Write Your Story, Improve Your Health
Write Your Story, Improve Your Health Studies have shown that writing about yourself and your personal experiences can improve mood disorders, improve health after a heart attack, reduce doctor visits and even boost memory. Now researchers are studying whether the power of writing your personal story can lead to behavioral changes and improve happiness. Some […]
Alcohol Risks Rise with Long Work Hours
Alcohol Risks Rise with Long Work Hours Individuals whose working hours exceed standard recommendations are more likely to increase their alcohol use to levels that pose a health risk. This is the conclusion from a newly published report of the systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished data. Risky alcohol consumption is more […]
Recovery and Resilience Connection
Recovery and Resilience Connection Resilience is defined as the ability to recover from setbacks, adapt well to change, and keep going in the face of adversity. Learning to become more resilient can offer individuals the opportunity to improve their life, maximizing potential and success. As Diane Coutu so eloquently explains in How Resilience Works: “Resilient […]
Preventing a Future Generation of Addicts: Curtail Teen Prescriptions for Sleep Aids and Anti-Anxiety Meds
Preventing a Future Generation of Addicts: Curtail Teen Prescriptions for Sleep Aids and Anti-Anxiety Meds Researchers have completed the first longitudinal study to determine whether teens’ recent medical use of anxiety or sleep medications is associated with later taking somebody else’s prescription medication illegally, either for self-treatment or recreational use. Examples of anti-anxiety medications include […]
Understanding How the Brain Reacts to Addictive Substances: It’s a Dopamine Thing
Understanding How the Brain Reacts to Addictive Substances: It’s a Dopamine Thing Brigham Young University professor Scott Steffensen and his collaborators have published three scientific papers that detail the brain mechanisms involved with addictive substances. One study found that the process of a brain becoming addicted is an overcorrecting reaction to an abused substance. When […]
The Neurological Differences in Men and Women Smokers
The Neurological Differences in Men and Women Smokers Yale researchers have pinpointed a different brain response between male and female smokers by analyzing dynamic brain scans. This study marks the first time that PET (positron emission tomography) scans were used to create “movies” of how smoking affects dopamine, the neurotransmitter that triggers feelings of pleasure […]
The Relationship Between Substance Abuse, Insomnia and Suicidal Thoughts
The Relationship Between Substance Abuse, Insomnia and Suicidal Thoughts Accruing evidence indicates that insomnia is prevalent and persistent in early recovery from substance use disorders and may predict relapse. As such, insomnia treatment after abstinence represents an important area for intervention and treatment. According to Dr. Nicholas Rosenlicht of University of San Francisco: “Treating sleep […]
The Health Risks of Binge Drinking
The Health Risks of Binge Drinking Drinkers generally understand how binge drinking alters behavior. However, more than behavior changes with intoxication. Binge drinking is a significant cause of accidents. It increases the risk of falls, burns, gunshot wounds, car accidents, arguments and poisoning. Consider these sobering facts about how we drink: About 90% of the […]
The Amazing Benefit of Animals on Health
The Amazing Benefit of Animals on Health Pet therapy is a broad term that includes animal-assisted therapy and other animal-assisted activities. Animal-assisted therapy is a growing field that uses dogs or other animals to help people recover from or better cope with health problems, such as heart disease, cancer and mental health disorders. Animal-assisted activities, […]
Treating Depression with Ketamine
Treating Depression with Ketamine Small studies at prestigious medical centers like Yale, Mount Sinai and the National Institute of Mental Health suggest that a drug called ketamine can relieve depression in many people not helped by widely used conventional antidepressants like Prozac or Lexapro. At this time, there is little support for this treatment model, […]