Music Therapy: Healing Your Body and Mind with Music

Do you know that music therapy is part of the treatment programs in some California rehabilitation centers? This is because music has been proven to heal the body, mind, and soul of individuals who are ill-conditioned, depressed, and addicted to drugs and alcohol. Find out how music heals.

Music is a universal language. It could transcend languages, time, and cultural differences. It can make you laugh, cry, renewed and smile. But more than affecting your mood and mental performance, studies reveal that music have therapeutic benefits. Called the music therapy, it could significantly lessen blood pressure, reduce pain and anxiety, enhance relaxation, communicate with brain-damaged patients and even set the pace for gait training.

Scientists believe that listening to music stimulates the release of natural chemicals in our brains called endorphins that causes the “high” feelings because they block pain signals from the nervous system. Also, endorphins are believed to boost the immune system, reduce stress and pain.

Music reduces stress because in addition to lowering heart rate, skin temperature and muscle activity, it facilitates the identification and feelings associated with stress and express these in positive ways.

For people with physical disabilities, music can be utilized as motivation for movements or structure exercises. Background music enhances physical exercise, develops and maintains joint and muscle function and increases muscle strength. Those with speech problems can use music or singing to improve breathing control, articulation, pronunciation and rate of speech.

Studies also reveal that listening to music for hours helps the patients heal faster. It distracts them from pain and worry, improves their appetite and sleep and helps them cope with their illnesses. This is believed to be beneficial for patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy who suffer from nausea and vomiting from medication. It may not be the cure, but the peace of mind and relaxation music brings to both the cancer patients and the families can already make a major difference.

Music can really do wonders for the mind, the soul and the body. This is the reason why California rehabilitation centers consider music therapy as a good way to help victims of substance abuse recover from their condition. For more information, visit http://www.paxhouse.org/CA_Drug_Treatment.html.

What Do You Know About Smoking?

It’s so funny to think that a person who smokes may be obsessed about cleanliness with their body, clothes, and house, and yet makes his lungs a disposal place for tobacco garbage, such as nicotine and tar when they puff smoke.

Smokers are aware of the hazardous effects of smoking because of warnings on packs of cigarettes, commercials on TV, advertisement in public transportation vehicles, elevators, and other closed areas. Despite all these health reminders, there are still a growing number of individuals who smoke every year. Are you one of them?

The following are some information a smoker needs to know from rehab centers in California.

1. The air sacs inside the lungs lose their elasticity, stay dilated, and expanded; they will not function during breathing. This disease is called emphysema and it is fatal because the body is deprived of oxygen.

2. The person will develop a tolerance to nicotine – a poisonous stimulant drug present in cigarettes. When this happen, the person will be hooked to it that he may start from few sticks; and as months and years go by, he will have one, two or even three packs of cigarettes a day.

3. Chemical substances present in cigarettes react with the body by decreasing the benefits of other drugs taken. If a person who smokes is given a prescribed drug, he will need a greater dose and a bigger frequency to have the same benefit of the drug compared to persons who doesn’t smoke.

4. Persons who inhaled the smoke exhaled by a smoker involuntarily smoke too, making them a passive smoker.

5. Frequent smokers can develop bad breath and also lead to darkening of teeth because of Tar present in cigarettes.

6. Smoking causes premature aging due to poor blood circulation around the body.

7. Pregnant women who smoke, makes their babies develop respiratory diseases dues to nicotine.

8. Bronchitis, an inflammation of the bronchi, causes a smoker to cough persistently and may have breathing difficulties.

You can avoid the dangerous effects of smoking by simply not smoking. When you do this, you will be able to breathe easier, the damaged lung tissues will begin to undergo repair, and the chances of having a lung cancer will decrease – if you quit as early as possible. In addition, you won’t have to stay in rehab centers in Californiato get treated. For more information, visit http://www.paxhouse.org/CA_Drug_Treatment.html.

Most Commonly Abused Drugs – Pax House

Here are the most commonly abused drugs and some of their effects on the body, according to rehab centers in California.

 

California Rehab Center – Pax House

Pax House staff is committed to providing meaningful interaction with every client during their journey through the treatment process. We understand the challenges of early recovery and will serve as positive role models.  Our goal is to demonstrate a happy, fun, healthy, productive, positive life without the use of alcohol and drugs.  Each staff member reflects the success of this goal.

The Side Effects of Anti-Depressant Drugs

Antidepressants are useful in treating depression. Thus, many physicians opt for this treatment instead of psychotherapy, which can be a more tedious treatment process. However, antidepressants are not what one may call a panacea or a magic potion for depression. These drugs may, and usually do, cause certain side effects, which are usually mild and temporary.

When taking in large doses, anti-depressant drugs can also be harmful in the body. Victims of overdose usually tend to be addicted to the drug and may not be able to do without it. A California rehabilitation center warns about the possible effects of anti-depressant drugs when abused and overused.

Side Effects

Some of the side effects of antidepressants are dry mouth, dizziness and drowsiness, constipation, blurred vision, and sexual and bladder problems. These side effects may be mild but having them can be irritating. Thus, it would be helpful to know some tips to dealing with these side effects or, at least, lessen their irritating character.

Dealing with Side Effects

Obviously, for those who experience dry mouth, it would be helpful to drink lots of water. Dizziness and drowsiness can be remedied by moving more carefully and slowly and avoiding doing heavy manual labor. It would also be helpful if one would take the medication when about to sleep.  Constipation can be addressed by eating food with more fiber. Those who experience blurred vision should not take glasses as this side effect will go away when the treatment is over. Lastly, the functioning of the bladder and the reproductive system should not be messed with.  Problems in these areas should be consulted with the doctor, especially if pain and discomfort is felt by the patient.

It has been found that the newer types of antidepressants are more effective. Yet, this new breed of drugs also comes with a new line of side effects. These include headache, nausea, nervousness, insomnia, and agitation. Nausea and headache are often temporary and pain killers need not be taken for relief. Trouble getting sleep usually occurs during the first few weeks and such an inconvenience can be remedies by altering the dosage of the medication – either by reducing or increasing them, depending on the doctor’s observations, although this side effect usually passes with time. Agitation, or when the patient feels jittery, should be made known to the doctor especially if it happens for the first time after the drug is taken and is more than transient.

Before the effects of these drugs become harmful, and even fatal, to the body, it’s best to take them with proper prescription from your doctor. Otherwise, you might end up in a California rehabilitation center. For more information, visit http://www.paxhouse.org/CA_Drug_Treatment.html.

Substance Abuse: The Truth about Alcohol

One of the substances that is being abused and over-consumed by individuals who have no self-control is alcoholic drinks. A California rehab explains that alcohol is dangerous to human health when taken too much and out of control.

Here are some facts about alcohol that you should know.

• The alcoholic contents of a beer, a glass of wine and a shot of whiskey are all the same.
• High school drinking for seniors in US has dropped 30% from the year 1982, similarly, college freshen drinking has been very low for the past 38 years.
• Surveys have shown that 83% of adolescent Americans actually don’t drink alcohol.
• But the average age at first drink has risen from 16.1 in the year 1984 to 16.2 by the year of 2002.
• Distilled spirits the likes of which are, brandy, tequila, rum, whiskey, gin and others, contain no fats, no cholesterol nor carbohydrates.
• The human body actually produces its own supply of alcohol 24 hours a day.
• The meaning of the word “toast” as a way of wishing good health started in ancient Rome when once a piece of toasted bread dropped into the wine.
• The Vikings actually used the skulls of their enemies as drinking cups.
• In Missouri, anyone under 21 years of age who takes out their house trash containing even one empty alcoholic beverage container is chargeable with illegal possession of alcohol.
• Those of the early Church were actually of the belief that alcohol is inherently good and is a gift from God and in fact to despise it is pure heresy.
• At thanksgiving there may not be any mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce or pumpkin pies to eat but surely there would be beer, gin, brandy or wine to drink.
• During the age of prohibition, advocates of temperance employed a scholar to rewrite the Bible by removing all references to alcohol.
• The alcohol Bourbon is named after the Bourbon County in Kentucky, where it was first made by a Baptist minister.
• Alcohol drinks of either low alcohol content (which are those containing below 15%) or high alcohol content (containing over 30%) tend to be absorbed into the body more slowly.

While alcohol does provide some benefits to the body, over-consuming it can harm your health and may even lead to serious problems. To prevent being checked in at a California rehab for substance abuse problem, make sure that you be responsible in drinking alcohol. For more information, visit http://www.paxhouse.org/CA_Drug_Treatment.html.

Nicotine: The Culprit behind the Difficulty in Quitting

Most, if not all, of those who have tried to quit smoking would say that quitting smoking is not easy. True, but difficulty does not mean impossibility. It can be done. According to a California rehabilitation facility, the secret to doing it successfully is knowing exactly what you are up against, knowing your options, and where to go for help.

To begin with, you should first have the resolution to quit. To do this, you must understand the reason why you should quit. There are many reasons why you should quit smoking; among these are the risk of lung cancer and the probability of having a longer life.

Understanding Nicotine

Next, once you have resolved within yourself that you would already quit smoking, you must know what you are up against, which is nicotine. Nicotine is the culprit behind the difficulty in quitting smoking. Nicotine is a drug found naturally in tobacco, which is highly addictive. Thus, where a person smokes, and thereby exposes himself continuously to the substance, his body becomes physically and psychologically dependent on it.  Thus, a successful quitter must overcome both this physical and psychological addiction to nicotine.

This addiction to nicotine can be explained by the fact that nicotine produces pleasurable feelings. These feelings induce a smoker to want to smoke more. At the same time, nicotine also acts as a depressant by interfering with the flow of information between nerve cells. The body, particularly the nervous system, learns to adapt to nicotine, thereby causing smokers to increase the number of cigarettes they smoke, and hence the amount of nicotine in their blood. This would, in time, help a smoker to develop a tolerance to the substance, which in turn leads to an increase in consumption of cigarettes.

How to Say No to Nicotine

Unfortunately for a smoker, nicotine is not easily excreted out of the body. This is because of various factors which also affect a person’s metabolism. Generally, a person who smokes will have nicotine or its by-products present in his body for about three to four days after stopping its intake.  Thus, the longer it stays in the body, the easier it is for the body to get used to the pleasurable feelings it brings, and the harder it would be for a smoker to let go.

There are several ways to quit smoking and say goodbye to nicotine. You can opt for healthier alternatives, seek help from successful quitters, or consult with experts from a reliable California rehabilitation facility. For more information, visit http://www.paxhouse.org/CA_Drug_Treatment.html.

How to Help a Drug Abuse Victim

Seeing someone you love destroying his or her life due to drug addiction is a painful experience. However, you can give your loved one a chance of living a positive life by knowing the ways of helping out. Dealing with substance abuse is never easy, especially when you truly care about someone. It takes a lot of patience and understanding for you to help someone regain the life he or she has lost.

Talking Sensibly

Most drug addicts will never talk about their addiction. However, this is the first step of helping out. By knowing the ways to approach your loved one, you can convince him or her to go into a treatment center in California. Remember that confrontational conversations do not work. Your loved one may be easily angered, making all things worst. Talk to your loved one calmly without any hint of judgment. If possible, talk to him or her about the reason of addiction.

Knowing the Signs and Symptoms

You will know the severity of the addiction once you see the different signs and symptoms that your loved one manifests. One of the most noticeable sign is the sudden change of behavior. He or she may be too happy or too angered only by simple things. Also, his or her behavior may change. The sleeping pattern, diet, and physical activities may change all too suddenly, as well.

Aside from behavioral and psychological signs, several symptoms can also be observed. A sudden weight gain or weight loss may be a symptom of drug abuse. He or she may have red eyes, dilated pupils, and slurred speech, and skin discolorations.

Seeking Help

There is no one-cure for drug addiction. Your loved one can be thoroughly treated by letting him or her be confined in a treatment center in California. Treatment centers have all the skills, knowledge, and tools to diagnose and treat your loved one from drug addiction. Of course, your moral support is very important. By letting your loved one know that you are with him or her every step of the way, he or she can cope up easily. For more information about helping a drug abuse victim, visit http://www.paxhouse.org/CA_Drug_Treatment.html.

The Truth about Marijuana

Marijuana has many names since it has been one of the most addictive substances that most people suffer from. It is called weed, herb, dope, Mary Jane, pot, reefer, and many more. This substance is a dried product of the plant called the Cannabis Sativa. Its seeds, stems, and leaves are dried and hand rolled to create a cigarette-like product.

Marijuana was initially used for medical purposes. Its use was traced long before ancient times. However, due to its addictive substances, it became one of the reasons of drug abuse. Some California rehabilitation centers observe the growing number of patients addicted to marijuana.

Use of Marijuana in the United States

According to the survey conducted by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) in 2010, marijuana was used by 76.8 percent of the total illicit drug users. A high percentage of 60 percent was seen in people who solely used marijuana as a drug.

The use of marijuana is widespread that it is used by both young adults and teenagers. This was found out when the Monitoring the Future Survey, an annual survey about drug abuse, has seen an increase in marijuana use from 2011 until the present. Just last year, 12.5 percent of 8th graders have used marijuana, and 7.2 percent are still using it at present. This is different in 10th grade students as a higher scale of 28.8 percent used to experience marijuana, and 17.6 percent are still using it. The 12th graders have the highest rates, where 32.8 percent used marijuana and 20.6 are current users.

The report was supported by the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), where they stated that marijuana was the contributing factor in more than 376,000 cases of emergency cases. Two thirds of which are males and the remaining are females. The age bracket is between 12 and 17.

The use of marijuana clearly is a threat to the society. Young adults certainly are aware of its effects but still end up using it. This should prompt all concerned individuals to take further effort in creating awareness of its harmful effects. To know more about this drug issue, visit one of the top-notched California rehabilitation centers at http://www.paxhouse.org/CA_Drug_Treatment.html.

Overcoming Drug Addiction

Recovering from drug abuse is difficult. There are a lot of challenges to overcome and this can be your way to relapse – you do not want this from happening.

Good thing, there is always a way out. Changing yourself for the better is not an easy thing and that is what you should do to overcome drug abuse. In many Los Angeles rehabilitation center, health professionals work hand-in-hand to ensure that every drug abuse victim is completely recovered. However, it is in your willpower to make sure that you will live a life of sobriety.

Deciding to Make a Change

It is true when people say that the only permanent thing in this world is change. Change should be done for the better and this time, you need to do this for the betterment of yourself.

There are several factors that can affect your perspective of change. The way you deal with stress is a common factor, especially when your body craves for a substance, or when you need to handle personal problems. You also need to take into consideration the people you allow to change your life. These people should create a positive impact on you – like a support system you can rely all the time.

To ensure that you are getting the most out of your positive change, you need to determine what you can do during your free time. This will occupy your mind to do better things instead of wallowing yourself of using drugs. This will reflect on how you think about yourself. Being able to confidently accept who you are is a major step of change. This will determine what you can do and possibly unleash your potentials.

Appling Changes to Your Life

The first thing you should do is to observe how you were addicted. This will help you in avoiding any addiction in your life. Also, it is good to talk to someone whom you trust and see how it affects your relationship to others. Set a specific goal, remove all reminders of your addiction, and be willing and ready to face a life of sobriety.

Being able to change is an accomplishment. To know more on how to cope up with drug substance use, be sure to visit one of the most respected Los Angeles rehabilitation centers.