Patliputra Nursing Home

Alcoholism is a severe problem, which can make a person's life miserable and also make the society detest him. The aim of treatment for alcoholism is abstinence or staying away from alcohol use. The treatment of alcoholism can only begin when an alcoholic accepts the problem and realizes that he must get rid of the habit for his own good and the good of his loved ones.

There are three main stages in the treatment of alcoholism:

1. Detoxification: Detoxification is the first step required after a person stops using alcohol. The detox phase may include seizures, hallucinations and delirium tremens. The patient must be kept under proper observation.
2. Rehabilitation: This step includes proper counseling and medications to provide the person with skills and motivation to remain sober. This can be done by making him an inpatient or outpatient, depending on the condition of the patient.
3. Maintaining sobriety: This is the most important step where a person's self-will is tested. He needs to stay away from alcohol after getting out of rehabilitation for which he requires support. Meetings conducted by the Alcoholic Anonymous should be attended regularly by a recovering alcoholic.

For people in the early stage of alcoholism, discontinuing alcohol may cause several withdrawal symptoms such as poor sleep and anxiety. For long term alcoholics, severe withdrawal symptoms are experienced, which include shaking of the body, spasms, hallucinations and panic.

Medication: 
Several medicines may be required in the recovery period of an alcoholic.
Anti-anxiety medicines such as benzodiazepines are used for treating withdrawal symptoms like poor sleep. The medicines are usually used in the detoxification period. After this phase, they are discontinued.
For maintaining sobriety and to abstain from alcohol, several medicines are given to recovering alcoholics. A drug known as disulfiram is used after the completion of the detox period. This medicine reacts with alcohol metabolism and causes a person to vomit, become confused, have blurry vision and experience difficulties in breathing after consuming alcohol.

A medicine called naltrexone may be used for reducing alcohol craving. It can be prescribed even when a person drinks. It is given in the form of an injection. Antidepressants are also given to patients to reduce anxiety and depression.

Other ways to deal with alcoholism:
Several other instructions must be strictly followed by a recovering alcoholic to avoid relapse. They are as follows:

1. People and places related to drinking should be avoided, and a person should make new nonalcoholic friends.
2. Support groups and AA meeting must be attended regularly for motivation.
3. Dependence on alcohol should be eliminated by starting different activities and getting involved in things.

Alcoholism is a severe problem, which may lead to death in case of extremities. Alcoholism can ruin a person's life, and proper measures must be taken to eliminate alcoholism.

If you had to choose between living a life of restrictions and a life of freedom, you'd choose the latter right? This is a decision most patients have to take when diagnosed with heart disease. However, thanks to medical advancements such as the pacemaker, they get to choose a life of freedom too, just like you.

In simple terms, a pacemaker is a tiny device helps people with irregular heart rhythms to quite effectively, maintain the 'pace' of their normal lifestyle. It is best suited for patients suffering from arrhythmias or the abnormal beating of the heart and heart block as well. As a matter of fact, for many people who have had a pacemaker fitted, things such as fainting, dizziness and other undesirable symptoms which have been known to be part and parcel of arrhythmias have become a thing of the past.

How it Works?

A pacemaker provides for the regular beating of the heart by providing electrical impulses which have a low intensity to the heart so as to induce it to beat in a normal manner. It is a small device which is composed of a battery whose energy works to power a computerized generator and a small albeit intricate system of wires attached to sensors, which are alternatively known as electrodes which observe the functioning of the heart.

For those who are planning to have a pacemaker implanted, it would be reassuring to know that there is a lot of due diligence which is a part of installing a pacemaker. The minor surgery which is required for it to be installed is completed in the span of a few hours.

It is to be noted that even after the installation is complete, a patient will have a day or so spent under the careful and watchful observation of the doctor and nurses so as to make sure that the pacemaker is functioning all but perfectly.

Post Op. Care:

There is a short period of recovery following which a person can resume his or her normal activities. But just as the pacemaker goes a long way in making its wearer's life easier, the wearer has a few responsibilities but there needs to be minimal concern with respect to its maintenance.

The batteries of pacemakers last about six to seven years, and for some pacemakers which are not that active, the battery need not be replaced till about fifteen years after the date of implantation.

Another precaution patients with patients need to take is that they stay out of zones of high magnetic energy, especially for sustained periods.

Besides these minor safety measures there are tremendous benefits of installing a pacemaker. It is truly life changing in every sense of the term. It helps you live life with a dose of renewed vigour, allowing you to indulge without regret!