Saturday, March 02, 2013

Inability To Feel Pleasure (Anhedonia)


There is an established link between chronic pain and depression, which is probably both situational and biochemical studies. A symptom that may be experienced by people who are depressed, but not like other known symptoms called anhedonia.

Anhedonia is the inability to experience pleasure, in particular the activities you used to enjoy. A mother who does not like having her baby, for example, may suffer from anhedonia. This is a particularly devastating disease that not only make life without joy, but the parties can be "crazy" or that they are bad people who do not like the people around them are not. Understanding the mechanisms of anhedonia helps people with chronic pain, with him, to be ready.



Chronic pain and your brain
Anhedonia has a clear cause biochemistry. To understand this condition, you must first understand a key element of the processing mechanism of the brain reward, the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Dopamine has many functions in the body. Keeping with our theme, the task of initiating the reward / pleasure response of the brain that motivate us, help further reward and pleasure through the performance of activities that seek to induce this positive response.

Dopamine is also part of the body's response to stress. It 'responsible for the release of adrenaline, which occurs during physical exertion or mental, which prepares us for action. Chronic pain is both physical and psychological stress, which means that your stress response is turned on continuously. Over time, the constant release of dopamine cause your brain power. The lack of dopamine leads to a lack of joy.

An effective treatment
If you go to a doctor or psychiatrist with anhedonia, or other symptoms of depression, it is likely that an anti-depressant be offered immediately. The most antidepressants in use today does not increase dopamine in the brain, however. An older class of drugs called MAO inhibitors interfere with the breakdown and recycling of dopamine. It is believed, however, that long term destruction of the neurotransmitter lead.

One way is to increase dopamine in the central nervous system to complete its precursors. Tyrosine is an amino acid that causes the development of levodopa, which is converted to dopamine. Supplement L-tyrosine may help people with anhedonia. Levodopa can be used as a pharmaceutical comprising a compound other than carbidopa which gives the central nervous system can be taken in combination. Finally levidopa found in the herb garden Mucuna pruriens.

Lifestyle changes and diet can help increase dopamine levels naturally. It can be physically active beneficial as exercise stimulates endorphins and dopamine production. Eat more proteins is recommended for people with anhedonia, because tyrosine is found in foods rich in proteins such as eggs, cheese, almonds, fish and poultry. Finally, maintain healthy levels of De B-vitamins that affect the proper functioning of dopamine, recommends


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