As an academic psychiatrist who treats people with anxiety and trauma, I often hear questions about a specific class of medications called benzodiazepines. I also often receive referrals for patients who are on these medications and reluctant to discontinue them.
There has been increasing attention into long-term risks of benzodiazepines, including potential for addiction, overdose and cognitive impairment. The overdose death rate among patients receiving both benzodiazepines and opioids is 10 times higher than those only receiving opioids, and benzo misuse is a serious concern.
What are benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines are a class of anti-anxiety medications, or anxiolytics, that increase the activity of the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors in the brain. GABA is a neurotransmitter, a molecule that helps brain cells, or neurons, communicate with each other. GABA receptors are widely available across the brain, and benzodiazepines work to reduce anxiety by enhancing GABA inhibitory function.
The benzo family includes diazepam, or Valium; clonazepam, or Klonopin; lorazepam, or Ativan; chlordiazepoxide, or Librium; and the one most commonly known to the pop culture, alprazolan, or Xanax, among others.
Different benzos have similar effects, but they differ in strength, how long it takes for them to work and half-life, a measure of how long the drug stays in your system. For example, while diazepam has a half-life of up to 48 hours, the half-life of alprazolam can be as short as six hours. This is important, as a shorter half-life is linked with higher potential for addiction and dependence. That is one reason physicians typically are not excited about prescribing Xanax for long periods of time.
When are they used?
When benzos were introduced to the market in the 1950s, there was excitement as they were considered safer compared to barbiturates, which had been used to treat anxiety. By the 1970s, benzos made it to the list of the most highly prescribed medications.
Benzos are mainly used to treat anxiety disorders, such as phobias, panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. They are mostly used for a short period at the beginning of the treatment. That is because it may take a few weeks for the main pharmacological treatment for anxiety, antidepressants, to kick in. During that time, if anxiety is severe and debilitating, benzodiazepines may be prescribed for temporary use.
Benzos are also prescribed for occasional situations of high anxiety, such as that caused by phobias. The main treatment of phobias, such as excessive fear of animals, places and social interactions, is psychotherapy. Sometimes, however, phobias can interfere with one’s functioning just sporadically, and the person may not be interested in investing in therapy. For example, a person with fear of flying who may fly on a plane once or twice a year may choose to take a benzo before flying. However, for a businessman or woman who flies several times a months, psychotherapy is recommended.
Benzos may also be used for situations of short-term stress, such as a stressful job interview.
Now we get to the part about why I and other doctors are not eager to prescribe benzodiazepines for long-term use: We have a Hippocratic oath to “first do not harm.” I sometimes tell patients who insist on getting benzos: “I am not paid differently based on the medication I prescribe, and my life would be much easier not arguing with you about this medication. I do this because I care about you.”
A major risk of long-term use of benzos is addiction. That means you may become dependent on these meds and that you have to keep increasing the dose to get the same effect. Actually benzos, especially Xanax, have street value because of the pleasant feeling they induce. In 2017, there were more than 11,000 deaths involving benzos alone or with other drugs, and in 2015, a fifth of those who died of opioid overdose also had benzos in their blood.
Benzos to anxiety can be seen like opioids to pain. They both are mostly for short use, have a potential for addiction and are not a cure. Benzo overdose, especially when mixed with alcohol or opioids, may lead to slowing of breathing, and potentially death. Benzo misuse can also lead to lack of restraint of aggressive or impulsive behavior.
As benzos are sedating medications, they also increase the risk of accidents and falls, especially in the elderly. This is worse when they are mixed with other central nervous system suppressants like alcohol or opioids.
Stopping benzos abruptly, especially if high dose, can cause withdrawal symptoms, such as restlessness, irritability, insomnia, muscle tension, blurred vision and racing heart. Withdrawal from high doses of benzos, especially those that are shorter acting, may be dangerous, leading to seizure, and getting off of these medications should be done under supervision of a physician.
Safer options abound
There are safer effective treatments for anxiety, but they require patience to work. A first line treatment for anxiety disorders is psychotherapy, mainly cognitive behavioral therapy. During therapy, the person learns more adaptive coping skills, and corrects cognitive distortions to reduce stress.
Exposure therapy is an effective treatment for phobias, social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder and PTSD. During exposure therapy, the person is gradually exposed to the feared situation under the guidance of the therapist, until the situation does not create anxiety anymore. Importantly, the skills earned during therapy can always be used, allowing better long-term outcome compared to medications.
Medications are also used for treatment of anxiety disorders. The main group of such medications is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, commonly known as antidepressants. Examples of such medications are fluoxetine, sertraline and citalopram. Especially when combined with psychotherapy, these medications are effective and are safer options than the benzos, and without a risk of addiction.
By: Arash Javanbakht, Wayne State University Title: Where is my Xanax Rx? Why your doctor may be concerned about prescribing benzodiazepines Sourced From: www.thefix.com/where-my-xanax-rx-why-your-doctor-may-be-concerned-about-prescribing-benzodiazepines Published Date: Wed, 04 Mar 2020 08:50:49 +0000
At New Horizon Drug Rehab, we understand addiction. If you or a family member are afflicted with addiction or substance abuse we can help. We work with the top centers throughout the US to provide the best detox and addiction treatments available.
Some years ago I noticed a subtle discomfort in my left knee. As a healthy 33-year old who had not experienced any pain prior to this, I was initially certain that it was not a cause for concern. It took a full year of constant pain to realize that I was indeed suffering from chronic pain.
Little did I know that this pain was going to spread throughout my entire body – and change the course of my life forever.
Chronic Pain is considered a “Silent Epidemic” in the United States. A reported 50 million Americans suffer from significant chronic pain. Even though the number of sufferers is high, outside of pain management clinics and narcotic medications there is very little discussion on the subject of providing support and comfort to the patients. The question then becomes: how do we support those suffering from chronic pain?
Despite having a large group of friends and family wanting to help, for the last three years I was not always able to articulate my needs. Now I can. I offer what benefit lies in my own experience.
Here are 5 ways you can support a loved one suffering from chronic pain:
Check-in Often
I’ve found that the most difficult thing about chronic pain is not the pain, but rather the isolation that comes as a result of the pain. Often patients are unable to engage in the social activities they once enjoyed. Or they are so embarrassed about their constant pain that they isolate themselves in fear of their condition becoming the focal point of discussion in social settings.
Remember that just because someone hasn’t been responding to invitations or coming to gatherings, this doesn’t mean that they prefer to be isolated. The most caring act of service is to reach out and check in regularly with your loved one suffering from chronic pain. Let them know that they aren’t forgotten. Let them know that you care. If they don’t seem ready for a phone call, try sending flowers, or a care package, or a simple card.
Be a Good Listener
Active listening is an act of healing. There is deep comfort in knowing that someone is there to hold the space and listen without judgement, interference, or unsolicited advice.
Not sure how to be a good listener? Do not interrupt. Do make eye contact. Do offer your full attention by not multitasking. Don’t eagerly wait for your turn to speak. Don’t share your own emotional troubles in that moment. In my own experience, I’ve found it difficult to deal with others crying – it made me feel shut down. Please resist the impulse to offer unsolicited advice no matter how well-intended. Do feel free to ask if your loved one wants primarily to vent or is seeking actual advice.
Be Mindful
Mindfulness is critical when interacting with or caring for a patient. Chronic pain impacts so much more than a specific region of the body. Chronic pain causes depression, mood and anxiety disorders, sleep disturbances, and memory problems. It is imperative to be mindful of all these factors when interacting with the patient. Factors like noise, light, crowds, scents, children, and pets can potentially be overwhelming to someone in pain. It is best to approach the patient by asking what feels good and trying to accommodate their preferences. Try to help with comfort care. Offer aromatherapy or a short, easy walk if they are up to it.
Ask How You Can Help
When someone is diagnosed with an illness, be it terminal or chronic, the natural response of friends and family is to offer help. Often that help comes in the form of unsolicited recommendations regarding anything from dietary suggestions to medical advice. Although the gesture might be deeply appreciated by the patient, the sheer volume of suggestions can be extremely overwhelming, leaving the patient with a deep sense of hopelessness. Ask the patient about the kind of specific advice they would like to receive and the limits to what they want to hear. Be mindful of these boundaries. Be respectful of the patient and empower her/him by respecting the choices they make.
Fill Your Cup First!
Caring for someone with chronic pain can be a daunting and exhausting task. Be sure to fill your own cup from time to time. This will enable you to maintain your most vibrant and happy self. Then you will be better able and ready to deliver the joy, humor, and kindness they need.
Anahita Parseghian is a Holistic Health Advocate currently focused on helping people with chronic pain. Following her own long battle with chronic pain and healing herself after three years, Parseghian left her career in venture capital to focus on helping others free themselves from chronic pain. She is now developing the “Compass Protocol,” a holistic approach to pain killer detox and pain management.
By: Anahita Parseghian Title: 5 Ways to Support Those Living with Chronic Pain Sourced From: www.thefix.com/5-ways-support-those-living-chronic-pain Published Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2020 07:50:29 +0000
At New Horizon Drug Rehab, we understand addiction. If you or a family member are afflicted with addiction or substance abuse we can help. We work with the top centers throughout the US to provide the best detox and addiction treatments available.
Editor’s note: The World Health Organization has declared that COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, has a higher fatality rate than the flu. As of March 4, 2020, nine deaths have been reported in the U.S. Brian Labus, a professor of public health, provides essential safety information for you, from disinfectants to storing food and supplies.
1. What can I do to prevent becoming infected?
When people are sick with a respiratory disease like COVID-19, they cough or sneeze particles into the air. If someone is coughing near you, the virus could easily land on your eyes, nose or mouth. These particles travel only about six feet and fall out of the air rather quickly. However, they do land on surfaces that you touch all the time, such as railings, doorknobs, elevator buttons or subway poles. The average person also touches their face 23 times per hour, and about half of these touches are to the mouth, eyes, and nose, which are the mucosal surfaces that the COVID-19 virus infects.
We public health professionals can’t stress this enough: Proper hand-washing is the best thing you can do to protect yourself from a number of diseases including COVID-19. While hand-washing is preferred, hand sanitizers with at least a 60% alcohol concentration can be an effective alternative to always using soap and water, but only if your hands are not visibly soiled.
The best way to wash your hands.
2. Wouldn’t it be easier just to clean surfaces?
Not really. Public health experts don’t fully understand the role these surfaces play in the transmission of disease, and you could still be infected by a virus that landed directly on you. We also don’t know how long the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can survive on hard surfaces, although other coronaviruses can survive for up to nine days on hard surfaces like stair railings.
Frequent cleaning could remove the virus if a surface has been contaminated by a sick person, such as when someone in your household is sick. In these situations, it is important to use a disinfectant that is thought to be effective against the COVID-19 virus. Although specific products have not yet been tested against COVID-19 coronavirus, there are many products that are effective against the general family of coronaviruses. Cleaning recommendations using “natural” products like vinegar are popular on social media, but there is no evidence that they are effective against coronavirus.
You also have to use these products properly in accordance with the directions, and that typically means keeping the surface wet with the product for a period of time, often several minutes. Simply wiping the surface down with a product is usually not enough to kill the virus.
In short, it isn’t possible to properly clean every surface you touch throughout your day, so hand-washing is still your best defense against COVID-19.
3. What about wearing masks?
While people have turned to masks as protection against COVID-19, masks often provide nothing more than a false sense of security to the wearer. The masks that were widely available at pharmacies, big-box stores and home improvement stores – until a worried public bought them all – work well at filtering out large particles like dust. The problem is that the particles that carry the COVID-19 virus are small and easily move right through dust masks and surgical masks. These masks may provide some protection to other people if you wear one while you are sick – like coughing into a tissue – but they will do little to protect you from other sick people.
N95 masks, which filter out 95% of the small, virus-containing particles, are worn in health care settings to protect doctors and nurses from exposure to respiratory diseases. These masks provide protection only if they are worn properly. They require special testing to ensure that they provide a seal around your face and that air doesn’t leak in the sides, defeating the purpose of the mask. People wearing the mask also must take special steps when removing the mask to ensure that they are not contaminating themselves with the viral particles that the mask filtered out. If you don’t wear the mask properly, don’t remove it properly or put it in your pocket and reuse it later, even the best mask won’t do you any good.
4. Should I stockpile food and supplies?
As a general preparedness step, you should have a three-day supply of food and water in case of emergencies. This helps protect from disruptions to the water supply or during power outages.
While this is great general preparation advice, it doesn’t help you during a disease outbreak. There is no reason to expect COVID-19 to cause the same damage to our infrastructure that we Americans would see after an earthquake, hurricane or tornado, so you shouldn’t plan for it in the same way. While you don’t want to run out of toilet paper, there is no reason to buy 50 packages.
A Wuhan-type quarantine is extremely unlikely, as a quarantine won’t stop the spread of a disease that has been found all over the world. The types of disruptions that you should plan for are small disruptions in your day-to-day life. You should have a plan in case you or a family member gets sick and you can’t leave the house for a few days. This includes stocking up on basic things you need to take care of yourself, like food and medicines.
If you do get sick, the last thing you are going to want to do is run to the grocery store, where you would expose other people to your illness. You shouldn’t wait until you are out of an important medication before requesting a refill just in case your pharmacy closes for a couple days because all their employees are sick. You also should plan for how to handle issues like temporary school or day care closures. You don’t need to prepare anything extreme; a little common-sense preparation will go a long way to make your life easier if you or your loved ones become sick.
By: Brian Labus, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Title: What really works to keep coronavirus away? 4 questions answered by a public health professional Sourced From: www.thefix.com/what-really-works-keep-coronavirus-away-4-questions-answered-public-health-professional Published Date: Fri, 06 Mar 2020 04:17:10 +0000
At New Horizon Drug Rehab, we understand addiction. If you or a family member are afflicted with addiction or substance abuse we can help. We work with the top centers throughout the US to provide the best detox and addiction treatments available.
Thank you so much for sharing, Tom. Sorry, Tim. Wow, I really related to so much of what you shared. I know it won’t seem that way based on what I’m about to say, but I really closely related to every single thing you said.
I loved how you said that in sobriety, we need to pick and choose our battles. You didn’t say that, of course, but that’s what I heard and also what I wanted you to say, not coincidentally. You said, in my head, “We have to pick and choose our battles in sobriety.” Well, surprise surprise, I agree totally.
I can’t believe it but today I am 5 and 2/7th years sober! Yes, today is the actual day. I will stop talking…until…you applaud……..there we go! Don’t be shy! Thank you!
I believe the theme of the reading tonight – was there a reading? – was “picking and choosing your battles in sobriety,” and I can really relate to that. For example, my roommate, who is Asian – and I’m only mentioning her race to create a deep sense of anxiety in the room about what I’m going to say next – my roommate forgot to vacuum the living room last week.
I am absolutely certain everyone in this room knows my history with my roommate, as I shared about it eight months ago in a different meeting. So, you all know. You all know. I see Glen H. nodding… No? Sorry, looked like a nod.
Now, in my using years, someone failing to vacuum would have been the perfect excuse for me to use. But instead, I called my sponsor, I read Dr. Bob’s story, I talked to my HP, I read the Seventh Step Declaration, which is a reference no one will get but I am just blowing right past it, and I called my sponsor. And he said, just like the Tradition or whatever the fuck we read tonight said, “Pick and choose your battles in sobriety.”
When he said that piece of very trite and obvious advice, it saved me. It. Saved. Me. I am tearing up now, weirdly. I am tearing up and there are big…heavy…pauses…in my share. You all have to sit with it in silence.
I see my time is up, but I’m going to pretend I didn’t.
I don’t want to cross-talk, but Glen H.’s share earlier was shit.
I can’t believe where sobriety has gotten me and I am just so grateful. My roommate is a fucking cunt. Haha, just kidding! WE ARE NOT A GLUM LOT! Like the Big Book says, my worst day sober is better than my best day using, even though while using I was engaged to Neil Patrick Harris and lived in a gold kingdom. Which reminds me, the cash and prizes don’t matter at all, lol, but I can’t believe how much money I have! You should all know how much money I have. Sobriety.
Thank you again for sharing, Toom. You said exactly the prompts I needed to say what I wanted to say. Now I am going to leave the meeting early with no explanation, in a very loud and disruptive manner. Excuse me! Pardon me!
It’s unclear if my share is over, so everyone can just sit there quietly for a few seconds wondering.
Thanks! Oh, and I’m looking for sponsees! But good ones.
By: John Teufel Title: Thank You for Your Share! Sourced From: www.thefix.com/thank-you-your-share Published Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2020 07:05:05 +0000
At New Horizon Drug Rehab, we understand addiction. If you or a family member are afflicted with addiction or substance abuse we can help. We work with the top centers throughout the US to provide the best detox and addiction treatments available.
Love is in the air. Valentine’s Day is an excuse to eat chocolate, buy flowers and celebrate your love, but it can also be an emotionally taxing and triggering holiday, especially for people who are in early recovery or treatment.
Whether you are still working to repair a relationship damaged by addiction, loving someone who is struggling with substance misuse, or taking time to focus on yourself, Valentine’s Day can highlight everything that’s not ideal in your love life.
This year, don’t let Valentine’s Day bring you down. Instead, focus on these things that everyone in recovery or loving someone in recovery should remember this Valentine’s Day.
1. It’s Okay to Opt Out
Establishing a new life in recovery is all about choosing what works for you, and stepping away from anything that doesn’t. If Valentine’s Day stresses you out, skip it. Avoiding advertising can be tricky, but give yourself permission to not engage with the day or the social pressure that it entails. Just like you can choose not to engages with people or places that you find triggering, you can choose not to participate in traditions that no longer serve you. If you were sober at the end of last year you’re probably familiar with establishing new holiday traditions. Bring that to Valentine’s Day, too.
2. Early Recovery Is the Time to Focus on Yourself
If you’re single this Valentine’s Day, you might feel unloved or unchosen. Instead of leaning into that feeling, challenge the internal narrative that is making you feel that way. Celebrate the fact that you are choosing to focus on yourself right now. There’s a reason why 12-step traditions advocate for staying single during the first year of sobriety. Without the distraction of romantic love, you can do the work that will improve your relationship with yourself and make you a great partner in the future. Right now, you’re building the foundation that will make you lucky in love in the future.
3. Love Is Love Is Love
Valentine’s Day tends to focus on romantic love, but you can expand the celebration to encompass all the love in your life. Consider this: you love yourself enough to go through the hard work of getting sober. Your recovery community loves you enough to support you through the ups and downs, and share what they’ve learned through their own journeys with you. Your friends and family (chosen or biological) love you enough to believe that this time, you’re going to stay sober for the long term.
4. Self-Care Is a Great Way to Celebrate
Restaurants will be packed on Valentine’s Day, so why not skip out on the traditional celebrations to indulge in some self care? Start by doing the self-care that is taxing, but also important: go to a meeting, book a therapy appointment or talk to your sponsor about the challenges that Valentine’s Day holds for you. Then, move on to self-care that is more fun: get a massage, walk on the beach or bake something delicious, just for you.
5. You’re Not Alone
There are thousands of people celebrating Valentine’s Day sober, with or without romantic partners. If you’re feeling lonely this Valentine’s Day, meet up with some other people who are in a similar situation. Sober meetups spring up every Valentine’s Day, bringing people together around good food and a celebration of recovery. Check out what sober Valentine’s Day activities are happening in your area. If you can’t find any, make you’re own by organizing a trip to a museum, bowling alley or favorite hiking destination.
Celebrating Valentine’s Day sober can be challenging, but reframing the holiday and establishing new, healthy traditions will mean that next year, celebrating Valentine’s Day sober will be easier.
Asana Recovery offers residential and outpatient treatment in Costa Mesa, California. Learn more by calling 949-438-4504.
By: The Fix staff Title: 5 Tips for Surviving Valentine's Day in Recovery Sourced From: www.thefix.com/dreading-valentines-day-here-are-5-tips-get-through Published Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2020 05:16:18 +0000
At New Horizon Drug Rehab, we understand addiction. If you or a family member are afflicted with addiction or substance abuse we can help. We work with the top centers throughout the US to provide the best detox and addiction treatments available.
For much of the 20th century, medical progress seemed limitless.
Antibiotics revolutionized the care of infections. Vaccines turned deadly childhood diseases into distant memories. Americans lived longer, healthier lives than their parents.
Even as the world struggles to control a mysterious new viral illness known as COVID-19, U.S. health officials are refighting battles they thought they had won, such as halting measles outbreaks, reducing deaths from heart disease and protecting young people from tobacco. These hard-fought victories are at risk as parents avoid vaccinating children, obesity rates climb, and vaping spreads like wildfire among teens.
Things looked promising for American health in 2014, when life expectancy hit 78.9 years. Then, life expectancy declined for three straight years — the longest sustained drop since the Spanish flu of 1918, which killed about 675,000 Americans and 50 million people worldwide, said Dr. Steven Woolf, a professor of family medicine and population health at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Although life expectancy inched up slightly in 2018, it hasn’t yet regained the lost ground, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“These trends show we’re going backwards,” said Dr. Sadiya Khan, an assistant professor of cardiology and epidemiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
While the reasons for the backsliding are complex, many public health problems could have been avoided, experts say, through stronger action by federal regulators and more attention to prevention.
“We’ve had an overwhelming investment in doctors and medicine,” said Dr. Sandro Galea, dean of the Boston University School of Public Health. “We need to invest in prevention — safe housing,good schools, living wages, clean air and water.”
Superbugs — resistant to even the strongest antibiotics — threaten to turn back the clock on the treatment of infectious diseases. Resistance occurs when bacteria and fungi evolve in ways that let them survive and flourish, in spite of treatment with the best available drugs. Each year, resistant organisms cause more than 2.8 million infections and kill more than 35,000 people in the U.S.
With deadly new types of bacteria and fungi ever emerging, Dr. Robert Redfield, the CDC director, said the world has entered a “post-antibiotic era.” Half of all new gonorrhea infections, for example, are resistant to at least one type of antibiotic, and the CDC warns that “little now stands between us and untreatable gonorrhea.”
That news comes as the CDC also reports a record number of combined cases of gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia, which were once so easily treated that they seemed like minor threats compared with HIV.
The United States has seen a resurgence of congenital syphilis, a scourge of the 19th century, which increases the risk of miscarriage, permanent disabilities and infant death. Although women and babies can be protected with early prenatal care, 1,306 newborns were born with congenital syphilis in 2018 and 94 of them died, according to the CDC.
Those numbers illustrate the “failure of American public health,” said Dr. Cornelius “Neil” Clancy, a spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. “It should be a global embarrassment.”
The proliferation of resistant microbes has been fueled by overuse, by doctors who write unnecessary prescriptions as well as farmers who give the drugs to livestock, said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
Although new medications are urgently needed, drug companies are reluctant to develop antibiotics because of the financial risk, said Clancy, noting that two developers of antibiotics recently went out of business. The federal government needs to do more to make sure patients have access to effective treatments, he said. “The antibiotic market is on life support,” Clancy said. “That shows the real perversion in how the health care system is set up.”
A Slow Decline
A closer look at the data shows that American health was beginning to suffer 30 years ago. Increases in life expectancy slowed as manufacturing jobs moved overseas and factory towns deteriorated, Woolf said.
By the 1990s, life expectancy in the United States was falling behind that of other developed countries.
The obesity epidemic, which began in the 1980s, is taking a toll on Americans in midlife, leading to diabetes and other chronic illnesses that deprive them of decades of life. Although novel drugs for cancer and other serious diseases give some patients additional months or even years, Khan said, “the gains we’re making at the tail end of life cannot make up for what’s happening in midlife.”
Progress against overall heart disease has stalled since 2010. Deaths from heart failure — which can be caused by high blood pressure and blocked arteries around the heart — are rising among middle-aged people. Deaths from high blood pressure, which can lead to kidney failure, also have increased since 1999.
“It’s not that we don’t have good blood pressure drugs,” Khan said. “But those drugs don’t do any good if people don’t have access to them.”
Addicting A New Generation
While the United States never declared victory over alcohol or drug addiction, the country has made enormous progress against tobacco. Just a few years ago, anti-smoking activists were optimistic enough to talk about the “tobacco endgame.”
Today, vaping has largely replaced smoking among teens, said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Although cigarette use among high school students fell from 36% in 1997 to 5.8% today, studies show 31% of seniors used electronic cigarettes in the previous month.
FDA officials say they’ve taken “vigorous enforcement actions aimed at ensuring e-cigarettes and other tobacco products aren’t being marketed or sold to kids.” But Myers said FDA officials were slow to recognize the threat to children.
With more than 5 million teens using e-cigarettes, Myers said, “more kids are addicted to nicotine today than at any time in the past 20 years. If that trend isn’t reversed rapidly and dynamically, it threatens to undermine 40 years of progress.”
Ignoring Science
Where children live has long determined their risk of infectious disease. Around the world, children in the poorest countries often lack access to lifesaving vaccines.
Yet in the United States — where a federal program provides free vaccines — some of the lowest vaccination rates are in affluent communities, where some parents disregard the medical evidence that vaccinating kids is safe.
Studies show that vaccination rates are drastically lower in some private schools and “holistic kindergartens” than in public schools.
It could be argued that vaccines have been a victim of their own success.
Before the development of a vaccine in the 1960s, measles infected an estimated 4 million Americans a year, hospitalizing 48,000, causing brain inflammation in about 1,000 and killing 500, according to the CDC.
“Now, mothers say, ‘I don’t see any measles. Why do we have to keep vaccinating?’” Schaffner said. “When you don’t fear the disease, it becomes very hard to value the vaccine.”
Last year, a measles outbreak in New York communities with low vaccination rates spread to almost 1,300 people — the most in 25 years — and nearly cost the country its measles elimination status. “Measles is still out there,” Schaffner said. “It is our obligation to understand how fragile our victory is.”
Health-Wealth Disparities
To be sure, some aspects of American health are getting better.
Cancer death rates have fallen 27% in the past 25 years, according to the American Cancer Society. The teen birth rate is at an all-time low; teen pregnancy rates have dropped by half since 1991, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. And HIV, which was once a death sentence, can now be controlled with a single daily pill. With treatment, people with HIV can live into old age.
Yet the health gap has grown wider in recent years. Life expectancy in some regions of the country grew by four years from 2001 to 2014, while it shrank by two years in others, according to a 2016 study in JAMA.
The gap in life expectancy is strongly linked to income: The richest 1% of American men live 15 years longer than the poorest 1%; the richest women live 10 years longer than the poorest, according to the JAMA study.
“We’re not going to erase that difference by telling people to eat right and exercise,” said Dr. Richard Besser, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director of the CDC. “Personal choices are part of it. But the choices people make depend on the choices they’re given. For far too many people, their choices are extremely limited.”
The infant mortality rate of black babies is twice as high as that of white newborns, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Babies born to well-educated, middle-class black mothers are more likely to die before their 1st birthday than babies born to poor white mothers with less than a high school education, according to a report from the Brookings Institution.
In trying to improve American health, policymakers in recent years have focused largely on expanding access to medical care and encouraging healthy lifestyles. Today, many advocate taking a broader approach, calling for systemic change to lift families out of the poverty that erodes mental and physical health.
Several policies have been shown to improve health.
Children who receive early childhood education, for example, have lower rates of obesity, child abuse and neglect, youth violence and emergency department visits, according to the CDC.
And earned income tax credits — which provide refunds to lower-income people — have been credited with keeping more families and children above the poverty line than any other federal, state or local program, according to the CDC. Among families who receive these tax credits, mothers have better mental health and babies have lower rates of infant mortality and weigh more at birth, a sign of health.
Improving a person’s environment has the potential to help them far more than writing a prescription, said John Auerbach, president and CEO of the nonprofit Trust for America’s Health.
“If we think we can treat our way out of this, we will never solve the problem,” Auerbach said. “We need to look upstream at the underlying causes of poor health.”
By: Liz Szabo, Kaiser Health News Title: As The Coronavirus Spreads, Americans Lose Ground Against Other Health Threats Sourced From: www.thefix.com/coronavirus-spreads-americans-lose-ground-against-other-health-threats Published Date: Wed, 11 Mar 2020 06:57:53 +0000
At New Horizon Drug Rehab, we understand addiction. If you or a family member are afflicted with addiction or substance abuse we can help. We work with the top centers throughout the US to provide the best detox and addiction treatments available.
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