Every human being has an innate power to heal themselves. And at The Sanctuary, the healing journey we offer is based on awakening that potential in you. NAD+ is one tool we use to help restore your systems to a state of balance. As part of our body-brain restoration program, this IV drip therapy naturally replenishes the essential nutrients that have been lost due to trauma or substance abuse.
NAD+ is a substance that occurs naturally and supports your cell functioning and bodily processes. Because of this, it’s hugely beneficial for jumpstarting recovery. Our clients find that it helps them feel better, faster. If you and your clinical team decide NAD+ therapy is right for you, this natural medicine can help you avoid post-acute withdrawal symptoms, brain fog and general depletion. This way you can focus on the work you came to do, which is not only to heal from addiction, but to create the life you truly want to live.
NAD+: An Essential Ingredient for the Human Body
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), as described in a study published by the National Institutes of Health on NAD+ and sobriety, is “an essential pyridine nucleotide that has garnered considerable interest in the last century due to its critical role in cellular processes associated with energy production, cellular protection against stress and longevity.”
This important biomolecule supports the functioning of your mitochondria – the “powerhouse” of your cells – which is important to recovery as addiction impairs mitochondria function. NAD+ also helps metabolize glucose, helping you more efficiently convert energy into food, reduces oxidative stress and improves cellular respiration. Furthermore, the above study finds “evidence that NAD+ can influence the neurobiology of addiction and may have benefits as an anti-addiction intervention.”
How NAD+ Therapy Can Play a Role in Your Recovery Journey
NAD+ can correct malfunctions that result from modern lifestyles, which typically involve a degree of stress and inflammation. In fact, it can be helpful for most people, even those who aren’t in recovery. But it’s especially helpful for those healing from addiction and mental health issues, as these high-stress states can cause significant damage to your brain and body function.
Replenishing Lost Nutrients
Nutritional deficiencies can cause symptoms like fatigue, anxiety and difficulty concentrating. In other words, when you’re lacking vitamins like C and zinc, you’ll feel it. People who are under high amounts of stress from trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression and addiction – especially over long periods of time – are often nutrient-deficient. That’s because the chemical imbalances caused by constantly high levels of stress hormones prevent their systems from functioning as they should. By the time they arrive to treatment, the effects of this are noticeable and can be quite distracting.
NAD+ helps correct this by replenishing these nutrients. It supports the physical body so that clients feel energized, recharged, revitalized and ready to make progress on their path towards wellbeing.
This natural medicine also helps in early recovery by reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms. As the above article state, “These studies implicate raising intracellular NAD+ levels as a potential target for managing and treating addictive behavior and reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms in patients with food addiction and/or substance abuse.”
Enhancing Your Treatment Experience
The main purpose of NAD+ and other nutritional IV therapies at The Sanctuary is to support the rest of the work you’re doing. By fortifying your body during the treatment process, NAD+ helps prepare you for the changes that take place in your mind, soul and spirit. “It’s amazing how much something as simple as a few nutrients can enable you to engage with your treatment experience more wholeheartedly,” says our Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Brett Forrest Shenkman. When you have more energy and mental clarity, you’re able to show up to your sessions feeling better. And in turn, you’re able to stay more present for your process of healing.
Finding the Strength to Take on New Challenges
While our holistic addiction and trauma recovery program allows just the right amount of time for integration, it is fast-paced. Our clients attend one group session every morning and two to three individual sessions every afternoon. This is opposed to just two, one-on-one sessions per week which is standard in most rehab programs.
And while this degree of immersion is necessary to achieve the lifelong change our clients seek, it’s can at times be challenging. Your journey will ask you to open yourself to trying things you may never have before. This could mean participating in a new treatment modality, like holotropic breathwork, or working through a triggering moment in a totally new way. That may sound wonderful, and it certainly can be. But the reality is that changing lifelong patterns is hard. It requires us to call on all of our inner resources. Improving your physical state is one way you can prepare for could be the most meaningful work of your life.
Accelerating Your Progress
NAD+ IV therapy at The Sanctuary is designed to help you get the most out of your treatment experience. A month may seem like a long time to spend in rehab, but the truth is that four weeks is a very short time to change your life. As Dr. Forrest says, NAD+ “helps people get into progress with psycho-spiritual healing quicker than they otherwise would because they’re not burdened by impaired functioning.” Residential treatment is an investment in your life, your wellness and yourself. And you’ll want to take advantage of every moment that you’re here.
What is IV Therapy at The Sanctuary Like?
NAD+ treatment at The Sanctuary takes place in our cozy and comfortable, on-campus Brain Restoration Facility. While receiving treatment, you’ll be surrounded by healing art, crystals and live plants. You’ll listen to a curated playlist and enjoy conversations about health with our knowledgeable and compassionate clinical team.
Taking NAD+ intravenously is the most efficient way for your body to absorb and make use of it. Because IV systems deliver it directly to the tissues and cells in need, it works much more quickly than taking supplements orally. Something that would take several weeks to correct oral supplements, with IV medicine, takes just a matter of days.
At The Sanctuary, we use only the highest quality NAD+. We source our product from a nationally recognized pharmacy and formulated specifically for our use. This is important for your therapeutic outcomes, as NAD+ can vary greatly in potency.
Holistic Integration
The most unique aspect of NAD+ therapy at The Sanctuary is how it’s integrated into our residential treatment program. Like every aspect of the care we offer, we don’t simply tack NAD+ on. It’s an integral part of your treatment plan. It works in conjunction with the other therapies you receive to give your system the best chance of recovery. We intentionallyplan each step you take to optimize your progress, forming a complete healing journey. And this allows you to transform in ways you may have never thought possible.
Healing for Life
Every journey at The Sanctuary begins with an adjustment period. In this stage, clients calm their nervous system and start to feel safe. They take comfort in the support of our community and natural surroundings. With NAD+ therapy, we take this process one step further, helping you find your way to feeling better faster.
Ultimately, this healing journey empowers you to change your relationship with yourself, with others and with the world around you. Our goal isn’t just for you to be sober, but to live your fullest and best life.
Contact us today to learn more about including NAD+ as part of your journey to a whole new you.
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]