py "Alan Dalum was 37 years old and thoroughly convinced he was soon going to die. Dalum was not dying of cancer, heart disease or any other illness from which one can leave the world with dignity. Dalum was dying of alcoholism." (Ewing, 1978) Just when he lost all hope for recovery, Dalum discovered a center that emphasized the importance of biochemical repair in alcoholism recovery using nutrients and herbs. Upon learning that Minneapolis, where he lived, had one of the only programs in the country that employed such methods, Dalum decided to give the Center's six - week, outpatient program a shot.The Health Recovery Center (HRC) in Minneapolis claims a 74 percent success rate (patients still sober one year later) and differs from conventional programsin several significant ways. First, it focuses on uncovering and treating physiological imbalances that may be causing alcohol cravings and throwing the entire body out of whack. For example: hypoglycemia is a common imbalance found in up to three quarters of alcoholics. The center's philosophy is simple "Until the body begins getting the essential nutrients it needs, recovery cannot begin." (Ewing, 1978) They believe that no amount of talk will stop the cravings, anxiety, depression, mental confusion and fatigue that result from alcohol's biochemical and neurochemical damage. "There is not time to obsess over past traumas when you're dying of a major disease. Why do people persist in believing that the damage done by excess ingestion of alcohol can be undone with psychological methods alone?" (Ewing, 1978) The Health Recovery Center is devoted to the restoration of bodies, minds and spirits that have been ravaged by alcohol.Such restoration begins the moment a new patient walks through the door. After the staff physician takes a thorough medical history and performs the initial physical exam, the patient is hooked up to an IV solution, out of which drips high doses of ascorbic acid (...
