Tag Archives: drugs

Alcohol a Bigger Threat to Society Than Heroin

Alcohol is perfectly legal in this country, and well it should be. When used responsibly, it should be okay to enjoy a few drinks if that’s you’re thing.

But, when you take the public’s view of alcohol and compare it to how they perceive illicit drugs, there seems to be something askew.

I’m not here to advocate drug use, but maybe to just put a little proper perspective on the dangers of alcohol compared to illegal drugs. It’s socially acceptable to enjoy a few drinks, and even when it gets out of hand, it’s often not taken seriously. We see all kinds of light-hearted, funny commercials about how guys have irrational urges to corral a six pack of Bud Light, the latest being a guy who is scared out of his mind of bungee jumping, but at the first sight of alcohol below, he takes the plunge. Funny, but Budweiser does seem to enjoy making guys look like hopeless alcoholics.

If we saw a similar commercial for marijuana, the public reaction would be, by and large, quite different. But should it be? (more…)

Posted on November 5, 2023 by Jason

Woman Sues Relacore Because She Gained Weight

New Jersey’s Supreme Court has ruled in favor of allowing a woman to move forward with a class-action lawsuit against the makers of Relacore. Melissa Lee claims that she actually got fatter while taking the weight-loss supplement.

In court filings, Lee claims that she took Relacore for about four months and gained weight during that time. She contends that the makers of Relacore, Lee Carter-Reed Company, made false claims about the product in advertisements.

Before the Supreme Court’s ruling, a trial court and a state appeals court both denied Lee’s attempts to gain class-action status. (more…)

Posted on September 30, 2023 by Health Buzz

Avandia Heavily Restricted by FDA

Diabetes DrugIn July, it looked like the Food and Drug Administration was going to be Avandia’s saving grace, when a 33-person panel voted to allow the diabetes medication to stay on the market. Many felt the decision would stave off litigation against its manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline. But today, the agency announced a heavy restriction Avandia, although they will not be pulling the drug off the U.S. market. The European Medicines Agency, FDA’s counterpart in the EU, has decided to ban the drug.

(more…)

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Health Buzz

Miss USA Tara Conner’s Diet

Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner

Former Miss USA, Tara Conner has spoken publicly about her drug addiction, which at its peak, meant popping upwards of 30 pills a day following her pageant crown.

Conner was awarded the title in 2006, but almost immediately reports began surfacing of her alleged drug and alcohol use. After testing positive for cocaine, Donald Trump, co-owner of the Miss USA organization, gave the beautiful but troubled young woman a second chance as long as she cleaned up her act in rehab. Without hesitation, Conner entered into a treatment facility and got sober.

While many people who use drugs to lose weight become underweight and malnourished because of the stimulatory and appetite-suppressing effects of the drugs, Conner has never commented on whether drugs had anything to do with her thin physique or whether diet supplements were part of her drug repertoire. But she does admit that after years of using drugs to find her identity, she was numb to food. (more…)

Posted on August 27, 2023 by heather

Fast Food Restaurants Should Offer Free Cholesterol Medication

Researchers at Imperial College London are suggesting that fast food restaurants could counter the health risks of eating their foods by offering customers free statins, a prescribed drug used to lower cholesterol, with their meals. I know, when I first read that, I thought it was a satire worthy of the pages of The Onion.

But no, the researchers are serious.

Statins are valuable due to their ability to reduce the amount of unhealthy LDL cholesterol in the blood and a person’s risk of having a heart attack.

In their research published in the American Journal of Cardiology, Dr. Darrel Francis and his colleagues calculate that the reduction in cardiovascular risk is enough to counter the increase in heart attack risk from eating fatty fast food. (more…)

Posted on August 17, 2023 by Jason

Avandia Saved by FDA

FDA votes to keep Avandia on the marketTwenty members of a 33-member panel voted to keep diabetes drug Avandia on the market in some form, announced MSNBC. Only 12 members voted to pull the drug from the market, and one panel member abstained from voting. The Food and Drug Administration’s move should hold back litigation against GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Avandia’s maker.

The drug may be associated with increased heart risks, particularly in comparison with Actos, a type two diabetes drug. Research questioning the drug’s safety surfaced in 2024, but much of the data has been deemed inconclusive. (more…)

Posted on July 14, 2023 by Margaret

Asthma Diet: Avoid Food Triggers to Reduce Attacks

Do you have an allergy to food? If so, is there an asthma diet that can help you reduce symptoms?

I’ve had enough with my allergies and asthma. Frankly, I don’t even know if I officially have allergies, and if I do, what I am allergic to. When I went to my doctor a couple years ago, I was told that I have a mild case of asthma. But, nothing really regarding an allergy.

It’s time for me to start doing something about it, because it is a life-hindering issue. While I don’t have problems every day, I do often have issues with coughing attacks that interrupt my day, and are frankly embarrassing when around other people.

(more…)

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Jason

Taking Medication May Stink, but There May be Other Options

People often want to avoid taking the medications prescribed for mental health disorders. Over and over I have heard therapists and psychiatrists suggest to people that they would not question taking medication for blood pressure or diabetes; however, I recently read about research that suggests this may not be as true as we would hope.

It appears that some people may be terminating metaformin, a medication commonly prescribed for diabetes, due to complaints of nausea, stomach pain, and unpleasant after-taste. It appears the nausea is more a result of the smell of the medication than a side-effect of the drug. Eue de metaformin has been described as fishy, rotten, or like a sweaty sock. Luckily, the coating on the extended-release tablets seems to protect patients from that smell. Look for more information on this research in the February issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. (more…)

Posted on March 6, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

More Canadian Women Die of Heart Disease Than Men

canadian flagThe evidence has long supported the notion that men are at a greater risk for fatal heart disease than women. Not so, at least in Canada. While deaths and hospital visits related to heart disease have dropped 30 percent, more women are dying from the ailment than men.

The Canadian study came to its conclusion by analyzing the country’s national death registry. It started in 1994, and ended in 2004. While the overall number of deaths and hospitalization have decreased significantly, women have slightly edged out men at the end of the study at 50.7 percent of total heart-related deaths, whereas they accounted for 49.3 percent in 1994. Even with that number, the difference between men and women is much closer than one might think. (more…)

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Jason

Why Nutrition and Exercise are Essential to Mental Health

pillsWhy would a mental health therapist write and talk about nutrition, exercise, and weight loss? Believe it or not, these are very common subjects in group and individual therapy, as well as coaching. One of the reasons I have chosen to use a sliding-fee scale rather than insurance reimbursements in my private practice is to allow my clients to focus on the goals that are most meaningful to them. Weight loss and health improvement are very important goals to many, allowing them to increase energy and improve self-esteem.

Improving physical energy habits, including sleep, diet, and exercise, is often the first line of attack against the most common mental health concerns of anxiety and depression. Often, counselors must address such topics as part of a treatment plan when a client experiences the common side effect of weight gain as a result of taking medications to fight depression, bipolar disorder, psychotic symptoms, etc. In some cases, anti-depressant medication may be an optional tool to allow a client the extra boost needed to do the therapeutic work that can bring him or her out of that depression. (more…)

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Obesity Blamed on Increased Use of Medication in Children

Obesity is a problem in our country and sadly it is effecting many children. There are numerous complications associated with obesity, including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and depression. Due to this increased obesity occurrence in children, many have become dependent on medication to help control the severity of these health complications.

A recent study found some shocking results regarding children and medication use:
– The number of children taking drugs to treat chronic conditions increased across all treatment classes evaluated

– In use of blood pressure medications, lipid-lowering agents, diabetes drugs, and antidepressants, prevalence for youths 15-19 was at least two times greater than in 10- to 14-year-olds and three times greater than in youngsters 5 to 9

– Overall, girls took more blood pressure medication, even though boys are more likely to have hypertension

– Children more than doubled their use of type 2 diabetes medications between 2002 and 2005, with girls 10-14 showing a 166% increase

– The largest increases in high blood pressure treatments were seen in teens 15 to 19 (more…)

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Kinsey