RIDER FOR JUSTICE – Nov. 19, 2023 – The couple have reluctantly decided to put their Bells Wynd house on the market as Jen builds out her creative base, and Finn is going to a new school, in Edinburgh. Now, in a follow-up interview to find out more about her career, Jen reveals her concerns that many things are “turning backwards not forwards” when it comes to social justice. She’s particularly concerned about the role of women in society and the fact that “poverty is destroying millions of lives”. “One of the reasons I recently made the Trussell Trust…
Author: Leonard Buschel
FATHER’S SOBER ADVENTURE – Nov. 22, 2023 – Growing up in the Far North town of Kaitāia, award-winning television journalist and The Hui reporter D’Angelo Martin resolved not to raise his kids the same way he had been brought up. “I grew up in a household where there was a fair bit of drinking, which was normal in Kaitāia,” says the TV star, who’s of Te Rarawa descent. “Kids came home from school to a house full of uncles, aunties and people from the neighbourhood, all of them having a party.” From a young age, D’Angelo also realised how…
TAKE ONLY AS PRESCRIBED – Nov. 21, 2023 – For patients with a history of addiction, cancer can also trigger concerns about their sobriety. What if I’m prescribed opioids? What if I become stressed and have the urge to misuse substances again? Whether your substance use disorder is centered around alcohol, prescription drugs, or legal or illegal drugs, it’s important to recognize how hard you’ve worked to get sober. “You may have gone to a treatment facility where you had to be away from loved ones to get to a point of sobriety,” says Treacy. “With a new cancer diagnosis,…
A LIFE OF LOVE – Feb. 11, 2020 – We’ve all heard some version of the phrase “Love heals all wounds”. And while this line might sound a little corny, there’s actually more truth to that statement than you might think. As it turns out, love really does have the power to heal us from the inside out. READ@DrJillBook
On Friendship: “The two nonnegotiable rules are that you must not wear patchouli oil — we’ll still love you, but we won’t want to sit with you — and that the only excuse for bringing your cell phone to the dinner table is if you’re eagerly waiting to hear that they’ve procured an organ for your impending transplant.” – Anne Lamott
HOLDING HANDS OF COMPASSION – Nov. 17, 2023 – To understand how positive emotions build resilience, it helps to know a little bit about the biology of emotions. When we experience an emotion, whether positive or negative, our brains release neurochemicals that influence how we think, feel, and behave. Fear, for example, triggers the release of adrenaline to prepare the body for danger. Anger releases cortisol to energize us to take action. Love releases oxytocin to promote trust and bonding. Each emotion has a purpose and is linked to biological processes that support our survival. Positive emotions like joy,…
THIEVES DON’T USE THE DOOR – Nov. 18, 2023 – This can look like losing the ability to function and cope with everyday activities, the Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division noted. Other symptoms include exhaustion, overeating, anxiety, drinking, forgetfulness, or an unwillingness to leave home or their bed. “To combat this, Aura strives to provide free support and make it easily accessible to everyone,” Ravichandran explained. Aura, which was founded in 2014, has launched even more support services last month. This includes a new online safety resource center that provides visitors with step-by-step instructions to help resolve instances…
THE SADNESS REMAINS – Nov. 9, 2023 – We went to this very big gathering in Brentwood, Calif. We walked in, and I swear it seemed there were a thousand people in there. He knew the look on my face — daunted. Beyond daunted: demoralized. It’s very hard to imagine how going into a room like that is somehow going to make you want to stop drinking or make you feel better. And he looked at me and said in his Matthew, half-joking, very loving way: “It’s something, isn’t it? God is a bunch of drunks together in a…
THE SON DOES NOT ALWAYS RETURN HOME – Nov. 16, 2023 – The family said Dex Carvey “loved his family, his friends and his girlfriend, Kaylee,” adding that “Dex was a beautiful person. His handmade birthday cards are a treasure. We will miss him forever.” “Dex packed a lot into those 32 years,” the post said. “He was extremely talented at so many things — music, art, film making, comedy — and pursued all of them passionately.” They added, “To anyone struggling with addiction or who loves someone struggling with addiction, you are in our hearts and prayers.” Law enforcement sources who spoke…
THE GOAL TO STAY CLEAN – Nov. 14, 2023 – The ex-England international, now 42, has since received support from wife Leeona, and 15-year-old daughter Lucy after admitting he was close to taking his own life. He has now spoken out about how he discovered the extent of his addiction to the drug after being admitted into rehab. This year it was revealed that Tramadol will be added to the list of prohibited substances under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and Kirkland called it an ‘evil’ drug that ‘nearly killed me’. ‘I found out when I went into…
THEN WHAT? – Nov. 17, 2023 – n this study, 10 participants undergoing sleep studies at the WVU Medicine Sleep Evaluation Center swallowed a Celero Systems Vitals Monitoring Pill (VM Pill), a device the size of a vitamin capsule that contains wireless sensors. Once ingested, the pill temporarily resides in the gastrointestinal tract, detecting respiration, heart rate, temperature, and gastric motility from inside the patient’s body. The study demonstrated that the VM Pill was able to accurately detect when the participants’ breathing slowed or stopped. “This technology has the potential to transform how we monitor vital signs in patients by…
HEALTHY LIFESTYLES TAKE WORK – Nov. 2, 2023 – Addiction is both biological and social First, it is important to know where addiction originates. It is not a choice someone made. Addiction is “a biomedical condition, and it is a condition that you need sustained treatment for,” Dick said. Many factors contribute to the development of the chronic disease, Kelly said. “Some people right out of the gate have a genetic predisposition, where their family has history of an alcohol or other drug addiction,” he said. Those predispositions can combine with a history of trauma or developmental experiences to…
A BIG DEAL! – Nov. 12, 2023 – The office manager revealed: ‘Growing up, I wasn’t always on the heavier side, but things started changing when I hit middle school. I was the curviest among my friends, and that stirred up some self-doubt.’ ‘My relationship with food has always been complicated. I turn to it for comfort and to combat boredom. While I’ve come a long way in my journey with food, there’s still room for improvement,’ Jilly explained. Her path to becoming an influencer began somewhat unexpectedly in January 2020. ‘At that time, my Instagram account was small, mostly…
GET THEE BEHIND ME – Nov. 9, 2023 – ‘The more harsh the taste – sour, spicy, anything in between – the more likely your brain is going to step outside of that anxious thought and more into what you’re tasting,’ Ms Pankonin previously told DailyMail.com. Eating something sour increases saliva production in the mouth, which is the first step in re-engaging that digestive system. ‘When we have high levels of anxiety, or when we’re in panic attack mode, our body is in fight or flight. Your mind thinks there’s either a perceived or an actual threat,’ Micheline Maalouf, licensed…
NOTHING IS PERFECT – Nov. 14, 2023 – If Torrington could wave a magic wand, “I would enact true parity, where people could get access to comprehensive, individualized, multimodal treatment over time,” he said. “Primary care, psychiatry, addiction medication, shoes, socks, healthy food, mind-body activities. I would stop treating people like (expletive) because they have a psychiatric or addiction problem. I’d make sure they had a place to stay and get care as long as they need it — forever, if they need it. “Some people can figure it out and make it work. Some can’t, and they die, and…
TOO LONG – Nov. 15, 2023 – Alcohol withdrawal can be a challenging phase, with its duration and severity varying from person to person. Symptoms typically peak within the first 24 to 48 hours and can range from mild anxiety and shakiness to severe complications like seizures and delirium tremens (DTs). The acute phase of withdrawal lasts about a week, but some symptoms, like sleep disturbances and emotional fluctuations, can persist for months. It’s crucial to understand that alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous, and in some cases, life-threatening. Medical supervision during the detox phase is highly recommended, especially for…
DON’T BE THE TURKEY – Nov. 15, 2023 – It can also be hell for the loved ones of those struggling with addiction as they are often not equipped to deal with their needs. To help people better understand addiction, brain trainer and founder of Brain Harmonics, Kerry Rudman, makes the difficult science behind how one becomes an addict easier to understand. Rudman said she and her team are dedicated to advancing the science of addiction recovery. “We believe understanding the connection between addiction and the brain is the first step in finding effective and long-lasting solutions.” She said the…
MAKING A LIVING KILLING – Nov. 16, 2023 – Rosenfield, Taylor, and their co-conspirators issued prescriptions for opioids, including approximately 752,000 pills of oxycodone and 419,000 pills of hydrocodone, under Rosenfield’s name, outside the usual course of professional practice, and not for a legitimate medical purpose. The prescriptions often were issued to individuals paid by drug dealers to pose as patients, and the pills ultimately were diverted to the illegal market. From May 2018 to August 2019, the Sunnyside Medical clinics grossed approximately $5,478,000 from the sale of these prescription drugs. Co-defendants Sokari “Momma” Bobmanuel and Alantha Stewart had…
MORE THAN THEIR HEARTS – Nov. 17, 2023 – “We must remain nimble in our overdose prevention efforts, including getting more people who use drugs into treatment with medications for opioid use disorder in outpatient and residential treatment settings,” reads a press statement from the Department of Public Health, released after the data was published. While these public health resources have been growing, Mayor London Breed has also charged local and state law enforcement to crack down harder on drug trafficking as well as increase arrests for public drug use and dealing. That included bringing in the CalGuard and California…
SAVING LIVES DAILY – Nov. 16, 2023 – Reducing overdose deaths goes beyond helping people stop using opioids, panelists said. It also requires offering harm reduction resources, like sterile needles, that make using less dangerous. Providing tools to use illegal drugs more safely doesn’t conflict with efforts to help people stop using them, Soth said. “I personally believe that harm reduction is treatment, and it’s part of the treatment continuum,” he said. “If people are dead, they’re not going to recover.” Clinicians with Homeless Health Care Los Angeles walk through encampments offering medications that can reduce the risk of death…
HUMANS ARE BEINGS – Nov. 16, 2023 – “When we’re running a county and we have incarcerated individuals who need access to medication to help their brain get better so that they can become more productive members of our society on the other side of that incarceration experience, that’s my job to have that conversation,” Harrison said, noting that some county officials aren’t sold on the levels of treatment necessary to help people struggling with addiction. At the same time, the lack of treatment capacity can inspire unwitting migration in rural counties, as Arlene Hudson, a behavioral health clinical liaison…
NON-NONE-NEAT – Nov. 14, 2023 – Although he’d initially only planned to open a cat cafe when he moved here from D.C. in 2021 (Flattery Cattery will open in Federal Hill early next year), he pivoted and instead opened a place where people could buy non-alcoholic drinks. Hopscotch opened in Fells Point in August. The shop offers non-alcoholic and zero-proof beer, wine, and spirits. ‘Non-alcoholic’ means they contain less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume, while ‘zero proof’ means they contain no alcohol at all. He also sells zero-proof bitters and garnishes. Every bottle on display is selected and curated…
Nov. 20, 2023 – Yep, it was just a marketing stunt. : It was just revealed that he’s partnering with the smoke-free fire pit brand Solo Stove. Snoop is now the brand’s official “smokesman.” Perfect for the homeless and wealthy READ@DELISH
AMENDS TIME? – Nov. 16, 2023 – Many were shocked by Snoop Dogg’s announcement as the entertainer has been very vocal over the years about his love of cannabis. He even turned his passion into a business in 2015 by launching his very own cannabis brand, Leafs by Snoop. Reportedly, his products are available for purchase at dispensaries in the Colorado cities of Denver, Garden City, Mancos, Cortez, Lakewood and Colorado Springs. READ@CNN
NO WILD TURKEY – Nov. 17, 2023 – That doesn’t mean that you should invite disaster to your holiday gatherings, but you can consider appropriate precautions for health and safety. Sometimes, it simply isn’t safe to invite someone, but if your primary reason for excluding someone is based on fear that could be exaggerated, you may want to reconsider implementing appropriate boundaries and precautions instead of outright excluding the person. Social support is a powerful resource for people struggling with addiction, so consider whether you really want to withhold that from someone during the holidays out of fear that…
AI vs. AI – Nov. 15, 2023 – The lawsuit alleges that the health insurer and its subsidiary, NaviHealth, used an algorithm called nH Predict to systematically deny medical claims from patients recuperating from illnesses in nursing homes. UnitedHealth and other NaviHealth clients, including health insurer Humana, used nH Predict to deny claims, despite the algorithm having a steep error rate, plaintiffs allege. More than 90% of patient claim denials from nH Predict were overturned following appeal, according to the suit. UnitedHealth has used the tool since at least 2019. It acquired NaviHealth the following year. The suit accuses UnitedHealth…
NATIONALLY – Nov. 14, 2023 – At 61 years old, I have lost far too much to drugs, and I’ve never done anything more than weed, as a teenager. I have three sons and one daughter, and while I know that my husband and I weren’t perfect parents, I also know that we did the best we could. We worked hard to provide the basics for our family, as well as for extracurricular activities. We took extra shifts and held local food sales for Indian tacos and eel roasts for additional income. We somehow managed to make it all work.…
IT’S ART and TRIBAL – Nov. 17, 2023 – The next tattoo came after six of us formed a small biker gang: Lost Souls. We had a knack for wrong turns and misguided shortcuts, and often got turned around on some back country road where there always seemed to be a longhorn bull skull. All of us got the same ink: the “1%” symbol inside the diamond outline, above a longhorn skull, above a four-point compass with an “S” at each point. Those once-separate elements have melted together over the decades, but each of them had meaning and still…
BRINGING HOME THE BACON – Nov. 15, 2023 – It ended up with me drinking a fifth of tequila every night, seven days a week, and a handful of narcos [prescription meds] by myself with a beautiful family in the other room. That’s what it led to and that’s what led to the brokenness and to what happened between me and Tori.” He added: “I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t live that life anymore. I was tired of the anger and the yelling.” Even though they’ve now gone their separate ways, McDermott, who is now sober after a summer…
AND MAKING AMENDS – Nov. 15, 2023 – He hopes his time there will allow him to soon make amends with his family, including wife Tori Spelling. The couple split in June. “All she’s ever done to this day is want me to be happy and healthy,” he said tearfully. “I inflicted a lot of damage and pain on that woman.” “I’m taking accountability for that today and it’s the biggest amends I’m ever going to have to make,” he told the outlet. McDermott detailed the severity of his addiction and how it impacted his family, admitting that prior…