Addiction

I hope this helps you understand something's a little more knowledge is power.I'm will be posting more later. Sorry I'm have not done much here lately but my son is addicted to the computer so I had it shut off for a while. NOw back to this.

The most up-to-date research in the field of addiction suggests that all addiction is rooted in impaired brain chemistry, not lack of will power, character defects, personality disorders or spirituality.

In the brain, we have chemicals called neurotransmitters that regulate how we think, feel and behave. The neurotransmitters involved most frequently with an addiction of any kind include serotonin, dopamine, GABA, endorphins, and norepinephrine, but acetylcholine and anandamide may also be involved in some addictions.

Serotonin functions like a natural anti-depressant. Dopamine provides feelings of pleasure, motivation and focus, while GABA is similar to a natural sedative providing us with relaxation. Endorphins are like natural opiates that provide relief for emotional and physical pain and each of these provide feelings of well-being and inner peace. Norepinephrine provides energy, but in excess it's actually toxic to the brain, while acetylcholine regulates the autonomic nervous system, cognitive functions and memory. Anandamide has a dampening effect on all other neurotransmitters.

In order for the brain to function adequately, neurotransmitters must be present in just the right amounts.

Not enough or too many can result in a wide variety of symptoms including, but not limited to: depression, anxiety, irritability, violence, inability to concentrate or remember, insomnia, hyperactivity and cravings for mind-altering substances of all kinds.

Neurotransmitters may be out of balance prior to an addiction because of a poor diet, nutritional deficiencies, a genetic polymorphism, chronic stress, childhood abuse, environmental toxins, or brain trauma like a concussion, which becomes the driving force for an addiction to develop, or they may become imbalanced from the psychotropic substance itself.

All psychotropic substances artificially and temporarily alter neurotransmitters in the brain. Their effects are achieved in two different ways; they stimulate an intense supply of neurotransmitters to be released all at once and they mimic the effects of the natural neurotransmitter.

For example, sugar and alcohol increase dopamine, serotonin, GABA and endorphins, while heroin and other opioids mimic endorphins. Marijuana and chocolate affect anandamide. Nicotine affects acetylcholine. Cocaine and amphetamines increase dopamine, and Ativan or Valium mimic GABA. All addictive substances increase dopamine. Elevated levels of serotonin, dopamine, GABA, and endorphins generate profound euphoria, joy, relaxation, pleasure and happiness, alleviate physical and emotional pain and produce an exaggerated sense of well-being and inner peace, which is commonly referred to as "being high."

In End Your Addiction Now, Dr. Charles Gant explains that the brain responds to artificial stimulation of neurotransmitters by either reducing production of and responsiveness to the particular neurotransmitter or reducing the number of receptors for the neurotransmitter. This leaves the brain dependent upon the psychotropic substance to perform the duties of the impaired neurotransmitter.

The addict is not really craving the addictive substance; they are craving what the substance does for the brain.

The more depleted the neurotransmitters become, the more dependent one becomes on the addictive substance. Since the brain is no longer producing or responding appropriately to its own neurotransmitter, then cravings and withdrawal are experienced when the substance is not present in the system to carry out the functions of the depleted neurotransmitter.

Neurotransmitters can be restored to balance with the right diet, nutritional supplements, and other lifestyle changes. When this is achieved, then cravings for the addictive substance simply dissipate and maintaining sobriety is no longer a struggle.

Cynthia Perkins, M.Ed., is a sobriety coach and a recovered addict of many substances with 25 years of craving-free and uninterrupted sobriety and the founder of the Clean and Sober for Life Jump-Start Program, a 12 step alternative based on science.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.drugabuse.gov/scienceofaddiction/brain.html

http://www.nida.nih.gov/DrugPages/addiction.html

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/041140_addiction_brain_chemistry_mental_health.html#ixzz2YkNCdXrX

Generic drug companies granted total immunity against all lawsuits from patients harmed by side effects

wow, wow that all I can say to this. You need to read this. I have tried to stay away from pharmaceutical drugs but with my hip and work I have had to uses them until I can do the stem cell thing. I figure at one time or another we are all in this place.

You may want to think twice before taking any more generic copies of brand-name pharmaceutical drugs, thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling that effectively eliminates manufacturer liability in injury cases resulting from negative side effects. In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court recently overturned a $21 million judgment awarded to a New Hampshire woman injured by a generic pain drug, declaring in the process that generic drug manufacturers cannot be sued when the drugs they produce injure patients.

Since generic drugs are mere replicas of brand-name drugs that, at one time, were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as "safe," generic drug manufacturers are exempt from being held liable in the event of injuries caused by harmful side effects. This is the opinion of the majority of the Supreme Court anyway, which has now made it that much harder for members of the public to seek remedy for injuries caused by pharmaceutical drugs.

According to Reuters, the ruling affects lawsuits filed under state law, which allegedly conflict with federal regulatory guidelines as they pertain to safety approval for brand-name drugs. When it comes to federal versus state law, federal always tends to win these days, which means the big boys in the drug industry basically get to call all the shots. And if you are injured by a drug, in this case a generic drug, well then tough luck for you.

"The court has left a seriously injured consumer without any remedy," wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor, along with Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Elena Kagan, in a dissent to the ruling.

It all started when Karen L. Bartlett of New Hampshire was prescribed a generic version of Merck & Co.'s anti-inflammatory drug Clinoril by her doctor for shoulder pain. Bartlett quickly developed a condition known as toxic epidermal necrolysis, which left her with burn-like lesions on two-thirds of her body. Bartlett had to be put into a medically-induced coma and be fed out of a tube for over a year while she underwent dozens of eye surgeries.

With the help of her lawyer, Bartlett filed a lawsuit against Mutual Pharmaceutical, the manufacturer of sulindac, the generic version of Clinoril that led to her injuries. The Supreme Court issued a ruling against Bartlett, which was eventually overturned by a Boston-based appeals court, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). But the Supreme Court later overturned the ruling of the appeals court, claiming that federal law prohibits such lawsuits.

Shielding drug companies from liability will only further erode public confidence in Big Pharma

On the surface, the Supreme Court's ruling on this matter appears as though it is just another win for Big Pharma, which as we all know takes every opportunity to leverage control over the federal regulatory scheme for drugs. But in the long run, the decision will end up hurting the drug industry, as the general public will put even less faith in the safety and integrity of drugs.

"Today's court decision provides a disincentive for generic makers of drugs to monitor the safety of their products and to make sure that they have a surveillance system in place to detect adverse events that pose a threat to patients," says Michael Carome, Director of the Public Citizen's Health Research Group, as quoted by Reuters.

In other words, why perform routine and costly safety tests when there are no longer any consequences if patients are harmed by tainted drugs? Official FDA approval of the "parent" drugs is apparently all that is now needed to shield the generic drug industry from future liability for injuries, which means patients are basically being forced to take drugs at their own risk.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.reuters.com

http://online.wsj.com

http://www.newsmax.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/041135_generic_drugs_side_effects_legal_immunity.html#ixzz2YfFBdPce