Religiosity is a term used to describe adherence to any given form of religious doctrine or faith. Levels of adherence vary significantly from person to person within a faith, as well as within any given individual at various points in time. In a study published in March 2014 in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, …
Changes in Religious Devotion Increase Risk for Substance Abuse Read More »
A new super-potent narcotic painkiller called Zohydro is set to enter the marketplace and critics fear the country will see a spike in opioid addiction and overdose deaths as a result. Zohydro, which was approved by the FDA last year in a controversial decision, is an extended release formula of pure hydrocodone. In spite of the warnings from …
Super Painkiller Zohydro Could Lead to More Overdose Deaths Read More »
U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder this week declared rising heroin and opioid overdose deaths “an urgent and public health crisis” and vowed renewed enforcement and treatment efforts. In a five-minute televised video, the nation’s top cop referred to the 45 percent increase from 2004 to 2010 in the fatal overdoses from heroin and other opiates found …
Holder Vows to Fight Heroin Deaths ‘Crisis,’ Treatment Gets Short Shrift Read More »
In the U.S., federal law requires cigarette manufacturers to place warnings on their products that outline the serious health risks associated with cigarette use. These warnings are meant to deter people from smoking and also to encourage current smokers to cut down on their cigarette intake or stop smoking altogether. In a study published in …
Smokers Avert Eyes From Cigarette Pack Warnings, Study Finds Read More »
A new federal study has found that U.S. doctors are the leading source of prescription painkillers for hardcore addicts — those at highest risk for overdose. Amid epidemic abuse of prescription painkillers, which leads to more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention findings upend notions about where the …
Although addiction treatment is a relatively new field, a significant body of research shows that addiction is a chronic illness similar to asthma, hypertension and diabetes. The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as “a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry.” Consistent differences in neurophysiology between addicts and non-addicts …
Taken alone, narcotics are deadly enough, but when an addict starts mixing drugs, it gets even riskier. Deaths from mixed drug overdoses date back decades — famously “The Wizard of Oz” star Judy Garland and American icon Elvis Presley. They should serve as cautionary tales, but the addict does not think rationally. A recent string …
The family’s first-born son was away at college when he became a heroin addict. He was 21 and in the throes of detox at a long-term residential treatment center when his parents learned this sobering news: their medical insurance would not pay the $8,000 bill. “I used the savings bonds I inherited from my grandma …
What is the most prevalent eating disorder that most people have never heard of? Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) is the catchall, eating disorders grab-bag category for those who do not fit the traditional criteria for anorexia or bulimia. What eating disorder research has revealed is that an individual who does not meet the …
EDNOS: Most Misunderstood Eating Disorder Also Kills Read More »
Renowned physician and nutrition scientist Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP, and distinguished psychologist and trauma specialist Christine Courtois, PhD, ABPP, will present at the Ben Franklin Institute’s Summit for Clinical Excellence conference in Chicago.