August 31, 200711:46 am
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

FDG-PET imaging shows changes in brains of young adults who abuse alcohol

Changes in the brain that are normally seen in older patients with alcohol related dementia are now being identified in young adults that abuse alcohol. Neuropsychological tests have largely failed to reveal deficiencies in brain function in young adults who abuse alcohol. However, according to Josephine Wilson, Ph.D., and colleagues at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, brain images in young adults who abuse alcohol show diminished changes in the same areas as older patients with alcohol related dementia. The study consisted of 20 men, ten of which drank 25 or more alcoholic beverages a week, and ten, the control group, who did not drink. The men were all of the same age, did not use recreational drugs, and had no history of traumatic brain injury. The study administered FDG-PET imaging and a wide rage of neuropsychological tests.

Brain images observed several differences between the brains of the young adults who abused alcohol in the study and those that did not. Specifically, there were noticeable differences in the left cerebral hemisphere of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, in the right cerebral hemisphere of the primary visual cortex, and in the fusiform gyrus of the temporal lobe. The study, however, according to Dr. Wilson, found “… no statistically significant difference between drinkers and abstainers for any of the neuropsychological measures obtained.” The following is an excerpt of an article from Medpage Today that reviews the findings:

Changes in the brains of young alcohol abusers appear to occur even though neuropsychologoical tests fail to reveal deficiencies.

The same areas of the brain in these 21- to 25-year-old self-identified heavy drinkers that show diminished changes on imaging are the areas that are affected in older patients with pronounced neurological deficits, found Josephine Wilson, Ph.D., of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and colleagues.

“This is an early warning signal that these changes are taking place at an early age,” said Dr. Wilson, who presented her findings at the of the American Psychological Association meeting.
Suzan Streichenwein, M.D., a psychiatrist in West Palm Beach, Fla., commented that “it really is scary to see these same changes in the brain scans of these young men that we see in patients with alcohol-related dementia.”

Click here to read the entire article from Medpage Today

Click here for information about treatment options for alcohol addiction

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August 17, 200712:07 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Internet pornography addiction

Addiction to internet pornography is on the rise among christians. Yes. You heard me correctly, among “christians.” A recent poll conducted by ChristiaNet.com, a prominent Christian market place website, found that 50 percent of men and 20 percent of women that participated in the survey were addicted to internet pornography. The poll surveyed one thousand respondents. Obviously, this is not a study; however, self-reports from christians visiting the site speak volumes. The following is an excerpt of an article from The Christian Post that discusses the issue more in depth:

In a poll of 1,000 respondents, 50 percent of Christian men and 20 percent of Christian women were found to be addicted to pornography. Conducted by ChristaNet.com, a popular Christian marketplace website, the poll asked visitors about their personal sexual conduct.

“There have been dynamic paradigm shifts in the behavior of Christians over the last four years,” said Clay Jones, founder and president of Second Glance Ministries, which partnered with ChristiaNet.com to evaluate poll responses.

Many point to the Internet for the pervasive problem of sexual addiction.

“Technology (the Internet) has allowed pornography to flood the market place beyond a controllable level,” said Jones.

For the first time in history, the American culture has point-and-click pornography; porn stars have MySpace pages; and the Internet and reality TV have provided new platforms for young women to flaunt their sexuality, as reported by the Associated Press. In April, more than a third of the U.S. Internet audience visited sites that fit into the online “adult” category, according to comScore Media Metrix.

And according to Michael Simon, a therapist and high school counselor in the San Francisco Bay area, pornography or performative sexuality has “essentially become the standard of sexiness” rather than being one choice among many ways of being sexual, he told AP.

Yet a 2006 study reported by Morality in Media found that 73 percent of U.S. adults think that viewing pornographic websites and videos is morally unacceptable. Males ages 18 to 34 were more likely to say viewing pornographic material is morally acceptable (44 percent) than older males and females overall.

Click here to read the rest of the article

The interesting thing about this poll is that it is reflective of “christian” sexual behavior. This says something very specific about the problem of internet pornography; “internet pornography is a problem within the church and church leaders needs to be equipped with tools to combat this growing epidemic.” On August 30th 2007, Brookhaven Hospital will be summoning ministers from across the Tri-State area to address the issue of sexual addiction on the internet. Ministers, Chapels and other church professional are invited to join us as Kelli Erwin, LPC, LADC, of St. Pius X Counseling Center, identifies sexual compulsivity on the internet, courtship disorder, creation of effective boundaries, and resources for recovery. Click here for more information or to fill out our online RSVP, or call 1 888 298 HOPE (4673) to reserve your seating for this engaging free luncheon.

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August 10, 20073:52 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Conviction v. Condemnation

The culture of Christianity encompasses some wonderful ideas about faith, hope, love and other life entrenched subjects. However, at times and without proper balance, people can develop some unhealthy and unbiblical thoughts about themselves and the world that they live in. In instances were healthy conviction is replaced with self-condemnation you might just need a prescription for guilt. Diane Langberg, PhD, gives some good advice to believers regarding guilt about taking antidepressants and other hang-ups that may be of use to you or someone you know. The following is an excerpt of her article on Today’s Christian Woman entitled “Prescription for Guilt”:

“I take antidepressants for depression and anxiety. However, many of my Christian friends suggest I’m just “popping pills” to solve my problems. Why do believers make people feel guilty for taking medication for depression?”

Such reactions often are based on ignorance or misunderstanding. Many people don’t understand what clinical depression is or how utterly debilitating it can be. They mistakenly think it’s a case of “the blues,” and that if you just prayed more and pushed yourself more, you’d be fine.

But depression can be an unremitting darkness that affects both mind and body. It can occur without any apparent precipitant and involves intense emotional anguish as well as a rash of physiological symptoms: poor appetite, weight loss, sleep disturbances (frequent midnight and early morning awakenings), loss of energy, and/or an inability to concentrate.

People not only don’t understand what depression is, but they seem to assume that medication to treat something with an emotional component is wrong, except when a clear organic cause is discovered. But the mind/body connection is so complex that such black-and-white thinking leads to gross oversimplification.

Click here to read the entire article

Click here to read about guilt and depression

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3:50 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Conviction v. Condemnation

Conviction v. Condemnation

The culture of Christianity encompasses some wonderful ideas about faith, hope, love and other life entrenched subjects. However, at times and without proper balance, people can develop some unhealthy unbiblical thoughts about themselves and the world that they live in. In instances were healthy conviction is replaced with self-condemnation condemnation you might just need a prescription for guilt. Diane Langberg, PhD, gives some good advice to believers regarding guilt about taking antidepressants and other hang-ups that may be of use to you. The following is an excerpt of her article on Today’s Christian Woman entitled “Prescription for Guilt”:

I take antidepressants for depression and anxiety. However, many of my Christian friends suggest I’m just “popping pills” to solve my problems. Why do believers make people feel guilty for taking medication for depression?

Such reactions often are based on ignorance or misunderstanding. Many people don’t understand what clinical depression is or how utterly debilitating it can be. They mistakenly think it’s a case of “the blues,” and that if you just prayed more and pushed yourself more, you’d be fine.

But depression can be an unremitting darkness that affects both mind and body. It can occur without any apparent precipitant and involves intense emotional anguish as well as a rash of physiological symptoms: poor appetite, weight loss, sleep disturbances (frequent midnight and early morning awakenings), loss of energy, and/or an inability to concentrate.

People not only don’t understand what depression is, but they seem to assume that medication to treat something with an emotional component is wrong, except when a clear organic cause is discovered. But the mind/body connection is so complex that such black-and-white thinking leads to gross oversimplification.

Click here to read the entire article:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2004/sepoct/18.10.html

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August 2, 20074:36 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Is obesity contagious?

A recent study in the July 26th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found a surprising link between obesity and relationships. The study revealed that the spread of obesity is often person-to-person in nature. A friend, sibling, or spouse, for example, of an obese person, all have an extremely increased chance of becoming obese themselves. The study focused on a group of 12,067 people with a body mass index of 30 or higher that were all a part of the Framingham Heart Study from 1971 to 2003. The specifics are as follows:

• Among Spouses, if one was obese, the other had a 37% increase in the chance of becoming obese.
• Among siblings, if one was obese, the other had a 40% increase in the chance of becoming obese.
• Lastly, and most shocking, among friends, if one was obese, the other had a 57% increase in the chance of becoming obese.

The study also found gender to be an important variable. Person-to-person connections among the same sex reported a much higher instance of shared obesity. Researchers theorize that the reason for shared obesity among person-to-person relationships is that those who are close to us, especially of the same sex, help us to determine what an appropriate body size is. The following is an excerpt of an article from Medpage today that further discusses the study:

Obesity tends to spread throughout a person’s social and family ties, even as far as a friend’s friend’s friend, researchers found.

When individuals become obese, it dramatically increases the chance that their friends, siblings, and spouse will also gain weight, Nicholas A. Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., of Harvard, and James H. Fowler, Ph.D., of the University of California San Diego, reported in the July 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Surprisingly, the researchers found, the greatest effect was not among those sharing the same genes or the same household, but among friends, even those living apart.

What appears to be happening, the investigators said, is that obese persons change what they see as appropriate body size, and they come to think it is acceptable to be bigger, inasmuch as those among them are bigger, and this sensibility spreads. Other mechanisms might include food consumption, but the data did not permit a detailed examination of this factor, they said.

Click here to read the rest of the article

Click here to visit Brookhaven’s facts page about compulsive overeating

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