ANYTHING FOR A BUCK – March 24, 2022 – Santeiro, who is a doctor, was convicted of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud, and eight counts of healthcare fraud. He faces up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy count and up to 10 years in prison for each healthcare fraud count. “Santeiro’s conviction demonstrates the unwavering commitment of the Department of Justice’s Sober Homes Initiative to protecting patients and prosecuting fraudulent substance abuse treatment facilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. “Rather than ‘do no harm,’ Santeiro, driven by greed, used his medical license…
Author: Leonard Buschel
SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN – Mar. 23, 2022 – Last June, researchers from Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine documented six unusual cases in the journal Movement Disorders. The subjects were teenage girls between 13 and 16 who had started having “abrupt-onset tic-like movements.” The tics were puzzling because Tourette’s syndrome and other tic disorders — characterized by involuntary and repeated movements or sounds — are far more common among boys and tend to first appear in early childhood with small movements; the girls’ movements, though, were large, accompanied by vocalizations and had other unique traits. Among them:…
THE POWER OF THE DOG – AND CAT, ETC. – Mar. 24 2022 – Being brought back to the present with your pet can happen in a variety of ways. Maybe you’re walking your dog, or listening to your cat’s purrs, watching your goldfish swim, your hamster run in its wheel. It’s no coincidence that all of these practices — walking, paying attention to repetitive sound and motion, enjoying nature — are all recommended ways to unlock mindful moments. “The foundations of mindfulness include attention, intention, compassion, and awareness,” Dr. Ann Berger, a National Institutes of Health researcher who…
ESPRESSO TOO? – March 24, 2022 – Antioxidants in the beans improve health by boosting the metabolism, reducing swelling and cutting fat build-up, scientists said. This means even decaf is good for your heart – and people with other vices like junk food and smoking still get benefits. Dr Peter Kistler, from the Baker Heart Institute in Melbourne, said: “Because coffee can quicken heart rate, people worry that it could trigger or worsen heart issues. “But our data suggest that daily coffee intake shouldn’t be discouraged, but rather included as a part of a healthy diet. “We found coffee drinking…
MOVING AND GROOVING – March 25, 2022 – Attending one of Miller’s virtual classes during lockdown, it was easy to see that participants’ stress and anxiety was high. At first the screen was filled with scrunched up faces and tense shoulders. When Miller asked how everyone was feeling, there was dead silence. But as he guided the class through their gentle movements, bodies began to loosen and during breaks people talked more openly about how lockdown was affecting them. “The movements of qigong help because they provide the mind with a job and stop it from wandering to those…
FINALLY FREE – Mar. 24, 2022 – She may have been silenced by her conservatorship for 13 years, but Britney Spears is refusing to be silenced any longer. The singer is taking her newfound freedom to social media, commenting on everything from public events to previous rumours, and of course, is continuing to upload her signature outfit videos which her account is now synonymous with. After news broke in February that Spears had signed a major book deal with publishing house Simon & Schuster, fans have been dying to hear more from Spears about her very secretive life over…
SHARING THE ANONYMOUS SECRET – March 25, 2022 – Hollywood is no stranger to sober celebs, with many using their experiences to help other alcoholics and addicts find the courage they need to start their sobriety journey. Meanwhile, other stars say they’re simply grateful and want to live their lives in the open. more@USMagazine
CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED – March 25, 2022 – And it’s legal in Mississippi. Officials discussed the drug at Friday’s Mississippi State Medical Association COVID-19 briefing. “We’ve been seeing it probably the last five years, but a trickle,” said Dr. Daniel Edney, deputy state health officer. “Every once in a while, somebody would come in, you know, on ZaZa, ZaZa Red or Super T … And usually what’s happened is they were in the gas station. You’ve got the shelf that’s got kratom and ZaZa Red on it … and they may have heard enough about kratom that they want to…
Taylor Hawkins RIP Mar. 26, 2022 – The death of the Foo Fighters drummer sparked an outpouring of grief on social media. more@HuffPost
VIDEO – NOT THRILL PILLS – March 23, 2022 – “They were left unsupervised for a short period of time and one of the kids that have prescription medication got into it and shared with the other children here,” Lt. Cheyenne Casale with the Hopewell Police said. Investigators said the pill bottle found didn’t have a label on it. However, after questioning the seven-year-old and consulting with doctors, they were able to determine that sleeping pills are the focal point. more@WTVR
AUDIO – FROM CASH TO CRASH – March 22, 2022 – Elizabeth is not alone. An NHPR investigation has discovered multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, abusive leadership, and retaliation by Spofford while he was CEO of GRC. A former GRC employee told NHPR that in 2018, Spofford sexually assaulted her during the workday. In 2020, according to multiple sources, another GRC employee told several colleagues that Spofford had sexually assaulted her, leading some of them, including the chief operating officer, to quit the company. Multiple sources say Spofford told them he negotiated a paid settlement with this employee that…
THEIR TURN TO CRY – Mar. 22, 2022 – It will most likely open a stream of funding for research into treatments — naltrexone, a drug used to help treat addiction, is currently in clinical trials as a form of grief therapy — and set off a competition for approval of medicines by the Food and Drug Administration. “They were the widows who wore black for the rest of their lives, who withdrew from social contacts and lived the rest of their lives in memory of the husband or wife who they had lost,” said Dr. Paul S. Appelbaum, who…
TIME TO GET SOBER? – March 24, 2022 – I was a drunk. Yes. An alcoholic. I’ve been alcohol free since January 1, 2020. When I drank, I was the life of the party. I could make people laugh until they fell down. In this picture I was the one who fell down. Not because I was playing hockey or doing the things I love – like chopping wood or doing construction, golfing, fishing or flying airplanes. I was hammered and fell, going up some stairs made of stone. No one loved having ‘beers with the boys’ after playing hockey…
GOOD NEWS, FINALLY – March 21, 2022 – There is no question the state has made progress fighting the drug overdose epidemic. But evaluating that success – and deciding where to invest resources – requires looking at the details, not a single metric. And the state has done that well, according to those who’ve been part of the effort. In Manchester and Nashua, for example, AMR, which provides medical transport in those cities, tracks where the opioid overdoses and deaths happen, such as home, hotel, or vehicle and whether they’ve seen the person before to better understand what’s needed. “New…
GONE TOO SOON – Mar. 25, 2022 – Recognizable for his flailing limbs, surfer’s good looks and wide, childlike grin, Mr. Hawkins became a member of the band led by Dave Grohl for its third album, “There Is Nothing Left to Lose,” released in 1999, and played on the group’s subsequent seven albums. He drew on two distinct styles: the fundamentals of Roger Taylor from Queen and the intricacy of Stewart Copeland from the Police. He added the muscle of punk and metal, the precision of drum machines and a gift for explosive momentum. Although he has been referred to…
VIDEO – BOOZE KILLS TOO…MANY – March 2022 – Judy Woodruff: We have regularly reported on the continuing rise in opioid and overdose deaths during the pandemic. But what’s gotten far less attention is a sharp increase in alcohol-related deaths as well. William Brangham looks at a new study about that crisis and the reasons behind the surge. William Brangham: That’s right, Judy. Alcohol-related deaths were going up before the pandemic began, but they really accelerated once the virus emerged. A study this week in “The Journal of the American Medical Association” found that, during the first year of…
VIDEO – MOONAGE DAYDREAM – March 24, 2022 – For most of the 1970s, David Bowie’s life revolved around when he’d be getting his next hit of drugs. After he managed to shake off his sordid habits, Bowie reflected on his dark struggle through his preferred communication medium. Bowie’s grapple with substances had significantly amplified throughout the making of his seminal album Station To Station, and he had slowly morphed into a paranoid shadow of his former self. Partly, this was down to moving to Los Angeles and the prevalence of narcotics in the City of Angels, which made…
IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANY GORGEOUS PERSON – March 25, 2022 – “I had a horrific DUI, which I’m so embarrassed by,” the Grandfathered alum, who played Jesse Katsopolis on both Full House and Fuller House, confessed during a January 2016 appearance on The Howard Stern Show. “I could have hurt somebody. It was really stupid and ignorant of me. I hated myself for that. It was a bad, bad thing.” He continued: “I really don’t have anything to hide anymore … I lost myself. I lost my sense of discipline, which my dad taught me so well. More and…
WHAT TOOK SO LONG? – Mar. 22, 2022 – It implies an overwhelming indictment of the behavior which we believe is not appropriate. The actual and potential harm of use of the drug is not great enough to justify intrusion by the criminal law into private behavior, a step which our society takes only with the greatest reluctance.” The commission, therefore, recommended that the “possession of marijuana for personal use no longer be an offense, [and that the] casual distribution of small amounts of marihuana for no remuneration, or insignificant remuneration, no longer be an offense.” This policy recommendation,…
“I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist.” —Tammy Faye Bakker (1942-2007)
COLLATERAL DAMAGE – March 22, 2022 – Among adults younger than 65, alcohol-related deaths actually outnumbered deaths from COVID-19 in 2020; 74,408 Americans ages 16-64 died of alcohol-related causes, while 74,075 individuals younger than 65 died of COVID-19. The rate of increase for alcohol-related deaths in 2020 — 25% — outpaced the rate of increase of deaths from all causes, which was 16.6%. more@NYTimes
IT STARTS AT BIRTH – March 15, 2022 – “This study suggests to me that binge eating disorder is wired in the brain, even from a very, very early age,” Murray said. “The question that we don’t know, which is something that we will address in time, is whether successful treatment of binge eating disorder in kids helps correct brain development. The prognosis of almost all psychiatric diseases is better if you can treat them in childhood.” For this study, Murray and his colleagues analyzed brain scans and other data from 71 children with diagnosed binge eating disorder and 74…
NO GUN CONTROL IN AMERICA – March 16, 2022 – The department’s Metropolitan Special Crimes Unit took the teen into custody Wednesday and transported him to the Lubbock County Juvenile Justice Center while the investigation continues, the statement added. It was not immediately clear whether the shooting was intentional or not. According to the Brady Center’s statistics, of the 22 children and teens who are shot every day in the U.S., two are murdered, eight are intentionally shot and survive, and eight are unintentionally shot in cases of “family fire,” or when a gun that is not properly stored or…
SHALOM – March 14, 2022 – “What’s significant is that today I sent somebody to rehab, I kissed my kids and walked my dog and I didn’t have to lie to anybody and I can be as honest as I want to and it’s an amazing thing,” said the soon-to-be licensed social worker. “I don’t regret my journey,” he said. “I regret hurting people. I regret a lot of the things that I did, but if I had to do it all over again, I don’t know if a resounding ‘yes’ is proper, but I don’t regret, because my…
L’CHAIM LITE – March 16, 2022 – When Jerry was 21, he was invited to a “white kiddush,” a twist on the Shabbat service that substitutes vodka for the traditional wine or grape juice. It took place during Purim, the Jewish holiday when alcohol consumption is often encouraged. While there, he was poured 16 ounces of straight vodka in a glass. As he became inebriated, he grew belligerent — and rather than help, his fellow congregants egged him on. “I definitely blacked out,” said Jerry, who asked that his real name not be used. “My only memory is yelling…
DEPRESSED NEED NOT APPLY – March 15, 2022 – One afternoon in April 2018 I answered my rarely-used home telephone to a barrage of questions. On a crackly landline, a researcher from the University of Exeter, UK, ran through a standard interview to check my suitability for a clinical trial. She was part of a team seeking to test the effectiveness of ketamine – an anaesthetic drug which is being repurposed as a new antidepressant. It is the first pharmacological treatment for depression to have emerged in decades. The Exeter scientists were hoping to find out if the drug,…
CAN’T MAKE THIS S*%T UP – Mar. 16, 2022 – Most drug users tend to keep their dealings under wraps, but one Florida man was arrested after allegedly calling police to check the authenticity of his methamphetamine. In a Facebook post from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, authorities claim Spring Hill, Fla., resident Thomas Eugene Colucci dialled 9-1-1 to “test the methamphetamine” he had recently purchased. As requested, a deputy performed a field test on a sample of the white crystal-like substance from each of the baggies. The substance from both baggies tested positive for methamphetamine. Deputies placed Colucci…
WISHED HE HEARD WHAT HE SAID – March 13, 2022 – Lawrence said Williams gave him a ‘gift’ by being so candid about drug addiction, and gave him an important piece of advice. ‘Don’t ever do drugs. Especially cocaine,’ he recalled the actor telling him. ‘He was very serious. He was like, ‘You know when you come to my trailer and you see me like that?’ He’s like, ‘That’s the reason why. And now I’m fighting for the rest of my life because I spent 10 years doing something very stupid every day. Do not do it.’ I stayed…
VIDEO – HE’S CLEAN FOR A CAUSE – Mar. 18, 2022 – South by Southwest (SXSW) is tackling the growing problem of addiction in America. 275 people die every day in the U.S. from a drug overdose. It’s why Austin entrepreneur, Wes Hurt, is working to be create solutions that can save lives. “I got a DWI seven years ago and I was actually like a block from here,” said Hurt during an interview with CBS Austin at the Austin Convention Center. Hurt is sharing his story of addiction recovery at South by Southwest. The founder of Sparkling Yerba Mate…
AUDIO – OF SUPREME SERVICE – March 13, 2022 – He also joined the Fruit of Islam in the Nation of Islam and worked in its local bakery. But after the death of Elijah Muhammad, he resumed drug use. That lifestyle extracted a price. He once found himself “lying face up on a northwest Baltimore sidewalk, five .32-caliber bullets in his gut. … [A] cop bent down to draw a chalk line around his bleeding body,”a 1999 Sun story said. “The officer wouldn’t mind seeing him go. He’d been nothing but trouble, a throwaway junkie.” more@BaltimoreSun