Why are some people more prone to addictions than others? Why do some crave the “hit of the high”, where others can enjoy a substance or an experience and leave it behind?
Most of us think of addiction pertaining to illicit or mind-altering drugs, but what about peoples’ addiction to alcohol, religion, sugar or even exercise?
In today’s podcast, we welcome Elizma Lambert, Naturopathic specialist in complex cases, to take us through the important factors to consider with addiction. From uncovering why our brain’s reward centre is being hijacked and our excitatory system being supercharged, to individualised patient support strategies. Listen to Elizma show us how to connect the dots so we,too, can better support our patients with addiction issues.
Covered in this episode:
[00:44] Welcoming back Elizma Lambert
[01:51] Is addiction in our genes?
[02:49] The DRD2 A1 gene
[04:16] Nature vs. Nurture?
[07:22] Genes: The roadmap of risks
[10:13] Addiction to exercise
[13:54] When are these patients presenting in practice?
[15:03] How can we measure or assess?
[19:27] The delicate balance of dopamine
[23:54] Addiction to stress
[27:29] Prescribing GABA
[32:31] Don’t just give a band-aid solution
[35:30] Figuring out the drivers of inflammation
[37:35] Medical co-management
[39:10] Where to access further resources
