How alcohol affects the Pancreas?
The heavy consumption of alcohol can be a triggering mechanism for pancreatitis. Nobody thinks about how alcohol is affecting their pancreas until they end up admitted to the hospital with an attack of acute pancreatitis. If you or a loved one has been recently released from the hospital after a case of acute pancreatitis, you probably have some questions about what role alcohol can play in your life going forward.
Your first question is probably, “Is it still possible for a person to consume the same amounts of alcohol as before the pancreatitis attack?” The answer is no. An initial attack of acute pancreatitis puts a person at a much higher risk of developing chronic pancreatitis if they continue drinking any alcohol at all. Chronic pancreatitis is a terrible disease that causes severe pain, indigestion, and other complications. Most importantly, chronic pancreatitis significantly increases the odds of being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
The combination of pancreatitis and alcohol is a progressive, chronic, and frequently fatal disease.
You may be thinking to yourself, “Surely I can still drink a little alcohol. Doctors will be able to fix up my pancreas again if I have another attack of acute pancreatitis. I was fine after this first attack of pancreatitis.” Unfortunately, this reasoning is flawed.
There is presently no conventional medical treatment that can reverse or stop the main problems that are caused by chronic pancreatitis. These problems include minimized digestive enzyme production by pancreas and the dying of pancreatic cells. If you continue drinking any alcohol at all there is a significant chance that you will develop worsening of chronic pancreatitis.
The treatment of alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis is a complicated process that calls that includes a variety of different alternative (non-drug, non-surgery) modalities from many different professionals. We will discuss treatments further down in the article.
Information about Alcoholic Pancreatitis
Research shows that an overall increase in the consumption of alcohol can be linked to the increase in cases of acute pancreatitis. An attack of acute alcoholic pancreatitis is generally preceded by 5-10 years of prolonged over-consumption of alcohol. In the U.S. every year, 80,000 to 200,000 people have attacks of acute pancreatitis. The number of these people is increasing yearly. It is true that not all alcoholics develop pancreatitis. However, once an alcoholic has had at least one attack of acute pancreatitis alcohol in all forms is lethal to the pancreas.
Scientific research shows that the lifespan of an acute pancreatitis patient becomes contingent upon their ability to give up drinking. Patients unable to stop drinking alcohol frequently develop chronic pancreatitis, which destroys their pancreatic gland. It is therefore necessary for patients to stop drinking alcohol altogether.
Am I an Alcoholic?
It is important to stop completely drinking after the first attack of acute pancreatitis. However, it is extremely difficult for alcoholics, as well as people in general, to give up completely alcohol. In fact, as observed through our long years of practice, it is almost impossible for an alcoholic to recover totally without the help of an experienced licensed practitioner. It sometimes even requires a team of practitioners.
It may be difficult for people to admit that they have an alcohol addiction. The results of the following self-test may be the unwelcome but necessary wake-up call that lets a person know that they have a problem.
Self Test for Alcoholism / Alcohol Abuse
The following test may help determine if you have a problem with alcohol:
– Have you ever thought you should cut down on your drinking?
– Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking habits?
– Is it hard to stop drinking after you’ve had one or two drinks?
– Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
– Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning as a little “pick-me-up” to get rid of a hangover or to steady your nerves?
– Have you ever had a problem remembering what you did during a drinking episode?
– Have you ever encountered drinking-related problems with your health, relationships, job, or the law?
If you answered “yes” to one of the above questions, you might have a problem with alcohol. If you answered “yes” to two or more of the questions, it is highly probable that you have an alcohol abuse problem. Either way, it is important to schedule an appointment with an experienced licensed practitioner as soon as possible. Then you will be able to determine what sort of treatment would benefit you most.
Treatment
Acute or chronic pancreatitis in an alcohol-addicted patient is a serious medical situation and requires an approach that utilizes the healing of both the body and the mind. The primary objective is not only to help a person quit drinking alcohol, but also to help him or her quit in a manner that does not harm their already sick pancreas.
For that reason, treating alcoholism must begin with basic detoxification. An experienced and licensed practitioner utilizes many methods while detoxifying the body:
o Colon hydrotherapy,
o Restoring friendly intestinal flora (particularly after the use of antibiotics),
o Specialized diets,
o Herbal teas and nutritional supplements,
o Drinking healing mineral water prepared by using Genuine Karlovy Vary Thermal Spring Salt.
After years of consumption, the brain becomes dependent on alcohol. Alcohol’s chemistry allows it to impact almost every cell in the body, including the cells of the central nervous system. That is why the second step for treating alcohol dependency is the normalization of brain chemistry. Brain chemistry normalization is achieved through practitioners’ skilled use of:
o Nutritional supplements,
o A special anti-alcohol diet,
o The addition of essential amino acids,
o Herbs,
o Magnet therapy,
o Auricular acupuncture-NADA protocol,
o Regular acupuncture, and so on.
Subconscious positive programming, or hypnotherapy, is a third practice, which is common and successful when utilized to break an alcohol addiction. If the person cannot reach medical hypnotherapist or shy to do that, custom hypnosis CDs can be created to address the particular needs and problems. Then the person can listen to the CD in the privacy of their own homes for as long as needed, and as many times as needed.
It is just as important to help heal the negative affects that alcohol has had on peoples’ bodies. The long-term combination of pancreatitis and alcohol wreaks havoc on the body, causing an unhealthy acidity and a deficiency of trace elements and minerals. This is required an acid-alkaline balance normalization of the body. People are able to nourish and normalize their bodies by Karlovy Vary Healing Mineral Water (available in the U.S.), nutritional supplementation, and a specialized diet. This combination goes far in allowing the pancreas to recover from both pancreatitis and alcohol abuse.
Through utilizing the four steps listed above a person will be able to heal many of the unwanted symptoms of alcohol-related chronic pancreatitis, such as pain, gas, bloating, indigestion, depression, mood swings, sexual dysfunctions, insomnia, and many other gastrointestinal complaints.
Most people find that breaking free from alcohol addiction is not easy, even when that addiction to is literally destroying their health, their relationships, and other important components of their lives. The most important thing to remember is that recovery from alcohol addiction is possible.
This recovery can add many wonderful, healthy years to a person’s life.
The information on this article is presented for educational, informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment and advice of a qualified licensed professional.