YOU DON’T SNOOZE – YOU LOSE – Aug. 4, 2022 – From an evolutionary standpoint this, of course, makes sense. Humans are much more effective at hunting and gathering in the daylight, and while nighttime is great for rest, humans were once at greater risk of becoming the hunted. According to the researchers, to cope with this increased risk our attention to negative stimuli is unusually heightened at night. Where it might once have helped us jump at invisible threats, this hyper-focus on the negative can then feed into an altered reward/motivation system, making a person particularly prone to…
Author: Leonard Buschel
IT’S THE TELOMERES – Aug. 3, 2022 – The observational analysis found drinking more than 29 units each week was most detrimental. Compared to individuals enjoying six units weekly, this level of consumption was associated with telomere shortening equivalent to two years’-worth of aging. In layman’s terms, 29 units is equivalent to around 10 250ml-sized glasses of wine (with 12 percent alcohol by volume, ABV). If you’re a beer drinker, this equates to about 17 330ml-sized bottles (at five percent ABV). Meanwhile, in the MR analysis, drinking 32 units each week (as opposed to 10 units) was linked to telomere…
WRITING THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE – Aug. 5, 2022. – In 1965, her husband had her admitted to the Paolo Pini psychiatric hospital in Milan, and for years she found herself in and out of asylums, where patients often lived in harsh conditions. The exact state of Merini’s mental health was never clear. As a teenager she was told she had hysterical blindness, now known as conversion disorder; later in life she was said to be schizophrenic. Those who knew her often relied on euphemisms: Emanuela wrote of her mother’s “ghosts”; her close friend and editor Marina Bignotti referred…
KARMA IS A BITCH – Aug. 2, 2022 – Health Net, apparently not eager to gloat, said it wasn’t going to comment on the verdict. One of Sovereign’s attorneys, Lisa S. Kantor, said this: “We believe that there were multiple reversible errors and that the most significant evidence was kept from the jury. We look forward to obtaining a reversal on appeal.” That $45 million hit to Sovereign and Sharma breaks down like this: Health Net’s damages for fraud and/or intentional interference amounted to $15.82 million, with a $13.31 million cherry on top awarded for interest. Health Net is due…
ITS MYSTERIES ABOUND – August 5, 2022 – What is dissociation? Many researchers think dissociation occurs on a spectrum. On one end, there is the kind of dissociation that is spurred by trauma and associated with PTSD flashbacks. Then there are common, everyday experiences of dissociation, which involve attention being limited to a narrow range of experience. Everyday dissociation can be passive or active. Spontaneous daydreaming is a form of passive dissociation, while reading a book is an example of active dissociation. In both cases, you can become so immersed in a fantasy or story that time falls away and you…
CARTELS ON WALL STREET – August 5, 2022 – Painkiller producers such as Purdue Pharma — the maker of OxyContin (oxycodone) — are one major source of the opioid and overdose epidemics. These companies knowingly and deliberately lied about the addictive nature of their painkillers. The doctors who prescribed the companies’ drugs received kickbacks and rewards for their ability to push the most painkillers. (“Purdue Pharma guilty in opioid deaths,” Workers World, Oct. 26, 2020) Chain pharmacies should have tracked overprescriptions and reported suspicious or excessive prescriptions to authorities to investigate. This did not happen. Instead, as Attorney General…
AUDIO – CVS, Walmart, Walgreens WIN BIG – Aug. 2, 2022 – It’s estimated that more than 107,000 people in the United States died due to opioid overdoses in 2021. Washington Post journalist Scott Higham says it’s “the equivalent of a 737 Boeing crashing and burning and killing everybody on board every single day.” In the new book, American Cartel, Higham and co-author Sari Horwitz make the case that the pharmaceutical industry operated like a drug cartel, with manufacturers at the top; wholesalers in the middle; and pharmacies at the level of “street dealers.” more@NPR
THIS ISN’T RUSSIA! – Aug. 1, 2022 – It’s time to stop pretending the war on drugs ever worked. And a bill from a few Democratic members in the Senate is a step toward that. Sen. Cory Booker, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Ron Wyden, head of the Senate Finance Committee, reintroduced a revised bill to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level and to remove it from the schedule of federal drug offenses. Congress should pass it for two reasons: While attitudes about marijuana use once presented a challenge, this is no longer the case. Most Americans…
STILL SAY GRACE – Aug. 1, 2022 – “Independent of the amount of calories, independent of the amount of healthy food that you try to eat, the ultra-processed food is not good for your cognition,” said Claudia Suemoto, an author of the study and assistant professor of geriatrics at the University of Sao Paulo Medical School. Suemoto and her team found in particular that the adults in the study who consumed the most processed food experienced a 25% faster decline in their ability to plan and execute an action — known as “executive function.” Similarly, a study published last…
VIDEO – ABSTINENCE MAKE THE HEART GROW FONDER – July 22, 2022 – James – not his real name – is one of HMP Oakwood’s success stories. He ended up in prison after carrying out armed robberies to fund his heroin addiction. Having recovered he now coaches other prisoners and is looking forward to release. “I’m a completely different person,” he says. “When my mum and dad came to see me they were so proud. They hadn’t told me that since I was a child. And my old boss is giving me a job.” Campaigners have welcomed the expansion of…
THE FLAVOR OF DEMISE – July 26, 2022 – However, the robust and significant increase in the risk of severe COVID-19 seen in our study, independent of medical history and medication use and particularly among young individuals, underscores the urgent need for extensive public health interventions such as anti-smoking campaigns and increased access to cessation therapy, especially in the age of COVID,” said the study’s senior author, Aruni Bhatnagar, Ph.D., FAHA, a professor of medicine, biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. “These findings provide the clearest evidence to date that people who smoke or…
WHEN ONE AIN’T ENOUGH – Aug. 3, 2022 – The term consciously mimics “prediabetes,” a now-accepted term to describe people with higher-than-normal blood sugar levels and who are at high risk of developing diabetes. The “prediabetes” designation has allowed resources and interventions to be targeted to this earlier stage of the condition, when it is easier and less expensive to treat. That’s exactly the goal that Volkow & Co. have in mind with pre-addiction. Here’s how she explains it in a recent commentary in JAMA Psychiatry: “The term ‘pre-addiction’ gives a readily understandable name to a vulnerable period of time…
AND BEAUTIFUL TOO – Aug. 2, 2022 – Drug and alcohol addiction is a topic that has been explored in cinema for decades. It is a sensitive subject that must be handled with care to depict the brutal truths about addiction. These films can be hard to watch due to the physical and emotional agony that the characters go through. Many films, such as Beautiful Boy, starring Timothee Chalamet, are based on true memoirs from those who struggled with addiction. Other films may be pure fiction, but honestly portray the suffering that one goes through while suffering from substance abuse.…
MO’ (ANYTHING) MO’ PROBLEMS – Aug. 5, 2022 – The paradox of choice and having a mindset that the grass is always greener on the other side can be helped by practicing acceptance and gratitude. Psychiatrist Dr. Alex Dimitriu told Healthline, “Settling for ‘good enough’ is essential in a situation with too many choices. In my work with high-achieving patients, I always emphasize the statement that ‘the enemy of good is better. Indeed, finding peace with ‘good enough’ and actually enjoying it — through gratitude, mindfulness, etc. — may lead to a less than optimal choice, but a significantly higher…
THE OMELETTE AT EVERY REHAB – Aug. 6, 2022 – Alcohol use disorder—more colloquially known as alcoholism—tends to happen slowly, and then all at once. Most people will say a few drinks in social settings starts to balloon into frequent drinks at home, in solitude. And eventually it’s perpetual, as habitual as a cup of coffee might be. Very quickly, the disorder can be incredibly debilitating as you find yourself living a life at the beck and call of addiction, sacrificing your relationships, career, and well-being for another drink to take the edge off. At worst, you’re digging your…
WHO’S ZOOMING WHO? – Aug. 7, 2022 – The TikToker, Alicia Murray (@therapywithmillenials) claims that folks who find the information of therapists on a service called CareDash are then redirected to BetterHelp’s site. They’re told that the therapist they chose isn’t available for a session, but BetterHelp then recommends other therapists who are actually able to take on the work. “If you heard what’s going on with the therapist world right now, as if BetterHelp wasn’t already on my shit list, buckle up,” Murray starts. “…CareDash has somehow made profiles for basically every therapist who’s licensed that’s out there.…
“Once you face your fear, nothing is ever as hard as you think.” – Olivia Newton-John
AUDIO – EVERYONE LOVES PODCASTS – August 2022 – Vic Vela, a Colorado native, has been a professional journalist for nearly 20 years, after graduating from the Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2000. Vic started his career as a sports anchor for an NBC affiliate in Texas. He also worked for newspapers, including a stint as an investigative crime reporter. He covered government and politics in Colorado, and was a five-year member of the Colorado Capitol Press Corps. Nowadays, Vic is a news host for Colorado Public Radio. He’s also an affiliate journalism professor at his alma mater. Vic…
PERCHANCE TO DREAM MORE – July 2022 – Finally, in districts that have in fact delayed start times, it does appear that students shift a considerable chunk of their newfound time to sleep. It all seems to add up to a pretty common sense approach, even conceding that moving start times might have a whole range of other adult ramifications, including transportation and logistical changes, union contracts, parents’ child care needs, etc. This whole story combines the topics of two of my most popular free ebooks: How to Raise Successful Kids (7th Edition), and The Free Book of Neuroscience:…
FOLLOW THE MONEY – July 25, 2022 – NPR found that 42% of currently outstanding confirmatory studies – or 50 of them – either took more than a year to begin following accelerated approval or hadn’t started at all. Nineteen of those required studies still haven’t started three years or more after accelerated approval. Four of them haven’t started more than 10 years later. That means many drugs that made it to market with an accelerated approval are being used – sometimes for years – without patients, doctors or regulators knowing if they really work. more@NPR
TIED WITH PLACEBO – July 25, 2022 – A paper in the journal Molecular Psychiatry recently tried to examine the scientific evidence for the serotonin hypothesis of depression from several possible angles and found it severely wanting. To me, this does not come as a great surprise. It always seemed unlikely that so simple a hypothesis would be correct and account for a condition so protean in its manifestations, so various in its causes, so doubtful even in its nosological identity. When I was a young doctor, there was a prolonged dispute as to whether depression was a single…
VIDEO – LIVE CONVERSATION – July 25, 2022 – To support my show: https://www.patreon.com/hollyrandallu… To make a one time donation: https://www.paypal.me/hollyrandall78 Shop my merch store! https://shophollyrandall.com/collecti… Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyrandall/ Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hollyrandall Follow me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hollyrandallu… Visit my Official Podcast site: https://www.hollyrandallunfiltered.com/ Fan mail: 26500 Agoura Road, Suite 102-838, Calabasas CA 91302 more@YouTube
TEAM WORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK – July 24, 2022 – Director and neuroscientist Charlotte Wincott collaborated with numerous addiction experts to tell the scientific stories that comprise “Fall Fight Shine,” which is her first documentary film. Scientists and experts explain the biology underlying addiction as well as the challenges and pathways to recovery. Dr. Wincott, who studied neuroscience at NYU and conducted research in addiction at The Rockefeller University, started making films several years ago to tell relatable stories with scientific themes. “Science is not always interesting or accessible to non-scientists and I want to change that.” The documentary…
VIDEO – FROM CRAMPS TO AMPS – July 28, 2022 – “It got really bad,” said Sara, now 47, from Pembroke Dock. “Where a doctor might prescribe two painkillers, I would take six or eight in one dose, three or four times a day.” Sara told her doctor she was afraid she might be addicted. To help reduce her dependency on codeine she said the doctor prescribed diazepam, from a class of psychoactive drugs called benzodiazepines, most often used to treat severe anxiety. “I would just increase and increase to get that high every single time,” she said. “You can…
NOT ENOUGH ICE – July 28, 2022 – According to ESPN, the 35-year-old free agent was arrested at Nashville International Airport on July 25 after he allegedly tried to shoplift and appeared to be a danger to himself. Ryan, who most recently played for the Detroit Red Wings, was arrested and released eight hours later, the outlet said. Charges against him were dismissed. On Wednesday, Ryan addressed the incident on his Twitter page and expressed his gratitude to those who lent their support to him. “Every now and again you’re reminded exactly why social media exists and today is…
AUDIO – FOR GOD AND COUNTRY – July 29, 2022 – “317 days ago I embarrassed myself after drinking too much alcohol one night. It wasn’t the first time either,” Owen reflected in his caption. “The next day I told myself, ‘never again.’ I am better than that, and the people I love the most deserve better. My family, my little girls, and my friends. “Just wanted to share my journey in case anyone woke up this morning and wants to make a change,” he continued in the post. “None of us aren’t perfect. I’m just trying to be the…
VIDEO – WOUNDED HEALER AT WORK – July 29, 2022 – Harm reduction plays a major role in supporting community members experiencing a substance use disorder, said Brandon-based Solange Machado, network co-ordinator with the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network. “It’s scary. There’s a very toxic supply out there. And, you know, people are having a hard time getting their hands on their substance of choice, which is leading people to try new substances and really just not being sure of the potency,” she said. When people are unaware of the potency of a drug there is an increased risk of…
VIDEO – GOING PUBLIC ONLINE – July 30, 2022 – He explains “Most of my following knew that I drank heavily. Especially when we would go live, you know I was drinking beer heavily during the lives. A lot of the friends that I have associated with through TikTok, that’s what we did, we drank. It was more of me letting everybody know that I was going to try to better myself, and not just for myself but for my family and everyone around me. And then I started getting a lot of support, and I realized that there was…
THE FINAL SOLUTION – July 27, 2022 – The former president’s claims contradict decades of research and data on the death penalty. Numerous studies have debunked the notion that capital punishment deters people from engaging in criminal behavior, as well as the argument that longer prison sentences reduce crime. “We’re very hard pressed to find really strong evidence of deterrence,” Columbia Law School professor Jeffrey Fagan said in 2014 regarding the death penalty. Some studies have demonstrated that the abolition of the death penalty would be far more effective in reducing violent crime. One study from 2019 showed that…
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – July 29, 2022 – Adriana Marchione MA, REAT, RSMT has been involved in the arts for over thirty years as a filmmaker, dancer, photographer and is internationally recognized in her work as a movement-based expressive arts therapist and educator. Since 2002, Adriana has taught and directed programs at Tamalpa Institute, California Institute of Integral Studies, WHEAT Institute in Canada and founded her own wellness center in San Francisco. She has presented her creative healing approach with a focus on addiction, eating disorders, trauma and grief, at festivals, conferences, and treatment centers including South by Southwest,…