<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/be484f8c-8a66-44ab-9d94-5df362439549/4D7554C1-01A4-4B7A-9B85-B169D28365E6/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/rethinking-healthcare/now-we-know-why-ritalin-works/380/" href="http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/rethinking-healthcare/now-we-know-why-ritalin-works/380/" style="font-size: 11px;">www.smartplanet.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/rethinking-healthcare/now-we-know-why-ritalin-works/380/"><P><A href="http://i.bnet.com/blogs/robin_williams.jpg" linkindex="11"><IMG width="210" height="279" alt="" src="http://i.bnet.com/blogs/robin_williams.jpg" title="robin_williams" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-381" /></A>Why do stimulants like <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylphenidate" linkindex="12">Ritalin</A> turn <A href="https://www.google.com/health/ref/Attention+deficit+hyperactivity+disorder+%28ADHD%29" linkindex="13">ADHD </A>kids normal but turn normal kids into hopped-up screaming meamies?</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/rethinking-healthcare/now-we-know-why-ritalin-works/380/"><P>Turns out it’s all about the dopamine.</p> <P><A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine" linkindex="14">Dopamine</A> is a neurotransmitter. It passes signals between cells in your brain. Good signals.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/rethinking-healthcare/now-we-know-why-ritalin-works/380/">Think of it as a chemical “attaboy.”</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/rethinking-healthcare/now-we-know-why-ritalin-works/380/">Eating stimulates dopamine, so fat ADHDers are self-medicating in the same way as their cousins who try benzedrine or other drugs. So does exercise, which may be why Michael Phelps stays in the pool all day.</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/rethinking-healthcare/now-we-know-why-ritalin-works/380/"><P>This may also be why ADHD “poster boy” <A href="http://www.danablankenhorn.com/2007/10/the-robin-willi.html" linkindex="19">Robin Williams </A>reported that, when he used cocaine, he felt quiet, normal, and sane. Cocaine also stimulates dopamine. This may also be why he later became an alchoholic. Alcohol helps stimulate the <A href="http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/i/i_03/i_03_m/i_03_m_par/i_03_m_par_alcool.html" linkindex="20">natural release of dopamine</A>.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/rethinking-healthcare/now-we-know-why-ritalin-works/380/">The real answer lies in self-awareness, using ADHD’s gifts to concentrate and create, while being aware of its downsides and treating yourself more gently as a result.</blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/4D7554C1-01A4-4B7A-9B85-B169D28365E6/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content9.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

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