Blog

Overdose: The All-Too-Familiar Ending

By ExecuCare Team on March 12, 2010 / Addiction / Comments Off

Image from Wikipedia.org

Is an overdose to blame? On Wednesday, Corey Haim, a faded teen-star of such movies as Lucas, The Lost Boys, and License to Drive, was pronounced dead at 38. Though the cause of death is still uncertain, his life-long addiction to drugs, more specifically crack cocaine, seems to be if not the primary reason, then a strong contributing factor. His death comes at the end of a period in his life when many of his friends noticed he was cleaning up and staying sober. His story of addiction, though sad, is nothing unusual in terms of the Hollywood teen-star tragedy.

However, his struggle with addiction and recovery, followed then by what many suspect to be an “accidental overdose,” is not an uncommon story in our nation outside of the Hollywood Hills. Except for the fact that it’s not covered in the gossip columns or People magazine. An extremely dangerous period exists for those who have been in recovery but relapse. Some of them return to the amount they were using before becoming sober and as a result, overdose. Some use drug replacement therapy or various other prescription drugs that cause a deadly mix.

This story and others like it act as a reminder as to why the physical aspect of addiction needs to be addressed along with the social, psychological, behavioral and spiritual. Treatments such as Neurotransmitter Restoration (NTR) are essential in conjunction with more traditional treatments like 12-Step programs or counseling, so that these tragic endings become more preventable.

Neurotransmitter Restoration (NTR) is a medical nutritional therapy that safely detoxes the body from the use of drugs or alcohol, minimizes withdrawal symptoms, signiﬁcantly reduces cravings, anxiety and depression, normalizes stress levels, and restores a sense of well-being and clarity of mind. It’s an all-natural, 10-day protocol that bathes the neuronal cells in an optimal, nutritional environment, repairs the damaged receptor sites and accelerates the healing process. When NTR protocols precede traditional therapy treatments, data has shown much higher success rates in long-term recovery. It addresses the physical form of the disease and better prepares an individual for the next stages of recovery.

Certain Brain Activity May Determine Alcohol Dependence Risk

By ExecuCare Team on March 5, 2010 / Alcoholism / Comments Off

New research found that activation of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in the brain could determine a neurobiological for alcohol dependence risk. The ACC (highlighted in the photo) is the frontal portion of the cingulate cortex. It appears to play a significant role in a wide variety of brain functions including regulation of blood pressure and heart rate, but also of rational cognitive functions like decision making and reward anticipation.

Previous research has found that activation of the ACC can be associated with risk factors that lead to alcohol abuse, such as low alcohol effects and positive alcohol expectations, especially among adolescents. This study, which was funded through the University of Heidelberg and will be published in the May 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, used a spatial working-memory task to examine ACC activity among adults.

The study focused on three groups of adults: non-dependent light social drinkers, non-dependent heavy social drinkers, and non-treatment-seeking alcohol dependent drinkers. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers examined the brain activity of the drinkers while they performed a spatial working-memory task. The participants were also asked to complete measures of automatic alcohol-related thoughts and behavior, provide information about alcohol use in the preceding 90 days, and answer questions designed to measure general intelligence. (Science Daily)

The study found that those in the alcohol dependent group had greater activation of the dorsal ACC than those in the non-dependent, light and heavy social drinkers. Researchers said the study showed a possibility for premorbid (i.e. occurring before the development of disease) differences in brain structure and function among individuals that increase the risk for the development of alcohol dependence in some but not others.

“Although alcohol consumption in non-dependent heavy drinkers and [alcohol dependent] drinkers was similar,” said one of the researchers, “[but] we found increased activation of the ACC in the group of [alcohol dependent] drinkers. Furthermore, we found increased activation in the hippocampus and the thalamus in participants with frequent and intense automatic alcohol-related thoughts and behaviour.”

The researches hope that their study and similar studies will lead to diagnostic tools that will help individuals receive the best possible prevention or treatment.

Leftover Meds, An Increasing Threat

By ExecuCare Team on February 26, 2010 / Prescription Drugs / Comments Off

A recent study in Utah may provide a startling insight in to what may be a national trend with leftover meds. As reported by Health Day, a startling 97 percent of the study’s individuals who stated having taken opioid pain medicine not prescribed to them over the past year, had gotten the drug from a friend or relative who had a prescription. In most cases the drug was handed over willingly to the individual who reported illegally using or abusing opioid painkillers, such as Oxycontin or Vicodin.

The study, which was published in the February 19th issue of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, also alarmingly found that one in five Utah residents have at least one prescription for opioid painkillers. The majority of patients (71 percent) keep their leftover medication, stating that they paid for them and may need them again.

According to the report, 85.2 percent of the people who used an opioid without a prescription said it was given to them by someone who did, while only 9.8 percent said they took the drug without the knowledge or permission of the owner. And only 4.1 percent said they bought the drug. This study also revealed that deaths in Utah resulting from poisoning by prescription painkillers increased 600 percent from 1999 to 2007.

One warning the research team issued was that holding on to unused prescription medications could result in fatal overdoses, especially for people who aren’t prescribed the drugs. And that the excess of pills makes the possibility of misuse and abuse more likely. The team suggested throwing out leftover opioids by mixing the pills in a separate bag with something undesirable and then throwing the bottle out separately with any identifying information crossed out.

The researchers hope that the study will educate both physicians and the public about the dangers of unused prescription painkillers, and encourage doctors to be more cautious in prescribing and the public more willing to throw out unused prescription medications and to not share prescriptions with other.

Substance Abuse Puts Army in Need of Help

By ExecuCare Team on February 20, 2010 / Addiction / Comments Off

According to USA Today, General Peter Chiarelli, the Army’s Number 2 officer, is recommending a double in the number of substance abuse counselors employed by the army in order to handle the soaring number of soldiers seeking treatment for alcohol abuse. Gen. Chiarelli said in a recent interview that about 300 hundred more counselors are needed to meet the Army’s demand, cut back on wait time for soldiers to be seen, and offer more accommodating hours such as evening and weekend services.

The Army recently released records that show 9,199 soldiers enrolled in treatment services last year for alcohol abuse. This was a 56% increase from 2003. Also revealed was that 16,388 soldiers last year sought some type of counseling. Les McFarling, the director of the Army Substance Abuse Program, said that many soldiers are referred to substance abuse counseling after an incident such as a drunk driving citation. And if, according to the counselors, the soldiers do not appear to suffer from substance abuse, they are required to attend a two-day educational course.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that since 2001 and being involved in two wars … that we probably have a higher incidence of alcohol abuse,” Chiarelli said. Last year, Chiarelli and then-Army secretary Pete Geren, worked to reduce the Army’s record rate of suicide. Chiarelli noted that substance abuse has been identified as an issue in many of the deaths, which reached 160 confirmed and suspected cases in 2009. Alcohol remains a larger problem than drugs, making up 85% of the caseloads.

The Army’s service of counselors is down 20% from its authorized staffing level of 290, and the Army is aiming to staff one counselor for every 1,600 soldiers. With the Army continuing to look for ways to offer soldiers the most comprehensive and effective treatment possible, the 10-day Neurotransmitter Restoration (NTR) seems like it could be quite helpful in a situation like this.

Children’s Sweet Tooth Linked to Alcoholism and Depression

By ExecuCare Team on February 12, 2010 / Alcoholism / Comments Off

Is there a relationship between candy, alcoholism and depression? A recent study published in Addiction found that children’s response to intense sweet tastes is related to alcoholism and depression: both a family history of alcoholism and the child’s self-report of depression. The research revealed how desire for sweets differs among children based on underlying familial and biological factors.

Although a sweet taste is rewarding to almost all kids, Dr. Julie Mennella, a developmental psychobiologist at the Monell Center and the study’s lead author, says that “certain groups of children may be especially attracted to intense sweetness due to their underlying biology.”

According to Medical News Today, researchers examined the sweet preferences of children with a genetic predisposition to alcoholism because sweet taste and alcohol activate many of the same reward circuits in the brain. They also studied the influence of depression, hypothesizing that children with depressive symptoms might have a greater affinity for sweets because sweets make them feel better. 300 children between 5 and 12 years of age tasted five levels of sucrose (table sugar) in water to determine their most preferred level of sweetness. The children also were asked questions to assess the presence of depressive symptoms, while their mothers reported information on family alcohol use. Nearly half the children had a family history of alcoholism and almost one-quarter were classified as exhibiting depressive symptoms.

The study found that the liking for intense sweetness was greatest in the 37 children having both a positive family history of alcoholism and also reporting depressive symptoms.

Mennella noted that the findings do not necessarily mean that there is a relationship between early sweet preferences and alcoholism later in life. “At this point, we don’t know whether this higher ‘bliss point’ for sweets is a marker for later alcohol use,” she said. However, current findings highlight the need for additional research to identify whether these clusters of children will require different strategies to help them reduce their intake of sweets and possibly substance abuse prevention measures.

Research Finds Stimulation Hunger Driven by Dopamine

By ExecuCare Team on February 5, 2010 / The Brain and Addiction / Comments Off

An international research team recently confirmed that the human need for stimulation and dopamine’s action upon the brain are connected. The study, which will soon appear in the leading scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed an explanation as to why people who constantly crave stimulation are in danger of addictive behavior such as drug abuse and gambling.

Though psychologists have known for years that ‘the urge to actively seek out new experiences’ is a personality trait, this is the first time scientists have been able to prove how this urge relates to hormonal activities in the brain. The study found that the hunger for stimulation is greater on average among people who possess more of the gratification hormone, dopamine, in the brain. (MedicalNewsToday.com) Dopamine, which is a key neurotransmitter in the reward pathway of the brain, plays an important role in our ability to handle stress, be motivated, and create an overall sense of well-being. The use of drugs or alcohol raises the level of dopamine, resulting in an artiﬁcial “feel-good” sensation. Chronic use of drugs or alcohol over-stimulates the receptors until they are damaged, unable to support themselves with their own chemicals, and the number of neurotransmitters is reduced. As a result, an individual will experience depression, anxiety, inability to handle stress, withdrawal symptoms, intense cravings, and deeper addiction.

The research team used PET scans and mapped the areas of the brain where dopamine was active among healthy individuals. Through measuring the levels of dopamine, the study found that individuals who had the strongest urge to seek out new and thrilling experiences had both more dopamine in the brain and more areas in the brain where dopamine was active. It’s understood that “if we make good decisions, our dopamine goes up. It tells our brain, you know, good call, that was the right move, you know, do that again next time, and it literally changes the anatomy of the brain. It strengthens certain connections. It decreases others.” (www.mcclatchydc.com) It becomes an issue in the fact that behavior that shouldn’t be repeated also releases dopamine. The study’s findings could prove to be valuable in possible strategies for substance abuse prevention.

Page 44 of 49« First «...10 20 30...42 434445 46...»Last »

Take the First Step: (770) 817-0711

Overdose: The All-Too-Familiar Ending

Certain Brain Activity May Determine Alcohol Dependence Risk

Leftover Meds, An Increasing Threat

Substance Abuse Puts Army in Need of Help

Children’s Sweet Tooth Linked to Alcoholism and Depression

Research Finds Stimulation Hunger Driven by Dopamine

Navigation

Receive Updates

Privacy Policy

Contact Information