July, 2010
Gymnasts at Higher Risk for Eating Disorders
It’s easy to fall in love with gymnastics. The sparkly uniforms, the bouncy ponytails and the encouraging hugs from a coach make little girls watching the televised events ready to sign up and be a part of the team, no matter what.
Learn more about Gymnasts at Higher Risk for Eating Disorders
Dispelling the Myth of “Light” Cigarettes
With more than 46 million smokers in America, nicotine addiction is the most common form of chemical dependency in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Not only does nicotine cause serious health risks and premature mortality in smokers, but the psychoactive stimulant is as addictive as alcohol, cocaine, or heroin. Have you ever tried switching to "light," "low," or "mild" cigarettes in an attempt to lower your nicotine intake? These cigarette products are actually just as dangerous as regular cigarettes, according to the National Cancer Institute. In reality, no cigarette can ever be a safe cigarette.
How to Help a Loved One Overcome Trauma
Traumatic events occur every day to untold numbers of people. But no matter how widespread the trauma, what it comes right down to is how trauma affects the individual. Trauma could be the result of a natural disaster, terrorism, mass violence, or it could be closer to home and involve domestic violence or sexual abuse, the loss of a job or economic stability. Sometimes it’s difficult to know where to start to help a loved one overcome trauma and resume a normal life, but there are some basic things that you can do.
Writers In Treatment Hosts Second Annual Reel Recovery Film Festival
The Los Angeles-based nonprofit recovery organization for writers affected by alcoholism or substance abuse, Writers In Treatment (WIT), will be hosting its second annual Reel Recovery Film Festival from October 27–30 in Hollywood, California, and November 11–14 in Nashville, Tennessee. After its successful debut in 2009, the Reel Recovery Film Festival is continuing to celebrate prevention, intervention, and recovery from life-debilitating substance addictions and the preservation of natural creativity.
Learn more about Writers In Treatment Hosts Second Annual Reel Recovery Film Festival
Undiagnosed Depression in Cardiac Patients is Life Threatening
It is not unreasonable to believe that an individual who has had a near-death experience and is struggling to recover would feel some level of depression. In fact, for cardiac recovery patients who are slow to recovery, their depression could lead to hospital readmissions or even death.
Learn more about Undiagnosed Depression in Cardiac Patients is Life Threatening
Parents Sedating Their Children with Drugs Called Child Abuse
A new U.S. study has found that malicious use of drugs on children by their parents or caregivers is an under-recognized problem and should be classified as a form of child abuse. Dr. Shan Yin from the University of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Poison Drug Center investigated the prevalence of the national problem over an eight-year period and are encouraging officials and medical professionals to take this form of child abuse into higher consideration. Dr. Yin’s report on the study, “The Malicious Use of Pharmaceuticals in Children,” is to be published in an upcoming issue of The Journal of Pediatrics.
Learn more about Parents Sedating Their Children with Drugs Called Child Abuse
Eating Disorders and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Eating disorders plague about 0.9 percent of women and 0.3 percent of men over a lifetime period in the United States. Those who are diagnosed with an eating disorder are given a designation of one of three diagnoses provided by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition.
Learn more about Eating Disorders and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Higher Percentage of Drinkers Across American Ethnic Groups
Greater proportions of white, African American, and Hispanic drinkers have emerged since the early 1990s, a new study finds. Researchers at the University of Texas’s Department of Public Health and affiliates discovered that the number of both male and female drinkers of white, African American, and Hispanic backgrounds had risen from 1992 to 2002, but that only white drinkers had increased the volume of alcohol they consumed whereas African American and Hispanic drinkers’ alcohol consumption remained level. Lead researcher Raul Caetano and his team’s study has been published in the October issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Learn more about Higher Percentage of Drinkers Across American Ethnic Groups
Federal Mental Health Parity Law Taking Effect
After gaining interim final rule on July 14, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) has officially been enforced by the federal government, making health insurance coverage for mental health and addiction disorders parallel to coverage for other medical benefits. With the support of Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D) and former Congressman Jim Ramstad (R), the federal mental health parity law gained passage in the House. MHPAEA requires insurance companies that provide mental health benefits to make these benefits no different from the coverage for other medical benefits–including similar co-pays, deductibles, lifetime/annual limits, treatment limits, and out-of-network benefits–as of July 1, 2010.
Learn more about Federal Mental Health Parity Law Taking Effect
An Interview with Sheila Balkan: Criminologist and Court Consultant
Addiction often leads people to become involved with the court system—through a DUI, forging prescriptions, or other situations that stem from the desperation that can surround drug and alcohol addiction. It can be incredibly difficult to face the many adverse elements of addiction when you are not only accountable to yourself and your family, but also to the court system. At Promises Treatment Centers, that’s where Dr. Sheila Balkan steps in.
Learn more about An Interview with Sheila Balkan: Criminologist and Court Consultant
Connect with an Elements Recovery Adviser
newsletter
