Wood County Prevention Coalition
Uniting For A Drug-Free Community Since 2004
If not opioids, how do you deal with pain? Cleveland Clinic pushes non-drug solution: Know the Risks
BY PETER KROUSE, CLEVELAND.COM
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For years, doctors prescribed highly addictive opioids to people with chronic pain who in hindsight would have been better off treated with lesser drugs, or no drugs at all.
The American medical community has learned this the hard way; 33,000 people in the United States died from opioids in 2015.
Healthcare professionals around the country have begun reassessing their prescription habits, and the Centers for Disease Control has revised its guidelines to focus more on non-drug therapy.
Hospitals in Cleveland have also taken responsibility for finding a solution. The MetroHealth System has established an Office of Opioid Safety, and at the Cleveland Clinic, doctors who treat back pain are being advised to greatly limit their use of opioids.
One Cleveland Clinic program to treat pain without drugs is called the "Back on Trek" program. Trek stands for "Transform, Restore, Empower and Knowledge," but all you need to know is that helps patients reduce their pain, or learn to live with it, by relying on exercise and behavior changes.
In the video below, Jane Kasper, program manager for Back on Trek, talks about the program. Further down, click on another video to hear and watch physical therapist Patrick McGinty work with patients in the Back on Trek program.
WATCH: Jane Kasper of Cleveland Clinic talks about back pain
WATCH: Physical therapist Patrick McGinty talks about non-drug therapies
The dangers of caffeine; how much is too much?
Many people start the day with a cup of coffee, or drink soda or energy drinks throughout the day.
But do you know just how much caffeine you’re consuming, and how much is considered dangerous?
Recently, a teenager in South Carolina died from a caffeine overdose. The autopsy found no sign of a heart condition in the 16-year-old.
We reached out to Dr. William Haning, a professor at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, to find out more about the dangers of caffeine, especially to children and young adults.
Haning says caffeine alters brain function and behavior, and says it’s best if kids don’t have caffeinated drinks until after puberty.
Caffeine becomes more concerning if the person is taking medication or has a heart problem.
We learned the average person consumes between 100 to 300 milligrams of caffeine each day.
A dangerous amount of caffeine for adults is around 50 grams; 10 grams for kids.
“If I’m going to drink enough coffee in order to create a fatal overdose or an arrhythmia in an otherwise normal healthy human being, I’m probably going to have to drink close to 50 cups of coffee. It’s physically not possible to do that,” said Haning.
But nowadays, caffeine comes in pills.
“Tablets and capsules can be taken very easily in large amounts, so we see this problem in students who are trying to stay awake during exam week,” Haning said.
Haning says some medications can be altered with caffeine, such as “any anti-asthma medications, any medicines taken for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or for any psychiatric illness in the child.”
So just how much caffeine is in a drink? According to the USDA, a cup of coffee has 95 milligrams. Energy drinks have about 80 milligrams each.
Researchers Find Genetic Link Between Marijuana And Schizophrenia
The New York Jewish Week
Jerusalem — Some teenagers and young adults are genetically predisposed to developing schizophrenia when they use cannabis (marijuana), a recent study has found.
The study, a collaboration between Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medical Center and the Geha Medical Health Center that was published in Human Molecular Genetics, found that cannabis may trigger schizophrenia in individuals already susceptible to the brain disorder.
“Our research demonstrates that cannabis has a differential risk on susceptible versus non-susceptible individuals,” said Dr. Ran Barzilay, principal investigator of the study. “In other words, young people with a genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia — those who have psychiatric disorders in their families — should bear in mind that they’re playing with fire if they smoke pot during adolescence.”
Barzilay, a psychiatrist who specializes in children and adolescents, said that even young people who appear to carry no heightened risk for developing schizophrenia may in fact be harmed by cannabis.
“It’s more than possible. It’s likely that there are multiple [still-unidentified] genetic susceptibilities that cause one to be more prone to the effects of cannabis during adolescence.”
Previous clinical data from patients have shown that “adolescence is a vulnerable, sensitive period for brain development,” Barzilay noted.
The research is especially relevant at a time when 26 states and the District of Columbia have laws “broadly legalizing marijuana in some form,” according to www.governing.com. Three other states recently passed measures that permit medical marijuana use.
RSVP to the next WCPC Community Meeting!
Wood County Prevention Coalition Meeting
Friday, Sep 29, 2017, 08:30 AM
Wood County Educational Service Center, 1867 N Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
About Us
Our Vision: Helping youth be drug-free, productive and responsible citizens.
Our Mission: We are a coalition of compassionate community members working together to coordinate high quality programs for the prevention of youth substance abuse in Wood County.
Email: mkarna@wcesc.org
Website: wcprevention.org
Location: 1867 Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH, United States
Phone: (419)-354-9010
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPCoalition
Twitter: @woodpccoalition