Hi! For the next few blogs I will be discussing the top three reasons for neurochemical imbalances occuring. These are genetics, hormonal imbalances and stressors. I will start with explaining the role of genetics.

Family history is often the most key component contributing to this problem. This is also the case for most other medical problems such as diabetes, hypertension, thyroid disease, heart disease, cancer, etc. Mood disorders and other manifestations of chemical imbalances is just as real and medical of a problem

Family history doesn't just refer to parents, but also siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc. There is often a pattern  seen in families when one looks under the surface and details are explored. Some relatives may have an obvious history of depression and/or anxiety, OCD,Bipolar disrder, schizophrenia, etc, however much of the history may be hidden and not so obvious. There may be family secrets and shame that is not openly discussed and acknowledged. Clues are a history of nervous breakdowns, suicides, family discord with abuse, divorces and breakups of families.

Since during previous generations there was not a good understanding about what the true causes were and since treatments at that time were poorly tolerated or unsuccesful, it was often a hopeless situation. Alcoholism and abuse of other drugs as well as other addictive habits such as gambling and overeating are clues to look for. Which parent or family member one most resembles and takes most after is fairly predictive whether one is at risk to follow the same pattern.

Thankfully in the last couple of decades we have developed better ways to diagnose and treat these conditions. There are excellent modern medications we now have to work with, so it is now much more hopeful if it is treated properly. Please send comments and questins about this subject. Next time I will discuss the role of hormonal imbalances. Bye for now.   Dr. Paul

      One of the most challenging and dangerous issues I face in practice is addiction. As I said at the end of my last blog, we lost our step neice Vanessa recently to opiate/narcotic overdose. I unfortunately see a lot of tragic outcomes with regards to this issue. Getting high is an attempt to escape from reality for those who want to, and they self-medicate in unhealthy ways.

      Almost always those with addictive tendencies have underlying neorochemical imbalances which results in depression, anxiety, ADD, bipolar disorder, OCD, or a combination of these all at one time. Addiction is a brain disease, and it is important to treat this core problem in order to treat it most completely and effectively. If not, then the chance of relapse and cross-addiction is very common.

      To explain this it is important to remember that there are many types of addictions. In addition to illicit drugs and alcohol, others include cigarettes/chewing tobacco, gambling, sexual, pornography, internet and internet games, shopping, eating disorders and others. Many who beat the drug and alcohol abuse cross-addict to one of the others. Treating the underlying embalances and getting proper individulal counceling and groups such as twelve-step meetings decreases the possibility of relapse and switching addictions.

      Unfortunately in the addiction community, such as rehab centers, twleve-step groups and sober living environments the trend tends to be an "anti-medication" mentality. Some view psychotropic medications as addictive, as a "crutch" or just a substitute for the illicit drug. These opinions are based on missinformation, and are simply not true. These medications are not mind-altering, but rather mind-normalizing. Achieving optimal chemical balance in the nervous system is the simplest and best non-addictive solution to the problem of addiction, which is truly a scourge in our society.

Please e-mail me any comments or questions.

             Bye for now,

                  Dr. Paul

One of the biggest obstacles that I face when I am treating someone is stigma. There are so many misconceptions and myths about the use of psychotropic medications. Some think that taking them means they are weak, that medications are a "crutch", that they're addictive, are dangerous, and thus unfortunately are thought of as the last resort.

It's very difficult for patients to get to the truth about this subject by "researching" on the internet or taking the advice of family, friends, and other untrained and uninformed people who don't truly understand the subject. Getting information from the internet is like getting medical advice from attorneys. It is mostly negative, whereas the reality is that the positives are so much more than the negatives that it is not even close.

Since neurochemical imbalances cannot be tested traditionally, such as with blood tests, this makes it not seem as real. I can assure you that this is a real medical problem with real medical solutions, and is not just a "mental" or "psych" problem that one can get over if one tries hard enough to beat it. It is at its core a genetic problem that is exacerbated by hormonal imbalances, self-medicating with addictive substances and is worsened by situational stressors. It is just as real as diabetes, hypertension, and any other common medical problems. Neurochemical imbalances is the most common, most under diagnosed and under treated medical problem that we face, by far.

Please email me any comments or questions about this topic. Share with me what misconceptions and confusion is holding you back from seeking proper treatment. I can assure you that the treatment is safe and very effective when done properly. My next blog will be about the topic of addiciton. Last week, we lost my step-neice Vanessa to an opiate overdose. Addiction is a scourge in our society. More about this next time.

Hi to all. I've had recent questions about how and why neurochemicals imbalance, so I'll try to briefly summarize. The  chemicals within the nervous system ideally should move in one direction, which is forward. The problem is when the nerve cells leak, which results in the chemicals moving the wrong way, which is backwards. There are over 100 billion cells and over 100 trillion connections between the cells in one body, and the chemicals flow around the body  over 1,000 times every second! Pretty mind-blowing,huh?

The main chemicals I focus on are serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, and GABA(gamma-aminobutyric acid). Each chemical when imbalanced results in different symptoms, and by listening to one's history and consellation of symptoms I am then able to predict which medications are most likely to work. The catch though is that there is some trial and error involved, and that I figure out along the way if I am right based on the individual's response. This means I need some patience from my patients as we figure this out together. Trust me, it's worth it when it works.

The main reasons that the imbalances occur is genetic predisposition, hormonal changes, stressors, and other less common reasons. The majority of the reasons it occurs is not within one's control. The medications work by fixing the leaks on the nerve cells by attaching to the sites I am targeting, which results in re-directing the flow of the chemicals in the right direction. The end result is that the person feels normal again(or sometimes for the first time!) In many of my patients it takes a combination of medications to adequately treat the combination of imbalances.

For more specific details of each chemical, refer to my book. If there are specific questions about this or any other questions post them here and/or e-mail them to me.  I will try to blog weekly, and I would like this site to be as interactive as possible. Your suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Ciao for now!    Dr. Paul