Good Morning – Jan. 15, 2020 – The bill, SB 486, by Sen. Pat Bates, R-Laguna Niguel, sought to add “commercially operated recovery residences” to the list of places that can’t give or receive anything of value for client referrals. She said it’s a logical extension of a 2018 law that prohibits patient brokering — when rehab centers pay third-parties to provide them with patients — in licensed addiction treatment centers. Sober homes, where many addicted people stay after completing stints at residential rehab centers, often argue against state and city regulations by saying their clients are disabled and, as…
Author: Leonard Buschel
For Now – January 3, 2020 – While babies addicted to opioids show the jittery signs of immediate withdrawal, methamphetamine-affected babies show little more than a tendency to sleep. Neonatologist Ju Lee Oei said not only were these babies often overlooked at birth, it was not until they approached school age that concerning behavioural and learning issues really started to emerge, by which time years of treatment opportunities had been missed. “There is huge concern about the subtle effects of methamphetamines,” said Dr Oei, who is also a conjoint professor at the University of NSW. @ABC
Low Balling – January 7, 2020 – Quast told Healio Primary Care that the inaccuracies he identified would not necessarily be replicated in a nationwide study. “It is difficult to predict the results of this analysis if applied to the entire United States,” he said. “States vary in terms of the shares of overdoses that are caused by specific drugs as well as how medical examiners are organized. However, if similar data were available for other states, it is likely that the number of deaths caused by specific drugs has been significantly undercounted, especially during the surge in fentanyl overdoses…
It Usually Does – Jan. 6, 2020 – My brain, it turns out. And if you’re a regular drinker struggling to skip the spirits, you might need to give yours some time to adjust. That’s because alcohol can cause long-term changes in the nervous system. They can go away, but it happens slowly. “It’s not minutes. They take months or years,” said Richard Miller, a professor of pharmacology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. That may sound dramatic, but the brain is constantly in flux. It’s how you adapt and learn. The physical basis for how we remember things,…
The Son Also Rises – January 9, 2020 – Over the next few years, her son’s addiction got worse and her friends and faith community pulled away. She wrote the book The Story Lives, about leading a Christian life, which was published in 2012. Schapelhouman organized a book club to talk about her book. They met at a coffee shop, and six women showed up. First, they went around the circle sharing their stories — Schapelhouman first. “Part of my story is that my son Harrison has wandered into addiction,” Schapelhouman remembers she said. “He’s on the streets and I’m…
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL of MEDICINE – January 8, 2020 – The company also filed a “sham” citizen petition to formally request that the FDA take administrative action against manufacturers of generic buprenorphine tablets. Members of the public can file citizen petitions requesting that the FDA take certain regulatory action. Reckitt Benckiser’s petition claimed that tablet buprenorphine formulations packaged in bottles posed a greater risk of overdose for children than Suboxone films sold in unit-dose, child-resistant packaging. The FDA ultimately denied this petition, finding that the REMS program for buprenorphine products adequately mitigated harms to children, and referred the petition to…
Jewels for Students? – Jan. 9, 2020 – San Diego schools are suing vaping company Juul Labs, alleging it hooked teenage students on e-cigarettes and that the habit harmed their educations. The San Diego Unified School District’s complaint, filed this week in San Diego Superior Court, claims the popularity of vaping led to “impeding learning” in schools throughout the district. The suit also alleges that teen use of Juul’s products caused more student absences and resulted in funds that otherwise would’ve been used for education going toward school-funded prevention and treatment campaigns for illnesses related to e-cigarettes. @CBSNews
Send Help Please – Jan. 11, 2020 – The effects of that slippage are starting to show. Too many prescription drugs and medical devices are being approved with too little data on how safe or effective they are. And too many other products — like those containing CBD or THC, ingredients found in the marijuana plant — are being sold with no apparent oversight at all. Part of the problem is that the agency has too few resources and too little power to fulfill its key responsibilities. But it has also become profoundly vulnerable to political interference and other special…
Helping Our Neighbor – Jan. 10, 2020 – “These findings add to the emerging body of evidence that Medicaid expansion under the ACA may be a critical component of state efforts to address the continuing opioid overdose epidemic in the United States,” the study states. The study could provide fodder for Democrats pushing for more states to accept the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. There has been some momentum on that front, including a deal announced Thursday by bipartisan leaders in Kansas to allow the state to expand Medicaid. Thirteen other states have not expanded Medicaid, with…
Book Recommendation for Rehabs – Read more – “Diane Ackerman gives haunting descriptions of our five primary senses and how we have culturally and historically used them. Her prose is rich, vivid and sumptuous. And she shatters many inaccurate beliefs we’ve held about some cultures’ various hygiene practices. Highly recommend this book.” … “Ackerman gives us a first hand tour de force overview of our 5 bodily senses, from the historical, scientific, philosophical, artistic and literary vantagepoints. With the giddy delight of someone with a rapt attention for fine details, not to mention a true gift for words, she takes…
By Prescription Only – JANUARY 12, 2020 – In a recent article for The Verge, writer Christina Couch explored the work of a group of researchers whose area of…
It’s Not the Same Anymore – It’s Better – January 11, 2020 – I took a deliberate break from even thinking about sex or dating. I sublet an apartment with a twin bed, perhaps subconsciously because I believed I wouldn’t be having sex for a while. I ate marshmallow fluff and sprinkles for dinner every night for a week. I accepted that I was on a “break”. I just prayed it wasn’t permanent. I was afraid of something, but I didn’t know what. I quit drinking last March. I’d been trying to moderate it for years, but it had slowly…
And Nothing For Loved Ones? – January 11, 2020 – The closest to a victory that families saw was the declaration of bankruptcy by Purdue Pharma in September, which meanwhile offered a $3 billion payment to families of victims. Despite this, a straightforward path to pharmaceutical course correction remains unclear. “Opioids [are] the class of drugs that includes prescription painkillers like codeine, morphine, Vicodin, Percocet, as well as illegal drugs like heroin,” said Dr. Thad Polk, an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan.…
Last (Lap) Dance – January 12, 2020 – Prosecutors say officials at Arizona-based Insys Therapeutics paid millions of dollars in bribes to doctors across the country so they would overprescribe Subsys, a fentanyl-based oral spray meant to ease intense pain suffered by cancer patients. Insys Therapeutics also deployed other questionable marketing tactics, according to prosecutors. One sales executive, who prosecutors said used to be an exotic dancer, gave a physician a lap dance at a club. And the company misled insurers to get payment for the drug, which cost as much as $19,000 a month. Following a lengthy trial, Kapoor…
Obituary for a Pioneer – Jan. 8, 2020 – At Hazelden—established in 1949 on farmland near Center City, Minnesota—Grimm started a spiritual care department and founded an accredited training program for clergy that became world-renowned. He also started Hazelden’s Professionals in Residence program and, for a time, led the training division that ultimately became an accredited graduate school of addiction studies. In addition, Grimm spent time late in his career responsible for Hazelden’s health promotion, public policy, development and research efforts. Known by some as Hazelden’s “goodwill ambassador,” Grimm also represented the organization as a public advocate. He was one…
For Better or Worse – They’ve been linked to road rage, pathological gambling, and complicated acts of fraud. Some make us less neurotic, and others may even shape our social relationships. It turns out many ordinary medications don’t just affect our bodies – they affect our brains. Why? And should there be warnings on packets? “Patient Five” was in his late 50s when a trip to the doctors changed his life. He had diabetes, and he had signed up for a study to see if taking a “statin” – a kind of cholesterol-lowering drug – might help. So far, so…
Deaths of Despair – January 9, 2020 – Last year, after a Facebook employee jumped from the fourth floor of a company building in Menlo Park, Calif., his death sparked accusations of harsh work environments for some of the company’s foreign employees. The controversy intensified after a Chinese coworker of the deceased joined in the criticism and was fired by Facebook shortly after. Facebook representatives later confirmed the Chinese employee was dismissed but said it was notbecause he spoke out about the suicide and work conditions. “We’re talking about really difficult, complicated situations,” said Larry Barton, who was not involved…
Cycle of Self-Violence – January 9, 2020 – Volkow continued, “My question: Why are we as a country vulnerable to all of these drugs?” “What has happened that has made it possible for these drugs to take hold in a dramatic way?” The answers to those questions could require a shift in how America approaches drugs, focusing not just on the substances making headlines but also addiction more broadly and the causes of addiction. It would mean building a comprehensive addiction treatment system that’s equipped to deal with all kinds of drugs. And it could require looking at issues that…
Like-Minded Individuals – January 9, 2020 – “Boomers have been seeking purpose their whole life,” says Brenda Iliff, executive director of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s Naples, Fla., center, the only one of the organization’s 16 locations to have an older-adult treatment program. “There’s a lot more openness to getting outside help. There used to be only a very few seniors who would seek help. Their philosophy was that they had earned retirement and the time to enjoy life. But when you’re talking addiction, you’re not enjoying life.” Still, older adults tend to be more comfortable in peer-group settings. “As…
Protecting the Innocent – January 10, 2020 – In addition to certifying the guardians as a class, the attorneys who filed the motion Tuesday want U.S. District Judge Dan Polster to create a national registry to identify children diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome, form a medical panel to recommend the best ways to treat such children, and provide money for those efforts as quickly as possible. “The urgency of this is, the longer we wait, the more difficult it is to help these children,” said Cleveland attorney Marc Dann, who filed the motion along with attorneys from Texas and Louisiana.…
Dark Passage – Jan. 10, 2020 – Experts said that the new findings could partly reflect the fact that baby boomers are aging and the health effects of chronic alcohol use have become more apparent. The increase in deaths might also reflect the increase in opioid-related deaths, which in many cases can involve alcohol as well, and that would be reflected on death certificates. But these factors do not appear to wholly account for the increase in deaths among women, according to researchers. Aaron White, a senior scientific adviser to the institute, who analyzed the death-certificate data, said that a…
Model Behavior – Jan. 13, 2020 – In an interview with Porter magazine, Valletta talked about going public with her addiction at a 2014 MindBodyGreen event, admitting of the speech she gave at the invite-only event, “I didn’t think anyone would see.” However, her powerful story — in which the Vogue cover star revealed she would show up at photo shoots drunk and high — went viral. “I didn’t have a problem when I was out using, if you saw me high or drunk,” said Valletta, who is also an actress (on TV’s Revenge as well as in films including…
Law Student? – JAN 3, 2020 – The lawsuit states Juul failed to inform consumers in many early advertisements that its products contain any nicotine at all, and that the company still fails to disclose that its e-cigarettes contain chemicals which can cause seizures and other injuries. “JUUL has known since it first put its electronic cigarettes on the market that its electronic cigarettes contain nicotine, that nicotine is an addictive substance, and that nicotine can cause injuries in addition to addiction,” the lawsuit states. “But JUUL, in many of its advertisements, failed to inform consumers that its products contain…
Wall Street, War on Drugs, Union Busters, Robots, China? – Jan. 9, 2020 – WHY? First, well-paying jobs disappeared, partly because of technology and globalization but also because of political pressure on unions and a general redistribution of power toward the wealthy and corporations. Second, there was an explosion of drugs — oxycodone, meth, heroin, crack cocaine and fentanyl — aggravated by the reckless marketing of prescription painkillers by pharmaceutical companies. Third, the war on drugs sent fathers and mothers to jail, shattering families. @NYTimes
Don’t Jump! – Jan. 5, 2020 – I followed my psychiatrist’s advice and went off one drug at a time, beginning with Effexor XR. I was on the lowest dose available — just 37.5 mg per day — so I had no choice but to stop taking the Effexor, cold turkey. Within 24 hours of missing my usual dose, flulike symptoms set in and my emotions went into overdrive; so in between the sweats and the shakes, I resisted the urge to saw off my skin with a box cutter just to get away from myself. After six days without…
When Stars Align – January 07, 2020 – Lowe — dad to sons John 25, and Matthew, 27 — saw Tyler, 71, as someone who could still have fun without using drugs or alcohol, and he learned to do the same. “I was so excited that I could still be cool and not have to be the life of the party,” Lowe told PEOPLE. “And that there was a great club of people in the world who have had fun, killed it, been there done and were willing and able to turn a new page and have an even better…
The Quietest Killer – January 8, 2020 – Americans are drinking more. Per capita consumption is up about 8% since the turn of this century and binge drinking numbers increased about 7.7%. About 70% of the adult population said they drank in 2017, averaging a little over two drinks a day. By US standards, that would put a good number of adults in the “heavy drinker” category. Earlier research referenced in the study also showed a “significant” increase in alcohol-related injuries. Between 2006 and 2014, the rate of people admitted to the ER due to alcohol increased 47.3% among people…
Fearless – Jan. 7, 2020 – The writer David Samuels, a friend since childhood, said the cause was metastatic breast cancer, which in her case had resulted from the BRCA genetic mutation. Ms. Wurtzel had a double mastectomy in 2015. After her diagnosis, she became an advocate for BRCA testing — something she had not had — and wrote about her cancer experience in The New York Times. “I could have had a mastectomy with reconstruction and skipped the part where I got cancer,” she wrote. “I feel like the biggest idiot for not doing so.” Writing about her final…
Dignity for All – January 11, 2020 – “Other diseases are a result of our behavior. Some sorts of diabetes, for instance, depend on what we eat. But nobody even thinks about putting a diabetic in prison because he eats too much sugar. We may consider this is a self-inflicted disease, [as in] ‘You are addicted because you wished [to be].’ No, I’m not diabetic because I wished to be diabetic. I am probably weak. There are some things in my genes, some things that drive me to abuse sugar or sweets or whatever. “If I smoke cigarettes and I…
Is that the Messiah, or just weed? – Jan. 12, 2020 – The one-day closure comes after Illinois saw ‘unprecedented demand throughout the state,’ the news release continued. “We are very proud of our team, not only for the work they did to prepare for a historic New Year’s Day, but for how they represented our dispensaries and worked with a tremendous number of customers over the last week,” said Kim Kiefer, Ascend Wellness Holdings chief retail officer. A news release from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said the state brought in $10,830,667.91 on a total of…