How Can NAD Infusions Help Us Heal at the Cellular Level?
Many people can get stuck in the trap of thinking that there are only certain ways one can recover from addiction and/or mental illness. Quite often, these ways fall into three categories: psychotherapy, medication, and 12-Step recovery. While yes, of course, these methods can be highly beneficial, they are not the only means for recovery. For example, infusion therapy, including NAD infusions, has shown to be highly effective in helping people recover from their struggles with addiction and/or mental illness.
What Does It Mean to Heal at the Cellular Level?
Recovery should never be “skin-deep.” It must always go deeper and address the underlying root/core causes of one’s issues. Getting to these causes is what real recovery is all about. This is what it means to heal at the cellular level.
Healing at the cellular level has to do with the interconnectedness of the “self,” and why addressing one issue is never enough. For cellular-level healing, all physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual issues must be addressed. Failing to address one is the equivalent of failing to address all. Also, the best way to address all of these essential areas is to take the “multi-angled approach” to recovery.
What Does a Multi-Angled Approach to Recovery Look Like?
The multi-angled approach to recovery is all about taking advantage of the different avenues of recovery that are available today. This includes state-of-the-art recovery modalities from Western medicine, as well as age-old holistic healing methods from the East.
The multi-angled approach is also about seeing the individual and not just seeing their diagnosis. This is why individualized addiction and mental health care is so critical.
Understanding the Importance of Individualized Addiction and Mental Health Care
The father of Western medicine, Hippocrates, famously said, “It’s far more important to know what person the disease has than what disease the person has.” This is the embodiment of the importance of individualized care.
It is critical that, rather than just the diagnosis or disorder, a recovery center also discover what an individual’s background is, where they come from, their family and career dynamics, and their goals for recovery. The best way of doing this is to have competent and compassionate intake professionals ready as soon as a client shows up at the recovery center, which is exactly what we have at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab. We also have a comprehensive array of means, methods, and modalities to help people recover at the cellular level.
Understanding the Importance of Comprehensive Addiction and Mental Health Care
Comprehensive addiction and mental health care is also about utilizing every variety of modalities that one has access to. At Exclusive Hawaii Reahab, we are blessed to have access to an abundance of them.
This includes psychotherapeutic modalities like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). It also includes experiential therapies like nature immersion therapy, art therapy, surf therapy, and horticulture therapy. We also offer some amazing holistic options like acupuncture, massage, breathwork, meditation, and yoga. Lastly, we also offer something unique to our recovery center: infusion therapy (including NAD infusions).
What Exactly Is Infusion Therapy?
Infusion therapy is all about getting the essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and then some) back into one’s system as soon as possible. The best way for this to happen is absorption directly into the bloodstream, which is the foundation of infusion therapy.
Infusion therapy can also be ideal for people just entering recovery from addiction because many people don’t realize just how nutrient-deprived they are. For example, many people seeking recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD) are extremely low on essential nutrients.
According to the peer-reviewed journal Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research, “Chronic alcoholic patients are frequently deficient in one or more vitamins. The deficiencies commonly involve folate, vitamin B6, thiamine, and vitamin A.” Also, “Alcoholism can affect the absorption, storage, metabolism, and activation of many of these vitamins.” These nutrients can be replenished quickly via the bloodstream.
However, there are other essential elements, which many people are unaware of, that need to be replenished back into the bloodstream. This includes replenishing NAD+, which is a coenzyme molecule that plays a crucial part in creating energy and helping metabolism. That can happen via nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) infusions.
Better Understanding NAD Infusions
NAD infusions are gaining traction slowly but surely. According to the 2020 peer-reviewed journal Pharmaceuticals, “Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) pharmacology is a promising class of treatments for age-related conditions that are likely to have a favorable side effect profile for human use, given the widespread use of the NAD precursor vitamin B3 supplements.” Of course, while age-related conditions can be helped by NAD infusion, they have also been shown to help with many other issues (including issues of mental health and addiction).
There have been specific reports that show the benefits of NAD infusions for AUD. According to the academic journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, “The most direct method of increasing NAD+ levels is through intravenous (IV) administration. Though data from experimental research is minimal, the significant clinical benefit of IV NAD+ infusion in alcohol withdrawal has been previously reported.” Also, these are not the only benefits of NAD infusions.
The following are just a few of the known benefits of NAD infusions:
- It can help with weight loss and boost metabolism
- Increases energy levels and combats fatigue
- Helps with cognitive functioning and memory loss
- Can reduce inflammation and help repair skin damage
- Reduces stress, anxiety, depression
- Helps with overall longevity and quality of life
- Can reduce cravings associated with alcohol and other illicit substances
- Helps to regulate sleep patterns, including sleeping too much and sleeping too little
Now, as with most therapies, NAD infusions can be greatly benefited by supplementing them with other types of treatments. This is especially true when NAD infusions are administered alongside other types of infusions, such as glutathione infusions and Myers cocktails.
The Benefits of Myers Cocktails
The Myers cocktail originated as a means of helping people struggling with fibromyalgia but has now been shown to help with many other types of ailments. According to the peer-reviewed journal Alternative Medicine Review, “The modified ‘Myers’ cocktail,’ which consists of magnesium, calcium, B vitamins, and vitamin C, has been found to be effective against acute asthma attacks, migraines, fatigue (including chronic fatigue syndrome), fibromyalgia, acute muscle spasm, upper respiratory tract infections, chronic sinusitis, seasonal allergic rhinitis, cardiovascular disease, and other disorders.” Within these other disorders are mental illness, AUD, and substance use disorder (SUD).
Like NAD infusions, the Myers cocktail also offers a myriad of other benefits. The following are just a few of the benefits offered by the Myers cocktail:
- Boosts mood and increases energy levels
- Improves immunity and overall health
- Helps with sleep patterns, including sleeping too much and/or sleeping too little
- Reduces cell inflammation
- Improves digestion and appetite
- May help with weight loss
- Helps with cognitive functioning, focus, and mental clarity
- Reduces stress levels, anxiety, and depression
- Can help recovery time from injuries
- May help with complexion and nail and hair growth
- Helps reduce cravings from AUD and SUD
Another infusion that pairs exceptionally well with both NAD infusions and Myers cocktails is glutathione infusions.
The Benefits of Glutathione Infusions
Glutathione infusions are becoming more popular than ever. The reason for this is that more and more benefits of the infusion are being discovered all the time.
According to Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, “It is hard to overstate the importance of glutathione… It plays a crucial role in shielding cellular macromolecules from endogenous and exogenous reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. While it directly quenches some free radicals, of perhaps greater importance is that it deals directly with the causes of oxidative stress such as mercury and POPs [persistent organic pollutants].” Of course, these are not the only benefits that glutathione infusions have to offer.
The following are some, but certainly not all, of the benefits of glutathione infusions:
- Helps particularly well with the detoxification process and substance and alcohol withdrawal
- Reduces inflammation and oxidative stress
- Helps with mood and increases energy levels
- Aid in healthy sleep patterns
- Helps with cognitive functioning, mental clarity, and memory loss
- Reduces stress levels
- Can help with anxiety, depression, and other symptoms of mental illness
Of course, as all of these infusions have a nutrient replenishment focus, it only makes sense that they would greatly benefit from nutritional therapy and nutritional counseling.
The Benefits of NAD Infusions and Nutritional Therapy
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we have a saying; “Food is medicine.” We believe that nutrition is one of the best ways to heal at the cellular level and obtain optimal recovery. One of the best parts is that it is an all-natural solution. However, it must done right and done with professionals.
So, what exactly is nutritional counseling? According to the Journal of Clinical Medicine, “Nutrition counseling is a two-way interaction through which a patient and the member of the medical team interpret the results of a nutritional assessment, identify patient’s nutritional problems, needs, and goals, discuss ways to meet these goals and agree on future steps and the frequency of monitoring. It aims to help patients [clients] understand important information about the impact of nutrition on their health status and focuses on practical measures to cover nutritional needs. Moreover, it strengthens the importance of behavioral change.”
At Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we have some of the best nutritional therapists and dietitians in the country. They ensure that clients not only get the foods that they need but avoid the foods that they don’t need. This is also the premise of nutritional therapy.
According to the Journal for Nurse Practitioners (JNP), “Nutritional Therapy uses food to prevent and reverse diseases that plague most western societies: diabetes, obesity, heart disease, arthritis, and depression. For food to be therapeutic, it must be nutrient-dense, measured in part by the nutrients and anti-nutrients, contained in consumed foods. Nutrients are plant and animal sources providing macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat), micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, probiotics), and fiber,” and “Anti-Nutrients are food products that have no biological necessity.” Another key to nutritional therapy is ensuring that an individual is enjoying the food that they eat.
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we don’t solely focus on the nutrition aspect of food; we also focus on the satiety and the pleasure that food can bring. This is why we have world-class chefs prepare all of our meals catered specifically to each client’s needs. We also often use organic and local ingredients for our menus, some of which are actually grown on the property and cultivated by clients via horticulture therapy.
The Benefits of Horticulture Therapy
Horticulture therapy is an ideal way to help people heal at the cellular level. People getting NAD infusions are getting the benefits of both absorbing the nutrients they need while also seeing directly where the nutrients come from: Mother Earth.
Horticulture therapy is also an exceptional way to get another essential nutrient, vitamin D, from the Hawaiin sun. According to the peer-reviewed journal Issues in Mental Health Nursing, “Recently, vitamin D has been reported in the scientific and lay press as an important factor that may have significant health benefits in the prevention and the treatment of many chronic illnesses. Most individuals in this country have insufficient levels of vitamin D. This is also true for persons with depression as well as other mental disorders.”
Horticulture therapy also has many more benefits than solely obtaining essential vitamin D. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “First, horticulture could have emotional benefits, such as reducing stress, reducing psychiatric symptoms, stabilizing mood, and increasing the sense of tranquility, spirituality, and enjoyment. Second, it could help people to reduce fatigue and restore attention and cognitive ability. Third, it could increase self-efficacy, self-esteem, and quality of life.” When added to a regimen of NAD and other infusions, horticulture therapy can become an essential component of a recovery plan. This is also true for the addition of yoga to a recovery plan with NAD infusions.
The Benefits of Yoga
NAD infusions can always benefit from other treatment options that have a physical and mindfulness focus. Yoga fits this bill perfectly.
Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years. It started solely as a religious/spiritual practice. However, in recent years, it has now moved into many different areas of life, including the lives of people recovering from issues of addiction and mental illness.
Yoga offers a myriad of benefits. According to the International Journal of Yoga (IJOY), “Therapeutic yoga is defined as the application of yoga postures and practice to the treatment of health conditions. Yoga therapy involves instruction in yogic practices and teachings to prevent reduce or alleviate structural, physiological, emotional, and spiritual pain, suffering, or limitations. Yogic practices enhance muscular strength and body flexibility, promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function, promote recovery from and treatment of addiction, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, improve sleep patterns, and enhance overall well-being and quality of life.”
A recovery plan with a foundation of NAD infusions and these other modalities is an exceptional multi-angled approach to recovery. It is one that can absolutely help to get to the root/core causes of one’s issues and start to heal at the cellular level, and at Exclsuive Hawaii Rehab there are so many more options of recovery to engage with.
Healing at the Cellular Level With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab
Hippocrates is also believed to have famously said, “Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease.” That is what we do here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab: help to bring out the amazing person inside that addiction and/or mental illness had shut down for so long.
The time to recover is now. Recovery is a journey, never a destination, and perhaps there is no better place to start that journey than right here on the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island.
There are a myriad of benefits of NAD infusions for whole-mind and body healing. Also, these infusion benefits are compounded by partaking in all other modalities and activities that Exclusive Hawaii Rehab has to offer. For example, infusion therapy can both benefit and benefit by nature immersion therapy, horticulture therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP), meditation, and yoga. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or co-occurring disorders, we can help you get on the right road to long-term recovery right away. For more information about the benefits of NAD infusions and other modalities, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.