DOPAMINE AND BINGE EATING: A REVIEW OF DOPAMINE NATION BY ANNA LEMBKE – LIFE AFTER DIETS PODCAST EPISODE 120
#dopamine #foodaddiction #bing

Sarah and Stef review the book Dopamine Nation by Dr Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. Dopamine is a fascinating neurotransmitter when it comes to binge eating for its role in the pain and pleasure connection in the brain. This episode covers:

What is dopamine's role in the brain and body?
Is it helpful to focus on dopamine when it comes to disordered eating recovery?
Addiction to food and the chase of food
The pain and pleasure see-saw
What if our pain and pleasure balance doesn't work? For example, in the case of neurodivergent brains and/or the excessive amount of dopamine available in our environment in the modern world
Stef talks about those darn M&Ms again
The barrier strategy: is it too slippery? When does it make sense?
Cold water plunges
The role of stress and impulsivity
The intersection of depression and the pain/pleasure mechanism
Sarah talks about that darn TV again
The strategy of radical honesty and what it has to do with shame -- and pain tolerance