addiction
Processed Foods
Some research suggests that the products’ packaging can leach such chemicals as bisphenol A (BPA) and perfluoroalky and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or that these toxins may act as endocrine interrupters and cause cancers, infertility, and other health problems.
Read MoreWhat “Rocketman” Tells Us About Pain and Addiction
Adverse childhood experiences rewire the brain. The heightened response to stress that some children develop can affect the reward center of the brain and the executive functioning of the prefrontal cortex. It can also result in maladaptive behaviors associated with pain and addiction.
Read MoreDetoxification as Performance Art
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on May 31, 2019. “Treatment Box: Rebekkah’s Story” won an Emmy for Outstanding Special Class – Short Format Daytime Program at the 46th Annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. The 6-minute video was produced by The Truth About Opioids, which is an opioid…
Read MoreHow to Know If You Are Addicted
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared in Consumer Health Digest on May 15, 2019. Everyone has heard the phrase “opioid addiction,” but few understand what that really means. Journalists, patients, and even many doctors believe they know what addiction is, but they are often wrong. This leads many people to be diagnosed…
Read MoreWhat Is the Truth About Energy Drinks?
Stimulants in a Bottle Does energy come from a bottle? Some people claim it does. You can find energy drinks such as Bang, Red Bull, and Energy Shot everywhere food and soft drinks are sold. Since they contain large amounts of caffeine and sugar, they may be a stimulant for some people. There’s also an…
Read MoreAre Most Retired NFL Players Really Addicts?
We can probably attribute the use or misuse of opioids to the fact that these retired football players were trying to mitigate severe pain.
Read MoreHollywood Romanticizes Addiction
We all love good storytelling. Cinema can mirror the real world or create a universe of its own. Movies can transport us to another world, beyond ordinary consciousness and emotions. It can be an agent for positive cultural change, or it can spread false narratives that are largely adopted by society. It can help solve…
Read MoreSUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act
SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act President Donald Trump signed the bi-partisan opioid legislation on October 24. According to Vox, the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act “is a big breakthrough that will boost access to addiction treatment and many other interventions to mitigate the…
Read MoreWounded Healer
My Review of Drug Dealer MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked and Why It’s So Hard to Stop, a Book by Anna Lembke, M.D. In Drug Dealer MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked and Why It’s So Hard to Stop, Anna Lembke, M.D. offers her views on how a failed health care system created the…
Read MoreHow to Find an Addiction Treatment Provider
Molly’s Story Illustrates How Addiction Can Happen Molly (a pseudonym) was a 25-year-old woman who developed an addiction to opioids. She was initially prescribed opioids for pain by her gynecologist. Although only a small percentage of people who use opioids become addicted to them, Molly’s story illustrates how it can happen. Molly came to me looking…
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