Addiction takes a toll on your body and brain. When you use substances like alcohol, street drugs, or prescription medication over a period of time, they prevent your body from absorbing the essential nutrients it needs. That’s because substances like these impair the processes your body uses to keep itself in balance, like digestion. Going through life in an altered state also means you’re likely not doing the things you need to take care of yourself, like eating well, exercising, and maintaining a lifestyle that sets you up to feel well.
Perhaps less commonly known, mental health conditions can also deplete you physically and cause brain damage. This is largely because of the way cortisol, a stress hormone, works. Our bodies release cortisol when we’re stressed in order to produce a survival response. But this system is designed for intermittent stress. Unfortunately, what we in the modern world have is consistent stress – and our brains are not meant to be bathed in cortisol all the time.
People with substance use disorders and mental health concerns like PTSD, anxiety, depression, and medical conditions are often under tremendous amounts of stress. When these people arrive at treatment, they’re depleted – and they need restoration. At The Sanctuary, we use NAD+ therapy to help them achieve that more efficiently, so they can make a strong start in their recovery and find their way to wellness.
What is NAD+ and How Does It Work?
NAD+, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is a molecule that naturally occurs in your cells. Its job is to help your mitochondria function. Mitochondria is the part of the cell that converts the food and oxygen you consume into energy for your brain and body to use. NAD+ works in part by aiding proteins called sirtuins, which control your neural pathways, affect your genetic expression, and protect your cells. All of this plays a pivotal role in addiction recovery. The positive impact of NAD+ on energy, metabolism, cell functioning, and overall health makes it a beneficial part of any treatment program.
“Appropriate levels of NAD+ are critical to support the body’s response to stress, as NAD+ is used by these enzymes to modulate cellular activity in response to extrinsic and intrinsic assaults, including those triggered by environmental toxins, pro-inflammatory foods, trauma, and even chronic use of medication,” says integrative neurologist Ilene Ruhoy, M.D., Ph.D. “NAD+ is essential for continued health, wellness, and strength.”
The problem is that our levels of NAD+ decline as a result of stress and substance abuse. This is why replenishing them is so crucial to the recovery process.
How NAD+ Helps Brain Function
NAD+ offers a host of benefits for improving brain health. These include:
- Repairing brain cells that have been damaged by addiction, depression, anxiety, or PTSD
- Improving sleep
- Allowing people in recovery to regain cognitive abilities more quickly
- Increasing energy levels
- Sharpening mental clarity
- Enhancing mood
- Facilitating brain regeneration
- Aiding concentration and focus
- Boosting neurological function
- Reducing symptoms of depression
Our clients at The Sanctuary find that when they take NAD before starting treatment, they’re able to hit the ground running and get more out of their treatment experience.
How NAD+ Supports Cellular Repair
Because NAD+ acts as fuel for your mitochondria, and mitochondria is fuel for your cells, using NAD+ IV therapy in recovery helps every cell in your body begin to work better. It allows detox pathways to open and restores damaged tissues in your body. This is why NAD+ is so effective in reducing the effects of post-acute withdrawal syndrome, which is when people experience long, drawn-out withdrawal symptoms long after the initial withdrawal phase is over. Post-acute withdrawals usually occur with opioids, alcohol, or benzodiazepines. With NAD+, we find that our clients are able to reconstitute very quickly. That means they get healthier faster, repair cellular damage, repair their DNA and start to do the real work of healing their body.
Residential Rehab: Making Major Life Changes in a Short Amount of Time
Doing the work of changing your life requires focus and hard work. And The Sanctuary’s intensive treatment program consists of at least two sessions per day. This means that the more internal resources you have available, the more progress you’ll be able to make. And the more progress you make, the more value you’ll get out of the time that you’re here.
Clients who have been struggling with severe substance abuse or mental health conditions for a long time often don’t feel well when they arrive. They may feel sick or have brain fog that prevents them from being present in their group and individual therapy work. And there’s usually an initial adjustment period while they transition to a new diet, sleep schedule, and daily routine.
NAD+ supports this transition to a healthy daily routine and allows you to get on track faster. And because every element of our holistic program is integrated, you’re also supported by a calming therapeutic environment, naturally beautiful surroundings, nutritious diet, and personalized supplement regimen that set the stage for healing on a whole new level.
Our High-Quality Product and Holistic IV Drip Process
We’ve used NAD+ injections at The Sanctuary to support our holistic recovery program for several years with great results. But recently, we built an entire IV drip clinic right on campus that allows us to deliver the benefits of these therapies to our clients in a way that’s completely integrated with our program.
We use a high-quality form of NAD called Brain Restoration Plus, which is specially compounded for our treatment program. Your IV drip process is overseen by one of our two naturopathic doctors. They’re happy to answer your questions and discuss NAD+ therapy in depth at any point during your treatment experience.
Beyond NAD+: Healing Mentally, Emotionally and Spiritually
IV drip therapies like NAD+ are just part of a complete healing journey unlike any you’ve experienced before. We use these treatments to support your physical body. Then, the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of your healing can take root more deeply.
One mother of former Sanctuary clients describes the changes she witnessed in her children:
“I have four children, all four of whom have been to The Sanctuary. They’ve all come for different reasons. Two of them came for prescription medication addiction. One came for anxiety, and one came for more emotional reasons and to build his self-confidence. I could tell you that I’m the mother of a child who was lost to addiction. But because of their experience here at The Sanctuary, they’re thriving. I’m so grateful that there is a place that’s combining all of these very cool, cutting-edge techniques and treatments and processes and protocols. They come together in such a beautifully customized way that each one of my children who came here got what they needed so that they could answer their own soul’s calling. Now they can not only heal and evolve themselves but contribute to healing and evolving our family.”
Are you ready to answer your soul’s calling? The first step is getting well. Find out how to take that step by contacting us today.
Learn More About NAD+ IV Therapy:
- How is NAD+ Therapy Used for Drug Detox?
- How Does NAD+ Therapy Repair the Brain?
- Can NAD+ Reduce Addiction Withdrawl Symptoms?
- Personalized NAD+ Therapy at The Sanctuary
Dr. Forrest is a licensed Naturopathic Physician specializing in retreat-style holistic medicine, natural detoxification and cleansing, mind/body medicine, and regenerative medicine. Dr. Forrest brings to his work a sense of humility, respect, and compassion that is too often absent in the sterile, rigid world of modern medicine. He is deeply honored and grateful to be continuing this work as part of the community and healing that is taking place at the Sanctuary. [email protected]