Radio Health Journal
The latest in health, science, technology, and the intersection of medicine and public policy.
The CDC reports May 2020 through April 2021 saw the most drug overdose deaths ever recorded in a single year. Experts discuss the use of harm reduction services and why drug addiction is a mental health issue.
Drug overdoses killed more than 100,000 Americans in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, as pressures built and users sometimes had to get their fix from unfamiliar sources. Experts discuss how the pandemic cost lives beyond Covid, and how surgical painkiller drug substitutions are beginning to keep some people from going down the opioid path.
Around a half million people are homeless in the US on any given night, but the street homeless who are most visible often incorrectly influence our assumptions about the homeless. A noted researcher discusses myths and truths about their addictions, employment, residences, and more, and why people often become homeless.
Addiction specialists are seeking to change the words we use to describe addictive behaviors, as they’ve learned the wrong language creates stigma and drives people away from treatment. Experts discuss the problem and solutions.
Healthcare workers in ER’s and ICU’s are in their 11th month of fighting Covid-19 and its exhaustion and depression. Two front line doctors describe how they’re managing to stay optimistic amid so much chaos, and how the vaccine has given them a goal keeping them afloat.
2020 has produced an ongoing barrage of stressful events, and psychologists say the months of strain have started to show in both physical and mental breakdowns among increasing numbers of people.
Studies show that people with autism are twice as likely as others to engage in substance abuse, contrary to previous belief that they are extremely unlikely to use drugs or alcohol. An expert and an author who has used alcohol to cope with his autism discuss the developments and their impact.
Researchers are working on an app with a sensor to test for Covid-19 using only a drop of saliva. Then, life was more stressful than it was 25 years ago… and for middle aged people, it’s much more stressful. Plus, a study shows that emergency room visits for children for mental health disorders has increased 60 percent of the last 10 years. And finally, a …
The Covid-19 lockdown has triggered increased alcohol use in many people, and an alcohol use disorder in some. Help can be difficult to access, as face-to-face counseling and group sessions have been halted. For women, it can be even more difficult, as they are much more comfortable in more rare single-sex sharing situations. Two experts discuss today’s …
A study showing a growing number of young adults have substance use disorders. Then, a specific diet could help alleviate crushing fatigue for people with multiple sclerosis. And finally, a new study suggests men should stop drinking before conception to reduce the risk of heart disease in their offspring.
Drug and alcohol addiction and abuse is rising. Researchers have found that “fear mongering” educational efforts to combat it in adolescents doesn’t work. New science has discovered that certain personality types are predictably predisposed to addiction risk, and that educational efforts can be targeted to them effectively. Experts discuss.
Does addiction affect all of us in some degree? A noted addiction specialist and author believes we are all somewhere on the addiction spectrum, from bad habits to full-blown addiction. He discusses how small triggers can push people to seek relief, producing deepening decline.
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