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Marijuana& The New York Times: Smoking Away Our Brains.

10/31/2014

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I have written often about the perils of the recreational use of marijuana and I cannot resist writing again. The cause for my writing is that the New York Times that has stumbled into the reality that smoking pot does little if any good for those who smoke it. And it has the potential for great harm.[i]

In an October 29th article by Abigail Moore titled, “This Is Your Brain on Drugs,” the problems with pot are outlined. The first and most disturbing is that smoking marijuana changes the brain. The nucleus accumbens thickens and among those in the study, the more they smoked the more it thickened. The changes seen are thought to be the source of problems with learning and mental health.

At the center of the problem is an increased concentration of the active drug THC in available marijuana. Since 1995 the concentration of THC in pot has gone from 3.75 percent to 13 percent in 2013. The higher concentration of THC is likely to be responsible for an increased incidence of psychosis and paranoia. Emergency room admissions for marijuana related problems have doubled since 2004.

The adverse affects are particularly a problem in young adults. The changes that occur to the nucleus accumbens have direct bearing on motivation and decision making. There are similar changes in the amygdala that affect the way we process emotions, memories and our response to fear.  “THC can disrupt focus, working memory and motivation.”

Long term effects are a real concern. In one study teens that started smoking at the age of 18 and were then tested at the age of 38 lost 8 points on their I.Q. testing.  In another study the changes in the brain in those who had smoked for 3 years were still present 2 years after they stopped. And, their working memories we impaired. As Dr Hans Breiter said, “Working memory is the key for learning…If I were to design a substance that is bad for college students, it would be marijuana.”

There we have it. The New York Times is not a Bible thumping Biblical Counseling Journal. It is as liberal in its view of behavior and morality as any publication today. The article presents factual information that says that smoking marijuana harms people and their brains to say nothing about the risks of lung disease and cancer.

In spite of that I know that when I publish this blog there will be people who will come out of the woods to defend their favorite pastime. I know that someone will tell me that their great aunt Ethel was cured from some sort disease and because of it everyone should be allowed to smoke ‘em if they have ‘em!

While real, controlled scientific research is to be encouraged into whatever real benefit might exist from marijuana (the CBD portion), the current folk medicine approach is no better than the snake oil salesmen of the last century. Marijuana is a dangerous drug. The New York Times says so.

Christians of all people should have greater respect for their bodies. As Paul said, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” (1Co 6:19-20)  Now there is a really good reason to not smoke pot!                                                              


[i] All the factual information in the blog came from the New York Times article on the web under Education Life,

This is Your Brain on Drugs, Abigail Sullivan Moore, October 29, 2014.

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Depression & Exercise: I Run! Therefore I Am Not Depressed!

10/16/2014

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I have been away from the blog for a while because of travel and it is time to get back to new research. And, today I stumbled across a report of research that looks at the beneficial effects of exercise on the risk of depression. Most of you know that on twitter.com my handle is runningdoc and that is because I run. I have been running since the age of 19 and longer than most people have been alive. I run 35 miles a week and by now some reader is asking “why?”

Well, now I have a really good answer, or at least a better one than I want to eat coconut cream pie at will! It is reported that exercising three times a week reduces the risk of depression in adults by 16%. And, the benefit increases 6% for each added day one exercises! That means that my risk of depression has been cut by 34% just because I run 6 days a week![i]

Fortunately, exercise in the study was not defined as running which means the benefit is available to just about anyone who can walk. When I was a young physician, I read an article by Dr. George Crane, a physician and psychologist who wrote an advice column that was syndicated around the country and published in my paper. Crane described what an old physician had told him worked best for helping his patients who were depressed.  

The elder physician said he sent them all out to walk 2 miles a day along with reading a chapter of the gospel of Luke daily. He also had them help someone who was worse off than they were for two hours each week. They were to help someone who could not pay them back and to whom they were not related. The old doctor found that all of these things helped the people he cared for.

I cannot say that everyone who is depressed will be cured by the older doctor’s prescription. But, I can say that daily vigorous exercise can reduce the risk of depression in the general population by 34%. The research is in and it says so!

And, yes, I think the rest of the old doctor’s prescription helps a lot. And, for the last 30 years I have been telling strugglers a lot of the same advice.


[i] http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/15/us-health-depression-fitness-idUSKCN0I42IS20141015 I saw this article first on foxnews.com but the original posting was on Reuters at the above web address.

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    Charles D Hodges Jr. MD
    I have been counseling people with mood problems and other family issues  for 25 years.  

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