Vitamin C Supplementation for Pregnant Smoking Women and Pulmonary Function in Their Newborn Infants Journal of the American Medical Association
More than 50% of smokers who become pregnant continue to smoke, corresponding to 12% of all pregnancies. Smoking during pregnancy adversely affects lung development, with lifelong decreases in pulmonary function. Supplemental vitamin C taken by pregnant smokers improved newborn pulmonary function test results and decreased wheezing through 1 year in the offspring. Vitamin C in pregnant smokers may be an inexpensive and simple approach to decrease the effects of smoking in pregnancy on newborn pulmonary function and respiratory morbidities.
Sierra Tucson, an international leader in treating co-occurring disorders, offers comprehensive neuropsychiatric treatment programs for Addictions, Eating Recovery, Mood Disorders, Pain Management, and Trauma/PTSD. A member of CRC Health Group, Sierra Tucson is dually Accredited by The Joint Commission.
Celebrating 30 years of “Compassionate Care, Clinical Excellence.”
Hepatitis C Virus-Related Knowledge and Willingness to Receive Treatment Among Patients on Methadone Maintenance Journal of Addiction Medicine (free ASAM member resource) Although persons who inject drugs have high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, few receive treatment mostly because of lack of knowledge about the infection and its treatment. This study assessed the level of HCV-related knowledge and willingness to participate in HCV treatment among methadone-maintained patients.
$50 gift card for doctors who have prescribed buprenorphine-containing oral transmucosal products for the treatment of opioid dependence
If you have patients who may be interested in completing the patient survey, contact us for more information about the survey and the patient $25 gift card.
State Health System Performance-A Scorecard JAMA The 2014 edition of The Commonwealth Fund’s Scorecard on State Health System Performance documents persistently wide geographic disparities, with some states consistently performing better than others on the scorecard’s 42 indicators of health care access, quality, efficiency, and outcomes...
Online Neuropsych Test Helps Personalize Treatment Patients’ cognitive and emotional capacities play an important role in recovery. Complement self-report and clinical observation with an objective, validated 30-minute assessment of brain health that helps personalize treatment plans.
PUBLIC POLICY AND REGULATORY NEWS
WHO Outlines Global Status of Alcohol Use World Health Organization This report provides a global overview of alcohol consumption in relation to public health as well as information on: the consumption of alcohol in populations; the health consequences of alcohol consumption and policy responses at national levels.
Listening Session on Confidentiality of Patient Records Regulations Federal Register The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced that it will hold a public listening session on Wednesday, June 11, 2014, to solicit information concerning the Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records Regulations, 42 CFR Part 2. This session will be held in Rockville, MD, to obtain direct input from stakeholders on updating the regulations. The scheduled listening session provides an opportunity for SAMHSA to seek public input on potential changes to the regulations.
Medical Marijuana in Neurologic Disease Neurology Use of medical marijuana in neurologic diseases by the American Academy of Neurology's Guideline Development Subcommittee concludes that certain forms medical marijuana can be helpful to treat some symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). A systematic review was performed to address treatment of symptoms of multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and movement disorders...
Extended-Release Naltrexone for Alcohol and Opioid Dependence Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment Through improved adherence, once-monthly injectable extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) may provide an advantage over other oral agents approved for alcohol and opioid dependence treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate cost and utilization outcomes between XR-NTX and other pharmacotherapies for treatment of alcohol and opioid dependence.
Electronic Cigarettes and Conventional Cigarette Use Among US Adolescents JAMA Pediatrics Use of e-cigarettes was associated with higher odds of ever or current cigarette smoking, higher odds of established smoking, higher odds of planning to quit smoking among current smokers, and, among experimenters, lower odds of abstinence from conventional cigarettes. Use of e-cigarettes does not discourage, and may encourage, conventional cigarette use among US adolescents.
Massachusetts Legislators Consider Patient Advocacy Telegram.com Massachusetts legislation aimed at curbing an epidemic of heroin and opiate drug addiction would require insurance companies to cover drug- and alcohol-abuse treatment with no prior authorization from an insurer.
Relationships that Compulsive Buying has with Addiction, Obsessive-Compulsiveness, Hoarding, and Depression Comprehensive Psychiatry Findings suggest that compulsive buying may be most closely related to the phenomena associated with addiction (an increased sensitivity to reward), rather than obsessive-compulsive or depression symptoms. Hoarding and reward sensitivity perhaps might separate compulsive buying from ordinary and recreational shopping.
Warning Signs: 5 Red Flags in Children Who Are Susceptible to Addiction The Fix Adolescents, by nature, seek independence by detaching from their parents and keeping more of their lives to themselves. These formative years are also characterized by changes in the brain that allow drug abuse to occur more easily than at other times. How can parents reduce the risks of their children engaging in substance abuse?
Cognitive Training in Mental Disorders: Update and Future Directions The American Journal of Psychiatry Cognitive training harnesses the inherent neuroplastic capacities of the brain, targeting neural system function across psychiatric disorders, thus improving the cognitive processes that play a role in emotion regulation, clinical symptoms, and adaptive community functioning. Cognitive training offers considerable promise, especially given the limited efficacy of pharmacological interventions in ameliorating cognitive deficits. However, more research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying cognitive training, predictors of response, generalization and real-world applicability, and approaches to dissemination in practice settings.
Video: ASAM Member Herbert Malinoff, MD Gives Talk “Doctor’s Opinion on Alcoholism” Dawn Farm This program describes a physician’s view of alcoholism, as presented in the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous and updated with the modern neurobiology of addictive illness. It includes a discussion of Dr. Silkworth’s explanation of alcoholism as a twofold disease affecting mind and body, how Dr. Silkworth’s opinion relates to the modern neurobiology of addictive illness, identification of therapy for alcoholism as promoted by Alcoholics Anonymous, and the relationship of this therapy to Dr. Silkworth’s opinion.
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The views and positions of any content published in ASAM Weekly are not necessarily endorsed by ASAM nor a reflection of ASAM's beliefs and policies. The features are presented as a summary of the contemporary issues being represented and expressed in scientific, governmental, commercial, and media sources across the specialty field of addiction medicine. Contact ASAM Weekly with any comments or feedback.