Published on: 01 October 2020
Last Updated on: 31 October 2024
Mental and physical health problems affect millions of people worldwide every year. While modern pharmacology has solutions for many health problems, they often come with significant side effects. To avoid the side effects of mainstream drugs, many people resort to using natural remedies like CBD.
CBD oil is one such natural product that is extracted from cannabis/marijuana plants. Unlike THC, which is one of over a hundred chemicals found in cannabis, CBD is non-psychoactive, meaning that it doesn’t give you the sensation of being ‘high.’ While scientific studies have to corroborate CBD’s efficacy in treating health problems, the apparent benefits are worth recognition.
Here’s when you may start considering CBD use:
1. Pain Relief
The use of marijuana as an analgesic dates back thousands of years. Today, we know that CBD is one of the key components of marijuana that helps with pain relief. Studies suggest that CBD affects the endocannabinoid receptor activity, thus reducing inflammation and the sensation of pain in subjects with chronic pain.
For example, multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. It causes pain, difficulty walking, and muscle spasms. When used on its own or in combination with other drugs, CBD can help alleviate these symptoms. The use of CBD for arthritis pain is also well documented.
As awareness about mental health problems increases, scientists are trying to find newer and safer treatment methods. Two common and potentially debilitating mental health problems include depression and anxiety. While these can effectively be treated with pharmacological drugs, CBD provides a natural solution to these problems. The substances in CBD interact with the serotonin receptors in the brain that regulate mood and behavior. For this reason, many people use CBD to get relief from the symptoms of depression.
3. Cancer and Chemotherapy Pain
Cancer exists in many forms and affects different areas of the body. It is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Until now, chemotherapy is a mainstream cancer treatment. It is a cocktail of strong drugs that are used to restrict the uncontrolled growth of tumors. While chemotherapy is effective, it causes many unpleasant side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, pain, and hair loss. CBD is thought to be effective in reducing cancer-related pain as well as chemotherapy-induced pain, nausea, and vomiting.
There are several other conditions where the use of CBD could be helpful. For example, it can be used to control acne in young adults, thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties and the ability to control sebaceous gland secretions. Even though it is not clinically proven, CBD is also commonly used to reduce seizures in epilepsy patients. It may also improve the symptoms and the quality of life of individuals suffering from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
CBD has stress reduction properties, which is why many people use it to cope with high blood pressure. Its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties also have a positive effect on heart tissues in people having heart diseases. However, these benefits are not scientifically corroborated. As such, you must not start using CBD without consulting with your doctor. In addition, a professional CBD services provider offers a wide range of CBD products which you can check at https://thejointcannabis.ca which is a perfect destination to explore.
Conclusion
Many people who have used CBD think that it comes with health benefits. And many studies have already looked at the substance’s health effects. However, more researches and clinical trials are required to validate the benefits of CBD.
While CBD is generally safe, it comes with some side effects and can negatively interact with other drugs. For these reasons and more, it is recommended that you must consult with a doctor before you start to use CBD. Even if your doctor allows you to use CBD, be sure to keep an eye on your health and stop using the substance if you experience negative effects.
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If you are suffering from medical conditions and are given an opinion to seek out the services of a functional medicine doctor you might be wondering how can a functional medicine doctor help you? You need to understand the scope and practices of a Dallas functional medicine doctor to understand the help and relief you will get from a functional doctor.
What is functional medicine?
Functional Medicine focuses on the root causes of the ailment, using a specific approach and by allowing both the patient and the doctor to form a therapeutic partnership and work together. Unlike conventional medicines, functional medicine is a new treatment plan to treat patients with health issues. Instead of the standard medical treatment, this approach focuses on the treatment of the patient as a whole rather than focusing on a few symptoms. Thus this system of medicine is best described as medicine by cause and not by symptoms.
How Can a Functional Medicine Doctor help You?
A functional medicine doctor spends time with you. Together the doctor will sit with you and study your medical symptoms. However, unlike conventional doctors, the functional doctors will go beyond the normal diagnosis and will also look at your eating style, your exercise and living routines, and your lifestyle. The doctor will try to learn about you to better understand the root causes of your disease. If you are more exposed to toxins and other unhealthy habits the doctor will work on such causes to offer you treatment plans that go beyond normal medicines but works on your overall lifestyle. The doctor will also look into your overall health and body function and check your genetic makeup, lifestyle, and environmental influences before starting with a treatment plan.
A functional medicine doctor can help you with many health-related issues. These include patients suffering from diabetes, blood pressure issues, and heart complications. People who have psychiatric and neurological issues can get personalized treatment from functional medicine doctors as these doctors are specialist in dealing with patients who suffer from depressions, attention disorder, and anxiety and stress. Other common problems such as digestive disorders and issues with bowel movements, ulcers, chronic diseases, and acid reflux issues are also in the domain of functional medicine doctors where they treat the patients individually focusing on all root causes with a proper treatment plan.
There are other numerous types of treatment options such as treatment of autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, and celiac illness. People who have skin problems such as ongoing acne and eczema may also find functional medicine a better and long-term treatment solution that would help in healing the root causes of the condition and make sure the chances of skin disorders in future is also minimized.
A Dallas functional medicines doctor objective is to bring your life to a normal routine and eliminate the factors that bring toxins and illness to your life.
The doctor will design a personalized plan for you that includes:
A complete check of your diet, and exercise and lifestyle and bring in all the necessary changes in your routine that are vital for your road of recovery.
Looking out for factors that bring stress into your life and looking out for ways to eliminate the stress and bring peace to your life.
Working out for detoxification options that work for the treatment of the patient.
Looking for prescription drugs options that include the different types of botanical and nutritional medicines.
Functional medicine doctors will sit with you and work as your partner to figure out all the reasons for the imbalances in your life that are harming your health and are the root causes of your sickness. By working on your core issues the functional practitioner makes sure that you bring changes in your life to treat the disease and prevent the health problems from occurring again. The doctors will help patients to understand that they have the power to make changes in their life and lead a healthy life as a reality.
When a functional doctor works with your through the sitting sessions and appointments he learns all about you from head-to-toe, and have a complete understanding about your health and reasons of the health complications. Having a complete picture of your health conditions enable function doctors to go beyond the normal treatment plans and advise on treatment options that are not only suitable to help with the treatment but they are also preventive measure to make sure such health issues are eliminated for future occurrences as well.
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Are you a mom-to-be, eager to maintain a healthy lifestyle in the next nine months to help your baby to develop healthy and strong? Maybe you are sick of hearing all those people’s opinions around you about your health and decided to look patiently for the best tips on how to stay fit during the pregnancy week by week? Well, you are lucky because we are here, and we are bringing the 9 tips for staying fit during pregnancy, and we are ready to share them with you!
Why is exercise so important during pregnancy, you ask?
As we know, the doctors recommend for all of us to include exercise in our daily life. This is because of the many beneficial effects that exercising has. But, exercising is especially important and recommended to women during pregnancy.
By exercising during your pregnancy, you will not only stay in a fit shape, but you will also help decrease the risk of gestational diabetes and hypertension. Studies done have confirmed the importance of exercising in preventing gestational diabetes. You can choose from a variety of recommended activities, e.g. yoga, walking, jogging, swimming, Pilates, stationary cycling, etc. Also, exercising is commonly used in back pain treatment during pregnancy. However, you need to avoid activities like ice hockey, football, basketball, some yoga poses, etc. It is essential to get informed by your doctor about the activity that you are interested in taking up before you start exercising. The doctor will decide if the chosen activity will be beneficial regarding your condition, and also he or she will inform you about the dosage and the time you are allowed to spend exercising daily.
What are the 9 tips that we want to share with you?
1. Check-in with your doctor first – Your doctor will recommend the proper activity for you to take up, as well as, share advice with you about the allowed dose and time that you can spend exercising.
2. Choose the right food for your diet to stay energized during exercising - Your diet is just as important as exercising to stay fit during pregnancy. Make sure you include the recommended amount of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fiber in your everyday diet. With the right diet, you will decrease the risk of overweight, and you will still have enough energy to exercise through the day.
3. Drink enough water - Do not forget to drink the recommended amount of water for the day – at least 8 glasses of water. The water will keep you hydrated and that way you will decrease the risk of dehydration which can harm you and your baby.
4. Avoid sugar and junk carbs – Sugar and carbs will add weight too quickly, while at the same time they will increase the risk of diabetes. Avoid all processed sugar, e.g. pasta, white bread, and breakfast cereal and replace the source of sugar with a healthy amount of fruit to get the needed levels of sugar that your body needs.
5. Choose the right activity for you - Choose the activity which seems interesting as well as comfortable for you to do. Your doctor can recommend different groups where you can go and exercise while you share your experiences of the pregnancy with other moms!
6. Get a good night sleep - By sleeping, you will help your muscles to recover more quickly after a good exercise. Make sure you have enough rest every day and do not push yourself too far when it comes to exercising. Light exercises are more than enough for you to do through the day.
7. Stop weighing yourself - During pregnancy, your body weight will increase no matter how much you exercise. That means that your body is changing, and your baby is growing and developing. With a healthy diet and the right amount of exercise, you will be able to gain weight and remain healthy and strong.
8. Choose the right training clothing – Always remember to dress light during exercising. Many layers of clothes will cause excessive sweating that can lead to dehydration.
9. Warm-up! – Always remember to warm up first before exercising. The warm-up will prepare your muscles and joints for the exercise that will follow. If you skip the warm-up, you increase the risk of pulling a muscle and inflammation.
In conclusion, because of the importance of exercising, the soon you start, the better. Exercising can be a fun and beneficial experience that you can spend doing with your partner or your friends in a newfound group for future moms. Just remember that yours and your baby’s safety should be the most important thing on your mind. We hope that with our tips, we will help you to choose the right activity that can find its place in your everyday routine.
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You might have heard the term “functioning alcoholic” and wondered what it even means. Then, you might be searching for the meaning of the term and what it means to be a functional alcoholic. Then, let’s throw some light on the meaning of functioning alcoholics for your better understanding.
We often relate alcoholism with people who are unable to function properly in their lives. This stereotype of alcoholic individuals seems to be not accurate. This is because several individuals who are alcoholics seem to function properly and deal with their daily tasks properly.
If this is the case, then why are these individuals living a regular life while being alcoholic? While other groups cannot function properly because they are constantly under influence.
Therefore, in this article, we not only discuss what is a functioning alcoholic but also how they differ from those with more visible signs of alcohol dependency.
Perception About Individuals Battling Addiction
Your concept or perception of an alcoholic will change when you learn how a functioning alcoholic person works. They are capable of living or maintaining a normal life while battling alcohol addiction.
At one glance, you might not even know this person might have an addiction. Because they can do all their daily duties smoothly. Therefore, why was this term created, which means someone who is functioning even when dealing with addiction?
This challenges the common stereotype of an alcoholic person who lives an undisciplined and disheveled life. The term “functioning alcoholic” could be used to describe a person’s condition, but it is not officially recognized.
In the field of psychiatry, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) doesn’t recognize this term officially. However, several professionals use this term to describe a specific alcoholic person’s condition.
So, understanding the phenomenon of the functioning alcoholic is important. Because it helps identify people who are going through this hardship. When you recognize a functional alcoholic, you can help them get the right treatment, which will get them better.
Functioning alcoholics often hide their struggles with addiction while maintaining a normal facade. So, it becomes harder for you to recognize them and get them correctly diagnosed. Therefore, you must read this article to know how to identify one. This is so you can help them get the right treatment for recovery.
What Is A Functioning Alcoholic?
A functioning alcoholic seems to live a normal life while dealing with alcohol addiction. These individuals, you will observe, can do all the regular tasks and maintain a lifestyle without alcohol overriding their lives.
Even if they are always under the influence, they can hold down a job and other obligations. Not only that, but they can also excel in some areas of their lives without alcohol overriding their entire life.
Therefore, it becomes hard for you to identify these individuals. Because they look perfectly normal from the outside while dealing with addiction.
These individuals know how to keep their professional and social lives separate from their addiction. You see, functional alcoholics are aware of their alcoholic addiction, which helps them hide it easily. They become skilled at hiding their shortcomings from the world.
However, this addiction of a functioning alcoholic does not affect anyone other than themselves. It does affect their own lives if kept unchecked in the long run. As they continue to hide their struggle with alcohol, it becomes much more troublesome as time goes on.
Functioning Alcoholics Live In The Grey Area Of Addiction
A functioning alcoholic lives in the grey area of addiction, where addiction coexists with competence. While they are functioning like a regular individual, they also hide their addiction from their friends, family, or colleagues.
So, they operate much more separately than an alcoholic consumed with addiction and a normal non-alcoholic.
So how will you recognize a functioning alcoholic when they are living just like any ordinary person? You see, functioning alcoholics often rationalize their drinking habits as rewards for their accomplishments.
So, if they can get their work done, they reward themselves. Again, if they do their duty towards their family, they will reward themselves with a drink.
Again, their coping mechanism for dealing with the stress of daily responsibilities is through alcohol. So, when they accomplish their responsibilities day-to-day, they reward themselves with alcohol.
But this facade of normalcy is fragile as they become more dependent on alcohol over time. As they start to deal with life problems with alcohol, this results in psychological issues.
Maintaining a long-term facade of alcohol addiction is not the only problem a functional alcoholic face but health problems, too.
High Functioning Alcoholism vs. Traditional Alcohol Use Disorder
Traditionally, you could identify an alcoholic person from their visible signs of dysfunction. These dysfunctional problems were frequent performance issues, relationship problems, and deteriorating health.
In contrast, high-functioning alcoholics may lead seemingly successful lives, masking their dependency behind a façade of competence. They may hold prestigious positions, maintain social connections, and even drink expensive wine without raising suspicion.
Despite their ability to keep up appearances, high-functioning alcoholics often deal with a significant internal struggle. They might spend considerable effort hiding the extent of their drinking from others and themselves.
This can involve elaborate routines to cover up the smell of alcohol and secret drinking sessions. Again, a functional alcoholic persistently worries about being discovered because of their addiction.
You will see that the stress of maintaining a double life can be extremely problematic in the long run. In the long-term, this coping mechanism with alcohol can only affect negatively both physically and mentally.
Along with the stress of hiding their addiction to alcohol and dealing with life’s problems, a functioning alcoholic is bound to break down at some point. This will lead to their worst fear of revealing their true nature.
It’s this dual existence that differentiates high-functioning alcoholism from other overt alcohol use disorders. Other alcohol disorders are more visible due to their impact on an individual’s life.
Recognizing The Signs of Alcohol Abuse
There are significant risks to being a functional alcoholic despite its outward appearance. Because their pattern of drinking can be more than seven drinks per week. This leads to health risks in the long term. Again, continuous dependence on alcohol to deal with life can have adverse effects on the person’s psychology.
From binge drinking episodes to the inability to stop drinking despite its negative consequences, these are some of the recognized risks of alcohol addiction. They may also experience withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit or cut back on alcohol consumption.
Recognizing signs of a high-functioning alcoholic can be challenging as they are good at hiding their addiction. Therefore, it’s essential to identify these individuals, get them diagnosed correctly, and treat them properly.
It’s important to note that these behaviors can be subtle and easily overlooked, especially when the individual is still managing to fulfill their personal and professional obligations. Over time, you will see that the consequences of high-functioning alcoholism become visible.
Be it strained relationships, personality changes, mental health issues, and physical health problems related to alcohol abuse. You will start to see its effects on a functional alcoholic.
Risk Factors and Consequences
Certain factors can increase the likelihood of high-functioning alcoholism, including genetic predisposition, environmental influences, and untreated mental health issues.
While they may avoid some of the immediate consequences associated with traditional alcoholism, such as job loss or legal troubles, high-functioning alcoholics are still at risk for severe health problems, including certain cancers and mental health issues.
These health problems can include liver disease, heart disease, and neurological impairments that may not become evident until later in life. The psychological consequences are equally concerning, potentially leading to depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders that can deteriorate the quality of life.
Moreover, high-functioning alcoholics may face social consequences over time, such as eroded trust in relationships, marital strife, and a gradual withdrawal from social activities as they prioritize alcohol over personal connections.
Despite maintaining a veneer of normalcy, the cumulative effect of these risk factors and consequences can lead to a tipping point where the individual’s ability to function at a high level is compromised.
It is crucial to recognize these long-term risks and understand that the lack of immediate, visible consequences does not diminish the urgency for intervention and treatment.
Seeking Support And Treatment For The High Functioning Alcoholic
Addressing high-functioning alcoholism requires a comprehensive approach involving medical professionals, support groups, and rehab centers in Los Angeles specializing in addiction medicine.
Loved ones play a crucial role in encouraging their family members or close relatives to seek help, but it’s essential to approach the situation with empathy and understanding. Initiating this conversation can be delicate, as it often involves breaking through a wall of denial built up by the individual over time.
Friends and family need to be informed about the nature of high-functioning alcoholism, to offer non-judgmental support, and to avoid enabling behaviors that can perpetuate the addiction.
The process of seeking support often begins with an honest self-assessment or an intervention by concerned loved ones. This step is vital in helping the individual recognize the extent of their problem and its impact on their life and the lives of those around them.
Professional interventionists can be instrumental in this phase, providing the guidance needed to navigate what can be a highly charged situation. Once the individual acknowledges the need for help, the next step involves finding the right treatment program.
Treatment can range from outpatient therapy sessions to accommodate the individual’s work schedule. Or a more intensive inpatient program where you must take a temporary step back from daily responsibilities.
The treatment choice should be tailored to the individual’s specific circumstances, considering their level of addiction, personal responsibilities, and any co-occurring mental health conditions.
Throughout the recovery journey, ongoing support is essential for maintaining sobriety. Aftercare programs and sober living communities offer continued guidance and support, helping the individual to reintegrate into their daily life with new coping skills and a renewed focus on health and wellness.
Support And Treatment Facilities
Support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous provide a vital lifeline for individuals struggling with alcohol use disorders, offering a sense of community and understanding.
These groups facilitate peer-to-peer support and shared experiences, creating a space where individuals can speak openly about their struggles without fear of judgment.
Treatment facilities offer residential treatment or outpatient tailored programs designed to address the unique needs of high-functioning alcoholics, providing medical supervision during the withdrawal process and equipping them with coping strategies for maintaining sobriety.
These facilities often employ a multidisciplinary approach, combining medical treatment, psychological counseling, and behavioral therapy to address the complex nature of addiction. The programs may include individual therapy sessions, group therapy, educational workshops on addiction, and relapse prevention planning.
In addition to traditional treatment methods, some facilities offer holistic therapies such as meditation, yoga, and art therapy, recognizing the importance of treating the whole person.
The Importance Of Mental Health Resources
Recognizing that alcoholism is not solely a physical dependency but also a mental health problem is crucial. Access to more mental health resources, including therapy and counseling, can help individuals address underlying issues contributing to their alcohol use and develop healthier coping mechanisms.
These resources are vital in treating the emotional and psychological aspects of alcoholism, which often include stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders that may co-occur with substance abuse.
By providing a supportive environment for open discussion about mental health, individuals can gain insights into the emotional triggers that lead to drinking and learn new strategies for managing these triggers.
Therapy can also assist in repairing relationships damaged by alcohol abuse, rebuilding trust, and improving communication skills. In addition, counseling can offer guidance on how to establish a balanced life. You can set achievable goals and create a supportive network that fosters their long-term recovery.
Treatment programs need to integrate mental health services as a core component of addiction recovery, called dual diagnosis treatment. This integration ensures that individuals receive a holistic approach to their treatment, addressing all facets of their well-being.
As society continues to destigmatize mental health issues, the hope is that more people will feel empowered to seek the help they need without fear of judgment or stigma.
Ultimately, enhancing the availability and accessibility of mental health resources is a critical step in supporting the recovery journey of functioning alcoholics. Their lasting sobriety helps improve their mental health issues.
High Functioning Alcoholics: Is There Such A Thing?
High-functioning alcoholics can often seem to have it all together, balancing significant responsibilities while battling their addiction in silence.
Despite heavy drinking, they are typically individuals who seem to lead productive lives. They often excel in their careers, maintain social relationships, and uphold daily routines.
This can make it difficult is difficult for others and sometimes even for the individuals themselves to recognize the problem, as their success often masks the underlying issues.
We can help individuals struggling with high-functioning alcoholism by raising awareness and providing support. This will help them regain control of their lives and improve their overall life.
How to Help a Colleague (...Who is Also Recovering)
Helping someone in recovery from alcoholism is as simple as learning the signs and subtly helping.
But remember they are on a journey, not at the destination. Part of that journey includes being open about their lives but not praying too much. A casual “How are you doing today?” can go a long way.
Be Responsible Yourself First!
Help your co-workers make healthy choices by creating a clean, responsible environment.
Don’t go to work events where the primary focus is drinking, and don’t invite them to join if you do.
Be mindful of their limits; never encourage or force them to drink more than they feel comfortable with.
If they make the choice to leave an event because others are drinking too heavily, offer to accompany them.
Find Alternative Activities
Encourage them to engage in healthy activities, even if it is during office breaks. You can go for a walk with them at lunch or get involved together in a wellness group at work.
Not only do these kinds of activities help alleviate stress, but they also give your colleague something positive to focus their energy on.
Plus, showing that you’re willing to invest in their well-being as professionally appropriate helps build a stronger working relationship between the two of you and gives them an added source of support while they recover.
Do not Get Too Personal
But still, you need to draw the line and not become too personal with them. You should only keep any conversations limited to work-related topics unless they would like to share them with you.
Be mindful of their personal space as well because, in the end, it is their own recovery.
Supporting a colleague in recovering from alcoholism requires empathy, respect, and understanding.
By being a supportive colleague, you help to not only nurture their recovery but also help foster an inclusive and compassionate workplace. Remember, it’s the little things that mean a lot.
Conclusion
It’s crucial to understand that high-functioning alcoholism is a real and serious condition. When you acknowledge its existence, you take the first step towards addressing the unique challenges it presents.
With the right resources and support systems, you can improve functioning alcoholic individuals to live a life free from alcohol. You can find them the help they need to recover from alcohol dependency.
Therefore, you need to know about functional alcoholism and identify functional alcoholic individuals.
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