Re: Nutritional Support for Addiction

[Guest guest]

Best I've seen is " Potatoes not Prozac " by Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons. She

did her PhD on that exact question, and is working on the theory that

imbalances in 3 areas are what cause addiction in the first place, and

if you heal them, it's much easier to get and stay clean and sober.

Her web site is www.radiantrecovery.com

A group for people in recovery is

radiantrecovery @ groups ---

Ross is another popular writer in this area. I don't like her

approach as much because she throws supplements and pills at the

problem and that feeds into the addict's misplaced trust in quick

fixes. Just MHO.

Long quote from Portland NORML notes follows.

Connie

USING DIET TO COMBAT ADDICTION

Counsellor's research focuses on changing the way we eat

For years, Kathleen DesMaisons lived with mood swings and what she

calls a

``Jekyll and Hyde'' personality.

On the outside she looked successful - she was a high-achieving

counsellor

for addicts and alcoholics - but inside she felt a like a fraud.

``By the time I was 40, I was highly successful, but I was coping with

mood

swings and I was seriously overweight,'' she says. ``I tended to get

depressed and never knew whether Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde was going to

show up.

``I thought I was going to be a bag lady,'' says DesMaisons, now the

head

of Radiant Recovery, an addiction centre in New Mexico.

Then in her early 40s, DesMaisons read an article that linked

alcoholism to

irregular sugar metabolism. Her interest in addiction treatment stemmed

from her childhood - her father had been an alcoholic.

Alcoholics Anonymous, the granddaddy of treatment programs for

addictions,

had long suggested recovering alcoholics ingest some form of sweet - a

candy, doughnut or sugary substance - to ward off cravings for alcohol.

``I was intrigued by that, and somehow I knew I responded to sugar

strangely,'' she says. ``I craved it.''

About the same time, DesMaisons tried yet another diet to lose the

excess

pounds. The number on her bathroom scale was by then reaching almost

240.

This new diet emphasized protein and vegetables.

``That got my attention because when I was eating that way, my self-

esteem

went up, I was not moody or scared about the future,'' she says. ``This

was

not feeling better because I was losing weight. It was a fundamental

change. And I knew it must be biological because I'd tried therapy, was

a

therapist myself, and never been able to achieve those results.''

DesMaisons suspected she had inherited her father's biochemistry. She

had

stopped drinking at the age of 26 after a bout with mononucleosis

damaged

her liver. However, she did binge on sugar and refined carbohydrates and

felt she used food compulsively and addictively.

``I decided I responded to sugar alcoholically,'' she says.

She started on a quest to solve her own problems and possibly help

others.

Today she is of ``normal'' weight, feels confident, happy and centred

and

attributes this to a sensible but substantial change in her eating

habits.

It started when she began quizzing her addiction clients about their

diet

and found most ate the same way she did - skipping meals and bingeing on

sugars and refined carbohydrates.

That was when she seriously delved into the research about sugar, brain

chemistry and mood disorders and alcoholism. There was a lot to review.

Besides scores of scientific papers and journals linking sugar and brain

chemistry to alcoholism, there were many books already published.

As far back as about 40 years ago, health food guru Adele had

advocated eating protein at each meal to regulate mood through blood

sugar.

Sugar Blues, published in 1975, suggested addiction to sugar caused a

host

of emotional problems. And in the mid 1980s, Seven Weeks To Sobriety

outlined a diet and vitamin approach to addiction that aimed to

stabilize

blood sugar and rebalance brain chemistry to fight addiction.

``There is a whole body of knowledge that talks about carbohydrate

sensitivity (in addiction),'' she says. ``We don't know what causes it -

it

is not something that has been studied intensively, but it has been

recognized in the alcoholism literature.''

DesMaisons found a wealth of studies that, when linked together, all

pointed to the same thing - some people reacted to alcohol and sugar

differently that others.

Alcohol creates a rush of beta-endorphins similar to sugar. And

alcoholic

drinks like beer and wine have high levels of sugar in them, she noted.

Her research, on the similarities in the affects of alcohol and sugar

consumption in alcoholics and people who have alcoholic relatives,

became

the basis for a diet program with an unheard of 92 per cent recovery

rate

for alcoholics. This has stayed at 85 per cent in a five-year follow-up.

Recovery rates for alcoholism programs vary from as low as 25 per cent

to

about 50 per cent depending on the support available and how recovery is

defined.

Today she believes that even people who are not addicted to alcohol or

drugs can have a skewed body chemistry that plunges them into a type of

sugar sensitivity that leads to what has often been labelled ``an

alcoholic

personality'' - prone to mood swings, poor impulse control and excess in

many aspects of living.

After gathering her research she wrote her doctoral thesis on the

subject

that she turned into a book, Potatoes Not Prozac, (Fireside, Simon &

Schuster, $17.75).

Now being released in paperback, the book sets out a seven-step program

for

recovery from what she calls sugar sensitivity and addictions to

alcohol.

The title was conceived because DesMaisons believes many people with

sugar

sensitivity are placed on antidepressants in a bid to help their moods.

She believes her seven-step program can bring well-being to a huge

chunk of

the population, addicted or not.

Step one is to keep a food journal to identify how your eating patterns

affect the way you feel physically and mentally.

By increasing your awareness of how food affects you, it is easier to

adjust your diet, she says.

Step two is very basic - eat three meals a day at regular intervals.

Step

three is take vitamins as recommended. DesMaisons is not a believer in

megavitamin therapy and believes it is best to get nutrients from your

diet

wherever possible. However, she does suggest vitamin C, a B complex and

zinc, because they have been documented to help alcoholics in

withdrawal.

Eating protein at each meal is step four. DesMaisons suggests people eat

0.4 to 0.6 grams of protein per pound of body weight over the day. This

helps stabilize blood sugar, she says.

Step five is to eat more complex carbohydrates because they are broken

down

less quickly into sugar. Step six is to reduce or eliminate sugars and

alcohol.

And step seven is to create a plan to maintain your new eating habits.

The program is not rigid. In fact, DesMaisons encourages people to take

it

``at their own pace.

``Don't try to do it all at once or you will fail,'' she says.

Take it in sequence and adjust gradually, she cautions.

People with the sugar sensitivity syndrome, and alcoholics, often have

several distinct biological traits, she says. The first is an abnormally

reactive blood sugar curve. That means when they eat sugar or refined

carbohydrates their blood sugar peaks rapidly and goes higher than other

people, causing a massive release of insulin to counteract the sugar

surge.

This causes an abrupt fall in blood sugar, bringing on symptoms of

hypoglycemia or low blood sugar - shakiness, moodiness, an inability to

concentrate among other things. The body then craves sugar to offset

these

symptoms and the cycle begins again. Years of experiencing such ups and

downs wreaks havoc on the body, she says.

She also believes many who she deems sugar sensitive have chronic low

levels of some important brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.

Most have chronic low levels of serotonin - a mood regulator, which,

when

present in insufficient levels, has been linked to depression and poor

impulse control.

They also have low levels of beta-endorphins - the body's natural

opiates,

produced to counteract physical and emotional pain.

The brains of people with low levels of these chemicals try to

compensate.

They activate more receptor cells - cells that act as sponges to soak up

and more efficiently use the brain chemicals.

Sugar increases the production of both serotonin and beta-endorphin,

DesMaisons says. And, she points out, alcohol acts similarly to a highly

refined sugar when ingested.

The problem is, though sugar gives a boost and initial rush as the extra

``sponges'' soak up the brain chemicals, after the blood sugar drops the

extra sponges are still seeking more, causing further cravings for sugar

and alcohol.

Since alcohol and sugar affect these brain chemicals in a similar way,

the

craving for sugar can easily switch to a craving for alcohol, she says.

``There are three legs of the stool - blood sugar levels - beta-

endorphin

levels and serotonin levels,'' she says. ``If any one is out of whack,

things don't work.''

DesMaisons believes that by stabilizing blood sugar levels and trying to

balance the brain chemistry, a person with sugar sensitivity or

alcoholism

can more easily resist their cravings.

Her emphasis on the role of the body's natural opiates - which peak in

some

people when they ingest sugar or alcohol - is what she considers to be

the

missing piece of the addiction puzzle. Such peaks give susceptible

people

an irresistible high or rush that sparks addiction, she says.

Dr. Gianoulakis, a researcher with McGill University at

Hospital in Verdun, Que., has reviewed DesMaisons' thesis.

Gianoulakis studied people who come from families with a strong history

of

alcoholism and found indications that they do, in fact, produce higher

levels of the brain's natural opiates when they ingest alcohol - than

people not related to alcoholics.

She says there is no dispute that many alcoholics metabolize sugar

unusually and there are several studies indicating that alcoholism is

linked to a pre-existing skewed brain chemistry.

Gianoulakis says DesMaisons' work has ``much merit'' but says it is

time to

set up controlled clinical trials of her methods.

``Once this is done and if the cure rates (DesMaisons) has seen hold up

in

a controlled study,'' the academic and medical community will have

better

reason to use them, she says.

However, Trish Dekker, head nutritionist at the Centre for Addiction and

Mental Health, Donwood Division, cautions against any ``fad cures'' for

alcoholism.

She finds DesMaisons' approach questionable.

``There is a lot of conflicting information out there,'' she says.

``We caution people against anything too extreme. The idea is to create

a

balance.''

At Donwood, staff stress eating more complex carbohydrates and

following a

balanced diet with exercise. Having sugar is all right as long as it is

in

moderation, she says. But abstinence from alcohol is crucial.

DesMaisons says addicted people should not attempt to treat themselves

and

she also endorses self-support groups such as AA. She also says anyone

with

serious mood problems should see a doctor.

However, if you are struggling with mood swings, compulsive eating and

other problems, and are sure you have no other medical problem, she

thinks

her plan will help - especially if there is a history of alcoholism in

your

family background.

> depression, etc. Does anyone have any recommended articles or links

> that I can provide for him to share with these men? I'm especially

> looking for something which would implicate dietary deficiences as

> exacerbating addictive behavior.

>

> Rebekah

[Guest guest]

Rebekah,

Most drugs are acidic. If you intake acidic foods and chemicals, you

will crave acidic foods and chemicals. Why? Your body asks for what

will keep its PH stable. Every time you drift towards alkaline after

an acidic binge: you will have a craving for what made you acidic.

So eat alkaline and you will lose interest in the acidic. Potatoes

are very high in potassium which is alkaline. You can also find

potassium in Oranges, Cranberries, Strawberries, Apples, Bananas,

Beets and more.

-Lana

On 9/20/05, rmd1019 <rmd1019@...> wrote:

> I have a friend who is going on a weekend retreat for men with various

> addictions. The weekend is for psychological, emotional and spiritual

> support. He asked if I could provide any nutritional or dietary

> recommendations for those seeking to break alcoholism, drug addiction,

> depression, etc. Does anyone have any recommended articles or links

> that I can provide for him to share with these men? I'm especially

> looking for something which would implicate dietary deficiences as

> exacerbating addictive behavior.

>

> Rebekah

[Guest guest]

On 9/20/05, rmd1019 <rmd1019@...> wrote:

> I have a friend who is going on a weekend retreat for men with various

> addictions. The weekend is for psychological, emotional and spiritual

> support. He asked if I could provide any nutritional or dietary

> recommendations for those seeking to break alcoholism, drug addiction,

> depression, etc. Does anyone have any recommended articles or links

> that I can provide for him to share with these men? I'm especially

> looking for something which would implicate dietary deficiences as

> exacerbating addictive behavior.

>

> Rebekah

The book Seven Weeks to Sobriety: The proven Program to Fight

Alcoholism through Nutrition by Joan Mathews Larsen has been said to

be very good here before.

This too posted by me on food intolerance, nutrition and addiction

here before. I don't suggest allergy shots as recently it was found

these IgE allergies are likely to become IgG allergies with shot

treatment.

Diet Disease, Rodale Books, Cheraskin, Ringsdorf Jr, pg. 201

Dr. Herbert E. Karolus (33) of the Keely Institute in Dwight, Illinois

believes that the alcoholic is peculiarly sensitive to certain beverages. In

442 patients, skin tests for various foods revealed an average of seven

allergic reactions per patient. The most frequently positive tests were for

rye (308) and for wheat (239). Desentization through weekly injections of

allegenic extracts of offending substances appears " appears to be offering

both physiological and psychological therapy' according to Dr. Karoulus.

pg.198

Dr. J. (71) Director of the Clayton Foundation for Research,

has repeatedly noted that nutritional support reduces the physiologic

craving for alcohol. He recommends a high protein diet supplemented with

therapeutic amounts of the available vitamins and minerals, Dr.

commenting on his dietary regime, made the following assertion (71):

Is is our opinion in the great majority of individual alcoholics, the

practical elimination of alcohol craving can be assured, provided the

recommendations which we have made are followed. Wheather they are followed

is a question which must be answered in each individual case.

Wanita

[Guest guest]

Kombucha Tea will kill the cravings and also put the nutrients, the

body has destroyed by drugs, back into the body. I've heard several

testimonials to this fact on another group I frequent. Plus a friend

of mine has switched from drugs to Kombucha Tea and has no cravings.

Judy

--- In , " rmd1019 " <rmd1019@y...>

wrote:

> I have a friend who is going on a weekend retreat for men with

various

> addictions. The weekend is for psychological, emotional and

spiritual

> support. He asked if I could provide any nutritional or dietary

> recommendations for those seeking to break alcoholism, drug

addiction,

> depression, etc. Does anyone have any recommended articles or links

> that I can provide for him to share with these men? I'm especially

> looking for something which would implicate dietary deficiences as

> exacerbating addictive behavior.

>

> Rebekah