Is There Really a Natural Medicine that Can Help the Alcoholic?

In the world of natural medicine, they typically address and treat an illness as a whole body as well as spiritual, mental and emotional disorder. Alcoholism is considered a disease, and as such, should be treated in the same way you would any other.

Many naturopaths review the alcoholics overall nutritional deficiencies first. There are many facets to alcoholism, including genetics, but treating nutritional depletions in the body can often lead to the lack of the desire to drink within a few weeks. Guidelines for diet should include healthy legumes, fish, chicken, nuts, turkey and vegetables that are high in fiber. These foods assist in stabilizing the blood sugar which may be off in an alcoholics body. There are often symptoms of withdrawal, which can include craving sweets, low energy and possibly depression.

Helping the body with the assistance of supplements should be under the guidance of a naturopathic doctor or your major medical provider. Everyone is different and processes supplements differently. The B-complex vitamins will help restore liver functions and reduce the cravings for alcohol. The highest potency are the B-50 complex which has a combination of many of the B-vitamins. Alcoholics are often deficient in vitamin B-1 due to the fact that it is used in breaking down sugars, alcohol and carbohydrates. Vitamin B-3 (also known as niacin) assists in the reduction of alcohol cravings and stabilizes the mood. Vitamin C is usually in high quantity of those with healthy brains. It may alter the opiate receptor activities and therefore reduce interest in any form of self-medication.

Kudzu is an herb that has been found by the Harvard Medical School to reduce the desire to drink alcohol. In studies, the reduction was experienced within ninety minutes of taking a kudzu extract capsule.

Silumarin is an antioxidant and the ingredients are derived from the milk thistle herb. Known for improvement in liver function and blood sugar which are both heavily affected in long-term alcohol use.

N-acetylcysteine (also known as NAC) has been shown to be a promising supplement for alcoholism. In human studies, there were reduction in the desire of those who had cocaine addition.

Source: http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/natural-remedies/yes-natural-medicine-can-help-alcoholics

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.