Researchers at the University at Albany, State University of New York report the prevalence of addiction to indoor tanning among college students and its association with substance use and symptoms of anxiety and depression. (more…)

Relapse is common in substance use disorders, even among treated individuals.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin, in Madison reviewed the evidence supporting mindfulness meditation. (more…)

Substance use disorders refer to conditions arising from the abuse of alcohol and psychoactive drugs.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin in Madison reviewed the existing evidence for using mindfulness meditation — the practice of directing your full attention to the present. (more…)

 Researchers from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK set about to determine whether auricular acupuncture leads to less severe opiate withdrawal symptoms and craving when used as an adjunct to methadone detoxification. (more…)

Prof. Craig Whittington from the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health in London has reviewed the value of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat children and adolescents with mental health problems. (more…)

According to researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia, music therapy is a promising approach to improving engagement in substance abuse treatment groups. (more…)

The article starts by asserting, “There is increasing clinical acceptance of acupuncture as a treatment of substance-related disorders.” That’s why these researchers compared it to — of all things — “aromatherapy in reducing the duration and severity of symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.”

But where’s the evidence?

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These researchers observed an association between anxiety disorders and substance abuse. They also observed that substance abusers tend to have poor dietary habits.

Here’s what they did.

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Cannabis (marijuana) dependence is associated with an increased risk of panic attacks.

More than 4000 Colorado adults participated in a study of the lifetime associations between cannabis use, abuse, and dependence, and the risk of panic attacks.

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The “gateway theory” says that each type of drug is associated with certain specific risk factors that can lead to subsequent drug abuse. For example, cigarettes or alcohol lead to marijuana, which leads to cocaine, etc.

A study by Dr. Ralph Tarter from the University of Pittsburgh suggests that environmental factors have a stronger influence on which type of substance is used. For example, if it’s easier for a teens to get marijuana than beer, then they will be more likely to smoke pot.

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Johrei (pronounced Jo-ray) is a non-touch healing method similar to reiki. It involves channeling of “universal healing energy” to influence the health of another person. Three studies in the past 15 months have attempted to correlate subjective changes with other objective outcomes.

Here’s a quick review.

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