Scientific Studies

Ten years ago the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse revealed their study of inmates, which determined that four out of five, or 80%, were in jail or prison due to some degree of illegal drug or alcohol use. There was little public will to invest in prevention or treatment and although the people in some states have passed laws to indicate their willingness to spend tax dollars on addiction treatment, such as Proposition 36 in California, in belt-tightening economic times like today, addiction treatment is considered a luxury, not a necessity.

“Treat the Addict, Cut the Crime Rate,” Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse; Op-Ed article, Washington Post, August 19, 2006. “As a clinician,” Dr. Volkow, a physician, writes, “I don't remember ever meeting an addicted person who wanted to be addicted or who expected that compulsive, uncontrollable, or even criminal behavior would emerge when he or she started taking drugs.”

Unfortunately, what neither the public nor the lawmakers understand is the cost-effective treatment in their kitchen cabinets. Stephen J. Schoenthaler, PhD, is a professor of criminal justice and sociology at California State University Stanislaus and has decades of international research proving the food/supplement/behavior connection in schools and jails. A few of his studies are listed below:

Stephen J. Schoenthaler, Ph.D., Walter E. Doraz, Ph.D., James A. Wakefield, Jr., Ph.D.,"The Testing of Various Hypotheses as Explanations for the Gains in National Standardized Academic Test Scores in the 1978-1983 New York City Nutrition Policy Modification Project," International Journal of Biosocial Research, Vol.8(2), p. 196-203,1986.

An increase from the 39th to the 55th national percentile rank in New York City public schools occurred on the heels of the three years in which dietary changes were made. No other school district could be located which had reported such a large gain above the rest of the nation so quickly in a large population.

Publications by Stephen Schoenthaler

• “Institutional nutritional Policies and Criminal Behavior,” Nutrition Today, 20(3): 25-39, 1985.
• “Diet and Crime: An Empirical Examination of the Value of Nutrition in the Control and Treatment of Incarcerated Juvenile Offenders,” International Journal of Biosocial Research, 4(1): 25-39, 1983.
• “Types of Offenses Which Can be Reduced in an Institutional Setting Using Nutritional Intervention: A Preliminary Empirical Evaluation,” International Journal of Biosocial Research, 4(2): 74-84, 1983.
• “The Los Angeles Probation Department Diet Behavior Program: An Empirical Evaluation of Six Institutions,” International Journal of Biosocial Research, 5(2): 88, 1983.
• “The Northern California Diet-Behavior Program: An Empirical Examination of 3,000 Incarcerated Juveniles in Stanislaus County Juvenile Hall,” International Journal of Biosocial Research, 5(2): 99-106, 1983.

Following in Schoenthaler's footsteps, Bernard Gesch of the University of Oxford in England used a placebo and a real multivitamin/mineral and found that giving added nutrients to young offenders in England reduced violence and other serious offenses by 40% and disciplinary offences by 25%. Gesch was quoted by the BBC as saying this approach was “cheap, highly effective, and humane.” To view the BBC story, go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2063117.stm

Kathleen DesMaisons, PhD, ran a nutrition-based program in San Mateo County, California, for some years with excellent results. She called it The Biochemical Restoration Program and it ran for 3.5 years, through the end of June 1997 for only $280,000, a pittance for such a lengthy recovery program. By focusing on diet and nutrition, DesMaisons successfully reduced the sugar cravings that lead people with flawed carbohydrate metabolism to want the sugar in alcohol. When the county evaluated the nutrition-based program versus a control group who didn’t receive DesMaisons’ nutrition education, they found that people in the control group were charged again for far more serious offenses at four times the rate of nutrition program graduates. Two participants in the training violated probation compared to 13 control group members, who totaled 32 violations between them.

DesMaisons, K., Biochemical restoration as an intervention for multiple offense drunk driving. PhD dissertation, The Union Institute, Cincinnati, OH, 1996

See www.radiantrecovery.com for more information on DesMaisons’ program.

Both the concept of addiction nutrition and its practical application are outside the common experience of the vast majority of professionals in the field of addiction. Yet research creating a rational underpinning for the concept has been published since the mid-20th century.

One of the early researchers in the genetic basis for all compulsive, addictive, impulsive behaviors is pharmacogeneticist Kenneth Blum, PhD, who did much of his seminal work at the University of Texas in San Antonio. When he moved from laboratory rodents to field research with people, he and his colleagues discovered malnourished brains hungry for relief, and he began creating formulas of nutrients designed for opiate users, stimulant users, people craving comfort foods, and other unique populations defined by their neurotransmitter deficiencies.

Following are a very few of Blum’s studies, which date back to the 1960s.

• “Reward Deficiency Syndrome.”
Blum, K., et al, American Scientist, March-April 1996, vol. 84(2), p.132.
• “Reward Deficiency Syndrome: A Biogenetic Model for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Impulsive, Addictive and Compulsive Behaviors.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs; Vol. 32, Supplement; November 2000; Editors Kenneth Blum, PhD, Eric R. Braverman, MD. (The Journal, a quarterly publication, has been in print since 1967. Subscriptions are $90/year. Haight-Ashbury Publications, 856 Stanyon St. San Francisco, CA 94117, (415) 752-7601. www/drdave.org/journal. This special issue is devoted to the concepts introduced by Ken Blum on the biological basis of addictions.)
• “Enkephalinase inhibition and precursor amino acid loading improves inpatient treatment of alcohol and poly drug abusers: Double blind placebo controlled study of the nutritional adjunct.” Blum, K. et al. SAAVE Alcohol, 5: 481 493, 1988.
• “Alcoholism: Scientific basis of a neuropsycho¬genetic disease.” With Trachtenberg, M.C. Intl. Journal of Addiction, 23: 781 796, 1988.
• “Improvement of inpatient treatment of the alcoholic as a function of neurotransmitter restoration: A pilot study.” With Trachtenberg, M.C. and Ramsey, J.C. Intl. Journal of Addiction, 23: 991 998, 1988.
• “Improvement of cocaine induced neuromodulator deficits by the neuronutrient Tropamine.” With Trachtenberg, M.C. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 20: 315 331, 1988.
• “Neurogenetic deficits caused by alcoholism: Restoration by SAAVE™, a neuronutrient intervention adjunct.” With Tractenberg, M.C. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 20: 297 313, 1988.
• “Reduction of both drug hunger and withdrawal against advice rate of cocaine abusers in a 30 day inpatient treatment program by the neuronutrient Tropamine” With Allison, D., Trachtenberg, M.C., Williams, R.W., and Loeblich, L.A. Current Therapeutic Research, 43: 1204 1214, 1988.
• “Cocaine Therapy: The ‘Reward Cascade’ link.” With Trachtenberg, M.C., and Kozlowski, G.P. Professional Counselor, Jan. 1989.
• “A commentary on neurotransmitter restoration as a common mode of treatment for alcohol, cocaine and opiate abuse.” Integrative Psychiatry, 6:199 204, 1989.
• “Neurodynamics of relapse prevention: A neuronutrient approach to outpatient DUI offenders.” With Brown, R.J., and Trachtenberg, M.C. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 22(2):173 187, 1990.
• “Neuronutrient therapy for compulsive disease: Rationale and clinical evidence.” With Rassner, M., and Payne, J.E. Addiction and Recovery, 10(2):12 16, 1990.
• “Relapse Prevention and drug hunger reduction induced by potential neurochemical activation of brain reward circuitry using Synaptamine™ (Syn 11) in substance use disorder: A preliminary open clinical trial in a long term outpatient treatment program.” Blum, K., et al. (To be submitted to European Psychiatry.)
• “Neuronutrient effects on weight loss in carbohydrate bingers: An open clinical trial.” With Trachtenberg, M.L. and Cook, D.W. Current Therapeutic Research. 48(2):217 233, 1990.

Here is a Sampling of Ken Blum PhD's work in Neuronutrition

Stopping drug use is the beginning, not the end point, for a healthy life. Nutrient replacement therapy takes time. Self-care is a learned behavior and like any good lesson, needs reinforcement and rewards. In some cases the reward of eating well, taking supplemental nutrients, and receiving acupuncture may not be visible to the eye, but their benefits are real and documented in more studies than noted here.

• Guenther, Ruth M, PhD. “The Role of Nutritional Therapy in Alcoholism Treatment.” International Journal of Biosocial Research. 4(1)5-18, 1983
• Mathews-Larson, Joan PhD. “Alcoholism Treatment With Biochemical Restoration as a Major Component.” International Journal of Biosocial Research. 9(1):92-106, 1987
• Gaby, Alan R., MD, editor. “Nutritional Therapy In Medical Practice: A Reference Manual and Study Guide.” Alcoholism and Drug Addiction. (Section 25):253-255, 2001. (Lists 43 scientific studies of various nutritional substances used for addiction treatment.)
• Evangelou, A., et al. “Ascorbic Acid Effects on Withdrawal Syndrome of Heroin Abusers.” In Vivo. 14(2):363-366. March 2000.
• Beasley, Joseph D., et al. “Follow-up of a Cohort of Alcoholic Patients Through Twelve Months of Comprehensive Biobehavioral Treatment.” Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 8:133-142, 1991.
• Grant L.P., et al; “Nutrition education is positively associated with substance abuse treatment program outcomes.” Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 104(4):604-10, April 2004.
• Gant, Charles E., “Functional Medicine: The Missing Link in Addictionology.” Journal of Addictions Nursing. 12(3/4): 169-179, 2000.

Additional methods of brain repair, including cranial electrical stimulation, chiropractic, and acupuncture, have also been found effective:

• Braverman, E., Smith, R., Smayda, R., and Blum, K. “Modification of P300 amplitude and other electrophysiological parameters of drug abuse by cranial electrical stimulation..” Current Therapeutic Research 48(4):586-596, 1990.
• Braverman, E.R., and Blum, K., et al. “Increasing retention rates among the chemically dependent in residential treatment: auriculotherapy and subluxation-based chiropractic care.” Molecular Psychiatry, 6(S8), 2001.
• Reuben, C. et al. “Acupuncture & Auriculartherapy: Valuable natural treatment modalities for treatment for addiction.” Townsend Letters 269:81-84.
• Shwartz, M., Saitz, R., Mulvey, K., and Brannigan P. “The value of acupuncture detoxification programs in a substance abuse treatment system.” Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. Dec:17(4): 305-312, 1999.