Recovery Michigan

Emergency rooms are where many patients are first introduced to powerful opioid painkillers, but what if doctors offered over-the-counter pills instead? A new study tested that approach on patients with broken bones and sprains and found pain relievers sold as Tylenol and Motrin worked as well as opioids at reducing severe pain.

The results challenge common ER practice for treating short-term, severe pain and could prompt changes that would help prevent new patients from becoming addicted.

The study has limitations: It only looked at short-term pain relief in the emergency room and researchers didn’t evaluate how patients managed their pain after leaving the hospital.

But given the scope of the U.S. opioid epidemic — more than 2 million Americans are addicted to opioid painkillers or heroin — experts say any dent in the problem could be meaningful.

Results were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

There are a lot of factors that can affect this but, on average, the liver can process 1 ounce of alcohol every hour, and it can be detected in the blood for several hours, and in the urine for several days. 

The following is information on how the body processes alcohol and the different factors that can affect that process.

Scientists could have the secret. They have identified a chemical in the brain's "memory" region that allows us to suppress unwanted thoughts.

The discovery may help explain why some people can't shift persistent intrusive thoughts - a common symptom of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and schizophrenia.

Researchers found a particular chemical, or neurotransmitter, known as Gaba, held the key.

Gaba is the brain's main "inhibitory" neurotransmitter. That means, when it's released by one nerve cell it suppresses the activities of other cells to which it is connected.

They found people who had the highest concentrations of Gaba in their brain's hippocampus (or memory hub) were best at blocking unwanted thoughts or memories.

"What's exciting about this is that now we're getting very specific," said Prof Anderson.

After two hourlong sessions focused first on body awareness and then on movement retraining at the Feldenkrais Institute of New York, I understood what it meant to experience an incredible lightness of being. Having, temporarily at least, released the muscle tension that aggravates my back and hip pain, I felt like I was walking on air.

I had long refrained from writing about this method of countering pain because I thought it was some sort of New Age gobbledygook with no scientific basis. Boy, was I wrong!

The Feldenkrais method is one of several increasingly popular movement techniques, similar to the Alexander technique, that attempt to better integrate the connections between mind and body. By becoming aware of how one’s body interacts with its surroundings and learning how to behave in less stressful ways, it becomes possible to relinquish habitual movement patterns that cause or contribute to chronic pain.

Blushing is a natural bodily response that is triggered by the sympathetic nervous system — a complex network of nerves that activate "fight or flight" mode.

Those who are easily stressed or have anxiety disorders or social phobias may blush more than others. While it can cause people to feel self-conscious, blushing is not in itself harmful.

This natural reaction occurs in the face of a perceived threat, and it can also be triggered by the onset of a powerful emotion such as stress, shame, or embarrassment.

Blood vessels in the face get wider and increase blood flow to the skin, which leads to the characteristic redness of blushing.

Here are some ways to stop severe or frequent blushing:

1. Breathe

Breathing deeply and slowly will tell the brain to relax. Once relaxed, the body will stop releasing stress hormones, the heartbeat will slow to normal levels, and blood pressure will return to normal.

3. Smile and laugh

Research suggests that smiling may reduce stress levels and regulate the body's natural stress responses.

For the integrated care workforce, addressing the complex needs of individuals with numerous and serious behavioral and physical health difficulties increases staff risk of experiencing symptoms associated with burnout and compassion fatigue. Christina Maslach, a researcher with extensive professional experience studying the field of work burnout, defines burnout as “feelings of exhaustion, a cynical attitude toward the job and people involved in the job, and a reduced personal accomplishment or work efficiency. Burnout can be thought of as 'taking away a person’s spirit and will.'”

Burnout may be the result of workload demands, poor organizational practices, intense time pressures, unsupportive relationships with supervisors and co-workers, and lack of control across work environments. In addition to organizational factors, healthcare and social services providers face unique challenges associated with addressing the needs of people with serious behavioral and/or physical health difficulties. The frequent listening to and/or direct observation of the suffering of others may elicit strong emotional, psychological, and physical reactions that lead to emotional exhaustion, a cynical attitude towards one’s work, and a loss of empathic connections to others.

The opioid epidemic is a source of deep national anguish in the United States: It now kills almost 100 Americans each day, more than motor vehicle accidents. President Donald Trump today officially declared the epidemic a national public health emergency. Although he hasn’t allocated any additional federal funding to address the crisis, the announcement could accelerate efforts at the federal, state, and local levels to identify and implement ways to combat it. As his administration strives to galvanize efforts, it would benefit from drawing on the growing body of research that examines the medical and economic origins and effects of the crisis.

Every part of the country is battling opioid addiction, but the worst-hit states include Ohio, West Virginia, and New Hampshire. The most recent definitive data on the prevalence of the problem comes from the National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health, which surveyed 51,200 Americans in 2015. Based on weighted estimates, 92 million, or 37.8%, of American adults used prescription opioids the prior year (2014); 11.5 million, or 4.7%, misused them; and 1.9 million, or 0.8%, had a use disorder. The epidemic is spreading so rapidly that it’s likely the numbers are higher now.

Michelle MacLeod died in a tough part of town known as the Tree Streets, where many of the streets have names like Ash, Palm, Chestnut and Walnut. Kevin Manchester, who provided the fentanyl that killed her, lived on Pine.

After MacLeod’s death, Nashua police wired her fiance and recorded him telling Manchester that MacLeod had overdosed and died. Manchester kept selling the powerful synthetic narcotic anyway.

“He had no pause from what he had done, knowing full well he had killed that girl,” said Jon DeLena, the assistant special agent in charge in New Hampshire for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. “It didn’t slow him down at all.”