The pull of addiction is beyond human control. Neuroscientist Nora Volkow is a pioneer in addiction medicine and director of National Institute of Drug Abuse at NIH. In this talk which was taped at TEDMED 2014, she applies the lens of addiction to eating disorders and obesity; describing the brain chemical issues at play. TEDMED features the brightest minds in health + medicine at their yearly conference.
Read MoreSo there is a lot of advice out there telling you WHY you need to change beliefs, habits and lifestyle to achieve the life you truly desire to live. And that's great and all. Many of us are aware that we need to change. Many of us are painfully aware of the self-destructive things we do, that we wish would just vanish. Every Monday we start a new. Every year we set the same resolutions. And days turn into weeks that turn into months, years. The story of our life. If we think back on all those years - decades even, that we have tried and tried and yet we are exactly where we started; it can seem quite depressing. The question most of us are left stuck with is HOW. As in HOW do I change - I understand I need to, but HOW do I do it? There are 5 qualities that facilitate change. Without them you will stay stuck in Neverland. So what are the 5 qualities that will facilitate the change you want? Let's dive in.
Read MoreToday I am going to reveal the top 3 supplements that CRUSH sugar cravings. Especially an issue for anyone coming off drugs, alcohol or binging behaviors.
Read MoreThe biggest downfall when trying to break bad habits is to rely on willpower to carry you through the storms and emotional turmoil that comes with every change. Simply because willpower is fragile and emotions change with the wind. It's only human to give into pleasure as we are hedonistic creatures baseline. You want to understand the WHYs of what it is that is driving your current self-destruction and then create a constructive habit to take over the former destructive - this is the science of neuroplasticity in action.
Read MoreRecovery often feels like two steps forward and one step back - and sometimes one step forward and two steps back. Again and again. We often feel like the world is against us. that we have no willpower. That we are the victim. We just can't go on anymore. We have tried every possible way. We feel weak, exhausted and full of self-pity --- and self-hate. And we often look for something or someone to save us. Someone to save us from ourselves before we drown. Drowning in the rivers we have created with our tears, blood and sweat.
Read MoreOne of the reasons why we don't change, let go of addictions, stop disordered eating behaviors and just being self-destructive, is that we simply don't believe we can. And whatever we believe, we will act upon. Our actions are a reflection of what we think - the things we tell ourselves day in and day out. If we tell ourselves that we can't, we won't even try - and if we try, we will self-sabotage.
Read MoreIt is well-known in addiction research that exercise can increase endorphins, which help take the edge off withdrawal symptoms and elevate mood. In other words, movement is a core component of every human beings health. When we were kids, we would spill over with energy and zest for life - like we were in a room without ceiling. We needed not be told what was good for us, we were so connected to our body, mind and soul, that we instinctively did what felt good. Addiction is a hunger for happiness, for wholeness, for meaning.... for something more. However, exercise can both REDUCE or INCREASE stress and the risk of relapse - in this article I go through 5 exercise styles that will help you thrive in recovery and actually achieve your body and mind goals faster. And no, the key is not harder, longer, faster.
Read MoreAddictions - whether food, drug or alcohol - overlap in that they are all based in the brain. Addiction is not a willpower issue - it is a brain disorder. Addicts typically suffer from ragged nerves, anxiety and lack of impulse control. These are all issues tied to a weak brain. Mind you - NOT a stupid brain, or low IQ. Just a brain that doesn't have enough fat to protect the nerves from stress, trauma, toxins and high-sugar diets. Our brain mainly consists of FAT. The types of fats we eat directly impacts our brain health and ability to deal with stress, breaking addictions and minimizing withdrawal symptoms.
Read MoreDid you know that violent behavior whether leading to destruction against others or one-self, such as in addictions, is tied to specific nutrient imbalances that can be traced already in kids? We used to think that violent behavior, addictions, eating disorders and general social dysfunctional behaviors were a result of lack of supportive parental guidance and a good upbringing. Well, it has long been known in nutritional psychiatry, that terrible childhood actually has little to do with where people end up later in life. We are not our trauma, and we can transcend pain of the past, when we are resilient on a biological level.
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Hugs are one of the most simple ways to make you body release oxytocin. The more oxytocin your pituitary gland releases, the better you are able to deal with life's stressors.
Read MoreOne of the most frequent drug prescriptions today, are anti-anxiety drugs. There are many reasons for that, aside from that every addiction or eating disordered is always related to some sort of anxiety. And this regardless of whether one is aware of it or not. There is always an element of anxiety when we use food, starvation, overexercise or drugs to suppress this inner sense of "unsettleness". When we have an overexcited nervous system, always feel wired, work with technology all day, drink too much black coffee, get too little deep sleep before midnight in order to repair brain cells, and perhaps also struggle with a digestion not functioning due to painkillers and antibiotic popped like candy these day, we will feel anxious - or unable to be calm. Thus we look for an external fix
Read MoreCravings for drugs or out of control carb cravings are very similar in their neuropathway manifestation. This is also why you typically see recovered drug addicts dealing with food issues after they leave rehab. Thriving in recovery is not exchanging one addiction for another. Living a life as a junkie is not limited to those on drugs.
Read MoreDo you know WHY you want to change your behavior? This may seem like a ridiculous question. "Of course I know why", you might be thinking, and if so - great. What is your main reason for wanting to change now? Think about it and list your reasons, because if you can't be to-the-point of WHY you want change, you are not going to do what it takes to get there - a lot of us have wishes, but without action, nothing. And if our actions are not driven by emotions, that we can FEEL in our heart, there will be a dissonance between our heart and brain. This means that we will constantly struggle to move forward.
Read MoreAs you probably know, Robin Williams died this week due to addiction issues. Very, very sad. Not long before that, we lost Phillip Seymour Hoffman. And a couple months prior that, we lost L'wren Scott, Mick Jagger's latest wife. And a couple months before that tragedy, Peaches Geldof, Bob Geldof's 25-year-old gorgeous daughter kissed the dust. Every single one struggled with drug addiction. And died from that. It is not uncommon for those, who struggle with drugs, that they also suffer from different disordered eating behaviors as well, often overlooked and ignored due to drug use. Together they form a fatal combination, heart attack waiting to happen. A heart can only take so much stress before it gives up.
Read MoreWhen we are in pain, we all want to get rid of it. And preferably fast. We are obsessed with shortcuts. Diets. Instant-fix. Instant gratifications. Drugs. Alcohol. Food. Now now now. The thing is, that when we try to speed up recovery for the sake of shortcut, we miss out on the growth that comes only though pain. Our main growth in life happens through pain. That is why we should embrace pain, rather than just try to get rid of it as fast as we can. That, and the fact that what we resist, persists. So the only real shortcut is to embrace that which we fear. Why 95% of all diets fail and most people who are on a diet will gain weight. Being on a diet is the single dominant predicative parameter of future weight gain. Because shortcuts are not the solution to our struggles. Mastery is. And mastery is not something we learn overnight or by fearing failure.
Read MoreThat's exactly when is the perfect time to give back. Yes, at the point where you feel, you have hit rock bottom. Everything is against you and possibly everyone left you. This is when you feel that you cannot give anything to anyone. You feel like a used piece of tissue - wet, dirty and useless. The key to get unstuck of your misery, is to start giving in your weakest moment.
Read MoreAmber Valletta, ex-addict and supermodel, speaks out about the things she has found that she needs to do to thrive in recovery.
A key thing for Amber's ability to manage her emotions without drugs is mindfullness - her daily meditation practice. You can watch the video with Amber here.
This week I want to talk about the next step in recovery - and basically one of the most important steps for anyone dealing with wanting to change a behavior: building a daily meditation practice.
Read MoreIt is critical for anyone dealing with an eating disorder or addiction to get their sleep routine down to rebalance biochemically. This is the single most important step before focusing on any other behavior and nutritional steps. Simply because your brain cannot use its frontal lobe aka rational decision-making, nor can your body utilize all the nourishing foods you may be giving it, if you don't allow time for rest and digest. Timing is important because we have an internal clock that sends off specific hormones at specific times, so you want to honor that with your lifestyle to not only survive recovery, but to THRIVE in recovery.
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