Treatment Cave

AA is not a fraud: Why haters are afraid to listen Here's why the program works, no matter what critics say: It's really about listening, living, spirituality and joy I’m beginning to think that the main proof that Alcoholics Anonymous is, as its members claim, “a spiritual program,” is that it is attacked so often and so viciously. These attacks usually come from people who are trying to sell something – books or drying-out programs, mostly. What troubles them seems to be that AA, like all genuinely spiritual realities, is free. What else might “spiritual” mean, even more positively? Let me suggest that the program and fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous can be summed up in just four words. And those four words are the core of its “spirituality.” First, Alcoholics Anonymous tells alcoholics that their problem – what is wrong with them – is simple: “selfishness – self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.” (Page 62 of the AA Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymou...

When we study the pathology of the Internal Organs, for the Spleen, we generally emphasize Spleen-Qi and Spleen-Yang deficiency. This is understandable as these two patterns are indeed extremely common. By contrast, when it comes to the Stomach, we do mention Stomach-Yin deficiency. In fact, some people say that this is a well-known contradiction: the Stomach is a Yang organ but it suffers from Yin deficiency while the Spleen is a Yin organ but it suffers from Yang deficiency. All this is true, but in this article, I want to discuss the aetiology, pathology, diagnosis and treatment of Spleen-Yin deficiency.  Historical development Although we nowadays emphasize Spleen-Yang deficiency, some of the old classics did often mention Spleen-Yin deficiency. For example, the Su Wen in chapter 3 says that the excessive use of bitter foods or  herbs causes Spleen-Qi not to be “immersed”. Modern doctors interpret “Spleen-Qi not immersed” as Spleen-Yin deficiency.  Doctor Wang Lun Ti ...

We have been saying for years that the best friend a client has in treatment is time. English Mountain Recovery was one of the first true 90 day residential treatment programs. Many friends told us people are too used to traditional 28 and 30 day programs and you won’t be able to survive. So why did 30 days in addiction treatment used to be the norm? It was set by the insurance industry and not from research based on effective levels of care. Since English Mountain Recovery began our 90 day program we have been busy treating our clients for our 90 day stay. Many of our callers are actually seeking 90 day programs and more. So maybe people are beginning to understand that more is better, the relapse rates are lower and outcomes are better with our model. Unfortunately many callers are seeking treatment after multiple treatment episodes and have learned the hard way they needed a more intensive program. Even more unfortunate are those who believe all will be well if they can just go thr...

Itching is a symptom that accompanies many diseases and patterns.  The main pathogenic factors that cause itching are: Heat External Wind Wind in the skin Dampness Blood deficiency For each pathogenic factor I will give the general acupuncture points for treatment.  Please note that these are only general points and other points depend on the disease and the part of the body affected. Please note that Baichongwo is an extra point located 1 cun above SP-10 Xuehai. Its name means "100 insects nest", a clear reference to its action on itching that feels as if insects were crawling under the skin.  In the lists of points, I mention HE-7 Shenmen because, besides calming the Shen, it stops itching. Heat The itching caused by Heat manifests with red skin eruptions of the papular type.  It is seen in various diseases such as herpes.  In order to diagnose Heat as the cause of itching the tongue is important: it must be red with a yellow coating and possibly red points. A...

The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction to alcohol and other drugs as “A chronic, progressive, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive use of one or more substances that results in physical, psychological, or social harm to the individual and continued use despite this harm”. In 1956 the American Medical Association deemed addiction as a primary, progressive, chronic, and fatal disease with identifiable symptoms. In the face of this evidence many people tend to believe the myths and misconceptions about addiction to alcohol and other drugs. Substance abuse is our nation’s number one health problem according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Alcohol continues to be at the top of the list of abused substances, followed by opiates, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and benzodiazepines just to mention a few. The societal costs of untreated addiction is passing the $300 Billion range and climbing. Some of the societal costs are illness, death, crime, me...

In this blog post, I will discuss the diagnostic differentiation between various digestive symptoms and specifically, a feeling of distension, fullness, oppression and stuffiness. A feeling of  DISTENSION ( zhang 胀) indicates stagnation of Qi.  This type of sensation will be seldom referred to as "distension" by Western patients: more often than not, patients will call it a feeling of “bloating”, "bursting", "being blown-up", etc. A feeling of distension is both subjective and objective.  Subjectively, the patient feels bloated, and objectively, it can be seen and palpated.  On palpation it feels like an over-inflated balloon, it resists on palpation and “rebounds”. A feeling of distension indicates Qi stagnation: it is the cardinal symptom of Qi stagnation which usually affects the Liver.  Remember, however, that it affects also other organs: in the context of digestive disorders, it affects the Stomach, Intestines and Spleen. Note that Qi stagnation do...