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Nutrition (Western Medicine)

A well-balanced, nutritionally adequate diet helps to stabilize alcohol-induced blood-sugar fluctuations and decrease cravings. Following these tips can help reduce symptoms.

• Eliminate simple sugars.

• Increase complex carbohydrates (whenever possible, replace highly processed grains, cereals, and sugars with minimally processed whole-grain products).

• Consume adequate protein. (If you eat meat, steer yourself toward the leanest cuts. If you like dairy products, skim or low-fat versions are healthier choices. Beans, soy, nuts, and whole grains offer protein without much saturated fat and with plenty of healthful fiber and micronutrients).

• Increase essential fatty acids (essential fatty acids - two polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFAs] that cannot be made in the body are linoleic acid [omega 6 family – e.g. oils from Safflower, Sunflower, Corn, Soya, Evening primrose, Pumpkin, Wheatgerm] and alpha-linolenic acid [omega 3 family – e.g. Linseed (flaxseeds), Rapeseed (canola), Soya beans]. They must be provided by diet and are known as essential fatty acids. Within the body both can be converted to other PUFAs such as arachidonic acid, or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In the body PUFAs are important for maintaining the membranes of all cells; for making prostaglandins which regulate many body processes which include inflammation and blood clotting. Another requirement for fat in the diet is to enable the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K to be absorbed from food; and for regulating body cholesterol metabolism.)

• Decrease saturated fats and fried foods (saturated fats - usually derived from animal sources e.g. lard, suet and butter. Saturated and monounsaturated fats are not necessary in the diet as they can be made in the human body).

• Avoid caffeine.

Potentially beneficial nutrient supplements include the following.

• Vitamin B1 (50 to 100 mg a day - Alcoholics are deficient in B vitamins, especially B1 )

• Vitamin B2 (50 mg a day), B3 (25 mg a day), B5 (100 mg a day - Aids the body in alcohol detoxification. Needed to counteract stress), B6 (50 to 100 mg a day), B12 (100 to 1,000 mg a day)

• Vitamin C with bioflavonoids (3,000 to 10,500 mg a day in divided doses - )

• Vitamin E (400 IU a day) to protect the heart

• Calcium (2,000mg daily at bedtime) a vital mineral that has a sedative effect

• Magnesium (250 – 1000 mg ) to decrease withdrawal symptoms

• Selenium (200 mcg a day) to protect the liver

• Zinc (15 mg a day) to aid metabolism

• Amino acids: carnitine (500 mg two times a day) to protect the liver, glutamine (1 g a day) to decrease cravings, glutathione (300 mg a day) to protect liver and heart

• Multienzyme complex (as directed on label. Take with meals - To aid digestion) plus proteolytic enzymes - As directed on label. Take between meals - Essential for assimilation of protein. Caution: Do not give these supplements to a child.)

• Chromium (250 to 500 mcg twice a day) helps reduce sugar cravings and reduces low blood sugar related to alcohol cravings.

Herbs

Herbs are generally available as dried extracts (pills, capsules, or tablets), teas or decoctions, or tinctures (alcohol extraction, unless otherwise noted). Dose for teas is 1 tsp/cup water steeped for 10 minutes (roots need 20 minutes). Herbal extracts made with alcohol should be avoided in alcoholics. For TCM herbs the dosage is prescribed by the TCM Practitioner or Herbalist.

Western Herbs

The use of certain Western herbal remedies may offer relief from symptoms.

• Milk thistle (Silybum marianum): 80 to 200 mg three times a day, to support the liver

• Primrose oil (Oenothera biennis ): 1,000mg 3 times daily, with meals. Used successfully in Europe, this supplement is a good source of essential fatty acids.

• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale): 2 to 8 g of root three times a day in tea, or 5 ml three times a day of leaf tincture helps detoxify the liver. Works well with milk thistle.

• Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora): historic use for hysteria, tension, and nervous disorders, especially anxiety; a cup of tea before bed can help insomnia.

• Valerian root (Valeriana officinalis ) has a calming effect. It is best taken at bedtime.

• Desiccated liver capsules (500 mg three times a day) help heal liver tissue.

Traditional Medicine Herbs & Diet

Dietary plan for the Garden of Eden: In the book of Genesis, Chapter one, verse 29, God tells man what he should eat: “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of the face of the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seeds; to you shall be for food.”

Certain cooling, detoxifying foods are commonly prescribed by (TCM) in the treatment of alcoholism: tofu, mung bean sprouts, mung beans, fresh wheat germ, romaine lettuce, banana, either sugar cane or dried unrefined cane juice, pears, and spinach. Honey eaten by the spoonful until satiation during a hangover reduces the desire for more alcohol. Soups are helpful and provide a good medium for tofu, mung beans, romaine lettuce, and spinach in the diet.

Kudzu or Ge Gen (otherwise known as Pueraria lobata) is one of the earliest medicinal plants used in TCM. Researchers at the Center for Biochemical and Biophysical Sciences and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA have many profound pharmacological actions including antidipsotropic (anti-alcohol abuse) activity. Although both the roots and flowers of Kudzu (Ge Gen), Radix and Flos Puerariae, respectively, have been used to treat alcohol abuse safely and effectively in China for more than a millennium (reduce cravings).

The herb American ginseng, Xi Yang Shen in Mandarin, (Panax quinquefolium) is prized in East Asia for the treatment of alcoholism, and may be used in conjunction with the golden seal or chaparral formulas. In the event of extreme weakness, American ginseng is indicated as part of the regeneration diet herbal formula containing it in equal parts (in fact this formula is a hybrid between Chinese and Native American traditional medicine):

Suma root (Pfaffia paniculata)
Dried Ling Zhi (Reishi - Ganoderma lucidum ), Maitake, or Shiitake mushroom
Job’s tear’s seeds (Coix lacryma-jobi)
American/Canadian Ginseng root (Panax quinquefolium)
Astragalus root (Astragalus membranaceus)
Because of its warming nature, do not use Chinese or Korean Panax ginseng. Avoid warming spices such as ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper.

After a cleansing program that purges heat and other signs of excess, high protein sources can be added for one to two years to rebuild the liver. It is very important to tonify the body after or even simultaneously because during cleansing a lot of qi (energy) is lost. TCM purging (cleansing) herb formula are balanced from this stand point.

Especially beneficial is spirulina or other green micro-algae; in cases of weakness, small amounts (1—3 ounces) of animal products may be necessary three or four times per week: sardine, mackerel, tuna, pork liver, and pork or beef kidney.

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