Addiction Treatments
Here is an article on addiction that I think everyone should read.
Please click below to read the full article.
Charles P. O'Brien, M.D., PhD.
University of Pennsylvania
Perelman School of Medicine
Dr. Rosie's notes:
Fyi, share w/any professional, friend or family member you know that is interested in or has this disease. The author is saying it should be simple to create drugs that interfere w/the reward pathway in the brain for alcohol, opioids, etc. But there are only two, and others aren't being developed. Besides no profit in developing them, I also think more meds have not been developed for alcohol treatment (and other addictions) because there's a big lobby against, as there was with the tobacco industry.
There are two medications that have some success with dealing with the craving. Naltrexone, that works well for dampening the high and the craving, but is not widely used nor known in treatment programs. A second medication, Baclofen, seems to dampen the craving but not the high from alcohol.
Fyi, I've had patients use naltrexone successfully as part of their treatment program. Note that it's more effective with patients with a family history (genetic basis.) Furthermore, as with treatment for any disease, the patient has to want to make a change. The person has to be a proactive participant.
This article is by a contributor of the Dana Foundation, which is extremely reliable, see below. The article was part of their annual report.
The Dana Foundation is a very reliable source, it's an organization of neuroscientists. It includes more than a dozen nobel laureates. Charles a. Dana was a New York philanthropist who endowed the foundation. It tries to share the latest scientific info re brain research w/the public, it's free. It's a happy irony that his name Dana is the same as the Buddhist principle of dana (sanskrit): generosity, helping, instructing. Just go to the Dana Foundation website and you can sign up to get their monthly news in different areas of research.
I don't know why more people don't know about the Dana Foundation (or naltrexone.) So if you're interested in getting more info about brain function, memory, learning, etc. just add Dana Foundation to your key words and you'll pull up their research.
Mission Statement: The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropic organization committed to advancing brain research and to educating the public in a responsible manner about research’s potential:
(1) to develop a better understanding of the brain and its functions; (2) to speed the discovery of treatments for brain disorders; and
(3) to combat the stigma of brain disorders through education.
Strategies: The Foundation, founded in 1950, works to achieve its goals through grants to institutions engaged in innovative neuroscience research and through public outreach efforts. Its grants fund research in neuroscience in connection to human health and disease.
The Foundation promotes dialogue between researchers and lay audiences; provides validated information about the latest advances in research through its free publications and websites; engages people worldwide through the Alliances and International Brain Awareness Week; and highlights critical information about the brain through its social media.
At the core of the Foundation’s philosophy is a belief in the importance of scientific inquiry and the engagement of the public in championing brain research.
