The term “Holiday Blues” refers to the feelings of sadness some people feel during this time of year.  These feelings can be caused by the extra pressures and stresses associated with attending the usual gatherings and parties as well as by the gift decisions and shopping which need to be completed.  When people experience stress they sometimes tend to neglect their nutritional and rest needs.  This results in a decreased ability to manage everyday tensions in an effective manner.  The current economic times also creates extra tension as many people have had to cut back on their gift giving and general spending patterns.

One of the most important things you can do to help yourself to avoid or to minimize the effects of the holiday blues is to identify ways to maintain your inner resources.  Rather than pressure yourself to buy expensive gifts consider doing something for a loved one or friend.  Offer to provide child care so someone can go out and enjoy themselves.  Make something thoughtful that expresses your caring.  Eat nutritious food, drink a reasonable amount of water, and get enough rest.

In addition to experiencing the “Holiday Blues” some people get depressed this time of year.  Very often people miss loved ones and friends who have died.  This time of year might be the anniversary of the loss.  Many people are lonely this time of year and may spend the time having little or no contact with others.  Symptoms of clinical depression include:  crying easily or for no apparent reason; having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep; constipation or diarhea, trouble concentrating or remembering, thoughts of life not being worth living or of wanting to die; experiencing less pleasure than usual from your daily activites; giving away personal or cherished belongings.  If you or someone you know has several of these symptoms professional help is usually needed to make positive changes.     

Before ending I want to wish all of you a healthy and happy new year.

I welcome your comments and questions.

There are differing views about the the true nature of recovery.  Some people believe that recovery means cure.  Others think that recovery is about learning to live with “the condition”.  Besides the meaning we attribute to the word recovery, I am of the opinion that our beliefs and attitudes affect our behaviors and to think in terms of limitations and labels can hinder the extent of progress someone can experience.

Thinking about the specifics of what we each want to accomplish helps to define the goal(s) we want to achieve.  Our goals are usually accompanied by different challenges and varying degrees of successful outcomes.  Focusing on behaviors rather than labels offers the best chance for accomplishing positive results.  So, what does recovery actually mean and what gives each of us the best opportunity to realize our goals?

My understanding of recovery is that it represents a way of being that allows each of us to reach our fullest potential.  It develops out of an awareness of what we don’t want in our lives that is accompanied by a conscious intention to keep and/or to manifest what we do want.  From this perspective the term recovery implies the need to take an introspective approach to making changes in our life rather than allowing vague concepts and/or others’ ideas to overly influence us.  It also means that we must be willing and able to take full responsibility for attaining our recovery goals.   

To illustrate my point let’s consider someone who has a substance use, psychological or physical challenge.  These situations can develop over time or they can be introduced as a sudden and unexpected change into our daily lives.  They require a conscious and assertive decision to respond in addition to a well thought out plan of action.  Rather than overly focusing on the negatives it would be more productive and conducive to positive change to identify your specific goals and a strategy for accomplishing them.  One of the most important things to remember is that the existence of realistic limitations does not mean that you can not produce results that go beyond limitations that are hampered by outdated or short-sighted ideas.  More often than is currently realized are the unexpected treatment outcomes which occur such as someone being able to walk after they are told they will never walk again or a condition getting better from the use of improved nutrition.  We will never know how much we can accomplish until we try.  The key is to identify and treat the cause rather than just to focus on symptom management.

I welcome your questions and comments.       

In writing this article about addiction my focus is intended to be mostly on the idea of dependence as it relates to substance use.  In addition, it is important to recognize that relying on a substance for its relaxing or stimulating properties (i.e., psychological dependence) and/or physical dependence which manifests as withdrawal (i.e., uncomfortable to serious symptoms) after stopping the use or consumption of the substance is a common experience for many people.  Very often psychological and physical dependence are experienced together.  Before I explain my belief in the relationship between dependence and nutrition I will highlight the identified negative effects of alcohol and tobacco/nicotine use.

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant.  Very often people who drink too much eat poorly.  Alcohol impairs nutrient absorption and digestion.  Alcohol causes the pancreas, which secretes digestive juices, and the liver, which prepares nutrients either for immediate use or for storage and future use, to perform poorly.  Alcohol-induced liver damage can result in a serious condition known as alcoholic hepatitis, a painful liver inflammation that can cause death.  Alcohol inhibits the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins-A, D, and E and can also lead to deficiencies in Vitamins C and K and the B vitamins.  Alcohol leaches minerals from the bones which results in calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc deficiencies.  Chronic and excessive drinking can permanently damage the brain, nervous system, heart and pancreas.  Heavy drinkers are at an increased risk for stroke or heart attack because of raised blood pressure and heart rate.  Alcohol also seriously compromises the immune system which increases the risk of mouth, throat, liver, bladder and breast cancer.

Cigarettes contain over 4,000 chemical compounds of which, at least 40, are known causes of cancer.  Tar and carbon monoxide damage the lungs and air passages.  Smoking suppresses the appetite and the senses of smell and taste which can result in a poorly balanced diet.  Smoking a pack a day can decrease the amount of Vitamin C in the body by 50 per cent.  Smoking leaches calcium from the bones and smokers also need more folic acid and B vitamins than nonsmokers.  Smokers colds last longer and tend to experience frequent and painful sinus headaches.  Other effects from smoking include leg aches and cold toes and fingers due to poor circulation.

The foregoing information clearly suggests that consuming alcohol and using tobacco products, sooner or later, can have harmful health effects.  What can be further inferred from this information is that negative physical and/or psychological effects can also be caused by any other addictive substances as well as anything else (e.g., poor food choices, heavy metals, chemicals, emotional distress) which could place too much stress on our systems.  The solution is to assess your current health status and to determine what nutrients you might need to strengthen your mind, body and spirit.  I believe there is a lot of truth in the idea that we are what we eat and damage that we have done to ourselves can be repaired.  The key is to identify, to understand and to address the cause of a condition rather than just to focus on the symptom.             

I welcome your questions and comments.

An important part of recovery is the choices we make.  As we grow older and gain experience we are given many opportunities to apply our wisdom to important life decisions.  These decisions have the power of exerting significant influence on our health and life satisfaction.  I would like to relate a few of my past experiences to demonstrate how life provides guidance in unexpected ways.

Several years ago I received a phone call from my sister telling me that my father’s health condition had taken a turn for the worst and he was not expected to live much longer.  I quickly got in my car and drove to the nearest highway.  When I arrived at the first toll booth I explained my situation to the toll collector and requested permission to ignore the speed limit.  The toll collector said “no problem” and I was on my way.  Soon after that experience I had a revelation.  Specifically, I decided that I would no longer judge or allow myself to get angry when I saw other drivers speeding since it could very well be that they could be           experiencing an emergency of some kind.  Thus, I decided I would respond (i.e., calmly consider the circumstances) rather than react (i.e., spontaneously get angry) to this type of situation in the future.   

Some time ago I was driving through a park and saw a couple in a parked car arguing.  Soon the man started to physically strike the woman.  A passerby yelled at the man to stop hitting the woman.  The man got out of his car and took a knife with a long blade out from under the seat.  The “good samaritan” started to run.  The woman also got out of the car and yelled “that’s right, you better get out of here if you know what’s good for you”.  Ostensibly, the “good samaritan” initially chose to react (i.e., provide immediate assistance) rather than respond (i.e., perhaps consider the situation more carefully before intervening).  I am making this observation from within the context of hindsight and I do not intend any judgement of the “good samaritan’s” decision.

While I was recently having dinner with some friends I told them about the two experiences I just described.  One of those friends called me a few days later to tell me a story.  He said that while driving home from church another driver sped up behind him, pulled around his car, and cut him off while quickly driving away.  My friend’s initial REACTION was to go after the other driver, ”put my fist through his window and ……”.  At that moment he remember the stories I had recently told him and chose to respond by not allowing his anger to direct his behavior and he calmly drove home.

The essence of my point is that we generally make better decisions when we use our intellect rather than allow our emotions to guide alternatives regarding life satisfaction and/or life threatening circumstances.  Giving ourselves the chance to consider alternative outcomes offers us the best opportunity to decide what is truly best for our whole lives and serves our highest good.

I wish all of you a happy, healthy and safe holiday season.

As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

The title of this article refers to the reaction many people seem to be having to the results of the recent election.  For some there is disappointment and frustration.  For others there is anger and/or sadness.  And for others there is worry and concern.  All of these reactions are understandable and have the potential to contribute extra stress to your life.  I thought it would be helpful to provide some possible rationale for these reactions as well as some suggestions for managing them.

Some of the difficulties and challenges we are all currently facing (i.e., economic, national safety issues) threaten our sense of well-being on a regular basis.  When seen in relationship to our more usual, daily challenges (e.g., child care, flat tires, auto accidents, tension at work, holiday related tension etc.) it is no wonder that we are all having more difficulty managing our lives.  This cumulative effect of stress can be experienced as the following:  having trouble going to sleep and/or staying asleep; eating more or less than usual; worrying and thinking about possible solutions which results in excessive fatigue; alcohol and drug use; change in bathroom habits; being more or less responsible for completing daily responsibilities.

When we are not feeling right mentally, emotionally or physically it can be very difficult to do what we need to do to take care of ourselves.  In fact, it is very often doing the things that are difficult that would help us to feel better.  So the additional challenge is to push ourselves so that we can feel better.  This is an interesting contradiction!  You don’t feel well, but you have to push yourself to do the very thing(s) you don’t feel like doing to feel better.

One example of how this idea applies is a depressed person may not feel like getting out of bed.  However, getting out of bed is one of the necessary steps to feeling better.  With respect to what I am referring to as the “Election Blues” there are solutions we can use to help us manage the stress and tension any of us might be experiencing.  Rather than focus on our disappointment, frustration or anger about the election outcome we can identify ways we can make a difference.  We can remain or become politically active.  We can volunteer to participate in community based projects that reflect our values and that can make a difference for others.  Remaining or becoming involved with family and friends helps to give us a sense of belonging and security.  Engaging in a hobby or recreational activity helps to give us a positive perspective.  Eating healthy foods, exercising and including humor in our lives helps us to experience a sense of well-being.

I am basically suggesting that taking responsibility for our own happiness and peace of mind would give us some control over situations that we have a tendency to see as hopeless and entirely out of our control.  This, in turn, would result in an improved sense of well-being and life satisfaction.  This brighter outlook would then improve our perception of life and allow us to identify other solutions more easily.

I welcome your comments and questions.

Although it is common for us to have a thought before we speak, there are times we speak before we think.  Think about what?  The answer to this question is to think about our intended point and how we can communicate it in a manner that gives it the best chance of being heard.  For example, in a relationship when one of the people is drinking alcohol to excess the abstinent partner might yell something like, “You are so stupid, all you ever do is drink and make a fool of yourself”.  The intended/unspoken communication might be, “I care about you and I’m tired of seeing what you are doing to yourself”.  Very often there is an obvious difference between the spoken and the intended message which can result in a less than desired outcome.

Paralleling this situation is the one in which a professional might use certain words when speaking with someone who drinks alcohol to excess.  The professional might say something like, “It seems to me that I care more about you than you care about yourself.  I just want you to know that I am not going to work harder than you at your recovery”.  Another professional might say, “I can see that it is quite a struggle for you to stop drinking.  Let’s identify a strategy to help you stop drinking.”  The first comment can be perceived as blaming and might communicate the professional’s frustration.  The second comment might be heard as a statement which acknowledges the difficult challenge of changing long standing behavior and the accompanying intention to remain with the individual to identify and to implement a solution.

I have described the preceding scenarios to make a point about recovery and what I see as our professional obligation to do what we can to assist the people who seek our services to achieve their goals.  Specifically, I think it is imperative that we use language that encourages positve change and does not reinforce negative thinking patterns.  The people we serve who are faced with the challenge of drinking alcohol or using drugs to their detriment do enough of their own negative thinking.  It is my opinion that discouraging/blaming communication hampers recovery and strength-based/solution focused communication enhances the possibility of true recovery to occur in the quickest amount of time possible.

I welcome your comments and questions.

A lot has been written and talked about regarding how to stop using alcohol and/or drugs.  The medical approach uses medication not only to ease the symptoms of withdrawal but also to treat underlying psychological issues including depression and anxiety.  It is believed that minimizing the physical and psychological effects of substance use can help to deter ongoing use.  Two common psychological approaches include the use of cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing.  Changing how someone thinks and eliciting someone’s motivations to change, respectively, are thought to be powerful deterrents to use.  Individuals who face these challenges can be seen alone, with a partner or spouse as well as in groups.  Someone can receive assistance in a facility or as part of their usual daily routine in the community.  There are places i.,e., half-way and three-quarter houses where people live and receive varying degrees of supervision as they live a relatively unrestricted existence in the community.  Besides being involved in a formal treatment approach and/or setting many people attend self-help groups such as AA, Al-Anon, NAR-Anon, and Rational Recovery, just to name a few.  Given that so much help is available it is challenging to accept the continuing magnitude of alcohol and drug use.  Why haven’t all the treatment options resulted in a decrease or, at least, a leveling off of substance use?

I believe that part of the answer to this question lies in the benefits that nutrition can offer.  I am not only talking about eating vegetables and fruit, drinking a minimum of 8 glasses of water daily and staying away from trans fats.  My point is the need to replenish the physical body with nutrients that have been depleted by ongoing alcohol and drug use.  In addition, the physical damage that has occurred to the mind and body also has to be targeted and changed.  Any compromising of neurotransmitter function might be addressed through the use of amino acids.  Any physical damage to organs and glands might be managed by providing the nutrition that is necessary to rebuild and to restore optimal functioning.  If an individual’s digestive system has been compromised by years of substance use, helping to reverse the damage that has occurred could improve quality of life and decrease the need to use substances by decreasing and/or minimizing factors (i.e., physical and psychological) that could interfere with ongoing recovery.  I do not mean to imply that there is a way to achieve a quick and effortless recovery.   What I am proposing is that improving someone’s overall health could facilitate ongoing recovery by decreasing the need to use substances to cope with life’s stressors.            

For many years I have had an interest in the connection between nutrition and life satisfaction.  It is important to be aware that many of the ways our food is grown and prepared robs it of essential nutrients.  Some examples of this includes the fact that many of our foods are grown under conditions in which there is insufficient topsoil which does not contain adequate nutrients for the plant.  In addition, the use of chemicals favors high production, extended shelf life and minimal nutritional benefit.  Thus, the rhetorical question which follows is, if the crops do not receive the nutrients they need how can we?  This is an important consideration since we need good sources of nutrition in order to maintain our health and to experience maximum life satisfaction.

This is becoming an increasingly serious matter for all of us.  I will explain this point further.  To begin, let’s consider how pollution can affect our health through our food sources.  According to information in the news and published reports our oceans are becoming increasingly polluted over time.  This condition compromises that food source which provides vital nutrients including fish oils (i.e., essential fatty acids) and iodine.  Fish oils provide nutrition to the brain and iodine is essential to the healthy functioning of the thyroid gland.  A seemingly obvious connection that needs to be recognized is the one that exists between the depletion of these two food souces and the reported increases, respectively, in the incidence of Alzeimer’s, memory loss, overall brain function as well as the now rampant weight gain problems that many people face.  I am not saying that ocean pollution is primarily responsible for brain degeneration or thyroid problems.  However, it certainly appears to be a contributing factor.                 

To take this point to the next step let’s consider how difficulty with brain and thyroid function can, for example, affect relationships.  Clearly, compromised brain function can interfere with communication and the quality of time spent together.  Hypothyroidism (i.e., low thyroid functioning) can be a factor in depression.  An absence of adequate nutrients directly affects a gland’s health in two ways.  One is that the gland does not have the fuel it needs to operate at its optimal level.  The other is that over time the gland starts to deteriorate physically and begins to break down.  Upgrading the quality of food we eat and including whole food supplements in our diet can replenish needed nutrients and help us to enjoy a higher level of life satisfaction.    

We all have stress in our lives on a daily basis.  Stress becomes distressful when we are unable to manage it in a timely and effective manner.  This, in turn, can have any one of several possible effects.  Some of them include:  giving up; becoming irritated or angry; having disturbed sleep; changing our eating habits or patterns; feeling overwhelmed and/or unable to cope.

It is important to be as ready as possible to manage stressors on a daily basis rather than to always be on alert and in problem solving mode.  How can this be accomplished?  There is no 100% guarantee of always being able to respond in the most effective manner possible.  However, there are steps we can take to give ourselves the best chance of not becoming overwhelmed when faced with challenges. 

The better we take care of ourselves on a regular basis the greater is our ability to respond to stress efficiently and effectively.  This means that it is important for us to do our best to manage our psychological/emotional, physical and spiritual challenges.  For example, in our relationships and daily interactions with others it is important not to allow resentments to build.  One approach would be to say what is important to us in a timely and assertive manner.  This will help us to manage our emotions and prevent them from running our life.  To help take care of our physical health some of the things we can do are to eat healthy foods, to exercise, to get enough sleep, and to drink enough water each day.  Having a  spiritual belief and practice can also provide a source of inner peace and inner strength.  This may take any of several forms including, organized religion, contemplation, prayer, belief in a power or creator greater than ourselves, yoga and meditation.  Taking care of ourselves in each of these life areas gives us the best chance to be in balance and to be as ready and able as possible to manage our stressors on a daily basis.       

I welcome your comments and questions.

Have you ever thought about what your life would be like if you did not have any stress?  The answer to this question might surprise or even shock you.  Without the presence of stress in your life you would be dead.  This means that life without stress is not possible.  In fact, the presence or absence of stress in one’s life is not even the issue.  What is the most  important is how you handle the stress in your life.  Another way of saying this is it is not what happens that matters.  Rather, it is the extent to which you manage the stress that determines the degree to which you lead a healthy, productive and satisfying lifestyle.

Before identifying some useful stress management techniques let’s identify certain sources.  Examples of stress inducing experiences include and are not limited to the following:  sustaining property damage caused by a hurricane; being involved in an auto accident that causes damage to your car or physical pain; having tension in a personal or business relationship; making enough money and budgeting it to cover your bills; parenting responsibilities; any unexpected occurrences; health concerns; and weather temperature changes.  There are many others which could be listed here.  It is important to note that most sources of stress have some factors in common.  Very often they are unexpected, cause a disruption in one’s lifestyle, require us to adapt by providing immediate and ongoing attention to it and they don’t stop appearing in our life.

In order to manage life’s stressors as effectively as possible we need to develop and to maintain our psychological, physical, social and spiritual health.  This means having the most positive attitude possible and doing whatever we need to do to identify solutions to our challenges.  It is also important to take care of our health by eating right, getting enough rest and exercising with as much regularity as possible.  We need to maintain ongoing meaningful communication and contact with family, friends and any other people in our lives.  It would also be helpful to develop and to maintain a relationship with our creator, higher power and/or with a force that is greater than ourselves.  This can be accomplished by following an organized religion, a more general spiritual practice which may include spiritual readings, contemplation and prayer.