Breast Cancer Prevention is not getting a mammogram. It is not getting your genes tested. I am disappointed to see such things being touted as prevention on the major cancer society websites. A few years ago Dr. Tierona Low Dog was speaking at a conference I was at and she said a very profound thing... "We'll never win the war on cancer until we agriculture and manufacturing at the table". This blew me away. Was she suggesting that how we live our lives, the things we make, the very things we eat may contribute to causing cancer? It was the first time I heard it being openly spoken at a medical conference. http://www.drlowdog.com/
Of course it does not take a PhD or MD to understand that our lifestyle is causing this. I think most of us intuitively know this. However, for those of us with advanced degrees, we must see proof. That proof is here, to the tune of billions of dollars of research dollars. Yet, the word is not getting out. Doctors are not talking with patients (who has the time in a 15 min appointment) about these factors. In many cases the medical system is complicit. For most of my oncology patients, I am the only doctor to ask them why they think they got cancer.
I have decided to spend my time here in Sonoma county looking at the risk factors that have led Marin and Sonoma county to having the highest breast cancer rates in the world. http://www.zerobreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-in-marin I think that the reasons may be due to the affluent lifestyle we enjoy here. I intend to spend time speaking to patients and professionals about the factors and use real world solutions to mitigate these environmental factors.
To get breast cancer 3 basic things have to happen: 1.You have to mutate key genes in the DNA that lead to uncontrolled cell growth. You have to have DNA repair mechanisms impaired. 2. You have to have growth promoters (hormones and xenoestrogens) so those cells can grow. 3.You have to have the immune system not function in killing these cells. To resolve these issues we will have to take a look at the causes of 1,2, and 3 and have a real conversation about how those chemicals, radiation, hormones, and xenoestrogens got into our bodies.
Breast Cancer Prevention is addressing the actual factors that cause breast cancer. It is actually addressing the environmental degradation that has led to the ever increasing toxic molecules in the air, water, and earth. It is addressing the economic and political factors that allow such things to occur. It is conducting research as to how xenoestrogenic compounds get into our bodies and how to get them out. Please come to one of my talks on Breast Cancer Prevention or schedule one for more information. See also Events and Resources on my website www.drchrisholder.com
More to come... Who is with me?
Showing posts with label Sexuality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sexuality. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Leaning out...
Ironically I am writing this from an RV with my 4 year old daughter Penelope crawling all over me making otter noises... Yes after years of schooling, 2 advanced degrees, and a six figure income; I am starting over. I left a thriving practice in Seattle to come to California and find myself. Stupid maybe, entertaining yes. In the process of re-envisioning my life, I am running into trouble. Financial trouble, parenting trouble, career management trouble... I started out my career so promising, despite many challenges I somehow managed to land on my feet, grow a practice all the while co-parenting my daughter 50% of the time since she was 9 months old and resisting the temptation to put on a video for hours on end so I can work. I cook her organic fresh meals full of vegetables that she does not like. She tells me this daily.
In the end I have a bittersweet taste in my mouth. I am 33, unmarried, un-housed, and in a ridiculous amount of debt from all that schooling that was supposed to deliver me from that life of poverty I was accustomed to. In a way it has, have a higher standard of living than I grew up with. But alas there is not enough time, I need another 10 years to become a good provider. Yet time is not on my side in terms of having a family. My sperm are aging as I am dismayed to note, as more and more papers assert that male fertility like female fertility begins to drop off at 35. Many papers are linking autism spectrum disorders to aging fathers. Putting to end the myth and notion that males can indefinitely have healthy children. My own father is on the spectrum making it likely that I carry some of those genes. I always dreamed of having a happy family. Unfortunately, I spent the better part of my peak fertility chasing women that had no intention of partnering themselves to me. I feel a constant pressure to "do it all", have the family, career, house, car, all the things that make for a normal life in America. In the end, I have lost myself. I spend lots of time taking care of others, my child, and very little time on myself. I have a growing rage inside at having worked so hard only to see my career dwindle as I put in time and energy raising my child. Knowing that inside, if I don't exihibt sucess, then I won't be a good producer, and if I am not a good producer, then I will not be fit for a long term relationship. I have no trouble attracting women, they just don't stay when I can't keep up the pace of "doing it all". I am finding it very hard to advance my career while being a good parent. Let alone have time to have a relationship. Consequently, women come and go in my life as they should when I can no longer do the things that attracted them to me in the first place.
Every day I swallow my anger and resist my urge to scream "This is not my life!!" at the top of my lungs. I hate being a single parent, it boils my insides every day. It was the last thing I wanted in life after growing up in a single parent immigrant home. I love my career and wish I could spend more time at it. At first I blamed and aimed my anger and vitriol toward Penelope's mother, later I turned a corner and began blaming myself. For A Long Time. As I move and start my life over in a new place I have come to realize that what is happening is beyond myself and the choices I have made. The world is and has been changing, rapidly. Faster than this guy or guys in general can adapt to the demands of the world we find ourselves in. Consequently, both men and women are unhappy and unhappily ever after. And no one is writing a men's book about it. I have tried to find it. Maybe there should not be a "men's" book, but some guidelines and leadership to allow both sexes to work together.
The world is changing, women are "leaning in" to borrow Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook phrase from her book "Lean in" http://leanin.org/. I am in a profession that is predominantly women. (Naturopathic medicine... Medicine in general is also looking to be predominantly female as there are less and less males going into it as a profession). As I look back at the second paragraph of this blog I am struck by the notion that what I am experiencing is what women have been experiencing for a long time. The tension of having to figure out how to juggle family life with career aspirations. All the while feeling like we are doing both poorly. (Right now I have a pink teddy bear and a mermaid laying across my arms as I type). I wonder what will happen to all the men that lean out so women can lean in...
Since there were no books I could find to guide me in this brave new world, I have picked up "Lean In" to see what if any advice there is to men. I am lost. My initiatory experiences as a male have not prepared me for this world. I was programmed with antiquated notions of what my role is. I am programmed to be a provider. I am not the only male in this place. I am just the only one brave enough or stupid enough to write about it on a public forum. As the battle of the sexes rages on, I wonder when we can stop battling and move into true partnership. I am seeking partnership not just romantically, but as a society, so that all may lead fulfilling lives. I am now retiring this to go make a fort with my daughter. Stay tuned.
In the end I have a bittersweet taste in my mouth. I am 33, unmarried, un-housed, and in a ridiculous amount of debt from all that schooling that was supposed to deliver me from that life of poverty I was accustomed to. In a way it has, have a higher standard of living than I grew up with. But alas there is not enough time, I need another 10 years to become a good provider. Yet time is not on my side in terms of having a family. My sperm are aging as I am dismayed to note, as more and more papers assert that male fertility like female fertility begins to drop off at 35. Many papers are linking autism spectrum disorders to aging fathers. Putting to end the myth and notion that males can indefinitely have healthy children. My own father is on the spectrum making it likely that I carry some of those genes. I always dreamed of having a happy family. Unfortunately, I spent the better part of my peak fertility chasing women that had no intention of partnering themselves to me. I feel a constant pressure to "do it all", have the family, career, house, car, all the things that make for a normal life in America. In the end, I have lost myself. I spend lots of time taking care of others, my child, and very little time on myself. I have a growing rage inside at having worked so hard only to see my career dwindle as I put in time and energy raising my child. Knowing that inside, if I don't exihibt sucess, then I won't be a good producer, and if I am not a good producer, then I will not be fit for a long term relationship. I have no trouble attracting women, they just don't stay when I can't keep up the pace of "doing it all". I am finding it very hard to advance my career while being a good parent. Let alone have time to have a relationship. Consequently, women come and go in my life as they should when I can no longer do the things that attracted them to me in the first place.
Every day I swallow my anger and resist my urge to scream "This is not my life!!" at the top of my lungs. I hate being a single parent, it boils my insides every day. It was the last thing I wanted in life after growing up in a single parent immigrant home. I love my career and wish I could spend more time at it. At first I blamed and aimed my anger and vitriol toward Penelope's mother, later I turned a corner and began blaming myself. For A Long Time. As I move and start my life over in a new place I have come to realize that what is happening is beyond myself and the choices I have made. The world is and has been changing, rapidly. Faster than this guy or guys in general can adapt to the demands of the world we find ourselves in. Consequently, both men and women are unhappy and unhappily ever after. And no one is writing a men's book about it. I have tried to find it. Maybe there should not be a "men's" book, but some guidelines and leadership to allow both sexes to work together.
The world is changing, women are "leaning in" to borrow Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook phrase from her book "Lean in" http://leanin.org/. I am in a profession that is predominantly women. (Naturopathic medicine... Medicine in general is also looking to be predominantly female as there are less and less males going into it as a profession). As I look back at the second paragraph of this blog I am struck by the notion that what I am experiencing is what women have been experiencing for a long time. The tension of having to figure out how to juggle family life with career aspirations. All the while feeling like we are doing both poorly. (Right now I have a pink teddy bear and a mermaid laying across my arms as I type). I wonder what will happen to all the men that lean out so women can lean in...
Since there were no books I could find to guide me in this brave new world, I have picked up "Lean In" to see what if any advice there is to men. I am lost. My initiatory experiences as a male have not prepared me for this world. I was programmed with antiquated notions of what my role is. I am programmed to be a provider. I am not the only male in this place. I am just the only one brave enough or stupid enough to write about it on a public forum. As the battle of the sexes rages on, I wonder when we can stop battling and move into true partnership. I am seeking partnership not just romantically, but as a society, so that all may lead fulfilling lives. I am now retiring this to go make a fort with my daughter. Stay tuned.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Happy International Women's day Some thoughts on making the world a better place for women
Happy International Women's Day! While not well celebrated in the U.S. it is a national holiday in many countries. http://www.internationalwomensday.com/about.asp
Women have been making many changes in their lives over the past 100 years (ok, probably since the dawn of time) that have helped shape society as we know it today. In celebrating this today, I would like to propose that we move to a more gender positive culture. For both men and women there are many negative stereotypes and teachings that are holding us back from having a bliss filled coexistence together.
I once asked an indigenous healer why men and women have such a hard time getting along. He laughed and said "they have different purposes... Women's purpose is to bring life into the world, and men's purpose it to bring death in the world. Both are needed to prosper, as part of the death-life-death cycle, but both are fundamentally at odds with one another." Profound! Talk about "killing me softly with his song"...
It got me thinking... Men are blamed for everything that is going wrong in the world today. Maybe justifiably so. However, for every man out their raping and pillaging mother earth for material wealth, there is a woman (or women) backing him and enjoying the exploits. I sometimes wonder if so much of this behavior occurs because at some level it does get the girls.
Maybe if women stopped having sex with the men pillaging the place, then maybe that model of success would die out. (This of course is how women got the right to vote... stopped having sex with the men till they got it!) After all 95% of male actions are directly or indirectly related to making sure they have some place in the sexing order... JK but you get the point. The messages I received as a young man was that it was more important to get money and material things to insure my mating success than it was to do it in a way that did not destroy the planet we live on. Consequently, we have people destroying the place to support their families, because that is the model of success we have been shown.
Speaking of raping and pillaging... The rape and assault of women must stop. On Friday March 2 Democracy Now had a good interview with Eve Ensler, author of "The Vagina Monologues". http://www.democracynow.org/2012/3/2/one_billion_rising_v_days_eve
In it she is calling for a day of action Feb 14, 2013 of a billion women world wide walking out of jobs, schools, ect in solidarity with women who have been raped or sexually assaulted. I hope all 7 billion of us shows up, because it affects us all. As a physician, I am continually shocked at the sheer number of women that answer positively to this question on our intake form. Our brief work in Haiti after the earthquake was probably over 90% of our female patients were sexually assaulted. I fully agree with Eve Ensler's notion that the rape of the planet and the rape of women is one issue.
This of course gets me thinking...What has to happen to men to get them to rape? I think it is more complex than they want power... I think something has to happen to them (and of course their dopamine pathways) to make this. What has to happen so they don't see the joy and beauty in the feminine form and energy? The nature vs nurture debate, I think that society makes rapist, that it is not inherent in our genetics or in maleness. Initially I wanted to blame the media and pornography, but rape has been happening well before these came around, and it is unknown what effect this has had on rape rates as it is hard to get good statistics as it is a very under reported crime. (Most of my patients raped or assaulted did not report it)
Check out Tony Porter's TED talk on "the man box" and his programs as one idea how how men may be socialized into assaulting women. http://www.ted.com/talks/tony_porter_a_call_to_men.html
As someone with a young daughter, we need to change this type of socialization immediately. Not just for Penelope's sake but for the sake of all women and men.
I guess a solution for me would be this: just like we have classes and programs teaching women how to avoid, prevent, and stop rape, we should also drop some money into researching why men rape and under what circumstances and also have classes for men and treatment well before they get to a point of acting out. I have some research work to do... Stay tuned. Please support Eve Ensler's programs as well as Tony Porter if these issues affect you in some way. Unfortunately, it effects us all. For more links on the topic of International Women's day (as well as other issues of individual and social change, see our facebook page "Upstartist" http://www.facebook.com/pages/Upstartist/198739706861199
Women have been making many changes in their lives over the past 100 years (ok, probably since the dawn of time) that have helped shape society as we know it today. In celebrating this today, I would like to propose that we move to a more gender positive culture. For both men and women there are many negative stereotypes and teachings that are holding us back from having a bliss filled coexistence together.
I once asked an indigenous healer why men and women have such a hard time getting along. He laughed and said "they have different purposes... Women's purpose is to bring life into the world, and men's purpose it to bring death in the world. Both are needed to prosper, as part of the death-life-death cycle, but both are fundamentally at odds with one another." Profound! Talk about "killing me softly with his song"...
It got me thinking... Men are blamed for everything that is going wrong in the world today. Maybe justifiably so. However, for every man out their raping and pillaging mother earth for material wealth, there is a woman (or women) backing him and enjoying the exploits. I sometimes wonder if so much of this behavior occurs because at some level it does get the girls.
Maybe if women stopped having sex with the men pillaging the place, then maybe that model of success would die out. (This of course is how women got the right to vote... stopped having sex with the men till they got it!) After all 95% of male actions are directly or indirectly related to making sure they have some place in the sexing order... JK but you get the point. The messages I received as a young man was that it was more important to get money and material things to insure my mating success than it was to do it in a way that did not destroy the planet we live on. Consequently, we have people destroying the place to support their families, because that is the model of success we have been shown.
Speaking of raping and pillaging... The rape and assault of women must stop. On Friday March 2 Democracy Now had a good interview with Eve Ensler, author of "The Vagina Monologues". http://www.democracynow.org/2012/3/2/one_billion_rising_v_days_eve
In it she is calling for a day of action Feb 14, 2013 of a billion women world wide walking out of jobs, schools, ect in solidarity with women who have been raped or sexually assaulted. I hope all 7 billion of us shows up, because it affects us all. As a physician, I am continually shocked at the sheer number of women that answer positively to this question on our intake form. Our brief work in Haiti after the earthquake was probably over 90% of our female patients were sexually assaulted. I fully agree with Eve Ensler's notion that the rape of the planet and the rape of women is one issue.
This of course gets me thinking...What has to happen to men to get them to rape? I think it is more complex than they want power... I think something has to happen to them (and of course their dopamine pathways) to make this. What has to happen so they don't see the joy and beauty in the feminine form and energy? The nature vs nurture debate, I think that society makes rapist, that it is not inherent in our genetics or in maleness. Initially I wanted to blame the media and pornography, but rape has been happening well before these came around, and it is unknown what effect this has had on rape rates as it is hard to get good statistics as it is a very under reported crime. (Most of my patients raped or assaulted did not report it)
Check out Tony Porter's TED talk on "the man box" and his programs as one idea how how men may be socialized into assaulting women. http://www.ted.com/talks/tony_porter_a_call_to_men.html
As someone with a young daughter, we need to change this type of socialization immediately. Not just for Penelope's sake but for the sake of all women and men.
I guess a solution for me would be this: just like we have classes and programs teaching women how to avoid, prevent, and stop rape, we should also drop some money into researching why men rape and under what circumstances and also have classes for men and treatment well before they get to a point of acting out. I have some research work to do... Stay tuned. Please support Eve Ensler's programs as well as Tony Porter if these issues affect you in some way. Unfortunately, it effects us all. For more links on the topic of International Women's day (as well as other issues of individual and social change, see our facebook page "Upstartist" http://www.facebook.com/pages/Upstartist/198739706861199
Sunday, March 4, 2012
The Case Against Orgasm?!! What?!!
Yes, even orgasm is not without peril! So as it is turning out the notion that orgasm is safe and healthy may be a little less black and white and more in a grey area. (like so much of sexuality!) I am reading the book "Cupid's Poisoned Arrow" by Marnia Robinson. It is convincing me that everything we are being told about sexuality is much different than reality. Much of the argument is steeped in neurobiology that goes a little something like this:
Guy likes girl, girl likes guy. Guy gets surge in dopamine and testosterone due to prospect of mating with novel mate. Girl gets surge in dopamine and estrogen at guy's pursuit of her. The bigger the pursuit, the bigger the dopamine build. Tension heightens, they have vigorous sex with orgasms and ejaculation. Guy's prolactin surges and he falls blissfully asleep. Girl's testosterone surges, she would like more. She cajoles him into more, he obliges. Both experience drastic falls in dopamine 12 to 36 hours post sex. Both become cranky, anxious, jittery.... basically they are going through withdrawal like any other addiction. He becomes an insensitive asshole, she becomes a nagging bitch... Two weeks later dopamine receptors recover, they exhibit loving behaviors and do it all over again. Sound familiar?
Unfortunately, real life is not as simple as this short synopsis of the book. It is well referenced and makes a great case as to all the reasons our brains get hijacked when we begin having sex with someone. Hence all the talking about it with girlfriends and siblings ala Sex in the City. We need someone with their rational brain still functioning to give us feed back! (yet we frequently ignore them until we hit rock bottom!) According to one fMRI based study the male brain ejaculating looks no different than a heroin addict getting a hit. (apparently the study subjects had to hold their head very still and not move while their partner serviced them inside the MRI machine! Lots of practice before attempting the imaging!)
Fortunately, the authors have some recommendations to avoid the roller coaster's dramatic ups and downs. The technique they recommend is called Karreza (What?). It is basically a sexual technique that involves slow lovemaking, caresses, cuddling, and avoidance of orgasm by both sexes. This prevents the massive release of dopamine that eventually drives couples apart and in search of other mates. In other words by not seeking satiation it is easier to stay together and avoid our neurobiological programing to spread our genes far and wide.
This concept is not really new and interspersed in the book are vignettes from other traditions such as taoism and tantra which also advocate for avoidance of orgasm except for when conception is desired. Many comment that they feel even greater satisfaction with their relationships as it promotes bonding behaviors that stimulate oxytocin release rather than dopaminergic highs.
Pretty interesting huh? Here is a link to the website http://www.reuniting.info/first_visit for those interested. The book so far is excellent, stay tuned for more insights. I am learning alot!
Guy likes girl, girl likes guy. Guy gets surge in dopamine and testosterone due to prospect of mating with novel mate. Girl gets surge in dopamine and estrogen at guy's pursuit of her. The bigger the pursuit, the bigger the dopamine build. Tension heightens, they have vigorous sex with orgasms and ejaculation. Guy's prolactin surges and he falls blissfully asleep. Girl's testosterone surges, she would like more. She cajoles him into more, he obliges. Both experience drastic falls in dopamine 12 to 36 hours post sex. Both become cranky, anxious, jittery.... basically they are going through withdrawal like any other addiction. He becomes an insensitive asshole, she becomes a nagging bitch... Two weeks later dopamine receptors recover, they exhibit loving behaviors and do it all over again. Sound familiar?
Unfortunately, real life is not as simple as this short synopsis of the book. It is well referenced and makes a great case as to all the reasons our brains get hijacked when we begin having sex with someone. Hence all the talking about it with girlfriends and siblings ala Sex in the City. We need someone with their rational brain still functioning to give us feed back! (yet we frequently ignore them until we hit rock bottom!) According to one fMRI based study the male brain ejaculating looks no different than a heroin addict getting a hit. (apparently the study subjects had to hold their head very still and not move while their partner serviced them inside the MRI machine! Lots of practice before attempting the imaging!)
Fortunately, the authors have some recommendations to avoid the roller coaster's dramatic ups and downs. The technique they recommend is called Karreza (What?). It is basically a sexual technique that involves slow lovemaking, caresses, cuddling, and avoidance of orgasm by both sexes. This prevents the massive release of dopamine that eventually drives couples apart and in search of other mates. In other words by not seeking satiation it is easier to stay together and avoid our neurobiological programing to spread our genes far and wide.
This concept is not really new and interspersed in the book are vignettes from other traditions such as taoism and tantra which also advocate for avoidance of orgasm except for when conception is desired. Many comment that they feel even greater satisfaction with their relationships as it promotes bonding behaviors that stimulate oxytocin release rather than dopaminergic highs.
Pretty interesting huh? Here is a link to the website http://www.reuniting.info/first_visit for those interested. The book so far is excellent, stay tuned for more insights. I am learning alot!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Love on the Brain or the Brain in Love
Happy Valentines day special. Those of us in partnerships are likely out at some overcrowded restaurant right now getting lousy service. Some of you are getting DOWN. The rest of us are wishing we were getting down. Me, I am writing this blog and researching the neuroscience of love.
Anthropologist Helen Fisher placed people in love in a functional MRI and found the same pattern as when one is having a rush from cocaine. She claims that three brain systems are working with respect to love. We are designed to look for variety (hence the overwhelming popularity of porn (see prior post)), but that romantic love serves the purpose of "focusing our mating energy on just one individual at a time". Attachment serves the purpose of "allowing us to tolerate that person long enough to raise a child as a team". I would summarize this in 3 words eye candy, obsession, and submission. Ok, that was 4 words. Just kidding... the three concepts are lust, romantic love and attachment.
http://www.ted.com/talks/helen_fisher_tells_us_why_we_love_cheat.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/helen_fisher_studies_the_brain_in_love.html
I was glad to hear her dispel the myth that men cheat more than women... "who do you think they are cheating with... do the math!" The divorce rate in America is actually declining according to Fisher, however, it may be due to younger couples are less likely to get married and when they do they are older and more mature in their choices. She thinks this is an opportune time to make good marriage. Best case is when you lust, have romantic love, and attachment to the same person.
She then ends with a commentary on antidepressants. Pervasive in our society, and used long term. If you raise serotonin you suppress dopamine. This kills romantic love, orgasm, and the ability to form stable attachments as they are all mediated by the dopaminergic systems. I definitely agree with her on this point based on my observations with my patients. I treat many mood/mind disorders in my clinic and have found this to be true. They feel Ok, but they don't feel that deep urge to merge with another.
Love hurts, a good song and a common song theme. Love and pain pathways go together. When we fall out of love dopamine levels plummet and you go through withdrawal. Just being dumped, you end up loving them harder according to these functional MRI studies, you crave them even more! You may even take more risks to get their love at this point. Try something novel and risky to get them. At least you will get some dopamine from this. Sound familiar? Love is something we need and it can become an addiction. Fisher thinks that love is the most addictive substance on earth. I agree with her and can cite personal experience! I will decline to tell the stories here, but those of you who know me well have experienced the over the top creativity elicited from my dopamine highs! Never a boring moment with me around...
All these insights may point to why abused women may stay with their abuser, they may be addicted to them. I have not found a study on this yet, but would love to test this hypothesis. Unfortunately the most current example in my mind is the late Whitney Houston. Why would such a talented, wealthy, and successful woman stay with Bobby Brown? Love, and likely dopamine. I cried today after listening to her song "I will always love you". It was not the words, it was the energy, that song shifts energy. Or maybe it completely captured my emotional state. Transcendent. Criticise her all you want, that album went 4X platinum, she touched more people than any of her critics. Released my stagnant emotions better than any acupuncture treatment. That is the power of music. I would love to watch my brain on music. Music is medicine, and likely could be an addiction... ever play a song over and over... just like rats pressing the lever for cocaine... "and IIIIII willllll allllllways love yyooooooooooouuuuuu" I get a dopamine hit off that one! I am also suspecting that all these singers get dopamine dis regulation from channeling those songs from the collective unconscious. They get hooked on all kinds of stuff trying to re-balence their brain chemistry. Check out Steven Tyler's (how is he still alive? Angels according to him) biography for an inner look at dopamine gone wild. All that coke, women, amphetamines, you name it... The biggest high for him? Writing songs and singing them in front of thousands of people. Makes me wonder about the dopamine plummet as they loose the spotlight. And all the pharmaceutical crap they are put on to treat it.
For those reading these blogs, clearly I am obsessed with dopamine right now. The reason is simple. Patients coming in with dopaminergic problems are hard to treat and I see alot of them. There is no reductionist way to treat this, no magic pill to shift this balance. Educating patients is costly due to time involved. I wonder how the dopaminergic system evolved and why is it so hard to treat? I suspect it is because this little neurotransmitter may be the link between the mind and spirit. When we don't treat it well the results can be, well, heartbreaking. RIP Whitney. Comments and treatment ideas are much appreciated.
Anthropologist Helen Fisher placed people in love in a functional MRI and found the same pattern as when one is having a rush from cocaine. She claims that three brain systems are working with respect to love. We are designed to look for variety (hence the overwhelming popularity of porn (see prior post)), but that romantic love serves the purpose of "focusing our mating energy on just one individual at a time". Attachment serves the purpose of "allowing us to tolerate that person long enough to raise a child as a team". I would summarize this in 3 words eye candy, obsession, and submission. Ok, that was 4 words. Just kidding... the three concepts are lust, romantic love and attachment.
http://www.ted.com/talks/helen_fisher_tells_us_why_we_love_cheat.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/helen_fisher_studies_the_brain_in_love.html
I was glad to hear her dispel the myth that men cheat more than women... "who do you think they are cheating with... do the math!" The divorce rate in America is actually declining according to Fisher, however, it may be due to younger couples are less likely to get married and when they do they are older and more mature in their choices. She thinks this is an opportune time to make good marriage. Best case is when you lust, have romantic love, and attachment to the same person.
She then ends with a commentary on antidepressants. Pervasive in our society, and used long term. If you raise serotonin you suppress dopamine. This kills romantic love, orgasm, and the ability to form stable attachments as they are all mediated by the dopaminergic systems. I definitely agree with her on this point based on my observations with my patients. I treat many mood/mind disorders in my clinic and have found this to be true. They feel Ok, but they don't feel that deep urge to merge with another.
Love hurts, a good song and a common song theme. Love and pain pathways go together. When we fall out of love dopamine levels plummet and you go through withdrawal. Just being dumped, you end up loving them harder according to these functional MRI studies, you crave them even more! You may even take more risks to get their love at this point. Try something novel and risky to get them. At least you will get some dopamine from this. Sound familiar? Love is something we need and it can become an addiction. Fisher thinks that love is the most addictive substance on earth. I agree with her and can cite personal experience! I will decline to tell the stories here, but those of you who know me well have experienced the over the top creativity elicited from my dopamine highs! Never a boring moment with me around...
All these insights may point to why abused women may stay with their abuser, they may be addicted to them. I have not found a study on this yet, but would love to test this hypothesis. Unfortunately the most current example in my mind is the late Whitney Houston. Why would such a talented, wealthy, and successful woman stay with Bobby Brown? Love, and likely dopamine. I cried today after listening to her song "I will always love you". It was not the words, it was the energy, that song shifts energy. Or maybe it completely captured my emotional state. Transcendent. Criticise her all you want, that album went 4X platinum, she touched more people than any of her critics. Released my stagnant emotions better than any acupuncture treatment. That is the power of music. I would love to watch my brain on music. Music is medicine, and likely could be an addiction... ever play a song over and over... just like rats pressing the lever for cocaine... "and IIIIII willllll allllllways love yyooooooooooouuuuuu" I get a dopamine hit off that one! I am also suspecting that all these singers get dopamine dis regulation from channeling those songs from the collective unconscious. They get hooked on all kinds of stuff trying to re-balence their brain chemistry. Check out Steven Tyler's (how is he still alive? Angels according to him) biography for an inner look at dopamine gone wild. All that coke, women, amphetamines, you name it... The biggest high for him? Writing songs and singing them in front of thousands of people. Makes me wonder about the dopamine plummet as they loose the spotlight. And all the pharmaceutical crap they are put on to treat it.
For those reading these blogs, clearly I am obsessed with dopamine right now. The reason is simple. Patients coming in with dopaminergic problems are hard to treat and I see alot of them. There is no reductionist way to treat this, no magic pill to shift this balance. Educating patients is costly due to time involved. I wonder how the dopaminergic system evolved and why is it so hard to treat? I suspect it is because this little neurotransmitter may be the link between the mind and spirit. When we don't treat it well the results can be, well, heartbreaking. RIP Whitney. Comments and treatment ideas are much appreciated.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Getting your oxytocin fix?
I just watched a fascinating TED talk that got my little brain going... It was by Paul Zak a neuroeconomist. A what? A neuroeconomist, he studies the molecules involved with making certain decisions, especially those relating to money, morality, and other human interactions. http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_zak_trust_morality_and_oxytocin.html
Oxytocin is most famously known for stimulating uterine contractions during both orgasm and childbirth. (The drug Pitocin is used to induce labor and slow post partum hemorrhage by this mechanism) Studies are now being done looking at its role in pair bonding, trust, decision making, maternal behaviors, and psychopathy. Oxytocin appears to encourage trust by inhibiting the amygdala, the fear and strong emotion processing center of the brain. Empathy as it turns out is very related to oxytocin secretion.
I have been interested in oxytocin since my many readings on pheromones. Many of you probably remember all my papers and rants about pheromones in med school. My interest in pheromones started in high school, there was a specific girl who's smell drove me wild. I could smell her when she entered the room! After a session of massaging each other's feet, I felt absolutely bonded to her. I had eyes for no other after that, for years! In retrospect my little juvenile brain was reacting to the potent combination of her pheromones and my release of oxytocin from her touch! (first time I was touched by a girl for a prolonged amount of time)
It was interesting to hear in Paul Zak's talk that using social media spikes oxytocin. Connecting to other people in any way sexual or not seems to drive up oxytocin levels. People who release more oxytocin are happier in studies. Those 5% in the population who do not tend to be psychopaths. Which begs the question as to whether oxytocin may be used to rehabilitate criminals.
There is also some evidence that one of the long term consequences of those of us who have been sexually abused have dysregulation in the oxytocin system. They tend to not like being touched and have trouble trusting those touching them. Oxytocin based treatments, may be a key to recovery.
Autistic children are now being treated with oxytocin and are exhibiting more socially appropriate behavior post treatment.
Oxytocin may also ameliorate some symptoms of addiction and is being investigated for treatment. Interestingly, MDMA "Ecstasy" gets its affects from its interaction with the oxytocin system.
I of course have to put a line in here about oxytocin and porn. Yes, men can become "bonded" to their porn. Many porn sites are moving to the model with private chat rooms, etc so it feels more like a relationship, more likely to release oxytocin and create a bond in addition to the massive hit of dopamine that one gets. Here is what guys who gave up porn report... http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cupids-poisoned-arrow/201202/guys-who-gave-porn-sex-and-romance
I also wonder if some of the antisocial behavior elicited by the 1% could be ameliorated by treatment with oxytocin? Can someone take one for the team and stimulate Dick Cheney's nipples?
Top ways to get oxytosin
1. Hugs, Paul Zac recommends 8 per day
2. Nipple stimulation (and yes it works for males as well, I uh, looked it up)
3. Massage (unfortunately not for the masseuse)
4. Philanthropy- give something away
5. Fall in love (not lust, that is dopamine driven, real love)
6. Any healthy touch, holding hands, ect.
7. Orgasm with a partner (it is theorized that this may be why orgasm by one's self is not quite satisfying)
Oxytocin is most famously known for stimulating uterine contractions during both orgasm and childbirth. (The drug Pitocin is used to induce labor and slow post partum hemorrhage by this mechanism) Studies are now being done looking at its role in pair bonding, trust, decision making, maternal behaviors, and psychopathy. Oxytocin appears to encourage trust by inhibiting the amygdala, the fear and strong emotion processing center of the brain. Empathy as it turns out is very related to oxytocin secretion.
I have been interested in oxytocin since my many readings on pheromones. Many of you probably remember all my papers and rants about pheromones in med school. My interest in pheromones started in high school, there was a specific girl who's smell drove me wild. I could smell her when she entered the room! After a session of massaging each other's feet, I felt absolutely bonded to her. I had eyes for no other after that, for years! In retrospect my little juvenile brain was reacting to the potent combination of her pheromones and my release of oxytocin from her touch! (first time I was touched by a girl for a prolonged amount of time)
It was interesting to hear in Paul Zak's talk that using social media spikes oxytocin. Connecting to other people in any way sexual or not seems to drive up oxytocin levels. People who release more oxytocin are happier in studies. Those 5% in the population who do not tend to be psychopaths. Which begs the question as to whether oxytocin may be used to rehabilitate criminals.
There is also some evidence that one of the long term consequences of those of us who have been sexually abused have dysregulation in the oxytocin system. They tend to not like being touched and have trouble trusting those touching them. Oxytocin based treatments, may be a key to recovery.
Autistic children are now being treated with oxytocin and are exhibiting more socially appropriate behavior post treatment.
Oxytocin may also ameliorate some symptoms of addiction and is being investigated for treatment. Interestingly, MDMA "Ecstasy" gets its affects from its interaction with the oxytocin system.
I of course have to put a line in here about oxytocin and porn. Yes, men can become "bonded" to their porn. Many porn sites are moving to the model with private chat rooms, etc so it feels more like a relationship, more likely to release oxytocin and create a bond in addition to the massive hit of dopamine that one gets. Here is what guys who gave up porn report... http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cupids-poisoned-arrow/201202/guys-who-gave-porn-sex-and-romance
I also wonder if some of the antisocial behavior elicited by the 1% could be ameliorated by treatment with oxytocin? Can someone take one for the team and stimulate Dick Cheney's nipples?
Top ways to get oxytosin
1. Hugs, Paul Zac recommends 8 per day
2. Nipple stimulation (and yes it works for males as well, I uh, looked it up)
3. Massage (unfortunately not for the masseuse)
4. Philanthropy- give something away
5. Fall in love (not lust, that is dopamine driven, real love)
6. Any healthy touch, holding hands, ect.
7. Orgasm with a partner (it is theorized that this may be why orgasm by one's self is not quite satisfying)
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Internet Porn Virgin
So my previous post "The Case Against Porn" was quite the hit garnering a record number of hits for me in a short amount of time. In observing this process I learned a few things:
1. You all are very, VERY interested in the topic of Pornography.
2. You all are very scared to write any comments about the topic.
3. You all have no problem calling me or talking to me in person about said topic.
4. There was very little interest in my lets save the world blog "The Case for Action: The world needs us now" that was released 20 min prior to "The Case Against Porn". (4x more views and multiple forwards)
5. Several of you thought I should market myself as "the Porn Addict Doc" and make my millions.
6. .XXX website domain names are expensive, I learned this tonight after buying a website for another soon to be blogged about project. No it is not a porn site... let's just say .com was much cheaper than .xxx for the same name. $8.99 versus $78.99.
7. Multiple females admitted to me that they enjoy porn... They shall remain unnamed. But for the right price I could make a list. (For the right price I can keep you off the list too!) J/K everything will be kept in strict confidentiality as you all were to chicken to comment on the blog.
8. No on argued in favor of Porn. So maybe I will do one... "The Case for Porn".
9. One of you thought I should produce "free range, organic, grass fed, loving Porn" and make my millions.
10. One of you claims to be an internet porn virgin (yet clicks and reads the blog), yes they are in the U.S., yes, they have access to the internet, they even have several degrees. For now I am calling bull$hit, but consequently I am now looking for venture capital to fund my inaugural production "The 30 year old internet porn virgin". I am casting Christina Ricci in your role unless you want to out yourself and play with yourself. I mean, play yourself.
1. You all are very, VERY interested in the topic of Pornography.
2. You all are very scared to write any comments about the topic.
3. You all have no problem calling me or talking to me in person about said topic.
4. There was very little interest in my lets save the world blog "The Case for Action: The world needs us now" that was released 20 min prior to "The Case Against Porn". (4x more views and multiple forwards)
5. Several of you thought I should market myself as "the Porn Addict Doc" and make my millions.
6. .XXX website domain names are expensive, I learned this tonight after buying a website for another soon to be blogged about project. No it is not a porn site... let's just say .com was much cheaper than .xxx for the same name. $8.99 versus $78.99.
7. Multiple females admitted to me that they enjoy porn... They shall remain unnamed. But for the right price I could make a list. (For the right price I can keep you off the list too!) J/K everything will be kept in strict confidentiality as you all were to chicken to comment on the blog.
8. No on argued in favor of Porn. So maybe I will do one... "The Case for Porn".
9. One of you thought I should produce "free range, organic, grass fed, loving Porn" and make my millions.
10. One of you claims to be an internet porn virgin (yet clicks and reads the blog), yes they are in the U.S., yes, they have access to the internet, they even have several degrees. For now I am calling bull$hit, but consequently I am now looking for venture capital to fund my inaugural production "The 30 year old internet porn virgin". I am casting Christina Ricci in your role unless you want to out yourself and play with yourself. I mean, play yourself.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)