Nutrition Combats Alcoholism
Ivanhoe Broadcast News
March 28, 2005
MINNEAPOLIS (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- A recent study by the Rand Corporation shows, four years after quitting drinking, 93 percent of alcoholics resume drinking. Now some experts say refueling the brain with nutrition could be what it takes to kick the habit for good.
After a series of tragic events, stress got the best of Sue. "I would drink to get to sleep at night," Sue says. "I would drink because I thought it would get rid of this horrible depression I had, that sort of thing." Her drinking spun out of control.
After seeing many friends fail to recover with the standard 12-step approach, Sue wanted something different. She found it with Joan Matthews-Larson, Ph.D., a nutritionist and author of the book, "Seven Weeks to Sobriety: The Proven Program to Fight Alcoholism Through Nutrition." Twenty years ago, Matthews-Larson started Health Recovery Center -- a rehab program focused on fixing the alcoholic brain's chemical imbalance -- in Minneapolis.
Matthews-Larson says the alcohol keeps the brain from producing its own mood-boosters. She found diet can help. More specifically, high protein foods like chicken, fish and eggs reduce cravings for starchy foods, including alcohol. Since the brain is made of fat; olive oil, butter, yogurt, cheese and omega-3 fatty acids help with neurological repair. Finally, supplements are used to target individual deficiencies.
"For alcoholics, within the first week [of treatment], usually, cravings have stopped completely," Matthews-Larson says.
Her program worked for Sue. Now, Sue says she thinks clearly and has more energy than ever before. "I wouldn't be doing what I am today if I hadn't gone through the program at Health Recovery Center," she says. "There's absolutely no doubt about that."
The Health Recovery Center's program takes about six weeks and costs about $10,000. To learn more about the health recovery center, log onto http://www.ivanhoe.com/alternativehealth.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Health Recovery Center
(800) 554-9155
http://www.healthrecovery.com/
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.