COURAGE TO CHANGE RANCHES

Neurotransmitter Rebalancing

The Science

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

The human brain contains over 100 billion cells, called neurons, that can become dysfunctional at the genetic level, and may induce addictive behaviors.

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

Scientific research has shown that addiction, withdrawal and recovery are all related to brain chemicals such as the opioid peptides and to stress regulating hormones in the body.

Specific receptors are genetically encoded and made from long chains of amino acids. Our knowledge of these receptors has enabled us to address specific neurological damages as well the oxidative damage which occurs in addiction.

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

The Problem

The body of the alcoholic is quite as abnormal as his mind.

-- "Big Book" of Alcoholics Anonymous, 1936

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 of Drug Abuse, 2006

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 which 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 part of the whole. And the Solution requires a systems approach.

The Solution

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

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 Ranch, patients are first laboratory-tested neurotransmissions to determine the neurological baseline, compared to an ideal neurotransmitter balance. 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.

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