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A biopsychosocial overview of the opioid crisis: Considering nutrition and gastrointestinal health
With opioid overdose deaths rising in the United States, this 2019 review presents a biopsychosocial approach, that connects social and biological theories related to the addiction crisis, to help develop more effective preventative strategies. With genetic and epigenetic factors (those associated with brain reward pathways and impulsivity) known to predict addiction vulnerability, as well as evidence indicating environmental factors are marked contributors and psychosocial factors such as stress, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences are linked to emotional pain (leading to self-medication), Wiss’ biopsychosocial model integrates concepts from several disciplines and supports multicausality rather than a reductionist approach. The emerging role of nutrition therapy in the treatment of opioid use disorder is discussed, especially focusing on gastrointestinal health. While the author attempts to identify the risk and protective factors that may influence substance-seeking behavior, he presents potential solutions at multiple levels, considering both individual and population health. It was suggested that nutrition be given greater importance, along with cross-disciplinary collaborative efforts, new ideas, and fiscal resources in our efforts to tackle this epidemic. [NPID: substance use, recovery, addiction, opioid, prevention, reward, impulsivity, stress, trauma, drugs, childhood abuse, childhood, emotional pain, self-medication, gastrointestinal health]
Year: 2019
