Let’s go back to basics to review what happens in the body when neurochemical imbalances occur. The nervous system is the fundamental control center of the body, like the “computer” of the body. Its center is the brain, which continues with the spinal cord, and then nerves branch off from there to all parts and … Read more
Why do depression and anxiety symptoms occur more in some people than others? When faced with the same or similar stressors, why do some people cope well and get through the stressful times without a significant mood change while others fall into depression and/or anxiety? There are a few key reasons why this happens to … Read more
Since I focused on anxiety and stress-related symptoms the last couple blogs I will try to distinguish depression symptoms. The two often coexist, as those with mood disorders often have features of anxiety and depression, though most people complain more about anxiety. For example, ” I’m not really too depressed. I’m more stressed out”. Depression … Read more
A couple weeks ago, I began writing about Symptoms of Anxiety. Before we go further regarding the discussion of and treatment options for symptoms of anxiety, let me define what the word means. It refers to a constellation of symptoms that can result from adrenaline surges in the body that cause feelings of anxiety and … Read more
Anxiety symptoms are the most common complaint of patients in my practice, so I am going to cover this subject in my next several blogs. My practice focuses full time on treating depression, anxiety symptoms, bipolar disorder, ADD, OCD, eating disorders, addiction, etc, but the most common complaint is not “I’m depressed”, but rather “I’m … Read more
We live in a “quick-fix” society. We want what we want now, and don’t like to wait. The tendency for many is to want immediate gratification, not delayed gratification. This is very apparent to me because I diagnose and treat problems with mood and pain. The quick fix medications, or what I also refer to as the … Read more
Beware where you get medical advice! This is a frustrating issue that I deal with frequently. Most people get medical advice from those with no medical training. The most common sources of such advice is family and friends and the internet. I saw a guy who was sent by his psychologist to discuss medications. He … Read more
I am closing the summer blog series on addiction with an editorial that I sent to the Orange County Register. In response to the article “Tears for Dead Teens” 7/28/2011, I grieve for the families that have lost loved ones to the scourge of addiction. It became personal to my family and I when my brother-in-law … Read more
As I have said in previous blogs about addiction, it is a struggle at times to convince people who have a strong anti-medication mentality to reconsider their views and allow themselves to be educated about the truth on addiction and medication. Since our current drug war and attempts to curb illicit drug use is such … Read more
I would like to shift the attention for the last couple of blogs towards solutions of the addiction problem. I realize that this is repetitive, but it is extremely important to finding the ultimate solution. What is addiction? Addiction is a brain disease, plain and simple. The vast majority of addicts and those in recovery … Read more