How Alcohol Affects The Brain
WHO IS MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO ALCOHOL? Those with higher personality trait inhibitedness are most susceptible to alcoholism. The[...]
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Androgens are sex hormones. They are made primarily in the male testes, female ovaries, and adrenal glands. Testosterone is the most potent androgen in humans.
We know now that testosterone is an indispensable hormone for sexual health. That is why it is important to understand the full impact that opiates play on testosterone levels.
Ironically, both men and women produce testosterone, but young adult men have about 7-8 times as much as young adult women. Production of testosterone increases during puberty to help boys develop into sexually mature men, so young men can reproduce.
As adult men and women age they naturally produce less and less testosterone, but opiate use, and in particular heroin use, has been inextricably linked to a premature collapse in testosterone production. Consequently, male heroin addicts generally have much lower testosterone levels than non-heroin addicts of similar age. This also holds true for most opiates, including methadone, oxycodone, fentanyl and more.
Symptoms of low testosterone include depression, fatigue, night sweats, reduced sex drive, ED, and diminished sexual arousal and satisfaction. Men may also develop osteoporosis, anemia, and diminished muscle mass. Women may also develop irregular menstrual cycles and diminished sex drive.
Regardless if it is opiate consumption that lowers your testosterone levels or natural aging, the consequences are often loss of body hair, wrinkling of skin, increased body fat, reduced sexual performance, mood disturbances and low sperm count.
If you are concerned about your testosterone levels, talk to your physician. We know now that opiates such as heroin and painkillers suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in men and produce a symptomatic state of opioid-induced androgen deficiency (OPIAD). Testosterone patch therapy may normalize hormone levels and improve a number of quality of life parameters, including sexual function, well-being, and mood. If you are concerned about your testosterone levels, you should talk to your physician.
There is a special mineral found in abundance in oysters, called zinc, which, has been shown in several scientific studies to increase testosterone production. Salmon has a high Vitamin D content, one of the highest of all foods. Optimal Vitamin D levels are strongly correlated with optimal testosterone levels. What you may not know is that it can help optimize your hormones, including testosterone levels. Broccoli (and other cruciferous vegetables) contain indole-3-carbinol, which inhibits conversion of testosterone to estrogen, so natural testosterone levels stay high. Broccoli is high in vitamin C, which lowers cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone that often interferes with testosterone production. Cocoa powder is high in magnesium and L-arginine, which support testosterone production. Coconut is a food with a direct link to hormone production. It’s rich in saturated fat, one of the key building blocks of all sex hormones.
WHO IS MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO ALCOHOL? Those with higher personality trait inhibitedness are most susceptible to alcoholism. The[...]
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I’m having trouble peeing Urine retention is an inability to pee, and we get it, this is not an[...]
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Chronic opiate use inhibits the pituitary gland from releasing luteinizing hormone (LH) into the circulatory system. LH is[...]
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Androgens and Testosterone Androgens are sex hormones. They are made primarily in the male testes, female ovaries,[...]
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INTRODUCTION We get calls every day from disillusioned men and women who realize they cannot get off methadone.[...]
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DEFINITION Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS) refers to a spectrum of signs and symptoms that develop after a person,[...]
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Heroin targets your brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in[...]
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How You Can Die From Heroin Withdrawal There are not many rules about what “not” to do when[...]
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Among heroin addicts there is an unofficial term used to describe heroin-related memory loss. That term is “CRS”[...]
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Goals The goals of addiction treatment are to attain and sustain long-term abstinence. This outcome allows men and[...]
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WHAT IS CBT? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or “CBT” is an integration of two different therapies, Behavior Therapy and[...]
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Can heroin change your personality? There are three primary elements to heroin related personality change; (1) were either[...]
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Why was heroin invented? At the time heroin was invented, the only effective medication for pain, diarrhea and[...]
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Heroin tolerance, dependence, and addiction are all manifestations of brain changes resulting from repeated heroin use. The struggle[...]
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Tolerance to heroin Heroin tolerance is is a complex process of neuroadaptation. It is defined by reduced response[...]
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Alcohol Dangers: We know the subjective effects of alcohol appear to be greatest in men and women[...]
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How many heroin overdoses in 2016? In 2016 there were 63,632 drug overdose fatalities. Of those fatalities, 42,249[...]
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DETOXIFICATION The purpose of drug detox is fourfold: (1) to manage withdrawal symptoms, (2) purge chemical substances, (3)[...]
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Alphabetical This is an alphabetical list of opiate terms and definitions. We compiled them here in one place[...]
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“Doctors who enable addicts betray their profession,” – Nick DiGiulio. United States Attorney Zane David Memeger, and Drug[...]
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