Suwanee Magazine featured Dr. Kantor and the NAMED Program.
I have been a well know PhD in nutritional science for many years and I’m known as the leading expert on using natural foods to mitigate disease in the U.S. I am a well known speaker and writer on Radio, T.V., newspapers, magazines and blogs on healthy living. I have lived in Suwanee for 18 years before that I was a resident of Stone Mountain. I have been actively involved in the natural food industry for decades, as seen on www.drkeithkantor.com .
Unfortunately I recently had a health issue arise which has resulted in me working from my Suwanee home most of the time. I used much of this time at home as an extra opportunity to dive into research specifically on nutrition, health, and integrative medicine.
Coincidentally, a friend of mine was in the process of opening addiction centers titled 5 Star Rehabilitation Centers in both the United States and Internationally. I was asked to be on the board of directors and I also agreed to develop the menus and nutrition programs for these higher end of the market treatment centers.
There were many research factors to consider in relation to nutrition for those going through addiction recovery including, opiate receptor suppression, reduction of inflammation, and reduction of acidosis.
With hopes of having a positive influence on the success rate for addiction recovery both locally and internationally The NAMED (Nutrition, Addiction, Mitigation, Eating and Drinking) Program was developed in Suwanee at this time. This nutrition program was immediately patented, trademarked and copyrighted through the development of these specialized menus, recipes and nutrition plan.
The NAMED Program specifically targets:
Suppressing the opiate receptors.
Opiate receptors are proteins found in the spinal cord, brain and gastrointestinal tract. Drugs such as Morphine & Oxycontin bind to the receptors in the brain to reduce feelings of pain and also cause feelings of euphoria. Other drugs, alcohol and some foods like sugar, caffeine, milk proteins and gluten stimulate the opiate receptors which have been shown to increases the craving for the abused drugs and foods such as sugar and gluten.
Consuming a diet rich in nutrient dense palatable foods is the key to offsetting the negative effects of opiate receptors. Feeling satisfied after consuming a meal that both appeared and tasted pleasant will offset the urge to “want more.” Unfortunately with all of the preservatives and unhealthy additives we think of palatable as unhealthy foods, reforming this mindset will allow foods to both increase the success of your recovery while allowing you to be healthy and have an optimal functioning metabolism. It is common among anyone who is trying to eat healthy, that the food at first will taste and appear bland due to the reduction in sodium, fat, and sugar and in most cases calories. Using fresh herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats will improve the overall enjoyment of the foods leaving one feeling rewarded and satisfied, not craving anything else. Suppressing the opiate response is a valuable key to successfully beating the addiction and maintaining this will lower the relapse rate.
Due to the overwhelming impact the opiate receptors have on overall mental health, and addiction behaviors, it can be concluded that consuming a diet that will reduce the opiate receptor response will increase the success rate of withdrawal, allowing the patient to feel like they have some control. It will also increase the long term success rate of those in recovery for overcoming addiction and lower the relapse rate. Namedprogram.com is the only program that allows those in recovery to use the program for free once they leave the addiction/rehabilitation facility. Namedprogram.com is only used initially in facilities to insure a controlled environment.
Reduction of inflammation and Acidosis through pH balance.
The typical American diet is packed with sugar and processed foods, which throws off your body’s ability to optimize your pH. Although your body naturally has it’s own mechanisms to buffer your pH, many of us are likely living in a state of low-grade acidosis from eating too many low-quality processed, depleted foods. Eating a diet rich in low nutrient processed foods puts the body in a state of mild, moderate or even severe inflammation, inflammation can affect our body’s ability to regulate insulin levels resulting in increased cravings for sugary foods.
In recovery, sugary food cravings can often be misread as a craving for the once abused substance due to similar hormonal responses of serotonin and opiate receptors. Optimizing our pH through a balanced and pure nutrition and hydration plan will reduce inflammation and help avoid cravings, hormonal imbalances and chances for relapses. Consuming at least 9-11 servings of fruits and vegetables, heart healthy fats, and high quality moderate sized protein servings along with hydration strategies in the form of high quality stable alkaline water (Aqua OH-) resources will have a small but statistically significant effect on helping patients withdrawal from addiction while reducing symptoms.
Amino acid therapy recommendations.
Another important area in the use of nutrition in recovery and relapse prevention is the addition of appropriate amino acids that serve as the building blocks for powerful chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters, including epinephrine and nor-epinephrine, GABA, serotonin and dopamine, are closely tied to addiction behavior. With the use of various amino acids, brain chemistry can be changed to help normalize and restore deficiencies in the neurotransmitters that spur cravings that can lead to addiction and relapse. Amino Acid injections are the most potent and effective, and optimal to use during recovery. Oral supplementation is good for long term use after neurotransmitters have initially been changed. This is also known to suppress the opiate receptors, which greatly aids in recovery.