Recovery Michigan

Motorcyclists are 30 times more likely to die and five times more likely to be injured when compared mile for mile to passenger car occupants.1 Motorcycle helmets have been shown to prevent nearly 40 percent of fatal injuries and 13 percent of nonfatal serious injuries.1–3 However, as many as one-third of motorcycle riders still do not wear helmets, with a larger percentage riding unhelmeted in states without universal helmet laws.3 The effects of motorcycle helmet legislation on helmet use, patient injuries, and outcomes have been demonstrated.2–9 However, few to no data are available evaluating the effects of motorcycle helmet laws on craniomaxillofacial trauma.

Complex facial injuries are common among motorcycle trauma patients and are over twice as likely in unhelmeted patients.10–12 Although most facial injuries are not immediately life threatening, patients sustaining complex facial injuries have been shown to have poorer health outcomes and greater injury-related disability preventing employment.13

The National Highway Safety Act was signed into law in 1966 mandating that all states enact specific safety standards to continue receiving federal highway funding. Included in the legislation was the requirement for universal motorcycle helmet laws. In 1976, Congress amended the act, allowing states more flexibility in the implementation of helmet regulations.9 On April 13, 2012, the state of Michigan repealed their universal helmet law in favor of a partial law.

Several studies have shown an increased incidence of craniomaxillofacial injuries in unhelmeted riders, but none have shown the correlation between weakened motorcycle helmet laws and increased craniomaxillofacial injuries.10–12

Dramatic decreases in helmet use have been described following helmet law repeal.2,3,8,14 This study confirms these findings, showing a greater than two-fold increase in unhelmeted motorcycle trauma patients. Moreover, our data identify a substantial increased risk of craniomaxillofacial injuries in unhelmeted patients, providing a likely cause for the increase in facial injuries after the repeal. This finding is well documented in the literature.10–12 The risk for alcohol intoxication acting as a confounder remains a concern. We did note a higher blood alcohol content in unhelmeted patients compared with helmeted riders. However, no difference was seen when comparing patients presenting before and after the universal helmet law was rescinded. Furthermore, other large series have found an increase in injuries in unhelmeted patients even after controlling for multiple confounding variables, such as alcohol and drug use.12,15

Research presented at the 2017 annual gathering of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience, held in Montreal, investigates what goes on inside our brains when we dream. Surprisingly, the research also suggests that dream dysfunctions may predict the development of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease or dementia.

The research was conducted by Dr. John Peever and his team at the University of Toronto in Canada in 2015.

These brain cells that produce GABA, or GABAergic neurons, control the timing of REM sleep and its features, such as muscle paralysis. As Dr. Peever explains, "When we switch on these cells, it causes a rapid transition into REM sleep." The brainstem sends signals to relax muscles and limbs so that we do not do in real life what we dream about while asleep.

Knowing all of this, Dr. Peever and colleagues set out to examine dreaming disorders such as cataplexy, narcolepsy, and REM sleep behavior disorder.

They found that REM sleep disorders are linked to several neurodegenerative diseases that tend to occur in old age. "This link suggests that neurodegenerative processes initially target the circuits controlling REM sleep and specifically SubC neurons," write Dr. Peever and colleagues in their 2015 paper.

"We observed that more than 80 percent of people who suffer from REM sleep disorder eventually develop synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson's disease, and Lewy body dementia. Our research suggests sleep disorders may be an early warning sign for diseases that may appear some 15 years later in life."

I wouldn't normally post something like this, but it is just so odd.......

https://goo.gl/g30YxQ

utism symptoms improved in five boys given a century-old drug for sleeping sickness, according to a new study led by University of California San Diego researchers.

The small clinical trial involved 10 boys, including five who received a placebo and did not show improvement. Those that received a single infusion of the drug, suramin, showed significantly better functioning in language, behavior, and willingness to socialize. The gains lasted for several weeks, said Robert Naviaux, a UC San Diego professor who was the study’s principal investigator.

The open-access study was published in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology. It is online at j.mp/autismsuramin. (A detailed question and answer interview with Naviaux is available at this link, along with accounts from parents in the study about the improvement they saw in their children. Both were provided by UCSD.)

Autism spectrum disorder therapy is often based on behavioral methods, sometimes accompanied by drugs. It’s considered most effective when treatment begins as early as possible. Consequently, much research is focused on developing methods of early screening for infants and toddlers likely to have autism.

But these boys were older than toddlers. The youngest was 5, the oldest 14; and the average age was 9.1 years. So if the research is confirmed, it would mean there’s more brain plasticity in older autism spectrum disorder children than has been believed.

It would also mean that for the first time, a drug would be proven to treat an underlying cause of autism.

Naviaux said the results in this study, which primarily assessed safety, must be regarded as preliminary. However, he said the results warrant a larger trial. He’s planning to test 40 diagnosed autism spectrum disorder children.

To fund the planned larger study, about $2 million more in donations are needed. To learn more about the research, visit Naviaux’s website at naviauxlab.ucsd.edu. A link at the top of the page provides information on donating.

Drug research is usually funded by pharmaceutical companies seeking to bring new medicines to market. But suramin, a drug introduced in 1916, is long off-patent, so that financial incentive is lacking.

The benefits of using such an old drug includes the lower cost of an off-patent drug, and that it has an extensive history of use, Naviaux said. This allows the risks to be better assessed than starting out with a drug that has never been put into people.

Suramin is also being explored for other diseases, such as preventing Chikungunya and Ebola virus infection; and treating forms of cancer.

However, suramin can be toxic, Naviaux warned, so expert medical guidance is needed. For that reason, he recommends parents not experiment with the drug and risk harm to their children.

Recent data from a survey conducted by Open Sourcing Mental Illness (2016) suggests 51% of individuals in the tech community have been diagnosed with a mental illness. This is a big figure compared to the 20% prevalence in the general population. While we don’t yet know why the difference between these two numbers is so big, we do know that the mental health of employees impacts the whole organization.

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. As you can imagine, a lot of decision-making, handling stress, and interacting with others takes place at work. More days of work are lost by mental illness than by other chronic health conditions including arthritis, asthma, back pain, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

70% of costs associated with mental illness are found in the indirect costs of employee absenteeism, presenteeism (i.e., when people are at work but not fully productive), turnover, and training costs for replaced workers. It’s true: happy employees are more productive, and less likely to leave their job.

The World Health Organization (2005) recommends a mental health policy for any business or organization wishing to improve mental wellness. At Keen IO, we are passionate about making a workplace culture where people are not only productive, but where they thrive. We’ve seen time and again that investments in the wellbeing of our employees pays off big time, and we thought establishing a mental health policy would be another great benefit to help people grow. Our policy addresses the vision for improving mental health in the workforce and creates a model for action.

This ritualistic greeting used to be welcome. Now, it’s little more than a reminder of the worlds I became imprisoned in — the dual worlds of addiction and recovery.

When I joined Alcoholics Anonymous and its spin-off, Narcotics Anonymous, I was seeking escape from my dependence on opiates and alcohol. Three and a half years later, I am free of heroin and alcohol in part because of the 12-step program, and I continue to apply some of its principles to my life.

But the program’s ideology was in many ways irrelevant to me. The literature of AA and NA preaches a heteronormative approach to sexuality — unavoidable, perhaps, as both programs were founded by heterosexual men at a time when queer people were repressed. Politically, the adherents of the programs, and the text themselves, also promote an anti-liberation, “bootstraps” approach that I’ve never been comfortable with.

Gov. Rick Snyder today authorized the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to issue a standing order pre-authorizing the distribution of naloxone by pharmacists to eligible individuals.

“Naloxone is a tool in the fight against opioid addiction that can save lives immediately and we need to make sure all residents statewide have access, both in rural areas and urban centers,” Gov. Snyder said. “Our entire state has been affected by this horrible epidemic. I have said that state government will use all possible resources to reverse the course of the opioid crisis. This is one more action that demonstrates our full commitment to addressing the problem.”

Naloxone is a fast-acting medication that reverses opioid overdose. Pharmacies that obtain the standing order will be able to dispense naloxone to those at risk of an opioid-related overdose, as well as family members, friends, or other persons who may be able to assist a person at risk of an overdose. Currently, naloxone is only available to be administered by law enforcement or other first responders.

“As we continue our fight against opioid addiction, this order makes naloxone more accessible for those most likely to need it,” said Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive of MDHHS. “This is a vital step in reducing deaths related to opioid addiction in Michigan. By allowing for shorter response times in emergency situations, we can help save lives.”

States nationwide have experienced a dramatic increase in the number of opioid-related overdoses in recent years. In Michigan, the number of heroin-related overdose deaths increased from 1.1 per 100,000 residents in 2007 to 6.8 per 100,000 residents in 2015. Opioids, including heroin and prescription drugs, accounted for 473 deaths in 2007; in 2015, that number increased to 1,275.

I am a member of the fidgeting community......

https://goo.gl/IZozpV

Hand-held toys known as “fidget spinners” – marketed as “stress relievers” – have become so popular and distracting in classrooms that they are now being banned in many schools. And it’s not just kids who like to fidget. Look around your office and you will probably see people bouncing their legs up and down, turning pens over and over in their hands, chewing on things, sucking on their lower lips and pulling bits of their beard out – seemingly completely unconsciously.

But why do we fidget, and why do some people do it more than others? And if it really helps to relieve stress, does that mean we should all embrace it?

These are actually rather difficult questions to answer, as there appear to be various definitions of what fidgeting is and why it happens. However, there are some interesting, if unexpected, theories.

Regulating attention

Cognitive research suggests that fidgeting is associated with how stimulated we are. That is, fidgeting may be a self-regulation mechanism to help us boost or lower our attention levels depending on what is required – either calming or energising us.

People who fidget a lot are generally more prone to mind wandering and daydreaming. We also often tend to fidget while our mind is wandering during a task. If your mind wanders, you are likely to perform more poorly on whatever task you are doing. Similarly, you typically perform worse while you are in the process of fidgeting – this has been shown to affect memory and comprehension.

This means fidgeting may indicate a problem with attention. But it might also be the solution. Fidgeting could provide physiological stimulation to bring our attention and energy to a level that allows our minds to better focus on the task at hand.

Supporting this, one study found that people who were allowed to doodle while monitoring a phone conversation for details remembered more facts later than those who weren’t. We also know that people with ADHD do better on some cognitive tasks when they are engaged in greater spontaneous bodily activity (though no such effect was seen for children without ADHD).

 The Miami Valley is in the middle of a major drug epidemic. With the response we get on our social media pages from stories about drugs, we know it affects almost everyone in the area. But, now there's hope.

The device is called the Bridge. It's a small, compact device with several electrodes that send pulses to the mid-brain. The portion of the brain that controls addiction. The bridge stops the effects of withdrawal in some cases within minutes. It's symptoms every addict recognizes the symptoms of withdrawal.

"Ugh, hot and cold, restless legs. Oh my God it's so uncomfortable," said Thomas Searles.

"Why are you here?" asked the reporter.

"Um, I'm addicted to heroin," said Searles.

Thomas and his wife Melissa are at the North Dayton Addiction and Recovery Center in Vandalia.

"When you're in withdrawal you feel, well, I'm sure you can see how I feel," said Thomas, "That's why no one can get off of it. The withdraws are so bad that you will do anything to feel better."

Thomas' mom is here for a sobering reason.

"I'm here to save my son and his wife from being buried and dead. I can't go through that again," said Carolyn Searles, Thomas' mom.

Carolyn is reminded of the pain of losing a child. She's lost two already.

"Every day I was begging him please don't make me bury you. You gotta stop. You gotta stop," said Carolyn.

The couple is here for this.

Because hearing voices is a much stigmatised experience we wanted to create a safe place where you can find out more about hearing voices and to create an interactive online community where you can let us know about your point of view or experience.

We have put together the most extensive international resource on hearing voices you can find on the web. This information includes both ways of overcoming the difficulties faced by people who hear voices, as well as the more positive aspects of the experience and its cultural and historical significance.

Here, you will find a very different way of thinking about the meaning of hearing voices.

We understand “voices” to be real and meaningful, something that is experienced by a significant minority of people, including many who have no problems living with their voices. Our research shows that to hear voices is not the consequence of a diseased brain, but more akin to a variation in human behaviour, like being left-handed. It is not so much the voices that are the problem, but the difficulties that some people have in coping with them.