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Integrative Medicine » Heavy Drinking Current Stories |
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Doctor Stirs Furor Over "Cure" for Alcoholism
An alcoholism-conquering testimonial by a French cardiologist is helping an obscure muscle relaxant become a lightning rod in the global medical community.
Olivier Ameisen, one of the top heart specialists in France and an associate professor of medicine at Cornell University’s Weill Cornell Medical College, wrote a book that’s now being published in the United States called The End of My Addiction, in which he details how he overcame his dependence on alcohol by self-administering the spasticity drug baclofen (Kemstro or Lioresal). Read more about Doctor Stirs Furor Over "Cure" for Alcoholism
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Want a Good Sex Life? Drugs to Avoid
Today's pharmaceuticals have saved many lives and improved the quality of life for millions. But almost all such drugs have side effects that range from the merely annoying to the downright ugly. Such is the case with four common classes of pharmaceuticals that have been shown to have a disruptive effect on our sex lives. Following are some highlights about these medications and some ways of avoiding their use. Read more about Want a Good Sex Life? Drugs to Avoid
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Acupuncture and Fibromyalgia
There is new hope for the millions of americans suffering from fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes muscle pain, stiffness and fatigue for unknown reasons. It affects between three and six percent of Americans, mainly women. Treating the disorder using western medicine can be frustrating. This is why many are now turning to old, eastern medicine for an answer. Read more about Acupuncture and Fibromyalgia
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Worried Sick? There Might Be Some Truth There
A recent report by health provider BUPA has found that people's worries are damaging their health by causing sleepless nights, loss of sex drive, and erratic eating habits. The 2007 Worry Report demonstrates that almost one in five people constantly worry about numerous things, and more than half feel they worry more now than five years ago. Half of the people surveyed this year, which is 6% more than in 2006, claimed they were more worried about their health and their family's health than about other concerning issues such as climate change or terrorist attacks. The survey finds that almost three quarters of people worry, but around 19% admit to worrying all the time or about a number of things. Read more about Worried Sick? There Might Be Some Truth There
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Reducing Stress Lowers Risk of Cardiovascular Problems
A Review in The Lancet reveals the importance of healthy lifestyle choices to reduce stressors related to cardiovascular risk factors. Researchers from John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore examined records between 1990 to 2006. They observed how stress affects the sympathetic nervous system, impacts physiology, and the effect it has on the cardiovascular system. Lead author, Daniel Brotman, claims "Acute physical stressors such as sugery, trauma, and intense physical exertion are well known triggers of cardiovascular events. Emotional stressors are increasingly recognized as precipitants of such events." Read more about Reducing Stress Lowers Risk of Cardiovascular Problems
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Rapid Rise in "Complementary" Medical Services
 Have you been to a practitioner besides your family physician? Whether chiropractic care, acupuncture, yoga or homeopathy, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has become increasingly common in the United States, and 72% of adults use some form of CAM therapies according to the US National Centers for Disease Control and US National Center for Health Statistics. A recent cover story in The New York Times Magazine highlighted how chronic pain tends to be under treated because doctors worry about over prescribing medications, and being liable for malpractice or even criminal penalties. Many doctors fear entering the field of pain management at all. Many patients are also concerned about becoming dependant on medication or about the invasiveness and dangers of surgery and anesthesia. CAM therapies, which are able to treat pain and help manage diseases without medication or surgery, are rapidly growing services as people search out better, safer approaches. So how effective are Complementary and Alternative Medicine therapies?
Read more about Rapid Rise in "Complementary" Medical Services
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Binge Drinking Can Affect Decision Making
Binge drinking, typically associated with college students, may lead to poor decision making. The results of a new study published in the June issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research suggest that among college students, those who binge drink often exhibit poor decision making . Jenny Larkins, a graduate student in clinical psychology at the University of Missouri, claims that alcoholics make poor decisions such as those involving short-term rewards coupled with long-term losses. The problems were associated with mental skills such planning for the future, abstract reasoning, inhibiting or delaying responses, doing two things at once and shifting between activities. Read more about Binge Drinking Can Affect Decision Making
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Yoga Is a Possible Treatment For Depression
Yoga may offer solutions for depression, anxiety and epilepsy. Reports from the World Health Organization and elsewhere estimate that mental illness comprises fifteen percent of the global disease burden. Depression and anxiety disorders contribute heavily to these numbers. One treatment approach is offered by various medications designed to stimulate the brain's primary inhibitory neuro transmitter, gamma-aminobutyric (or GABA) levels. Findings released by Boston University School of Medicine report that yoga may elevate these GABA levels in the brain and may provide a way to treat these disorders. Read more about Yoga Is a Possible Treatment For Depression
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Health Wrap:Snoring, Fetuses and Pain
A new study finds that habitual snoring in women is strongly tied to body mass index—a marker of fatness-- and age. Overall, 7.6 percent of women snore. The frequency of snoring reaches its peak in women ages 50 to 59. Frequent snoring was found to increase with alcohol dependence, smoking and physical inactivity. -- Read more about Health Wrap:Snoring, Fetuses and Pain
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Kudzu and Alcohol Abuse
If someone you know might be drinking more than you think they should, there's some good news. New studies show connections between alcoholism and the kudzu vine, which may help combat alcohol abuse. Researchers have identified that the root of the kudzu vine has properties which can help suppress the cravings for alcohol. Now, alcoholism doesn't occur overnight. It's often a gradual process from the first drink, to heavier drinking, to frank alcoholism. Not all young heavy drinkers go on to alcoholism, but it's certainly a setup for the problem. Read more about Kudzu and Alcohol Abuse
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