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OCT. 28, 1998 Page B4 Stye ^ n rtla n ò (©bserürr B ody, (J iin d & SpÎTÎt The N a tu ro p a th ic T re a tm e n t of A d d ictio n s by J ennifer M eans , ND, L.A c Treatment o f addiction is as com plex as the disease. Many factors can play a part: Genetics, metabolic dis turbances, horm onal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies and emotions. In naturopathic medicine, we look at the whole person and treat all the aspects o f his or her health. One of our fundamental principles is to look for the underlying cause o f illness. Naturopaths have tools that help people detox. Nutritious, non-addic- tive herbs ease cravings and soothe withdrawal symptoms. Nutrition as sists the organs to function and nur tures the body toward health. Mas sage and hydrotherapies encourage relaxation and help the body shed toxins. Therapies such as guided imagery and hypnotherapy can help address the psychological and spiri tual aspects o f addiction. Homeopa thy can be used to alter the energetics o f the whole person. Recovery from addiction usually occurs in three overlapping phases - withdrawal, initial recovery, and re establishment o f health. During withdrawal, treatment is aimed at alleviating symptoms in a safe, non-toxic way while supporting the body and helping it to shed some o f the accumulated toxins. During initial recovery phase, the intense symptoms o f acute with drawal are mostly gone and it be comes important to nurture the body, to heal the damage caused by the addiction. Treatment must also fo cus on psycho spiritual issues, as the person’s life has taken a dramatic shift. No longer centered around ad diction, the person must change rela tionships, unhealthy social circuits must be replaced. Support groups such as AA, Alanon, NA, and OA are vital to the recovery stage. During the final stage o f recovery, the treatment again shifts to main taining and supporting optimal health, according to the needs o f the indi vidual. Diet is an important aspect o f a successful recovery program. Diet should focus on complex carbohy drates (such as whole grains, and legumes) and good sources o f pro tein. This helps minimize hypogly cemic reactions, when the blood sugar drops too low, which can increase a person’s cravings for alcohol and certain drugs. It is best to limit or abstain from simple sugars and pro cessed foods. Herbs such as Avena sativae (wild oats), Scutellaria (Skullcap), Matri caria (chamomille) can soothe the nervous system, help a person sleep and make acute withdrawal more Jack Trimpey: Founder of Rational Recovery I n t e r v ie w by J oy R amos R a tio n a l R e c o v e ry w as fo u n d e d in 1986 b y J a c k an d L o is T rim p e y in r e s p o n s e to th e la c k o f c h o ic e in th e fie ld o f a d d ic tio n s . A t th e tim e , th e re w as no c h o ic e o th e r th an th e 1 2 -s te p , s p ir itu a l h e a lin g p ro g ra m of A lc o h o lic s A n o n y m o u s . L a c k o f c h o ic e in r e c o v e r y s ty le s is s till a s e r io u s n a tio n a l p r o b le m , b u t RR ( R a tio n a l R e c o v e r y ) h as b e c o m e w e ll- k n o w n as a v i a b le a n d w id e ly a v a ila b le a l te r n a tiv e . Q : H ow is R a tio n a l R e c o v e ry d if f e r e n t from o th e r fo rm s o f A d d ic tio n s T h e ra p y ? J a c k T r i m p e y : R a tio n a l R e c o v e r y is p la n n e d , p e r m a n e n t a b s tin e n c e th a t is c o n s e r v a tiv e a n d c o s t- e f f e c tiv e . Y o u le a r n w h a t is g o in g on in s id e y o u r h e a d a n d ta k in g in d e p e n d e n t a c tio n o n y o u r s u b s ta n c e a d d ic tio n . T h e s k ill t a u g h t is c a l l e d A d d i c t i v e V o ic e R e c o g n itio n T e c h n iq u e (A V R T ). A V R T is a b r ie f , e d u c a t i o n a l f o r m a t w h ic h te a c h e s th e s k ill o f p la n n e d a b s tin e n c e . It c o s ts le s s th a n an y fo rm o f a d d ic tio n t r e a t m e n t. C o m p le te r e c o v e r y is s e c u re a b s tin e n c e , u s u a lly a c h ie v e d in o n e m o n th . O v e r 7 0 % o f th o s e w ho a c tu a lly r e c o v e r fro m s u b s ta n c e a d d ic tio n s do so in d e p e n d e n tly - w ith o u t m e e tin g s , c o u n s e lin g , o r e n r o llin g in tr e a tm e n t c e n te r s . Q: M an y s c h o o ls o f th o u g h t r e f e r to a d d ic tio n as a d i s e a s e . P le a s e e x p la in how R a tio n a l R e c o v e ry u n d e r s ta n d s it d if f e r e n tly . J a c k T r i m p e y : W h e th e r o r n o t a lc o h o l o r d ru g d e p e n d e n c e is a d is e a s e (m o s t u n lik e ly ! ) , a d d ic tio n m ay be u n d e r s to o d as a n a tu r a l fu n c tio n o f a h e a lth y h u m a n b r a in . In e f f e c t, y o u h a v e tw o s e p a r a te “ b r a in s ” w ith in y o u r h ead w h ic h c o m p e t e w ith e a c h o th e r . O n e is p r im itiv e , s im i la r to th e b r a in o f a d o g o r a h o rs e . T h is w e c a ll th e m id b ra in . It is b a s ic a lly th e b ra in o f a b e a s t, a n d its o n ly p u r p o se is to s u r v iv e . T h e b e a s t b r a in g e n e r a te s s u r v iv a l a p p e tite s th a t d r iv e th e r e s t o f th e b o d y to w a r d w h a t it d e m a n d s , su c h as o x y g e n , fo o d , se x an d f lu id s . T h e B e a s t o f B o o z e , o r th e B e a s t o f B u z z , is r u th le s s in g e ttin g w h a t it w a n ts. B u t th e r e is a n o th e r b r a in th a t s its on to p o f th e b e a s t b r a i n , th e c e r e b r a l c o r te x . T h is “ n ew b r a i n ” , o r n e o c o r te x , a llo w s h u m a n b e in g s be c o n s c io u s , to th in k , to h a v e la n g u a g e , a n d to s o lv e p r o b l e m s . Y o u r n e o c o r t e x is “ y o u ” , a n d y o u c a n o v e r r id e a n y a p p e tite , e v e n fo r o x y g e n o r fo o d . In R a tio n a l R e c o v e r y , w e u se th e n e o c o r te x , o u r h u m a n b r a in s , o u r s e lv e s , to o v e r r id e th e a p p e tite fo r a l c o h o l a n d o th e r d ru g s . Q : H ow do y o u e n c o u r a g e to ta l a b s tin e n c e ? J a c k T r i m p e y : I n s te a d o f s tr u g g lin g o n e - d a y - a t- a - tim e , y o u m a y m a k e a B ig P la n to q u it fo r g o o d . A B ig P la n h a s o n ly fiv e w o r d s , “ I w ill n e v e r d r in k /u s e a g a i n ” S a y in g “ n e v e r ” is m u c h d i f f e r e n t f r o m s a y i n g “ n o ” . T o th e B e a s t, “ n o ” m e a n s “ l a t e r ” . L if e tim e a b s tin e n c e is a d i f f i c u l t c o m m itm e n t b e c a u s e y o u r B e a s t is t e r r if ie d o f its o w n d e a th . It is m o st a f r a id o f y o u , fo r it k n o w s y o u a re c a p a b le o f “ k i l l i n g ” it. It v ie w s a lc o h o l o r d ru g s as n e c e s s a r y to s u r v iv a l. Q: D o e s R a tio n a l R e c o v e ry go a g a in s t a n y s p ir itu a l b e- C a ll h im Jim m y . H e ’s in his e a rly tw e n tie s , h o m e le s s , b r o k e , a s u r v iv o r o f a b u se . H e ’s c h e m ic a lly d e p e n d e n t, has m e n ta l h e a lth p ro b le m s an d c h ro n ic p h y s ic a l a ilm e n ts. Jim m y is a fa irly ty p ic a l p a tie n t a t th e P o rtla n d A d d ic tio n s A c u p u n c tu re C lin ic (P A A C ), a n u n c o m m o n f a c i l i t y in to d a y ’s w o rld o f H M O ’s, h ig h te c h m e d ic in e an d e x p e n siv e h o s p ita l c a re . U n co m m o n b e c a u se it a c c e p ts in d ig e n t p a tie n ts lik e Jim m y , a n d u n c o m m o n b e c a u s e it u se s a c u p u n c tu re a n d o th e r a lte r n a tiv e h e a lth c a re o p tio n s , a lo n g w ith c o u n s e lin g and s e lf-h e lp g ro u p s , to tr e a t p e o p le w ith a d d ic tio n s - be it to a lc o h o l, h e ro in , c o c a in e o r o th e r s u b sta n c e s. “ W e d o n ’t tre a t th e d ru g , we tr e a t th e p e r s o n , “ e x p la in s D av id E ise n , d ire c to r o f PA A C . I t ’s a b u sy p la c e . T h e C lin ic se e s 125 p a tie n ts a d a y . S om e w alk in o f f th e s tr e e t. M any are re f e r r e d b y h o s p ita ls , d o c to rs an d s o c ia l s e rv ic e a g e n c ie s . “ R e se a rc h sh o w s th a t w hen y o u do a c u p u n c tu re w ith a d d ic tio n tr e a tm e n t, th e re is a tw o -fo ld in c re a s e in th e lik e li h o o d a p e rso n w ill sta y c le a n an d s o b e r o v e r a n in e -m o n th p e rio d o f tim e ,” he sta te s . A t P A A C , a c u p u n c tu r e is u se d o n c e o r tw ic e d a ily to a l le v ia te w ith d ra w a l sy m p to m s, re d u c e stre ss an d m a n ag e b lo o d C h in e s e h e r b s , n a tu r o p a th ic m e d ic in e , m a ssa g e , c h ir o p r a c tic c a re a n d n u tr itio n a l c o u n s e lin g a re u se d as w ell. “ W h ile a c u p u n c tu re is n ev er a sta n d a lo n e tre a tm e n t fo r a d d ic tio n , it is v e ry e ffe c tiv e in re d u c in g c ra v in g s , p ro m o tin g re la x a tio n a n d h e lp in g p a tie n ts a c h ie v e m e n ta l c la r ity , so they can be m ore r e s p o n s iv e to the o th e r e le m e n ts in th e re c o v e ry / R a tio n a l R e co o e R ty ^ S y s te m s , Inc. ' ' B o x 8 0 0 , L o t a s C A 95(551 National Office - 916.621.2667, 8 A M - 4 PM, PST Recover online at http://www.rational.org'recovery we believe in yeoyle - not yroflrams. ANNOUNCEMENT: The recovery group is CANCELLED, effective December 31,1998, due to health risks to participants. <http://rational.org/recovery/recovery.groups. cancelled. html> If you want to help America, have your elected representative visit http://rational, org/recovery/ Public.agencies.ofificials.html cellent aids to detoxification. Other helpful hydrotherapies include Ep som salt baths, cold water packs, and alternating hot and cold tow els over the abdom en or back. There are m any other naturo pathic therapies that can help in the treatm ent o f addictions. N aturopathic m edicine looks to the healing po w er o f nature for a cure. T his req u ires the p a tien t take re sp o n sib ility for his o r her own w ell-b ein g and w ork tow ard it. T his task is not an easy one. It is not q u ic k -fix m edicine. But the rew ard is trem endous and e m p o w e r in g . T h e r e w a rd is health. OCOM Acupuncture ------- & ------- Herbal Clinic Stressed out? Want to Quit Smoking? Affordable group treatm ents with acupuncture now available. For inform ation & schedule, call 254-3566 10541 SE C herry Blossom Dr., Portland (by Mall 205) Jack Trimpey A Service o f th e O regon College o f O rie n ta l M edicine lie f s ? J a c k T rim p e y : O ur m ethod, A V RT, dovetails w ith any re li gion except A lcoholics A nony m ous and does not alter o n e ’s religious or spiritual beliefs. The structural m odel o f A V RT can be supported by Old and New T esta m ent scriptures, as w ell as other holy books. We deplore sugges tions that any o f the w o rld ’s great religions are insufficient to ad dress the com m on hum an prob lem o f habitual self-intoxication. Acupuncture: An Effective Approach to Addictions Treatment p re ssu re fo r the th re e to ten d a y s it ta k e s to go th ro u g h d e to x . I t ’s u se d d a ily fo r the n e x t tw o to th re e w e e k s o f the e a rly re c o v e ry sta g e . A c u p u n c tu re tre a tm e n t c o n tin u es tw o or three tim es a w eek fo r the fin a l six m o n th s o r so in th e tre a tm e n t p ro c e ss. E ise n e m p h a s iz e s th a t o th e r tr e a t m ent m o d a litie s in c lu d in g p s y c h o th e ra p y , se lf-h e lp g ro u p s, manageable. They are also impor tant in the later stages o f withdrawal when a person feels that they need something to support them through difficult times. N utrients, such as a high quality m ultivitam in and m ineral supple ments, give the body resources to heal itself. A ddictions are often associated with poor eating habits and m alnourishm ent, and w ith draw al from a substance requires a great deal o f energy from the body. H ydrotherapy, the application o f various tem peratures o f water, enhances circulation, prom otes the elimination o f toxins, and increases relaxation. Steam baths can be ex- (pMZ &C4t- A ffo rd ab le n a tu ra l health care M o n d a y s a n d F ridays, 1 - 5 p.m . at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church p r o c e s s ,” she e x p la in s . “ T he stre n g th o f th e PA A C p ro g ra m is th a t it o ffe rs th o se o th e r e l e m e n ts, in c lu d in g c o u n s e lin g , th e ra p y , m e d ic a l c a re , e d u c a tio n and g ro u p s u p p o r t.” T he re a l te st o f the p ro g ra m , h o w e v e r, is w h a t the p a tie n ts th in k . O v e r an d o v e r y o u h e a r p a tie n ts like Jim m y say , “ H ere, I am tre a te d w ith re s p e c t and c a re . 8725 N. C h a u ta u q u a , P o rtland NCNM Natural Health Centers teaching clinic o f the National College o f Naturopathic Medicine 255-7355 tjf/ imss u rn m s w W E’RE SERIOUS ABOUT HAIR YOU SHOULD BE TO O ” BARBERING/STYLIST MATTHEW ©ARLINGTON W ALK-INS WELCOME 1926 NE S andy B lvd .,P ortland O regon (503) 232-6263 «