Medicare Going In ‘Right Direction’ On Opioid Epidemic

Prescriptions for two drugs used to treat opioid addiction increased significantly from 2016 to 2018 for people on Medicare, according to a federal report out Wednesday. About 174,000 Medicare beneficiaries received such a medication – either buprenorphine or naltrexone – to help them with recovery in 2018, according to the Office of Inspector General in the Department … Read more

Mental Health Service Use Up After Campaign to Reduce Stigma

(HealthDay News) – A social marketing campaign in California designed to reduce stigma about mental health issues appears to have encouraged more people to seek care for their symptoms of mental distress, according to a study published online June 26 in the American Journal of Public Health. Read full article here!

8 WISCONSIN TEENS HOSPITALIZED WITH SEVERE LUNG DAMAGE DUE TO VAPING, DOCTORS SUSPECT

Eight teens were hospitalized in July with seriously damaged lungs in Wisconsin, the state Department of Health Services reported Thursday. “We suspect that these injuries were caused by vaping,” said Dr. Michael Gutzeit, chief medical officer at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin where the teens were admitted, at a press conference. Their symptoms, including cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue, … Read more

NYC’s CBD Edibles Ban Has Officially Gone Into Effect

Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced that it would begin ordering all restaurants and bars in the city to stop selling CBD-infused products, citing an FDA ruling from December saying that it is “unlawful to add CBD to food or drink.” Read full article here!

What new opioid laws mean for pain relief

Overdoses of powerful painkillers called opioids kill more than 115 people per day in the United States. More than 42,000 people died from opioids in 2016, five times more than in 1999. The reason? Since several of these powerful painkillers became available in pill form several decades ago, doctors have been prescribing more than patients … Read more

One in Five Americans Gets Hurt By Someone Else’s Drinking Every Year

The negative effects of secondhand smoke are well-documented-the CDC estimates that tens of thousands of nonsmokers die every year in the U.S. due to exposure to someone else’s cigarette habit. But a new study out Monday suggests that the secondhand effects of alcohol consumption are another source of serious harm, with one in five Americans hurt by … Read more

The Importance of Prevention in Addressing the Opioid Crisis

As our communities, healthcare systems, and government agencies join in the effort to reverse the epidemic of opioid overdoses and solve the opioid crisis, it is not enough to focus all our resources on treating people who are already addicted to opioids. Keeping people who do not have an opioid use disorder from becoming addicted … Read more

Feds warns of THC-infused products that look like real candy June 20, 2019

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A federal prosecutor is warning parents to watch out for products that contain the main psychoactive component in marijuana and look like real candy. U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart in Charleston says in a news release the packages can be appealing to children but contain THC. Click here to read whole article!