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Opioid addiction treatment could cause breathing problems
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareOpioid addiction remains an alarming epidemic in the United States — in fact, it may even be getting worse. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimated that there are approximately 2.1 million people in the U.S. who have substance abuse issues related to prescribed opioids and another 467,000 who are addicted to heroin.
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What can woodpeckers teach us about brain injuries?
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Sports & FitnessIn recent years, there have been numerous studies into the long-term harm that repetitive blows to the head have in athletes of all kinds. Markers in the form of tau staining that show neurofibrillary tangle deposits in the brain are considered signs of the injury-induced pathology associated with sports.
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A simple food preservative may help some schizophrenia patients
Dorothy L. Tengler Mental HealthcareSchizophrenia can affect all aspects of a person — thinking, feeling and behaving — and is associated with tremendous personal suffering, disability, family burden, premature death and societal cost. Getting people into treatment quickly is important for recovery.
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Grief counseling plays major role in school shooting recoveries
Michelle R. Matisons EducationOn Feb. 14, a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, murdered at least 17 people allegedly using an AR-15 assault weapon. He was also armed with smoke grenades and countless magazines.
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Avoid temptations to maintain a healthy brain
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Mental HealthcareSugar, carbs and alcohol are not good for the brain. The biggest season for this trio — winter holidays such as Christmas and New Year's — is behind us. And having just been through the food and alcohol festivities associated with the Super Bowl, it is time to take a closer look at the consequences.
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Patients with fibromyalgia may screen positive for ADHD
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareFibromyalgia (FM) is one of the most common pain conditions, characterized with diffuse aching, pain or stiffness in the muscles or joints and accompanied by multiple tender points on examination. It affects 10 million people in the United States and an estimated 3-6 percent of the world population. About 75-90 percent of those who suffer with FM are women.
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Medication-assisted treatment gets a big expansion in California
Bill Becken Medical & Allied HealthcareThe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and California's Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) have recently stepped up their fight of the multimillion-dollar anti-opioid war by opening an expansive new front in the Golden State with $90 million in funds. These funds flow from the DHHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) under the U.S. 21st Century Cures Act. The program is known as the Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Expansion Project.
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Serve on a board to make an even greater impact as a nurse
Keith Carlson Healthcare AdministrationNurses are leaders in every sense of the word. Leadership is ingrained in nurses from the moment nursing school begins, and as nurses’ careers advance, leadership and personal authority often grow apace. How else can nurses choose positions that provide the opportunity for true servant leadership in the interest of community groups, foundations, associations, non-profits, and other organizations? By serving on boards of directors and advisory boards where a nursing voice can add inestimable value.
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In West Virginia, overdose deaths rise as opioid prescriptions drop
Jason Poquette PharmaceuticalRecently released information from the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy (BOP) about their state opioid abuse problem confirms what many of us have been saying for years: Addiction and overdose deaths are not, primarily, a prescribing and dispensing problem.
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Antidepressants may not work in patients with chronic illnesses
Dorothy L. Tengler Mental HealthcareClinical depression is a serious and often complex medical condition, affecting about 16 million people in the United States. A report from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that from 2011-14, about 13 percent of people 12 years and older reported taking an antidepressant in the previous month — a number that has increased from 11 percent in 2005-08. In 2015, antidepressants were the second-most commonly prescribed medications after drugs to lower cholesterol.
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