For the first time, with the release of the DSM V, binge eating disorder has been recognized as a legitimate and diagnosable mental condition. This move to include binge eating disorder is a significant step for helping both the medical profession and the general public to understand that eating disorders fall along a spectrum in […]
Eating Disorders: Spectrum, Stigma and Shared Treatment Read More »
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
Heroin Addicts Battle Drug, Insurance Denials Read More »
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
Mixing Drugs Can Prove Fatal Read More »
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
Addiction Is a Brain Disease, Not Moral Failing Read More »
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.
Startling new findings have thrown into question whether decades of pregnant women taking acetaminophen products such as Tylenol for lower back pain and headaches has led to their children being diagnosed with ADHD. Kids whose mothers took acetaminophen while pregnant were more likely to develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, a long-term study by UCLA researchers has
Tylenol in Pregnancy Tied to Higher ADHD Risk in Kids Read More »
Every year, U.S. doctors prescribe more opiate painkillers and other prescription medications than any other country in the world, by far. In fact, eight out of 10 prescription painkillers made worldwide are consumed by Americans. As the prescription drug addiction epidemic has continued to spiral out of control, many are pointing fingers at doctors. A
Are Doctors to Blame for the Prescription Drug Addiction Crisis? Read More »
Alcoholism produces a range of possible harms in the brains and bodies of affected individuals. One of these potential harms is the onset of a condition called pellagra, which occurs as a result of a deficiency of a B vitamin called niacin (B3). The presence of pellagra can cause changes in several important body systems,
Niacin Deficiency in Alcoholics Can Cause Dementia Read More »
If you can smell cigarette smoke in your house, hotel room, rental car or workplace, you may be damaging your health by exposure to third-hand smoke, a new study has found. Living, working or lodging in houses, offices, hotels and vacation rentals where cigarettes have been smoked may be as dangerous to your health as
Third-hand Smoke Affects Lungs, Liver, Healing, New Study Finds Read More »