A new study published in BMC Medicine found that those who missed more doctors appointments each year had a higher risk of death, especially for those who live with more than one condition or a mental health condition. The study, which was helmed by Dr. Ross McQueenie at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, highlights potential areas for improvement in patient health care.
DR. NORA VOLKOW WAS decisive when a physician at the emergency room who was evaluating her for a foot fracture suggested she take prescription analgesics to ease the pain: “No thank you,” she told the doctor.
LESLIE AGANS WAS desperate. Her teenage son, Michael, had once been a good student and terrific ice hockey player in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. But he’d become a deceitful, unmotivated, unpredictable and sometimes violent adolescent whose life was imploding thanks to his daily marijuana use. (U.S. News is identifying Agans by her maiden name and her son by his middle name to protect the family’s privacy.)
Drinking has a firm foot in our culture, and it seems to fit any occasion.
Having a birthday and turning 21, 30, or 50? Have a round on the house!
Getting married? Crank up Rihanna’s “Cheers (Drink to That)” and throw one (or five) back while grooving on the dance floor into the wee hours of the morning.
Going on a first date? Why not meet at the bar for a classy cocktail or glass of wine?
Had a hard day at work, bad week, or even a rough month when you just can’t seem to shake that sinking feeling? Nothing a drink to lift the spirits can’t solve…
A couple years ago, when local news agencies reported a spike in overdose deaths related to fentanyl in St. Paul, Minnesota, clinicians at an outpatient treatment clinic in that city saw an immediate effect.
Picture this. You’ve landed in the California desert and are stoked to pitch that tent. You’ve got the lineup pulled up on your phone and you’re arguing with your travel companions about whether you’ll catch Beyoncé’s must-see headlining set or catch a one-of-a-kind performance from Japanese rockers X Japan, who play at the same time. And you still haven’t worked out if you’ll see Portugal. The Man or Kamasi Washington. Mid-argument, out comes the six-pack and now there’s a tougher choice to make.
In the latest sign that the nation’s opioid epidemic is accelerating, the rate of drug overdoses and the death rate for young adults between the ages of 25 and 34 rose sharply in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2016, nearly 35 out of every 100,000 people between the ages of 25 and 34 died of a drug overdose, according to the CDC.
If we’re being honest, many of us are probably guilty of ignoring warning labels at one time or another, buying into the belief that we’re smart enough and capable enough to assess a truly risky situation. Then, too, there’s the assumption that warning labels might be overly cautious.
Your life is careening out of control due to excessive alcohol consumption or drug use, and you need to find a treatment center to get off the addiction train before it crashes and wrecks – or ends – your life. Or your child’s drug-fueled reckless behavior has prompted you to look for a treatment center for him or her. Finding the right treatment program for your or your child’s substance use disorder is crucial – and could be complicated, experts say.
Oriana Murphy wanted to enjoy a memorable bachelorette outing with her girlfriends – literally memorable. “I didn’t want people to be wasted on my trip and not remember what we did,” says Murphy, who is in recovery from alcohol and drug misuse.
You’ve heard of coke, crack, LSD and ecstasy, but there are many other drugs out there — which are readily available, and not only from the “street.” “Designer drugs like spice and other ‘legal’ compounds are showing up for sale in gas stations and online faster than the law can keep up,” warns recovering addict Ed Hamill. (more…)
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