Behavioral HealthCOMMENTARY

Overcoming reward deficiency syndrome by the induction of “dopamine homeostasis” instead of opioids for addiction: illusion or reality?

Kenneth Blum, PhD, DHL; Diwanshu Soni, BSc; Rajendra D. Badgaiyan, MD; and David Baron, DO
Notes and Affiliations
Notes and Affiliations

Received: January 19, 2021

Accepted: February 3, 2022

Published: April 12, 2022

  • Kenneth Blum, PhD, DHL, 

    School of Osteopathic Medicine, Western University Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, USA

  • Diwanshu Soni, BSc, 

    School of Osteopathic Medicine, Western University Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, USA

  • Rajendra D. Badgaiyan, MD, 

    Department Psychiatry, Boonshoff School of Medicine, Wright University, Dayton, OH, USA

  • David Baron, DO, 

    School of Osteopathic Medicine, Western University Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, USA

J Osteopath Med; 122(7): 333-337
Abstract

Many individuals in the United States are plagued by addiction, and the rate at which it is affecting people in the United States only seems to be increasing. Research shows that addiction is a preventable disorder rather than a flaw in one’s moral fiber. It is driven by the imbalance of dopamine and the brain’s reward system. Although medication-assisted treatment (MAT), the most common treatment for addiction, are effective in reducing harm, they provide minimal aid in addressing the root cause of this preventable disorder. The authors aim to convey that the proper treatment should help restore dopamine balance so the quality of life can be improved in the recovering community. Osteopathic principles emphasize the importance of homeostasis and allostasis in allowing the body to heal itself. Viewing reward deficiency syndrome (RDS) through this osteopathic lens can bring about treatments that aim to restore the dopamine homeostasis. The article discusses various potential therapeutic modalities that can provide dopamine homeostasis via activation of dopaminergic pathways.

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