Category Archives: Natural Addiction Treatment Certification

Binge Drinking affects Immune System

January 6, 2015

Binge Drinking Disrupts Immune System in Young Adults

Binge DrinkingAlcohol when drank in recommended quantities can help one get varied health benefits. however as one continues taking alcohol he may begin to take more of the drink so as to enjoy its euphoric effects, the more alcohol a person drinks and the frequency at which he takes alcohol pave way for serious health complications. There are people today who have been maimed as a result of binge drinking making them dependent on their families as they can no longer work to supplement their own daily needs. The effects of alcoholism are far more than the economic gravity that often befall the addicts but it has more to do with their health. Binge drinking has quite adverse effects on the health of an alcoholic as it has been found to disrupt the immune system of alcoholics especially the youth.

What is Binge Drinking?

Binge drinking usually refers to drinking lots of alcohol in a short space of time or drinking to get drunk. Most researchers define binge drinking as taking more than 8 units or more in a single session. This however may not be so appropriate as different people have different levels of tolerance to the drink and even the speed at which people drink is different. Some people are bound to be fast drinkers while others are slow drinkers but the essence of binge drinking is to get drunk quickly. To avoid binge drinking it is important to space your drinks and to avoid drinking too much that you get drunk instantly.

New research that was led by a researcher now at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine has found that Binge drinking in young, healthy adults significantly disrupts the immune system.

During this study the participants drank four or five shots of vodka. The study also considered the weight of the participants against the number of shots of vodka they took. Twenty minutes after reaching peak intoxication, their immune systems revved up. But when measured again, at two hours and five hours after peak intoxication, their immune systems had become less active than when sober. Binge drinking making them more vulnerable to disease infections. This study led by Majid Afshar, MD, MSCR, and colleagues was published online ahead of print in Alcohol, an international, peer-reviewed journal.

Apart from the fact that that binge drinking has a negative effect on the immune system of youth involved in it , it has also been found that binge drinking increases the risk of falls, burns, gunshot wounds, car accidents and other traumatic injuries. Researchers have also found out that one-third of trauma patients have alcohol in their systems.

There is more harm to binge drinking than just increased risk of traumatic injuries as it also impairs the body’s ability to recover from such injuries. Previous studies have found that binge drinking delays wound healing, increases blood loss and makes patients more prone to pneumonia and infections from catheters. The study led by Dr. Afshar warns that Binge drinkers are also more likely to die from traumatic injuries.

Binge drinking is known to alter behaviors of drinkers but as Elizabeth Kovacs, PhD, a co-author of the study and director of Loyola’s Alcohol Research Program puts it “But there is less awareness of alcohol’s harmful effects in other areas, such as the immune system,”. This shows that most binge drinkers are not fully aware of its risks.

If what the definition of binge drinking by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism holds some water then there are many binge drinkers who do not even know they are binge drinkers. According to this institute binge drinking is drinking enough to reach or exceed a blood alcohol content of .08, the legal limit for driving.

This study included eight women and seven men with a median age of 27. Each volunteer drank enough shots of vodka, generally four or five to meet the definition of binge drinking. Dr. Afshar and colleagues took blood samples at 20 minutes, two hours and five hours after peak intoxication because these are times when intoxicated patients typically arrive at trauma centers for treatment of alcohol-related injuries.

Binge DrinkingFrom the blood samples it was observed that 20 minutes after peak intoxication, there was increased immune system activity. There were higher levels of three types of white blood cells that are key components of the immune system namely leukocytes, monocytes and natural killer cells. There also were increased levels of proteins called cytokines that signal the immune system to ramp up. At this minute the immune system was higher than before they got drunk. However two hours and five hours after peak intoxication, researchers found the opposite effect- fewer circulating monocytes and natural killer cells and higher levels of different types of cytokines that signal the immune system to become less active signaling a drop in the immune system.

Follow up study

Despite the success of this study in showing the effect of binge drinking on the immune system, Dr. Afshar is still planning to do a follow-up study of burn unit patients. He intends to compare patients who had alcohol in their system when they arrived with patients who were alcohol-free. He will measure immune system markers from each group, and compare their outcomes, including lung injury, organ failure and death among other parameters.

Binge drinking has far worse effects on the health of an alcoholic, it is therefore safe to consider the pace at which a person drinks and avoid this dangerous habit. Dr. Dalal Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Center has dedicated her life to helping addicts restore their lives by use of integrative medicine. Call her on (843) 213-1480 for help.

Binge Drinking Disrupts Immune System in Young Adults

 

 

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Prefrontal Cortex and Addiction

January 6, 2015

The Prefrontal Cortex Plays Crucial Role in Addiction

Prefrontal cortexThe prefrontal cortex enables us to make rational, sound decisions. It also helps us to override impulsive urges that may trigger reactions that are not in the best of our interests. If acted upon, these impulses urges can cause us to act without thinking. It is the prefrontal cortex that helps you to even maintain sound relationships around you. Each and every day you may be confronted by this impulsive urge but it is the prefrontal cortex that helps us think rationally and help override the impulsive urges. Obviously, this ability to inhibit impulses is very helpful. It enables us to function well in society. It protects us from harm by allowing us to consider the consequences of our actions. However, when the pre-frontal cortex is not functioning correctly, the opposite occurs. Addiction causes changes to the prefrontal cortex. These changes account for two characteristics of addiction: impulsivity and compulsivity.

In the past years, the loss of control over drug intake that occurs in addiction was initially believed to result from disruption of subcortical reward circuits. However, current studies in addictive behaviors have identified a key involvement of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) both through its regulation of limbic reward regions and its involvement in higher-order executive function such as self-control, salience attribution and awareness.in this article we will try to revisit studies that have been done in the past so as to reach an understanding on how the prefrontal cortex is involved in drug addiction. Most studies have suggested that disruption of the PFC in addiction underlies not only compulsive drug taking but also accounts for the damaging behaviors that are associated with addiction and the loss of free will.

In a study where rats were used, it was found that stimulating a specific part of the brain reduces compulsive cocaine seeking. The finding proposes a potential approach to changing addictive behavior. This study and other studies that have been done show that the prefrontal cortex that is involved in decision-making and inhibitory response control is compromised in addiction. Deficits in the prefrontal cortex are involved in drug addiction The Deep-layer pyramidal pre-limbic cortex neurons; is a layer of cells that reach into areas of the brain that have been implicated in drug-seeking behaviors. Activating the Deep-layer pyramidal pre-limbic cortex neurons might reduce the rats’ cocaine seeking.

Medical experts and researchers agree that compulsive drug taking, which brings a myriad of health and social consequences, is one of the most challenging aspects of human drug addiction. In 2011, an estimated 1.4 million Americans age 12 and older were past-month cocaine users. No medications have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating cocaine addiction. Obviously, cocaine addiction doesn’t affect America alone but the whole world.

Animal model studies

Drs. Billy Chen and Antonello Bonci at NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have been using an animal model of cocaine addiction in a bid to gain insights into the neurobiology of compulsive drug use, trained rats learned to push levers to receive cocaine. When the cocaine doses were later followed by a mild electric shock to the foot, most rats stopped pushing the levers. Some rats, however, exhibited compulsive cocaine seeking by continuing to push the levers in spite of the foot shocks.

In this research, the researchers compared nerve cell firing patterns in the brains of the shock-sensitive and shock-resistant groups of rats. They studied a region of the prefrontal cortex that, in humans, is involved in decision making and inhibitory response control, which are both compromised in addiction. Their analysis focused on deep-layer pyramidal prelimbic cortex neurons because these cells reach into areas of the brain that have been implicated in drug-seeking behaviors. The study appeared online in Nature on April 3, 2013. The scientists found that almost twice as much current was needed to activate these neurons in compulsive cocaine-seeking rats than in the shock-sensitive rats or rats that hadn’t been exposed to cocaine. If these neurons are behind the rats’ compulsive behavior, the team reasoned, and then activating them might reduce the rats’ cocaine seeking behavior.

Prefrontal cortexFor this study the scientists employed a light-based genetic, or optogenetic, technique to activate or inhibit pyramidal neurons in the prelimbic cortex at will. They injected harmless viruses engineered to deliver genes for producing proteins that, once embedded in the neuron’s surface this could induce or inhibit the cells’ activity in response to light of specific wavelengths. Tiny optic fibers were implanted in the rats’ brains to deliver light pulses to the cells. As predicted, activating these brain cells reduced cocaine seeking in the compulsive, shock-resistant rats. Inhibiting the cells in shock-sensitive rats increased cocaine seeking during foot-shock sessions.

“This exciting study offers a new direction of research for the treatment of cocaine and possibly other addictions,” says NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. “We already knew, mainly from human brain emerging studies, that deficits in the prefrontal cortex are involved in drug addiction. Now that we have learned how fundamental these deficits are, we feel more confident than ever about the therapeutic promise of targeting that part of the brain.”, he concluded.

“By targeting a specific portion of the prefrontal cortex, our hope is to reduce compulsive cocaine seeking and craving in patients.” Bonci said as he reiterated that his group is now planning clinical trials to test noninvasive methods for stimulating this brain region in people. Dr. Dalal Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Center has dedicated her life to helping addicts restore their lives by use of integrative medicine. Call her on (843) 213-1480 for help.

The Prefrontal Cortex Plays Crucial Role in Addiction

 

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

MicroRNA Quells Cocaine Craving

January 5, 2015

MicroRNA May Suppress Cocaine-Seeking Behavior

microRNA Currently there are very many people who are tripped in the use of drugs of abuse despite their life threatening effects. Drug addiction is a jail that many addicts find hard to evade. It is important to note that addicts do not use the drugs they abuse because they like using them, the honest truth however is that most addicts have tried to stop using their drugs of choice but they can’t just fight against their own craving. The cravings for drugs like cocaine that are known for their euphoric effects are one of the challenges that addicts face.

Typically, a person will use the drug once as an escapade to all the stress that he may be exposed to or as a result of mere curiosity having been misled by their peers that using cocaine is cool as they say it. However after getting the euphoric effects one is bound to go for more of this drug and this in the long run may result to cocaine addiction and even dependence. It has never been easy quitting the use of cocaine and many people even after going to rehab centers will still for the drug when exposed to triggers after they come back from the rehabs. It is this cocaine seeking behavior that is adopted by the addicts that makes it hard for them to quit. If this cocaine seeking behavior can be reduced then a person may win the fight against cocaine addiction easily.

The recent discovery by scientists that a minute snippet of genetic material called microRNA may suppress cocaine-seeking behavior presents hope to the medical fraternity as well as cocaine addicts. As a known fact the use of cocaine will cause both structural and functional alterations to the brains’ reward system. These changes cause a drift in the behavior of the users of cocaine. Through experiments and lab tests it has been found that these alterations results in increased drug-seeking behavior in both humans and rats. The desire to use cocaine become uncontainable hence overindulgence in drug use.

Just like with any other drugs of leisure, long-term use of cocaine will result in reduced response to the effects of cocaine which will force the user to use more of cocaine so as to achieve the sought euphoric feeling. After a long time of use of this drug the response will be lessened again and this will reduce the motivation of a user to continue using the drug. Researchers suspect that these differing influences may be why only about 15% of cocaine users ultimately lose control and compulsively seek the drug.

MicroRNAs are small pieces of RNA that don’t code for proteins but they regulate how much of a protein is made instead. Over the past decade, microRNAs have been linked to various cancers, degenerative disorders and other conditions. It was until recently that the contribution of these tiny molecules to drug use and addiction were brought under scrutiny.

Paul J. Kenny led study

In a research team that was led by Dr. Paul J. Kenny of the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida, the team decided to explore how brain levels of specific microRNAs change when rats have extended or limited access to cocaine. The study was funded by NIH‘s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

In the issue of Nature published on July 8, 2010, the scientists reported that rats given 6 hours of extended access to cocaine each day had markedly increased levels of a molecule called microRNA-212 in a particular brain region. The levels were nearly double those in rats with access to cocaine for an hour or less daily. The brain region, called the dorsal striatum, helps to regulate the development of habit formation.

After this discovery the researchers next tested the effects of elevated microRNA-212. The Researchers used a genetically altered virus to boost microRNA-212 expression in the dorsal striatum. A control group received an “empty” virus. When given extended access to cocaine, both groups predictably escalated their intake. But over time, cocaine intake plummeted in the rats with elevated microRNA-212. Cocaine consumption in this group continued to drop even as their exposure to the drug increased. Their cocaine intake became so low that they seemed to have a growing dislike for the drug.

MicroRNATo contrast the effects of this microRNA-212 in the brain, the researchers blocked the action of microRNA-212 in the brain and this led to sharp increase in cocaine intake and the rats began to self-administer the drug at exaggerated rates, similar to compulsive drug users. These results suggest that microRNA-212 may play an important role in preventing out-of-control drug use.

“The results of this study offer promise for the development of a totally new class of anti-addiction medications,” says Kenny. “Because we are beginning to map out how this specific microRNA works, we may be able to develop new compounds to manipulate the levels of microRNA-212 therapeutically with exquisite specificity, opening the possibility of new treatments for drug addiction.”

the fact that Cocaine consumption in the group of rate with elevated microRNA-212 continued to drop even as their exposure to the drug increased is a clear indication that that this minute component of genetic material may be used to quell the craving for cocaine in cocaine users. Dr. Dalal Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Center has dedicated her life to helping addicts restore their lives by use of integrative medicine. Call her on (843) 213-1480 for help.

MicroRNA May Suppress Cocaine-Seeking Behavior

 

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Low Testosterone and Anxiety

January 5, 2015

Low Testosterone Causes Anxiety and Depression

Low testosteroneTestosterone is a very important hormone in the body. Of all the androgens it is the most dominant and is charged with very many responsibilities. Many people still think that testosterone has only one function which is to ensure a good sexual performance. No testosterone has far more functions that together make your life what it ought to be. So, to the many people who think that deficiency in testosterone hormone can only affect your sexual life, it’s time to think again. The reality is that this hormone has very many roles beyond ensuring a healthy sex life. Apart from production of sperms, the testosterone hormone is also crucial in production of red blood cells. This hormone also helps in distribution of fats in the body parts, increasing muscle mass, improving bone mineral density and even regulation of moods in a person. A major symptom of those suffering flooring testosterone levels is low moods. It is common to find men who are suffering from hypogonadism in bad moods as any decline in this hormone does much to dampen moods of an individual. It is also this hormone that gives men the physique of man- masculinity.

Anxiety and depression linked to Low T

Several studies have also found out that high levels of testosterone in a person reduce their risks of developing anxiety and depression. Many researchers have proved that many men who suffer from anxiety and depression are of low testosterone levels and therefore testosterone replacement therapy may help them to fight anxiety and depression. After testosterone replacement therapy most anxiety and depression patients break free from the bonds of anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression are major problems that men deal with today. The number of men held victims by these two conditions increase rapidly with low testosterone levels being a major contributor to these conditions.

Currently, in the United States alone, the numbers of men who have fallen victims to anxiety and depression have doubled the number of women suffering from the same. This can be attributed to the many roles that this hormone plays in men. Scientists have proved that maintaining an optimum level of testosterone hormone is an effective way of fighting anxiety and depression. In a study that was published in 2005 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, a team of researchers from the US Department of Veterans Affairs examined the connection between low testosterone levels and future depression risks in more than 700 men who were at least 50 years old. The report concluded that men aged below 50 years with low testosterone level were more likely to become depressed than men within the same age but have optimum level of testosterone hormone. The finding from this study is enough to tell prove the link between low testosterone levels to anxiety and depression.

However this is not the only study that has established the connection between testosterone and depression. Another study that was published in 2003 in the American Journal of Psychiatry also examined the connection between these two phenomena. The research done by Harvard University worked with 56 men who had developed major anxiety and depression but had failed to respond to antidepressant treatments. The researchers found that 40 percent of the men had low testosterone levels. It can therefore be concluded that going for testosterone replacement therapy can help an individual fight against anxiety and depression and restore good health in men.

Can Testosterone replacement Therapy really help?

Testosterone replacement therapy is one of the most common solutions to anxiety and depression induced by low testosterone levels. It only makes sense that when a person has low levels of testosterone then he ought to have the levels of testosterone in his body supplemented so that the normal levels can be restored.

What does it involve?

Testosterone replacement therapy involves supplementation of testosterone in the body. This can be done in form of injections, pellets, patches or gel in order to treat conditions in which the testes do not produce enough testosterone. It is also available in IV forms. Just like the estrogen replacement therapy in women, this ought to be done by an expert as the dosage is important for better results and to mitigate on the side effects. This therefore cannot be done without the help of an expert. This therapy has been found to be effective in fighting hypogonadism and all other major symptoms associated with low testosterone levels. It is also good as it improves energy levels, perfect body mass, sex functions and muscle strength among other benefits.

Low testosteroneTestosterone replacement therapy has been used for a long time in treatment of men with erectile problems which are also a major cause of anxiety among men. Hypogonadism is a problem that most men go through and seek treatment from every day. however many patients seem to concentrate on getting their sexual energy back but are blind to other conditions that might be suffered as a result of hypogonadism. Men who suffer hypogonadism are not strangers to anxiety and depression and therefore emphasis should be placed more on the debilitating effects of low testosterone levels other than a fall in sexual drive and performance in men as is mostly the case. The use of testosterone replacement therapy in hypogonadism is not news, however some people are still not aware of the link between anxiety and depression and low testosterone levels.

Finally

Dr. Dalal Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Center has dedicated her life to helping patients restore their lives by use of integrative medicine. She also holds many conferences in which she offers training on how integrative medicine can be used to fight addiction among other conditions. Call her on (843) 213-1480 for help.

Low Testosterone Causes Anxiety and Depression

 

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

E-Cigarettes are Teen’s Favorite

January 5, 2015

 

E-Cigarettes Are More Popular Than Tobacco Cigarettes among Teens

E-cigarettesA recent research has found out that more teens use e-cigarettes than traditional, tobacco cigarettes or any other tobacco product. This research, a U.S national study showed that e-cigarettes surpass the traditional tobacco cigarettes in popularity especially among the teens.

The findings of this study came from the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future study, a study which tracks trends in substance use among students in 8th, 10th and 12th grades. It is not a once off study as it is done each year the nationally. This finding came as the body was working on its 40th year. This study surveyed 40,000 to 50,000 students in about 400 secondary schools throughout the United States.

“As one of the newest smoking-type products in recent years, e-cigarettes have made rapid inroads into the lives of American adolescents,” said Richard Miech, a senior investigator of the study.

In the survey the students were asked whether they had used an e-cigarette or a tobacco cigarette in the past 30 days. More than twice as many 8th- and 10th-graders reported using e-cigarettes as reported using tobacco cigarettes. This shows just how popular the e-cigarettes are to the U.S Teens.

The number of students who had used e-cigarettes in the post 30 days was even higher than those who had used traditional tobacco cigarettes. Of the 8th graders 9 percent had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days while only 4 percent had used the traditional tobacco cigarettes within the same time. In 10th grade, 16 percent reported using an e-cigarette and 7 percent reported using a tobacco cigarette. Among 12th-graders, 17 percent reported e-cigarette use and 14 percent reported use of a tobacco cigarette. However the older teens report less difference in use of e-cigarettes versus tobacco cigarettes.

there might be other reasons why the e-cigarettes have gained so much popularity among the teens but as Lloyd Johnston, principal investigator of the project of the project puts it.; it may be because the e-cigarettes being relatively new. He opines that the 12th graders are not so much into the e-cigarettes as the lower graders since they were not introduced to the e-cigarettes while they were younger. He however relies on future surveys to reach a conclusion on this.

Battery-powered devices

E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices with a heating element. They produce an aerosol, or vapor, that users inhale. Usually, this vapor contains nicotine, although the specific contents of the vapor are proprietary and are not regulated. The liquid that is vaporized in e-cigarettes comes in hundreds of flavors. Some of these flavors, such as bubble gum and milk chocolate cream, are likely attractive to younger teens.

Despite their alluring characteristic, the e-cigarettes may serve as a point of entry into the use of nicotine, an addictive drug. The percentages of past 30-day e-cigarette users who have never smoked a tobacco cigarette in their life range from 4 percent to 7 percent in 8th, 10th and 12th grades. Nicotine is an addictive drug and the easy access of the e-cigarettes may propel the youths to nicotine addiction at younger age.

The e-cigarettes have become a primary source of nicotine to the teens; it is not a supplement to tobacco, most of the teens using e-cigarettes have never used the traditional tobacco cigarettes. The study is however yet to find out if the teens who use e-cigarettes exclusively later go on to become tobacco cigarette smokers. An insight in this will be of great help to the public health as lots will be done to mitigate nicotine addiction to the teens that may make them use tobacco cigarettes later.

The study reports that e-cigarette use among youth leads to a long-term decline in the use of tobacco cigarettes, which is at a historic low in the life of the study—now in its 40th year. In 2014, the prevalence of smoking tobacco cigarettes in the past 30 days was 8 percent for students in 8th, 10th and 12th grades combined. This is a significant decline from 10 percent in 2013, and is less than a third of the most recent high of 28 percent in 1998. The decline to the use of traditional tobacco cigarettes can be attributed to the fact that fewer young people today have ever started to smoke tobacco cigarettes. In 2014, only 23 percent of students had ever tried tobacco cigarettes, as compared to 56 percent in 1998. However the researchers are worried that the e-cigarettes may lead tobacco smoking and lead to increase in the use of tobacco cigarettes which are more harmful.

Perceived as harmless

E-cigarette“Part of the reason for the popularity of e-cigarettes is the perception among teens that they do not harm health,” Miech said.

Most students believe that e-cigarettes do not harm health. In this study only 15 percent of 8th-graders think there is a great risk of people harming themselves with regular use of e-cigarettes. This compares to 62 percent of 8th-graders who think there is a great risk of people harming themselves by smoking one or more packs of tobacco cigarettes a day. The teens are not quite aware of some of the health problems that may arise due to long-term use of e-cigarettes. This may be as a result of the fact that e-cigarettes are new and hence no comprehensive health impact assessment has ever been done on their use.

In spite of the rising use of e-cigarettes, it is good to note that it may lead to nicotine addiction which is just as harmful as any other addiction. Dr. Dalal Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Center has dedicated her life to helping addicts restore their lives by use of integrative medicine. Call her on (843) 213-1480 for help.

E-Cigarettes Are More Popular Than Tobacco Cigarettes among Teens

 

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

  • Recent Posts

  • Blog Categories