Are you addicted?


How does one become addicted? Does addiction start with a bad habit? What happens in our brain when we suffer from addiction? What is the correlation between the science, the physiology and the psychology of addiction?  Are there any differences between men and women when discussing addiction?

We hope you will join us on August 17th at the upcoming Howell Foundation Health Lecture Luncheon with guest speaker Dr. Carolyn Coker Ross "Addiction: It's not just drugs and alcohol".

There are many forms of addiction.  One can be addicted to food, to tobacco, to relationships, to video games, to cell phones. But the one element that accompanies addiction is the stigma associated with it: the perception that it is a weakness.  Understanding the science behind addiction becomes a key issue on being able to set an action plan to treat the behavior.

According to Healthline.com, "Addictive substances and behaviors can create a pleasurable “high” that’s physical and psychological. You’ll typically use more of certain substances or engage in addictive behaviors longer to achieve the same high again. Over time, the addiction becomes difficult to stop."

One thing is for certain: an integrative approach to a negative behavior is the best treatment for addiction. It needs to go beyond the just- say- no perception, and include the implementation of healthy reward systems, medication, therapy and a healthy support network.

Meet Dr. Coker Ross! 

Our Speaker for the Howell Lecture series in August will be Dr. Carolyn Coker Ross.  She is a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School.  According to the information provided in her website, "Dr. Ross’s practice experience after medical school helped fuel her interest in understanding what makes people heal as she saw that most of her patients’ medical problems were related to lifestyle habits and the stresses of modern living.

In searching for a better way to address these issues, Dr. Ross began to explore complementary and alternative therapies.  She completed a residency in Preventive Medicine at Loma Linda University and set up practice in San Diego, California, where she eventually opened three women’s centers where she practiced primary care and office gynecology. Her women’s centers integrated the best of western medicine with complementary and alternative therapies such as yoga, acupuncture, chiropractic, and nutrition counseling."

Dr. Ross, who studied with Dr. Andrew Weil for two years, will address multiple addictions, the common factors and novel remedies. She maintains private practices in Denver and San Diego using both western and complimentary medicine to treat a wide array of addictions.

Register here to join us for lunch, and catch up with the latest on women's health research:
11:30am -12:00pm Registration/Netwroking
12:00pm - 1:30pm Lecture Luncheon

We hope to see you there!




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About the Doris A. Howell Foundation:

For the past 23 years, The Doris A. Howell Foundation for Women’s Health Research has been dedicated to keeping to women we love healthy by making a long-term, positive impact on women’s health.  To date, it is the premier organization advancing women’s health.

The organization does so by funding scholarships to students researching issues affecting women’s health; providing a forum for medical experts, scientists, doctors, and researchers to convey timely information on topics relevant to women’s health, and by funding research initiatives that improve the health of under-served women and increase awareness and advocacy in the community; bringing women's health research to a full cycle.                                                                                                                                                                                                              ###


Summary & Design prepared by Carolyn Northrup and revised by Carole Banka, PHD with information provided by the following sources: 
www.health.harvard.edu
www.nejm.org
www.carolynrossmd.com/
www.healthline.com

Shutterstock image licensed to Carolyn Northrup. 





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