The first step in addiction recovery at MindBody Medicine Center is a functional medical assessment looking for conditions in the body that commonly contribute to addiction, such as anxiety, depression, reduced pain tolerance, poor focus, “reward deficiency” and more. These common underlying conditions include neurotransmitter imbalances, gluten intolerance, adrenal and thyroid imbalances, malabsorption, and NAD deficiency. While these issues are treated, mostly with nutritional supplements and diet, the patient receives intravenous NAD and amino acids based on individually designed protocols for a 10 day period of time, supervised by our medical staff. The IV NAD and amino acids improve brain function based on higher levels of cellular energy production along with increased neurotransmitters, such as serotonin. There are some withdrawal symptoms for two or three days, but they are reduced by 70 to 80% when compared to “cold turkey” withdrawal. After three to five days withdrawal symptoms and craving subside and clarity of thought is restored.
This treatment is not a substitute for recovery. It is the beginning of the process of healing. Once the brain and body are functioning better, the patient has the energy, clarity and focus to engage in the recovery process. He or she will understand the reasons for compulsive behavior and with better health and motivation, they can stop compulsive behaviors and make mindful choices that are self-supportive rather than self-destructive.
Studies done in the early 1960s demonstrated the efficacy and safety of IV NAD in detoxifying patients from alcohol, opiates, tranquilizers and stimulants. Like the early studies, our experience with the protocol over the past five years substantiates its benefits in greatly reducing withdrawal symptoms, as well as reducing, and often eliminating the cravings.
The MindBody Medicine Center program provides individual and family therapy. Patients are provided with integrative care for their underlying medical problems, which helps them to feel better physically and mentally. Therefore they are more likely to continue healing psychologically, emotionally, socially and spiritually. A two year commitment to after care treatment is critical. The underlying psychological issues which often lead to substance abuse must be resolved for long lasting recovery.
Background
Addiction is a disease in the body and the mind and successful therapy depends on treating both. MindBody medicine is based on the unity of mind and body and focuses on promoting health and balance in the mindbody, thereby providing highly effective therapy for addiction. If you detoxify, or withdraw, from alcohol or a drug, but do not address the conditions in the body that create fatigue, depression, and anxiety, then relapse is more likely and therapy has been incomplete. Similarly, if you withdraw from a substance and do not understand the psychological issues that promoted the need for it, then relapse is likely and the “lessons of disease” have not been learned.
The body
Integrative, or, functional medicine provides the tools to assess and treat the conditions in the body that contribute to fatigue, depression, and anxiety, thereby increasing the likelihood of chemical dependency. These include:
- Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) deficiency
- Neurotransmitter deficiency (serotonin, GABA, adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine, etc)
- Metabolic cofactor deficiency
- Pyroluria
- Hypothyroidism
- Adrenal fatigue
- Intestinal yeast overgrowth and dysbiosis
- Metabolic endotoxemia
- Neuroinflammatory conditions
- Gluten intolerance
- And more
These “terrain issues” in the body need to be properly treated in order to make detoxification easier and to prevent relapse.
The mind and spirit
However, addiction is also disease in the mind. As the great psychoanalyst Dr. Franz Alexander, wrote: “The fact that the mind rules the body is, in spite of its neglect by biology and medicine, the most fundamental fact which we know about the process of life…”
The origins of most physical disease are within consciousness; the body is the messenger of the conflicts, sustained fears, suppressed emotional traumas, disturbed patterns of thinking, and other imbalances that lie within the conscious and unconscious mind. Many people have painful childhood experiences, including patterns of neglect, smothering control, abandonment, and emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Later on there can be failed relationships, years of marital conflict, and the pain of loneliness. Many experience decades of unfulfilling employment, foiled personal creativity and the quiet desperation of a slowly dying spirit. These life experiences contribute to relentless anxiety, depression, denied emotions, destructive beliefs, hopelessness, helplessness, “giving up”, and an endless variety of recurrent stresses.
Dis-ease of any kind is the body’s way of getting your attention and inviting this self-exploration, thereby offering true healing.
Neurotransmitter imbalance
Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain that help to control states of consciousness, including moods. Serotonin and GABA down-regulate electrical activity in the brain, thereby contributing to calm, peacefulness, or less anxiety. Adrenaline and nor-adrenaline up-regulate electrical activity thereby promoting excitement, motivation, or, reducing depression and apathy. Dopamine is the “feel good” brain chemical. It is the dance of these electro-chemicals that produce emotional balance and feelings of well-being.
When the proper flow, or cascade, of these neurochemicals is impaired, or, the brain’s receptors are blocked, then a variety of problems can develop, including:
- Mood instability
- Irritability
- agitation
- hypersensitivity
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Apathy
- Impaired concentration
- Trouble focusing
- Despair
A host of medical and lifestyle issues can disturb the healthy flow of neurotransmitters, including chronic stress, alcohol, drug abuse, genetics, poor diet, digestive disturbances and malabsorption, micronutrient deficiency and more. The result can be Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS), a term primarily used for hereditary chemical imbalances wherein the pleasure centers, which regulate feelings of well being in the brain, fail to receive appropriate neural signals. As a result, the brain sends out urgent messages of craving. In the brains of addicts, various neurotransmissions are affected, depending upon the drug or drugs that have been used. As a result addicts experience difficulty concentrating and have mood swings, for example, as well as having other physical symptoms. Collectively, these symptoms are called cravings and withdrawals. Craving and withdrawal symptoms are a result of a neurochemical imbalance in the brain.
It is the Reward Deficiency Syndrome that causes the compulsive use of alcohol and drugs that help to feel good, at least temporarily. In addition to alcohol, people use nicotine, other stimulants, illicit drugs, junk foods, sugars, or thrill-seeking behaviors such as gambling, sex and Internet porn. Unfortunately, this only provides temporary relief while bringing with it the possibility of more long-term problems.
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) deficiency – a key issue
NAD stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, which is the chemical term for a molecule that reacts with oxygen in the mitochondria in every cell of your body in order to create energy so you can move, breathe, pump blood, digest food, think, and generally, live your life. Lack of this essential cellular fuel is now recognized as a key feature of chronic fatigue, apathy, depression, anxiety, alcohol and drug addiction, weak immune system (infections and cancer), muscle pain and weakness, headaches, memory disturbance, sleep problems, focus and concentration defects and other chronic diseases. NAD deficiency may be an unrecognized epidemic of cellular disease.
Let us take a look at some of the functions of NAD in the body:
- Increases energy in brain cells
- Stimulates production of dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline, thereby improving moods
- Increases energy in heart cells
- Protects and repairs DNA, reducing DNA mutations which contribute to atherosclerosis, cancer, immunodeficiency, rheumatoid arthritis, and much more
- The “most powerful antioxidant” in the body according to Dr. Richard Passwater in his book NADH-The Energizing Coenzyme
- Lowers cholesterol
- Lowers blood pressure
- Strengthens the immune system
- Stimulates nitric oxide production, thereby improving blood flow in the body
Medical research has shown the following medical conditions to improve with NAD therapy:
- Chronic fatigue
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Alcohol and drug addiction
- Sleep disturbance
- Memory loss (forgetfulness)
- Attention deficit
- Diabetes
- Muscle pain and weakness
- Joint pain and stiffness
- Headaches
- Fevers, sore throats and swollen lymph glands
- Parkinson’s disease
- Cancer
Research has also shown that NAD can provide the following benefits in “healthy” people:
- Increased physical energy
- Improved mental performance
- Improved response to short term sleep deprivation
- Reduce the effects of jet lag
- Enhance libido
- Anti-aging
Since NAD is so fundamental to good health, how is it that we can become deficient in this powerful molecule? First of all, the vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, proteins and fats come from our diet and provide the building blocks to citric acid cycle energy production. If any one of the nutritional factors is low, energy production is weakened. Since oxygen is just as important as hydrogen in cellular energetics, lack of exercise and shallow breathing due to stress are common factors that can reduce the amount of oxygen at the cell level. And finally the enzymes that catalyze the citric acid cycle are often inhibited or destroyed by chemical or physical toxins that create oxidative, or free radical, damage. Free radical damage comes from cigarette smoke, drugs, radio waves from cell phones and wi-fi, and the myriad chemicals found in all humans at this time on earth, including phalates, parabens, pesticides, styrene, benzene, toluene, and thousands more. For example, medical scientists now widely believe that Alzheimer’s dementia and Parkinson’s disease share the common feature of nerve cell degeneration due to impairment of the ATP producing enzymes with the citric acid cycle and mitochondria.
Genetic NAD deficiency may be present at birth and appear in children as poor sleeping, behavioral problems, hyperactivity, impaired concentration, academic stress and underachievement. Some people have been tired and depressed for as long as they can remember. For these people there is a greater tendency to try drugs and alcohol in order to improve energy and mood, and simply feel better, but the risk for addiction is high.
Genetics and addiction
A word of caution is necessary as we discuss genetics and addiction, or, any other disease. Inherited variations in genes do not invariably lead to disease. Lifestyle and mind style factors often override, so to speak, a genetic tendency. Basically the DNA is the hardware in the computer and the epigenome is the software, which is influenced by our lifestyle and the choices we make in our lives. The epigenome responds to our thoughts, emotions, beliefs and overall stress levels, as well as our diet, exercise levels and other features of our daily lives. Basically, the genes put the bullet in the gun, but it is our lifestyle and mind style that pulls the trigger.
NAD deficiency: