Sauna Program
We have learned that one of the biggest barriers in treating medication dependency is dealing with the physical damage caused by long-term drug use. Through this unique program, it is now possible to remove drug residuals and environmental toxins from the body for a return to a happy and healthy life.
The sauna program is an extensive cleansing that eliminates harmful toxins from the body while using vitamin supplements and oils to replenish and restore the body's natural reserves. A comprehensive regimen of exercise, specific vitamins and minerals, proper nutrition and intermittent sweating in a sauna is designed to eliminate drug residues from the body. This truly amazing process focuses directly on the body's detoxification pathways. The vast majority of stored toxins, including environmental toxins, are fat soluble. They therefore end up stored in fat cells. These toxins are capable of damaging DNA and other cellular materials, which leads to premature aging and genetic mutation. The toxins must be converted to a water soluble form to be excreted. The supplements we use are designed to do just that, and once they are in a water soluble form, they can be safely sweated out.
We offer group check ins so that that clients can talk about their concerns on a group level. Also, we participate in an outside anti depressant peer support group that is the only one of it's kind in the world. The group is open to individuals who are reducing other medications as well. We also have a life re-entry counselor who works weekly with the client to help align them with their passions in life so that they may live a fulfilling thriving life rather that just get a job to survive. If special need requires, we also have one on one counseling with a licensed therapist.
Lab Tests
Lab Tests May Include:
C.B.C. with differential --
Complete blood count with a percentage count of the five
major types of white blood cells. Increases or decreases
of these counts are used to diagnose certain medical
conditions, such as weakness, fatigue, bruising, anemia,
infection, and many other disorders.
T-3, T-4 -- These are tests for thyroid function. T4 and T3 are important hormones in the regulation of metabolism, produced by the thyroid, a gland located at the front part of the neck. The most common thyroid problems involve abnormal (over or under) production of thyroid hormones.
Highly sensitive T.S.H -- TSH is thyroid stimulating hormone. This is a screening test for abnormal thyroid function, which may include slowed rate of functioning by the body, causing mental and physical sluggishness.
Anti-thyroid antibodies - this is
yet another test to determine thyroid function and is part
of the thyroid panel.
Serum Zinc -- Test for amount of zinc in blood serum (the clear part of blood). Zinc is abundant in the brain and may function as a neurotransmitter (relaying signals from one nerve cell to another.) Zinc also enhances resistance to stress and helps maintain intellectual function, memory and mood levels. Deficiency can lead to headaches, lethargy, amnesia, other memory impairment, irritability, behavior disorders and paranoia.
Serum Copper -- Test for amount of copper in blood serum (the clear part of blood). Copper is an essential trace mineral, contained in many healthful foods. However, excessive levels are toxic to the body. Elevated copper can compromise the brain's access to its major source of fuel, and leave the brain neurons starved for energy. Multiple studies have found a correlation between excess copper and schizophrenia. Note: Copper excess has also been implicated in attention and hyperactivity disorders, learning problems, temper tantrums, depression, agitation, postpartum depression, and Autism.
Whole blood Histamine -- This test measures histamine, an organic compound that is released as part of the body's immune response, causing physiological changes including expansion of the blood vessels, contraction of smooth muscle (as in the airways), and production of increased stomach acids. The itching and sneezing typical of respiratory allergies are caused by the release of histamine.
S.G.O.T -- also known as the liver panel (series of tests), used to detect liver damage or disease. The liver plays a major role in metabolism and has a number of other functions in the body, including storage of short-term energy compounds, decomposition of red blood cells, creation of blood building blocks, and detoxification. The liver helps purify the blood by changing potentially harmful chemicals into harmless ones, and can be damaged by drugs, alcohol, and other toxins. Liver failure is fatal.
Plasma Catecholamines -- test for catecholamines in blood. Catecholamines are chemical compounds derived from an amino acid, one of twenty amino acids that play central roles both as building blocks of proteins and as intermediates in metabolism. They are neurotransmitters (relaying signals from one nerve cell to another.) High catecholamine levels in blood are associated with stress, which can be induced from psychological reactions or environmental stressors such as elevated sound levels, intense light, or low blood sugar levels.
B.U.N. -- Test for Blood Urea Nitrogen: This waste product from protein metabolism is formed in the liver and excreted by the kidneys. High BUN values could mean that the kidneys are not working as well as they should. Low BUN values are less frequent. They could be due to low protein intake, pregnancy, or severe liver failure.
Serum Serotonin -- Tests for Serotonin in blood serum (the clear part of blood), which acts as a neurotransmitter involved in the control of pain perception, the sleep-wake cycle, and mood. In the body, serotonin acts to constrict blood vessels and stimulate muscles to move. Low levels of serotonin may be associated with several physical and psychological disorders. Serotonin is produced mostly in the stomach. One cannot take serotonin as a supplement, but one can take supplements that will be combined by the body to make serotonin.
Fasting Blood sugar -- FBS measures
blood glucose after you have not eaten for at least 8 hours.
It often is the first test done to check for diabetes.
Glucose comes from carbohydrate foods and is the main source
of energy used by the body. Blood glucose levels that remain
high over time can damage your eyes, kidneys, nerves, and
blood vessels.
This highly astute analysis goes well beyond the typical lab testing, and yields information which may not have been revealed at any time prior in the clients life.
Helpful Links and Books
Label Me Sane products.
This organization makes products for drug and medication withdrawal. We
proudly use their products as well as lean upon the wisdom of this
forerunner in the art of medication tapering. They can be contacted at
(866) 605-2333. www.labelmesane.com
Julia Ross' Mood Cure Diet.
This book is a comprehensive approach for treating mood disorders
through diet. She also explains various lab tests valuable in
detecting underlying causes of anxiety, fatigue, sensitivity, and
depression. More can be learned at www.moodcurediet.com
Gwen Olsen Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher.
This former drug sales representative gives a insiders look on how the
pharmaceutical industry operates in her book. She can be contacted at www.gwenolsen.com/
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Residential Treatment
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Our facility is a residential setting. The
front desk is staffed 24 hours a day, and no
one but staff and residents is allowed to come
in the facility.
The rooms are generally single or double rooms,
depending on availability. We provide meals
3 times per day on weekdays and twice on weekends,
and we keep a stocked refrigerator in the taper
room for between-meal snacks. |
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Courses Available |
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Clinical nutrition Course
In order for client to take the knowledge of proper health and retain it, we proudly provide a clinical nutrition course. This course is companion to the book Brain Chemistry Diet by Dr. Michael Lesser M.D. Not only do clients then learn the significance of their lab tests, but also learn about the nutrients they are taking and why. Doing so gives them the reality of understanding what nutrients help their situation. The course also explains how certain bad food choices lead to mood disorders, and how to offset addictive biochemistry with whole foods. The course also defines personality types, what their strengths are as well as how they break down under stress, and what methods may be employed to achieve balance.
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Yoga Therapy
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Most of us are guilty of getting lost in our heads. For a person withdrawing from drugs or medication, this can be a real problem. We have found that one of the best ways to get out of your head is to get into your body. Exercise, breathing techniques and yoga are ideal ways to get into and to celebrate being in your body.
Stretching and exercise help release the toxins in the body. Increasing blood flow causes toxins to be pushed out of small blood vessels and into larger ones. Once this happens, the larger vessels flow blood to the liver, where it is detoxified, and wastes are excreted.
Increased breathing also causes a physiological change. People who are anxious often have short, shallow breathing. This results in carbon dioxide buildup, which is a waste product of oxygen exchange. Increased carbon dioxide causes more anxiety. This is quite possibly one of the mechanisms behind a panic attack. Deep breathing, and increased breathing due to exercise, helps force out stale air resulting in higher oxygenation and often relieves mental tension.
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Orthomolecular Nutrition
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Orthomolecular is defined as straight or
correct chemistry. This can be further defined
as providing the optimum molecular concentrations
of naturally occurring substances to achieve
mental health. Put simply, whole foods equal
whole minds. We have been persuaded by the
food industry to eat foods that have been
altered from their original raw state to
a highly refined and dead state that, even
though we eat ourselves full, leaves us malnourished
Since the brain uses more blood oxygen and
more nutrients than any organ in the body,
it is the first to feel the effects of nutrient
deficiency, far before the physical effects
occur. These dead products that would by
themselves taste horrible are then sweetened
and artificially colored and flavored thereby
tricking us to actually ingesting them. "As
long as food processing continues to strip
out essential nutrients, there will be no
letup in the creation of chronic ill health."-
Abram Hoffer
To alleviate this problem, we provide a diet of whole foods and eliminate white rice, white flour, sugar, and caffeine.
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Medication Tapering |
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Most clients know from previous occasions that abrupt cessation of their medications can have disastrous consequences. Tapering medication gives one's neurology time to adjust, and time for the nutritional alternatives to build up in their system. For opiates, this can comfortably take place through the use of suboxone and endorphin building nutrients in one month. Other medications may take ten weeks or longer. Each step is designed to be gentle and to work in concert with the neurotransmitter building supplements.
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