Natural Therapies
Natural therapies like reflexology, acupuncture and acupressure have been shown to have great effects on people with addictions.
In fact, acupuncture has been shown to have results superior to those of using addiction recovery programs and medications alone.
Acupuncture has been used to heal addictions since 1974 when the first acupuncture clinic for addictions opened at the Lincoln Memorial Hospital in New York City.
Today acupuncture is being used to heal everything from drug and alcohol addiction to nicotine and food addiction. (Phillips)
Although highly successful, not everyone has access to an acupuncture clinic.
For these people, reflexology at home can be a good solution.
In her book, Feet First, Laura Norman says, “Breaking a habit can be like breaking a lock. It just needs the right combination.” (Norman)
The stimulation of the right reflexology points can be that right combination. Even without focusing on specific points, reflexology provides many benefits. It’s relaxing, balancing and can take the place of an addictive activity.
To target addictions more specifically one can stimulate the organ points on the foot or hands that have been most affected by the addiction.
For smokers a person could stimulate the lungs; for users of alcohol, the liver. One can find reflexology charts online.
Make Dietary and Nutritional Changes
Diet and nutrition have more to do with addiction than people realize. Eating the wrong foods can actually make a person more prone to addiction.
A diet that is balancing to a person’s temperament and dietary needs can create a sense of calm and peace physically, emotionally and spiritually.
A diet that causes imbalance can leave “needy” holes in a person’s physical, emotional and spiritual life that they then try to fill with addictive substances.
Each person has their own unique dietary needs. However, one substance that causes imbalance for people of all temperaments is sugar. (Hobbs)
Eating too much sugar causes blood sugar levels in the body to become imbalanced. Consuming sugar makes hunger pangs go away.
However, when a person takes in too much sugar, they don’t feel the need to eat food that contains more of the important nutrients that the body needs, such as vitamins, iron, calcium and magnesium.
This causes the body to feel imbalanced and needy. When a person eats too much sugar, they go on a sugar high because of the energy boost they get from the sugar consumption.
But this sugar high is only temporary; energy levels take a plunge afterwards. This often causes the urge to consume caffeine or other addictive substances to help a person “perk up” again.
Sugary sweets are a big part of Ramadan in many countries. However, a person struggling with an addiction should limit these sweets to one per day and only after a full meal.
Sugar “substitutes” will have the same or similar effects on the body so those should also be avoided or limited. Sugar substitutes include glucose, sorbitol, corn syrup, splenda, honey and others.
This article is from our archive, originally published on an earlier date, and highlighted now for its importance
References:
- History of Coffee: All about Coffee History. Accessed 20 July 2009. History of Coffee: The Fabulous World of Coffee. Accessed 25 July 2009.
- Losing Addictions Naturally. Accessed 25 July 2009.
- Norman, Laura. Feet First: A Guide to Foot Reflexology. Fireside, 1988.
- Phillips, Steve L. Acupuncture and Addiction Acupuncture Healing Arts, 2008. Accessed 25 July 2009.