What to Look for In an Effective Addiction Treatment Program

Treatment has evolved in the last 40 years, since I got into the field. New knowledge and skill sets enrich program offerings and curriculums. And of course, high end programs are more able to diversify their programming than state run programs with less resources. That said, client needs more or less remain the same, across the board. This 4 part article attempts to list the elements which I consider to be optimal and even essential, across 4 domains:
Transform Your Practice with Amino Acid Therapy

Reflecting on her journey, Jayne attributes much of her success to the education and insights from the Academy’s training. She highly recommends this course to nutrition, mental health, or addiction practitioners to commit to this program, recognizing its power to break down stigmas and a deeper understanding of mental health biochemistry.
Dylan Lundgren’s Journey with the Academy of Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition

In the world of addiction recovery, nutrition often takes a backseat. However, within the Academy of Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition, individuals like Dylan Lundgren, a TEDx Speaker, and Addiction Recovery Advocate, are discovering its transformative power under the guidance of Christina Veselak.
Amino Acid and Nutrient Support for Pain Relief

This article will focus on the biochemical/nutritional tools we have available to us. We will explore ways to reduce inflammation, decrease pain awareness, improve pain tolerance or resilience, speed up tissue healing, and even positively impact impaired neural pathways.
What is Amino Acid Therapy?

Amino acid therapy is a promising approach to addiction and mental health recovery that focuses on repairing the neurotransmitter system in the brain. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, which are essential for the growth and repair of tissues in the body.
Amino Acid Therapy for Stress Relief

By Christina Veselak MS, LMFT, CN. Director, The Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition In honor of Stress Awareness Month, I would like to explore the roles our four mood-mediating neurotransmitters play in helping us cope with stress, and how to support their function using amino acid therapy. They all actually work together to […]
The Antidote to St. Paddy’s Day Shadow Side

On St. Patrick’s Day, let’s talk about the darker side of Irish culture – the heavy drinking that is often associated with it. Did you know that people from Gaelic or Scandinavian backgrounds have a genetic disruption that can lead to depression and alcohol dependence? Learn more by reading our latest blog post.
Thoughts from an Addiction Conference on Sugar as a “Bad Food!”

This article was written on the last day of a 4-day addiction conference in Colorado. I was there presenting on a genetic test, GARS, that purports to be able to predict with a fair degree of accuracy people’s predisposition to a variety of behavioral and addictive disorders, including to sugar. My Academy also had a […]
How Functional Nutrition May Hold the Key to Successful Addiction Treatment and Recovery

I believe that Functional Nutrition and Functional Nutritionists hold the key to transforming the efficacy and success rate of addiction treatment and recovery efforts. However, addiction is not typically addressed nor taught in nutrition circles, and therefore people with addictive disorders as their primary complaint are a massively underserved population.
Are you craving more coffee?

In acknowledgment of International Coffee Day, which was just celebrated, I would like to share a few thoughts. I LOVE COFFEE! And at the same time, I have been known to drink too much of it! I’ve never gotten over 4 cups a day, like some people I’ve known, but even that much can be […]