Tag Archives: Dopamine

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Drug addiction mutilates brains health

May 30, 2016
Drug addiction mutilates brains health

Drug addiction mutilates brains health leaving serious problems behind

Drug addiction mutilates brains health: What is drug addiction?

You probably have heard this statement that “your health is your wealth” and didn’t take it seriously because you are so much rooted in search for the physical wealth. Your health is much valuable than any asset you can talk of anywhere in the world. That may not make sense now but wait until drug addiction mutilates brains health. Addiction has been defined in very many ways but for the purpose of this article, it is a chronic brain disease that causes users of alcohol and drugs to compulsively seek for those substances, regardless of the harm associated with them. From the experts’ opinion at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, when one is first introduced to drugs, it’s usually a free choice made without any form of duress. And as the individual continues to use the substance, the brain becomes the first casualty. The brains functions get altered and the user of drugs gets motivated to continue using the drugs even despite knowledge of the consequences attached.

Doctor Akoury says that when drug addiction mutilates brains health, the result can be very devastating. Some of the consequences may include: loss of job, theft, violence and other physical or mental problems like depression, stress and anxiety. In her over two decades of experience, doctor Akoury advises that the following are some of the effects to be careful about:

Drug addiction mutilates brains health: Pleasure Effect

The pleasure effect is one of the notable cause where drug addiction mutilates brains health. This is mostly associated with several drugs including drugs of abuse like nicotine, cocaine, marijuana, and others. What these drugs do is that they affect the brain’s “reward” circuit, which is part of the limbic system that responds to feelings of pleasure by releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine. Take note that dopamine also creates feelings of pleasure. Drugs take control of this system, causing large amounts of dopamine to flood the system. This flood of dopamine is what causes the “high” or intense excitement and happiness also known as euphoria linked with drug use.

Drug addiction mutilates brains health: The repeat effect

The repeat effect happens because our brains are tuned in such a way that we will remember to repeat healthy activities, like eating, by connecting those activities with feeling good. Whenever this reward circuit is triggered, the brain immediately remembers that something important is happening that needs to be done. Besides that, it also teaches us to do it continually, without thinking about it. In the same way, since drugs of abuse come in and “hijack” the same circuit, users will learn to use drugs in the same way.

The effect of that is that after repeated drug use, the brain begins to adjust to the flows of dopamine. Neurons may also begin to reduce the number of dopamine receptors or simply make less dopamine. The result is less dopamine signaling in the brain like turning down the volume on the dopamine signal. As a result, the ability to feel any pleasure is reduced. The person feels flat, lifeless, and depressed, and is unable to enjoy things that once brought pleasure. At this point the person needs drugs just to bring dopamine levels up to normal, and more of the drug is needed to create a dopamine flood, or “high” an effect known as “tolerance.” This is now being in the high way of destruction and treatment needs to commence right away. Doctor Akoury will be waiting for your call today.

Drug addiction mutilates brains health: What is drug addiction?

 

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Serotonin complications And Drug Addiction

February 28, 2016

Serotonin complications And Drug Addiction: What You Should Know

Did you know that you were a potential addict even before you decided to grab that bottle of beer? Well, this might be confusing to you especially, if you are an addict fond of blaming others for your problems. Have you ever asked yourself why you can’t control your addiction? Clearly, addiction and slavery are two things you can’t easily separate. Once you become an addict, you can’t come out of it. This is because, you don’t even have a clue what might happen if you stop smoking, drinking or even stop having sex. Even as we progress into the discussion we will be looking at serotonin complications and drug addiction and help you appreciate the need to keep healthy.

Serotonin complications And Drug Addiction: The Truth Behind Addiction

Several studies in the past made it quite clear that various neurochemicals had a big impact on drug addiction. According to recent studies, Serotonin complications has proven to be a worthy candidate in finding a better solution to drug addiction. The studies showed that not everyone who continuously uses a drug becomes an addict. It was also realized that the rate of addiction varied between individuals for examples, there are those who became addicted earlier than others. The most disturbing question was, why others became addicted while others didn’t. It was realized that it was possible for that lower serotonin levels in the brain was the cause of addiction. To get a clear understanding what this means here is a brief overview of why Serotonin complications are a vital factor to consider when dealing with addiction and recovery.

Serotonin

What exactly is serotonin?

Serotonin is simply one of the vital compounds created in the body. It exists in serum and blood and mainly functions as a neurotransmitter. Serotonin has seven receptors that include a total of 14 subtypes that perform several functions in ensuring that your body functions as it should. Below are the subtypes

 

Serotonin sub-types

HTR1A: Addiction, Aggression, Anxiety, Appetite, Autoreceptor, Blood

Pressure, Cardiovascular Function, Emesis, Heart Rate, Impulsivity, Memory, Mood, Nausea, Nociception, Penile Erection, Pupil Dilation, Respiration, Sexual Behaviour and Sleep

  1. HTR1B: Addiction (potentially modulating), Anxiety, Appetite, Cognition,

Imagination, Learning, Memory, Mood, Perception, Sexual Behaviour, Sleep, Thermoregulation, Vasoconstriction.

  • HTR1D: Anxiety, Autoreceptor, Locomotion and Vasoconstriction
  1. HTR1E:
  2. HTR1F: Migraine
  3. HTR2A: Addiction (potentially modulating), anxiety, appetite, cognition,

imagination, learning, memory, Mood, perception, sexual behaviour, sleep, thermoregulation and Vasoconstriction

  • HTR2B: Anxiety, Appetite, cardiovascular function, GI motility, Sleep and

vasoconstriction.

  • HTR2C: Blood vessels, CNS, GI tract, Platelets, PNS, Smooth Muscle
  1. HTR3A: HTR3B, HTR3C, HTR3D, HTR3E: Addiction, Anxiety, Emesis, Gi

Motility, learning, memory and Nausea.

  1. HTR4: Anxiety, Appetite, Gi Motility, Learning, Memory, Mood and

Respiration.

  1. HTR5A: Autoreceptor, Locomotion and Sleep.
  • HTR5BP:
  • HTR6: Anxiety, Cognition, learning, memory and Mood.
  • HTR7: Anxiety, autoreceptor, memory, mood, respiration, sleep,

Thermoregulation, and vasoconstriction.

Serotonin sub-types can also be found in several supplements manufactured to treat various complications. What makes these subtypes important in drug addiction is the fact that their level in the body during the first phase of drug use is a greater determinant of whether the person using the drug will become an addict or not. It was discovered that lower levels of serotonin at the initial stages of drug use will trigger an addiction. It was also realized that high levels of serotonin could reduce chances of addiction. In addition, it was noted that Serotonin complications effect on addiction reduces as the drug use becomes frequent. Apart from impacting addiction directly, Serotonin has also proven to be a good remedy when dealing with the pre and post effects of drug addiction in several ways.

Serotonin complications And Drug Addiction: Benefit to drug addicts

Drug use, drug addiction and drug recovery are all determined by human behaviour. Most of the times, recovery from addiction becomes a problem when the addict isn’t in control of his or her behaviours. These behaviours are characterized by mood swings, anxiety, emotions and more. It was discovered that Serotonin plays a major role determining human behavioural and physiological processes, especially when under stress. These processes include changes in appetite, response to pain infliction, sexual behaviour, breathing, focus and more. Here are some of its benefits to addiction recovery.

Serotonin complications

Finding solutions to serotonin complications

Reduce anxiety: According to several studies, it was noted that anxiety is one of the things to watch out for when trying to do away with drug addiction especially for those who are recovering. Anxiety is one of the major causes of relapse that most recovered addicts fight to prevent. Serotonin is proven to play an important role in improving sleep, appetite, mood and lastly, anxiety that is also important when fighting relapse.

Serotonin as a mood booster: Another relapse trigger to watch out for when trying to recover from addiction is mood swings. If you aren’t in control of you moods then chances that you’ll try and save the situation by going back to drug abuse are high. This will automatically interfere with your addiction recovery progress. Serotonin plays a major role in ensuring that you have good moods and, as a result, helps in preventing relapse.

Helps you relax: Several studies showed that relaxation therapy played an important role in relapse prevention. Most people prefer doing what makes them feel happy when they are under stress with an aim of trying to relax. Drug addicts find drug use convenient and end up using it with an aim of dealing with stress. Serotonin has proven to stimulate relaxation that is vital to drug addiction recovery.

In summary, serotonin is one of the most vital neurotransmitters that works best in ensuring that human brain functions as it should. By doing this, Serotonin ensures that all the relapse triggers such as anxiety, impatience and any other thing that might invite relapse are out of the way hence vital for drug addiction recovery.

More on drug addiction recovery will take place at integrated addiction conference. If you are an addict or just interested in the subject matter, you are highly advised to attend the conference as it will cover almost everything you need to know about drug addiction that is currently affecting the whole world and how to recover from it. For more information visit the link below.

http://regenerativepotential.com/integrativeaddictionconference/

 

 

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Dopamine And Sex Addiction

February 9, 2016

The Contribution Of Dopamine In Sex Addiction

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that coordinates information transfer within the brain of human beings. It is mostly associated with information that is mostly related to pleasure of rewards to the body.  Dopamine can therefore be said to be the brain neurotransmitter that passes information from one neuron on the brain to another. The effects of dopamine in the brain mainly depends on where or which part of the brain it is released from, there the intended receiving neurons are located within the brain and the types of the receiving neurons and the receptors to which the dopamine is bonded to within the brain.

It, dopamine, is a neurotransmitter that is mostly associated with the brain or body motivation, attention, lust, addiction and even desire. When a body in in dire need for something or a substance, normally viewed as reward by the brain, it has been found that it is usually the neurotransmitter at work. Naturally, the human brain regards pleasure of any kind the same way, that is, it the same response to different forms of desires provided they bring pleasure. Its basic distinguished signature response to pleasure is the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbems part of the brain. Some of the rewards the brain considers to bring it pleasure include; monetary reward, drugs, sexual activity, and satisfaction of eating.

Dopamine And Sex Addiction

Whether, the above named pleasurable activities remain a normal daily routine or they become addiction do depend on some factors too. You see a normal life routine would has a normal response to these rewards. However, some of life’s activities such as substance abuse, sex, or even gambling would have a different effects to the brain all together. This can be referred to as short circuiting the brain. The speed with which any of these activities leads to dopamine released to the brain, the intensity of its release and the reliability of its released has been said to be responsible for whether one becomes an addict or not. Let us examine how dopamine do function on the brain of a sex addict. Addiction to something can be said to be the state at which a person has a craving for one thing, in which they have no control over, and continue to have themselves involved in irrespective of the consequences however dire.

Experiencing a sexual activity, desire or pleasure causes a powerful surge of dopamine release on the brain. This is a normal occurrence within the brain in response to and pleasurable encounter. However repeated encounter with far much greater intensity can and do lead to sexual addiction. Dopamine released in the brain interact with others neurotransmitters such as the glutamate and other in order to cause some influences to the brain and the body. Together, these neurotransmitters, dopamine and glutamate, interact and take over the reward sensing brain system. This is the part of the brain system that is hugely associated with motivation and memory and is also the part that associated sex with reward and pleasure for the brain.

Repeated sexual activities causes the nerves cells of the parts of the brain that is responsible for the for the planning and execution of tasks to communicate in a way that is starts by liking the sex, then wanting the sex, then finally craving sex in such a way that the brain is fixed on wanting it so badly that it loses control of the body’s will. This too much sexual craving drives the brain to have a strong desire for sexual pleasure. However, with time, the brain cells adapt to this sexual craving which results into the desire for the sex becoming less pleasurable that was first imagined.

Dopamine and Sex Addiction

Too much sexual activities leads to the brain being flooded by the neurotransmitter, dopamine to an extend that the brain finds it quite difficult to with stand the surge. When the brain achieves this state, the sex addict has a problem at their hands. This will want to solve this new feeling of displeasure by having more and more sex. Instead of getting the desired pleasure, this increased in sexual activity will lead to more production of dopamine to the brain up to the limit where its release is greatly reduced. This reduction on the dopamine release or elimination of dopamine receptors leads to less impact on the brain reward center. This is the stage where the sex no longer provides the pleasure it is associated with hence the brain requires more sexual activity to achieve the same high pleasure state.

At this stage, the person is compelled to have more sexual activities. The pleasure of sex wind down, though, the memory of the desired pleasure remains, hence the persistence of the need for sex. This ultimately, results into sex addiction.

The Contribution Of Dopamine In Sex Addiction

 

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Addicted brain

Healing addicted brain from cocaine abuse

November 28, 2015

Healing addicted brain from cocaine abuse: Why is this necessary?

Healing addicted brain

Healing addicted brain from cocaine abuse is not only essential for addiction recovery but also a must do if this scourge of addiction is to be eliminated from our societies.

The adverse effect of drug addiction in human health is increasingly becoming a global disaster yet very little is being done to bring this to a stop. Many of the illicit drugs have been licensed for consumption and both the various governments and the business enterprises are reaping the profit of death every year at the pronouncement of the annual returns. Our streets are equally saturated with all manner of illicit drugs to the satisfaction of our hopeless and jobless youths and teens. Families are broken because of the consistent abuse of drugs by their bread winners and the grief is overwhelmingly destroying the moral fabric of our societies. This article alone is not enough for me to address all the issues and complications associated with drug use and therefore, we are going to zero in on one segment of this wide topic. I therefore want to welcome you to the discussion bout healing the addicted brain from cocaine abuse. If this is your first time being on this link, I want to encourage you to stay on the link and receive healthy tips of healing addicted brain from cocaine abuse straight from the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. This is one of the best addiction recovery facilities with highly trained and qualified professionals of our time and they are up to the task if only you can schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury MD, President and also the founder of the establishment.

Healing addicted brain from cocaine abuse: Cocaine users

Cocaine is one of the most dangerous opioids commonly used by many addicts to attain certain high feelings and for cocaine users, every high is often not enough even if the effect will cause them to pass out. This is so because these are stimulants which have greater effects on the brain thereby making each unit consumed a little less great to the intended user. Because of that they will continue to go back for another dose high intensity not withstanding in order to try and match their last high. According to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, doctor Akoury is registering that the horribly tragic thing about that quest of using more and more of cocaine is that they will never reach those highs again meaning that every next high results in lower highs and higher lows. And that now brings us to the focus of our discussion about healing the addicted brain from cocaine abuse. When there is a problem, the only logical thing to do is to seek and find solution to the problem and that is what we want to address progressively.

Healing addicted brain from cocaine abuse: Seeking for solutions

Over the past decades there has been a great deal of discussion about healing the addicted brain and whether or not true healing of an addicted brain is possible. This discussion is still on today because each day people are being lured into drugs and someone is also dying of the same. Experts are working around the clock and actually some progress is being realized. Studies have revealed that brain scans findings have established that in the short term, the revival of dopamine transporter (DAT) binding is not good. In one of the studies it was established that one month of discontinuance still shows an unambiguous drop in DAT binding. Nonetheless, in their further illustrations and in just fourteen months of abstinence there was clear evidence of an almost full return of dopamine transporter binding. It therefore means that when cocaine is first used, the dopamine levels in the brain will abnormally increase or skyrocket by two or three times. However, it is important to note that the moment this short high normally lasting approximately 12 hours, wears off, then dopamine levels will be depressed to lower than normal levels. Doctor Akoury explains that it is because of these occurrences that make the cocaine users to continually seek for more and more of the substance to satisfy the next high and to get their dopamine levels back above normal; just never quite as high as previous.

Healing addicted brain from cocaine abuse: Serotonin the neurotransmitter

Professionally and according to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury, serotonin is another neurotransmitter that is very significant in playing the motivational role in the addicted brains inclination towards continued cocaine use. For better understanding of this fact, doctor Akoury is registering that it is important to appreciate the fact that serotonin is involved in a variety of physiological states impacting sexual behavior and even being culpable for things like depression. It therefore means that each time drug users indulges in the habit of alcohol drug abuse, serotonin will automatically be elevated and that implies that when they (drug users) makes an attempt of stopping their habit of drug use, their serotonin levels get depressed.

Finally and in relation to this discussion, doctor Akoury is reporting that there has been a lot of pharmacological use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) to raise a depressed individual’s serotonin levels without the use of the drugs that first elevated their high, like cocaine. She adds that professionally that has been helpful for many people, but besides that it is still very important that users’ needs to have their addicted brains treated for a complete healing. This is very essential if any meaningful and permanent solution is to be arrived at. Studies have actually established that it’s really the behavioral effects of the addicted brain that never fully return to normal, in some cases. However while the brains serotonin can be regulated through the use of SSRIs, and DAT binding returns to quasi-normal levels after prolonged discontinuance, there is always the X factor of whether or not these users will return to their prior behaviors. And that explains why it will always be necessary that recovering addicts continually consult with the experts on any new development that may crop up in their recovery process. This service must be done by qualified, trained and experienced professionals in all matters of alcohol and drug addiction. If you are wondering where to run to, then you now have a solution because doctor Dalal Akoury and her team of experts are always ready and willing to help on demand. All you need to do is to schedule for an appointment with her today and you will have a life time experience.

Healing addicted brain from cocaine abuse: Why is this necessary?

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Dopamine the neurotransmitter role in drug addiction

August 13, 2015

Dopamine the neurotransmitter role in drug addiction: Risk and reward that trigger for the release of dopamine

Dopamine the neurotransmitter role in drug addiction

Dopamine the neurotransmitter role in drug addiction must never be ignored since it forma part of finding the solution

Dopamine is neurotransmitter in the brain that plays vital roles in a variety of different behaviors. The major behaviors dopamine affects are movement, cognition, pleasure, and motivation. Dopamine is an essential component of the basal ganglia motor loop, as well as the neurotransmitter responsible for controlling the exchange of information from one brain area to another. However, it is the role that dopamine plays in pleasure and motivation that attracts the most neurobiologists attention. And that is why our discussion is focusing on dopamine the neurotransmitter role in drug addiction in this article. We would appreciate if you can stay with us on the link so that together we can learn and take action where necessary in order to defeat addiction. Nonetheless for a better understanding of this topic, we are going to be relying on the expert opinion of doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) who is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. This is a facility that she founded primarily to make a difference in the life of people who are suffering from the various forms of drug addiction which is very rampant in the current societies we live in.

For better understanding of this point doctor Dalal Akoury says that in certain areas of the brain when dopamine is released it gives one the feeling of pleasure or satisfaction. These feelings of satisfaction become desired, and the person will grow a desire for the satisfaction. To satisfy that desire the person will repeat behaviors that cause the release of dopamine. For example food and sex release dopamine. That is why people want food even though their body does not need it and why people sometimes need sex. These two behaviors scientifically make sense since the body needs food to survive, and humans need to have sex to allow the race to survive. However, other, less natural behaviors have the same effect on one’s dopamine levels, and at times can even be more powerful. Often these behaviors can result in addiction due to their effect on dopamine, and that addiction can have negative effects on a person’s well-being.

Dopamine the neurotransmitter role in drug addiction: Cocaine

Cocaine is by far the more severe in relation to other substances in terms of addiction. Cocaine chemically inhibits the natural dopamine cycle. Normally, after dopamine is released, it is recycled back into a dopamine transmitting neuron. However, cocaine binds to the dopamine, and does not allow it to be recycled. Thus there is a buildup of dopamine, and it floods certain neural areas. The flood ends after about 30 minutes, and the person is left yearning to feel as he or she once did. That is how the addiction begins and with time adaptation builds up due to the fact that the person is consistently behaving in the same way that he or she had the first time. However, the individual cannot, because dopamine is also released when something pleasurable yet unexpected occurs. During the first time, the person expects the effect, thus less dopamine is released, and the experience is less satisfying. This cause explains why gambling releases dopamine.

Many studies have been done which targeted neural response to rewards. The findings were in agreement that when one performed an action repeatedly, and is given a reward randomly, the dopamine levels rises. If the reward is administered for example every four times the action was performed, the dopamine levels remained constant. Whereas when no reward is given dopamine levels dropped. These random rewards can be seen in gambling and since the outcome is based on chance, one may not know prior if he or she will win. Therefore, if he or she wins, dopamine levels increases. However, unlike cocaine, gambling causes addiction in relatively low levels of participants. This is because Cocaine’s chemical input is much more influential on dopamine levels than gambling’s behavioral input meaning that only people whose dopamine levels are low, become addicted to gambling.

Dopamine the neurotransmitter role in drug addiction: Variance in dopamine levels

This is may be due to genetics, environment related or a combination of factors. A study concluded that pathological gamblers most often experienced traumatizing experiences when they were younger. Since most people who became addicted to gambling have low dopamine levels, and also that same group usually has endured a traumatic experience, it was concluded the overall dopamine levels can change due to environmental factors. This supports the opinion that both the mind and the brain can change due to environmental factors. However in yet another study it was established that a gene related to dopamine is sported twice as often in pathological gamblers than non-gamblers. To this effect, doctor Akoury says that this view seems to supports the observation that dopamine levels are genetic. We can therefore come up with two possible observations. Either both genetics and environmental factors affects ones brain anatomy and mind simultaneously, or that environmental factors can affect genes which in turn affect ones brain and mind.

Dopamine the neurotransmitter role in drug addiction: Why is risk and reward a trigger for the release of dopamine?

It’s scientifically logical that sex and food release dopamine, because they are essential for the life of human beings. Risk and reward are not.  It is believed that everything happens for a reason; meaning, there must be a scientific explanation for the increase of dopamine levels as a result of risk and reward. Like for instance the human race is different from other species on this planet not only by its ability to reason, but also its ability to create and be innovative. Therefore nature dictates that humans are creative and innovative, and for this to happen a person should have some level of satisfaction when one accomplishes an innovation. Doctor Akoury agrees that for one to accomplish an innovation he/she must take certain risks. It is risky to try to do something that no other being on earth has ever accomplished. Therefore, there must be a reward other than material that one gets when he or she accomplishes the innovation, otherwise that person would not take the risk. The reward here is the release of dopamine and the feeling of satisfaction. The problem with this process is that not only can one be satisfied after a major risk and accomplishment, but that one can also be satisfied through constant minute risks and accomplishments.

The feeling of satisfaction that dopamine exhibits are so strong that one can often lose his or her ability to reason in order to achieve satisfaction. It is that unconscious state of mind that takes over and begins to make certain decisions. The brain develops neural circuits that unconsciously assess reward. Since dopamine plays an active role in these circuits, people will act in what they think is in their best interest, when in fact the only interest it satisfies is the release of dopamine. This can be exemplified in gambling where one insists on gambling even though he or she knows that the odds are against them. Finally we appreciate that there is a lot of scientific explanations in this topic which may not be very clear to many people and if you are one of them then we are more than ready at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center to listen and help you be on the know. All you have to do is to call doctor Dalal Akoury (MD) who is also the founder of the facility for an appointment and all your concerns will be addressed professionally.

Dopamine the neurotransmitter role in drug addiction: Risk and reward that trigger for the release of dopamine

 

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