Strong. Healthy. Empowered.
In this episode of SHE MD, hosts Mary Alice Haney and Dr. Thais Aliabadi welcome Dr. Anna Lembke, a renowned expert on addiction and professor at Stanford University. Dr. Lembke discusses the concept of "Dopamine Nation" and how our modern world's constant pursuit of pleasure affects our brain chemistry and overall well-being. She delves into the neuroscience of dopamine addiction, the impact of digital media on our dopamine levels, and discusses strategies for managing addictive behaviors. The conversation covers topics ranging from social media addiction to substance abuse, offering insights into how individuals can reset their reward pathways and find balance in a world of constant stimulation.
Anna Lembke, MD is professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. A clinician scholar, she is the author of more than a hundred peer-reviewed publications, has testified before the United States House of Representatives and Senate, and has served as an expert witness in federal and state opioid litigation. She is an internationally recognized leader in addiction medicine treatment and education.
In 2016, she published Drug Dealer, MD – How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), highlighted in the New York Times as one of the top five books to read to understand the opioid epidemic (Zuger, 2018). Dr. Lembke appeared in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, an unvarnished look at the impact of social media on our lives.
Her book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (Dutton/Penguin Random House, August 2021) was an instant New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller, has been translated into more than 35 languages, and explores how to moderate compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world. Her just released Dopamine Nation Workbook provides a step-by-step guide for dopamine fasting, full of interactive exercises and practical tips for finding balance.
Anna Lembke’s 5 Key Takeaways:
In This Episode:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:25) Dr. Anna Lembke Introduction
(02:35) Modern world's addiction to digital media
(05:25) What Dopamine Addiction does to your Brain?
(09:48) Dopamine addiction and social media's impact to our children
(18:35) Genetic factors and parental advice
(22:31) Drug addiction and societal approaches
(24:40) Benefits of a 30-day dopamine fast
(33:27) Hormesis: Using discomfort to reset dopamine
(35:27) Parkinson's, dopamine, and potential treatments
(37:42) ADHD and its relationship to dopamine
(38:36) Starting addiction recovery with data collection
RESOURCES:
Dopamine Nation - Anna Lembke’s Book
