‘Medicine’

Addiction is an Illness

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Addiction is considered a disease, and you cure a disease. But the scientific substantiation of this idea is highly questionable. And the effectiveness of drug services is not established. The addiction can better dispense with the concept of disease and to promote policies that deal with the problem.

</center>

The British author and psychiatrist Theodore Dalrymple in his book Drugs. The myths and lies (2006) that it is nonsense to think that addiction is a disease. Addiction is for him a matter of bad morals.


(more…)

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Addiction | No Comments »

A genetic variant associated with cocaine-induced paranoia

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

induced paranoia

One study suggests that the finding may shed light on the physiology of paranoia in general.

U.S. researchers. UU. have identified genetic variants that increase the risk of paranoia in cocaine addicts.

In their study of almost 4,000 people of African and European ancestry, the team of Yale University and the Faculty of Medicine at Boston University examined an area of the genome had previously been shown that it was linked to cocaine dependence and the paranoia induced by this drug.

The researchers conducted a genetic analysis of eleven variants of the gene-endomanosidasa (NSAIDs), which metabolize complex carbohydrates. They found that nine of the variants were related to cocaine-induced paranoia among African Americans and six variants were identified among those of European origin.

Variants were also associated in this area of the genome with cocaine dependence. (more…)

Incoming search terms for the article:

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Cocaine addiction, Symptoms | 1 Comment »

Cocaine change the way genes function in the brain

Friday, January 15th, 2010

function in the brain

Prolonged exposure to cocaine can cause permanent changes in how genes are turned on and off in the brain, a finding that may lead more effective treatments for many types of addictions, researchers estadoundienses.

A study in mice conducted by the team of Ian Maze, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, found that chronic cocaine addiction prevented a specific enzyme performs his work of suppression of some genes in the brain circuits for pleasure.

This effect made even more longed rodents drugs.

The research helps explain how cocaine use changes the brain, said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, which funded the study published in the journal Science.

“This discovery is enabling a new understanding of how the repeated use of drugs in the long term modifies the function of neurons,” Volkow said in a telephone interview. (more…)

Incoming search terms for the article:

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Cocaine addiction | 2 Comments »

Ending the addiction

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Ending the addiction

Do we really need rehab centers for people who spend too much time online or in stores?

Like smoking crack pulling desperately on their pipes broken, we are, lately, all become drug addicts in need. Our drugs? Addiction. The concept is certainly not new: it already has hundreds of years. He then described the compulsive consumption of alcohol, and later those of heroin and cocaine.

Today, we put all the sauce: it seems to apply to each behavior deemed unpleasant or unreasonable. Take the inordinate passion for new technologies. This summer, countless articles and reports have praised the RESTART clinic in Washington state, which seems to be the first rehabilitation center treating the “Internet addiction”. For $ 15,000, you can register for a stay of 45 nights supposed to cure you of any dangerous or unhealthy fascination for, say, the role-playing game World of Warcraft online. The Internet addiction is only one of the behavioral addictions that have recently made their debut in the pages and screens of mainstream media: see also addiction to shopping, sex addiction, food addiction, addiction to the love, etc.. (more…)

Incoming search terms for the article:

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Addiction | 1 Comment »