The end of September and first of October, I attended a Counseling Skills Conference in Las Vegas. Much of the conference was focused on healthy lifestyles as an essential part of recovery. As a part of our Substance Abuse Recovery group, I have used a DVD from Dr. Daniel Amen, psychiatrist, entitled ?Which Brain Do You Want?. Dr. Amen was a keynote speaker at the Conference. He has done research and written widely on ADHD/ADD. For years now, he has been doing SPECT scans of the brain to show the effects of alcohol and drugs on the brain. He not only advocates abstinence from drugs and alcohol, he also talks about over all brain healthy life. He shows how alcohol and drugs, including marijuana prematurely age and shrink the brain. He calls it the ?Dinosaur Syndrome?. His SPECT scans after a year of abstinence show significant improvement. He recently did a study with former NFL players and the damage to the brain that being tackled and hit causes the brain. He focused on a brain healthy life for these former NFL players and showed the positive results. He states he uses the brain scan to better assess and to ask better questions for better treatment. More to follow.
Sue Judd, M.S.S., L.S.A.C.
TurningLeaf Wellness Center -- http://bit.ly/J61O3
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