Alcohol, Tobacco and Substance AbuseBringing the Powerful Healing of Integrative Medicine to People in Recovery from Addictions to Alcohol, Tobacco, Illicit Substances, Prescription Drugs, and Processed Carbohydrates
Recovery from substance abuse disorders and addictions is usually referred to as a recovery of mind, body and spirit. This also describes precisely the Integrative Medicine approach to any physical or mental disorder provided by NIHA. Integrative medicine has advanced remarkable in the last few decades but strangely, very few of the powerful and healing integrative medicine methods have been made available to those in recovery from substance and alcohol use disorders.
Addictions may be the cause of 90% of prison incarcerations, 50% of psychiatric admissions and 25% of admissions to general medical hospitals, as well as a major factor in the incidence of suicides, murders, vehicular homicides, spouse battering, divorce and other kinds of social and occupational upheaval. When a loved one is suffering from an addiction, the stress of that relationship (co-dependency) can be at the root of any medical or psychiatric disorder, and this cause of illness if often overlooked by both conventional and non-conventional health care providers.
Generally speaking, if you are a recovering person looking for help, you find assistance for a recovery of mind and spirit- but not the body. You may even find "energy" treatments like acupuncture, but few resources are available to assist you in the natural regeneration of neurotransmitters like serotonin, or to assist in detoxifying your body from the residual poisons left over from the use of drugs and alcohol.
Recovery of the Body
NIHA offers this missing link in recovery- a recovery of the body. For instance, we offer amino acid precursor therapies to help restore the imbalanced neurotransmitters that may have caused substance or alcohol use or abuse in the first place. These amino acid an nutritional therapies can be delivered through nutritional supplements, intravenously and transdermally (through the skin).
We also offer detoxification therapies such as infrared sauna, oxygen/steam treatments, IV's and other detoxification treatments. We can provide laboratory testing prior to treatment to determine what your specific nutritional and metabolic imbalances and toxicities are, so that your unique "body" or physical causes of addiction can be pinpointed and corrected.
How to Proceed
All addiction therapies at NIHA are medically supervised and are adjunctive treatments. They are not meant to take the place of conventional addiction treatment or peer support groups like AA. Integrative addiction therapies at NIHA are intended to complement and enhance the benefits of conventional addiction treatment and support groups.
On the first visit, patients will receive a history and physical examination. Laboratory testing will be recommended to determine the underlying biochemical imbalances. They will undergo an in person or phone counseling session to determine how best to proceed. Recommendations will be provided. The Integrative Medicine model of treatment invites you to be a co-equal partner in deciding what therapies are best for you.
Educational Materials
At the core of any Integrative Medicine therapy is patient education. All patients will receive the book End Your Addiction Now by Charles Gant MD, PhD, as well as other information. This information emphasizes how to achieve a drug-free recovery using nutritional therapies to rapidly regenerate the "feel good" natural, brain hormone neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, GABA, endorphins and dopamine. Once these are regenerated, symptoms such as cravings, mood swings, compulsive behaviors, insomnia, anxiety and low moods often are lessened or disappear completely.
Download Dr. Gant's paper "Dysautonomia, 12 Stressors Behind the Toxic Load"
Specific Therapies Offered
- Smoking and tobacco cessation program
- Nutritional Supplements targeted to the needs of recovering people
- IV amino acid and nutritional therapies
- Integrative Medicine assessment and support with natural, safe and drug free treatments of complicated problems like depression, anxiety and ADHD
- Laboratory testing to pinpoint exact biochemical imbalances related to cravings, mood swings, sleep problems and compulsive behaviors
- Low intensity laser therapy
- Acupuncture
- Psycho-emotional energetic therapy and counseling
- Infrared sauna detoxification
- Oxygen steam cabinet
- Massage therapy
- Allergy elimination
Additional Resources
Read Dr. Gant's article How to Quit Smoking Naturally, Painlessly and Successfully
NIHA Products Order Dr. Gant's book End Your Addiction Now, the Proven Nutritional Supplement Program That Can Set You Free
Watch Dr. Gant's interview Nicotine Addiction Solutions
