Accurate Education – CAM – Addiction Recovery

Complementary and Alternative Treatment of Addiction

To treat addiction, one must the understand the variables that contribute to both the development as well as the maintenance of addiction, including both behavioral and neurochemical factors. Conventional medical management offers very limited treatment options for chemical/substance or compulsive behavioral addictions.

 

Over the last two decades, the transformative work of Ken Blum PhD and others has culminated in a concept of a Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) that underlies both chemical and behavioral addictions. This has led to novel approaches to managing addiction.

 

CAM Treatment of Addiction

 

Behavioral Management

CAM treatment of addiction can also be broken down into two primary categories: medication management and behavioral management. The distinction between CAM and conventional behavioral treatment is blurred as many of the once-considered unconventional behavioral treatments are now being recognized by conventional addictionologists including meditation and other mindful exercises.

 

In the words of Russel Brand,

 

“If you meditate for two hours every day, your brain cannot stay the same”

 

See  Using the Mind

See Dopamine Enhancement

 

Dietary Management

There is a role for dietary management of addiction, particularly in early recovery and during times of stress that may reduce the threshold for relapse.

See Dopamine Diet

 

Management with Medical Foods, Nutriceuticals and other Supplements

The focus of this section on the website is on CAM treatment of addiction using “medical foods,” nutriceuticals and nutritional supplements.

 

SynaptaGenX

SynaptaGenX is a “medical food” designed specifically to increase dopamine levels in the area of the brain associated with dopamine deficiency related to Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS), considered the basis of addiction (See RDS). SynaptaGenX and its earlier variants (KB220 and others) have been evaluated and developed over the last twenty years as the subject of many research studies in opioid, alcohol, cocaine and other chemical and behavioral addictions. Many publications are available that describe the benefits of SynaptaGenX in promoting the return to a state of psychological well-being and curbing of craving in the many manifestations of RDS associated with suboptimal levels of dopamine in the specific brain areas associated with addiction.

 

Synaptamine consists of many natural ingredients all considered safe and non-addictive that work synergistically through different mechanisms of action. It is available only through the recommendation of a physician (the FDA classification of “Medical Food”) but is not a prescription drug. It is available at Accurate Clinic as well as online.

See SynaptaGenX

 

Other Nutriceuticals and Nutritional Supplements

Citicoline

COMT Inhibtors:

Green Tea

Quercetin

NAD

Nicotinamide Riboside

NRF2 – Activators

Omega-3 Fatty Acids & DHA

Passion Flower

Rhodiola Rosea

 

Please return soon for more information on CAM treatment options for addiction management.

 

 

References:

RDS – Overview of Addiction

1. The Addictive Brain – All Roads Lead to Dopamine – 2012
2. Hatching the behavioral addiction egg – Reward Deficiency Solution System – 2014
3. Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘N’ Roll – Hypothesizing Common Mesolimbic Activation as a Function of Reward Gene Polymorphisms – 2012

 

CAM Treatment of Addiction

 

CAM Tx Addiction – Overview

CAM Tx Addiction – Synaptamine

See Synaptamine

1. Reward Deficiency Syndrome Studies of KB220 Variants
2. Neuroadaptagen Amino-Acid Therapy Protects Against Reward Deficiency Syndrome – Dopaminergic Key to Homeostasis and Neuroplasticity – 2016
3. Clinically Combating Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) with Dopamine Agonist Therapy as a Paradigm Shift – Dopamine for Dinner? 2015 no highlights
4. Neurogenetics and Nutrigenomics of Neuro-Nutrient Therapy for Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS)

 

CAM Tx Addiction – Citicoline

See Citicoline

 

1. Citicoline in Addictive Disorders – A Review of the Literature – 2014
2. Citicoline Treatment Improves Measures of Impulsivity and Task Performance in Chronic Marijuana Smokers – 2015
3. Cholinergic modulation of mesolimbic dopamine function and reward. – 2011
4. The role of acetylcholine in cocaine addiction – 2008
5. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of citicoline for bipolar and unipolar depression and methamphetamine dependence. – PubMed – NCBI
6. Neurochemical alterations in methamphetamine-dependent patients treated with cytidine-5′-diphosphate choline – 2010
7. Eight weeks of citicoline treatment does not perturb sleep:wake cycles in cocaine-dependent adults. – 2011 DO NOT UPLOAD
8. Short-term treatment with citicoline (CDP-choline) attenuates some measures of craving in cocaine-dependent subjects: a preliminary report. – PubMed – NCBI
9. Effects of daily treatment with citicoline – A double-blind, placebo-controlled study in cocaine-dependent volunteers – 2011
10. Effects of short-term citicoline treatment on acute cocaine intoxication and cardiovascular effects. – PubMed – NCBI
11. Changes in brain striatum dopamine and acetylcholine receptors induced by chronic CDP-choline treatment of aging mice. – 1991

CAM Tx Addiction – Boswellia Serrata

See: Boswellia Serrata

 

CAM Tx Addiction – COMT Inhibitors

See: Green Tea

See: Quercetin

 

CAM Tx Addiction – DL-Phenylalanine

See: DL-Phenylalanine

 

CAM Tx Addiction – NAD

See: NAD

 

CAM Tx Addiction – L-Glutamine

See: L-Glutamine

 

CAM Tx Addiction – L-Tyrosine

See: L-Tyrosine

 

CAM Tx Addiction – Nicotinamide Riboside (NR)

See: Nicotinamide Riboside

 

CAM Tx Addiction – NRF2 Activators

See: NRF2 – Activators

 

CAM Tx Addiction – Omega-3 Fatty Acids & DHA

See: Omega-3 Fatty Acids & DHA

Specific behavioral and cellular adaptations induced by chronic morphine are reduced by dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids – 2017

 

CAM Tx Addiction – Rhodiola Rosea

See: Rhodiola Rosea

Emphasis on Education

 

Accurate Clinic promotes patient education as the foundation of it’s medical care. In Dr. Ehlenberger’s integrative approach to patient care, including conventional and complementary and alternative medical (CAM) treatments, he may encourage or provide advice about the use of supplements. However, the specifics of choice of supplement, dosing and duration of treatment should be individualized through discussion with Dr. Ehlenberger. The following information and reference articles are presented to provide the reader with some of the latest research to facilitate evidence-based, informed decisions regarding the use of conventional as well as CAM treatments.

 

For medical-legal reasons, access to these links is limited to patients enrolled in an Accurate Clinic medical program.

 

Should you wish more information regarding any of the subjects listed – or not listed –  here, please contact Dr. Ehlenberger. He has literally thousands of published articles to share on hundreds of topics associated with pain management, weight loss, nutrition, addiction recovery and emergency medicine. It would take years for you to read them, as it did him.

 

For more information, please contact Accurate Clinic.

 

Supplements recommended by Dr. Ehlenberger may be purchased commercially online or at Accurate Clinic.

Please read about our statement regarding the sale of products recommended by Dr. Ehlenberger.

Accurate Supplement Prices

 

 

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