Nutritional Protocols Increase Success Rate from 15% to 80%

With all the “advances” made in treating addictions over the past years, the long term success rate of treatment programs historically has been around 15%. Whether alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders or any combination of these, most programs treat the mind but completely ignore the body. Twelve Step Programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) emphasize a three-­pronged approach to recovery...physical, mental and spiritual; however, emphasis is given to mental and spiritual recovery while the physical aspect is generally limited to abstaining from the drug of choice.

The body takes a severe beating during the years of practicing these addictions. According to Dr. Joseph D. Beasley, M.D., an expert in addiction treatment, “There can be no full recovery without attending to the body’s needs.” When a traditional program is combined with an intensive nutritional regimen, success rates can rise to as high as 80%.

To address nutritional deficiencies and restore neurotransmitters in patients recovering from addiction, Dr. Beasley developed a nutritional supplement program using 50 essential nutrients including adequate amounts of the omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids, along with fiber and probiotics to improve digestion and absorption of these critical nutrients. He has successfully used this program in treating over 20,000 patients with a broad range of medical conditions including alcoholism, drug addiction and/or acute mental illness. It contains all the essential amino acids and neurotransmitter precursors that are critical to regain and maintain cell and brain function, optimize health and support recovery.

During the 1940’s and 1950’s, the late Roger Williams, Director of the University of Texas’s Clayton Foundation for Biochemical Research, conducted some remarkable research on prevention of alcohol toxicity.

Published in the most prestigious biochemical and nutritional journals, Dr. Williams and his colleagues found the following:

• Bacterial culture growth is retarded when exposed to relatively small concentrations of alcohol. If the alcohol level in the cultures is increased, the culture dies, but when the level of amino acids and other nutrients in the cell cultures is increased, they are protected against alcohol’s severe toxic effects.
• Next Dr. Williams investigated the impact of diet on alcohol consumption in animals. Given a free choice between alcohol and water, nutritionally deficient animals chose alcohol far more often than their well-nourished controls. “When the animals were given well-fortified diets supplemented with vitamins, they all developed wisdom of the body and turned away from alcohol consumption,” Williams concluded.

One of the first studies to use nutritional treatment in humans was conducted in the early 1980’s by Dr. Ruth M. Guenther at the University of Texas. From extensive review of the scientific literature, Dr. Guenther knew that most alcoholics were malnourished and that the majority of them return to drinking after treatment. What would happen if nutritional therapy were added to a standard treatment program? Could humans regain their “wisdom of the body” the same way experimental animals had?

To investigate this possibility, Guenther undertook a study at an alcoholism treatment unit in a local Veteran’s hospital. The patients were in a 28-day inpatient treatment program that included detoxification, alcohol education, AA meetings, AA-oriented group counseling and work incentive, followed by outpatient after-care. Two groups went through the same program but one was also given an enhanced nutrition program. Both groups were in treatment for 28 days, with the same physicians, social workers, nurses, educational program and counseling. Since all patients had been randomly selected and assigned to either the study or control group, the only difference was the nutrition program.

The nutrition program included dietary changes, supplements and nutrition education. The normal hospital diet was adjusted to include: wheat germ and bran with each meal, whole-grain bread, decaffeinated beverages, sugar substitutes and unsweetened canned, frozen or fresh fruits instead of sugary desserts. Nuts, cheese, whole-grain bread and peanut butter were available for snacks. Individual and family education included classes on the basics of nutrition, menu planning, shopping, food preparation and how to recognize hidden sugars, alcohol, and preservatives on food labels. From day one through their discharge, patients were encouraged to regard the nutritional principles as a lifelong plan.

Although long-term compliance with the nutrition program can be a problem (it involved taking about 17 supplements twice a day), six months after their discharge 81% of the study group was not drinking compared to only 38% of controls. Even though some study group members admitted to slacking off their diet and supplements, statistical analysis shows the odds of these results occurring by chance are less than 2 in 1,000. One patient said, “Something has helped, because I don’t crave alcohol anymore.” Another explained, “I not only lost my cravings, but I lost my jitters and trouble sleeping. You get your health; you get more resistance.”

Later Dr. Beasley led a research team at Brunswick Hospital Center and Comprehensive Medical Care in New York in conjunction with statistical experts at the State University of New York Medical Center at Stony Brook. The team used a similar program for 111 patients with severe and chronic alcoholism. All had long, difficult histories of alcohol and drug abuse with many failed treatment attempts (one had been through 20 detoxifications). All had deficient diets, 80% were overtly malnourished, almost 2/3 had liver disease and almost half were also addicted to other drugs. It was a difficult group with little apparent chance of long-term sobriety. The patients spent twenty-eight days in the hospital in a treatment program similar to Dr. Guenther’s program. In addition to nutrition education, supplements and a monitored diet, each patient underwent blood testing to identify potential food allergens. During their inpatient treatment, each patient’s diet was individualized to limit exposure to these foods.

After 28 days, the patients began a 12-month program of medical follow-up. In addition to aftercare and AA meetings, patients came in at least once a month for supplements, random urine screens and blood work.

At the end of one year, 91 of the original 111 patients were still in the program. Of these, 74% were sober and stable (confirmed by lab work and at least one significant other). If patients with such severe dual addictions and discouraging histories could achieve these results, prospects for those in the early stage of addiction are excellent. With the right kind of care, it should be possible to turn those 85% failure rates to 85% success.

The Science behind Dr. Beasley’s Program

The brain’s neurotransmitters are highly specialized, each with a specific function and effect. They regulate everything from when we feel hungry to how we respond to chance encounters with large bears in the woods. As Dr. Beasley puts it, “Anything drugs can do, the brain can do better. The human brain produces far more powerful drugs than any laboratory and it does it for free.” However, without the necessary nutrients, the brain cannot produce the neurotransmitters essential to stop craving and maintain recovery.

One group of neurotransmitters (including endorphins and enkephalins) is responsible for suppressing pain experienced in times of crisis. For example, they make it possible for a football player to keep playing after hurting a knee. In fact, when these neuro­transmitters are assayed, we find they are far more powerful than painkillers produced in a lab.

Alcohol, drugs and certain “addictive” foods are popular because they affect, directly or indirectly, the balance of neuro­trans­mitters in the brain. They can do this by:

• Being structurally similar to natural transmitters, thus simulating a receptor site.
• Interfering with reuptake so that more of the neurotransmitter stays in the synapse and increases stimulation.
• Combining with other chemicals to form substances that block reuptake and/or stimulate receptors.

No drug will work unless it interacts with or mimics a chemical that is already produced by the brain. It is possible to naturally alter the body’s homeostasis and increase levels of endorphins, enke­phalins, serotonin and other neuro­transmitters. It is possible to feel well, energetic, sexy and joyful without the help of a drink or drug.

The Next Step

Since Dr. Beasley’s program involved taking about 34 pills a day, his next step was to combine all the necessary nutrients into a unique, comprehensive nutritional support formula in powder form that could be mixed with food or drinks. By doing this, he could more easily address all of the patient’s nutritional needs, significantly improve patient compliance and make his nutritional support program affordable for patients in recovery.

This information was taken with permission from the not-yet-printed Second Edition of The Natural High--The Big High, How to Get It and Keep It by ­Obtaining Excellent Health by Dr. ­Joseph D. Beasley.