What the Health?

Wellness news and notes
About Amanda Cuda

Archive for the ‘alcohol’ Category

Yale study: Men and women respond differently to addiction

Monday, January 30, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
Comment
Comments
|
|

Men and women are different. That’s not news.  So it isn’t terribly surprising that a Yale School of Medicine study has found that men and women might respond differently to addictive drugs.  Below is a press release on the new study, suggesting that men and women might benefit from different, gender-specific treatment methods:

A new brain imaging study by Yale School of Medicine researchers suggests stress robustly activates areas of the brain associated with craving in cocaine-dependent women, while drug cues activate similar brain regions in cocaine-dependent men.  The study, expected to be published online Jan. 31 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, suggests men and women with cocaine dependence might benefit more from different treatment options.

“There are differences in treatment outcomes for people with addictions who experience stress-induced drug cravings and those whose cravings are induced by drug cues,” said Marc Potenza, professor of psychiatry, child study, and neurobiology and first author of the study. “It is important to understand the biologic mechanisms that underlie these cravings.”

The researchers conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging scans of 30 cocaine-dependent individuals and 36 control subjects who were recreational drinkers. While undergoing brain scans, researchers then presented subjects with personalized cues (situations or events) the participants had indicated were personally stressful and other cues involving cocaine or alcohol.

As expected, cocaine-dependent individuals showed greater activation in broad regions of the brain linked to addiction and motivation than the control subjects. Patterns of activation between the groups, however, differed markedly in men and women when presented with stress or drug cues.

Potenza said the findings suggest that women with cocaine dependence might benefit from stress-reduction therapies that specifically target these cravings. Men, on the other hand, might derive more benefit from elements of cognitive behavioral therapy or 12-step programs based on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous.

The senior author of the paper is Rajita Sinha of Yale. Other Yale authors are Kwang-ik Adam Hong, Cheryl M. Lacadie, Robert K. Fulbright, and Keri L. Tuit.

The study was supported by the Yale Stress Center, Women’s Health Research at Yale, the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and grants from the National Institutes of Health and its Office of Research on Women’s Health.

CDC: Binge drinking a bigger problem than we think

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
Comment
Comments
|
|

The new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vital Signs report shows that abut 38 million Americans binge drink, and that they do so about four times a month. The average number of bevvies they quaff during these episodes is eight. The CDC’s fact sheet on binge drinking can be glimpsed by clicking here.
And here are a few facts from the report:

  • Binge drinking is about more than just the number of binge drinkers. The amount and number of times binge drinkers drink are also important to address.
    • Age group with most binge drinkers: 18-34 years
    • Age group that binge drinks most often: 65+ years
    • Income group with most binge drinkers: more than $75,000
    • Income group that binge drinks the most often and drinks most per binge: less than $25,000
  • Most alcohol-impaired drivers binge drink.
  • Most people who binge drink are not alcohol dependent or alcoholics.
  • More than half of the alcohol adults drink is while binge drinking.
  • More than 90% of the alcohol youth drink is while binge drinking.

Binge drinking costs everyone.

  • Drinking too much, including binge drinking, cost $746 per person, or $1.90 a drink, in the US in 2006. These costs include health care expenses, crime, and lost productivity.
  • Binge drinking cost federal, state, and local governments about 62 cents per drink in 2006, while federal and state income from taxes on alcohol totaled only about 12 cents per drink.
  • Drinking too much contributes to over 54 different injuries and diseases, including car crashes, violence, and sexually-transmitted diseases.
  • The chance of getting sick and dying from alcohol problems increases significantly for those who binge drink more often and drink more when they do.

Connecticut third healthiest state

Tuesday, December 6, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda
Comment
Comments
|
|

Connecticut is the third healthiest state in the nation, but the health of the nation overall isn’t improving and is, in some ways, getting worse.

That’s according to the annual America’s Health Rankings report, released today by the United Healthcare Foundation, a not-for-profit, private foundation. For 22 years, the Rankings has provided an analysis of national health on a state-by-state basis by evaluating a historical and comprehensive set of health, environmental and socioeconomic data to determine national health benchmarks and state rankings.

According to this year’s report, Vermont is the healthiest state, with New Hampshire second and Connecticut third. Mississippi ranked as the least healthy state.

Connecticut went up a rank from last year, when it was the fourth healthiest state. Among the reasons for its high ranking, according to the report, are a low prevalence of smoking, a low percentage of children in poverty and high immunization coverage. Though it also has one of the lower obesity rates in the country, about 634,000 adults in Connecticut are obese, an increase of 188,000 individuals in the past year.

However, the state has some problems, including a high rate of binge drinking and moderate levels of air pollution.

The report also finds that the nation as a whole isn’t as healthy as it should be. The report finds that the country’s overall health did not improve between 2010 and 2011 after three years of gains. Also, there have been upticks in some health problems, including diabetes and obesity. About 27.5 percent of the adult population was obese in 2011, up from 26.9 percent in 2010. More telling, the prevalence of obesity has increased by 37.5 percent since 2001. Also, this was the first year since when no state had an obesity prevalence under 20 percent.

Diabetes went up between 2010 and 2011, but only slightly. In 2011, 8.7 percent of Americans had diabetes, compared with 8.3 in 2010.

Smoking has declined since last year, as have preventable hospitalization and cardiovascular deaths, but experts are still concerned. We’re working on a story for tomorrow’s about with more details about the report. Please stay tuned.

Medicare to cover alcohol counseling, depression screening

Friday, October 14, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda
Comment
Comments(1)
|
|

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced two new national coverage determinations that cover alcohol misuse screening and behavioral counseling for Medicare beneficiaries as well as screening for depression.

The alcohol counseling is for those who “misuse alcohol, but whose levels or patterns of alcohol consumption do not meet criteria for alcohol dependence,” according to CMS.

Annual alcohol misuse screening by primary care providers, such as a beneficiary’s family practice physician, internal medicine physician, or nurse practitioner, in settings such as physicians’ offices are covered under CMS’ new policies.  The benefit also includes four behavioral counseling sessions per year furnished by the primary care provider, if beneficiaries screen positive for alcohol misuse.

Annual screening for depression for Medicare beneficiaries is now covered in primary care settings that have staff resources to follow up with appropriate treatment and referrals.  The purpose of this screening is to assure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment and follow-up.

The coverage decision on alcohol misuse screening is online at http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-decision-memo.aspx?NCAId=249 and the decision on depression screening is online at http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-decision-memo.aspx?NCAId=251.

Study shows decline in tobacco use, but some spikes in drug abuse

Thursday, September 8, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda
Comment
Comments
|
|

The percentage of Americans using tobacco products has declined in recent years, but there have been some spikes in illicit drug use, particularly among those aged 18 to 25.

Those are some of the findings of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The annual survey interviews approximately 67,500 people each year about their use of illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

According to the 2010 survey, released this week, an estimated 22.6 million Americans aged 12 or older were current illicit drug users, meaning they had used an illicit drug during the month prior to the survey interview. This number represents about 8.9 percent of the population aged 12 or older. That’s about the same as 2009, when roughly 8.7 percent of those aged 12 and older were illicit drug users, but an increase from 2008, when the about 8 percent of the population used illicit drugs.

However, the rate of current drug use among those aged 18 to 25 spiked from 19.6 percent in 2008 to 21.5 in 2010 (it was 21.2 percent in 2009). The increase was driven largely by a jump in marijuana use.

Illicit drug use also has been on rise among those aged 50 to 59, from 2.7 percent in 2002 to 5.8 in 2010. According to the survey, the increase partially reflects the aging of the baby boomer generation, whose lifetime rate of illicit drug use has been higher than that of previous generations.

In the plus column, the survey shows tobacco use has fallen over the past several years. Between 2002 and 2010, the percent of those who had used any tobacco product in the past month decreased from 30.4 percent to 27.4 percent and the percent of those who had smoked cigarettes in the past month fell from 26 percent in 2002 to 23 percent in 2010.

The percent of those aged 12 to 17 using tobacco also fell, from 15.2 percent in 2002 to 10.7 percent in 2010.

For more details, view the whole survey online at http://oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k10NSDUH/2k10Results.htm.

Study shows link between social media use and substance abuse

Wednesday, August 24, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda
Comment
Comments
|
|

Teens who regularly use social media sites like Facebook might be at increased risk for alcohol, tobacco and drug use, according to the results of a survey released today by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

The agency conducted an online survey of 1,037 teens aged 12 to 17 and 528 parents, and found that 70 percent of those surveyed spend some time on a social networking site in a typical day. Compared to those teens who reported spending no time on these sites in a typical day, the poll found that the social networkers were five times likelier to have used tobacco, three times likelier to have used alcohol and twice as likely to have used marijuana.

Though the exact link between social networking and substance abuse is unclear, the permissive culture of the Internet could be a factor, said Joseph A. Califano, Jr. founder and chairman of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. He said about 40 percent of all teens surveyed have seen pictures on social networking sites of kids getting drunk, passed out using drugs. About half the teens who have seen such pictures said they saw them at age 13 or younger. About 90 percent of teens who saw these photos said they saw them at age 15 or younger.

“That tends to normalize that kind of behavior, or even glamorize it,” Califano said. “At that age, the adolescent mind is not fully developed and there’s less impulse control.”

The study also also found a link between viewing certain TV programs — including the MTV series “Jersey Shore” and “16 and Pregnant” and the CW’s “Gossip Girl” — and substance abuse.

There will be more information on the study in an upcoming issue of the Connecticut Post. What do you think of the study findings? Do you think using Facebook and the like really makes teens more vulnerable to drug use? Let us know.

Do you know the ‘hot’ issues? Take this quiz

Tuesday, July 12, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda
Comment
Comments
|
|

So it was hot today. Really hot — in the low 90s, in fact. Temps are expected to dip to the mid-80s throughout the rest of the week, but Connecticut residents are still advised to be careful and stay cool.
However, instead of just listing some tips for beating the heat, I thought I’d test your knowledge of summer-savvy habits. After all, we’ve already had quite a few hot days this summer. You guys should know all this stuff by now.
But do you? Let’s see.

1. Should you eat a hot or heavy meal during hot weather?
a) Yes — these foods make you sweat, which cools you off.
b) No — these foods add unnecessary heat to your body

2. Which of the following groups of people AREN’T at increased risk of heat-related illness?
a) Infants and young children
b) People age 65 or older
c) Those who are physically ill
d) Those who are overweight
e) None of the above

3. True or False: It’s OK to leave children or pets in a parked car, as long as the windows are open.

4. How long before going out should you apply sunscreen?
a) 15 minutes
b) 30 minutes
c) 45 minutes
d) One hour

5. True or false: If your home doesn’t have air conditioning, a fan should keep you cool enough — even in high temperatures.

6. True or false: Though hydration is important in the heat, you don’t need to drink until you’re thirsty.

7. If someone has heat stroke, which of the following measures SHOULDN’T you take?
a) Getting the victim to a shady area.
b) Monitoring body temperature, and continue cooling efforts until the body temperature drops to 101-102°F.
c) Giving the victim fluids to drink
d) None of the above

8. What is the hottest time of the day?
a) Morning
b) Afternoon
c) Evening

9. True or False: Drinking a sugary soda hydrates you as well as drinking water.

10. True or False: You can exercise just as hard on a hot day as you can on a cool day.

Answers:
1. B
2. E
3. False
4. B
5. False – If you don’t have air conditioning, head to a library or shopping mall, or call your local health department to find a nearby cooling center.
6. False – Hydrate regularly
7. C
8. B
9. False – Sugary drinks cause you to lose more body fluid, as does alcohol
10. False – Especially if you aren’t a regular exerciser. Please pace yourself

Hit the road, safely

Friday, July 1, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda
Comment
Comments
|
|

If you haven’t already, chances are that you and the fam are planning to load up the car or other automotive device and head out on a July Fourth weekend adventure in the near future. That’s all well and good, but safety officials urge you to keep your wits about you if you’ll be on the road this weekend.

The National Safety Council estimates 374 traffic deaths will occur between 6 p.m. today and 11:59 p.m. Monday. The council also estimates that there will be roughly 36,000 traffic-related injuries over that same time period. During July 4 weekend last year, the Connecticut State Police investigated more than 275 motor vehicle crashes, five of them  fatal. 

Throughout the weekend, state police will man sobriety checkpoints all over the state. You can find a full list of checkpoint locations here: http://www.ct.gov/dps/cwp/view.asp?Q=482240&A=11 . Last year, state cops issued 2,249 summons for speeding, 59 for DUI and 427 for seatbelt violations.

If you want to avoid a ticket — or a serious car crash — police and safety officials urge that you follow all laws while on the road. If you drink, don’t drive — and vice versa. Always wear your safety belt. And, even though you desperately want to get to Aunt Millie’s pool party before all the potato salad is gone, obey all speed limits.

Page 2 of 3123