Tag Archives: Brain health

Marijuana components impacts on the brain

June 7, 2016
Marijuana components impacts

Marijuana components impacts on the brain very negatively

Marijuana components impacts on the brain: How is marijuana used?

For a couple of times we have posted several blogs on this platform touching on effects of different drugs to the brain. This is very important because the brain is the one of the biggest casualty when it comes to substance abuse. In this article, we are going to narrow our discussion on how marijuana components impacts on the functions of the brain. Marijuana like any other drug is no different when it comes to how it impacts on the brain. Doctor Dalal Akoury who is not only a medical doctor but also a renowned drug addiction crusader registers that marijuana is an addictive drug which is commonly smoked using pipes or hand rolled cigarettes known as joints and nails. It can also administered into the body as a mixture of tobacco in partially hollowed out cigars commonly known as blunts. Finally it can also be brewed as tea and consumed as a liquid or mixed with food for consumption. Having understood the usage, the question we need to address is who then does marijuana components impacts on the brain? We spoke to doctor Dalal Akoury over this question and this is her response.

Marijuana components impacts on the brain: How does marijuana affect the brain?

Marijuana is rich in a chemical known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It is this chemical that affects the brain functions. When users smokes marijuana, the chemical THC is passed on from the lungs through the bloodstream. The blood then carries the chemical into to all the organs of the body including the brain. On entry to the brain, THC attaches to cells/neurons, with receptors known as cannabinoid receptors. According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, these receptors are often activated by chemicals that occur naturally in the body. They are part of a communication network in the brain called the endocannabinoid system which is important in normal brain development and function.

Most of the cannabinoid receptors are found in parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thinking, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement. Marijuana components triggers an increase in the activity of the endocannabinoid system. This then causes the release of dopamine in the brain’s reward centers, creating the pleasurable feelings or high as it is commonly referred to. Besides that other effects of marijuana components on the brain may include changes in perceptions and mood, lack of coordination, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and disrupted learning and memory.

Certain parts of the brain have a lot of cannabinoid receptors. These areas are the hippocampus, the cerebellum, the basal ganglia, and the cerebral cortex. The functions that these brain areas control are the ones most affected by marijuana. Like for instance learning and memory, coordination and judgment are some of the functions affected the most. With marijuana components present in the brain, a lot more damage can be done. These damages can be corrected professionally by seeking for treatment from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury today. You can call doctor Akoury today on telephone number 843 213 1480 for the much need solution.

Marijuana components impacts on the brain: How is marijuana used?

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Inhalants chemicals the death sentence

June 5, 2016
Inhalants chemicals

Inhalants chemicals the death sentence which when not corrected can be very devastating

Inhalants chemicals the death sentence: What are inhalants?

If you were to go to the street today you will probably think that various names used there for drugs refers to different kinds of drugs. Previously we discussed about cocaine and it was very evident this substance has a collection of names in the street. In the same way inhalants also has several street brand names like “laughing gas” (nitrous oxide), “snappers” (amyl nitrite), “poppers” (amyl nitrite and butyl nitrite), “whippets” (fluorinated hydrocarbons), “bold” (nitrites), and “rush” (nitrites). This may not be the whole list but with these very many names one would ask what inhalants are really? To find out this we spoke to doctor Dalal Akoury MD, President and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Recourse Center. According to doctor Akoury, inhalants chemicals can cause death easily.

They (Inhalants) are chemicals found in ordinary within our environments easily. Inhalants chemicals are always available within household or workplace. People normally inhale these substances on purpose to get high. And because of their easy availability in houses, people often don’t realize that inhaling their fumes no matter the frequency can be very harmful to the brain and body. The danger of inhalant chemicals is that they can lead to death if timely remedial action is not taken. Doctor Akoury reiterates that the chemicals found in these products can change the functions of the brain and cause other problems in the body.

According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Recourse Center says that even though different inhalants chemicals can cause different effects, it is important to appreciate that they generally fall into either of the four categories.

  • Volatile solvent
  • Aerosols
  • Gases
  • Nitrites

Inhalants chemicals the death sentence: Volatile solvents

These are liquids that can easily be transformed into gas at room temperature. It will interest you to understand that these can be found in paint thinners, nail polish remover common with ladies, degreaser, dry-cleaning fluid, gasoline, and contact cement. Besides that others can also be found in some art or office supplies, such as correction fluid, felt-tip marker fluid, and electronic contact cleaner

Aerosols

There are all kinds of sprays that contain propellants and solvents. Examples of such may include: spray paint, hair spray, deodorant spray, vegetable oil sprays, and fabric protector spray

Gases

When we make reference to gases, these may come inform of household or commercial products, or those used in the medical field to provide pain relief. Mainly they are found in: products like butane lighters, propane tanks, whipped cream dispensers, and refrigerant gases. They can also be found in anesthesia, including ether, chloroform, halothane, and nitrous oxide (commonly called “laughing gas”).

Nitrites are a class of inhalants used mainly to enhance sexual experiences. Remember that organic nitrites include amyl, butyl, and cyclohexyl nitrites and other related compounds. Finally because in inhalant chemicals causes’ death, you need to get help on what you can do to be safe. Doctor Dalal Akoury can be of great help to you if you find yourself suffering from the effects of inhalants today. All you need is to call her on telephone number 843 213 1480 now.

Inhalants chemicals the death sentence: What are inhalants?

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Crashing addiction

Cocaine usage brain alteration experience

June 3, 2016
Cocaine usage brain alteration

Cocaine usage brain alteration experience. each injection impacts negatively to your organs and brain

Cocaine usage brain alteration experience: How does cocaine affects the brain?

If there is anything you do not want to associate with, it must be the cocaine usage brain alteration experience. Even though those using drugs are saying the contrary, cocaine addiction is not good for the good health of your brain and any contradiction to this is a fiction. Speaking to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, doctor Dalal Akoury who is the MD, President and founder of this facility says that cocaine is a stimulant which changes the way the brain functions. It does this by altering the flow of communication of nerve cells also known as neurons. The communication between these neurons is facilitated by a chemical known as neurotransmitters which are attached to the molecules on neurons known as receptors.

Even though we have many neurotransmitters, dopamine plays a critical role in making people feel good when they do something they enjoy, like for instance eating a bar of chocolate. It is then recycled back into the cell that released it, thus shutting off the signal. Cocaine prevents the dopamine from being recycled, causing a buildup of the neurotransmitter in the brain. It is this flood of dopamine that causes cocaine’s high. The drug can cause a feeling of intense pleasure and increased energy.

It is important to note that with cocaine usage brain alteration, can disrupt how the brain’s dopamine system function. In other words, it can reduce an individual’s ability of feeling any pleasure completely. Because of this reduction users of cocaine are likely to use more of the substance to continue having the same high pleasure. As they continue doing so, they endanger themselves and the moment the stimulant deteriorates, many people often experience a rush that is associated with a period of tiredness and sadness for several days. Besides that they will also crave for more of the drug just to feel better again.

Cocaine usage brain alteration experience: Other effects of cocaine

According to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, the concentration of dopamine in the brain affects the body in a variety of ways including the following:

  • Restricted blood vessels and dilated pupils
  • Higher body temperature
  • Higher blood pressure and rapid heartbeat
  • Having stomach complications
  • Being anxiety
  • Loss of appetite and overtime loss of weight
  • Inability to sleep
  • Increased risk of heart attack or stroke occasioned by high blood pressure
  • Increased risk of HIV due to having impaired judgment leading to risky sexual behavior
  • Strange, unpredictable behavior, panic attacks, or paranoid psychosis

The consequences of cocaine abuse is not just in cocaine usage brain alterations. It has several other consequences like loss of sense of smell, developing hoarse voice, frequent running nose and nose bleeding among many other complications. Some of these complications can be life threatening and the sooner action I taken the better. We appreciate that there will be challenges along the way during the recovery process. But the best thing you can do for yourself or loved ones is to start the process immediately. You can therefore schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for the commencement of the healing process.

Cocaine usage brain alteration experience: How does cocaine affects the brain?

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gut-healing

Restoring Gut Heals Addiction

February 21, 2016

How restoring Gut can aid in recovery from addiction

There is an ever-growing number of addiction sufferers across all demographics and throughout the world. In 2011, it was believed that there was one drug-related death every 15 minutes in the United States. Addiction to substances and behaviors is an increasingly common ailment, and finding an effective and lasting way to overcome these destructive tendencies is an ongoing struggle. Experts are looking into restoring gut as a way for this problem.

Restoring Gut

Restoring Gut Heals Addiction. Try and experience the comfort that comes with freedom from addiction

Addiction can affect lives in many ways, at work or in the home, and become destructive to the self and those around the addict. The causes of addiction are unique to each sufferer, and can differ wildly from each. Very often these causes are not known or understood. In cases of addiction, there is a change in the brain chemistry, which leads to the dependence on the substance or behavior. Altering this chemistry back to optimal levels would provide the best hope for long-term recovery. There is evidence to suggest that the altered brain chemistry can result from or be affected by a compromised intestine and altered levels of gut flora.

Recent studies have shown that there is a link between addiction and relapse after rehab and healthy gut flora. Professor Fredrik Bäckhed from the University of Gothenburg stated during a guest lecture at Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research at Copenhagen University: “Our results provides strong evidence that alcohol addiction is not only in the brain, but that it in some cases can be associated with an imbalance in the intestinal flora.” The study conducted by Professor Bäckhed and his colleagues examined the reactions to sobriety in alcoholics. 60 alcoholics participated in the study, 26 of whom had low levels of gut flora and suffered from leaky gut syndrome. After the test period of 19 days, the 26 subjects with impaired digestion showed a much higher level of depression, anxiety and alcohol cravings in these subjects as compared to the 34 test participants with healthier guts. These results clearly indicate a link between healthy gut flora and recovery from addiction.

Another study recently published in the American Journal of Physiology: Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, showed that chronic alcohol consumption is associated with altered dysbiotic microbiota composition in a certain subset of alcoholics. Alcoholics with dysbiosis displayed lower levels of Bacteroidetes and higher levels of Proteobacteria. This imbalance creates leaky gut, which increases the translocation of toxic substances into the blood stream hence necessitating the need of restoring gut.

Higher levels of undesirable gut bacteria are also known to increase the production of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), cause chronic inflammation, and create an altered blood-brain barrier. The breakdown of the blood-brain barrier results in toxins entering the neurological pathways, contributing to the development of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and cognitive deficits. These neurological and psychological side effects increase the addictive cravings and behaviors.

Chronic inflammation has also been shown to affect psychology adversely, and can result in severe depression, which also feeds into the addiction process.

The effect of alcohol on the gut creates a vicious cycle in the treatment process. Since the alcohol has damaged the intestinal flora, the addictive behaviors and cravings continue, and relapse damages the gut even further.

Although these and most of the studies conducted in this arena focus on alcoholism and alcohol abuse, the impact of impaired gut permeability and endotoxemia on a neurological level affects all those suffering from any form of addiction, as the anxiety, cravings, and self-destructive behavior are influenced in the same way.

Restoring Gut

Restoring Gut Heals Addiction is very essential for healing all kinds of addiction

Restoring the level of healthy gut flora is a long-term process requiring a holistic approach. Diet and supplementation must accompany abstinence from alcohol and other addictive substances. Digestive enzymes, prebiotics and probiotics, and other nutritional treatments will support and encourage better overall health and an addiction-free future.

Certain food stuffs can also help in healing the gut what we are reffering as restoring the gut. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut and pickles can have a very beneficial effect on the microbiota of the gut and intestinal tract. Foods containing gluten and high sugar levels, conversely, have been shown to adversely affect the healing process and compound leaky gut syndrome. Sugar can also become a replacement addictive substance, and affects intestinal permeability in much the same way as alcohol does.

Restoring Gut Heals Addiction: Check out our Integrative Addiction Conference 2016 being held in Austin, Texas

A diet that is high in complex plant fiber and low in sugars and fats will stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria and reduce inflammation. Other recommended nutritional supplements include L-glutamine, antioxidants, natural anti-inflammatory agents, vitamin D, and essential fatty acids such as Omega 3. Dietary and supplementary recommendations should be made according to the needs of each patient.

At the Integrative Addiction Conference, the link between restoring the gut health and addiction will be discussed in more depth, as well as many other topics relevant to addiction and addiction treatment. Integrative Addiction Conference is an annual conference featuring Integrative Advanced Medical Training. Learn to own and operate a thriving Integrative Addiction and Brain Rejuvenation Clinic.

http://regenerativepotential.com/integrativeaddictionconference/

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Brain-Gut Addiction

February 15, 2016

How gut addiction affects mental health

There is currently a lot of research being carried out on the relationship between the gut and the brain, and how the gut can affect mental health and inform behavior. Studies have shown that microbes in the gut secrete dopamine and serotonin, and are, in fact, responsible for a large proportion of the production of these neurotransmitters. When the intestinal flora is out of balance, the production of neurotransmitters is affected, resulting in a wide gamut of psychological and mental disorders.

Brain-Gut AxisThe microbiome of our bodies comprises more than 90% of the genetic material present. A study of these organisms and the effect that they have on our body chemistry and processes is a relatively new branch of research, and much of the interactions that govern their behavior and the impact that they have on our physiology are still unknown.

There are also about 100 million neurons embedded in the gut, which forms the enteric nervous system. The enteric nervous system is largely autonomous and controls the digestive processes without input from the brain. This nervous system is also responsible for protecting the body from harmful elements that may enter the digestive tract along with the food ingested. This “second brain” employs much the same mechanics as the cranial brain, including the same neurotransmitters.

The sensory input received by the enteric nervous system is carried to the cranial brain using the vagus nerve, and most of the information flow in only one direction, from the gut to the brain. For instance, the enteric nervous system will inform the brain of contaminated food by inducing cramps or nausea, and passing the message to the brain via the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve also controls the chemical levels in the gut, keeping track of the nutrients absorbed from the food being digested. The behavior in test rats and mice clearly indicated that dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain were affected by damage to the vagus nerve, showing clearly that the brain is affected by what happens in the gut.

Because of the presence of the neurotransmitters in the gut, medications, and treatments for chemical imbalances in the brain, will also affect the gut. This is why the list of side effects for many mood-altering prescription drugs include diarrhea or constipation or other gut-related complications. Similarly, medication that affects the digestive tract will also impact the neurotransmitters in the brain.

Medications such as antibiotics have a marked impact on the intestinal flora that is responsible for the secretion of the neurotransmitters in the gut. Other by-products of the modern lifestyle such as heavy metals and surgical procedures, not to mention diets high in processed foods and simple sugars also greatly impact the chemical balance in the enteric nervous system.

When the chemical balance in the body becomes unstable, there are some reactions. As the beneficial gut flora becomes weakened, serotonin and dopamine levels are affected, which results in changes in our brain chemistry.

In the realm of food cravings and food addiction, it was thought in the past that cravings were the body’s way of asking for nutrients that it was lacking. New research tends to indicate that food cravings and addictions are in fact formed by the bacteria in our gut. For instance, individuals who crave chocolate have different gut microbiota to those who are indifferent to chocolate, even if their diet otherwise does not differ.

 

Check out our Integrative Addiction Conference 2016 being held in Austin, Texas

 

Brain-Gut AddictionCravings and addictions can be the body’s way to express deficiencies in certain essential chemicals, such as dopamine or serotonin. A common side effect of dopamine imbalance is an addictive behavior. The person suffering from a shortage of these chemicals will try to find the reactions they create from external sources such as food, alcohol, or drugs. As the addictive substance further impedes the production of the necessary neurotransmitters, more and more is required to maintain the same level of reaction and response. The microbes in the gut also affect anxiety levels, which means that a person with a compromised gut will have a greater level of anxiety and depression, leading to a higher chance of dependence on and addiction to drugs and other mood-altering substances. Unless the root problem of the compromised digestive microbiota is addressed, there is also a greater likelihood that addicts will relapse after rehab, as a result of these elevated anxiety levels.

At the Integrative Addition Conference later this year, the link between the gut, the brain, and addiction will be discussed in more detail. Register at http://regenerativepotential.com/integrativeaddictionconference/ to learn more about the brain-gut link and addiction, and to attend the conference where expert speakers will address this and other topics.

 

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