If you are curious as to the effects of alcohol on the body, this could be the most eye-opening article you will ever read.

Many of us associate the effects of alcohol on the body with the heart, lungs, liver, brain, memory, etc. Furthermore, if asked about effects of drinking alcohol in terms of our fitness goals, most people will let you know about the infamous beer belly.

You know what I’m talking about right?

Drink too much and you end up storing too many calories as fat.

Many people will choose low calorie alcohol drinks or low carb alcoholic beverages in an attempt to avoid the fat storage issue. They feel that by making this choice the only bad effects of alcohol – increased fat storage – will be minimized.

But what you didn’t know is that only about 5% of the calories from alcohol are stored as fat! [14]

Then it hit me as it should hit you right about now…

The effects of alcohol on the body are far more damaging than can be predicted by the number of empty calories in some alcoholic beverage.

The truth is…

1- Alcohol really affects the amount of fat your body can and will burn for energy!

In a study done by the American Journal of Clinical Research [4] they concluded that just a mere 24g of alcohol consumption showed whole-body lipid oxidation ( the rate at which your body burns fat) decreased by a whopping 73%!

When alcohol goes thru the liver, the by-product is called Acetate. It would appear that acetate puts the proverbial brakes on fat burning.

Your body can use many types of fuel. Protein, carbohydrates and fat. In many cases, the fuel used is dictated by it’s availability.

Trouble is…

Your body tends to use whatever you feed it for fuel right? As your acetate levels increase, your body burns more acetate as fuel.

What this means is…

Fat burning takes a back seat!

What it all boils down to is this…

a) You consume a couple of alcoholic drinks or more. b) Your liver metabolizes that into acetate. c) Your body uses the acetate for fat as fuel.

2- Increase in appetite

In another American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study, there was evidence to suggest that consumption of alcohol lead to an increase in appetite over that of any other carbohydrate type drink. [5]

Researchers over in the Research Department of Human Nutrition and Center for Advanced Food Studies in Denmark [8] concluded that consumption of alcoholic beverages, and wine in particular, may enhance total energy intake at a meal relative to a soft drink, when served with no restriction.

3- Decrease in Testosterone and an Increase in Cortisol

A study of 8 healthy male volunteers observed that after drinking alcohol, the effects of a significant decrease in testosterone and an increase in cortisol (a muscle destroying hormone) lasted up to 24 hours! [6]

The only real question to ask yourself is this…

If you are serious about building muscle and burning fat, you want all the free testosterone levels you can get and you want to reduce cortisol in any way you can. That means go lite on the drinking because it does affect your hormones.

What more…

Is that the effects were even worse if you exercise before drinking. [1] This means that if you are going out and will be drinking more than a small amount of alcohol, you might as well skip the gym.

Not shocking is a study done by the Department of Radiology, Sahlgrenska Hospital, Goteborg, Sweden [2] that determined increased waist to hip ratio of alcoholics may include not only changes in adipose tissue, but also in muscle tissue distribution.

In layman’s terms.. that means more fat around the waist and less overall muscle mass.

Look for Part 2 of this article to learn the other 4 reasons why excessive alcohol might destroy your muscle gains and hinder your fat loss.

About The Author

Marc David

Do you suffer from any of these effects of alcohol on your body? Who else wants to discover the simple but proven methods of nutrition and training that will allow you burn fat and build muscle quickly? Sign up for Marc David’s Crash Course on Bodybuilding at http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com

Technorati Tags: effects of alcohol

Gun Safety
 by: Robert Dybzinski

There are 21,700,000 websites on the subject of GUN SAFETY. If that doesn’t tell you just how important this subject is…nothing will! Police Departments all around the country, medical groups, gun safety organizations (including the NRA), and thousands of other agencies, organizations, and associations have all dedicated websites to this subject.

Articles appear discussing the 10 commandments of gun safety, 47 rules of gun safety, what kids should be taught about gun safety, what parents should know about gun safety, and millions of other helpful hints, tips, rules, commandments, etc.

But… there is one common theme that is present in every article referencing gun safety and that is this… if you have a gun in your home it should be stored in a gun safe or minivault, you should have a trigger lock for your gun, ammunition should be stored in a separate place, and you should keep the key in a safe place where no one can find it but you!

How else do you account for the fact that over 40,000 kids bring a gun to school each year?
How else do you account for the fact that there are almost as many deaths each year from gunshot wounds as by auto accidents?
How else do you account for the fact that most teen suicides are caused by guns?

In a modern world where guns and gun violence can be seen virtually every minute of every day on TV, in the movies, and on video games, what message are we sending if we fail to educate and inform our children about gun safety?

When do we start? Experts tell us that when a child is first aware that guns exist is the time for the education process to begin. None of us would ever let our small kids play on a busy street. But many of us, especially those of us who have guns in our homes, wait until it is way too late to talk to our kids about gun safety. Is there anything more inquisitive than a child? Thinking back to when we were kids ourselves, what is one of the absolutely first things we did when we were left alone? We started to explore! Honestly now, didn’t you know where more things were in your house than your parents did? Weren’t they always asking you where something was? Well, not much has changed in the meantime!

If you have a gun stored in a dresser drawer…get a gun safe!

If you have a gun hidden under your pillow…get a gun safe!

If you have a gun sitting on top of the refrigerator…get a gun safe!

I have spent the better part of my career as a Public Safety Director. The amount of times that my Police Department responded to calls for service where a gun was involved is staggering! I learned several very important lessons:

Guns and alcohol do not mix.
Guns and depression do not mix.
Guns and domestic altercations do not mix.
Guns and children do not mix.
And finally…and most importantly…you do not get a second chance to do the right thing!

You have a chance to do the right thing today! If you don’t have one, get a gun safe or minivault. If a close friend, relative or neighbor you know has a gun, these also make excellent gifts and show that you care. An old axiom states that there are lies, damned lies, and statistics! Don’t let someone you love become a statistic. Secure your gun—TODAY!

There are 21,700,000 websites on the subject of GUN SAFETY. If that doesn’t tell you just how important this subject is…nothing will! Police Departments all around the country, medical groups, gun safety organizations (including the NRA), and thousands of other agencies, organizations, and associations have all dedicated websites to this subject.

Articles appear discussing the 10 commandments of gun safety, 47 rules of gun safety, what kids should be taught about gun safety, what parents should know about gun safety, and millions of other helpful hints, tips, rules, commandments, etc.

But… there is one common theme that is present in every article referencing gun safety and that is this… if you have a gun in your home it should be stored in a gun safe or minivault, you should have a trigger lock for your gun, ammunition should be stored in a separate place, and you should keep the key in a safe place where no one can find it but you!

How else do you account for the fact that over 40,000 kids bring a gun to school each year?
How else do you account for the fact that there are almost as many deaths each year from gunshot wounds as by auto accidents?
How else do you account for the fact that most teen suicides are caused by guns?

In a modern world where guns and gun violence can be seen virtually every minute of every day on TV, in the movies, and on video games, what message are we sending if we fail to educate and inform our children about gun safety?

When do we start? Experts tell us that when a child is first aware that guns exist is the time for the education process to begin. None of us would ever let our small kids play on a busy street. But many of us, especially those of us who have guns in our homes, wait until it is way too late to talk to our kids about gun safety. Is there anything more inquisitive than a child? Thinking back to when we were kids ourselves, what is one of the absolutely first things we did when we were left alone? We started to explore! Honestly now, didn’t you know where more things were in your house than your parents did? Weren’t they always asking you where something was? Well, not much has changed in the meantime!

If you have a gun stored in a dresser drawer…get a gun safe!

If you have a gun hidden under your pillow…get a gun safe!

If you have a gun sitting on top of the refrigerator…get a gun safe!

I have spent the better part of my career as a Public Safety Director. The amount of times that my Police Department responded to calls for service where a gun was involved is staggering! I learned several very important lessons:

Guns and alcohol do not mix.
Guns and depression do not mix.
Guns and domestic altercations do not mix.
Guns and children do not mix.
And finally…and most importantly…you do not get a second chance to do the right thing!

You have a chance to do the right thing today! If you don’t have one, get a gun safe or minivault. If a close friend, relative or neighbor you know has a gun, these also make excellent gifts and show that you care. An old axiom states that there are lies, damned lies, and statistics! Don’t let someone you love become a statistic. Secure your gun—TODAY!

About The Author

Robert Dybzinski, owner of www.gun-locks-safes.com spent 10 years serving as the Director of Public Safety in my community. One of the greatest concerns expressed to him by members of his Police Department was the securing of their guns, firearms and other weapons in their homes while off-duty. He created a website to not only educate but to put gun safes in every home that has guns.

Technorati Tags: facts about alcohol

There are a number of tests and tools used to identify possible alcoholism symptoms. Many of these tools are self-administered or professionally administered questionnaires. These are designed to help the alcohol abuser identify his or her own symptoms of addiction.

There are five major tests used by addiction counselors and alcohol abuse programs. These include the CAGE questionnaire, the Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire, the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and the Paddington Alcohol Test. To learn more about each one, keep reading.

The CAGE

The CAGE Questionnaire is an acronym based on the four simple questions that it uses. It is a popular test because it’s simple and often takes seconds to administer. To identify or diagnose addiction, a respondent must answer “yes” to two of the following questions. Have you ever thought you should cut down on drinking? Have your family and friends ever addressed or criticized your drinking? Do you feel guilty about your drinking? Do you ever need a drink to start your day or to alleviate a hangover?

The person is then initially diagnosed with alcoholism if answering “yes” to two or more of the above questions. It’s designed specifically for alcoholism and not intended to be used to identify other drug dependencies.

The ADDQ (Alcohol Dependence Data Questionnaire)

The ADDQ not only attempts to identify alcohol dependence, but also determine the severity of that dependence. It’s a little more comprehensive than other tests and typically takes a few minutes to administer.

The ADDQ is used mostly throughout Europe and the UK, but it’s also utilized in some areas of the United States. It consists of 15 questions and actually gives respondents a score on a scale of 0 to 45. A score that comes in higher than 20 typically infers a high level of alcohol dependence.

The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST)

The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test is used primarily by the justice system as a way of determining an individual’s dependence on alcohol and is often used when considering sentencing for any alcohol-related offenses.

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test was first developed by the World Health Organization. It is administered all over the world and is the official test in six countries.

AUDIT is comprised of ten simple questions. The first group of questions deals with alcohol consumption levels, the next focuses on alcohol dependence and the remaining group covers alcohol related issues or problems.

The Paddington Alcohol Test

The PAT was created for emergency health workers to use when dealing with someone who had a possibly alcohol-related injury or was in the ER due to hazardous drinking. It’s intended to identify alcohol abuse issues so that the patient may be directed to the proper care and resources.

These five tests are each intended to determine a respondent’s level of dependence on alcohol and associated alcoholism symptoms. Each has been validated, is used in the field and is designed for a particular purpose.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trevor_R._Price

Binge drinking is most often linked to college campus fraternity parties, dorm escapades and athletic event celebrations. Walking down the street on the campus of the University of Wisconsin on our way to Camp Randall Stadium for a football game, we see the young men hanging out dorm rooms, frat houses and apartment buildings, guzzling beer and ten sheets to the wind at 11:00 in the morning. Call it a right of passage, or just something young men in college do, but it has potential for being very deadly. Beyond drunk is alcohol poisoning and the party is over.

Simply put, alcohol poisoning is the body absorbing too much alcohol over a short period of time. The college campus binge drinking is a good example, but it happens just about anywhere, any time. It can also be caused by drinking ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, or methyl alcohol (wood alcohol). Home made alcohol such as moonshine or white lightning can be potentially very dangerous. The body can only take so much. Because alcohol depresses the central nervous system, massive amounts of alcohol, or the wrong kind of alcohol in heavy amounts, not only can cause a person to pass out, but stop breathing as well.

The slowing of breathing is just one sign of trouble. Before they pass out, a person might have vomiting, be confused or in a kind of drunken stupor, their temperature might drop and their skin might have a “blue” tinge to it. They may experience seizures. Even if all of these symptoms are not present, alcohol poisoning might still be happening. If someone has had way too much and passes out, they may be at risk of dying.

Binge drinking at parties is intentional, but alcohol poisoning can occur quite unintentionally. Take for example the child who drinks a household product like mouthwash, or an over-the-counter medication. Their little system may not handle the ethanol content in those. Other products like rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol), or hand sanitizers, or other cleaning products are dangerous. Kids have been known to drink antifreeze.

Most alcohol poisoning cases are, however, from drinking too much alcoholic beverage. Your body can probably handle a 12-ounce beer and eliminate the alcohol from your body in about an hour, if you don’t have another beer. But what if you have three or four beers in an hour, which is not at all uncommon? What if you have a few beers each our over several hours? Your blood alcohol content is going to go up. Take this simple fact and accelerate it, as in the case of binge drinking, and you can see the potential for trouble. The body just can’t keep up. Even after you stop drinking, your blood alcohol level can go up because the stomach passes the beer into your colon.

So often at college parties where the beer is flowing, maybe people are doing shots, there’s always that one person who passes out drunk. “Oh, there’s Hal, he’s passed out. Let him sleep.” His friends don’t necessarily think he’s in trouble. Maybe he’s not, but alcohol poisoning is serious business. One thing to do if you suspect your friend is in trouble is to call 911, or call 800-222-1222, which will connect you to a local poison control center. Just letting him sleep is not a good idea. The help on the phone will guide you through the process and instruct you on what to do. They will probably ask you what he has been drinking, so offer that information. One thing not to do is let your friend vomit. Remember that his central nervous system is depressed and his gag reflex might be impaired. He might choke to death.

Alcohol poisoning requires medical intervention and some of the treatments include oxygen treatment, airway precautions to prevent him from choking and help him breathe, intravenous fluids (alcohol causes dehydration) and even dialysis to rid the blood of alcohol and toxins. If a person has really consumed a lot of alcohol, the first 24 hours of this treatment can be touchy.

The way to prevent alcohol poisoning is moderation. But sometimes “moderation” is a meaningless word. What is moderation? As a guideline, it’s one drink a day for women and two drinks for men. It’s a 12-ounce beer, or 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor. For an alcoholic, moderation means nothing. People with the disease can’t stop drinking and, therefore, are at risk of alcohol poisoning.

The guy passed out at a frat party, or the alcohol abuser who’s had a very bad day, or the alcoholic who craves a drink when they get up in the morning, are not in a position to help themselves necessarily, and so it becomes necessary for friends, family and co-workers to assist. They may look like they’re peacefully sleeping it off when they’re passed out on the couch, but it’s only when they don’t get up when we realize something was wrong.

Am I my brother’s keeper? Yes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ned_Wicker

Although the use of the term ‘alcoholism’ is common, it has varying definitions. It usually refers to any condition which causes a person to keep drinking alcohol despite the evident negative medical and social consequences. The compulsion to drink alcohol, and a lack of awareness of the negative effects of heavy drinking are also referred to as ‘alcoholism’. Not all definitions of alcoholism specify that recent or continuous intake of alcohol is a required, and some note the long-term effects of alcoholism such as
symptoms of withdrawal.

The behaviour regarding alcohol consumption which leads to alcoholism varies wildly. It is impossible to predict the probability of becoming an alcoholic based on drinking habits, though obviously some alcohol intake is required. The biological processes which cause alcohol dependence are not fully understood, though influences such as mental health, genetic predisposition and social surroundings have been researched.

The word ‘alcoholism’ was first used in Sweden by Dr. Huss in 1849, but it was not brought into common usage until the 1940s with the founding of the Alcoholics Anonymous. The AA didn’t have a clear definition for the disease, so they likened it to a kind of allergy.

A study done in 1960 by Dr. Jellinek put forward the modern theory that alcoholism is a disease. Although the medical definition in usage has been altered since, the perception of alcoholism as a disease has a large influence and following. A few medical experts still content that alcoholism is not a disease and refer to it instead as ‘heavy drinking’ when talking about alcohol dependence.

Multiple tools are available to those wishing to conduct screening for alcoholism. Identification of alcoholism may be difficult because there is no detectable physiologic difference between a person who drinks frequently and a person with the condition. Identification involves an objective assessment regarding the damage that imbibing alcohol does to the drinker’s life compared to the subjective benefits the drinker perceives from consuming alcohol. While there are many cases where an alcoholic’s life has been significantly and obviously damaged, there are always borderline cases that can be difficult to classify.

The primary effect of alcoholism is to encourage the sufferer to drink at times and in amounts that are damaging. The secondary damage caused by an inability to control one’s drinking manifests in many ways.

It is common for a person suffering from alcoholism to drink well after physical health effects start to manifest. The physical health effects associated with alcohol consumption may include cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis, epilepsy, polyneuropathy, alcoholic dementia, heart disease, increased chance of cancer, nutritional deficiencies, sexual dysfunction, and death from many sources.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eddie_Philips

Are you tired of carrying that extra weight around your middle? Well, here are some tips that can help you quickly lose weight and inches off that potbelly. That’s right, there may be a way for you to have a flatter stomach without doing those dreaded crunches. Here are some things that can positively impact your midriff , helping you lose pounds and inches without even breaking a sweat.

Belly Fat Busting Tip #1

Increase your protein and decrease your carbohydrates. Increasing the amount of lean protein you eat and reducing carbs can deliver a one-two punch right to the belly! You see, carbohydrate tend to increase your insulin level, which can slow down your metabolism. Since the body can only metabolize just so much carbohydrates at once, the rest is converted to sugar and then turned into body fat.

Of course, increasing your protein doesn’t mean overeating. Just have 3-4 oz of lean protein with every meal… yes, even breakfast… and eat the protein first. This kicks your metabolism up a few notches as your body must work harder and expend more energy to digest protein. Throw in an extra helping of vegetables to add more fiber and moisture to your digestive process, and that should keep things moving along nicely. This is the first step to quick weight loss around your belly.

Belly Fat Busting Tip #2

Reduce your alcohol consumption. I know, for some of you this may be asking a lot, but it can make a huge difference to your waistline. While alcohol provides no nutrients whatsoever, each gram of alcohol contains 7 calories. And 100% of the calories you consume through alcohol is stored as fat! That means every alcoholic beverage you consume– whether it’s a few drinks per day or a few drinks per week– is converted to fat, usually around the belly.

Now, you don’t have to give up all libations in order to bust your belly fat, but cutting back to just one or two drinks a couple of times a week will pay huge dividends to your belly fat busting account.

Belly Fat Busting Tip #3

When it comes to junk-food… pick two and you’re through! To bust your belly fat, you must become the master of your junk food domain! That means pick one salty junk food item, and one sweet junk food item to keep in your house. The rest of that junk food will simply have to go. Then give yourself only one meal per week during which you will eat a small amount of your chosen salty snack food, and one meal per week for your sweet snack food.

Here’s an example. Once a week for dinner I give myself 7-large, restaurant style, plain nacho chips along with fat-free refried beans, 1oz of reduced-fat, grated cheddar cheese, 4oz of boneless, skinless chicken breast strips seasoned with packaged taco seasoning, some shredded lettuce, and all the Salsa I can eat. Add to that, colorful napkins and Celia Cruz on the CD player… and my wife and I enjoy a weekly, guilt-free, Latin Fiesta!

I have my fatty, snack-food chips every week, yet it doesn’t add an inch to my waistline. Why? Well, for one thing, I set the amount of this snack-food to a moderate level. In this case, 7-chips, which contains 140 calories and 7 grams of fat. Plus, I incorporated this snack-food into a fun and tasty high-protein meal. The fat-free, refried beans are protein, and so are the reduced-fat cheese and chicken. The shredded lettuce and salsa (tomatoes) are high-grade catabolic foods — foods that burn up more calories to digest, than they actually supply when eaten.

My weekly sweet snack is a large pancake and syrup on Saturday mornings. I have it along with 3 strips of turkey bacon and a scrambled egg. Of course, it could be anything sweet that you enjoy. A slice of apple pie a la mode, a candy bar… you name it. But again, eat it only once a week with a specific meal, and in moderation. Have your sweet snack as dessert at the end of a high protein meal that includes high-grade catabolic vegetables such as Broccoli, carrots, spinach, sweet potato, zucchini, or tomatoes. Since your metabolism increases 30% above it’s resting level to burn protein… and the catabolic foods burn up their own calories as well as some of the calories from any other food you eat along with it… there’s a good chance most of the calories from your moderate junk-food snack will be burned while your body is digesting the protein & catabolic foods that make up the bulk of your meal. Having a junk-food snack only two times per week with a specific meal, will play a major role in busting your belly fat and trimming inches from your waistline.

Belly Fat Busting Tip #4

Exercise is another way to bust belly fat… but that doesn’t mean you have to do those dreaded crunches or go work out at the gym. Personally, I dislike structured exercise with a passion. And I seriously considered omitting exercise from this article altogether.

Although I am going to mention exercise, this is all I’m going to say about it. If you like structured exercise such as walking on a treadmill, going to an aerobics class, etc., then go for it. A half hour to 45 minutes, three times a week will certainly help bust your belly fat.

However, if that kind of exercise is unpalatable to you, then do what I do. I give myself a couple of projects to do around the house every week. Clean out the garage, hand-wash the car, sweep and hose the patio, do some work in the yard, etc… any activity that will keep you moving, reaching, bending, pulling, and contracting your muscles for 30-45 minutes is EXERCISE! The added benefit is instead of just having a sweaty body and some burned calories to show for it… you’ll also have a clean patio, a shiny car, a beautiful garden, and a neatly organized closet to boot. )

The point I’m making is, housework counts, yard work counts, garage & closet clean up work counts as EXERCISE as far as your body is concerned. Just schedule 1-2 of these kinds of physical projects every week shortly after eating a meal rich in catabolic/fat burning foods, and your results could far out-strip that of the poor schmoe working out down at the gym. You see, any physical exercise you engage in after eating catabolic foods will continue boosting your metabolism and burning calories at a faster rate during, and for several hours AFTER exercising.

Rest assured, the exercise you engage in doing physical projects will burn lots of extra calories and bust more belly fat than you can shake a stick at. Of course, your aerobics instructor down at the gym may not give you credit for it, but your metabolism will certainly add it to your balance sheet by burning more calories, losing more weight, and firming & toning your muscles.

About The Author

Sterling Winterhalter is a former health educator and healthcare writer. He has written educational booklets on numerous health issues including weight loss, nutrition, diabetes, and coronary artery disease. To download a FREE copy of his new book “The 30-Day Success Diet” go to: http://www.freeweightlosshelp.reallyyoucan.com.

Technorati Tags: facts about alcohol

In order to cure alcoholism it is first necessary to wipe out the addiction to alcohol. A doctor views alcoholism as a disease, the definition of which is a mental or physical state which interferes with the normal workings of the body. Disease in general can lead to a feeling of discomfort, dysfunction, disturbed behavior, syndromes, distress or it can even result in causing death.

In general, as the name would suggest, alcoholism will prevent the patient from kicking the habit of alcohol consumption. The patient’s craving for alcohol would be similar to our actual need for water and will tend to continue consuming alcohol even though his health will be put at risk. The signs soon tell in the patient’s behavior as he becomes more defiant and the withdrawal symptoms more obvious and should the vital organs get damaged, then death is not far away.

When it comes to actually looking for a cure to alcoholism, guilt will play a major factor as the urge to drink alcohol starts earlier in the day and the quantities increase with the hope of just forgetting the matter at hand. This is the point when medical support should be contemplated in order to cure alcoholism.

Screening and Diagnosis: At first the normal symptoms of alcoholism such as memory loss, dyspepsia, pain and weakness could actually be confused with similar signs of old age. So a Doctor will confirm his suspected diagnosis by prescribing a screen test as well as the patient having to fill out a standard questionnaire.

Withdrawal Symptoms: Should an alcoholic be denied access to alcohol at a fixed hour, then you will begin to see withdrawal symptoms set in such as sickness, head aches, pains, uneasiness etc. This state of mind can be confirmed by either the patient or someone very close to him.

Blood Alcohol Tests: This test is important to show what the alcohol consumption is at any particular time and is carried out in DUI accident cases. Although this test gives some insight, it does not give any clear indication of problems caused by long term alcohol consumption.

Tests should also be carried out on the kidneys, liver and for reduced testosterone levels (in men), in order to establish how alcohol has become a determining factor in damaging our health. The red blood cells are also tested to see if they have become larger, as this is a symptom of alcoholism. Another test indicates “carbohydrate-deficient transferring”, which is also another symptom of heavy alcohol consumption.

Treatment: The negative factor with alcoholics is that they will always deny having alcohol addicted related health problems. The main reason being that they know quite well that it would lead to them having to give up their daily dosage of alcohol. It is so important that family and friends insist on initiating treatment to stop this terrible developing into something even more damaging. There are several treatments available depending on each individual, although in general it will consist of either an outpatient program or a residential inpatient treatment.

Evaluating the Level of Dependence: First of all we have to establish the level of dependency to alcohol as a certain craving level may still exist. Counseling is an ideal way to find out just where stand, followed by an alcohol reduction plan to help overcome the body’s negative response.

Intervention by Specialists: Normal practice involves specialized alcohol addiction medics determining a specific treatment strategy. This will of course include counseling with relative behavior therapy, prevention therapy, the identification of paranoidism and beliefs that lead to psychological stress, learning how to cope with traumatic events, learning how to put mind over matter, behavioral modification techniques, the use of self-help manuals. Once all this has been put into practice then it is time for follow-up care in a treatment center.

Residential Alcoholism Cure: If you realise that you life has become dependent on alcohol, then just reducing the quantity of alcohol consumed may not prove to be effective. You should consider the option of going to a residential treatment program such as curing alcoholism, individual and group therapy, abstinence, taking part in alcoholism help groups, educational chats on alcoholism cures etc.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eddie_Philips

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How To Cleanse Your Body Of Candida
 by: Gray Rollins

Candida Cleansing

Candida Albicans is a naturally occurring yeast, or fungus, that is commonly found in everybody’s intestines, throat, mouth, genitals and urinary tract. When friendly bacteria and a properly functioning immune system are not present, balance of the system may be lost and Candida overgrowth may occur.

Its overgrowth is thought to be a frequent complication or even a causative factor in many of today’s illnesses. The condition was most widely publicized by Dr. William Crook in his 1983 book, called The Yeast Connection. Other names for this overgrowth of yeast in the body include candida-related complex, polysystemic candidiasis, and chronic candidiasis. Some doctors dismiss the yeast-health connection as another fad but an increasing number of both MD’s and naturopaths are treating Candida overgrowth as a serious infection that deserves attention and treatment.

Someone with an overgrowth of yeast can experience any number of unpleasant symptoms such as a yeast infection, fatigue, rash, depression and anxiety. The symptoms of Candida overgrowth are frequently treated with anti-fungal remedies. Even with these remedies, however, if your diet is not changed to create an environment within the body to prohibit the overgrowth of Candida, relief is sure to be temporary, and problem symptoms will return.

Once you have established that you have a yeast infection there are a variety of dietary changes that you can make to improve your health. Dietary changes are an important part of Candida cleansing.

Refined sugar should be eliminated from your diet entirely as it encourages the growth of yeast. So should fruit and fruit juices – as they contain natural sugars that promote the growth of yeast. Don’t drink beer, wine or liquor as the alcohol also provides sugar, and many of these products are fermented with yeast. Bagels, muffins, pastries, breads and crackers should also be eliminated from the diet as they contain yeast and sugar. Anything with vinegar – which is made with yeast culture – should be avoided as well. Mushrooms should be avoided as should peanuts and peanut butter, cheeses, and meats that are dried, smoked or pickled. Beverages that should be avoided are fermented drinks such as root beer and cider, black tea, and coffee, including decaffeinated.

Both herbal remedies and prescribed medications can be helpful in cleansing the body of yeast. Increasing your intake of raw garlic and soluble fiber will help your body to fight the yeast infection. A supplemental dose of acidophilus will help to make your intestinal track more acidic which helps to kill off the Candida. Other recommended supplements include volatile oils, such as peppermint oil or oregano oil in capsule form as the straight liquid may be toxic, tea tree oil and olive leaf extract. Check with your herbalist as to dose, mode of use and formulations. For antifungal remedies not available over the counter check with your doctor about side effects, costs and availability.

Early in the treatment many people notice a worsening of their symptoms. When the Candida is killed it releases proteins and toxins. This process is known as die-off or the Herxheimer reaction and is temporary. With strict adherence to the diet, and treatment regime the patient will usually begin to notice improvements in two to four weeks.

About The Author

Gray Rollins is a featured writer for http://www.candidarelief.com. To learn more about candida and how to treat candida, visit http://www.candidarelief.com/candidatreatment/.

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Throughout the years many different people have tried to prevent the use of alcohol. Doctors, religious leaders, governments, and even husbands and wives but with all their efforts combined, the levels of alcoholism in the home and workplace has risen drastically. Alcoholism affects more and more people each year. Some of it is learned behavior passed down through the previous generation, specifically from the parents, but not always.

One key way in preventing alcoholism is to stop the cycle within the family unit before it is passed down to another generation of children. With all the mysteries still surrounding alcoholism, this strategy is not an absolute guarantee that alcoholism won’t rear its ugly head again. Sometimes alcoholism “skips” a generation. For instance, a child may grow up in an alcoholic home, growing to despise alcohol and all of its damaging traits, and never drink. This child grows into adulthood, marries and has children of their own. Later, their children grow and one of them becomes an alcoholic even though there was rarely any booze around them.

Another key in preventing alcoholism is education. Informing children of the dangers of underage drinking will help in increasing their chances of not becoming alcoholic. The longer a person can go, growing from child to adult without drinking, the better their chances. The seed of alcoholism is usually planted at an early age and if they start drinking, say, as an adolescent or teenager, their chances of becoming alcoholic increase. Not everyone who drinks as a teenager will become alcoholic. Though, there are cases where individuals became alcoholic even though they hadn’t started drinking alcohol until their mid-twenties.

The absolute best way to prevent alcoholism and be guaranteed a person will not end up alcoholic is for them to remain totally and completely abstinent. An individual will have the greatest chance of never becoming alcoholic if they don’t ever drink. But in this day and age, wishing for someone to never experiment with alcohol at all in their lifetime may be a fruitless endeavor. Somewhere, sometime, they will be offered alcohol. But unlike many other drugs, one drink of alcohol will not make a person an alcoholic. Usually what happens is the individual will enjoy the effects alcohol has on them and they will pursue it again and again until eventually dependency develops. How long it takes for dependency to accrue in the body is anybody’s guess. A few months of hard drinking may cause dependence in one person where a few years of hard drinking in another will not.

If someone has a predisposition to becoming alcoholic, it is best to try and have them stop drinking as soon and as early as possible. But if their inclination is more toward alcoholic, they may already be on a path that only they will be able to get off of. Outside influence will have little effect on quelling their drinking. If you have tried everything under the sun to stop drinking but have been unsuccessful, help yourself by accepting outside help. The odds are against you of being successful by yourself. Why not increase the odds and your chances of getting sober and staying sober by admitting yourself to a treatment facility? You and everyone around you deserve it.

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