Novel app may help anticipate opioid overdose

A recently developed app identified changes in breathing patterns that preceded likely opioid overdoses, as well as during an actual overdose, according to a report recently published in Science Translational Medicine.

“Existing, human-based approaches to diagnose overdose rely on medical-grade equipment or trained recognition of diagnostic signs of opioid toxicity system. … Validating the efficacy of any opioid toxicity system requires access to patients and data while high-risk opioid use occurs, which is difficult because this can represent a medically life-threatening situation, Rajalakshmi Nandakumar, a PhD candidate at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, and colleagues wrote.

Researchers created an algorithm that used sonar to monitor patients’ breathing rate and identify when an opioid overdose has occurred. The app accurately identified respiratory depression, apnea and gross motor movements tied to acute opioid toxicity.

The app, named Second Chance, was then tested in 209 patients that used the legally-sanctioned supervised injection facility in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“We asked participants to prepare their drugs like they normally would, but then we monitored them for a minute pre-injection so the algorithm could get a baseline value for their breathing rate,” Nandakumar said in a press release. “After we got a baseline, we continued monitoring during the injection and then for 5 minutes afterward, because that’s the window when overdose symptoms occur.”

Researchers found that Second Chance identified postinjection, opioid-induced central apnea with 96% sensitivity and 98% specificity. The app also identified respiratory depression with 87% sensitivity and 89% specificity.

Nandakumar and colleagues also tested Second Chance in 20 simulated overdose events in the operating room during routine induction of general anesthe

 

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The 5 Important Aspects of your Life and How Substance Abuse Affects Them

Every action a person performs in his life has an effect on him. Repetitive and constant actions have an even bigger and deeper impact on how his life is. Of course, the facets of his life cannot be contained into only four or five aspects. It is more complex and diverse in actuality. Generally speaking however and in common experiences for most substance abusers, the next 5 departments in one’s precious existence are immensely affected by drug and alcohol abuse, which imminently require affordable drug rehab. Watch out for the signs below because these could serve as red flags as to when to resort for affordable drug rehab.

Physical Capability and Beauty

The appearance of a person is influenced by what he takes in his body thus the saying what you eat is what you are. Healthy and nutritious food apparently makes a glowing and strong physique while alcohol and drugs does otherwise. Some common effects of consistent substance use on people are:

• Heart problems
• Respiratory problems, lung cancer, emphysema and difficulty breathing
• Abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, nausea
• Kidney and liver damage
• Changes in appetite – sudden lose weight or gain weight
• Changes in body temperature
• Changes in sleeping patterns – insomnia or oversleeping
• Bloodshot eyes
• Halitosis and body odors
• Slurred speech
• Impaired coordination
• Dry skin and discoloration
• Poor grooming

Drug and alcohol use does not only affect one’s internal organs and mental ability but it does influence one’s looks and capacity to function.

Mental Health and Prowess

Probably the most affected faculty in one’s life in drug and alcohol use is one’s psychological well being. Especially that the different kinds of drugs and alcohol have different effects on the brain, the varied chemical reactions messes up with the brain’s function. Some are depressants while the others are stimulants. Excessive intake of the same kind or the large consistent dosage of various kinds induces extreme consequences as well. Besides low inhibition and impaired judgment, drugs and alcohol affects one’s mind in more ways such as:

• Mood Swings
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Confusion
• Paranoia
• Hallucinations
• Violence towards self and others
• Detachment and disinterest in daily things
• Symptoms of mental illness
• Tolerance and eventually dependence on the substance
• Reckless desires and behavior

Social Adaptability and Love

When one is physically incapable to fully function due to drugs, has poor grooming, and has poor judgment, his social adaptability becomes impaired as well. His relationships with everyone including his elderly, siblings, children, relatives, friends, and romantic partner become damaged. He is most likely to misunderstand friends and family’s intention to bring him to drug detox centers. He is most likely to verbally and physically harass others. He is most likely to steal things and money from others. He is most likely to get involved in more intricate and bigger illegal activities because of his substance addiction. Because of this, his interaction with the society becomes changed and altered. His freedom is lessen, and his life becomes a risky routine. In order to relieve this stressful situation, one must seek help from drug detox centers.

Career and Dreams

Alcohol and drug abuse occurs to all age groups including those that are still under formal education, those that are working, and those that have already retired. Either one is a student, an employee, business person, or retired, he has these aspirations and goals he has to fulfill in life. Drugs and alcohol however gets in the way. Students drop out because of uncontrolled substance usage – they would wallow in debts or get into drug related conflicts. Career people loses balance over when to work and when not to work, when to stand up against the boss and coworkers, and when not to. Businessmen may lose control over expenditures directed by their unsatisfied substance craving. Retired individuals may get distracted of their aim once they get the free time they longed for. Drug and alcohol are destroyers of career and aspirations.

Life and Spirituality

One does not necessarily have to be religious to be spiritual. Life itself is a spiritual journey – a series of motivations towards goals and falling out of track. The effects of drugs and alcohol on a person are not limited to physical, mental, social, and career because these things occupy a large portion of one’s life. When these parts are damaged, the whole life is imbalanced as well. So get a grip of everything. Like how addiction slowly crept into your system, remove it step by step as well.

Through the best drug rehab you can bit by bit reverse the effects that substance abuse has brought to your life. You can regain control over your life again through the power of the strong motivation that’s already in you and the science of detoxification. The best drug rehab will kick drug and alcohol out of your life and reinstate you as the master of yourself.

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Mission Viejo Inpatient – Drug Rehab

Founded in 2007 in Mission Viejo, CA our staff has helped hundreds of alcoholics and users begin the road to recovery.

Let us help you or family member with the hopelessness, embarrassment, anxiety, fear and shame that has overtaken your life. Our beautiful alcohol rehabilitation center is located in a quiet residential neighborhood which is private, safe and serene.

Our luxurious 3700 sq foot residential five bedroom home offers well appointed rooms, peaceful grounds (including a waterfall, gazebo and meditation garden) and unexpected amenities like flat screen TVs and computers with broadband Internet access. We pride ourselves in having created a relaxing, home like setting – an institutional setting but a suitable environment for Orange County addiction treatment. This, we believe, further increases the chances of an individual being able to focus on their addiction treatment and overall well being. Our Drug Treatment Programs Include: Inpatient Treatment Intensive Outpatient Program Psychiatric Evaluations Dual Diagnosis Disorders Psychotherapeutic Medications

Addiction Treatment for Couples

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Over four decades, an ‘inexorable’ epidemic of drug overdoses reveals its inner secrets

Americans have long construed drugs of abuse as choices. Poor choices that can cost users their lives, to be sure, but choices nonetheless.

But what if drugs of abuse are more like predators atop a nationwide ecosystem of potential prey? Or like shape-shifting viruses that seek defenseless people to infect? If public health experts could detect a recognizable pattern, perhaps they could find ways to immunize the uninfected, or protect those most vulnerable to the whims of predators’ appetites.

In a war against drugs that has yielded few victories and spawned plenty of unintended consequences, these are radical ideas. But a comprehensive new study of drug-overdose deaths aims to give researchers the data they need to discern previously unrecognized patterns in the widening epidemic of drug abuse — and, maybe, to devise policies that really work.

The new research makes clear that over close to four decades, the collective toll of drugs on Americans has followed an upward trajectory that looks less like a steady rise and more like the chain reaction that builds to a nuclear explosion.

The drugs that exact this toll have changed: Methamphetamine, cocaine, prescription narcotics and heroin have all dominated the killing fields of American drug use at some particular time and place.

Put those disparate trend lines together, though, and the curve representing fatal overdoses grows sharply steeper between 1979 and 2016. The death toll from drugs has doubled every eight years, according to the report published Thursday in the journal Science.

“Inexorable,” Dr. Donald Burke, the study’s senior author, called the trend. And frightening, too, since it appears that drug overdose deaths will continue unabated.

From the LATimes.com. Read the complete article here.

Nearly half of Americans have a family member or close friend who’s been addicted to drugs

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Bring your Pet to Rehab

The idea of leaving your pet behind to find treatment. can seem difficult to entertain But what if you didn’t have to? Animal ownership provides immeasurable therapeutic value to addiction recovery patients.

Your pet is your loving and trusted companion who will love you unconditionally if you love them. When you feel despondent and without hope, your pet will be there to keep you going. When you feel a sense of rejection from everyone else, your pet will be steadfast in its loyalty and will show no dilution in its love for you.

When you are struggling with addiction, you may have tough time trying to fit in social settings and prefer to be alone. This is the time when the unconditional love of your pet will be your best bet to get you through that difficult phase. Extensive research studies have shown how pets have a salubrious effect on our body, mind, and soul.

Companionship with your pet can help you get through periods of anxiety, stress, and depression. These are typical concerns that individuals in their early stages of recovery are faced with. It is hard to be angry or dejected when you have pet is affectionately wagging its tail and licking your face. Even for life threatening illnesses such as heart disease, medical experts often recommend the patients to keep the company of their pet, which could help them recuperate well and improve their physical and mental state of being.

How a Pet Friendly Rehab Facility Can Help?

The decision to get your admitted to a rehab facility can be psychologically and emotionally draining. Several types of roadblocks may deter you from seeking this courageous path to try and get rid of your struggling situation and find an opportunity to re-start a healthy and sober life. A rehab center that is 100% pet friendly, and is ready to extend a warm welcome to you and your pet, can make your decision and your process to enter rehab much easier.

Orange County Pet Friendly Drug Rehab

Addiction Treatment for Couples

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‘Sober September’ is here

People who indulged this summer or are just looking for a fresh start this month are putting away the booze and joining sober September. The 30-day challenge is a month-long hiatus from drinking, where the rosé and Coronas of summer are replaced with sparkling water and other non-alcoholic beverages.

Sober September joins its counterpart, dry January, in offering a chance to get back on track with health at a time of new beginnings. In January, it is the start of the new year, while September marks the start of the school year and a return to routines and schedules after the lazy days of summer.

“These months are good and healthy to do, if not only for the reason that they bring back into the forefront of our consciousness how we consume alcohol and force us to take stock of this,” said ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, who completed dry January this year. “What I found personally is that it was incredibly easy to go dry for a month.”

She added, “If people do not find it easy, it can be an indication that there may be a dependence or overuse or abuse problem.”

The current U.S. dietary guidelines defines moderate drinking as up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men.

Nearly 30 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they engaged in binge drinking in the past month, according to the most recent data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What can taking a month off of alcohol do for your body?

Dr. Mariam Alam, a former resident in ABC News’ medical unit, analyzed the research to see if a month of no booze for a limited amount of time produces any results.

What can no-booze do for you?
There has been limited research on how quitting alcohol for a month affects your body, but a few studies have shown psychological and health benefits.

Most of the studies have focused on Dry January, which was started by a British organization, Alcohol Concern.

In 2013, 14 staff members at the magazine New Scientist teamed up with researchers at the Institute for Liver and Digestive Health at the University College London Medical School to investigate the benefits of Dry January.

The staff members, who all considered themselves “normal” drinkers, underwent baseline testing with blood samples, liver ultrasound scans and questionnaires. For the next five weeks, 10 of them stopped drinking and four drank their normal amounts.

Read the complete article at GMA

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‘It Starts With Mindset’: What Portugal’s Drug Policy Experts Taught Me About Addiction Treatment

“Change the mindset.” Goulao recognized early in the drug reform battle that society’s perception about drugs and people who use them needed to change. Everyday Portuguese people were dying, and they demanded change. People in positions of power needed education: policymakers, judges, prosecutors, doctors, etc. Not unlike this country. We all have gaps in our knowledge. I’m no different: I knew very little about addiction (and absolutely nothing about harm reduction) after medical training. My “mindset” changed when I learned that addiction is a chronic medical disease of the brain, and that most people with addiction–once connected to the appropriate treatment and care–GET BETTER.

In “How to Win a War on Drugs,” published in the NY Times September 2017, Nicholas Kristof describes the impact of Portugal’s decriminalization. Heroin is still illegal, just like it is in the U.S. and Canada. However, unlike in North America, a person possessing and using heroin in Portugal will not be arrested and incarcerated. Individuals possessing a 10-day supply or less of an illicit drug–a threshold set by the government–are referred to the Dissuasion Commission. “Setting a threshold reduces discretionary power from the police officer,” points out Dr. Goulao, now the General Director of the Service for Intervention on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (SICAD). Dealers and traffickers still face legal and criminal consequences.

Lifesaving medications need to be widely available. Methadone is highly effective at reducing cravings for opioids like heroin (and was persistently advocated by addiction leader, Dr. Newman). In Lisbon, methadone is distributed in vans (it can also be given as take-home doses, described later). Psychologist Hugo Faria coordinates one of two Low Threshold Mobile Units which not only administer lifesaving methadone, but also provide a wide range of services: blood testing (TB, HIV, syphilis, etc.), syringe exchange, condoms, other medications (e.g. antibiotics) and education. Luis, who last used heroin 8 years ago, says “the van changed my life. I would be dead without it.”

Read the complete article at Forbes.com here .. 

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