Alcohol Abuse

Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms: Loss of control- Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun. Craving – A strong need, or urge, to drink. Physical dependence- Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking. Tolerance-The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get “high.”

Many people come home from a hard day of work and unbind with a drink. Alcohol has been consumed for thousands of years by almost all civilizations. Americans have been drinking alcohol since the country was founded and in moderation, it can be a relaxing beverage.

How do you know, though, when that relaxing drink has taken over your life? How do you know when you become depend on it? Alcohol abuse in America is becoming a serious problem. Many people used to believe that alcohol abuse was a characteristic of a weak person, but now it is known that it is really a serious disease that has a chance of affecting us all.

A surprising statistic is that 1 in 13 adults is affected by alcohol abuse. The online health guide, WebMD reported that in the United States alone, 12 to 14 millions adults abuse the substance and each year, around 100,000 adults will die from alcohol abuse. It has also been proven that alcohol abuse is a large factor in most of the country’s car accidents, suicides and homicides. It also affects many other things in daily life, including increased rates of job absenteeism, and increases reports of domestic violence and child abuse.

Most treatments focus on helping abusers completely discontinue their alcohol intake, as well as providing life training and/or social support to help them resist a return to alcohol use. Treatments for alcohol abuse are quite varied in keeping with the multiple perspectives of the condition itself. Counselors approaching the condition as a medical disease will recommend different treatment processes and goals than, for instance, those approaching the condition as one of social choice.

Since alcohol abuse involves many factors which encourage a person to continue drinking (psychological/social, physical, and neurochemical), all of these factors must be addressed in order to successfully prevent a return to active alcohol use.

The most common approach to alcohol abuse treatment is detoxification followed by a combination of supportive therapy, and ongoing development of coping mechanisms, attendance at self-help groups. The treatment community for alcohol abuse typically supports an abstinence-based approach, as studies have shown that the vast majority of people who abuse alcohol cannot learn to drink in moderation.

It is also important to consider not just the percentage of those reaching sobriety but how many of those experience relapsing. The effectiveness of alcohol abuse treatments vary from successful to counterproductive. When considering the effectiveness of treatment options, it is important to consider the percentage of those who drop out of a program, not just those who complete it. Most programs can boast a high cure rate for those who complete it because most people only complete a program if it works for them.

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Getting Through Addiction

Addictions come in all shapes and forms. Difficult to define exactly, it has become popular to think of almost any behavior that has a compulsive quality as an “addiction.” But for those who have an addiction, or for those affected by the addiction of a loved one or close friend, it’s clear what an addiction means in “real” terms.

The relationship between mental health issues and substance use is convoluted. According to research gathered at the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health in Ontario, more than half of people with substance use disorders also have mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. Some people with mental health problems use different substances to self-medicate, but end up making things worse.

The removal of the drug or activity causes painful withdrawal symptoms. More than physical tolerance, an addiction develops physical and psychological dependence separate from the need to avoid the pain of withdrawal. Common Characteristics of Destructive Addictions: The substance activity or activity that triggers must initially cause feelings of pleasure and changes in emotion or mood. The body develops a physical tolerance to the substance or activity, so people with addictions so people must take larger and larger amounts of a substance to feel the same effects.

These brain changes interfere with your ability to think clearly, exercise good judgment, control your behavior, and feel normal without drugs. The answer lies in the brain.These changes are also responsible, in large part, for the drug cravings and compulsion to use that make addiction so powerful. Repeated drug use alters the brain-causing long-lasting changes to the way it looks and functions.

So when this flutter of activity increases the creation of dopamine for the negative behaviors and substances like drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc., it neglects the natural survival instinct reaction mechanisms, replacing them with the ecstasy instead. The problem is the brain doesn’t realize what it is that is causing the ecstasy reaction.

Addiction always causes psychological, chemical, and anatomical changes in the brain along with behavior changes. Addiction develops after an initial exposure to the addicting substance or activity. That initial exposure must occur for addiction to develop, but addiction does not always develop. The cycle of quitting the addictive behavior, going through withdrawal, and relapsing may become self-reinforcing.

Some people inherit a vulnerability to the addictive properties of drugs. Studies have shown that the risk of substance use disorders is higher for people who have a close relative with addictions. It’s been argued that in some cases, using substances to self-medicate is a learned behavior to cope with stress. Even if a person has a genetic vulnerability to addiction, it does not necessarily mean he will become an addict.

There is always a reason why a person develops an addiction. More often than not other factors that are behind addictions include chaos in the family unit, poverty, having physical, emotional or sexual abuse in the past or present to deal with or conflict. Families play a strong role in substance abuse recovery. With support from family members who are non-judgmental, a person with addictions is more likely to stay in treatment and have a successful outcome.

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Sex Addiction

Does it make you wish for the capacity to have an emotionally intimate relationship, not dozens of superficial ones? Or does the idea make you uncomfortable, make you laugh, make you say you want to meet one? Or perhaps you are concerned for the children and teenagers in your life, that they not become victims of sex crimes or that they (or you) not become victims of someone unable to commit to and sustain a relationship, or spend their lives wondering why they cannot have a healthy relationship. No question, the term, “sex addict” definitely provokes something in all of us.

Sex addiction is an illness that is experienced worldwide by men and women from different backgrounds and cultures. When a person is a sex addict, progressive and capable of destroying the lives of not only the sufferer but of their families as well, they suffer from a disease which is incurable.

People by nature are sexual beings are prone to their sexual satisfaction but people who priorities sex rather than their family, friends and work are called sex addict. It’s annoying to society and how the government manages to overcome this insane addiction. Numbers of surveys are made yet same results state that addiction of sex comes from child abuse mostly by adult men.

Many parents, especially fathers, abuses their child and the mothers always contemplating and make things secret just to shade and protect their family without knowing the fact that it is more troublesome than claiming a healthy family.

Sex addiction can be managed with a recovery programme and therapy but whilst in the grips of this addiction, sufferers cannot escape their obsessive and compulsive behaviour. Often sex addiction is experienced with other addictive behaviours such as drug use and eating disorders. They are all behaviours of the same disease of addiction.

Sex addiction is based on obsessive and compulsive needs. The behaviour of a sex addict can include repeated empty affairs, voyeurism, compulsive masturbation, frequent use of prostitutes and other sex services and in extreme cases can even progress to exhibitionism, child molestation and rape.

Many sex addicts will be in a state of denial about their problem but once they have admitted that they have a problem, they can begin the healing recovery process. Sex addiction is treatable, but incurable. Yet with therapy, abstinence from the disordered sexual behaviours and maintaining a programme of recovery on a daily basis, a sex addict can regain a normal life again. Inpatient treatment in a counselling centre can be extremely beneficial to a sex addict seeking help for their problem.

Treatment facilities are a safe place for sex addicts to recover where they can process their condition with experienced and understanding people. Inpatient treatment will usually provide group therapy and individual therapy which have been found to be the most successful methods of dealing with sex addiction. They need never be alone in their struggle again.

With proper treatment and therapy, coupled with a programme of recovery, a sex addict can begin to lead a happy and normal life again. A recovery programme will keep a sex addict aware of their behaviours and dangerous situations which may lead to relapse and will teach them tools to cope with daily life.

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Get Your Life Back From Alcoholism

Sickness, hangover, late arrivals, extended lunch breaks, and early departures are some work characteristics that lead to reduced reliability and productivity. Alcoholism is considered to be a disease, and affects earnings as such. The physical and mental health problems associated with problem drinking have direct effects on labour market productivity and reliability.

This in turn leads to lessened earnings and fewer promotions and raises. Alcohol dependence can develop over the years and follows a generally predictable pattern. A tolerance of alcohol develops first, which means a person needs to consume greater quantities of alcohol before the same effects are noticed. Over time, the person may lose control over their drinking and may not be able to stop even if they want to. And if alcohol consumption is reduced or stopped, withdrawal symptoms can be experienced which can range from annoying to life-threatening.

The biggest problem of an alcoholic is the problem of denial. They will not easily accept that they have any problem with their alcoholism. They feel that consuming alcohol suits their status and also they have been consuming alcohol since a very long time. Due to this reason, they will not want to accept that these people need any kind of treatment. Since they are with their alcoholism, their bodies have become immune to alcohol and in fact most of the emotions that they feel will be a direct consequence of their alcoholism.

Hence it becomes more difficult to bring them out of the addiction. For example, they may have become familiar to consume alcohol whenever they are in depression. This makes the alcohol addiction closely connected. Alcoholism has spread like an epidemic everywhere around the globe. It is not only the young, but also the older people who are succumbing to alcohol addiction. It is often difficult to detect if a person is an alcoholic because they may have been drinking and yet doing all the work and activities that any normal person does. They are called functional alcoholics as they are very unaware of their problem, having always been able to perform all the day-to-day activities.

Seeking help from a trained professional is the wisest thing that you could do. To overcome this destructive disease, there are support groups, medical and alternative therapies available. With will, determination and the willingness to deal with the problems behind the addiction, you can come out of it. One very essential step is to search for a rehab center that runs a senior addiction treatment program. This can also be done with the help of the Internet or contact some substance abuse authority. You can visit the state health website and email them about your requirements.

You can also visit your local healthcare center or even your local parish and discuss options. Sometimes you may even know that these specific centers for senior addiction treatment are well-suited for their needs. Especially because they will be living amongst people of the same age group as they are of and they will be comfortable even like living at the treatment center. As an addictive substance, alcohol can be as bad as drugs. Alcohol abuse and addiction, usually referred in general terms as alcoholism, is a common problem in many communities, able to cut across economic and social barriers.

It also produces a physical dependence and when it does, it becomes a chronic disease. The use of too much alcohol, like drugs, can also increase tolerance and produce withdrawal symptoms. Like drugs, alcoholism can lead to family, health and social problems. It’s not uncommon for alcoholics to destroy family and social relationships, lose their jobs or turn to illegal activities in order to support their habit. It also causes health problems that are potentially life threatening, such as liver cirrhosis and cancer .

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Substance Abuse Treatment And Recovery In America

For drug addicts and their families, substance abuse treatment is the ultimate open door: a pathway to drug recovery and long-term sobriety. The fight against drug dependency is an enormously difficult one, though, and only proper care from a qualified drug rehab center can help you and your loved ones get where you want to go.

And what of those later stages? Again, drug addiction is a two-headed problem, and substance abuse treatment must mount a two-pronged offensive against it. As important as physical drug recovery is, the psychological treatment afforded by addiction counseling programs is the ultimate harbinger of drug treatment’s success or failure.

But it’s an undertaking that can’t begin, we should note, without the consent of drug addicts themselves. Again, substance abuse treatment is meaningless if it isn’t met with an active effort on the part of the patient, and such can effort can only come when a drug addict recognizes the full extent of his self-destructive behavior. It can be, to say the least, a difficult admission to make: It’s not easy to accept that you have a problem, and to accept that you cann’t fix it on your own.

That said, though, it can be hard to know where to turn in the search for the right drug treatment center. The drug rehabilitation market is full of options, and distinguishing one substance abuse treatment program from the next is no mean feat. Indeed, for the untrained consumer, the profusion of drug rehab models can be almost literally overwhelming: Faced with so many different choices, the consumer’s most logical response might be to simply assume that every drug rehab center is the same.

In many cases, the hardest part of recognizing the symptoms of drug abuse lies in accepting what’s already obvious, and seeing the truth as it actually is. As trying as it might be, though, such recognition might just be the most important thing you’ll ever do. Substance abuse treatment is a difficult undertaking because of the obstacles involved. Drug dependency is, if nothing else, a most stubborn enemy, an affliction that never yields ground without the bitterest of fights.

Getting sober, in other words, means paying a price…but knowing exactly what that price is can help ensure the long-term success of a patient’s drug rehabilitation experience. Drug addiction, as noted above, is a disease, one with discrete and clinically identifiable roots. It’s important to understand above all else that drug abuse stems from two distinct causes: physiological one hand, emotional on the other.

Unfortunately, such thinking isn’t even close to accurate. Again, you are your own person, and the “right” drug treatment center is the one that recognizes and treats you as such. In the fight against drug abuse, that sort of uniquely personal treatment is the last best chance you’ve got.

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Kidney Stones Treatment – Alternative Solution For Swift Relief from Pains

What special attributes should a good kidney stones treatment have? Knowing this is really important when you are trying to get the best possible cure for your kidney stones problem.

You will receive information you can rely on. You will get to know more about the popular 24 hour natural treatment method. Reading this will expose you to knowledge about why the treatment works so well.

Just before exploring more details about natural kidney stones treatment, we will learn more about the symptoms associated with this condition. You will find some of the symptoms listed below:

1. Abdominal issues: One of the symptoms you will normally hear about is complains about people feeling sharp pains in the abdomen.

2. Urine color: The color of the urine being produced changes for some people.

3. Holding back the urine: It’s a bit common to experience difficulty holding back urine.

4. Urine frequency: The regular frequency of the urine increases somewhat.

5. Urinating with pain: Some people start getting scared of urinating because of the pains which occur anytime they need to pass out urine. Attacking these destructive stones with a fast working kidney stones treatment works well.

6. Boredom: Some people begin to feel quite dull and totally unenergetic.

7. Serious infections: The stones often cause other problems in the system such as infections and inflammations. These infections could get quite serious if left unchecked. A good kidney stones treatment prevents such infections quickly.

8. Nausea and other problems: Nausea, chills and fevers are sometimes a common occurrence for many sufferers.

Why are these stones so harmful and destructive? What are the stones composed of and how do they form?

Inborn defects, disturbances in the body metabolism and abnormalities in the system of the body are some factors which make these stones occur.

Kidney stones are also called ‘Renol Calculi’. These Calculi’s are solid concentrations of minerals dissolved in the urine. The stones often get formed within the bladder and the kidneys.

Huge quantities of these stones are as minute as sand grains while some others are like peas or even pearls. The exterior of some of these stones are smooth while others are uneven and jagged.

The simple items or ingredients needed for natural treatment can be easily purchased from any neighborhood grocery shop. The costs are quite minimal. Many other advantages make this type of kidney stones treatment a preferred solution.

Natural kidney stones treatment clears the stones without discomfort to your body. This is actually essential when trying to deal with this serious problem.

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Dermaxin – A Cut Above Others

Aging is a natural process and so is the occurrence of wrinkles. Collagen and Elastin are primarily responsible for providing a firm, elastic, and a youthful looking skin. Wrinkles appear when the collagen network in the dermal layer of the skin becomes thinner. With the growing age, the oil secreting glands become less effective and the healing rate of the skin also becomes slower. The skin also begins to lose its ability to hold moisture.

Today, the market is flooded with so many skin care creams and chosing the best cream can be a challenge. A good skin care cream has the ability to keep the skin moisturized, and it also contains an antioxidant ingredient. A good skin cream also has an anti inflammatory property and promotes collagen stimulation. Dermaxin is a skin cream that has all these properties. It has the right blend of ingredients to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, restore skin elasticity and smoothness, revitalize the skin, and reduce the signs of aging.

The first ingredient is Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, which enhances the growth of collagen and elastin. A study indicated that Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 helped reduce the appearance of wrinkles by as much as 45 percent.
Another ingredient is Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, which is a popular peptide that helps relax the facial muscles. A research has proven that Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 was successful in reducing wrinkles on the face, forehead and around the eyes. It also helped reduce skin aging due to normal facial movements.

One more important ingredient is SYN-COLL (synthetic collagen). This ingredient is very effective in keeping the skin young, soft and smooth. Due to its hydrating effect, Dermaxin is very effective in replacing the collagen that we lose with aging.
Retinyl Palmitate is another important ingredient in Dermaxin. It is an antioxidant which has an excellent skin regulating property. This ingredient is very effective in improving the collagen holding property of the skin.

The most important ingredient in Dermaxin is hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a moisturizer which has the capability to hold 1000 times its weight in water. This unique ability of hyaluronic acid increases the skin’s smoothness, softness, and elasticity.
All the above ingredients in Dermaxin make it one of the most trusted skin care products available in the market.

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Are You Addicted To Drugs?

Drug addiction is a serious problem.If your loved one is into methamphetamine addiction then going for a meth rehab center and taking the treatment program will be best for the addict. The treatment program should be checked for the license from the state substance abuse. Make sure that the center has a proper license to treat the kind of addiction you want to take treatment for. The drug addiction treatment program must be chosen according to the kind of addiction the addict is in.

Drug is now a common problem among youngsters. There are various reasons behind this drug addiction. Any one get addicted to drug. He may be experiencing that stuff; he may be thinking that drug is fashionable thing to do. Friends and familiar people are also responsible for this addiction. Out depression, and despair men can be addicted to this illegal medicines of recreation. Drug is a biological substance which can be synthetic or non synthetic and is taken mainly for a purpose.

Drug addiction to any sort of drugs is not only harmful for the physical health but also this is injurious for the mental and psychological health. Therefore, the addiction to any sort should be avoided in any respect but the fact is that by saying to keep aloof from drug addiction is not all but the thing which is more important is to take the appropriate steps to eradicate drug addiction of any sort from the root. The purposes can be relieving symptoms, curing diseases or as preventive medicine etc. But by the term drugs we usually mean something illegal and recreational drugs. There are lots of drugs and lots of ways to intake those drugs.

But what to do with those people who are already addicted to drugs. Moreover, it should also be kept in mind that drug addiction these days are no more confined only to the illegal drugs only but these days people are found to be getting the prescription drug addiction more often.There are various reasons for which a person gets himself into this hell. The reason can be depression, loneliness, sudden loss of special someone, sometimes it can be mere curiosity, sometimes fun and sometimes to show off in the friend’s circle.

A person may he be of any age can get addicted to drugs. Teenagers of the present world are most likely to get drug addicted. Teenagers often get addicted to drugs just to follow their idols, rockstars or movie stars. They just want to feel high and get some hallucinations. Even well-known athletes takes drugs to enhance their stamina and hence the performance in their field of expertise.

Drug abuse is a very serious problem in many places in the world, particularly the United States. What starts out as a simple curiosity or use that is considered social may result in a serious addiction . Many individuals start using a particular drug and find that they have total control over their habit. However, after a certain period of time, these people may start to lose the control that they once had. Eventually, it takes more and more of the same type of drug for the individual to achieve the same state of euphoria as they experienced previously.

Detoxification process in drug addiction simply means removing toxins from a person’s body by completely cleansing it from within. This is done in several instances, and drug cure is just one subset of the entire treatment genre. People who are obese might undergo drug cure or people who have digestive problems might. Here the intention is to clear all the unwanted materials accumulated in their bodies that might be a result of faulty digestive processes. In a similar manner, people who are into drug addiction will also be detoxified, i.e. their bodies will be purged of all the residual toxins that will have been produced by the addictive substance they were prone to consume.

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Depression And It’s Diagnosis

Depression is a mental disorder that manifests itself through symptoms like depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration. In a severe case of depression, the individual suffering from depression may resort to committing suicide. These problems can become chronic or recurrent and lead to substantial impairments in an individual’s ability to take care of his or her everyday responsibilities.

Depression is of 2 types: The sad kind, also known as major depression, or dysthymia; and manic depression or bipolar illness, when feeling low and depressed alternates with being wild and reckless.

There should never be any embarrassment or apprehension when coping with depression. The first thing you should do if you suspect that you may be depressed is visit your family doctor for a thorough checkup. It is preferable to visit your family doctor as he will be aware of your previous medical conditions and medical history. If you are unable to or if you are embarrassed to visit your family doctor, any other general physician will serve the same purpose.

Some other severe medical conditions can cause depression symptoms, such as vitamin and mineral deficiencies, female hormonal changes and thyroid conditions. So an individual should be absolutely sure by before taking any kind of medication and self medicating.

The doctor you visit, family doctor or any other physician, will begin the diagnostic process by asking you a series of questions and those could be :

What are the signs you’ve been experiencing?

How long has it been since you’ve had these symptoms?

How seriously do these symptoms affect your daily activities?

Have you felt like this before?

Have you been prescribed any medication for depression before?

If so, what medication were you given and which worked best in your opinion?

Do any of your relatives have depression?

If so, were your relatives treated for depression and of the treatments given to them, which worked best?

Do you use drugs or drink alcohol?

Have you been thinking about death or suicide recently?

Depression occurs in persons of all genders, ages, and backgrounds. There is currently no laboratory test that can be used to diagnose depression. Depression is diagnosed based on your reported symptoms, signs that your doctor observes during the interview, your medical history and your family’s medical history.

It is very essential that the family be supportive of the individual suffering from depression through this difficult time. The family needs to extend their love and affection and most importantly their support.

Facts :

Depression is common, affecting close to 121 million people worldwide.

Depression is among the leading causes of disability worldwide.

Depression can be reliably diagnosed and treated in primary stages.

Less than 25 % of those affected by Depression have access to effective treatments.

In conclusion, depression like most major illnesses can be cured, if it is detected in time and is treated. Family plays an vital role in the treatment.

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History of Medicinal Mushrooms

5,300 years ago, an injured and starving man from Val Venosta, Italy, fled across an Alpine glacier to escape pursuers. But his enemies caught up with him and with a practiced arrow-shot penetrated his shoulder blade and subclavian artery. Before long, he was dead from blood loss. “Oetzi the Iceman” was found mummified in 1991. On his person were pouches containing mushroom remedies, the oldest known proof in existence of medicinal mushrooms usage.

One of the mushrooms was Birch polypore – Piptoporus betulinus – which it is believed he used as a remedy against intestinal parasites. Eggs of the whipworm parasite (Trichuris trichiura) were found in his intestines. The other mushroom in the possession of Oetzi was Tinder fungus – Fomes fomentarius – which has been traditionally used in Europe to cauterize wounds and stop bleeding.

Birch polypore and Tinder fungus are both polypores, which have pores on their undersides, hence the name. Most polypores grow on trees and none is known to be poisonous.

With a couple of notable exceptions, most polypores are inedible because they are woody and fibrous. But as natural remedies in the form of tea, extracts and poultices, they have been invaluable to people all across the globe for many millennia.

Native American traditions tell of using different kinds of polypore extracts to combat smallpox and other diseases introduced with the arrival of Europeans. This includes Reishi (Ganoderma resinaceum), Chaga (Inonotus obliquus), Birch polypore, and Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor), as well as the now rare and endangered species Agarikon (Fomitopsis officinalis).

And as though by no coincidence, Agarikon also holds the distinction as the oldest medicinal mushroom in historic European literature. In 65 B.C., Greek physician Dioscorides recorded it in Materia Medica as a remedy for tuberculosis. More recently, K. Grzywnowics in a 2001 article titled Medicinal Mushrooms in Polish Folk Medicine said Agarikon tea was traditionally considered an elixir for long life and listed historical uses to include lung conditions (coughing, asthma) and rheumatoid arthritis, but also infected wounds and open bleeding.

So far, we’ve only covered the history of medicinal mushrooms in Europe and America and have barely even touch upon their use in Asia, where their use has been even more exhaustive. At least three Asian species must be included in any article on the history of mushrooms.

First out is Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), sometimes nicknamed the “Mushroom of Immortality” due to its wide range of healing properties. Reishi was mentioned in Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic from around 2,000 years ago. Many ancient Oriental temples and wood-carvings include images of this highly revered “cure-all” fungus.

Next is a mushroom from Tibet known as Cordyceps, a small fungus growing out of the bodies of silk caterpillars. Its first mention was in The Classic Herbal of the Divine Plowman, 200 A.D. Traditionally used as an aphrodisiac, today it’s popular with athletes to improve strength and stamina.

Last but not least is the medicinal mushroom Shiitake, better known as a culinary delight. However, Shiitake is also one of the most research mushrooms for medical properties. Commercial cultivation of Shiitake began about a thousand years ago in China. Medicinal uses include immune enhancement, antibiotic and more. Shiitake extracted Lentinan polysaccharide is approved as an anti-cancer drug in Japan.

Modern research into medicinal use of mushrooms began in earnest in the late 1960’s Japan. One pioneer, Dr. Ikekawa, discovered that families of mushroom growers had significantly lower cancer rates than their surrounding communities. Scientific research into medicinal mushrooms has expanded exponentially since that time and continues to increase and intensify until this day. Medicinal mushrooms are still in the process of making history.

Note: This article is for informational purpose only. None of the mushrooms mentioned herein have been approved for medicinal use by the FDA. Never use any mushroom medicinally without consulting a licensed medical practitioner.

Dr. Markho Rafael has worked in the natural health field since the mid-90’s as an author and researcher, now specializing in mycomedicinals. Click medicinal mushroom for mushroom articles and products. Material for this article comes from several different sources. However, a large portion comes from the literature of medicinal fungus expert Paul Stamets, who deserves special credit and thanks.