Medical research continues to advance and enhance treatment methods. Below are a collection of blog posts and articles, designed to keep you informed of medical news related to drugs, alcohol, addiction, and recovery.
The abuse of opioids has become a prevalent problem throughout the United States. In fact, many consider this form of substance abuse to be an epidemic, as it has caused devastation in the lives of countless individuals, and yet appears to be continuously growing in prevalence. It has been estimated that 80 people die from … Read More
Medical marijuana continues to be a hotly debated topic throughout the United States as more and more Americans are legally accessing the drug. As new states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, some have criticized these decisions, implying that the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes is merely a “back door” method of legalizing the … Read More
We all know that excessive consumption of alcohol is unhealthy, but what we may not know much about is how to counteract the effects of alcoholism to enjoy a healthy life in recovery. We recently talked with Maxime Zara Stadlen, MSHN, a celebrated local holistic nutritionist here in Northern California to learn more about how … Read More
Consider this: you are in long-term recovery for addiction and you have been progressing quite well. Suddenly, you are involved in an accident—a car wreck, a fall at work, or a sports injury—and you are in dire need of pain management. Your doctor prescribes you opiates to ease your suffering, but you and your family … Read More
Yesterday, the FDA has approved a drug called Evzio, a nasal spray version of Narcan, an antidote for heroin overdose. Narcan, also known by its generic name naloxone, is part of a growing public health campaign to reduce deaths from heroin and opioid overdose. With the recent tragic deaths of beloved celebrity stars such as Cory Monteith and Philip Seymour … Read More
The million dollar question: does marijuana really have negative long-term effects? The Brain Drain For years, scientists have been debating whether marijuana use has negative long term effects on the brain. Over two decades and 1,037 participants later, we just might have the evidence to prove that marijuana does indeed cause cognitive decline. A study published in … Read More
Technology is Moving Quickly We are all aware of the explosion in social networking opportunities since the world rang in the 21st century just 13 years ago—Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Smartphone, Instagram, Pinterest, to name the most obvious. I ask, “Who could have imagined?” But then it is obvious a lot of people had to have … Read More
Methadone maintenance treatment, often used for treating addiction to heroin and other opiates, is often criticized as an ineffective therapy that just replaces one addiction with another. Methadone is certainly a safer alternative to heroin or other street drugs, but using it without understanding its intended purpose can acutally perpetuate a cycle of abuse and addiction. What Methadone is not … Read More
It’s been a long ride for Zohydro ER and its California-based pharmaceutical firm Zogenix, but the journey is nearing an end. Zohydro ER will be the first extended-release, hydrocodone-only painkiller to reach the market, expected in approximately four months. On October 25, the FDA officially approved this highly controversial drug to treat severe chronic pain that is unresponsive to alternative therapies. … Read More
Last year, it was bath salts. This year, the trending, scary new drug is krokodil (pronounced “crocodile”), a cheap heroin-like drug known to rot the body from the inside out and turn skin green and scaly on the surface. Krokodil is the street version of the synthetic opioid desomorphine. Made from crude products like lighter fluid, … Read More
