Kratom, also known as Mitragyna speciosa, is a tree native to Southeast Asia. It is from the same family as the coffee tree. The leaves of the kratom tree have been used medicinally by herbalists for millennia as both a stimulant (low doses) and sedative (higher doses). It is a painkiller, anti-diarrheal, traditional treatment for […]
Can a person be addicted to sugar? With obesity becoming an epidemic health issue, scientists have begun studying how food has an effect on our brain and body. A general consensus of researchers is finding that sugar may be addictive. A neuroscientist at Columbia University, Nicole Avena, found through laboratory experiments on rats that overeating […]
Many young people feel the “immortality of youth,” thus contributing to the popularity of potentially harmful drug use and underage drinking. Findings by The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, (SAMHSA), raise concerns and should be a cause for alarm. Here are a few facts from a new report: Overall in 2011, there were […]
In light of the increasing opioid epidemic, scientists are interested in why people favor one drug over the other. The results of a recent study were published in Pain and found the oxycodone and hydrocodone are the drugs of choice for 75% of opioid addicts. The study was done in cooperation with the Department of […]
Researchers are currently experimenting with ways to erase distressing memories with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as electroshock therapy. Mental trauma, psychiatric disorders and addiction are some of the possible therapeutic uses. How does it work? Scientists once believed memory was permanently stored in our brains and although forgotten or replaced by new memory, could […]
Today, I’m sitting at a desk in a hotel in Paris, looking out over the city as I complete my writing and prepare to give a presentation this afternoon about the role of naturopathic medicine in addiction recovery. I am at the International Conference on Naturopathic Medicine. This is touted as the premier international conference […]
While I was flying home from speaking at a neuroscience conference in Jerusalem, Israel, the book I coauthored, Ending Addiction for Good, went to #1 in the drug dependency category on Amazon.com. When I landed at Newark for a brief layover and checked my email, I danced with joy at the news. Of course, friends […]
I have just arrived in Israel to participate in the Jerusalem International Conference on Neuroplasticity and Cognitive Modifiability (June 2-5, 2013). This is a gathering of some of the world’s leading brain science scholars and researchers who will share new breakthroughs in the application of the principles of neuroplasticity and cognitive modifiability to various human […]
I am blessed to have a beautiful garden. My home is surrounded by live oaks, their thick branches protecting my house from the ravages of the Texas sun. Out my bedroom window, I look onto Japanese magnolias and from my office see an array of flowering and fruiting trees. When I moved onto the property, […]
Is it possible to feel happy and sad simultaneously? That is my experience here in Osaka, Japan at the close of the International Academic Forum’s (IAFOR) conference on psychology and the behavioral sciences. As we gathered to take our closing photo, I looked at the faces of my colleagues who have enlivened my days with […]