The Neurochemistry of Female Sex Addiction

May 3, 2015

The Neurochemistry of Female Sex Addiction

Female sex addiction Sex addiction is a problem that many people are battling with in the US and the world over. However in the past it was thought that men were the main victims of sex addiction but research has since proved that this is a lie as women are more prone to this vice as opposed to women. Another factor that makes women more of victims is the fact that generally society has always associated women who are addicted to sex as sluts while men who are addicted to sex are often thought as studs. The reality of the matter however is, both genders are at a loss when addicted but what makes it easier for men to find help is the fact that they are free and can express their problems when addressed by their therapists and this openness helps them find help. On the other hand, women afraid of all the negative tittles they will be associated are often afraid to open up and let the problem be known and this will manifest in various behavioral changes.

Orgasm and dopamine

Most people who engage in sex for recreational purposes are often in pursuit for the highest sexual climax otherwise known as orgasm. According Wilhelm Reich orgasm naturally helps in discharge of excess bio-energy with the additional liberation of feeling energy, and he also recognized the negative consequences of blocked sexual energies. However it’s quite unfortunate that in addition to exciting peaks, orgasms tend to produce powerful negative side-effects that are only now becoming better understood. This is due to predictable trends in hormonal activity which seem to be similar in all mammals to ensure certain evolutionary objectives, especially the wide mixing of gene pools and the safe raising of offspring. This is achieved with the following neurochemical changes.

As expected there are hormones that come to play; dopamine, the reward hormone; prolactin, the hormone of satiation; oxytocin, the cuddle hormone, and levels of androgen receptors, which all powerfully affect our mood, our desire for intimacy, our perception of our mate, as well as our susceptibility to addictive activities and substances. These hormones can also have different but generally related functions.

The levels of dopamine will abruptly fall and this will induce the usual withdrawal symptoms. The fall of dopamine is rather immediate in men while it takes time in women to occur. As the level of dopamine falls the level of prolactin will heighten and the androgen receptors fall after orgasm. Low testosterone in women is associated with irritability and anger. In sexually-satiated rats it has been shown that serotonin and endorphin levels also rise, and this also decreases dopamine and raises prolactin levels. Oxytocin levels fall after conventional orgasm but remaining in close contact may help to counter this drop and sustain oxytocin levels. It is the fall of dopamine to the lows that is associated with all the withdrawal effects and women, deprived of affection will engage in sex repeatedly to enjoy the magical bliss of dopamine heights during sex especially at orgasm. This is a ‘high’ that is often compared to the feeling those using drugs of pleasure often crave.

Apart from behavioral changes a female addict will suffer from disturbed hormone equilibrium that may last for a week or two, a period in which she will be battling these side effects; being more irritable, dissatisfied, and anxious or depressed. This is exactly the same process and length of time prolactin levels need to recover during withdrawal from cocaine.

Another stimulant that is involved in sex is the phenylethylamine (PEA). PEA is also present in cocoa and chocolate and elevates energy, mood and attention. PEA is produced in greater amounts when one is in love and when this stimulant is in low levels, a person will feel unhappy and deprived.

as mentioned in earlier article, most women get addicted to sex while in pursuit of love and affection, When a woman first fall in love she becomes bonded by rising PEA, oxytocin and dopamine levels .When she is are sexually aroused by close contact her dopamine level rises further and at the time of orgasm she will have a dopamine brainstorm which one researchers have compared to the effects of heroin on the brain. Dopamine is active in all addictions, even in people who have forgotten what sex is. Most of this activity is in the limbic system, the oldest part of the brain.

What causes addiction in women?

Female sex addiction The honest truth is that what causes sex addiction women is until now poorly understood but researchers have pointed fingers at childhood neglect or abuse, such as physical or emotional abandonment or other forms of trauma. Most of females who are sex addicts are reported to have experienced sex abuse as children. Early child abuse of nearly any kind can impair a child’s ability to bond in healthy ways as an adult, leading to chronic relationship intimacy issues that can eventually morph into sexual addiction.

Research suggests that there’s also a strong neurochemical component to both eating disorders and sexual addiction. One can become addicted to the potent neurochemical rush that occurs during an exciting sexual or romantic encounter. This neurobiological blend includes highly satisfying dopamine as well as adrenaline, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins. Women suffering from emotional or psychological issues such as depression or anxiety and from childhood trauma or profound trauma as an adult can unconsciously use this neurochemical response to cope with stress and painful emotions. Compulsively reliving or re-enacting the pleasurable fantasies and experiences sets up an addictive cycle of using sex and sexual fantasies to control intensely painful emotions.

Finally, sex addiction is not a light matter. It’s a problem that is still holding many women captives .This problem needs to be treated effectively through integrative medicine. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an expert at this. Call her on (843) 213-1480 for help.

The Neurochemistry of Female Sex Addiction

Vitamin D as a Seasonal Stress Hormone

May 3, 2015

Vitamin D as A Kind of “Seasonal Stress Hormone,” Chronobiological Stress Hormones.

The benefits that a person can draw from vitamin D are too much to be listed. We know that one of the reasons that make people bask in the sun is to help in the synthesis of this crucial vitamin. Without this vitamin there are several ailments that a person is bound to suffer from. Basic knowledge of vitamin D is that it helps in strengthening bones of teeth but it has far more benefits that many people have never known of, one of its many benefits is that it is a chronobiological Stress Hormone

Vitamin D as a Chronobiological Stress Hormone

If you haven’t taken to basking in the sun seriously, it is time you need to begin doing so for as Alexander Wunsch has it, vitamin D is a kind of “seasonal stress hormone,” explaining that chronobiological stress hormones such as adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and adrenaline-cortisol hormone blends are what enable you to get up in the morning, and help regulate the blood sugar concentration in your body, just to name a couple of their functions. According to Wunsch, Vitamin D has greater importance that if the sun would stop shining then very many creatures will lose life.

the sun should shine but we have summer and winter among other crucial seasons, in these seasons the body ought to balance the thermal energy so as to ensure optimal health, during the summer the main focus of the body is to concentrate on cooling down the system while during the winter the focus of the body is to concentrate on heating the system. Therefore it is prudent for a person to bask in the sun during the summer, laying naked in the sun as that’s the best way to get more of the light, digest enough of the energy that is eventually is transformed into thermal energy.

As it has been taught, learnt and rehearsed, vitamin D has very vital functions for our health. There is need for this crucial hormone to ensure that our systems perform optimally. Our bodies are dependent on this crucial vitamin that is sourced from nature’s shine. The need for this crucial vitamin can’t be erased by the fact that some of us are not fortunate enough to live in areas where there is perpetual sunshine but are rather barred by cold weather from getting adequate sun exposure. it is therefore required of people in this areas to eat foods that are rich in Vitamin D to help in its supplementation but whenever there is a slight chance to bask in the sun, the chance should be utilized as the sun is the best source of vitamin D. in other scenarios when the lack of this vitamin may cause to even bigger health risks, it is advisable for the victim to seek Sun therapy.

Heliotherapy

Heliotherapy is a better idea to help equip the body impoverished of vitamin D. heliotherapy involves exposing oneself to sunlight or UV light from sources which are safe. exposure to sunlight may expose you to risk of skin cancer as have been taught but the intensity that cause cancer is rarely actualized, therefore it is prudent to say that the benefits that you can draw from basking in the sun far outweighs the risks. In the past before the risk of cancer began scaring us, the sun therapy was already being used to treat such diseases as rickets, tuberculosis and other diseases caused by vitamin D deficiency. Risk or no risk we need to accept the reality that we need sun at certain dosages and levels to ensure that our systems are working efficiently without flaws.

There is something that many people have never known; your capillaries are modified under the sun and that the skin is linked to the autonomic nervous system, vitamin D is also a seasonal stress hormone popularly known as a chronobiological stress hormone. This is a phenomenon that needs no rocket science to be proven; if you are keen you will realize that after basking in the sun your stress levels go down and this is not the only benefit, there is more you will gain when you look far beyond the UVB portion of the spectrum. The UVB helps in synthesis of vitamin D.

According to Wunsch the sun is a life giver; “We all should be aware of the fact that when the sun was to stop shining, nothing would be alive in two or three days on this planet,” Wunsch says.

“When we are eating, we are eating transformed light. We can prove this scientifically, as you know. I think even if we are not able to estimate the influence light has on our biological system as a whole, it starts on the single cell level and it ends in our consciousness, in our mental functions. Light is a symbol in our culture, which will always be our companion.” he concludes

From what we have gathered in research findings and the massive research work by Alexander wunsch we can conclude that vitamin D is a crucial part of our health and is also a therapy for seasonal stress. Basking in the sun helps relieve stress and therefore there is lots of reason in concluding that vitamin D, the sunshine hormone is seasonal stress hormone that everybody should consider supplementing.

Vitamin D as A Kind of “Seasonal Stress Hormone,” Chronobiological Stress Hormones.

Why are Stem Cells Important?

May 3, 2015

What are stem cells, and why are they important?

Stem cells are very special, powerful cells found in both humans and also in other animals. Stem cells are the precursors of all cells in the human body. What makes stem cells special is that they are regenerative and malleable. They have the ability to replicate themselves and to repair and replace other tissues in the human body. Some tissues, like skin, need constant renewal, which could not take place without skin stem cells. Other stem cells repair damage to the body’s tissues, for example, rebuilding damaged or degenerating muscle tissue. New research also indicates that stem cell malfunction or damage may be responsible for certain cancers and even muscular-degeneration diseases like Muscular Dystrophy.

Stem cells differ from other kinds of cells in the body. All stem cells have three general features that make them different from other body cells. These features are: they are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods. They are unspecialized and they can give rise to specialized cell types. Stem cells are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods. Unlike muscle cells, blood cells, or nerve cells which do not normally replicate themselves, stem cells may replicate many times, or proliferate.

The stem cells have a unique ability to divide and become more specialized cells forming cells like bone, blood, or muscle. It is this ability that makes them attractive agents in many areas of medicine. They can therefore be used to fight very many diseases in the regenerative medicine. Another advantage of stem cell therapy treatments is that autologous stem cell transport is made possible. This means that a person may be treated by doctors harvesting the stem cells from the patient and having the stem cells reimplanted into the same patient after finding out what was lacking in the patient. This reduces risks of infection as well as rejection which are helpful to the patient.

Importance of stem cells

the stem cells are very important cells in the body and have been since targeted for treatment of degenerative diseases. They have been called the center pieces of regenerative medicine. Medicine that involves growing new cells, tissues and organs to replace or repair those damaged by injury, disease or aging. there ability to proliferate into other cells of the body like the bone and muscle tissues have made them a priority in treatment of various degenative diseases like aging and even osteoporosis among others. here is how stem cells work in treatment of various diseases.

Rejuvenation– the stem cells can be used in rejuvenation process. through rejuvenation the bodies healing ability is boosted. Typically, the body is programmed to naturally repair itself that is why after you get a cut you can stay without going to hospital but still get healed within a very short time. However there other crucial organs that when damaged do not easily get repaired. When the body’s cells cannot get differentiated to give rise to new healthy cells and heal the damaged cell then there is a problem. According to Mayo clinic the cells that were once thought of as terminally differentiated including the heart, lungs and nerves which are more specialized are able to remodel as they possess ability to self-renew. However researchers are still working to come up with strategies through which the ability of these cells to self-heal can be enhanced.

Replacement– here the stem cells can be used to replace the damaged cells.in degenerative diseases like osteoporosis the damaged tissues can be replaced with fresh stem cells that will proliferate into more functional bone issues and relieve the system of the damaged tissues. the stem cells can be transplanted in autologous manner where the stem cells will be harvested in the adipose or the bone marrow and be used to replace the affected cells in organ. with autologues stem cell transplant the issue of donor is not a problem neither are there issues of rejection nor the need for immunosuppression .

Regeneration- Through regeneration the stem cells are delivered to diseased tissues or organs, where they will ultimately restore tissue and organ function. This can be done through cell-based therapy or by using cell products, such as growth factors. Bone marrow transplants are an example of regeneration. Regeneration aims to awaken cells that are not functional or have malfunctions. With stem cell therapy there is hope for affordable healthcare solutions that heal the body whole without life threatening side effects.

Stem cells are a cutting edge

Stem cells are capable of self-renewing giving rise to several copies of themselves. They also have the capability of shifting shape and changing type, therefore they can be used to form the cells that are damaged and restore the functions of the damaged tissues. The stem cells can be used to replace the cells that have malfunctioned due to structural damage. The amazing part of the stem cell differentiation is that when a stem cell divides both the daughter cell and the parent stem cells have the potential to differentiate into different cells or to still remain as stem cells. Owing to this ability of stem cells to differentiate into more specialized cells, they can rebuild lost blood vessels, reverse scarring, regenerate damaged nerves, and bring back the healthy you.

Stem cell therapy has a lot to offer to patients, Visit us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) an expert in integrative and regenerative medicine will be able to help.

What are stem cells, and why are they important?

Unique Properties of Stem Cells

May 3, 2015

What Are The Unique Properties Of All Stem Cells?

The stem cells have been hailed for their efficacy in treatment of certain diseases especially those that are degenerative in nature like the Parkinson’s disease, osteoarthritis and even the Huntington’s disease. To accomplish all its medicinal capabilities the stem cells must have certain properties that are not present in other body cells. They therefore differ from other cells in the body. The stem cells are available majorly in the bone marrows and the adipose tissues but can also be harvested from placentas after a safe delivery. The stem cells have three general properties regardless of their source. These properties are; they are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods; they are unspecialized; and they can give rise to specialized cell types. It is these distinct characteristics of the stem cells that make them effective in treatment of degenerative diseases.

The other cells found in the body like the nerve cells, the muscle cells and the blood cells are not able to replicate themselves unlike the stem cells that are able to proliferate after long periods of time. Typically, a starting population of stem cells that proliferates for many months in the laboratory can yield millions of cells. What is more is that the daughter cells are capable of long term self-renewal giving rise to more unspecialized cells.

Despite the vast research that has been done on the stem cells and their ability to treat certain diseases there are some information that are still required which we can only hope that researchers will one day find an answer to. These questions are as follows:

Scientists are trying to understand two fundamental properties of stem cells that relate to their long-term self-renewal:
Why can embryonic stem cells proliferate for a year or more in the laboratory without differentiating, but most adult stem cells cannot; and
What are the factors in living organisms that normally regulate stem cell proliferation and self-renewal?

When these answers are addressed there will be a valid explanation to how cell proliferation is regulated during normal embryonic development or during the abnormal cell division that leads to cancer. Such information would also enable scientists to grow embryonic and non-embryonic stem cells more efficiently in the laboratory to help in treatment of diseases.

The stem cells are unspecialized

Stem cells remain unspecialized even after long hours in the laboratory after getting harvested. The scientists have spent years of research trying to find out factors that make the stem cells unspecialized and differentiating into different cell types. It took two decades to learn how to grow human embryonic stem cells in the laboratory following the development of conditions for growing mouse stem cells. In a similar manner the scientists must first understand the signals that enable adult stem cell population to proliferate and remain unspecialized before they will be able to grow large numbers of unspecialized adult stem cells in the laboratory for medicinal use.

The stem cells are not specialized and hence are not able to perform specific functions. Unlike heart muscle cells, the stem cells are not able to pump blood through the body, they can neither carry oxygen molecules through the bloodstream like red blood cells nor can they kill pathogens like the white blood cells but they can give rise to more of all these cells; they can form bone, heart muscle cells, blood cells and even nerve cells. So they are then unspecialized cells that have the unique ability to give rise to specialized and more vital functional specialized cells.

The process through which undifferentiated stem cells give rise to specialized cells is known as differentiation. It is through this process of differentiation that the stem cells become even more specialized. Scientists are just beginning to understand the signals inside and outside cells that trigger each step of the differentiation process. The internal signals are controlled by a cell’s genes, which are interspersed across long strands of DNA and carry coded instructions for all cellular structures and functions. In contrast, the external signals for cell differentiation include chemicals secreted by other cells, physical contact with neighboring cells, and certain molecules in the microenvironment. The interaction of signals during differentiation causes the cell’s DNA to acquire epigenetic marks that restrict DNA expression in the cell and can be passed on through cell division giving rise to more specialized cells.

There are however some questions that should be addressed and these may include; Are the internal and external signals for cell differentiation similar for all kinds of stem cells? Can specific sets of signals be identified that promote differentiation into specific cell types? Finding answers to these questions may help scientists to find new ways to control stem cell differentiation in the laboratory, thereby growing cells or tissues that can be used for specific purposes such as cell-based therapies or drug screening.

With these distinct characteristics of the stem cells especially their ability to give rise to different specialized cell types, the stem cells are a cutting edge to treatment of diseases. Degenerative diseases have debilitated many people but it is treatable. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an expert in integrative medicine and a founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Center located at Myrtle Beach South Caroline. Visit her for more information on most lifestyle diseases.

What Are The Unique Properties Of All Stem Cells?

The Benefits of Stem Cell and PRP for Facial Rejuvenation

March 8, 2015

When women begin aging lots of things change about them. it is natural that these changes happen as some of the bodily processes also comes to a halt for example production of crucial hormones that make women be what they are stops. these hormones estrogen and progesterone are known to play very crucial roles in the general wellbeing of women but there production will stop during menopause, however I dint mention these hormones to highlight the effects of hormones on the appearance of the skin, no, just highlighted them to give examples of what happens before aging and what stops during aging. The body has its own mechanism of keeping itself young and rejuvenated. the stem cells has a crucial purpose in ensuring that the skin is in good health but as aging sets in the body will not have enough of these stem cells to help in keeping the skin younger and beautiful. Therefore it is necessary to supplement the amounts of the stem cells to ensure that the skin maintains its aesthetic properties even during aging. The supplementation of the stem cells in the body to help in facial rejuvenation can be done through platelet Rich Plasma therapy.

Platelet Rich Plasma for facial rejuvenation

Platelet Rich Plasma therapy is a safe and effective strategy of facial rejuvenation. It is safe since PRP is produced from your own blood; therefore there is no risk of an allergic reaction. In addition, PRP contains concentrated amount of white blood cells, your natural defenders against infections. As a result, infection is extremely rare with PRP treatment. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is an extract of your own blood that contains three to five times more platelets, growth factors, and active proteins for tissue and injury healing. It has been used medically for years to accelerate wound healing; repair tendon, ligament and joint damage; heal diabetic ulcers; and help regrow muscle and bone. for facial rejuvenation, when PRP is injected beneath the skin it will cause a localized stem cell response, over a time the stem cell response recruits collagen-producing cells called fibroblasts. The fibroblasts replace tissue that has been damaged or lost through the aging process with healthy skin that looks refreshed, rejuvenated and aesthetic. PRP owes its effectiveness to the medicinal properties of blood platelets. Platelets are important for clotting our blood and repairing our body. They also release ‘growth factor’ which stimulates stem cells to repair and produce new healthy tissue. Platelet rich plasma is obtained by separating it from your blood with a centrifuge. Because your own blood is used there is no danger of disease transmission or allergies.

PRP

Benefits of Platelet Rich Plasma therapy

Platelet Rich Plasma has several medicinal qualities and has been used for quite a long time in healing certain diseases and it is these healing properties of PRP that has made it a target for healing degenerative diseases. Its properties as anti-aging agent have made it a target by cosmeticians. PRP has can be used in treating the following;

Reducing fine lines and wrinkles
Tightening and toning skin
Mild collagen and volume loss
Crow’s feet and dark under eye circles
Acne scarring
Dull dry skin
Creepy neck
Back of hands

Advantages of Using Platelet Rich Plasma in facial Rejuvenation

Low risk of disease transmission and allergic reactions because your own blood is used
Non-surgical with minimal side effects (bruising is really the only side effect)
Natural: uses your own platelet cells with high concentration of growth factor
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections are “bioactive” stimulators and not fillers and it will increase collagen providing a gradual increase in skin thickness.
The impact of treatment is seen within a short time i.e. visible results appear the first treatment session.

PRP facial rejuvenation therapy procedure

stem cells Prior to your PRP treatment, your blood will be drawn, like taking a standard blood test, causing minimal pain and thereafter the blood will be separated into its ingredients. With advanced technology separation of platelet rich plasma can be easily done through a process of centrifugation. After separation of PRP from blood, the degree of skin aging will assessed. The doctor will perform a simple skin analysis, and recommend a sensible treatment with a reasonable outcome. After your skin is cleansed and prepared, local anesthetic cream may be applied. If the entire face is to be treated, PRP will be injected via a syringe and applied topically to the skin with a dermaroller. For treating specific areas such as around the eyes and laugh lines, PRP is carefully injected to the targeted area.

Possible side effects of PRP

PRP therapy for facial rejuvenation is an extremely safe procedure owing to the fact that nothing foreign that may cause an allergic or unfavorable immune response is not used. The blood used in PRP is from the patient’s body and hence safe. However some of the side effects of PRP include; mild swelling and bruising. These can last only for a week and then everything is back to normal. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD), founder of the AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center Located at Myrtle Beach, North Caroline is an expert in the treatment of degenerative diseases. Call on her for help.

The Benefits of Stem Cell and PRP for Facial Rejuvenation

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