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Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
The common wisdom about kicking an addiction is to “isolate and conquer.” People trying to give up smoking, or coffee, or something more serious, are usually advised to stay away from reminders of...
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Depleting the Thanksgiving Amino Acid
Thanks to its association with the Thanksgiving turkey, tryptophan has become probably the most popular amino acid. Whether it’s being blamed for the strong post-meal desire for a nap or being rhymed...
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Public Health Epidemics Without Diseases
Photo by "BankingBum" - Wikimedia Commons The leading cause of death for American black men between the ages of 15 and 34 isn’t cancer, AIDS, heart disease, or even accidents. It’s homicide, which...
View ArticleDisparities Across the Ocean and Next Door
Like the rest of campus, the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics seminar series is on spring break, resuming in early April with a talk from provocative economist Richard Epstein. So now’s a...
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Foretelling Drinking Future From a Buzz
Despite what beer commercials tell you, not everyone responds to alcohol in the same way. For some people, an alcoholic drink is a party-starter, increasing energy and sociability. For others, a drink...
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The Long Memory of the First Cigarette
Every new experience leaves a mark on our brain, from a fleeting burst of electricity and neurotransmitters to a longer-lasting architectural shift. When we meet a new person, learn a new fact, or...
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A Gateway Activity? From Slot Machines to Speed
A visit to any casino will quickly demonstrate how vices clump together. At any hour of the day or night, many of the customers sitting intently in front of a slot machine will also be smoking...
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Fighting Two Addictions with One Pill?
By Rob Mitchum Since its approval by the FDA in 2006, varenicline has become a valuable aide for people trying to get over the hump of quitting smoking. Marketed as Chantix, the drug has joined...
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Trajectories: Gender and Racial Differences in Substance Use
By Matt Wood Substance use among adolescents and young adults in the United States is a perennial problem. Despite decades of campaigns by health care providers, schools and the government warning...
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Artificial Sweetener: Tastes Great, But Unfulfilling
Modern life is a junk food paradise, with a multitude of options for sweet or salty satisfaction available at the corner store. But humans haven’t always lived in such resource-rich environments, and...
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