My experience in practice tells me that sometimes it's not only the symptoms of a condition, but also the stigma attached to it that can pile on the agony. One issue that is prone to elicit some sense of shame is alcoholism.
Recently, I read an American report about a range of drugs that are showing promise in the treatment of alcohol dependency. Some psychiatrists are calling for more widespread use of such drugs. Apart from curbing an unhealthy attachment to alcohol, drug therapy may lead more of us to see alcoholism not so much as a sign of life gone awry, but as a bona fide illness. I think anything that helps to de-stigmatise alcohol addiction is worth raising a glass to.
Talk of the use of pharmacological agents for drying up a drink problem got me thinking about nutritional approaches. While alcoholism may come out of psychological and social issues, it can also be perpetuated by physical and chemical factors. One potential cause of alcohol craving is a dip in blood-sugar levels - a biochemical imbalance that may cause the body to crave foodstuffs that replenish sugar quickly.
Eating regular meals based on foods that promote blood-sugar stability (such as meat, fish, eggs, green veg, beans and lentils) may reduce a desire to drink. Healthy snacks of fruit and/or nuts in between meals also help to keep blood-sugar levels buoyant. Some find a late-afternoon snack very useful, as this can often reduce the desire for the early-evening drink that can open the floodgates.
Certain nutrients can help blood-sugar stability, thus reducing alcohol cravings. The most important include chromium (about 400 micrograms per day), magnesium (about 400mg per day) and B vitamins. B vitamins have particular relevance, as studies in animals suggest that deficiency in these nutrients can increase the desire to drink alcohol. Those wishing to curb their desire for alcohol may benefit from taking a high-potency B-complex supplement each day. Another nutrient believed to have potential to reduce alcohol cravings is the amino acid glutamine.
In the body, it can be converted into sedative substances such as gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) and gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), which seem to reduce the desire to drink. In one study, nine out of 10 alcoholics found that glutamine reduced alcohol cravings. While there is only a limited amount of scientific evidence that attests to glutamine's effectiveness in alcoholism, I have found it to be a generally useful remedy in practice (1g, once or twice a day). Nutritional approaches can be very effective for slowing the drive for drink, and that's a sobering thought indeed. OM
Dear John
My father, who is 81, has an ulcer near his left ankle which is refusing to heal despite regular nursing care. Swabs show no MRSA infection. What might help speed the healing process?
Gloria Harris
Leg ulcers are common in the elderly, especially in those suffering from varicose veins or diabetes. Tissue healing can be helped by supplementing the diet with nutrients such as vitamin C and zinc. In addition, these stimulate the immune system, and this will help to clear any infection that may slow the healing process.
I suggest your father takes 1g (1,000mg) of vitamin C twice a day, along with 30-60mg of zinc a day, for two to three months. Another natural substance, the herb Gotu kola (Centella asiatica), contains saponins, which stimulate wound healing through the production of a tissue protein known as collagen. I suggest your father takes this in pill or tincture form for two to three months. Studies show that honey can assist wound and ulcer healing. I recommend that Manuka honey (from New Zealand) is applied every time your father has a change of dressing.
If you have any issues you would like Dr Briffa to address in his column, please email him on john.briffa@observer.co.uk. Please note that Dr Briffa cannot enter into any correspondence.
You can also visit drbriffa.com. Before following any recommendations in this column, you should consult your own medical adviser about any medical problems or special health conditions
Nutrition news
Several studies have linked tea-drinking with a reduced risk of heart disease, though no such protective effect appears to come from coffee. However, while evidence suggests that coffee does not decrease heart-disease risk, the evidence suggests no increase in risk either. Recently, researchers attempted to dissect the relationship between coffee consumption and heart disease a little more. In a study published in the American Heart Journal, doctors assessed the relationship between coffee consumption and the survival of individuals who had suffered a heart attack. This study involved about 1,900 individuals, of whom 315 died over a study period of about five years (mainly from heart disease and other so-called cardiovascular diseases). In the long term, coffee consumption was found to have no bearing on risk of death after a heart attack.
This latest study provides more evidence that coffee plays a relatively insignificant role in heart-disease risk. Those who like to drink coffee, however, might do well to balance this with water, the consumption of which is linked with a reduced risk of heart disease in both men and women.
