Addiction Solution Source

Two research studies show that eating fast food is linked to a greater risk of suffering from depression.

What do you believe? Do you believe this . . . most people believe symptoms are the disease so they often take drugs, herbs or supplements to suppress symptoms in the false belief that a medical or psychiatric problem is resolved if symptoms disappear. These myths may stem from deep, unconscious fears handed down to us from ages past when diarrhea was equated with typhoid fever or a cough could mean that one has tuberculosis. TB did kill about one billion human beings in the 1800s, so one can understand why people are afraid of symptoms and believe they are the disease itself.

Only recently have we come to understand that symptoms suggest something very different. Symptoms are actually the result of the body trying to heal itself in some way. Diarrhea and cough could very rarely signify a lethal problem and should be investigated if they become chronic problems, but actually these symptoms are protective detoxification mechanisms which the body employs to remove toxins from gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts respectively.

Fatigue can signify malnutrition and therefore tiredness could be a natural response of the body to conserve calories. Nausea is a protective signal from the body instructing us to fast, because the GI tract is dealing with something toxic or infectious and does not want to devote its limited resources to digesting food. Joint pain is a clear protective signal to rest an inflamed joint. Depression could result from overdoing our fight/flight sympathetic nervous system and the consequent burnout protectively forces us to rest.

Symptoms are the result of the body trying to heal itself in some way, but those symptoms can be maladaptive. If diarrhea causes severe dehydration, or if a cough prevents sleep, obviously these symptoms, however valid as healing mechanisms, are maladaptive and may need to be suppressed with herbal or drug therapies. But usually, symptoms are perfectly adaptive attempts of the body to heal, and should be understood from that perspective and modified only if they spill over into a maladaptive pattern.

For instance, fever is a protective mechanism designed to injure infectious organisms which do not reproduce as well at higher temperatures. However, brain injury or seizures can occur if fever gets too high, so medication may be needed to keep it under 104 degrees to prevent such adverse maladaptive responses.

Three Kinds of Chronic Symptoms

Chronic symptoms are usually not lethal, but they can be life-limiting. The three main kinds of chronic symptoms are:
1- fatigue,
2- pain (emotional or physical) and
3- dysfunction (occupational, social, academic, interpersonal).

I am often asked, “Doc, how should these be treated?” Or, “What can I take to make these symptoms go away?” This is the wrong question, and the age old dictum – if you ask the wrong questions you get the wrong answers – applies here. Many chronic medical and psychiatric problems never resolve because the wrong questions are asked about how to resolve them.

Paul Andrews, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University, is the lead author of a new study about anti-depressants in the journal Frontiers of Psychology.

He concludes that patients who have used anti-depressant medications can be nearly twice as susceptible to future episodes of major depression. Andrews and his colleagues studied dozens of previously published studies to compare outcomes for patients who used anti-depressants compared to those who used placebos.

Andrews says anti-depressants interfere with the brain’s natural self-regulation of serotonin and other neurotransmitters, and that the brain can overcorrect once medication is suspended, triggering new depression.

Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal substance in many countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States and it seems to increase the chance of becoming psychotic, researchers report in an analysis of past research that brings up the old issue of whether pot is dangerous.

The new review suggests that even infrequent use of marijuana could raise the small but real risk of this serious mental illness by 40 percent.

Doctors have long suspected a connection and say the latest findings underline the need to highlight marijuana’s long-term risks. The research, paid for by the British Health Department, was published recently in the medical journal The Lancet. (thelancet.com)

“The available evidence now suggests that cannabis is not as harmless as many people think,” said Dr. Stanley Zammit, one of the study’s authors and a lecturer in the department of psychological medicine at Cardiff University.

Get rid of white sugar, white flour, white rice, and white oils to help keep your blood sugar under control and maintain a biochemical balance within the brain according to Michael Lesser, M.D., a nutritional psychiatrist and author of The Brain Chemistry Plan. He is one of the pioneers in the development of orthomolecular psychiatry and medicine.

After years of research, Joan Mathews Larson, Ph.D., author of Seven Weeks To Sobriety – The Proven Program To Fight Alcoholism Through Nutrition, set up an addiction treatment clinic in Minneapolis, MN that has over a 70% success rate. The Health Recovery Center was a pioneer in a holistic way of treating patients.

Dr. Larson states that “talk therapy” can help with coping skills and serious emotional issues but it cannot repair your alcohol altered brain and nervous system or banish the depression, unstable moods, and cravings that stem from the biochemical changes alcohol brings about. The program focuses on biochemical repair and restoration.

The recovery program is built around two premises:

There are two patterns of drinking: early and late onset.

Some people have been heavy drinkers for many years. But, as with great Uncle George for instance, over time the same amount of liquor packs a more powerful punch. Other people, like Grandma Betty, develop a drinking problem later in life. Sometimes this is due to major life changes like shifts in employment, failing health, or the death of friends or loved ones. Often these life changes can bring loneliness, boredom, anxiety, and depression. In fact, depression in older adults often goes along with alcohol misuse.

At first, a drink seems to bring relief from stressful situations. Later on, drinking can start to cause trouble.

Not everyone who drinks regularly has a drinking problem, and not all problem drinkers drink every day. You might want to get help if you or a loved one:

In general, people begin taking drugs for a variety of reasons.

Reasons to take drugs

To feel good

Most abused drugs produce intense feelings of pleasure. This initial sensation of euphoria is followed by other effects, which differ with the type of drug used. For example, with stimulants such as cocaine, the “high” is followed by feelings of power, self-confidence, and increased energy. In contrast, the euphoria caused by opiates such as heroin is followed by feelings of relaxation and satisfaction.

To reduce stress

Some people who suffer from social anxiety, stress-related disorders, and depression begin abusing drugs in an attempt to lessen feelings of distress. Stress can play a major role in beginning drug use, continuing drug abuse, or relapse in patients recovering from addiction.
 

To perform better

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The increasing pressure that some individuals feel to chemically enhance or improve their athletic or cognitive performance can similarly play a role in initial experimentation and continued drug abuse.
 

Curiosity and “because others are doing it.”

In this respect adolescents are particularly vulnerable because of the strong influence of peer pressure; they are more likely, for example, to engage in “thrilling” and “daring” behaviors and try prescription drugs or street drugs.

If taking drugs makes people feel good or better, what’s the problem?