The Cure for Addictions ~ Nutrition vs. Anonymous Groups

Written by: Rebecca Baird

This article explores addiction and how most addictions are caused by biological imbalances. There is much research on the causes of addiction, but at this time the most widely used prescription for addictions is the different “Anonymous” groups; Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, and a host of others are all trying to solve the problem of addiction from a 12 step program perspective. There is scientific proof that the cause of addiction is more than just behavioral and is biological. Research has shown that L-Glutamine, GABA (gabapentin), and proper nutrition is instrumental in helping patients become free of addictions to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and any other substances, within a three week period of time.

Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, and a host of others are all noble attempts to cure addiction from a 12 step program perspective, but the fact is that there is scientific proof that the cause of addiction is more than just behavioral and is in fact biological. By looking at the effects of these biological imbalances in an addict and adding proper nutrients, the cravings for the addictive substance can be completely halted. This comes from research studies done by Julia Ross (2008) and many other psychologists and physicians in the specific field of addiction. The substance abuse and addictions studied include alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, speed, opiates, tobacco, and prescription drugs (p. 3).

Historically, anonymous groups have been the only option for substance abusers to turn to. This has worked for some, but the majority of people who have trouble with substance abuse go from one substance to another to try to take care of their cravings. Alcohol and drug treatment centers, such as the one in San Francisco where Ross (2008) practiced, who use anonymous groups and prescription drugs to curb the substance abuse, find that 80% to 90% of all clients would relapse back into their addiction. Most alcoholics and drug users will substitute the addictive substance with sweets and refined foods because, as Ross points out, “sugar is almost identical to alcohol biochemically. Both are highly refined, simple carbohydrates and are instantly absorbed… skyrocketing blood sugar levels and temporarily raise potent mood chemicals in the brain” (p. 6-7).

Chastain (2006) states that the pharmacological approach to the treatment of alcoholism are the drugs Disulfiram, Naltrexone, Acamprosate, Tiapride, and Naranjo which have  serious side effects including “nausea, vomiting, pounding in the chest, decrease in blood pressure,” sedation, sleeplessness, excessive sweating, tremor, headache, and Disulfiram has been known to produce hepatitis (p. 333). This study also showed the effects of alcohol on the protein molecules in the brain; alcohol has a detrimental effect on neurotransmitter activity in the brain (Chastain). Head (2006) shows that the use of traditional medicine, used to alleviate problems caused by addictions, only mask the symptoms and at times actually cause addiction to the medication used to help stop the initial addiction. Many of these pharmaceutical drugs are used to increase serotonin in the brain which has been noted is depleted in most addiction patients (p. 321).

A study done by Blum et al. (1990) illustrates that experimentation done on humans and animals prove that nutrient deficiencies can be the cause of addiction and hinder the recovery of addicts (p.12). These deficiencies have caused a deficit in the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and GABA (Blum et al.). Serotonin, as stated by Fusar-Poli et al. (2007), has been implicated in a wide variety of functions such as mood, anxiety, sleep, aggression, and sexual and cognitive functions (p. 31). As study done by Kapus et al. (2008) showed that anxiety disorders, in mice and in humans, are caused by a lack of serotonin in the brain. The use of GABA can lead to a safer therapeutic approach to anxiety disorders than the use of narcotic approaches or sedatives (p. 239). A study done by Markus et al. (2008) showed that serotonin levels increased with the use of tryptophan which elevated overall mood and sense of well being in the study group. A study done by Fusar-Poli et al (2007) showed that tryptophan is the precursor to serotonin and the lack of tryptophan has noticeable effects on serotonin levels in the brain (pp. 31-44).

Nutritional supplement which Ross (2008) suggests would increase serotonin levels in the brain include L-tryptophan, 5-HTP, St. Johns Wort, Melatonin and vitamin B6 (p.3). Blum et al. (1990) established similar results in their study which stated that supplementation of the amino acid L-tryptophan converts to serotonin in the brain (p. 12). Markus et al. (2008) also concluded that the use of tryptophan sources were advantageous to the availability of essential amino acids to brain chemistry (p. 107). Fusar-Poli et al. (2007) also concurred that the lack of tryptophan had a significant lowered effect in the brain activity which is normally present in happy individuals (p. 33).

Supplementation with L-tryptophan, 5-HTP, St. Johns Wort, Melatonin, and Vitamin B-6 is just one way to increase serotonin levels in the brain to bring about recovery from addictions. Diet can play a major role in raising serotonin levels as well. According to Ross (1999) whole food carbohydrates can raise serotonin levels in the brain and give the needed nutrients to fuel the body (p. 291). Ross (2008) states that food items which naturally raise serotonin levels are 25-30 grams of good quality protein per meal; this includes eggs, chicken, cottage cheese, and red meat. Low starch green, yellow, red, and purple vegetables, avocados, olive oil, coconut milk, coconut oil, nuts and seeds, fruit, squash, beans, potatoes, rice and corn. The foods to avoid are sweets, white flour products, caffeine, sugar substitutes, and fried foods (p.1). Diet alone can raise serotonin levels, but studies have shown that serotonin will also rise naturally after doing moderate exercise outdoors (Ross, 1999, p. 217).

Fusar-Poli et al. (2007) points out that psychological problems stem from depletion, or low levels, of essential chemicals in the brain. These psychological problems can manifest themselves as depression, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, aggressive behaviors, and lack of sexual and cognitive functions (p. 31). The chemicals which control these functions are serotonin, endorphins, dopamine, norepinephrine, gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA), and opioid systems in the brain.

The addition of essential amino acid supplementation is highly useful in alleviating these psychological problems, which are the symptoms of low levels of essential chemicals in the brain. One study done by Pålsson et al. (2007) showed that the amino acids L-arginine and L-arginine could have therapeutic effects on the cognitive dysfunctions in schizophrenia. The study shows that these amino acids could be used to alleviate the problems associated with drug use and schizophrenia (p. 9-15). Also, in this study, L-lysine was shown to protect mice from the effects of PCP. The study done by Blum et al. (1990) showed that the amino acids L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine convert to dopamine and norepinephrine; and L-glutamine converts to GABA (p. 12). A study done by Porter et al. (2007) showed the positive effects of the amino acid tryptophan on cortisol in saliva. The participants in the study were elderly individuals who had recently recovered from depression and healthy elderly. The study was done using two amino acid mixtures; one which contained tryptophan and one which did not contain tryptophan. The study showed a definite difference in the positive effects of tryptophan on depression (p. 71-75).

Nutrition therapy is an emerging successful alternative to traditional substance abuse therapy and offers people suffering from substance abuse real and lasting relief from the substance abuse prison. The detoxification process can be painful and cause many substance abusers to think twice about going through the pain of quitting. According to Chastain (2006) “Excessive glutamate activity, during withdrawal, contributes to cell death and thus frequent withdrawal may lead to irreversible alcoholic brain damage.” It is also interesting to note that “chronic alcohol use leads to reduced brain levels of endorphin, which contribute to the negative emotional states that accompany alcoholic withdrawal” (p. 330, 332).This is where nutrition therapy comes into play in the form of several essential amino acids.

A study done by Crokford, White, and Campbell (2001) showed that supplementing with GABA was instrumental in helping the patient become free of the addiction to benzodiazepine, as well as cigarettes and any other substances, within a three week period of time. The result also showed that using GABA left no withdrawal symptoms as the patient went off the addictive substances. Crokford et al. goes on to state that “It has been reported that GABA is helpful in the management of pain syndromes, anxiety, and alcohol withdrawal” (p. 287). A study done by Gass and Olive (2008) shows that treating cocaine use by supplementing with the amino acid L-cysteine can reduce cravings, withdrawals, and relapse in patients. The study also showed that after a four week period of time the results showed that L-cysteine was still instrumental in reducing or alleviating all cravings and withdrawals in these patients (pp. 218-265).

According to Head (2006) the use of Alpha-lipoic acid, amino acids acetyl-L-carnitine, L-arginine, L-glutamine, taurine, N-acetylcysteine and other supplements are instrumental in the alleviation of addictions, are typically without side effects, and address nutrient deficiencies, oxidative stress, and other etiologieal factors (pp. 294-329). A study done by Roberts (2005), shows the effectiveness of GABA on addictions; specifically cocaine addiction. The positive results from this study have prompted studies on humans to see if GABA has the same positive effect on lessening or completely alleviating the cravings and withdrawals associated with addictions (p. 18-20). In studies done by Ross (2008) all addictions were alleviated by the use of supplemental L-tryptophan, L-tyrosine, GABA, DL-phenalanine, and L-glutamine. The specific use of L-glutamine has shown significant results in alleviating cravings of addictive substances (p. 3).

In conclusion, this paper has shown that there is scientific proof that the cause of addiction is more than just behavioral and is in fact biological. By looking at the studies and the conclusions of the studies, the effects of these biological imbalances in an addict and by adding proper nutrients, the cravings for the addictive substance can be completely halted. The lack of proper nutrition may be just the beginning of the reason for addiction. The social, psychological, and economic reasons which people give for their substance abuse should be studied to see if there is a correlation between these factors and substance abuse. There should also be more research done on the effects of long term use of amino acid therapy, but as it stands now there are no know side effects to the use of amino acids as a tool in nutritional addiction therapy.

References

Blum, K., Rassner, M., & Payne, J E (August 1990). Neuro-nutrient therapy for compulsive disease: rationale and clinical evidence. (physiological aspects of alcoholism).  Addiction & Recovery, 10, n2. p. 12(5). Retrieved September 11, 2010, from Academic OneFile via Gale:

http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/gtx/start.do?prodId=AONE&userGroupName=vic_liberty

Chastain, G. (2006). Alcohol, Neurotransmitter Systems, and Behavior. The Journal of General Psychology, 133(4), 329-35. Doi: 10.3200/GENP.133.4.329-335

Crockford, D., White, W., & Campbell, B. (2001). Gabapentin use in benzodiazepine dependence and detoxification. Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry. Revue Canadienne De Psychiatrie, 46(3), 287. Retrieved from MEDLINE with Full Text database.

Fusar-Poli, P., Allen, P., Lee, F., Surguladze, S., Tunstall, N., Y Fu, C. H., Brammer, M. J.,  Cleare, A. J., & McGuire, P. K. (2007). Modulation of neural response to happy and sad faces by acute tryptophan depletion. Psychopharmacology, 193(1), 31-44.  Retrieved August 23, 2010, from ProQuest Psychology Journals. (Document ID: 1290835021).

Gass, J., & Olive, M. (2008). Glutamatergic substrates of drug addiction and alcoholism. Biochemical Pharmacology, 75(1), 218-265. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2007.06.039.

Head, K. (2006). Peripheral Neuropathy: Pathogenic Mechanisms and Alternative Therapies. Alternative Medicine Review, 11(4), 294-329. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

Kapus, G., Gacsályi, I., Vegh, M., Kompagne, H., Hegedus, E., Leveleki, C., Hársing, L., Barkóczy, J., Bilkei-gorzó, A., & Lévay, G. (2008). Antagonism of AMPA receptors produces anxiolytic-like behavior in rodents: Effects of GYKI 52466 and its novel analogues. Psychopharmacology, 198(2), 231-41.  Retrieved August 23, 2010, from

Markus, C., Firk, C., Gerhardt, C., Kloek, J., & Smolders, G.. (2008). Effect of different tryptophan sources on amino acids availability to the brain and mood in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology, 201(1), 107-14.  Retrieved August 23, 2010, from ProQuest Psychology Journals. (Document ID: 1579240641).

Pålsson, E., Fejgin, K., Wass, C., Engel, J., Svensson, L., & Klamer, D. (2007). The amino acid l-lysine blocks the disruptive effect of phencyclidine on prepulse inhibition in mice. Psychopharmacology, 192(1), 9-15. doi:10.1007/s00213-006-0683-x.

Porter, R. J., Gallagher, P., & O’Brien, J. T. (2007). Effects of rapid tryptophan depletion on salivary cortisol in older people recovered from depression, and the healthy elderly. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 21(1), 71-75.  Retrieved August 23, 2010, from ProQuest Psychology Journals. (Document ID: 1268367181).

Roberts, D. (2005). Preclinical evidence for GABA.sub.B agonists as a pharmacotherapy for cocaine addiction. Physiology & Behavior, 86(1/2), 18-20. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2005.06.017.

Ross, J. (1999). The diet cure. Penguin Publishers, New York, NY.

Ross, J. (2008). Presentation given on Neuro-nutrient Therapy: 21st century treatment for addictive disorders. San Diego, Ca.

Eating Disorders and Human Attachment Disorders

Written by: Rebecca Baird

This article will explore how human attachment disorders have been proven to have a definite, detrimental, impact on relationships as adults. There is also evidence which has shown that the addition of tragic life events adds to the problems faced along with human attachment disorders.  Human attachment is defined as “the positive emotional bond that develops between a child and a particular individual” such as a parent or caregiver (Feldman, 2006, p. 200). When this positive emotional bond is nonexistent it creates a disorder which can detrimentally affect people for the rest of their lives (Feldman). Not only do attachment disorders affect interpersonal relationships, but they also affect the ability to be psychologically healthy in adulthood.  The result seen in persons with human attachment disorders  are varied; drug addiction, eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol abuse, and incompetent parenting skills. This paper will also explore how age and gender also have an effect on how attachment disorders present themselves in the individual.

Even though tragic life events may have a lasting effect on interpersonal relationships and personality, human attachment disorders have been proven to have a definite impact on relationships later on in life. The impact on relationships is directly related to the fact that attachment disorders have been proven to create personality disorders, cause relational problems, eating disorders, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, incompetent parenting, and increased substance abuse. In contrast, children who have secure human attachment rarely find themselves with the problems faced by people who have insecure human attachment. There is, however, a direct correlation between the changes from secure to insecure attachment as a direct result of tragic life events. Even though there have been many studies to show the impact of human attachment disorders on the progress and success in relationships, the fact remains that more studies, using a greater number of participants,  should be done to establish a way to treat, or cure, these disorders.

Bakermans-Kranenburg  & van IJzendoorn (2009) compiled the results of 10,000 Adult Attachment Interviews over a period of 25 years. The study showed that there were dramatic differences between the attachments of children as they grow. The older the individual the more apparent the attachment disorder becomes. The study also showed that the differences between genders were not present until the individual reached early adulthood. This study also showed how the person interacted with opposite sex relationships and how they reacted to their offspring. The study used 4 classifications of attachment; secure-autonomous, insecure-dismissing, and insecure-preoccupied, and unresolved. The adults who were in the secure-autonomous category recognized the significance of their attachment relationships and believed that these relationships were a key element of determining their personality as adults. The adults who were in the insecure-dismissing category dismissed the importance of attachment and, as Bakermans-Kranenburg  & van IJzendoorn (2009) state, they tend to “idealize their childhood experiences without being able to provide concrete illustrations” (p. 224). The third category, insecure-preoccupied, were made up of adults who were preoccupied with their childhood experiences to the point of anger. The unresolved category was made up of adults who had tragically lost a parent or caregiver. This tragic loss caused symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (Bakermans-Kranenburg  & van IJzendoorn, 2009, p. 224).

Negative, and sometimes tragic, life events, such as the loss of a parent during childhood, or other traumatic experiences can also change a securely attached individual to an insecurely attached individual as seen in the study by Waters et al. (2000). These negative life events could have been any event which would alter the sense of security felt by the individual. So even though the child may have been securely attached to the parent or caregiver as a young child, they could suffer from the same attachment disorders as children who have had insecure attachment during their childhood. The study outlines a 20 year period of time which began with sixty infants. Of the initial 60 infants, 50 of them were contacted 20 years after the initial interview for updates using the Berkeley Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). The people who were studied were middle class individuals. The relationship between their initial findings and attachment theory relative to negative life events was conclusive. The study showed that a large percentage of the participants changed attachment classifications as a direct result of these negative life events. These results verify the belief that changes in attachment can be altered due to negative life experiences (Waters, et al., 2000). It is interesting to note that the participants who had secure attachment, with positive parental touch and interaction, were subject to changes due to tragic life experiences and that having a positive secure relationship with the parent or caregiver is only one of the factors which determine the human attachment factor in adulthood.

Parental touch and interaction plays a significant role in the state of human attachment seen in adults as seen in a study done by Takeuchi et al (2010) which showed the relation between early childhood physical contact and how it is associated with adult attachment (p. 686). The study was compiled of both male and female participants who had been part of an initial study done while they were infants. The participants were contacted 20 years later to see if their human attachment had changed due to parental touch and physical interaction. Parental touch and physical touch in early childhood resulted in how the child, grown into an adult, viewed others. According to the study, view of self is not influenced by parental touch, but is directly related to neglect and emotional abuse. The results of this study showed that even though parental touch or the lack of parental touch, during childhood resulted in secure or insecure attachment, the findings also concluded that negative live events caused changes in secure attachment in adults. The negative life events ranged from the divorce of parents, serious sickness of parent, psychiatric illness of the parent, or sexual abuse of the child. All of these events would cause the securely attached individual to feel a sense of insecurity and change their human attachment category. This study also showed that the socioeconomic environment which the child grew in played a part in the attachment of the adult. The middle class participants were less likely to suffer from insecure attachment. This may have been a result of the presence of “strong social support structures” in middle class families, which provide a more stable and secure environment for the child (Takeuchi, et al., 2010, p. 688).

Human attachment also plays a role in the presence of eating disorders in individuals. A study done by Barone & Guiducci (2009) showed that clinical and non-clinical participants who are insecurely attached suffer from some type of eating disorder. The study was done using 60 participants; 30 who were clinical and 30 who were non-clinical. The attachment patterns used were Free-Autonomous (F), Insecure-Dismissing (D), Insecure-Entangled-Preoccupied (E), and Disorganized (CC-U). All of the participants suffered from some type of eating disorder; anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder. Of the 30 clinical participants, none showed signs of secure attachment. The majority of the 60 participants were found to have insecure attachment. The participants who were bulimic and binge disorders were clearly in the disorganized attachment pattern while the anorexic participants had no sign of disorganization (U/CC attachment pattern). The anorexic participants were diagnosed with the adult attachment patterns of free-autonomous (F), insecure-dismissing (D), and insecure-entangled-preoccupied (E). The binge eating disorder participants fell into the adult attachment patterns of insecure-dismissing (D) and disorganization (U/CC). While the bulimia participants adult attachment was clearly insecure-dismissing (D) and disorganized (CC). Note that the bulimic and binge eating disorder participants were not diagnosed with adult attachment patterns free-autonomous (F) and insecure-entangled-preoccupied (E). Of the 60 participants, almost half had suffered life altering traumatic experiences. There was a direct correlation between neglect and rejection and the participant’s eating disorder showing that insecure attachment was causal in most cases. Specifically, all participants had rejecting or neglecting relationships with the mother. (Barone & Guiducci 2009). In a study done by Ross (1999) eating disorders were not only found to be aligned with attachment disorders but also to chemical imbalances in the brain (p. 33). According to Ross (1999) low levels of serotonin in the brain may be responsible for “depression, compulsive eating, bulimia, or anorexia” (p. 32). Specifically anorexia, bulimia, and binging have been shown to trigger the release of endorphins which act as a high to the person suffering with an eating disorder. As time goes on the body becomes addicted to this natural high, which makes it very difficult for the person to resist (Ross). Barone & Guiducci (2009) suggest that “cognitive-behavioral treatment models…show good outcomes for bulimic and binge eating patients” but not for anorexics (p. 414). Ross (1999) states that all eating disorders can be cured by psychological counseling and by the introduction of L-tryptophan to regulate serotonin levels and by using other supplements to induce a sense of wellbeing and promote the healing process (pp. 33-34).

Insecure attachment in mothers is outlined in a study done by Bifulco, Moran, Jacobs, & Bunn (2009) which looks at the connection between mothers with insecure attachment and whether this type of attachment is automatically passed on to their offspring. The study showed that there was no direct link between the mother’s insecure attachment and the attachment of her children. The mother’s insecure attachment style did have a direct affect on the lack of parenting skills and anxiety in depression in the offspring. Half of the mothers in the study, who had insecure attachment, showed incompetent parenting and severe neglect and abuse of the child. In many cases where marital difficulty was the cause of neglect it was mainly due to “psychiatric disorders, violence, or… criminal behavior on the part of the partner” (Bifulco et al. 2009, p. 74). Bifulco et al. (2009) stated that the attachment style in highly insecure mothers included “’marked’ or ‘moderate’ levels of Enmeshed, Fearful, Angry-Dismissive or Withdrawn style” (p. 74).

Bifulco et al. (2002), shows that there is a definite link between 12-month clinical depression and attachment disorder. The attachment styles used in this particular study were secure, enmeshed, fearful, and avoidant; the fearful attachment style was added to relate to the fear of rejection, loneliness, and poor self-image. The avoidant category was divided into 3 sub-categories to include angry, dismissive, and withdrawn. Bifulco, et al. (2002) states that one exception, to the sub-categories, would be to add “Angry-withdrawal to denote individuals with high hostility to attachment figures perceived as unavailable or unsupportive” (p. 51). The results showed that the participants in the angry-dismissive category were the highest group to experience depression. Anger was shown to stem from the insecure childhood attachment and the hostility and resentment the participant (now adult) feels toward parents or primary caregivers. This anger was manifested in close relationships in adulthood and created a barrier between the participants and their prospective support systems. This barrier created a void which produced a feeling of hopelessness in the participants and the result of that helplessness was depression. The lack of close interpersonal relationships would seem to induce they symptoms of clinical depression when attributed to “mistrust, fear of intimacy, or anger” (Bifulco et al. 2002, p. 56). This study did not take into consideration other psychological conditions such as anxiety disorder, but clearly recognizes, and proves, the correlation between human attachment disorders and depression in adults.

Anxiety has also been shown to be directly related to human attachment disorders as will be seen in the study done by Cassidy et al., (2009), which states that “adult anxiety may be rooted in childhood experiences that leave a child uncertain of the availability of a protective figure in times of trouble” (p. 23). Generalized anxiety disorder is defined as the person experiencing chronic excessive worry over multiple life circumstances. This disorder is directly related to insecure attachment and lack of protection and the presence of neglect from a parental figure. The study showed that the persons experiencing generalized anxiety disorder would depend on worry in order to protect themselves from external sources, whether or not the external sources were a threat or not. According to Cassidy et al., (2009), worry is related to the “fears associated with social evaluation and interpersonal relationships (feeling self-conscious, meeting new people, being criticized) and unrelated to most non-interpersonal objects or events” (p. 24). The study also showed that many of the participants had suffered parental loss before the age of 16 and had been exposed to traumatic life events, both of which have been shown to cause feeling of insecurity and in some cases fear and anger. The study was made up of 138 participants; 69 were previously diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and the remaining 69 did not have general anxiety disorder. There were 48 men participants and 90 female participants used in this study between the ages of 19 to 66 years old. The assessment was made using the Adult Attachment Questionnaire to show how the participant viewed childhood experiences, and the current state of mind of the participant. The assessment also involved the mother child relationship and the possibility of rejection or neglect, whether the participant felt loved, and enmeshment. The result was that childhood attachment relates directly to general anxiety disorder due to the insecure attachment of the child (Cassidy et al., 2009). Anxiety, due to childhood experiences and insecure attachment should be further studied to see if there are implications of personality disorders which are also a direct result of human attachment disorders.

A study done by Sherry, Lyddon, and Henson (2007) showed that personality disorders are caused by environmental factors including neglect, abuse, trauma, and dysfunctional home settings (p. 337). This corresponds directly with the causes of insecure attachment disorders. This study shows how attachment and developmental personality styles are directly related. The study participants consisted of 273 undergraduate students; 187 female, 86 male and ranged in age from 18 to 56 years old. The majority of the participants, 63%, were Caucasian, 23% African American, 5% Asian, 3% Hispanic, 1% American Indian and 3% were undefined or other. The study states that the children who grow up in these types of homes learn functional responses to external abuse continue to respond to outside sources in this way into adulthood (Sherry, Lyddon, & Henson). It stands to reason that if a child grows up in a home where they are neglected, abused, in traumatic and dysfunctional situations that the child would have insecure feelings toward parents or primary caregivers. According to Sherry, Lyddon, and Henson (2007) “When children encounter specific attachment experiences consistently over time, with the same relative intensity, these working models persist into adulthood (p. 338). These types of attachment experiences have been directly related to specific personality styles. The attachment styles recognized in this study were secure, preoccupied, dismissing, and fearful. The specific developmental personality styles were related, by Sherry, Lyddon, and Henson (2007), to attachment in the following way: preoccupied attachment related to dependent, obsessive-compulsive and histrionic; preoccupied-fearful attachment related to avoidant personality style; fearful attachment related to paranoia; fearful-dismissive attachment related to antisocial, narcissistic, and schizotypal style; dismissing attachment related to schizoid; disorganized attachment related to borderline personality style (p. 339). In contrast, Sherry, Lyddon, and Henson (2007) conclude that participants who showed secure attachment have a “positive view of self and others” and adapt well in situations which insecurely attached participants would have a great deal of difficulty adapting to (p. 344). The result of this study showed that there is a direct correlation between diagnosing personality styles and human attachment styles or disorders. More information and broader studies are needed to get a better view of how insecure attachment styles and personality styles are related to behavior and relational problems.

Insecure human attachment has been found to be a factor in alcohol addiction as well. A study done by De Rick and Vanheule (2007) explores the correlation between secure and insecure attachment and the influence each type of attachment has on alcohol abuse and psychiatric issues in adults (p.101). The study used the European Addiction Severity Index and the Beck Depression Inventory to rate the study subjects; 101 alcoholic patients. Of the 101 participants, 71 were male and 30 were female with more than half of the participants being over the age of 41 years old. Almost 50% of the participants reported a family history of extreme alcohol abuse by the father, mother or both. The result was that 1/3 of the participants had secure attachment and 2/3 of the participants had insecure attachment. This study clearly shows that insecure attachment is a definite contributor to problems with alcohol abuse disorders. The study also stated that attachment style should be assessed before treating the patient because the treatment approaches would be different for the securely and insecurely attached patients (De Rick, & Vanheule, 2007). This study was very conclusive when focusing on alcohol abuse and disorders, but was inconclusive as to other substances which have been related to human attachment disorders.

A study done by Schindler et al. (2009) shows the relationship between human attachment disorders and the abuse of the substances; heroin, ecstasy, and cannabis (p. 310). Three groups of non-clinical substance abuse participants were chosen. Of these three groups 22 were heroin users, 31 were ecstasy users, 19 were cannabis users, and the control group consisted of 22 secure, non-substance abuse participants. All three substance abuse groups showed definite signs of insecure attachment; fearful-avoidant, preoccupied, fearful-avoidant, dismissing-avoidant, and dismissing-secure. The study showed that opiates are definitely used as a substitute to attachment and to relieve attachment related distresses. Schindler et al. (2009) stated that the use of these “substances result in physiological and emotional deactivation, in an inhibition of cognitive processes, and in withdrawal and distancing from others” (p. 310). Participants who used cannabis were considered more secure and less fearful than the ecstasy or heroin abusers and have dismissing-secure attachment. Heroin abusers were categorized as fearful-avoidant; the most fearful of all three substance abuse categories. Ecstasy abusers were preoccupied-fearful (Schindler, et al., 2009, p. 322). This study resulted in the understanding that cannabis users had a good view of self and others, and were the most secure in human attachment. However the cannabis users were lower on the human attachment security scale than the control group of secure participants. This study showed that the insecure attachment styles of heroin and ecstasy users increased the reliance on the drug due to the substances ability to provide emotional deactivation and withdrawal (Schindler, et al.).

In conclusion this paper has described several studies on human attachment styles and the way in which they are directly related to interpersonal relationships, personality disorders, eating disorders, depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, incompetent parenting, and increased substance abuse. However, these studies were limited to a small group of participants. In order to get more conclusive study results, the studies should be done using a larger number of participants using diverse socio-economic and diverse cultural participants. These studies were only conclusive on a very limited basis and left out many interesting factors which would give a better view of the effects of human attachment disorders.

References

Bakermans-Kranenburg, M., & van IJzendoorn, M. (2009). The first 10,000 Adult Attachment Interviews: distributions of adult attachment representations in clinical and non-clinical groups. Attachment & Human Development, 11(3), 223-263. doi:10.1080/14616730902814762.

Barone, L., & Guiducci, V. (2009). Mental representations of attachment in Eating Disorders: a pilot study using the Adult Attachment Interview. Attachment & Human Development, 11(4), 405-417. doi:10.1080/14616730902814770.

Bifulco, A., Moran, P., Jacobs, C., & Bunn, A. (2009). Problem partners and parenting: exploring linkages with maternal insecure attachment style and adolescent offspring internalizing disorder. Attachment & Human Development, 11(1), 69-85. doi:10.1080/14616730802500826.

Bifulco, A., Moran, P., Ball, C., & Bernazzani, O. (2002). Adult attachment style. I: Its relationship to clinical depression. Social Psychiatry And Psychiatric Epidemiology, 37(2), 50-59. Retrieved from MEDLINE with Full Text database.

Cassidy, J., Lichtenstein-Phelps, J., Sibrava, N., Thomas, C., & Borkovec, T. (2009). Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Connections With Self-Reported Attachment. Behavior Therapy, 40(1), 23-38. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2007.12.004

De Rick, A., & Vanheule, S. (2007). Attachment Styles in Alcoholic Inpatients. European Addiction Research, 13(2), 101-108. doi:10.1159/000097940.

Feldman, R. S. (2006). Development across the life span (4^th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Ross, J. (1999) The Diet Cure. Penguin Books, New York, NY.

Sherry, A., Lyddon, W., & Henson, R. (2007). Adult Attachment and Developmental Personality Styles: An Empirical Study. Journal of Counseling and Development, 85(3), 337-48. Retrieved from OmniFile Full Text Mega database

Schindler, A., Thomasius, R., Petersen, K., & Sack, P. (2009). Heroin as an attachment substitute? Differences in attachment representations between opioid, ecstasy and cannabis abusers. Attachment & Human Development, 11(3), 307-330. doi:10.1080/14616730902815009.

Takeuchi, M., Miyaoka, H., Tomoda, A., Suzuki, M., Liu, Q., & Kitamura, T. (2010). The Effect of Interpersonal Touch During Childhood on Adult Attachment and Depression: A Neglected Area of Family and Developmental Psychology?. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19(1), 109-17. Retrieved from OmniFile Full Text Mega database

Waters, E., Merrick, S., Treboux, D., Crowell, J., & Albersheim, L. (2000). Attachment security in infancy and early adulthood: a twenty-year longitudinal study. Child Development, 71(3), 684-689. Retrieved from MEDLINE with Full Text database.

Baking Soda remedy shrinks tumors

This is a repost from Natural News.

Thursday, April 14, 2011 by: Allison Biggar

(NaturalNews) Baking soda has been used throughout history for a variety of purposes such as removing odors from the fridge, freshening up carpets and whitening teeth. But what few people know is that is it also a successful alternative cure for cancer. The treatment primarily benefits cancers of the throat, colon, intestines and rectal area, and when compared with the exorbitant costs of chemo and radiation, the baking soda cure weighs in at around $3. In addition, it is humane and non-invasive, something one cannot say for traditional cancer treatments. With baking soda, the worst that can happen is nothing, no change. This is a far cry from the decimation caused by cancer drugs and surgeries, which damage the immune system and leave the body in a severe state of shock.

“I was healthy and happy that I didn`t have to go through the torture that other people were being subjected to by doing the chemo or radiation. I never lost my hair or anything,” remarks 60-year-old cancer survivor Sondra Braun.

Cancer cells thrive in a low-oxygen environment. The body cannot retain oxygen cells if the blood pH is highly acidic, and this is the standard condition of those with tumors who eat a diet of refined sugars, flours, caffeine and other acidic foods. Baking soda, or Sodium Bicarbonate, is a substance that neutralizes acids. One teaspoon a week will reverse an acidic blood pH, as will switching to a diet high in alkaline-producing foods.

Because cancer cells are so hungry for sugars, when the baking soda is mixed with maple syrup, the mixture will go straight to the site of the tumor, like a Trojan Horse, where the bicarbonate will quickly work as a weapon against disease. A good recipe for this is to mix 3 parts organic maple syrup with 1 part baking soda, stir over very low heat for 5-10 minutes and take 3 tsp per day for 1 to 2 months.

“I found the article about Dr. Simoncini in Italy who injected baking soda directly into the tumors to kill them.” Braun continues. “For some reason this idea struck a chord with me. Three weeks after taking a baking soda and maple syrup mixture, my tumor began to shrink and become softer. This was documented by my oncologist and the surgeon by physical exams and also measurements by ultrasound. The tumor shrank down to 1.7 centimeters then only to 1.4 centimeters 2 months later after the ultrasound. It stopped shrinking because it had died. “

Italian physician and researcher Dr. Tullio Simoncini determined that high levels of Candida were present in those individuals with cancerous tumors. His conclusions led him to declare cancer a type of fungus. The body does not quickly develop immunity to baking soda as an anti-fungal, so he was able to apply it directly to tumors and neutralize their acidity. He also found it is important to replenish the body with good bacteria, or probiotics, and to avoid exposure to chemicals and environmental toxins as much as possible.

North Carolina farmer Ian Roadhouse also experienced the healing power of this baking soda mixture when healer Jim Kelmun put him on the protocol.

“Those other doctors told me that I was a goner and had less then six months to live,” says Roadhouse. “But the doc put me on his mixture and in a couple of months the cancer was gone. It did not even show up on the x-rays.”

For maximum results, combine the baking soda treatment with other alternative cancer-healing protocols as recommended by your holistic health practitioner.

Sircus, Mark Allan Ac. OMD. Sodium Bicarbonate – Rich Man`s Poor Man`s Cancer Treatment. IMVA Publications, 2008

www.center4cacer.com,“Skin Cancer and Maple Syrup”http://www.center4cancer.com/skin-c…

www.holisticvoice.org,“Cancer Treatments and the Death of Common Sense”http://www.holisticvoice.org/Death_…

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/032070_baking_soda_tumors.html#ixzz1SHiQTzgA

A Butterfly Soul on Fire

A Butterfly Soul on Fire.

A Butterfly Soul on Fire

This is a fictional short story by Jerry L. Winslow II.

May 25, 2011

When she woke up from her slumber she felt very groggy and in some way different.  She was weak and wasn’t sure what had happened.  She knew her name was Selena but her memory of her life was foggy and coming back to her slowly.  When she looked around she could see nothing but white.    She reached out weakly and noticed that she was wrapped in something soft.  She could see better now and her strength was coming back.  Pushing on the white material it seemed to stretch. So she pushed and shoved until it started to break open.  The light was so bright; she stopped and wondered if she should just stay for a while.

After sitting for a few minutes or maybe an hour she had a weird burning in her heart and saw a vision of a tall lady with blond braided hair.  Selena found this quite disturbing and wasn’t sure what this meant.  She decided that she must be going crazy from sitting in this white thing for so long so she decided to try to get out again.  She pushed and pushed until she was weak again but she could see out now and her eyes were starting to adjust to the brightness.

As she stared through the light she could start to see a world.  A world that was ginormous.  She waited there staring at the world that looked so big and while she did she had another burning in her chest and saw a vision of little girl in her mind that was no more than maybe 14, with brown hair and looked very similar to the blond haired lady she had seen in the first vision.  This must be the woman’s daughter.  Thinking that having two weird burnings and these visions was definitely not a good thing. Selena pushed her way out to breathe some fresh air and to clear her head.

The air was warm and the sun felt great on her face.  There was a gentle breeze that carried the scent of freshly bloomed flowers. She looked at her arms, or what she thought should be arms, but they were legs instead.  When she looked to the left and right she noticed great big colorful wings.  This is strange she thought.  The wings were wet and a little wrinkly, and did not seem to work yet.  As she stood there waiting for these new wings to work the burning in her chest took over again and this time she saw a grey house, the woman was walking up to the door.  They rang the doorbell and a young man that had many of the same facial features as the blond lady came running out and hugged her, lifting her off the ground.

When Selena came to she noticed that her wings looked bright and shimmered in the sunlight.  She decided to give them a try again.  With a quick flick of her new wings she lifted into the air.  It was an intoxicating feeling to be flying.  As she fluttered around she began to think about all the things she had been seeing in her visions.  She deduced that the young man and the blond lady must be related like brother and sister.

As she flew something very strange happened to her.  The burning came back but this time it was dull and she started seeing a vision, but she could see through it into the world she was flying through.  It started with the woman and her brother but now they were very young.  She was climbing on a shelf to get some cookies.  When she got down her brother was waiting with a bag of flour and some oatmeal which he dumped on her as soon as she touched the floor.  They both just sat there after playing in the mess that was made. Selena thought this a very weird way to play together but it seemed very familiar to her.  She was thinking this would be the end to this dream but it just kept on going like watching a video.  She found a nice warm air current that just carried her while she focused on the continuing dream.

At first it was just the two of them going on many adventures together, but then there was another brother and then another and another.  Selena thought this is going to be horrible for the girl, being with all these boys all the time, but they all got along so well.  They built forts together and went on many treasure hunts.  At one point the children hid a box in the ground with stuff in it and Selena thought she knew exactly where it was hidden.  She had the feeling she could fly right to it and dig it up, but she dismissed this thought because she didn’t know who these people were.

She continued floating in the warm current watching the story of this lady unfold before her eyes.  It seemed to skip a few years because the little blond girl was now a teenager.  Things seemed to have gone sour now that the girl was a little older.  The brothers and her didn’t go out and explore anymore.  They didn’t seem to do anything together at all.  The brother that hugged her from her earlier vision didn’t live in the same house as them anymore.  He would go over to visit them and stay for a few days.  He always met her with a big hug.  The blond girl started drinking things and smoking things that would make her act weird.  Selena thought she knew what those things were, that the girl was doing, but she thought there was no way she could know.  The girl started fighting other girls and doing things with boys that were strange.  The older brother always seemed to be looking for the blond girl and taking her away from these boys’ houses and bringing her home to the rest of the family.

Selena became frightened and wanted these visions to stop.  So spotting a big tree close by, she landed.  As soon as her feet touched the tree, the dream ended.  She stood there wondering about this dream and wondered why she would be having them.  It all seemed so familiar to her. Like she knew these people and had seen it all before.   How silly she thought, it’s just not possible.  She pushed off and took to the sky again.

The dream started immediately. The woman was older now, an adult.  Something was not right with the way she looked now;  almost like she was afraid of something.  The older brother would still go to see his sister and hug her hard, but he didn’t seem to see the fright in her face.  Then Selena saw why the lady was so afraid.  There was a man with her now.  He seemed nice to everyone else but at night he would hurt her.  She watched as the man hit her and then handcuffed her to a door.  Selena was paralyzed from the pain of seeing this.  She looked through the vision to the world she was flying in. She wanted to help the woman, to do something to stop the man from hurting her.  Maybe if she could get the brother surely he would stop this madness. But then she thought, it’s just a dream and even if it wasn’t she doesn’t know how to find the brother.

The story continued to unfold and Selena flew on.  The man continued to hurt the lady.  He hit her and dragged her by her hair; he started to hit the ladies daughter too.  The daughter told the woman’s brother and he went to get his sister away from this horrible situation, but she would not leave.  She was crying and hugging the older brother but no matter what the older brother said, she would not leave. Everything this lady felt seemed so real to her.  She started crying and couldn’t stop so she landed on a piece of grass to let the feeling pass.

When she landed the dream stopped, but her crying didn’t.  She couldn’t imagine someone putting themselves through such pain.  When she finally was able to get her composure back, she noticed there were some people in the field she had landed in.  When she wiped her eyes she was able to see that one of the people was the brother from her visions.  She stood on the grass watching him.  He was playing with three little boys who appeared to be his children.  They ran around the field chasing each other with wild excitement.  They seemed to be having a very fun time.  Selena couldn’t understand why he would be so happy if he knew his sister was in such trouble.

As she watched them run around she realized she knew the names of the boys. She heard the brother holler their names. She was right she did know them.  And then it all came to her. She knew all the people in the visions she had been having.  She knew the daughters name. She knew her whole family.  Everything the blond lady had done her whole life, Selena knew.  It was all so painful and frightening.  She looked at the older brother again and yearned for his hug.  She missed him so much she couldn’t bear it.  Selena took off from the piece of grass.  She needed to be with her brother.  The pain in her chest came on hotter now than ever before but Selena pushed on, shoving the pain and the visions away.  If she could just get to him she would be okay.

When she got about half way to him something snapped in her mind and she realized that she is the blond lady.  The burning in her chest was unbearable now, but she pushed on.  The visions pushed through stronger now.  She saw herself getting beat again but now she could feel the pain of it all.  The man that beat her was her fiancé.  Even though he beat her, Selena could still feel her love for this man.  Her fiancé handcuffed her but then he took it off.  He had her kneel in the bathroom facing there vanity.  Selena was crying with fright now.  She couldn’t see through the tears to get to her brother she needed to land and hopefully it would all stop.  She landed on a dandelion hoping this horrible nightmare would stop, but it didn’t.  The burning continued and dream kept going.  Her fiancé had put down plastic and sheets on the bathroom floor which scared Selena even more. She knew what was going to happen. He yelled more and more ranting on about nothing just focusing all his anger on her.  She heard a click sound and she knew she was in great danger.  She knew he had a gun in a drawer next to the bed.  She hollered in her mind while she knelt on the floor; she hollered for her brother, she knew he would stop this.  She was so stupid to not have left with him when he tried to help her.  Then she heard a loud bang.

Selena couldn’t handle the pain in her chest, it was crippling her.  The wind picked up and tugged at her wings to get her to take to the sky. As the wind pulled at her wings the pain started to dull a little but every time it tugged at her wings her memories of her family would fade.  She held on hard to her memories of them.  She loved and missed them all so much.  The wind kept pulling and pulling.  Selena was so weak from the pain in her chest that she knew she couldn’t hold on much longer and her memories were almost gone from her.  A final long gust of wind came and Selena knew this would carry her away.  With the wind pulling hard and her last foot on the dandelion she whispered I LOVE YOU to her family and let the wind take her.  As she was lifted into the air, the dream started again. Selena was looking at the floor then everything went black.  The pain stopped and the memories of the person she once was were gone from her forever.

Creamy Italian Dressing

From the kitchen of:
Rebecca Baird

This creamy Italian dressing is awesome and easy to make!
Place the following ingredients in a blender:
1 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon parsley
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 clove fresh garlic
the juice of one small lemon
1 tablespoon honey

Puree all of these ingredients together until smooth; while the blender is still going, pour in about ¼ cup of rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar) and blend well. For extra nutrition add 1/4 cup of chia seeds. Taste and re-season as needed. Enjoy!

Quinoa and Honey Bread

From the Kitchen of:
Rebecca Baird
This recipe is high in fiber, protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and is just plain yummy. We like to eat it right out of the oven with organic butter. YUM!

In a large mixer bowl, Mix together:
1 ½ cup water
2 tbsp. active dry yeast
1 cup organic quinoa flour (I grind this in a coffee grinder)
¼ cup ground organic chia seeds or flax seed (I grind this in a coffee grinder as well)
Cover with plastic wrap.

Let this mixture rest for at least 30 minutes then add:
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
½ cup mashed potatoes (leftover mashed potatoes work great)
2 organic eggs
¼ cup organic brown rice flour (I grind this in a coffee grinder)
3 tbsp. raw organic honey
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ cup organic unrefined coconut oil at room temperature
1 cup organic all purpose white flour
2 cups organic (or non GMO) whole wheat flour (more or less; add about ½ cup at a time)

Mix all but the whole wheat flour together until mixed well (I use a kitchenaid mixer fitted with a dough hook). Add ½ cup of whole wheat flour at a time until the dough begins to hold together. Remove bowl from mixer base, cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to stand for about 1 hour. When dough has doubled in bulk, punch down and shape into rolls or loaves (I usually make a pan of 9 rolls and one 9” loaf of bread). Place rolls or loaves into greased pans (I use cooking spray) and let rise for 30 minutes. Place in a 400°F oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Take out of oven and place on a rack to cool for about 20 minutes then turn out rolls and/or bread to continue cooling to room temperature before placing in plastic wrap or Ziploc bags.