C2C Ranches - Neurotransmitter Rebalancing

COURAGE TO CHANGE
Addiction Recovery Ranch

Integrating Holistic Modalities in Addiction Recovery
Intensive Residential Gender Specific Care

Financing Available
719-541-4912

Photo Courtesy of the National Institute on Drug Abuse

Drug addiction is a disease of the brain that affects the circuits involved
in processing punishment and reward....

-- Nora D. Volkow, M.D.
National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2006

Neurotransmitter Rebalancing

The Science

The human brain contains over 100 billion cells, called neurons or a nerve cell that is the basic unit of nerve tissue found in the brain and throughout the body. These cells may become dysfunctional at the genetic level, which may induce addictive behaviors. There are other factors that may also cause neuron damage which is associated with Parkinson's disease, bipolar disorder and depression.

Abuse of alcohol and drugs, in turn, causes severe damage to the brain - damage which can now be "seen" by virtue of photo-imaging.

Photo Courtesy of the National Institute on Drug Abuse

Scientific research has shown that addiction, withdrawal and recovery are all related to brain chemicals such as the opioid peptides - sequences of amino acid mimicking the effect of opiates (narcotics) in the brain. Stress regulating hormones may also be affected and over time affect memory and can present a predisposition to other pathological diseases and weight gain.

Specific receptors are genetically encoded and made from long chains of amino
acids. Knowledge of these receptors has provided the groundwork to address specific neurological damages as well the oxidative damage (lack of oxygen to the cells) that occurs in addiction.

At Courage to Change Addiction Recovery Ranch, healing begins with targeted oral nutriceuticals. This physio-neurological genetic repair process utilizes specific peptides, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and nutrients that are designed to rebuild and rejuvenate brain cells.

The body of the alcoholic is quite as abnormal as his mind.
-- "Big Book" of Alcoholics Anonymous, 1936

The Problem

Over the last two decades, our understanding of alcoholism and addiction has expanded exponentially. Research in the fields of Neurology and Genetics - and the emergence of Brain Imaging, which can capture the actual workings of the brain - have all converged to give us a new understanding of human thought and behavior. Its implications for Recovery from addiction are profound.

We now know, scientifically and graphically, that the brains of alcoholics and addicts are physiologically different - that they work differently - from "normal" brains.

In neuroscientific terms, we have discovered that pleasure, or the feeling of well-being, is a distinct neurological function linked to a complex reward and reinforcement system. And this function depends on natural brain chemicals that transmit "thought" along pathways in the brain formed by amino acids...which, normally, are produced physiologically in the body.

Neurotransmitter Imbalance (NTI) is caused by deficiencies in the amino acids critical to neurotransmission. The resulting "imbalance" presents as a form of sensory deprivation of the brain's pleasure mechanisms. It can be realized in impulsive, compulsive, or abusive behaviors that follow as a consequence of an individual's inability to derive reward from ordinary, everyday activities.

The problem is not "psychological" versus "physiological." They are both a part of the whole. And the solution requires a systems approach.

Healing is a matter of time,
but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.
- Hippocrates

The seven neurotransmitters most critical to addiction are listed below:

Epinephrine also known as adrenaline, is an excitatory neurotransmitter & hormone that regulates attentiveness and mental focus, and is responsible for the flight or fight response. Elevated levels of epinephrine can lead to restlessness, anxiety, sleep disorders, or acute stress.

Norepinephrine acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter and modulates neuron voltage potentials to favor glutamate activity and neurotransmitter firing.

Dopamine is both an excitatory and an inhibitory neurotransmitter and plays a large role in the pleasure/reward pathways (addiction & thrills), memory and motor control.

Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter and controls mood, compulsions, anxiousness, and headaches.

GABA is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter. The primary function is to prevent over-stimulation.

PEA - Phenylalanine is an excitatory neurotransmitter that promotes energy and elevated mood.

Glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter necessary for brain function, memory, and learning.

When the levels of these neurotransmitters are out of balance addictive cravings remain high and sustainable recovery impossible. When become balanced, cravings decrease and traditional behavioral therapies are much more effective.

The Solution

When expanding research in the field of nutrition joined with developing Neuroscience (about 15 years ago), we learned how to treat addictions - safely, naturally, and surely.

At Courage to Change Addiction Recovery Program, clients are requested to submit a urinary laboratory neurotransmitter test to determine imbalances. Following the establishment of this baseline, they begin a regimen of targeted oral supplements - peptides, amino acids, vitamins and minerals - specifically designed to rebuild brain cells and repair neurotransmitters.

The supplements we use were developed by the most credible research in the area of Neuroscience, and are known as "nutriceuticals." Unlike "pharmaceuticals" (such as SSRIs), which are unnatural and potentially dangerous, these are compounded from whole-food sources. They are natural, rather than chemical.

At strategic intervals, patients repeat the laboratory tests, in order to monitor their nutritional regimen. Improvement in the brain neurotransmissions can be scientifically measured within a few weeks.

But long before that, we usually see dramatic improvement in the person - in health, in heart, in spirit.

Disease does not occur unexpectedly.
It is the result of constant violation of Nature's laws.
- Hippocrates

For more information on the nervous system, neurotransmitter testing, and targeted amino therapy,
visit the NeuroScience Inc. webpage "The Neurotransmitter Link." Click here.

The Problem

For more information on the nervous system, neurotransmitter testing, and targeted amino therapy, visit the NeuroScience Inc. webpage "The Neurotransmitter Link." Click here.

For more information on the nervous system, neurotransmitter testing, and targeted amino therapy,
visit the NeuroScience Inc. webpage "The Neurotransmitter Link." Click here.