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New Orleans, LA, April 11, 2011
Townsend has partnered with Caron Texas Treatment Center to present The Brain and Genetics – The New Frontier in Addiction Medicine. Focusing on the genetic underpinnings of addiction, Dr. Howard Wetsman, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Townsend and Dr. John Talmadge, MD, Medical Director of Caron Texas Treatment Center, will discuss new findings that support the reality that addiction is not bad behavior or people making choices to take drugs.
According to Dr. Wetsman, “While we cannot make a genetic diagnosis of the illness of addiction, we can use genetics to help tailor the medical interventions in order to help patients get well.”
Dr. Wetsman goes on to explain that there are several different types of mutations that people can have, and the testing he does looks for one specific kind of mutation, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). This means that at one point in the strand of DNA, one nucleotide is changed. This one change can have huge effects, or no effect at all, depending upon where it is located. This DNA analysis allows Townsend to better target the primary illness and help the patient recover, rather than just use a medication because it works for the majority of people.
“Our genetic testing has allowed us to physically show patients and their families where the problem is and help them see, many for the first time, that they did not cause this,” stated Dr. Wetsman. “When (they) can see there is actually a biological illness, we find that shame disappears and understanding begins. People are more open to recovery when they understand the nature of their chronic illness and we are seeing people doing better in their recovery programs.”
The dinner presentation on May 11th will be held at Five Happiness Restaurant (3605 South Carrollton Avenue, New Orleans) at 6:30pm and is open to the public. There is no charge to attend.
Caron Texas opened its doors in July 2010 and is now providing comprehensive, high-quality, gender specific addiction treatment to adults in Texas and the Southwest region. With more than 50 years in the field, Caron is one of the oldest and largest treatment facilities for families suffering from the disease of addiction. Caron Texas is located just 45 minutes from the DFW airport on 40 + beautiful and serene acres. The 12-Step based, non-profit Caron Texas provides primary addiction treatment at their 40 bed facility to adults who suffer from addiction and cooccurring disorders. For more information on Caron Texas please contact Karen Hunt at 214.601.8241, klhunt@caron.org or visit www.carontexas.org.
Townsend is a network of addiction treatment centers that provides help and hope for anyone affected by the chronic disease of addiction. With five clinics throughout south Louisiana, Townsend’s revolutionary approach to addiction treatment combines traditional therapy with physician directed medical treatment in an outpatient setting. For more information on Townsend and its treatment system, visit www.townsendla.com.
Contact
Dan Forman
1-800-392-9186
info@addictiondoctor.org
