ELEMENTS OF RECOVERY

break free from disordered eating, addiction, or destructive cycles — and step into lasting clarity.

Eliminating alcohol cravings with Niacin

October 28, 2015 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Natural Medicine, Biochemistry Balancing

Last week we went over the specific aspects of the form of B3 vitamin called niacinamide - not to confuse which Niacin. Both forms of vitamin B3 have important therapeutic functions for recovering addicts; especially concerning alcohol and serotonin-mimicking drugs. Today we will be focusing on Niacin. Many of you will know, that this is the form that causes the intense flushing sensation in the skin. While it is completely harmless, it is important to know what to expect reaction wise, as this is a quite distinct skin-tingling rush. The niacin flush helps to increase circulation, detoxification and nutrient absorption, so the flush is a welcome reaction.

Niacinamide reduces liver damage in alcohol addiction.

October 21, 2015 by Christina Santini in Biochemistry Balancing, Addictions, Natural Medicine

Niacinamide is a specific form of vitamin B3 that has shown to address many of the issues addicts need to rebalance post addiction - and a key nutrient for alcohol addiction recovery. It specifically targets liver damage, blood sugar, brain health, rapid aging, aggressiveness, anxiety and sleep. So how much should you take? And how does it work at a biochemical level exactly?

4 Factors To Reverse HPA-Dysfunction

October 14, 2015 by Christina Santini in Biochemistry Balancing, Addictions, Natural Medicine

After en addiction it's safe to say, that we have experienced a traumatic level of stress - psychologically as well as physically. The thing is, that just because we no longer expose ourselves to the original stressors, we often get caught in the negative stress-response feedback loop which is the underlying biochemical cause of what we call "Chronic stress". When we get caught in this negative feedback loop, we continually pump cortisol into our system. So how do we break the loop?

How do we re-connect when we feel disconnected?

October 07, 2015 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Eating Disorders, Emotional Management, Transformation Keys

I was doing an eating disorder group workshop last week and this question was asked. What do most of us do when we feel disconnected? Some of us obsess over our iphone, others have randomn sex, some of us eat too much, drink too much, take too many drugs while others constantly instagram their ABS while living in the gym addicted to social media and being "liked" for their outside, all the while they feel hollow and unloved on the inside. And yet others simply stop eating to numb the emotional pain, in attempt to feel in control in a world that feels chaotic and scattered oftentimes. So how do we reconnect when we feel disconnected and we just want to distract from the unease of being human - of feeling uncomfortable emotions?

The 3 Ultimate Steps To Change Habits That Will Change Your Life

October 01, 2015 by Christina Santini in Self-Worth, Transformation Keys, Eating Disorders, Addictions

When we break things, we do so only when we replace them with other things. The key to this is to understand WHAT to replace unwanted behaviors with, otherwise it becomes a willpower struggle that will not last in the long run. Humans do not run on willpower very long - it is just not sustainable.

When we just can't stop hating ourselves.

September 23, 2015 by Christina Santini in Eating Disorders, Body Image, Addictions, Binge Eating, Emotional Management, Self-Worth, Transformation Keys

In this TED talk, poet Shane Koyczan talks about the perception of beauty. It is hauntingly, heartbreakingly beautiful. The essence being, how we need to understand that our words... the way we speak.... is what sets off every other domino effect in the world... in our own and other people's lives. Our choice of words has lasting impact on our own sense of self and those that cross pur path. Yet, we often find ourselves using words so carelessly... as if it's only words. Only words.

TO DETOX OR NOT TO DETOX AFTER ADDICTION

September 10, 2015 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Biochemistry Balancing, Binge Eating, Superfoods In Recovery

After breaking the chains of addictions, we often find ourselves seeking out other ways to "cleanse" our body+soul from our destructive past. We long for the simple, perfect life. We want to start over. Whether we want to admit it or not - the pull of the quick-fix and rigid way of living in a detox, taps right into or black-white addictive thinking pattern. On the flip-side, one could argue for that it resets our body, and breaks the junkfood addiction that many of us also struggle with. So what to do?

How To Start Life From Scratch

August 26, 2015 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Binge Eating, Eating Disorders, Emotional Management, Self-Worth, Transformation Keys

Sometimes we need to start from scratch. Rather than overanalyze and try to fix things that are broken and lacking; simply toss out all our bad habits, past baggage and with it our belief-system. This, in order to take action steps to create the person, we want to be in the now. It is essential to understand, that this is a decision we make ourselves. Whether we make it or not; we are completely 100% in charge of letting go of the past, in order to become the person we want to be - body, mind and soul.

Focus: The Essence Of Change

August 05, 2015 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Emotional Management, Transformation Keys

Most people who have struggled with an addiction or disordered eating behavior, will tell the same tale of triggering events - when everything gets overwhelming, when everything seems like there is no purpose, when there is too much stimuli or not enough.... then they go back to their drug of choice. This is due to an inability to focus on what matters at the core. When we do not know what to focus on - how to consciously shape our focus, so that is where our energy flows, we lose grasp - we slip. Retraining our brain to focus only on the select essential, that is in alignment with our purpose and passion, requires us to first be able to be in the present moment fully. Focus is the essence of any and all lasting change.

Why Xanax, Klonopin and benzos spell disaster.

July 15, 2015 by Christina Santini in Addictions

Feeling on edge? Here have a Xanax, why don't you. Can't sleep cause you spent too much time on the laptop? Pop a Klonopin - go ahead, it will knock you right out. Xanax and klonopin belong to the group of drugs called "Benzos". Benzos are still the top selling drugs. Unfortunately they are incredibly addictive. In fact, research has shown they are just as addictive as hard drugs like cocaine. In addition they disrupt gut health and damage the lining causing leaky gut.

What Are We Trying To Fit Into?

July 01, 2015 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Body Image, Eating Disorders, Self-Worth, Transformation Keys

Do you know what you are trying to fit into? Everyday we make choices and trade-offs based on what we want to fit into - or not - jeans size aside. Whenever we feel lost, disconnected and lonely, it can be traced back to a lack of congruency between our values and actions. When our actions are a reflection of external pressure points; that we simply react based on trying to fit in to a shell-focused society, then we sell our soul. This makes us feel hollow. Never good enough. We fell fake.

What are your TRUE needs?

June 17, 2015 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Self-Worth, Transformation Keys

Every addiction, every act we do that inflicts self-hate and suffering is a desperate cry for love at the bottom of all the dysfunction. Addiction is love hunger. A hunger to be accepted for what we are at our very core. Every tale of addiction and self-destruction tells the same story of trying to fit in. Sacrificing who we are at our core: hoping to be worthy of love in some shape or form. When we don't express our needs, we stay stuck, disconnected and stagnant in our addiction.

How do we move past our trauma?

June 10, 2015 by Christina Santini in Transformation Keys, Self-Worth, Addictions

Trauma is a fact of life. What differs is how we cope with trauma. Trauma doesn't have to be our destiny. Most of us find it very difficult to separate what happens to us from what we are. We often base our belief system and worth around factors that happen to us. This makes us very vulnerable in this skin we are in. We are not our trauma. Only when we realize that, can we move past it. Only when we let go and decide to rewrite our story every new day, will we move past our past. The key to master our destiny is......

Why weightloss and appetite suppressant drugs make you fatter.

May 27, 2015 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Biochemistry Balancing, Body Image, Eating Disorders, Binge Eating

Because you can't stick to a 1500 calorie model-starvation diet, doesn't make you a food addict or a weak will-powered individual - it makes you human.

Being hungry is normal - you eat and it goes away. Being hungry and not being a size 2, is not a reason to ask your doctor for speed, because you "have difficulty focusing...". The stimulant class of medication includes widely used drugs such as Tenuate, Ritalin, Adderall, and Dexedrine. Stimulants work by increasing dopamine and often also endorphins in the brain. So what's the downside?

The biochemical breakdown of food addiction

May 21, 2015 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Binge Eating, Biochemistry Balancing, Eating Disorders

More of us than ever struggle with eating - whether it be obsessing over the latest diet trend and turning it into a substitute religion, or it be craving food beyond or hunger. Not all of us are prone to food addiction. It depends whether we have the underlying biochemical vulnerability for this AND it gets activated. The 2 key chemicals involved in binge eating are serotonin and endorphin.

Are you Relaxed or Relapsed? +FREE Chemical Calorie Guide

May 06, 2015 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Biochemistry Balancing, Eating Disorders, Transformation Keys, Intuitive Eating

In recovery we reach a point, where we want to relax a bit more. We get tired of structure and the rigidness of treatment, accountability and showing up everyday without numbing out via our preferred drug of choice. Many books talk about intuitive eating and "just listening to your body". And while I agree with this concept at large, the crucial issue here is, that timing matters for this concept to work in reality. It is far to easy to go from relaxed to relapsed - especially when it concerns disordered eating behaviors. Simply because every day we make choices surrounding foods, whereas with drugs and alcohol it is cold-turkey for a recovering addict. There are especially 3 things that can make it difficult to "listen to your body"...

Transcending our limiting beliefs.

April 30, 2015 by Christina Santini in Depression, Addictions, Transformation Keys, Self-Worth, Emotional Management

I was at The Longevity Conference in Anaheim, California last week with a bunch of health nuts like Dr. Mercola, Ron Teeguarden, Dave Asprey and David Avocado Wolfe - as charismatic as they are, not much health nut news there. However, what really stood out was this guy whom I happened to stumble upon. He is absolutely brilliant in the field of transformation and transcending limiting belief systems. Check out below video where Kute Blackson talks about the importance of dyeing once before we die. This is crucial for anyone who is in recovery - we must let go of all the mental blocks that have held us chained to our past limiting beliefs.

An Ayurvedic Perspective On Addiction

April 16, 2015 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Binge Eating, Biochemistry Balancing, Eating Disorders, Transformation Keys, Superfoods In Recovery, Sleep

In Ayurveda (Eastern body-mind-soul health philosophy), addictions are tied to an imbalance in the air element. Everything and every one of us is made up of the basic 5 elements: air, ether, water, fire and earth. When one of these elements get out of balance, we get sick. Modern neuroscience overlaps with classic Eastern medicine, although we use different terms in Western science - but it is all the same: the truth is the truth. Addiction is linked to the air element as it corresponds to our mind. There is too much nervous energy, which leads to an imbalance in our central nervous system. This, in change, causes us to feel disconnected and unbalanced. We are searching through drugs, foods and addictive behaviors in order to feel more grounded - that is the essence of any addiction.

Raw vs. Cooked Food

April 01, 2015 by Christina Santini in Biochemistry Balancing, Addictions, Eating Disorders, Superfoods In Recovery

In response to last week's article on the energetics of food, I want to answer a question I get all the time from clients, "should I be eating raw, isn't that superior in nutrient contents to cooked foods?'. The answer is it depends - on your body's current state of health. You need to determine the vessel in which the fuel goes into, before mindlessly thinking that one-size-fits-all fuel will automatically be the best. Energetically, raw foods are very airy, energizing and "elevating". They are NOT nurturing, grounding or calming. This means, if you are sluggish, heavy and toxic as many of us are, who have been living off to much chemical laden take-away stuff, then going raw can be a God's sent to restore energy and vibrancy. However, through an addiction lens, raw foods is not ideal for making out the majority of your meals in nutrition in recovery. The very essence of anyone struggling with an addiction or disordered eating is that the air element is out of whack. In Western science terms, the air element refers to our central nervous system. This means, you want to eat to feel more grounded, calm and connected - not eat to feel even more airy and disconnected, which is what living off a raw diet will do, if your air element is out of balance.

The Energetics of Food and Your Mood

March 25, 2015 by Christina Santini in Addictions, Biochemistry Balancing, Binge Eating, Eating Disorders, Superfoods In Recovery

When you are restoring your brain and body from the damage of intense abuse from alcohol, food and drugs, you want to understand how to eat to best support your recovery. What you eat in recovery can make the process towards thriving again in your body a lot easier. If you want to cure the underlying imbalance, it is essential to understand the dynamics that make for addiction - whether that be food, drugs, alcohol or disordered eating behaviors. What is interesting to me, is that these self-abusive behaviors all have that in common, that the energetics are out of whack in a similar fashion. For those of you who prefer neuroscientific terms - the brain chemistry component; particular serotonin and dopamine. This means that we will benefit from adhering to a strategy that helps to re-align that imbalanced energy in our body, that literally makes our skin crawl and go after self-destruction, self-distraction and acting out. Different foods have different signature energetics. Often we are so focused on what science has proven regarding nutrient and antioxidant value that we are blind to the fact, that foods have a lot more value than simply antioxidant value and glycemic index. What is food energetics you ask? Click to read on.