MARIJUANA AND TESTICULAR CANCER
Scientists at the University of Southern California detected a link between recreational marijuana use and a greater chance of testicular cancer among males in their early teens through their mid-30s, specifically, a particularly dangerous form called nonseminoma . The findings were published in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, and suggested that even marijuana […]
FENTANYL AND AMNESIA
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid pain reliever that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. It has legal uses, mostly for treating severe pain like advanced cancer pain. When used illicitly, it is typically mixed with heroin or cocaine. Drug dealers sometimes mix it into other products either because it strengthens their effects […]
TRIGGER OR EXCUSE?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, between 40 and 60 percent of people with a substance use disorder will relapse. One of the reasons it’s so common has to do with brain chemistry, and the way your brain comes to associate drug use with pleasure and reward. When you think about using, you […]
ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASE
Alcoholic liver disease is damage to the liver and its ability to function as a result of alcohol abuse. It happens after years of drinking but does not necessarily affect all heavy drinkers. The longer you drink and the more you consume, your chances of liver disease increase. Men between the ages of 40 and […]
BRAIN INJURY AND ALCOHOL ABUSE
When you think of brain injuries and alcohol, you might imagine someone falling down or getting into an accident as a result of being drunk or otherwise intoxicated, and this is a frequent occurrence. However, the converse can also be true – a traumatic brain injury in childhood or adolescence can lead to substance abuse […]
DEPO-MEDROL AS AN OPIOID ALTERNATIVE
We all know the toll the opioid epidemic has taken on the United States. In 2016, 42,249 people died of opioid overdoses – that’s more than 115 people every day. Some people start out with the hard stuff, but many people who end up addicted to heroin or other more serious drugs started out taking […]
NON-OPIOID PAIN RELIEF AFTER CHILDBIRTH
When you’re planning for childbirth, it can be easy to get bogged down in the details. What hospital do you want to go to? Somewhere close or somewhere with the best reputation? Or would you rather deliver at home? What about the birth position? Kneeling, squatting, lying down, floating in water? These decisions can make […]
ANABOLIC STEROIDS
You’ve probably heard about athletes getting caught using steroids and being banned from their game for a while. It’s against the rules because it gives them an unfair advantage over other players, but how? Is it really that big of a deal? You don’t hear about people overdosing on steroids, so how dangerous can they […]
HOW TO ADMINISTER NALOXONE
We hear something about the opioid crisis or the opioid epidemic nearly every day, but what does that really mean? The number of overdose deaths from prescription and illicit opioids in the United States doubled from 21,089 in 2010 to 42,249 in 2016, largely due to the increasing availability of fentanyl and other potent synthetic […]
MDMA AS TREATMENT FOR PTSD
The psychoactive drug MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), also known as ecstasy, E, and Molly, is commonly used recreationally by people seeking the effects of both stimulants and psychedelics. It’s a synthetic drug that alters mood and perception, increasing energy and feelings of pleasure while distorting the senses. People who use it recreationally take it as a capsule […]