping around all doors and windows.
Shut off electrical equipment in the evening when you leave work.
Plant trees to shade your home.
Shade outside air conditioning units by trees or other means.
Replace old windows with energy efficient ones.
Use cold water instead of warm or hot water when possible.
Connect your outdoor lights to a timer.
Buy green electricity - electricity produced by low - or even zero-pollution facilities (NC Greenpower for North Carolina - www.ncgreenpower.org). In your home-reduce toxicity.
In Your Home – Reduce Toxicity
Eliminate mercury from your home by purchasing items without mercury, and dispose of items containing mercury at an appropriate drop-off facility when necessary (e.g. old thermometers).
Learn about alternatives to household cleaning items that do not use hazardous chemicals.
Buy the right amount of paint for the job.
Review labels of household cleaners you use. Consider alternatives like baking soda, scouring pads, water or a little more elbow grease.
When no good alternatives exist to a toxic item, find the least amount required for an effective, sanitary result.
If you have an older home, have paint in your home tested for lead. If you have lead-based paint, cover it with wall paper or other material instead of sanding it or burning it off.
Use traps instead of rat and mouse poisons and insect killers.
Have your home tested for radon.
Use cedar chips or aromatic herbs instead of mothballs. In Your Yard
Avoid using leaf blowers and other dust-producing equipment.
Use an electric lawn- mower instead of a gas-powered one.
Leave grass clippings on the yard-they decompose and return nutrients to the soil.
Use recycled wood chips as mulch to keep weeds down, retain moisture and prevent erosion.
Use only the required amount of fertilizer.
Minimize pesticide use.
Create a wildlife habitat in your yard.
Water grass early in the morning.
Rent or borrow items like ladders, chain saws, party decorations and others that are seldom used.
Take actions that use non hazardous components (e.g., to ward off pests, plant marigolds in a garden instead of using pesticide).
Put leaves in a compost heap instead of burning them or throwing them away. Yard debris too large for your compost bin should be taken to a yard-debris recycler.
In Your Office
Copy and print on both sides of paper.
Reuse items like envelopes, folders and paper clips.
Use mailer sheets for interoffice mail instead of an envelope.Use mailer sheets for interoffice mail instead of an envelope.
Set up a bulletin board for memos instead of sending a copy to each employee.
Use e-mail instead of paper correspondence.
Use recycled paper.
Use discarded paper for scrap paper.
Encourage your school and/or company to print documents with soy-based inks, which are less toxic.
Use a ceramic coffee mug instead of a disposable cup. Ways To Protect Our Air
Ask your employer to consider flexible work schedules or telecommuting.
Recycle printer cartridges.
Shut off electrical equipment in the evening when you leave work.
Report smoking vehicles to your local air agency.
Don't use your wood stove or fireplace when air quality is poor.
Avoid slow-burning, smoldering fires. They produce the largest amount of pollution.
Burn seasoned wood - it burns cleaner than green wood.
Use solar power for home and water heating.
Use low-VOC or water-based paints, stains, finishes and paint strippers.
Purchase radial tires and keep them properly inflated for your vehicle.
Paint with brushes or rollers instead of using spray paints to minimize harmful emissions.
Ignite charcoal barbecues with an electric probe or other alternative to lighter fluid.
If you use a wood stove, use one sold after 1990. They are required to meet federal emissions standards and are more efficient and cleaner burning.
Walk or ride your bike instead of driving, whenever possible.
Join a carpool or vanpool to get to work.
Ways to Use Less Water
Check and fix any water leaks.
Install water-saving devices on your faucets and toilets.
Don't wash dishes with the water running continuously.
Wash and dry only full loads of laundry and dishes.
Follow your community's water use restrictions or guidelines.
Install a low-flow shower head.
Replace old toilets with new ones that use a lot less water.
Turn off washing machine's water supply to prevent leaks. Ways to Protect Our Water
Revegetate or mulch disturbed soil as soon as possible.
Never dump anything down a storm drain.
Have your septic tank pumped and system inspected regularly.
Check your car for oil or other leaks, and recycle motor oil.
Take your car to a car wash instead of washing it in the driveway.
Learn about your watershed. Create Less Trash
Buy items in bulk from loose bins when possible to reduce the packaging wasted.
Avoid products with several layers of packaging when only one is sufficient. About 33 of what we throw away is packaging.
Buy products that you can reuse.
Maintain and repair durable products instead of buying new ones.
Check reports for products that are easily repaired and have low breakdown rates.
Reuse items like bags and containers when possible.
Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
Use reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones.
Use reusable containers to store food instead of aluminum foil and cling wrap.
Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags.
Buy rechargeable batteries for devices used frequently.
Reuse packaging cartons and shipping materials. Old newspapers make great packaging material.
Compost your vegetable scraps.
Buy used furniture - there is a surplus of it, and it is much cheaper than new furniture.
100 Ways to Save The Environment
Download a Printer-Friendly PDF of 100 Ways to Save The Environment
In Your Home – Conserve Energy
Clean or replace air filters on your air conditioning unit at least once a month.
If you have central air conditioning, do not close vents in unused rooms.
Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120.
Wrap your water heater in an insulated blanket.
Turn down or shut off your water heater when you will be away for extended periods.
Turn off unneeded lights even when leaving a room for a short time.
Set your refrigerator temperature at 36 to 38 and your freezer at 0 to 5 .
When using an oven, minimize door opening while it is in use; it reduces oven temperature by 25 to 30 every time you open the door.
Clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load so that it uses less energy.
Unplug seldom used appliances.
Use a microwave when- ever you can instead of a conventional oven or stove.
Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot.
Reverse your indoor ceiling fans for summer and winter operations as recommended.
Turn off lights, computers and other appliances when not in use.
Purchase appliances and office equipment with the Energy Star Label; old refridgerators, for example, use up to 50 more electricity than newer models.
Only use electric appliances when you need them.
Use compact fluorescent light bulbs to save money and energy.
Keep your thermostat at 68 in winter and 78 in summer.
Keep your thermostat higher in summer and lower in winter when you are away
Insulate your home as best as you can.
Install weather stripping around all doors and windows.
Shut off electrical equipment in the evening when you leave work.
Plant trees to shade your home.
Shade outside air conditioning units by trees or other means.
Replace old windows with energy efficient ones.
Use cold water instead of warm or hot water when possible.
Connect your outdoor lights to a timer.
Buy green electricity - electricity produced by low - or even zero-pollution facilities (NC Greenpower for North Carolina - www.ncgreenpower.org). In your home-reduce toxicity.
In Your Home – Reduce Toxicity
Eliminate mercury from your home by purchasing items without mercury, and dispose of items containing mercury at an appropriate drop-off facility when necessary (e.g. old thermometers).
Learn about alternatives to household cleaning items that do not use hazardous chemicals.
Buy the right amount of paint for the job.
Review labels of household cleaners you use. Consider alternatives like baking soda, scouring pads, water or a little more elbow grease.
When no good alternatives exist to a toxic item, find the least amount required for an effective, sanitary result.
If you have an older home, have paint in your home tested for lead. If you have lead-based paint, cover it with wall paper or other material instead of sanding it or burning it off.
Use traps instead of rat and mouse poisons and insect killers.
Have your home tested for radon.
Use cedar chips or aromatic herbs instead of mothballs. In Your Yard
Avoid using leaf blowers and other dust-producing equipment.
Use an electric lawn- mower instead of a gas-powered one.
Leave grass clippings on the yard-they decompose and return nutrients to the soil.
Use recycled wood chips as mulch to keep weeds down, retain moisture and prevent erosion.
Use only the required amount of fertilizer.
Minimize pesticide use.
Create a wildlife habitat in your yard.
Water grass early in the morning.
Rent or borrow items like ladders, chain saws, party decorations and others that are seldom used.
Take actions that use non hazardous components (e.g., to ward off pests, plant marigolds in a garden instead of using pesticide).
Put leaves in a compost heap instead of burning them or throwing them away. Yard debris too large for your compost bin should be taken to a yard-debris recycler.
In Your Office
Copy and print on both sides of paper.
Reuse items like envelopes, folders and paper clips.
Use mailer sheets for interoffice mail instead of an envelope.Use mailer sheets for interoffice mail instead of an envelope.
Set up a bulletin board for memos instead of sending a copy to each employee.
Use e-mail instead of paper correspondence.
Use recycled paper.
Use discarded paper for scrap paper.
Encourage your school and/or company to print documents with soy-based inks, which are less toxic.
Use a ceramic coffee mug instead of a disposable cup. Ways To Protect Our Air
Ask your employer to consider flexible work schedules or telecommuting.
Recycle printer cartridges.
Shut off electrical equipment in the evening when you leave work.
Report smoking vehicles to your local air agency.
Don't use your wood stove or fireplace when air quality is poor.
Avoid slow-burning, smoldering fires. They produce the largest amount of pollution.
Burn seasoned wood - it burns cleaner than green wood.
Use solar power for home and water heating.
Use low-VOC or water-based paints, stains, finishes and paint strippers.
Purchase radial tires and keep them properly inflated for your vehicle.
Paint with brushes or rollers instead of using spray paints to minimize harmful emissions.
Ignite charcoal barbecues with an electric probe or other alternative to lighter fluid.
If you use a wood stove, use one sold after 1990. They are required to meet federal emissions standards and are more efficient and cleaner burning.
Walk or ride your bike instead of driving, whenever possible.
Join a carpool or vanpool to get to work.
Ways to Use Less Water
Check and fix any water leaks.
Install water-saving devices on your faucets and toilets.
Don't wash dishes with the water running continuously.
Wash and dry only full loads of laundry and dishes.
Follow your community's water use restrictions or guidelines.
Install a low-flow shower head.
Replace old toilets with new ones that use a lot less water.
Turn off washing machine's water supply to prevent leaks. Ways to Protect Our Water
Revegetate or mulch disturbed soil as soon as possible.
Never dump anything down a storm drain.
Have your septic tank pumped and system inspected regularly.
Check your car for oil or other leaks, and recycle motor oil.
Take your car to a car wash instead of washing it in the driveway.
Learn about your watershed. Create Less Trash
Buy items in bulk from loose bins when possible to reduce the packaging wasted.
Avoid products with several layers of packaging when only one is sufficient. About 33 of what we throw away is packaging.
Buy products that you can reuse.
Maintain and repair durable products instead of buying new ones.
Check reports for products that are easily repaired and have low breakdown rates.
Reuse items like bags and containers when possible.
Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
Use reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones.
Use reusable containers to store food instead of aluminum foil and cling wrap.
Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags.
Buy rechargeable batteries for devices used frequently.
Reuse packaging cartons and shipping materials. Old newspapers make great packaging material.
Compost your vegetable scraps.
Buy used furniture - there is a surplus of it, and it is much cheaper than new furniture.
Organic foods on a budget
www.learnnaturalhealthonline.com
Organic On a Budget
Better for your kids, and better for you, but they can be tough on the budget. Due to increased consumer demand, prices are falling and selection is growing, but you still may not be able to afford to buy all organic all the time. You can be a smart buyer and make choices about which organic selections are most important to buy. Some foods harbor higher concentrations of pesticides than others (try to buy these organic), while others contain lower concentrations (buy these conventionally to save money).The Dirty Dozen: Top 12 Foods to Buy Organic If you have budget constraints, your money is doing more for your health when you put it towards organic varieties of the following fruits and vegetables (listed in descending order, starting with greatest levels pesticide contamination):
Peaches
Apples
Bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Imported grapes
Carrots
Pears
The Clean 15: Save Your Money & Buy Conventional If going totally organic is too difficult or pricey, play it safe and eat the following conventional produce items to minimize your exposure. These are known to have the least amount of pesticide residue (listed in ascending order, starting with of lowest levels of pesticide contamination):
Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapple
Mangoes
Asparagus
Sweet peas
Kiwis
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Sweet potatoes
Organic On a Budget
Better for your kids, and better for you, but they can be tough on the budget. Due to increased consumer demand, prices are falling and selection is growing, but you still may not be able to afford to buy all organic all the time. You can be a smart buyer and make choices about which organic selections are most important to buy. Some foods harbor higher concentrations of pesticides than others (try to buy these organic), while others contain lower concentrations (buy these conventionally to save money).The Dirty Dozen: Top 12 Foods to Buy Organic If you have budget constraints, your money is doing more for your health when you put it towards organic varieties of the following fruits and vegetables (listed in descending order, starting with greatest levels pesticide contamination):
Peaches
Apples
Bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Imported grapes
Carrots
Pears
The Clean 15: Save Your Money & Buy Conventional If going totally organic is too difficult or pricey, play it safe and eat the following conventional produce items to minimize your exposure. These are known to have the least amount of pesticide residue (listed in ascending order, starting with of lowest levels of pesticide contamination):
Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapple
Mangoes
Asparagus
Sweet peas
Kiwis
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Sweet potatoes
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
A Parents Guide to Drug Abuse Prevention
www.learnnaturalhealthonline.com
http://Aparentsguidetodrugabuseprevention.onlinecourses.com
Excerpts from The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure
My Pledge To You
Within the covers of this book, I will show you how you can cure your alcoholism or drug addiction. Here, at the outset, I want you to notice that I do not mince words. I do not say "however," "maybe," "although," "perhaps," or use other qualifying terms or conditions. By reading this book, you will learn how to cure your alcoholism or drug addiction. That statement is based on the results we achieve at Passages in Malibu, California, the world’s most effective substance abuse treatment center, where the success rate of our treatment program at the time of this writing is highest in the country.
In 1956, the American Medical Association (AMA) named alcoholism as a disease. Throughout the world today, the existing primary paradigm regarding alcoholism and drug addiction is not only that they are diseases, but also that they are incurable. We’re told that even if we were to stop abusing substances, the disease would continue and we would be addicts or alcoholics forever. It is that belief that is primarily responsible for the stagnation that has existed for the past seventy years or so in the treatment of alcoholism and addiction. It is that paradigm that has given birth to those two terrible, and untrue, slogans "Once an alcoholic or addict, always an alcoholic or addict" and "Relapse is part of recovery."
It is my intention to change that paradigm in your mind, and perhaps throughout the world. Innovators in any field who have brought about revolutionary changes report that longstanding paradigms are exceedingly difficult to eradicate and replace with new paradigms. However, eradicate and replace we must if we are to survive.
Alcohol and drugs are not the problems; they are what people are using to help themselves cope with the problems. Those problems always have both physical and psychological components - anything from anemia, hypoglycemia, or a sluggish thyroid to attention deficient disorder, brain-wave pattern imbalances, or deep emotional pain. You will be reading later about the steps to recovery that address these causes, but foundational to them all is this key premise: when the underlying problems are discovered and cured, the need for alcohol or drugs disappears.
Reading this book will open your mind to new ways of thinking that will cause you to see your dependency, and perhaps your entire life, in a whole new light. It will help you understand that all dependency is just a symptom, not a problem. Seeing your dependency in that new light will enable you to heal yourself more quickly and more effectively than ever before - and permanently. Alcohol actually scars your liver. Since the liver cannot feel that type of pain, we can literally drink ourselves to death. It is never a pretty death, because we are slowly poisoned by the toxins our livers can no longer filter out. If your liver could feel that type of pain, you would never consume your second drink…
Excerpts from The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure
Healing The Underlying Causes of Alcohol & Drug Addiction
Alcohol and drugs are not the problems; they are what people are using to help themselves cope with the problems. Those problems always have both physical and psychological components - anything from anemia, hypoglycemia, or a sluggish thyroid to attention deficient disorder, brain-wave pattern imbalances, or deep emotional pain. You will be reading later about the steps to recovery that address these causes, but foundational to them all is this key premise: when the underlying problems are discovered and cured, the need for alcohol or drugs disappears.
I would like to see the word alcoholism eliminated from the English language as well as the labels alcoholic and addict. There is a stigma attached to them. The word alcoholism alone has a whole world of grim meaning attached to it. We've been inundated with studies of alcoholism, theories about alcoholism, lectures about alcoholism, stories of alcoholism, and essays on alcoholism, when all that has really happened is that people have become dependent on alcohol to cope with their underlying conditions.
Alcohol is just a quick and easy way to change ordinary, everyday reality from unbearable to bearable. All it takes is a short trip to the liquor store and a few drinks. People who are dependent are merely using alcohol as a crutch to get through the day. Yet doctors and scientists are still treating "alcoholism" as if it is the problem, when it has nothing at all to do with the problem. They might as well be studying "scratchism" for people who have a chronic itch.
Suppose you had a chronic itch and scratched it regularly throughout the day. Would you have "scratchism?" Would you be a "scratchaholic?" Of course not. What if you had a constant headache, and to cope with it you took aspirin several times each day. Would you suffer from "aspirinism," and would you be called an "aspirinaholic"? More important, if you sought help for treatment of those ailments, would you be treated for "scratchism" or "aspirinism"? Of course not; you would be treated for the underlying conditions that led you to scratch or use aspirin - perhaps poison ivy or stress.
All Dependency Is a Symptom, Not a Problem
Reading this book will open your mind to new ways of thinking that will cause you to see your dependency, and perhaps your entire life, in a whole new light. It will help you understand that all dependency is a symptom, not a problem. Seeing your dependency in that new light will enable you to heal yourself more quickly and more effectively than ever before - and permanently.
Excerpts from The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure
Alcohol Dependency and Psychological Dependence
Alcohol dependency is characterized by craving, loss of control, tolerance, physical and/or psychological dependence, and the production of withdrawal symptoms. It should be noted that developing "tolerance" doesn't mean that we can no longer get drunk, but that it takes more alcohol to get us drunk than it did when we first began drinking. One of the more insidious - meaning slowly and subtly destructive - aspects of alcohol is that it erodes our "stop mechanisms," or our ability to stop drinking. The process occurs so slowly and subtly that we're unaware that our stop mechanisms are being eroded. This becomes obvious only when we try to stop but can't. Even though I usually mention drugs and alcohol separately, they are the same in that alcohol is actually the drug ethanol (CH3CH2OH). Ethanol is toxic and nearly all of it is processed in your liver, which leads to cirrhosis.
CIRRHOSIS
According to the Mayo Clinic, "Cirrhosis is a condition that causes irreversible scarring of the liver. As scar tissue replaces normal tissue, blood flow through your liver is affected, making it increasingly difficult for your liver to carry out functions that are essential for life and health. Among other major tasks, the liver detoxifies harmful substances, purifies your blood and manufactures vital nutrients." Alcohol actually scars your liver. Since the liver cannot feel that type of pain, we can literally drink ourselves to death. It is never a pretty death, because we are slowly poisoned by the toxins our livers can no longer filter out. If your liver could feel that type of pain, you would never consume your second drink.
PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPENDENCE
In addition to physical dependence, we can develop psychological dependence. "Psychic need" is the perceived need to use a substance to cope with unpleasant feelings such as despondency, heartache, anxiety, stress, or depression. Relief from something unpleasant is a kind of reward called "negative reinforcement." That cycle is worsened by both the physical and psychological discomforts felt during abstinence. When we stop using the addictive drugs or alcohol that we've been using to cope with unpleasant feelings, those feelings return, as does the strong desire to return to the substances that enabled us to cope with them. That's what characterizes psychological dependence.
Excerpts from The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure
Drug Addiction, Tolerance and Withdrawal
Before we go further on our healing journey, it's important to establish some basic definitions and understand some basic terminology. First, through prolonged use of certain drugs that have addictive qualities, we can develop a dependency on those drugs. Among these are alcohol, morphine, cocaine, methadone, amphetamines, nicotine, heroin, oxycodone (such as OxyContin, Percodan, and Percocet), hydrocodones, (such as Vicodin and Lorcet), barbiturates (such as Nembutal and Seconal), and benzodiazepines (such as Xanax and Valium).
Addiction is defined as the compulsive, physiological need for and use of a habit-forming substance. It is characterized by tolerance and well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal. All addictive drugs produce a reward system in the brain. Using addictive drugs gives us a feeling of well-being and alleviates bad feelings. After using a drug for a period of time, users frequently develop a tolerance to the drug (they need more of the substance to accomplish the same feeling as when they began using the substance). This effect is thought to be related to our body's homeostatic mechanisms. Homeostasis is a relatively stable state of equilibrium (physiological and psychological balance). Homeostasis is our body's optimum state of functioning, and homeostatic mechanisms are the way our bodies achieve this balance. Our bodies maintain this ideal state by neutralizing any source of detriment to it.
For example, when we eat a candy bar, our blood sugar goes up and our pancreas then releases insulin to help us metabolize the carbohydrate and balance out glucose levels. If we exercise and our body heats up, sweat is released to cool it down again. By the same process, if we take a stimulant like an amphetamine, our body will counteract that change by producing sedative-like chemicals to return us to normal. However, as our body gets better and better at counteracting the disruptive effects of a drug, we experience less and less of the drug's effects because our body is essentially learning how to cancel out a great deal of those effects. The problem is, users don't typically say at that point, "Well, the drug isn't doing much for me anymore, so I guess I'll stop." Instead, they take increasingly larger or more frequent doses to produce the same relief from underlying problems.
That process is tragic. When you put a substance into your body that pushes it outside its range of peak functioning, your body learns to counteract that damage, and you must take more and more, which escalates into a terrible race with yourself. If this race continues long enough, your body will commit a desperate act of self-protection - it will get "used to" the drug. That is, it will shift from normal functioning to a new level of tolerance. The moment your body becomes accustomed to life with the drug, the lack of it is going to be felt as a disruption. So now if you don't get the drug, you'll feel symptoms of withdrawal. Once you shift to this new level of tolerance, you will find yourself taking the substance just so you can avoid the withdrawal symptoms.
Drug Withdrawal
Different addictive drugs have different withdrawal symptoms. They can include nausea, watery eyes, dizziness, fainting, muscle spasms, seizures, bone aches, muscle aches, headaches, intestinal cramping, runny nose, loss of appetite, insomnia, goose bumps, sweating, hallucinations, irritability, diarrhea, tremors, panic, chills, paranoia, anger, convulsions, heart palpitations, rapid breathing, tachycardia (speeding heart rate), apathy (lack of energy and enthusiasm), delirium, pain, depression, disorientation, fatigue, excessive periods of sleep, and even psychosis (a mental state in which a person loses contact with reality). In some cases, death can occur. The length of time it takes to become dependent to the point of experiencing withdrawal upon abstinence is different for each drug and for each person taking the drug.
Relapse Risks
A few weeks of abstinence from the drug is usually enough for the withdrawal symptoms to pass, but after the withdrawal symptoms end, we'll experience a return of the symptoms of the underlying condition, which the drug was masking. If those underlying conditions aren't treated, the return of those symptoms may cause us so much discomfort that we'll go back to using addictive drugs or alcohol to obtain relief. That's the primary reason there is such a high rate of relapse among people who have become dependent on alcohol and addictive drugs.
law regarding our topic of cure that relates to one of the basic and most important aspects of our Universe - cause and effect. Simply stated, the metaphysical law says: "Every action produces a reaction, and that reaction is in exact accord with the action." (Do not confuse that metaphysical law with the physical law that states that "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.")
The metaphysical law of cause and effect applies to your beliefs in the following way. Every belief that you hold manifests itself in some manner by either causing you to take some form of action or by preventing you from taking action. When we apply this metaphysical law to the cure of addiction, we see that healers and therapists who don't believe that a cure is possible will not talk about a cure, will not look for a cure, and will most likely fail to bring about a cure.
Worse than that, they'll poison your mind with the belief that a cure is impossible and that you're doomed to be an addict or alcoholic for the rest of your life. That belief results in a self-defeating attitude that undermines the great gains that are possible. The only time that this poisoning would have any positive effect would be if you got angry when told that rubbish, refused to accept that belief, and set out to prove the therapist wrong.
Would you really do your utmost to succeed in the treatment of any ailment if you believed that you were beyond all hope of recovery? What caliber of treatment would you expect from a therapist who believed that? How do you think your body and mind would respond if you were surrounded by psychologists, psychiatrists, or drug and alcohol counselors who subscribe to the belief that "Once an alcoholic or addict, always an alcoholic or addict," and that your current stay in rehab will be one of many? You would be immediately deprived of hope.
Those misguided "helpers" poison the minds of those who come to them. It's not that they're doing it deliberately; they don't know any better. That is sad, because hope - the hope for a cure, the hope for a bright, clean future free of addictive drugs and alcohol, and the hope for a return to a normal, healthy life free from the excessive fear of relapse - is the most powerful stimulus for complete recovery.
Compare those misguided healers with healers and therapists who believe that a cure is possible. They will talk about a cure, will look for a cure, and will be more likely to bring about a cure. Most important, they will instill in you the belief that a cure is not only possible, but probable, and that you are definitely going to be among those who will be completely cured. That belief alone results in the self-empowering attitude that sets the stage for your recovery.
The First Glimmer of Hope
Confucius, who lived 2,500 years ago said, "It is the saddest of all things, when a person gives up." One of the most comforting and important messages we offer those who contact us at Passages for the first time is hope - the hope that they or their loved one will be cured. We can hear the relief in their voices, as if they had been suddenly pardoned from a long prison sentence. The treatment program for that caller or that caller's loved one begins with that first phone call. At graduation ceremonies, graduates frequently refer to that first telephone conversation with Pax or me as the moment they felt their first glimmer of real hope. They also talk about the first fellow client who greeted them when they arrived at Passages.
Meeting someone who is also in the Passages program is an important moment. When clients first arrive and walk through that huge front door and someone who's been in treatment for a week or two or three comes to greet them and tells them that they're in the best place in the world, that they'll be helped, and that they themselves are experiencing a miraculous cure . . . well, it makes all the difference. And because all our clients have had the experience of being welcomed, they're eager to pass along the comfort to another.
Clients and others have also told me of the despair they felt, the same despair Pax and I felt, when they heard for the first time that addiction or alcoholism is a disease, that it is incurable, and that they would be addicts or alcoholics for the rest of their lives. Those statements make us feel as if we've been sentenced to a cold, dark prison cell.
It is essential to your complete recovery that you surround yourself with people who believe that a cure is possible for you. Your therapists should speak quite naturally of a cure and how to achieve it. The people who offer us love and hope when we come in for treatment are supplying us with courage and enthusiastic support at a time when courage and enthusiastic support are crucially needed. It's like being released from that dark prison cell and walking out into a ray of warm sunshine. You may step out of that cell now, because you're being exposed to that ray of healing sunshine in this book.
Excerpts from The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure
A New Chapter In Your Life
Once your dependency is cured, can you stay clean and sober forever? Yes. Will you? The answer to that has a lot to do with your character and willpower. Can someone who has ingested strychnine and been cured drink it again? Yes, but given all the negative consequences of doing so, would they?
I said this earlier, but it is well worth repeating: You cannot be a casual drinker or user once you have recovered. All you have to do is use alcohol or addictive drugs again and you will reactivate your dependency. I have never heard of one person who has been able to remain a "moderate drinker" or "moderate drug user" once he or she has once been dependent on alcohol or addictive drugs. Even after the underlying causes that led to your addiction have been eliminated, addictive substances have inherently addictive properties, particularly for you since you have a history of chemical dependency. As many times as you use them, you will become dependent on them.
A Vibrant Reunion As I was finishing the last few pages of this book, we had our first reunion at Passages for our graduates. They came from all over the United States and from a few other countries. As I greeted them, hugged them, shook their hands, laughed, and talked with them, I thought how wonderful it would be if you could be here to see them and hear them, to look into their eyes and see the joy and happiness that literally flowed from them. Nearly all of the people I have written about in this book were there. They looked like poster people for ads in health and fitness magazines.
They were all so eager to share their stories, their successes, and their accomplishments, including the hurdles they had overcome and the challenges they had faced and used as stepping-stones to gain more strength and understanding. They were brimming over with enthusiasm. It was as if our own children had returned home, which indeed they had.
The greatest feeling was that of love. We all truly love each other. Many of them cried with joy at being reunited with the people who had helped free them from the affliction of their terrible dependencies. Even the men cried. The most common statement I heard from them was "It is just like you and the treatment team said it would be." Everyone at Passages, even those of us who expected it, were amazed at the level of vibrancy in the air.
That vibrancy is what I want for you. I want you to achieve that feeling of great accomplishment, that feeling of joy that comes from knowing you will never again be held in the grip of dependency, that you are forever free.
I know how badly you want to return to a life of health and well-being, free of dependency. I wish I could meet you, talk with you, shake your hand, look into your eyes, and communicate the love I feel for you. We are spiritual beings sharing this magical, wondrous moment on planet Earth. We are fellow human beings. I wish I could be there with you to guide you every step of the way, lending you encouragement and reminding you when you are faced with a challenge that the challenge is only in your life to help you become strong and enduring…
I offer this transformational information in the hope that it will translate itself into the power to carry you through to the success that awaits you. I want to thank you for reading this book. You are a pure, virtuous, spiritual being. You deserve love, you deserve happiness, you deserve success, you deserve all good things, and most of all, you deserve to be forever free of dependency. As the Chinese sages are wont to say, may you mount to the skies of success as though on the wings of six dragons!
http://Aparentsguidetodrugabuseprevention.onlinecourses.com
Excerpts from The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure
My Pledge To You
Within the covers of this book, I will show you how you can cure your alcoholism or drug addiction. Here, at the outset, I want you to notice that I do not mince words. I do not say "however," "maybe," "although," "perhaps," or use other qualifying terms or conditions. By reading this book, you will learn how to cure your alcoholism or drug addiction. That statement is based on the results we achieve at Passages in Malibu, California, the world’s most effective substance abuse treatment center, where the success rate of our treatment program at the time of this writing is highest in the country.
In 1956, the American Medical Association (AMA) named alcoholism as a disease. Throughout the world today, the existing primary paradigm regarding alcoholism and drug addiction is not only that they are diseases, but also that they are incurable. We’re told that even if we were to stop abusing substances, the disease would continue and we would be addicts or alcoholics forever. It is that belief that is primarily responsible for the stagnation that has existed for the past seventy years or so in the treatment of alcoholism and addiction. It is that paradigm that has given birth to those two terrible, and untrue, slogans "Once an alcoholic or addict, always an alcoholic or addict" and "Relapse is part of recovery."
It is my intention to change that paradigm in your mind, and perhaps throughout the world. Innovators in any field who have brought about revolutionary changes report that longstanding paradigms are exceedingly difficult to eradicate and replace with new paradigms. However, eradicate and replace we must if we are to survive.
Alcohol and drugs are not the problems; they are what people are using to help themselves cope with the problems. Those problems always have both physical and psychological components - anything from anemia, hypoglycemia, or a sluggish thyroid to attention deficient disorder, brain-wave pattern imbalances, or deep emotional pain. You will be reading later about the steps to recovery that address these causes, but foundational to them all is this key premise: when the underlying problems are discovered and cured, the need for alcohol or drugs disappears.
Reading this book will open your mind to new ways of thinking that will cause you to see your dependency, and perhaps your entire life, in a whole new light. It will help you understand that all dependency is just a symptom, not a problem. Seeing your dependency in that new light will enable you to heal yourself more quickly and more effectively than ever before - and permanently. Alcohol actually scars your liver. Since the liver cannot feel that type of pain, we can literally drink ourselves to death. It is never a pretty death, because we are slowly poisoned by the toxins our livers can no longer filter out. If your liver could feel that type of pain, you would never consume your second drink…
Excerpts from The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure
Healing The Underlying Causes of Alcohol & Drug Addiction
Alcohol and drugs are not the problems; they are what people are using to help themselves cope with the problems. Those problems always have both physical and psychological components - anything from anemia, hypoglycemia, or a sluggish thyroid to attention deficient disorder, brain-wave pattern imbalances, or deep emotional pain. You will be reading later about the steps to recovery that address these causes, but foundational to them all is this key premise: when the underlying problems are discovered and cured, the need for alcohol or drugs disappears.
I would like to see the word alcoholism eliminated from the English language as well as the labels alcoholic and addict. There is a stigma attached to them. The word alcoholism alone has a whole world of grim meaning attached to it. We've been inundated with studies of alcoholism, theories about alcoholism, lectures about alcoholism, stories of alcoholism, and essays on alcoholism, when all that has really happened is that people have become dependent on alcohol to cope with their underlying conditions.
Alcohol is just a quick and easy way to change ordinary, everyday reality from unbearable to bearable. All it takes is a short trip to the liquor store and a few drinks. People who are dependent are merely using alcohol as a crutch to get through the day. Yet doctors and scientists are still treating "alcoholism" as if it is the problem, when it has nothing at all to do with the problem. They might as well be studying "scratchism" for people who have a chronic itch.
Suppose you had a chronic itch and scratched it regularly throughout the day. Would you have "scratchism?" Would you be a "scratchaholic?" Of course not. What if you had a constant headache, and to cope with it you took aspirin several times each day. Would you suffer from "aspirinism," and would you be called an "aspirinaholic"? More important, if you sought help for treatment of those ailments, would you be treated for "scratchism" or "aspirinism"? Of course not; you would be treated for the underlying conditions that led you to scratch or use aspirin - perhaps poison ivy or stress.
All Dependency Is a Symptom, Not a Problem
Reading this book will open your mind to new ways of thinking that will cause you to see your dependency, and perhaps your entire life, in a whole new light. It will help you understand that all dependency is a symptom, not a problem. Seeing your dependency in that new light will enable you to heal yourself more quickly and more effectively than ever before - and permanently.
Excerpts from The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure
Alcohol Dependency and Psychological Dependence
Alcohol dependency is characterized by craving, loss of control, tolerance, physical and/or psychological dependence, and the production of withdrawal symptoms. It should be noted that developing "tolerance" doesn't mean that we can no longer get drunk, but that it takes more alcohol to get us drunk than it did when we first began drinking. One of the more insidious - meaning slowly and subtly destructive - aspects of alcohol is that it erodes our "stop mechanisms," or our ability to stop drinking. The process occurs so slowly and subtly that we're unaware that our stop mechanisms are being eroded. This becomes obvious only when we try to stop but can't. Even though I usually mention drugs and alcohol separately, they are the same in that alcohol is actually the drug ethanol (CH3CH2OH). Ethanol is toxic and nearly all of it is processed in your liver, which leads to cirrhosis.
CIRRHOSIS
According to the Mayo Clinic, "Cirrhosis is a condition that causes irreversible scarring of the liver. As scar tissue replaces normal tissue, blood flow through your liver is affected, making it increasingly difficult for your liver to carry out functions that are essential for life and health. Among other major tasks, the liver detoxifies harmful substances, purifies your blood and manufactures vital nutrients." Alcohol actually scars your liver. Since the liver cannot feel that type of pain, we can literally drink ourselves to death. It is never a pretty death, because we are slowly poisoned by the toxins our livers can no longer filter out. If your liver could feel that type of pain, you would never consume your second drink.
PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPENDENCE
In addition to physical dependence, we can develop psychological dependence. "Psychic need" is the perceived need to use a substance to cope with unpleasant feelings such as despondency, heartache, anxiety, stress, or depression. Relief from something unpleasant is a kind of reward called "negative reinforcement." That cycle is worsened by both the physical and psychological discomforts felt during abstinence. When we stop using the addictive drugs or alcohol that we've been using to cope with unpleasant feelings, those feelings return, as does the strong desire to return to the substances that enabled us to cope with them. That's what characterizes psychological dependence.
Excerpts from The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure
Drug Addiction, Tolerance and Withdrawal
Before we go further on our healing journey, it's important to establish some basic definitions and understand some basic terminology. First, through prolonged use of certain drugs that have addictive qualities, we can develop a dependency on those drugs. Among these are alcohol, morphine, cocaine, methadone, amphetamines, nicotine, heroin, oxycodone (such as OxyContin, Percodan, and Percocet), hydrocodones, (such as Vicodin and Lorcet), barbiturates (such as Nembutal and Seconal), and benzodiazepines (such as Xanax and Valium).
Addiction is defined as the compulsive, physiological need for and use of a habit-forming substance. It is characterized by tolerance and well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal. All addictive drugs produce a reward system in the brain. Using addictive drugs gives us a feeling of well-being and alleviates bad feelings. After using a drug for a period of time, users frequently develop a tolerance to the drug (they need more of the substance to accomplish the same feeling as when they began using the substance). This effect is thought to be related to our body's homeostatic mechanisms. Homeostasis is a relatively stable state of equilibrium (physiological and psychological balance). Homeostasis is our body's optimum state of functioning, and homeostatic mechanisms are the way our bodies achieve this balance. Our bodies maintain this ideal state by neutralizing any source of detriment to it.
For example, when we eat a candy bar, our blood sugar goes up and our pancreas then releases insulin to help us metabolize the carbohydrate and balance out glucose levels. If we exercise and our body heats up, sweat is released to cool it down again. By the same process, if we take a stimulant like an amphetamine, our body will counteract that change by producing sedative-like chemicals to return us to normal. However, as our body gets better and better at counteracting the disruptive effects of a drug, we experience less and less of the drug's effects because our body is essentially learning how to cancel out a great deal of those effects. The problem is, users don't typically say at that point, "Well, the drug isn't doing much for me anymore, so I guess I'll stop." Instead, they take increasingly larger or more frequent doses to produce the same relief from underlying problems.
That process is tragic. When you put a substance into your body that pushes it outside its range of peak functioning, your body learns to counteract that damage, and you must take more and more, which escalates into a terrible race with yourself. If this race continues long enough, your body will commit a desperate act of self-protection - it will get "used to" the drug. That is, it will shift from normal functioning to a new level of tolerance. The moment your body becomes accustomed to life with the drug, the lack of it is going to be felt as a disruption. So now if you don't get the drug, you'll feel symptoms of withdrawal. Once you shift to this new level of tolerance, you will find yourself taking the substance just so you can avoid the withdrawal symptoms.
Drug Withdrawal
Different addictive drugs have different withdrawal symptoms. They can include nausea, watery eyes, dizziness, fainting, muscle spasms, seizures, bone aches, muscle aches, headaches, intestinal cramping, runny nose, loss of appetite, insomnia, goose bumps, sweating, hallucinations, irritability, diarrhea, tremors, panic, chills, paranoia, anger, convulsions, heart palpitations, rapid breathing, tachycardia (speeding heart rate), apathy (lack of energy and enthusiasm), delirium, pain, depression, disorientation, fatigue, excessive periods of sleep, and even psychosis (a mental state in which a person loses contact with reality). In some cases, death can occur. The length of time it takes to become dependent to the point of experiencing withdrawal upon abstinence is different for each drug and for each person taking the drug.
Relapse Risks
A few weeks of abstinence from the drug is usually enough for the withdrawal symptoms to pass, but after the withdrawal symptoms end, we'll experience a return of the symptoms of the underlying condition, which the drug was masking. If those underlying conditions aren't treated, the return of those symptoms may cause us so much discomfort that we'll go back to using addictive drugs or alcohol to obtain relief. That's the primary reason there is such a high rate of relapse among people who have become dependent on alcohol and addictive drugs.
law regarding our topic of cure that relates to one of the basic and most important aspects of our Universe - cause and effect. Simply stated, the metaphysical law says: "Every action produces a reaction, and that reaction is in exact accord with the action." (Do not confuse that metaphysical law with the physical law that states that "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.")
The metaphysical law of cause and effect applies to your beliefs in the following way. Every belief that you hold manifests itself in some manner by either causing you to take some form of action or by preventing you from taking action. When we apply this metaphysical law to the cure of addiction, we see that healers and therapists who don't believe that a cure is possible will not talk about a cure, will not look for a cure, and will most likely fail to bring about a cure.
Worse than that, they'll poison your mind with the belief that a cure is impossible and that you're doomed to be an addict or alcoholic for the rest of your life. That belief results in a self-defeating attitude that undermines the great gains that are possible. The only time that this poisoning would have any positive effect would be if you got angry when told that rubbish, refused to accept that belief, and set out to prove the therapist wrong.
Would you really do your utmost to succeed in the treatment of any ailment if you believed that you were beyond all hope of recovery? What caliber of treatment would you expect from a therapist who believed that? How do you think your body and mind would respond if you were surrounded by psychologists, psychiatrists, or drug and alcohol counselors who subscribe to the belief that "Once an alcoholic or addict, always an alcoholic or addict," and that your current stay in rehab will be one of many? You would be immediately deprived of hope.
Those misguided "helpers" poison the minds of those who come to them. It's not that they're doing it deliberately; they don't know any better. That is sad, because hope - the hope for a cure, the hope for a bright, clean future free of addictive drugs and alcohol, and the hope for a return to a normal, healthy life free from the excessive fear of relapse - is the most powerful stimulus for complete recovery.
Compare those misguided healers with healers and therapists who believe that a cure is possible. They will talk about a cure, will look for a cure, and will be more likely to bring about a cure. Most important, they will instill in you the belief that a cure is not only possible, but probable, and that you are definitely going to be among those who will be completely cured. That belief alone results in the self-empowering attitude that sets the stage for your recovery.
The First Glimmer of Hope
Confucius, who lived 2,500 years ago said, "It is the saddest of all things, when a person gives up." One of the most comforting and important messages we offer those who contact us at Passages for the first time is hope - the hope that they or their loved one will be cured. We can hear the relief in their voices, as if they had been suddenly pardoned from a long prison sentence. The treatment program for that caller or that caller's loved one begins with that first phone call. At graduation ceremonies, graduates frequently refer to that first telephone conversation with Pax or me as the moment they felt their first glimmer of real hope. They also talk about the first fellow client who greeted them when they arrived at Passages.
Meeting someone who is also in the Passages program is an important moment. When clients first arrive and walk through that huge front door and someone who's been in treatment for a week or two or three comes to greet them and tells them that they're in the best place in the world, that they'll be helped, and that they themselves are experiencing a miraculous cure . . . well, it makes all the difference. And because all our clients have had the experience of being welcomed, they're eager to pass along the comfort to another.
Clients and others have also told me of the despair they felt, the same despair Pax and I felt, when they heard for the first time that addiction or alcoholism is a disease, that it is incurable, and that they would be addicts or alcoholics for the rest of their lives. Those statements make us feel as if we've been sentenced to a cold, dark prison cell.
It is essential to your complete recovery that you surround yourself with people who believe that a cure is possible for you. Your therapists should speak quite naturally of a cure and how to achieve it. The people who offer us love and hope when we come in for treatment are supplying us with courage and enthusiastic support at a time when courage and enthusiastic support are crucially needed. It's like being released from that dark prison cell and walking out into a ray of warm sunshine. You may step out of that cell now, because you're being exposed to that ray of healing sunshine in this book.
Excerpts from The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure
A New Chapter In Your Life
Once your dependency is cured, can you stay clean and sober forever? Yes. Will you? The answer to that has a lot to do with your character and willpower. Can someone who has ingested strychnine and been cured drink it again? Yes, but given all the negative consequences of doing so, would they?
I said this earlier, but it is well worth repeating: You cannot be a casual drinker or user once you have recovered. All you have to do is use alcohol or addictive drugs again and you will reactivate your dependency. I have never heard of one person who has been able to remain a "moderate drinker" or "moderate drug user" once he or she has once been dependent on alcohol or addictive drugs. Even after the underlying causes that led to your addiction have been eliminated, addictive substances have inherently addictive properties, particularly for you since you have a history of chemical dependency. As many times as you use them, you will become dependent on them.
A Vibrant Reunion As I was finishing the last few pages of this book, we had our first reunion at Passages for our graduates. They came from all over the United States and from a few other countries. As I greeted them, hugged them, shook their hands, laughed, and talked with them, I thought how wonderful it would be if you could be here to see them and hear them, to look into their eyes and see the joy and happiness that literally flowed from them. Nearly all of the people I have written about in this book were there. They looked like poster people for ads in health and fitness magazines.
They were all so eager to share their stories, their successes, and their accomplishments, including the hurdles they had overcome and the challenges they had faced and used as stepping-stones to gain more strength and understanding. They were brimming over with enthusiasm. It was as if our own children had returned home, which indeed they had.
The greatest feeling was that of love. We all truly love each other. Many of them cried with joy at being reunited with the people who had helped free them from the affliction of their terrible dependencies. Even the men cried. The most common statement I heard from them was "It is just like you and the treatment team said it would be." Everyone at Passages, even those of us who expected it, were amazed at the level of vibrancy in the air.
That vibrancy is what I want for you. I want you to achieve that feeling of great accomplishment, that feeling of joy that comes from knowing you will never again be held in the grip of dependency, that you are forever free.
I know how badly you want to return to a life of health and well-being, free of dependency. I wish I could meet you, talk with you, shake your hand, look into your eyes, and communicate the love I feel for you. We are spiritual beings sharing this magical, wondrous moment on planet Earth. We are fellow human beings. I wish I could be there with you to guide you every step of the way, lending you encouragement and reminding you when you are faced with a challenge that the challenge is only in your life to help you become strong and enduring…
I offer this transformational information in the hope that it will translate itself into the power to carry you through to the success that awaits you. I want to thank you for reading this book. You are a pure, virtuous, spiritual being. You deserve love, you deserve happiness, you deserve success, you deserve all good things, and most of all, you deserve to be forever free of dependency. As the Chinese sages are wont to say, may you mount to the skies of success as though on the wings of six dragons!
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