Addictions
I watched a fascinating documentary by Louis Theroux the other night on the BBC about Fresno, California and the huge problem the town has with Crystal Meth addiction. The documentary blamed the town’s poverty for the addiction, but it got me thinking about what I have learnt about addiction from my studies as a nutritional therapist.
The fascinating thing is that some people are more likely to develop addictions because of a lack of chemicals in their brain – maybe what we call ‘an addictive personality’. Chemical messengers in the brain are called neurotranmitters. They bind to receptor sites on the end of the nerve cells and tell the cell what to do. There are ‘feel good’ neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and GABA, and neurotransmitters that help with motivation, such as adrenaline, noradrenaline and histamine.
There is evidence that some people have fewer receptor sites for Dopamine, meaning that there is nowhere for the neurotransmitter to ‘dock’ and give it’s message to the nervous system. Therefore people who suffer from this will try to self medicate by seeking substances or activities that promote dopamine. Cannabis, heroin and cocaine all promote dopamine.
Cocaine is a dopamine re-uptake inhibitor, meaning it prevents the reuptake and breakdown of dopamine. Normally, when dopamine is released into the synapse (the gap between nerve cells where the receptors are), once it has docked and sent it’s message it is recycled back into the body to be broken down or stored for later. Cocaine prevents the dopamine from being reabsorbed, so it is constantly present in the synapse, sending it’s message over and over again. This gives the user the high that they experience.
The problem with this is that the body, in its innate wisdom, is always striving for balance or ‘homeostasis’. If it senses too much of a neurotransmitter in the synapse, it will shut down some receptors in order to lessen the effect of the message. This gives the user the ‘comedown’ experienced after a heavy night. Long term use will eventually result in the body down-regulating it’s production of neurotransmitters, perhaps resulting in depression and greater dependency.
Addiction doesn’t just mean drugs, sugar and alcohol are also common addictions, and they both also stimulate the dopamine pathway.
A diet rich in essential fats (fats that cannot be made by the body, such as omega 3 and 6), protein, vitamins and minerals is essential for healthy brain chemistry.
Neurotransmitters are made from protein, and many vitamins and minerals are needed to convert them into their active form, (folic acid, Biotin, B6, zinc and vitamin C are needed just to convert Tryptophan, an amino acid, into serotonin).
Essential fatty acids make up the membrane of every cell and therefore cell receptors, and most (60%) of the solid mass of the brain. They are absolutely vital for brain structure and function. They are found in oily fish, nuts, seeds, avocados and healthy oils such as flaxseed oil.
