Brain mechanisms behind addiction to alcohol
After years of speculation about whether the intake of spirits caused the secretion of endorphins, a study by the University of California definitely confirmed.
A study by the University of California (USA) published in Science Translational Medicine have shown for the first time in humans that alcohol releases endorphins. After nearly thirty years of speculation about whether the intake of spirits caused the secretion of these proteins in certain areas of the brain which produces feelings of pleasure that leads to addiction-this definitely confirms university.
“We descubiero that endorphins are released into the nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex, says researcher Jennifer Mitchell, who adds that this finding will” improve the methods and medications to treat alcohol problems. “
To reach these conclusions, the researchers analyzed brain responses of 13 people with a high consumption of alcohol, and other 12 who did not drink as usual. In all cases, alcohol intake was a release of endorphins, but the feeling was unanimous pleasure only “when endorphins are released in the nucleus accumbens.”
However, when these proteins were released in the orbitofrontal cortex “only positive feelings increased in heavy drinkers.” This indicates that “the brain of alcoholics is modified so that they find most pleasurable consumption of alcohol,” explains Mitchell. Read the rest of this entry »
Prevent damage caused by drug-liver
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a new strategy to protect the liver from damage induced by drugs and improve drug safety. In their report, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, the team reports that the inhibition of cellular communication type can protect against damage caused by toxic drugs to the liver, such as acetaminophen. “Our findings suggest that this therapy could be a clinically viable strategy for treating patients with drug-induced liver damage,” says Dr. Suraj Patel, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, author of the paper, adding that “This work also has the potential to change the way drugs are developed and formulated, which could improve drug safety by getting a lower risk of liver toxicity.”
Develop, approve and prescribe a drug requires that the therapeutic benefits outweigh the potential side effects. Liver toxicity limits the development of many therapeutic compounds, and presents major challenges for clinical medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. The drug-induced liver injury is the most common cause of acute liver failure in the U.S., and is also the most common reason for early withdrawal of certain treatments. Since there are currently no pharmaceutical strategies for the prevention of drug-induced liver injury, treatment options are limited to discontinuing the offending drug, supportive care and liver transplantation for end-stage failure.
Gap junctions (gap junctions) are hollow channels that connect neighboring cells and allow direct intercellular communication between coupled cells. In the heart, these unions propagate electrical activity necessary for contraction, but so far, its role in the liver was poorly defined. Now, this new study has shown that the sets of signals broadcast junctions immune injured liver cells to nearby cells in good condition, extending the general inflammation and injury. Read the rest of this entry »
Dr. Loren Borud specializes in Body Contouring
Dr. Loren Borud was born in Minot, North Dakota. He became interested in medicine after finishing high school and he took up two majors in college and graduated with a diploma for Physics and Human Biology. After that he proceeded for his MD at Harvard Medical School. He later on went to UCLA for his residency and did some research for plastic surgery. It was during the 90’s at his stint in Los Angeles where he was a resident for general surgery that he had his first experience assisting on bariatric surgery. That time this type of surgery was only done on patients that are severely morbidly obese because it could lead to several complications then. The doctors had to weigh the benefits and the consequences of the procedure and that time the use of anesthesia was also considered dangerous once done during this type of procedure.
Now, Dr. Loren Borud sees the difference of the procedure done then and how it’s done now. That is because of the continued advances both in the techniques for surgery and also in anesthesia that made it possible for bariatric surgery to be a common procedure done on patients with weight difficulties. In 2003 alone, there had been 100,000 cases of bariatric surgery in the United States and more are done in other countries. For Dr. Borud he specializes in body contouring which is a post bariatric surgery procedure.
Dr. Loren Borud wants to emphasize that the body contouring procedure is done months after the patient had bariatric surgery. The patient will have a drastic weight loss due to the surgery that makes their stomach capacity smaller and this result to excess and saggy skin. Your body cannot tone down the skin as fast as the weight loss and the shrunken body will still have the same amount of skin of the overweight one. This is a problem and can cause embarrassment to patients but because of body contouring, the excess skin are removed to reveal the younger looking and firm skin and the patient lose more weight from the weight of the skin removed.
Since you end up with excess skin from drastic weight loss, it is advised that you don’t get very excited to get it done fast. Your body needs to be in plateau of weight loss before it’s advised to do the body contouring so you won’t need to get it done again. In the 100,000 cases of bariatric surgery in 2003, 52,000 had undergone the body contouring procedure.
Cold Sore Treatment – Trigger Avoidance and Medication
Everybody who has been infected with cold sore will definitely want to find the most effective cold sore treatment. The symptoms are discomforting and can cause severe embarrassments. Cold sores can occur in several parts of the body but the most common ones may occur on the facial area particularly around the mouth. This infection is also known as fever blister, and the good thing is that it can be treated using the right medication.
If you want any cold sore treatment to become most effective, you need to avoid from eating foods that can trigger its development. Citrus fruits are among the foods that should be avoided. This is because citrus fruits contain a specific type of amino acid known as ‘arginine’. This acid is not only found in citrus fruits but also in chocolates, carbonated beverages, seafood and many types of nuts. By avoiding these foods you can reduce the frequency of cold sore outbreaks as well as speeding up the healing time.
Salty foods should also be avoided because these foods can make the outbreaks become more painful and itching. Apart from that avoid caffeinated drinks as well because it potentially increases the number of outbreaks.
The use of cold sore medication has been proven to be effective. The medication is used topically and it eliminates the cold sore symptoms in just a few days.
Use of marijuana and cocaine among teens
Drug use among Spanish students 14 to 18 years has decreased in 2010 compared to previous years and this reduction is more pronounced in the case of snuff, cannabis and cocaine.
However, these three drugs are still the most consumed by the Spanish youth, according to the National Survey on Drug Use in Secondary School Students (ESTUDES) 2010, released by the Ministry of Health, Social Policy and Equality.
Alcohol consumption shows a relatively stable trend, but three out of 10 schools recognized having been drunk in the last month.
Alcohol, snuff and inhalers are volatile drugs earlier onset (between 13 and 14 years).
Cocaine use among students recorded the lowest figures of the last decade: 3.9% say they have used the drug sometime in their life, to 2.6% did in the last year and 1.5 % last month. Read the rest of this entry »
Tips to Quit Smoking
Believe in yourself. Think about some of the hardest things he has done in his life and realize that you have the courage and determination to quit smoking. It all depends on you.
Ask your family and friends to support him in his decision to quit. Let them reproach you if you are weak and help you in your effort. They know it will be difficult and you may become irritable until I get some leave.
Check a deadline. Decide what day to put out their cigarettes for good. Put it on the calendar. Plan your strategy to achieve this. Prepare your mind for the “first day of the rest of his life.” You can hold a small party when I get to quit.
Stopping Smoking
The active component of snuff is nicotine, an addictive substance that works as a liaison for the smoker, the habit creándole. After smoking for some time, do so with regularity and constancy, the habit is created and can be considered as an addiction.
The dependence on the snuff, smoking, manifests itself physically and psychologically. After spending a few hours without smoking, your body used to the nicotine starts to need it again. In many cases the symptoms when not smoking can be irritability, moodiness, anxiety, insomnia. The withdrawal, habitual state against any addictive drug or substance, is presented with the passing of the hours after the last cigarette.
The Drug Detoxification
Possibilities to stop using drugs due to different types of treatments. However, there are certain key steps in the process of detoxification. One of the earliest and perhaps most important, the problem is the acceptance by the individual and their position and will handle it. In many cases, the addict is not aware is your situation, have tried and failed, or simply do not want to face the problems.
Having passed this stage, the individual being predisposed to deal with the detoxification and rehabilitation, you’ll find another instance where the layout is very important and will power to be taken to overcome the withdrawal period. At this stage, as in the first, it is important the support and containment by the relatives and friends. Withdrawal is the hardest instance of detoxification, where it is frequently necessary medical supervision.
Effects after consumption
The effects of cocaine can be divided into two parts. On one hand it must refer to the primary consequences that causes an individual consuming a dose of cocaine. For another, what can be termed as side effects of cocaine, all those leads caused by abuse, prolonged and excessive consumption of the substance.
Regarding the first point, leading to cocaine may be referred to as the pleasurable effects of it, main reason being consumed. These effects cause a great euphoria and excitement, which usually are accompanied by an elevation of self esteem.
The individual and the drug
Not only influences the amount or regularity with which a drug is consumed the effects it generates. Individual consumer level also plays a part. In this way, through tolerance or awareness that everyone has.
As mentioned, the effects felt on the first occasion of use, never repeated. Therefore, each subsequent use, but will have a pleasant nature will not be in the same way, neither in intensity nor in time.
In turn, the decrease in the pleasurable effects brings a feeling of discomfort for the consumer, which, through repetition, becomes more severe.
Tolerance and awareness come into play here. Tolerance refers to the lack or absence of these primary effects. Which leads to increasing doses to assimilate those effects. In this way a consumer repeated doses more frequently, because the effects are not the same. The latent risk here is to dependence.
Read the rest of this entry »