Leslie Glass's Blog, page 408

More pregnant moms using pot

(CNN)More pregnant women seem to be using pot — sometimes to ease the nausea of morning sickness or heightened anxiety — and a new study suggests that this slight rise in marijuana use is most pronounced among those younger in age.

The prevalence of marijuana use among a sample of moms-to-be in California climbed from 4.2% to 7.1% from 2009 through 2016, according to a research letter published in the journal JAMA on Tuesday.
Among pregnant teens younger than 18, marijuana use climbed from 12.5% to 21.8%, and among women 18 to 24, marijuana use climbed from 9.8% to 19%, the researchers found.
That research involved only certain women in California, but a separate study of pregnant women across the United States, published in JAMA in January, found that those who reported using marijuana in the previous month grew from 2.37% in 2002 to 3.85% in 2014. The women were 18 to 44.

This is your body on weed 01:39




Doctors caution that the health effects of marijuana on a fetus remain unclear but could include low birth weight and developmental problems, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of the chemicals in marijuana, like tetrahydrocannabinol, known as THC, could pass through a mother’s system to her baby.

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that “women who are pregnant or contemplating pregnancy should be encouraged to discontinue marijuana use” and “to discontinue use of marijuana for medicinal purposes in favor of an alternative therapy.”
Additionally, “there are insufficient data to evaluate the effects of marijuana use on infants during lactation and breastfeeding, and in the absence of such data, marijuana use is discouraged,” according to the recommendations.

Why more pregnant women are using weed

The new research involved 279,457 mothers-to-be, 12 and older, who were in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California health care system. The study participants completed questionnaires about their marijuana use and took a cannabis toxicology test during their standard prenatal care visits from 2009 through 2016.

Regular marijuana users have more sex, study says


The women were screened for marijuana use at approximately eight weeks’ gestation.
The researchers found that the prevalence of marijuana use, based on self-reports or toxicology results, soared among all age groups, but the biggest rise was among those 24 and younger.
“We were concerned to find that the prevalence of marijuana use in pregnancy is increasing more quickly among younger females, aged 24 and younger, and to see the high prevalence of use in this age group,” the study’s lead author, Kelly Young-Wolff, licensed clinical psychologist and research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, wrote in an email.
For other age groups, the researchers found that marijuana use rose from 3.4% to 5.1% among women 25 to 34 and from 2.1% to 3.3% among women older than 34.

Getting clean while pregnant 06:23



Pregnancy in adolescents has been linked to increases in behaviors such as drinking and marijuana use, and pot use could have a disproportionate effect on the increase seen among teens in the study because the adolescent participant group had fewer members than the adult groups.
For instance, moms-to-be younger than 18 years were only 1.4% of the overall sample in the study, but 18 to 24 were 15.8%, 25 to 34 were 61.6%, and older than 34 were 21.2%.
Additionally, “we were unable to distinguish prenatal use before versus after women realized they were pregnant,” Young-Wolff wrote.
“Marijuana is detectable in urine approximately 30 days after last use and this varies with heaviness of use and marijuana potency,” she said. “it is possible, but unlikely, that some toxicology tests identified prepregnancy use.”
The findings also were limited to data on pregnant women within one health care system in a limited geographic area of California.
All in all, “the paper is not surprising, and the findings of a rise in marijuana use during pregnancy is consistent with recent attention to marijuana and legalization in various states,” said Dr. Haywood Brown, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the new study.
An advantage of the study, he added, was that women not only self-reported marijuana use but also were screened for marijuana — and he thinks the study findings are age-related, as the largest increase in marijuana use was among adolescents and young adults.

How to talk to kids about legal marijuana


As the study showed the highest increase in marijuana use among women 24 and younger, that age group might hold clues as to why there has been an overall increase, said Dr. Robyn Horsager-Boehrer, professor and chief of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Southwestern’s William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital.
“Think about marijuana use from their perspective, especially in Northern California. California legalized medical marijuana use in 1996, so they have grown up with the idea of it not only not being illegal but being a medical therapy,” said Horsager-Boehrer, who was not involved in the study.
“With the proximity to Oregon and Washington, they also have experience with any use being legal,” she said. “So I think the idea that use is rising is just because of the greater legal exposure to marijuana that women have today versus 20 years ago.”
Young-Wolff noted in her email that the study itself did not investigate reasons for the rise in marijuana use among pregnant women.

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Kick Start Your New Year – Day 3

How do we stop eating constantly as our blood sugar roller coaster takes us up and down? It’s a seven part lifestyle change, and today we are adding healthy fats.

On day one, we added more water. This article also explains why our blood sugar spikes. Next on day two, we added protein because protein keeps us full. And now…Fat. Thought you shouldn’t have it? Think again.

Slow Burn

Fats (or lipids) are used for energy in the body as a slow burn. Unlike the quick burst of energy from a carbohydrate, fats provide a long term source of energy. Fats are additionally beneficial as they:

Absorb fat soluble vitamins
Aid in the maintenance of a steady metabolism
Nourish the skin, hair, and nails

Fats, like proteins, are macronutrients; they need to be broken down to be effective. Fatty acids and glycerol are the components of fats.  Their structural arrangement determines whether they are deemed “healthy” or “unhealthy” due, in part, to their level of saturation. Trans fats, saturated fats, unsaturated fats, and essential fatty acids (Omega-3) are the different types of fats, and some are healthier than others.

Stay Away From Trans Fats

Trans fats are chemically altered fats. Since they are man-made, the body has a difficult time processing them. These fats raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, accelerating heart disease and aging. They increase food’s shelf life and give flavor to processed foods, commercially prepared baked goods and margarines. They should be eliminated from a healthy diet.

Minimize Saturated Fats

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and, with one notable exception, their consumption should be minimized. The exception is coconut oil as it contains beneficial medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs). Coconut oil can:

Promote heart health
Stimulate metabolism
Keep the skin youthful looking

Add Healthy Unsaturated Fats

Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, like canola and olive oil. These are fats that can be added to the diet as a healthier alternative to the synthetic trans fats and the saturated fats like butter.

What Are Essential Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are “essential” because the body cannot make them. Ergo, they must be obtained through the diet. They are the most healthy for us to consume, but also the least common in a typical American diet.

Notably, they are anti-inflammatory, and keep the blood sugar level consistent. This promotes:

Memory
Energy
Mood
Decreased stress

EFAs are divided into the Omega-3 and Omega-6. The standard American diet overloads the 6s and skimps on the 3s. Omega-3s are found in:

Oily fish
Fish oil supplements
Walnuts
Flax seed

In some individual diets the ratio is skewed 20:1 in favor of Omega-6, which limits the anti-inflammatory punch of the Omega-3.

Watch Out For No or Low Fat Foods

When diets are labeled “No fat”, “Fat free” and “Low fat”, the mindset is to remove fat, as though its mere presence in the diet created havoc.  Fat is not the enemy! It is an essential macronutrient, and its removal from the diet is what is detrimental.

When one nutrient is removed from a balanced diet, another takes its place. In the case of removing fats, the alternative is often sugar. Therefore, a seemingly healthy version of a “No fat”, “Fat free” or “Low fat” diet becomes a “High sugar” diet and back on the roller coaster you go.

Have You Tried Coconut Oil?

This week, take on adding a healthy fat to your diet. Try using coconut oil instead of butter on your toast, or add it to your coffee and reap the additional benefits of smooth, soft lips. Sprinkle some walnuts on your salad. Add flax to a smoothie. The possibilities are endless possibilities. Comment below with a favorite of your own…

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County pushes toward elusive goal of treatment on demand

Rachael Zimlich, RN, Addiction Professional   People with substance use problems don’t usually return home to sit by the phone when they’ve been denied immediate treatment. In fact, they often return to what brought them to seek help in the first place. The federal government estimates that overall, around 90% of the people who need rehabilitation for substance use never receive it.

King County, Wash., has embarked on an ambitious effort to reverse the trend. The county Health and Recorder Division oversees a network of 30 providers furnishing addiction and mental health services for the county. County officials have partnered with the Ballmer Group and Third Sector Capital Partners, along with MTM Inc., to find a way to offer patients same-day access to these providers. The program, dubbed “Pay for Success,” directs $1.4 million per year to behavioral health providers that offer treatment on demand to the 22,000 low-income King County residents who will be eligible for the program.

Jim Vollendroff, director of the county Behavioral Health and Recovery Division, tells Addiction Professional that it’s critical for the county to be able to offer timely access to addiction and mental health services. Patients who don’t get access to the treatment they need when they need it most end up having poor outcomes and are more likely to die prematurely as a result of lack of access and care coordination, Vollendroff says.

A 2006 report published in the Journal of Drug Issues highlighted this problem through narratives. The study followed 52 individuals with substance use problems, reporting on their experiences in seeking treatment. More than 45% went to rehabilitation intake centers of their own accord, 21% were court-ordered to do so, nearly 12% were referred by another provider, around 10% were sent by family members or friends, and about 12% were referred by homeless shelters or children’s services. Only about one-third of the patients who reported to the intake unit received an appointment within 24 hours, according to the report, with 11.5% having to wait more than a week to get help. The average wait time to enter a treatment program after initial contact with a provider was 42.5 days.

These, Vollendroff says, are the types of delays King County is working to avoid with the new program, which has been modeled after the National Council for Behavioral Health’s same-day access initiative. “One of the things that we found as we looked into this is, the earlier you access care, the better the outcome,” he says.

Program mechanics

The county is rolling out the program with a small group of providers, and will increase the number of participants and the financial incentives offered over time. Debra Srebnik, a quality improvement specialist with the county, says providers who participate are offered a front-end incentive payment simply for implementing a rapid access program, in order to recognize them for the resources they have spent in developing these systems.

“We really wanted to recognize those first six months,” says Srebnik. With the submission of a plan and the results of patient satisfaction monitoring, the providers are getting six months of incentives without having to undergo a performance review. “After six months, incentives will be based on their ability to meet the metrics,” says Srebnik.

There are three metrics the program will use to measure performance and to award incentives, Srebnik says:

The amount of time it takes from a patient’s request for service to when intake is offered. The target is zero to one days, and the goal is to have 85% of patients covered in that range, she says, adding that half of the incentive payment will be based on this metric alone.
The second metric is the time elapsed from when a service was requested until actual intake occurs. Srebnik says that ideally, an appointment would take place no more than four days from the initial request or offer, and 80% of patients would fall under this.
Finally, providers will be incentivized based on the time it takes for patients to move from their first appointment to a routine or follow-up visit. The target is within seven days, based on a national benchmark, Srebnik says.

Biggest challenge

This move toward better outcomes is ambitious, Vollendroff says, because many challenges complicate the effort to offer same-day services in addiction and mental health.

“We’re rolling out a number of projects in which we are moving to a value-based system and paying providers a number of incentives to reach certain outcomes,” he says. “It’s a challenge for providers from a staffing standpoint,” which he sees as the most pressing issue for participating organizations.

Vollendroff says King County is working on a legislative strategy for improving reimbursement for addiction and mental health care as a way to attract more providers to the field, alleviating workforce shortages.

Initially, six agencies signed on to the King County program, says Srebnik. Now, 23 of 29 outpatient providers are participating. Although the effort is still in its pilot phase, Srebnik says metric-based incentive payments will start later in 2018. Program leaders report early successes, based on anecdotal reports.

“I hear a lot of feedback and I hear a lot of phone calls from family members,” Vollendroff says. “Just having the conversation with our providers has heightened their awareness and commitment.”

Beratta Gomillion, executive director of the Center for Human Services, says the provider agency has worked with the county and MTM to implement same-day access and that it has been a “win-win-win” for patients, the organization, and clinicians.

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Ten Reasons To Make Singing Your Drug Of Choice

From The Huffington Post Neuroscience proves that group singing makes us happier, healthier, smarter and more creative. Every time you sing, you fire up the right temporal lobe of your brain, and release endorphins including oxytocin which result in heightened states of pleasure, bliss, bonding and love.

These chemicals also enhance neuroplasticity of our brains, boost our immune system, fight illness, depression and strokes and help us handle pain better. What’s more, choral singers have been shown to have enhanced learning skills, synchronized heartbeats and enter patterns of yogic breathing. So what better activity for one’s mental health than a daily dose of song?

The scientific benefits of singing are really mind-boggling!

Singing together is a super-dooper drug that integrates the mind and body and helps to heal our brains and enhance our learning abilities! And it’s free because we all have a voice!

We spend about 85 percent of our time in the left side of our brain, which deals with logic and analytics. This drains our mental battery. The right side of our brains, which deals with intuition, emotion, creativity and fantasy, needs to be recharged.

Activities which recharge our brains include meditation, being in nature, connecting with loved ones and — you guessed it — singing with others!

Ten reasons to make singing your drug of choice:

Release endorphins and increases levels of oxytocin
Improve posture, breathing and blood-flow
Save money: our voice is our free human instrument
Create new neural pathways and improve brain meta-plasticity
Ward off age-related decline by continuously ‘exercising’ your brain
Heal depression, strokes and speech abnormalities
Promote social bonding and cohesion; and rediscover your own identity
Relieve mental health issues; feel happier, better connected and supported
Connect with other diverse voices and your community
Be smarter, healthier, happier and more creative

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Kick Start Your New Year – Day 2

All day snacking sends our bodies on a wild ride. Blood sugar dips and swings demand sugary foods every 2-3 hours. On day one, we up-ed our water intake. Today, we’re changing our fuel source.

As we nourish our bodies with foods that are high energy, we will crowd out foods that provide low energy. Our focus, therefore, is on what we are adding to our diets, and not what we are restricting from our diets. There will be no ‘do not eat’ list of foods that must be remembered, instead we will tune into our bodies and consider how energetic we feel.

Timing Your Intake Of Protein

Protein is one of the three major macronutrients required by the body. Proteins are broken down into amino acids. These amino acids repair and maintain the body. When the amount of protein consumed is greater than the demand by the body for necessary repair, it is used for energy.

That’s right! Excess protein is converted to energy. So if too much protein is consumed in addition to carbohydrates, which are another type of macronutrient, the protein will be converted to fats. Then it’s stored on the body as fat.

How To Stop Highs and Lows Of Rollercoaster Eating

In order to stabilize the coaster, we must consume protein in just the right amount so that any excess is converted to energy and not fat. What is the right amount of protein to eat?  Unfortunately, this question isn’t easy to answer. The right amount of protein for one person isn’t the right amount for the next. Instead, we can identify the best protein source and the timing of that source in the best lab in the world — the body. Here’s how to figure out how much you need:

Journal Your Eating To Gauge Your Energy Throughout The Day

Start experimenting! Keep a journal and chart what you’re eating and when you are eating it. For best results, try proteins from both animal and plant sources. Animal sources of protein include:

Fish
Poultry
Meat

Plant sources include:

Nuts
Nut butters
Beans
Lentils
Chia seeds

Day One – Add a plant source at breakfast and check in with your energy level after a couple of hours – is your energy up or do you feel sluggish?

Day Two – Try an animal source the next day for breakfast. Check in after two hours – energy up or down?

Day Three – Have no protein for breakfast and check in on your energy in the same way. Follow the same guidelines for your other meals.

For Vegetarians

If you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, experiment with the types of foods you are choosing and the amount of protein in the serving. Perhaps you require more protein at breakfast to keep your blood sugar in check, while someone else requires less, or requires it from a specific source.

The idea here is to check in with your body, be curious and just notice what attributes to the rises and falls of your energy. In this way, the drastic highs and lows of the blood sugar roller coaster will start to stabilize and for longer periods of time.

The Goal Is To Sustain Your High Energy Longer

Kudos to you for taking on this journey! Remember, start with drinking more water. Note what happened that you are particularly proud of.  No matter how small the accomplishment may seem, no self- editing! Please comment on your progress or questions. We’re all in this together!

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Kick Start Your New Year – Day 1

What if you could make one small change in your diet that would create a domino effect on your entire year? The keys to more energy, better focus, and weight loss in 2018 all hinge on one medical marker: your blood sugar. From the moment we wake up, our blood sugar takes us on a roller coaster ride that continues throughout the day.

Often, we break the fast of slumber with sugary goodies. This surges energy into our body. Then around mid-morning, we feel the crash of low energy. Into the break room we go, looking for something to boost our energy. The snack works until just about lunchtime. The collective grumblings from our bellies create a loud uprising. Across the office, the text messages begin in earnest, “Lunch?”

High To Low

We’re satiated afterwards, driving the roller coaster back up until mid-afteronoon. The blood sugar roller coaster takes another free fall, and we scurry off to the vending machine. Up and down the rails the roller coaster travels, carrying our energy along for the ride.

The energy highs and lows drive us to snack. Before we realize it, we’re eating between meals, before meals and after meals. Then it becomes a habit. This ritualized feeding has created lifestyle diseases like obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis and heart disease. These are called lifestyle diseases. They are born of industrialization, and they can be prevented by habit changes in the areas of diet and lifestyle. The needle mover in the American diet, therefore, is balancing blood sugar.

Day 1 – Add More Water

Blood sugar is the fuel that drives the roller coaster and the diet. Balancing it becomes the respite from the highs and lows encountered in a typical day.

The first step to balance blood sugar is to increase your daily intake of water. Water is one of the main nutrients in the body, and it’s most commonly underestimated when considering a diet.

Water fights inflammation; it regulates metabolism and provides extra energy. Unfortunately, the typical American is dehydrated daily. Many drink far less than the average minimum requirement of 64 ounces. Checking for adequate water intake does not require a fancy test or a jab with a needle. Simple observation of the abundance of urine and a pale yellow color is validation of being fully hydrated.

Make It Tasty

Many people complain water “Doesn’t taste like anything.” This is a simple fix. Adding pure essential oils like lime, lemon or sweet orange add taste without adding sugar, caffeine or excess electrolytes to the diet. Natural spring water, purified water and tap water carried in a refillable bottle make access to water uncomplicated, albeit its consumption is not inevitable.

Make It Subtle

When adding water to the diet, it must be done incrementally, adding approximately 4 – 8 ounces until the 64 ounces or .67% of the body weight is achieved. Keep in mind that as with any habit change, it will require time for the body to adapt. When adding water to the diet, you will be in the bathroom more often than you’re used to until the body adjusts to the increase.

Make It A Habit

Also, remember that knowledge does not equal behavioral change! Just because you know what you’re supposed to be doing, doesn’t mean you’ll make a change.  We spend our lives in the realm of knowledge.  We must move from knowing to doing. We have to re-wire our brains so that our go-to responses are those which support healthy lifestyles.

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Weekly fish consumption linked to better sleep, higher IQ

From Science Daily  Children who eat fish at least once a week sleep better and have IQ scores that are 4 points higher, on average, than those who consume fish less frequently or not at all, according to new findings from the University of Pennsylvania published this week in Scientific Reports, a Nature journal.

Previous studies showed a relationship between omega-3s, the fatty acids in many types of fish, and improved intelligence, as well as omega-3s and better sleep. But they’ve never all been connected before. This work, conducted by Jianghong Liu, Jennifer Pinto-Martin and Alexandra Hanlon of the School of Nursing and Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor Adrian Raine, reveals sleep as a possible mediating pathway, the potential missing link between fish and intelligence.

“This area of research is not well-developed. It’s emerging,” said Liu, lead author on the paper and an associate professor of nursing and public health. “Here we look at omega-3s coming from our food instead of from supplements.”

For the work, a cohort of 541 9- to 11-year-olds in China, 54 percent boys and 46 percent girls, completed a questionnaire about how often they consumed fish in the past month, with options ranging from “never” to “at least once per week.” They also took the Chinese version of an IQ test called the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, which examines verbal and non-verbal skills such as vocabulary and coding.

Their parents then answered questions about sleep quality using the standardized Children Sleep Habits Questionnaire, which included topics such as sleep duration and frequency of night waking or daytime sleepiness. Finally, the researchers controlled for demographic information, including parental education, occupation and marital status and number of children in the home.

Analyzing these data points, the Penn team found that children who reported eating fish weekly scored 4.8 points higher on the IQ exams than those who said they “seldom” or “never” consumed fish. Those whose meals sometimes included fish scored 3.3 points higher. In addition, increased fish consumption was associated with fewer disturbances of sleep, which the researchers say indicates better overall sleep quality.

“Lack of sleep is associated with antisocial behavior; poor cognition is associated with antisocial behavior,” said Raine, who has appointments in the School of Arts and Sciences and Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. “We have found that omega-3 supplements reduce antisocial behavior, so it’s not too surprising that fish is behind this.”

Pinto-Martin, who is executive director of Penn’s Center for Public Health Initiatives, as well as the Viola MacInnes/Independence Professor of Nursing and a professor of epidemiology in Penn Medicine, sees strong potential for the implications of this research.

“It adds to the growing body of evidence showing that fish consumption has really positive health benefits and should be something more heavily advertised and promoted,” she said. “Children should be introduced to it early on.” That could be as young as 10 months, as long as the fish has no bones and has been finely chopped, but should start by around age 2.

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10 Wellness trends Pinterest predicts for 2018

If the thought of living healthy in the new year makes your mind turn to treadmill workouts and broccoli recipes, then Pinterest’s top wellness trends for 2018 is for you. Encompassing healthy habits that benefit your mind, body, and soul, the just-released list has something for every Pinner—61% of whom say Pinterest is where they find ideas to be their best selves. Here’s a look at the food, fitness, and feel-good trends that will be all over your boards next year.

The trend: A gut feeling

Is it just us, or did gut bacteria totally take over in 2017? Feeding yours with GI-friendly grub offers major health benefits, including reduced inflammation. Expect digestive health to still be buzzy in 2018—and start by pinning recipes starring the best probiotic foods for your gut.

The trend: Strength over size

More and more Pinners are hopping off the treadmill and onto the strength-training bandwagon, and with good reason: Strength training builds muscle, sure, but it also improves your balance, keeps your bones healthy, and helps you burn fat—yes, really. But it’s not the slimming effects that will reign supreme in 2018. Next year is about celebrating the amazing things your body is capable of.

The trend: Let’s clear the air

If you already eat clean, it’s time to consider the air you breathe in 2018. Air purifiers and plants that do the work for you make great additions to a healthy home. They keep your rooms free of smoke, dust, and other allergens and reduce the effect these can have on your body.

The trend: The post-workout

Consider the post-workout like an after-party: Sometimes it’s as big a deal (if not bigger!) than the main event. Recovering from tough workouts means knowing the best snacks and meals to eat, the best cool-down stretches to flow through, and the best compression gear to throw on to help you feel better fast.

The trend: A treat for tresses

Resolve to treat your hair as well as you treat your skin in 2018. Whether that means whipping up homemade, all-natural shampoo or simply washing your hair less, healthy hair tips for softer, shinier locks are going to be even more popular in the new year.

The trend: The vitamin for brighter skin

Just a few drops of a vitamin C serum as part of your daily skincare routine can help reduce signs of aging, thanks to the vitamin’s powerful antioxidant properties. Brighter, firmer skin, fewer fine lines, and a more even skin tone can be yours thanks to serums like SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic Serum ($165, dermstore.com).

The trend: The most underrated exercise

The ancient Chinese practice of tai chi—which combines gentle, flowing movements with deep breathing and meditative thoughts—is winning over modern fitness fanatics. Try this low-impact exercise for its serious relaxation benefits and ability to reduce pain.

The trend: Wait, you can eat those?

We fell in love with essential oil diffusers in 2017; what better way to turn a home into a calming sanctuary or an invigorating den of creativity? Now, as 2018 approaches, we’re curious about how to incorporate them into our diets too. But serious word of caution: Only ingest essential oils labeled as food grade! Many essential oils are not safe for internal use.

The trend: Self-care staycations

A lot of us had a lot to fight for in 2017, which meant carving out crucial “me time” to practice restorative, re-energizing behaviors to keep us moving forward. Self care, once maligned as indulgent, became a necessity. In 2018, taking a break will still be important—even if you don’t leave your couch.

The trend: New prop on the block

Move over blocks and blankets: The yoga wheel is the latest fan-favorite yoga prop. The wheel allows for deeper stretches and self-massages, and it can support you through more challenging postures. Yogis on Instagram are already obsessed and celebs are joining in on the trend, so get pinning!

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Adolescent brain makes learning easier

The brains of adolescents react more responsively to receiving rewards. This can lead to risky behaviour, but, according to Leiden University research, it also has a positive function: it makes learning easier. This work has been published in Nature Communications.

Alcohol abuse, reckless behaviour and poor choice in friends: all these are inextricably linked to puberty and adolescence. In the late teens, young people test their limits, and in many cases, push beyond their limits. This is due in part to increased activity in the corpus striatum, a small area deeply hidden away inside the brain. According to previous research, that part of the brain in young people is more responsive to receiving rewards.

Sensitive

Leiden University scientists are now able to show that this increased activity in the corpus striatum does not have only negative consequences. ‘The adolescent brain is very sensitive to feedback,’ says Sabine Peters, assistant professor of developmental and educational psychology and lead author of the article. ‘That makes adolescence the ideal time to acquire and retain new information.’

Peters used a large data set for her research with MRI scans. Over a period of five years, no fewer than 736 brain scans were made of a total of 300 subjects between the ages of 8 and 29. According to Peters, the data set is about ten times larger than that of most comparable studies. In the MRI scanner, participants had to solve a memory game. During that game, the researchers gave feedback on the participants’ performance.

Instructional feedback

‘It showed that adolescents responded keenly to educational feedback’, says Peters. ‘If the adolescent received useful feedback, then you saw the corpus striatum being activated. This was not the case with less pertinent feedback, for example, if the test person already knew the answer. The stronger your brain recognises that difference, the better the performance in the learning task. Brain activation could even predict learning performance two years into the future.’

It has been known for some time that adolescent brains become more ‘successful’ when they receive the same reward as small children or adults. For example, it has already been proven that the use of drugs and/or alcohol in the teenage years is linked to powerful activation in the brain’s reward system. Peters: ‘It explains why adolescents and young adults go on a voyage of discovery, with all the positive and negative consequences that entails. You see the same behavior in many animal species, including rats and mice.’

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5 Ways To Protect Your Holiday From Addiction

The holidays are here and most people celebrate the season by attending parties or inviting people to their home. Many spent the last few weeks dreaming of white picket fence homes with a Norman Rockwell interior photos of families. Unfortunately, these visions of happy guests opening gifts by the fireplace is no longer the norm. Here’s what to do and how to enjoy the holidays despite the chaos that addiction brings to our lives. 

1. Manage Your Expectations

Some of our expectations are rooted from our own experience, or by watching movies such as White Christmas.  In real life there is no perfection, and your family member will not behave “good” all of a sudden because it’s holiday time. Be prepared and don’t raise the bar too high.

2. Have Firm Ground Rules

If an active user is in your midst, clearly communicate behavior expectations around children and elderly members of the family. Follow with consequences if and when needed.

3. Intervene As A Family

The holidays are perfect times to conduct an intervention for your loved one while all family members gather together. However, do not do it impromptu. Interventions need to be planned, talked over with other family members, and only then you might get you loved active user’s attention.

4. Keep Anxiety At Bay

If your loved one is in recovery, do not fret over him or her. No need to get anxious that they might have a relapse. If he or she does relapse, the family needs to confront it and take action. Take the relapse seriously; however, don’t over react for it is not the end of the world.

5. Take Care Of Your And Let Go

We can’t stress enough about how important it is to care for yourself and let go of outcomes. Fatigue breeds a sense of helplessness. Want to enjoy your guests more?

Go for that walk in nature
Hit the gym
Take that long bath before all the guests arrive

You will be rested enough when the time comes to respond and take action if necessary. Finally, enlist others to help. Then everyone can share in the warmth of holiday hosting.

Addiction is not a secret, but life can be lived and enjoyed despite having a son, daughter, husband or a wife whom are active users.

Sometimes, treating addiction requires professional help. Visit Recovery Guidance to find treatment options near you.

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