Addictions

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  July, 2001  by Jule Klotter

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A chapter in Gary Null's recent book The Food-Mood-Body Connection focuses on addiction. In it, he presents the views of several practitioners, including himself, with experience in treating people with all kinds of addictions, especially food and alcohol addictions. Many of the practitioners emphasize the necessity of good nutrition and the use of individualized supplement programs in order to reduce cravings and improve the chances of long-term recovery. Dr. Abram Hoffer, a pioneer in orthomolecular medicine, recommends that alcoholics (as well as people with depression and other mental health problems) eliminate sugar, which is very common in processed foods. Eliminating sugar thereby reduces the amount of chemical additives from their diets and also leads to an overall improvement in nutrition quality. In addition, sugar addiction and alcoholism are connected, according to Dr. RobertAtkins: "...it is well known that when alcoholics go through a psychologically based program, and not a biochemically based program, they have a tendency to become sugar addicts....Unless people get the clue that there is a connection between alcoholism and sugar addiction, they will just go from one to another and will not feel any better. The phrase 'dry drunks' refers to what happens to alcoholics who start switching to sugar instead of getting on a diet in which all the simple sugars are eliminated."

According to Dr. Hyla Cass, "Rather than having to rely strictly on 'willpower,' it is possible for individuals to break addictive cycles by achieving metabolic balance, through avoiding the offending foods and supporting the body with a balanced nutritional program of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids." Glutamine in combination with B6 is recommended for controlling alcohol craving. Many other supplements are mentioned as being helpful by the practitioners in this chapter: B vitamins (especially niacin), essential fatty acids, magnesium, vitamin C with bioflavonoids, and amino acids like glutamine and tyrosine.

Social and spiritual factors also contribute to addiction, according to Dr. John Eades. He has seen people addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, cigarettes, gambling, even exercise. Underlying these addictions in many cases is an emptiness, a spiritual vacuum, perfectionistic attitudes, and/or mistaken beliefs about happiness (e.g., "I'll be happy if I am successful...I will be happy if I can make another person happy in a relationship....I'll be happy when a certain situation occurs...."). He encourages his patients to look inward for validation rather than outward, to forgive themselves for their past, and to aim for behaving responsibly and honestly in their daily lives: "Recovery for most people is not just ceasing a behavior but making a total change. A total holistic change must occur...." "Addictions" from The Food-Mood-Body Connection by Gary Null (ISBN 1-58322031-3)

COPYRIGHT 2001 The Townsend Letter Group
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning