Smartphone Apps as Adjuncts for Substance Use Treatment

Topics: Addiction Treatment | Behavioral therapy | Complementary treatments | Computers in Psychiatric Practice | electronic use | Health Apps | Internet | Media | Telehealth | Telemedicine

The majority (81%) of Americans own a smartphone, and a little over one-half (58%) have downloaded a health-related app (www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile). Could addiction apps be the next tool to improve treatment outcomes? This article will review some apps for substance use disorders (SUD) and discuss strategies for integrating them int

Alternative Therapies for SUDs

Topics: Addiction Treatment | Complementary treatments | Connection | Internet | Media | Medication

CATR: Please tell us about your work. Dr. Novella: As an academic neurologist at Yale, I spend most of my time seeing patients, usually in the context of teaching students, residents, fellows, etc, and I do some clinical research. I also run the site Science-Based Medicine (www.sciencebasedmedicine.org), which promotes high standards of science through

In the News: Aducanumab (Aduhelm)

Topics: Aducanumab | Aduhelm | Cognition | Cognitive Decline | Complementary treatments | Dementia | Neurology | News of Note | Novel drug

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is devastating. There is no cure and existing treatments don’t slow or stop its progression. In June 2021, the FDA approved aducanumab (pronounced a-due-KAN-you-mab, brand name Aduhelm) for the treatment of AD. It’s the first new AD med since 2003 and is the only treatment that directly attacks a component of AD’s purpor

Light Therapy: Good for What Ails You?

Topics: ADHD | Alternative treatments | Antidepressant Augmentation | Bipolar Depression | Bulimia Nervosa | Complementary treatments | Complimentary Medicine | Depression | Depressive Disorder | Light and Dark Therapy | Light therapy | Lightbox | PTSD | Seasonal Affective Disorder | Sexual Dysfunction | Sleep | Sleep Disorders | Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

There are several lifestyle changes with broad health benefits that we often encourage in our patients. Exercise, a healthy diet, sleep hygiene, and supportive social connections are near the top of the list, and bright daytime light might be worth adding. Light therapy is a standard treatment for seasonal affective disorder, and in this article we’ll

Omega-3s and Metabolic Risks in Schizophrenia

Topics: Complementary treatments | Complimentary Medicine | Diabetes | Medical Comorbidities | Metabolic syndrome | Metformin | Natural Medications | natural treatments | Negative Symptoms | Omega-3 | Research Update

REVIEW OF: Pawełczyk T et al, Schizophr Res 2021;230:61–68 TYPE OF STUDY: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial Patients with schizophrenia are at greater risk for metabolic syndrome, whether from lifestyle, antipsychotic side effects, or the illness itself. Omega-3 fatty acids have metabolic benefits in the general population, and lev

Shining a Light on PTSD

Topics: Complementary treatments | Light therapy | Lightbox | natural treatments | PTSD | Randomized controlled trial | Research | Research Update | Seasonal Affective Disorder | Trauma

Review of: Youngstedt SD et al, Mil Med 2021 (Epub ahead of print) Study type: Randomized, sham-controlled trial As stated in the previous brief, PTSD is difficult to treat, and numerous interventions for PTSD have failed with veterans. This study took a different approach; it is the first randomized controlled trial of light therapy for PTSD. Conduc

Probiotics in Psychiatry

Topics: Alternative treatments | C-Reactive Protein | Complementary treatments | CRP | Depression | Depressive Disorder | Exercise | Inflammation | Mind-Gut Connection | Natural Medications | natural treatments | Nutrition | Obesity

TCPR: What is the gut microbiome? Dr. Dinan: It is the collection of microorganisms within the intestine. It functions like a separate organ and is about the same weight as an adult brain. Mainly it’s made up of bacteria, which is where our research has focused, but there are viruses and fungi in there as well. The traditional view was that these org

Silexan: A Novel Anxiolytic

Topics: Alternative treatments | Anxiety | Anxiety Disorder | Complementary treatments | GAD | Generalized Anxiety Disorder | Lavender | Natural Medications | natural treatments | Novel Medications | Silexan

Patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) often look to medications for help, but GAD is one of the disorders where medications are likely to disappoint. Effect sizes tend to fall in the small range (0.2–0.3) with meds for GAD, including SSRIs, SNRIs, buspirone, and pregabalin (Lyrica). Only the benzodiazepines have an effect in GAD that’s bi

Micronutrients in Mental Health

Topics: Alternative treatments | Autism | Autism Spectrum Disorder | Complementary treatments | Dysregulation | Natural Medications | natural treatments | Nutrition

TCPR: You’ve studied micronutrients in ADHD and other psychiatric disorders. What are micronutrients?Dr. Rucklidge: They are small nutrients—vitamins, minerals, and amino acids—that are essential for your brain to function optimally. They include cofactors like B6, zinc, and magnesium that are involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters and h

A Practical Guide to Light Therapy

Topics: Alternative treatments | Bipolar Disorder | Complementary treatments | Depression | Depressive Disorder | Light and Dark Therapy | Light therapy | Lightbox | natural treatments | Seasonal Affective Disorder

Outdoor living, morning light, evening darkness, and regular rhythms of sleep and waking all have one thing in common: They prevent depression. That’s the conclusion of many large epidemiologic studies, but for people who work indoors and wake up to dark winter mornings, this isn’t good news (Asai Y et al, J Affect Disord 2018;241:235–240). Here�