Safe to Use Cold Sore Remedies

Many people experience the problem of having cold sores pretty often. What sucks is that their aren’t any type of cures that are 100% certain to be effective. Even though their are a good amount of treatments available, not all of them are trustworthy and effective.

The use of bleach as a cold sore remedy should be avoided. The reasoning for this is bleach is toxic to your body and may have negative side effects.

Don’t apply ice, salt, or toothpaste onto your sore as a way of treatment. Applying ice on your skin can harm the cells and cause frost bite. Then adding the salt further harms your skin cells. Toothpaste consists of chemicals which are bad for your skin and can cause more complications.

So that you can treat a fever blister properly you need to understand that the root cause of it is a virus. The very best types of treatment are those that are proven to do well against viruses.

Cat’s claw, lemon balm, and peppermint are a few organic cures that are recognized to do well in fighting viruses. For prevention you need to add some of these herbs to your regular diet. These herbs not just treat fever blisters but other medical issues as well. What I like best about these remedies is that they are natural and safe for your health.

The proper way of taking in these natural anti-viral remedies is to use them as part of a tea. However, for individuals who don’t desire to drink tea it can also be purchased in capsule form. To eliminate your cold sore please take a few capsules a day every day until the they are gone.

There are a number of other benefits by utilizing these remedies. Peppermint is known to do wonders for your gastrointestinal system. The lemon balm is renowned for its relaxing effect and those that use it tend to sleep better. Finally, cat’s claw has amazing body’s immune system strengthening effects.

You are prepared to battle the herpes simplex virus and get rid of the cold sore with these herbal cures which have been recommended. The benefits don’t end here, if you begin to use them the minute you are feeling that the cold sore is establishing, the cold sore will not grow to its full strength and will go away without creating a lot of fuss and irritation.

Category: Home Health / Tags:

Evidence Based Substance Abuse Treatment

There is much talk in the substance abuse treatment field these days about Evidence Based Treatment. The phrase refers to treatment that has shown some sort of evidence (presumably scientific) that it is effective. Examples, of such treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, a variety of new medications, brief interventions, etc. On the surface of the matter it would seem that any reasonable person would support doing research on the phenomenon of addiction and its treatment and utilize the results of that research to continually improve the treatment that is provided. We like to believe we are reasonable people and certainly do support outcome research in our field and do our best to use the results of that research to improve care. However, caution is advised here for a number of reasons.

First, outcome research into emotional and behavioral conditions is notoriously difficult to do in the real world. It has been described as similar to entering a hall of mirrors. Generally speaking, the research tends to result in the conclusion that with any given condition there are a number of types of therapy that demonstrate effectiveness. The research tends to bog down though when attempts are made to determine whether or not one type of substance abuse treatment is superior to another. Studies then begin to focus on the attempt to match treatments that have shown some effectiveness with certain types of patients in order to maximize treatment outcomes-basically trying to determine what kinds of treatments, provided by what kinds of therapist work best with what kinds of patients. The theory is that with good assessment we can match patients with the kinds of treatments that are most effective given their symptoms and maximize the chances of success. We are sort of at that place with regard to outcome research into the treatment of addictions. The bottom line answer though is that it is too early to tell. Our field has yet to be able to even agree on how to measure the condition we are studying so that the results of one study or approach can be reasonably compared to another.

Second, because it seems difficult to argue with science and evidence there is a strong tendency for those with political, economic, religious or social agendas to use the cloak of science to alter an existing substance abuse treatment system to further agendas other than what is actually best for chemically dependent patients. I could say much about this topic but will not get on my soapbox. Rather, I think it is important to state where we are with all of this at Valley Hope.

We believe that chemical addiction is a disease, that there is no cure, that recovery is possible, that there is ample evidence, anecdotal and empirical, that substance abuse treatment like ours works. We believe that all alcoholics and addicts are human beings deserving of caring, respectful, dignified treatment; that they are ill not bad. We believe that the causes of chemical dependency are complex and not easily understood, that the disease ravages the entire person and that as a result treatment needs to be aimed at helping the whole person- mind, body and soul. We believe that the disease is chronic not acute and that recovery requires a commitment to a life long plan of action. Consequently, we believe that our commitment to helping each patient cannot be time limited. We believe that the active ingredients in treatment that works are not easily defined; that they do not lend themselves easily to exploration through the scientific method; and that science looks at phenomenon through a certain lens that colors and shapes the way a certain picture looks. History is replete with examples of how the meaning of data has been transformed by a change in perspective or by somehow recognizing the effect of context on the interpretation of the data. For now, we know deep in our hearts that love moves mountains and that a spiritual awakening is tied to recovery from addiction even though building a body of data to support these realities is difficult.

Further, we will be very cautious in implementing new substance abuse treatments that sound too good to be true as we have seen so many come and go over the years. There is no easier, softer way to recovery, no magic pill, no easy aphorism to guide every decision. We will scour the research on chemical dependency treatment to glean all that we can to aid us in helping more people achieve recovery. We will, however, evaluate the research critically and insure that we do not abandon treatment philosophies and methods that we know in our hearts work in order to chase faddish treatments based on early outcome studies that show some statistical significance but questionable clinical significance.

Category: Drug Abuse / Tags: , , ,

Abstaining From Alcoholism

One-third of all Americans say that alcohol causes problems in their families, according to psychologist Dr. Lawrence Metzger. At least ten million Americans, or one out of every ten drinkers, are problems drinkers or alcoholics.

Most alcoholics have an inherited, genetic predisposition to the problem. About half the alcoholics in the United States come from families where alcoholism was prevalent. If one of your parents has a drinking problem, your chances of becoming an alcoholic are 30 percent higher than those of a person whose parent doesn’t have a problem. Your risk is five times higher if both your parents are alcoholics.

Though sometimes viewed as a weakness of will or lack of moral fiber, alcoholism is actually a disease, much like diabetes. Both are chronic and progressive. Chronic means that there is no cure, that the physical sensitivity to alcohol will last as long as the person remains alive. And progressive means the symptoms will increase in number and seriousness as long as the disease is untreated.

For alcoholics, what began as an enjoyable activity eventually, over a period of years, starts causing problems, from bouts of uncontrollable drinking to serious and life-threatening health problems that can include gastric ulcers, liver disorders, heart disease, dysfunctions in the immune system, sexual dysfunctions, and destruction of brain tissue.

If you think that you or someone you know has a drinking problem, contact a local hospital or alcoholism treatment program for professional assessment. The next step may be Alcoholics Anonymous, the highly successful (and free) 12-step program that combines self-responsibility with a strong support group.

Depending on how advanced the drinking is, checking into a three- to four-week inpatient hospital or private recovery program might also be beneficial. Such a program, Dr. Metzger notes, provides medical support in the event of serious withdrawal symptoms like seizures, puts space between the drinker and the people and places that may have promoted the drinking, and offers valuable education and counseling. However, the cost of such a program can be as much as $10,000 a month, which is very impractical especially when your family is on a tight budget.

Category: Drug Abuse / Tags: , , , , ,
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