Summary: Opioid overdose-related death is a significant problem in the US. Experts think identifying the population groups at a greater risk of opioid addiction may help counter this threat. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati analyzed the health data of Ohio state and found 12 population clusters where opioid addiction is more common. They found that white men aged 30-39 were more likely to abuse opioids, and black men aged 30-39 were at greater risk of death due to an overdose.

 

If we want to overcome opioid addiction, we need to identify the groups at risk and then work with them. For this, there are many tools, including the availability of big data. This is precisely what researchers at the University of Cincinnati did. They used data to understand who is at risk of opioid overdose in Ohio state. And they published the findings of their study in the journal Nature.

 

For the study, they analyzed the Ohio Health Department records between the years 2010 to 2017. They found that white men aged 30-39 were at high risk. Moreover, this population group was at considerable risk. The risk in men was several folds higher than in women. Similarly, they found that black men of the age were also at an elevated risk.

 

They also identified population clusters with a relatively higher risk of opioid addiction. They identified 12 hotspots in the state. These were mainly larger population groups or cities that were home to about 21% of the state’s population. These population clusters accounted for 40% of all opiate-related mortalities.

 

Researchers say that their findings are relevant in many ways. They can help guide policymakers. Not only that, but they also show the areas where agencies must focus on preventing opioid addiction. Using such data can help carry out focused efforts, like raising awareness of health hazards posed by opiate addiction, improving healthcare in those areas, and more.

 

As the researchers said that prevention is better than treatment. The primary purpose of the research is to find ways of reducing the risk of opioid addiction and overdose.

 

This data can also help scientists to understand what drives addiction in certain population groups. For example, earlier studies show that regular use of opiates reduces the production of intrinsic endorphins. Thus, a person starts feeling less excited about the daily activities and less satisfied from exercise, meeting friends, and other usual activities.
Since opiates desensitize the impact of natural endorphins, people addicted to these substances do not enjoy life as usual. Thus, they are more likely to seek pleasure in the substances. Finally, people become tolerant of opiates, and each time they need a higher dose to achieve similar results.

 

Researchers say that to counter this epidemic, health experts, educators, doctors, and public advocates, would need to come together and work.
They also noted other addiction patterns in the study, like those who had relatives addicted to opioids, were at a 10-time greater risk than others. However, researchers say there is still a need to better characterize those at a greater risk of opioid misuse.

 

Further, researchers noted that although it appears that legal opioid prescriptions contributed to this epidemic, there is more to the story. In recent years, law enforcement agencies have become stricter and even punished several doctors. However, these measures do not seem to help, as people turn to cheaper illicit drugs.

 

Suboxone is one of the drugs utilized to treat opioid addiction. However, the dose prescription must be kept under check.

 

Many of these illicit opiates, like heroin, are often laced with a cheaper and more potent synthetic drug called fentanyl. Fentanyl is a very potent drug. However, adding it to opiates significantly increases the risk of overdose. In addition, it appears that fentanyl is easier to synthesize or source.

 

This study has been limited to a single state. However, researchers think preparing such data for other states, or the whole nation would be even more helpful. Thus, in the near future, they want to conduct such a study for Kentucky and West Virginia.

 

Keeping all of the things in mind, it is better to opt for systematic, opioid addiction treatment programs.

Summary: Tobacco smoking is a significant cause of many diseases like lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and immune dysfunction, to name a few. Fortunately, smoking rates have declined during the last few decades. This has also resulted in a reduced incidence of lung cancer and many other smoking-associated conditions. Nonetheless, smoking still remains a significant health concern. 12.5% of the population still continues to smoke. Therefore, there is a need to find effective ways to help people quit smoking. One of the good ways to help people is nicotine replacement therapy. However, the new study shows that nicotine replacement therapy is almost twice more effective if combined with intensive telephone-based counseling.

Smoking, particularly tobacco or cigarette smoking, can be pretty harmful to health. It can harm almost every organ of the human body. Thus, no surprise that despite declining smoking rates, about 16 million adults are still living with smoking-related ailments. Smoking is a significant cause of lung cancer, various lung diseases, heart disease, stroke, COPD, immune dysfunction, and more.

 

Fortunately, people now realize the health risks posed by smoking. This is evident from the falling rates of smoking. Just in the last couple of decades, millions have quit smoking. As a result, smoking rates since 2005 have fallen from 20.9% to 12.5%. This has also helped reduce lung cancer rates significantly and reduce cancer-related mortality. Nonetheless, a considerable population continues to smoke, and thus the need to find ways to reduce smoking rates as further.

 

Smoking continues to pose a significant health threat

 

To know how addictive cigarettes are; smoking still continues to kill close to half a million people in the US alone each year. The fight against tobacco is far from over. Therefore, there is a need to find ways to help more and more people quit smoking.

 

At present, there are many ways to help people quit smoking. One of the well-known and effective ways to reduce or quit smoking is using nicotine-based chewing gums. These gums contain small amounts of nicotine to reduce tobacco craving. These nicotine-containing gums are still harmful to health, but they help.

 

It appears that in many cases, simple methods work, like practicing relaxation techniques and reminding individuals to quit smoking. The new study shows that reminding people to quit smoking over the telephone may also help. It seems that telephone-based counseling is especially useful when used with other methods like nicotine replacement therapy.

 

A new study confirms the effectiveness of intensive telephone-based counseling

 

Recently Georgetown University Medical Center carried out a study in which they explored the role of intensive telephone-based counseling in smoking cessation. It is interestingly studied as it enrolled long-term smokers aged 50-80 years of age. They enrolled 818 habitual smokers in the study. Some people have been smoking for more than ten years.

 

They randomly divided these individuals into two groups. One group was given nicotine replacement therapy (like nicotine gum, patches, and so on) along with usual health advice. However, another group was given intensive telephone-based counseling along with nicotine replacement therapy.

 

The researchers were amazed to see that smoking cessation rates were double in those with intensive telephone counseling. In those with regular treatment and counseling, the smoking cessation rate was 7.9% after three months. However, this rate was 14.3% after three months in those who received intensive telephone counseling.

 

These smoking cessation rates were measured through self-report by the patients. However, researchers also decided to check if patients were telling the truth. Thus, they checked their patients with the help of saliva strips for carbon monoxide to confirm the smoking cessation rates. And they found that though actual smoking cessation rates were a bit lower, in those with intensive telephone counseling, smoking cessation rates were twice as higher than in another group.

 

This study confirms the benefit of medical counseling and use of telemedicine addiction treatment in smoking cessation. Although one can buy nicotine replacement patches and gums without a doctor’s prescription, this study shows that smoking cessation rates would be much higher in those who would seek medical advice. This highlights the importance of specialized clinics in helping people quit smoking.

Summary: Humans have been using magic mushrooms for religious rituals and as a substance of abuse. However, science discovered unique benefits in mental health, including opioid addiction treatment. Psilocybin, the substance responsible for mind-altering effects, may provide fast and prolonged relief for mental health disorders. It’s expected that pharmaceutical companies may soon introduce magic mushroom pills. Mushrooms have been used traditionally to manage various health conditions, even by ancient Egyptians.

Mushrooms are fungi that have existed for billions of years. They are pretty diverse, some toxic, others nutritious, and some superfoods. People have also used mushrooms traditionally to manage various health conditions. However, some mushrooms are unique, like magic mushrooms. In Mesoamerica, people used it for divine experiences, healing, and religious rituals. There is evidence that even ancient Egyptians used these mushrooms and considered them as “foods of gods.”

There is a reason why people used magic mushrooms in religion for divine experiences. Science now knows that these mushrooms have a hallucinogenic effect. Those who use it experience a unique kind of effect. Some describe its effects as one of the most amazing experiences. Of course, these hallucinogenic or psychedelic mushrooms have now become a substance of abuse. However, science also knows that these unique mind-altering effects are due to a substance called psilocybin.

Though magic mushroom has long been a substance of abuse, things have been fast changing. In recent times, it has been increasingly used in clinical studies. There are now numerous clinical trials showing that magic mushrooms may help manage mental health disorders. Unlike existing drugs that take days to start acting and only help in a small number of cases, magic mushrooms, when used with psychotherapy, may help fast. In addition, these mushrooms may help rewire the brain and thus cure many health disorders like depression, anxiety, bipolar and many others.

Pharmaceutical companies first started exploring magic mushrooms in the 1950s and 60s, when they realized their magical or psychedelic effect was mainly due to a chemical compound called psilocybin. In fact, a drug of abuse, LSD, which closely resembles psilocybin, was first created by Swiss pharma company Sandoz in 1963. Though the pharmaceutical industry could create synthetic psilocybin more than half a century back, until recently, doctors could not find any use for psychedelics in clinics. However, now evidence is mounting that psychedelics are amazingly good for managing mental health issues.

Of course, some are also critical about using psychedelics for managing mental health disorders, as there are worries that it may increase misuse of these substances. Additionally, there are worries that such medications are going to be quite expensive. Since psychedelics are readily produced cheaply, many wonder why medications using these substances might be so expensive. A few grams of magic mushroom would barely cost $10, so why are those synthetic psychedelics expected to cost several thousand US dollars?

There are many reasons why medications based on these substances would be expensive. Firstly, such medications would be safer due to their much higher purity and absence of harmful impurities. Secondly, testing drugs in clinics costs. Costs of clinical studies run in hundreds of millions. Further, massive costs are involved in getting FDA approvals. Of course, some may wonder why not simply use magic mushrooms, then. Well, that is not possible, as doctors cannot rely on magic mushrooms for treating health conditions. They need to know the exact dose they are giving to their patients. However, the potency of magic mushrooms varies significantly.

Therefore, if we want to see broader use of magic mushrooms in clinics, they must become available in pills. This is precisely what is expected to happen in the coming years. There are high chances that magic mushroom pills will become available as prescription drugs for managing mental health disorders.

Summary: Depression is the most common mental health disorder. Although it may affect most people in their lifetime, 8.4% of Americans live with severe depression, also called Major Depression. Tens of medications and telehealth treatment are available to treat the condition, and patients have to take them for years. However, many fail to benefit from prolonged treatment. The new study shows that genetic testing may help identify the right kind of antidepressants for patients, and thus it can help improve treatment outcomes.

For those living with depression, getting treatment that helps is a significant issue. It means that millions of people continue to live with depression despite taking many medications. The new study provides hope, showing that genetic testing may help improve treatment outcomes.

Anxiety and depression are the two most common mood disorders. These are also the most common mental health disorders globally. Among the two, depression is a more severe condition since it is associated with fatal outcomes. People with severe or major depression may show suicidal tendencies.

Depression may affect about one-third of adults in their lifetime. Fortunately, most are affected by mild to moderate depression, which is often a self-limiting mental health issue. However, US data suggests that about 8.4% or 21 million US adults may experience major depressive episodes. Unlike mild to moderate depression, Major depression is a severe illness requiring pharmacological treatment.

Some signs of major depression include lack of sleep, energy, concentration, low self-worth, and even suicidal thoughts. Thus, it is something that must be treated in all cases.

Identifying the right antidepressant is challenging

There are a plethora of antidepressant drugs. However, the problem is that none of these medications work for all; thus, choosing the proper medication is a significant challenge. Even worse, many fail to experience substantial benefits even after taking multiple drugs. In addition, many fail to respond to prolonged drug therapy.

Although there are many antidepressants, the major problem is finding the right drug that may work for that particular individual. There is no reliable way to know which drug is the best for a given patient. However, if there were a way or medical test that could suggest the right antidepressant for an individual, then the treatment would be much better.

Genetic testing may help identify the right antidepressant for an individual

It appears that a study by the US Department of Veterans Affairs has identified the way of finding the right drug for various patients. They have also found a way to improve the efficacy of the treatment. In addition, specific genetic tests may help identify the right kind of drugs for various patients.

This genetic testing is not for depression or genes associated with depression. Instead, it is about understanding how a person metabolizes specific medications. For example, all antidepressants are metabolized in the liver. The liver metabolizes these drugs using CYP450 enzymes or metabolic pathways. These enzymes seem more active in some and less active in others. Thus, the same antidepressant medication may be quickly metabolized in one and much slower in another. Hence the difference in the drug efficacy.

In the study that included 2000 patients, researchers carried out gene testing. They found that 59% of patients who have undergone gene testing could receive medications without known drug-gene interaction. On the contrary, only 26% of patients received such medicines in the control group.

Since genetic testing helps select the right kind of medications. Researchers found that at 12 weeks, the drop in depression symptoms in those with genetic testing was much more than in those who were not tested. However, the study also found that at about 24 weeks, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant.

This study shows that genetic testing may help provide faster relief from major depression in many instances. Although, in the long run, it does not seem to affect the treatment outcomes much.
This is among the first studies of this kind, which is significant because it has a large sample size (number of participants). Thus, the study is highly reliable. Nonetheless, there is still a need for more studies to start recommending genetic tests for those living with major depression. However, this study confirms that genetic testing can be included in treating major depression, as it can help select the right antidepressants.

Summary: Chronic pain is challenging to treat. Many people living with chronic pain continue to suffer for months or even years despite medical treatment. Inadequate chronic pain opioid addictionology treatment has contributed to the opioid epidemic. One of the ways to overcome chronic pain is patient education. Teaching patients self-care will help manage pain and prevent its future episodes. However, doctors do not have time and motivation for patient education, as they are not reimbursed for it. The new digital system tries to overcome this gap in patient care by providing an education system to doctors. It is a system that can be integrated into any electronic health record. It uses intelligent algorithms, predictive analytics, and more. It also ensures fair compensation to the healthcare workers for patient education.

Chronic pain is among the leading causes of disability. US data shows that almost one-fifth of adults live with chronic pain, and about 8% have severe pain. In addition, poorly managed chronic pain is one of the reasons for the opioid epidemic in the US. Therefore, doctors need to frequently assess the pain scores of their patients and adjust treatment plans.
Clinicians should prescribe medications and support and coach patients in self-care. However, the problem is that doctors lack time and tools and are not reimbursed for better ongoing patient support.

Patient-centered addiction and chronic pain care

This model of care tries to close the existing gap in patient care. It provides telemedicine coaching to patients to manage chronic pain and reduce its risk. This approach also fulfills the current gap by reimbursing the health professionals for training patients in self-care through telemedicine.
Telemedicine care includes the following:

● Validated pain and risk assessment tools.
● Patient engagement platform containing digital lessons that are readily integrated into any electronic health record system. Based on the EHR, the program can provide personalized training to the patients. It can also help track outcomes remotely.
● Telemedicine coaching encourages patients to make lifestyle changes and thus helps them recover faster from pain.
● Remote monitoring dashboard that helps doctors track the progress being done by the patient.
● It also contains predictive analytics using artificial intelligence to predict long-term health outcomes.

Patient-centered transformative care

The critical thing about the program is that it is highly engaging and thus helps patients to make needed changes. It uses the following strategies:

● Create a well-structured pain management program, and provide tele-coaching to the patients. It focuses on the seven realms of a patient’s life; body, lifestyle, mind, emotions, spirit, environment, and social life.
● The program helps make shifts to patient-centered care, thus facilitating patient empowerment and greater engagement and hence improving the long-term outcomes.
● The program encourages shared decision-making so that the patient develops a better understanding of the condition, and this also results in shared responsibilities.
● It promotes support from family and friends, as they play a crucial role in reducing pain and managing addiction.
● It helps develop interactive content that is easy for patients to remember and thus incorporate into their life.
● Create a simple and doable action plan.

Studies show that more than fifty percent of cases of chronic pain cases still have pain even after a month. Even worse, many of them continue to experience pain for several years. This happens despite the best treatment. It appears that in many cases, the cause of this poorly managed chronic pain is the lack of self-management training for the patients.

Thus, transformative care can provide the right tools to the doctors for shifting to patient-centered care, providing healthcare workers with the necessary digital tools for this transformation, and assisting them with patient education.

Transformative care provides research-based tools that take a minimum time for the clinicians, help in remote monitoring, and have predictive data analytics. It also solves the issue of reimbursement by health plans.

To conclude, managing chronic pain is challenging, and patients continue to experience pain even several months after continued treatment. It appears that the leading cause is poor self-management of painful conditions by the patients, as doctors lack time and tools to educate the patients. Therefore, new transformative care digital tools try to fulfill this gap and thus help with better patient outcomes.

Summary: Opioid epidemic has been ongoing for a long. However, the covid-19 pandemic has made the opioid crisis worse for many reasons. First, it appears that due to social isolation, reduced income, and other reasons, people are seeking relief from opioids. Additionally, the opioid crisis is also being made worse due to reduced attention and allocation of resources, as everyone is focusing more on countering covid-19. However, researchers warn that this would have long-term adverse consequences, causing a prolonged upsurge in opioid misuse or substance abuse disorder (SUD).

 

Opioid overdose is among the major causes of death among young adults and is a highly preventable condition. Even covid-19 epidemic would cause less mortality among healthy adults, which means that one can reduce the risk of contracting the infection through various interventions. However, those living with substance abuse disorder (SUD) are less likely to take these measures.

 

The opioid overdose epidemic has been ongoing in various parts of the US for a long time. However, in early 2020, another epidemic, or rather a pandemic, struck the world, causing millions of deaths. However, covid-19 is far from over. It is subdued but not conquered. It keeps coming back in waves as new strains keep emerging. Moreover, there is no vaccine that can protect people from covid-19 in all cases.

 

The problem is that people are more likely to see drugs during the pandemic and lockdowns. This is evident from the nationwide data. People feel more stressed and isolated, and thus they seek relief from drugs. Hence, looking for a timely opioid addiction treatment becomes a non-negotiable way out.

 

Although, covid-19 is not as significant a threat as it used to be due to mass vaccination. Nonetheless, it remains a significant public health threat. Moreover, current vaccines do not provide complete protection, and even worse, the immunity provided by these vaccines is waning in many, and they need a booster dose.

 

Opioids suppress the respiratory system, worsening covid-19 outcomes

 

Although most people may visualize opioid epidemics and covid-19 as separate disorders, that is not the case. Opioids suppress the respiratory system, harm pulmonary health, and covid-19 mainly causes lung infection.

 

Studies show that those living with SUD are at a 30% greater risk of hospitalization and are much more likely to diet due to severe covid-19 infection. In addition, many studies suggest that opioid use disorder increases the risk of contracting covid-19 by several times.

 

However, the problem is that covid-19 is only making the opioid epidemic worse. Data suggests that since the beginning of covid-19, opioid overdose-related deaths have increased in many parts of the nation.

 

Health experts worry that covid-19 pandemic is laying the grounds for the long-term resurgence of SUD. There are many reasons, including social isolation, increased mental stress, loss of employment, reduced income, and more. In addition, Covid-19 and opiate dependence is causing what researchers call “deaths of despair.”

 

Although we are confident that every covid-19 wave will weaken, this pandemic will end in the long run. However, even if this pandemic tsunami recedes, it is going to leave much damage behind, causing a resurgence in the opioid crisis.

 

These issues are not only due to stress or social isolation. Covid-19 has also disrupted SUD treatment and social support infrastructure, as everyone is focusing on controlling the more severe condition, covid-19. It means that many people living with SUD have discontinued their treatment, and now bringing them back to the clinics would require much effort.

 

Doctors say that people need to understand that the opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection. Unfortunately, healthcare workers and even family members have lost connection with those living with drug addiction.

 

Thus, the natural way to prevent further worsening of this condition is to start reconnecting with those living with opiate use disorder or SUD. Moreover, it is worth understanding that the opioid crisis may cause more mortalities in the long run than the current covid-19 wave. Of course, an adequate covid-19 response is essential, but it should not come at the expense of reduced attention to drug addiction.

 

Another less discussed reason for the opioid overdose epidemic is that covid-19 response has robbed healthcare workers of certain resources, as most of the sources are now being used to fight covid-19. Many of those affected by the opioid overdose epidemic see those poor policies as the significant causes driving the epidemic.

Summary: 

Opioid addiction has been raging for decades, causing more deaths than street drugs. Using pharmacological drugs to treat addiction to prescription drugs is a way but not the best method. Thus, many researchers are exploring safer treatments. CBD can help counter withdrawal syndrome, alter drug-seeking behavior, and help curb addiction. CBD’s safety is already proven, as it is one of the most commonly used health supplements. Thus, one pharma company is testing CBD to manage opioid addiction. Unlike CBD supplements, it contains a much higher CBD dosage, hence the need to test it extensively.

Opioid misuse epidemics have been raging for over three decades and have become a public health emergency. However, healthcare agencies have been too late to react to this epidemic. They only realized the severity of the issue when deaths caused by prescription drugs exceeded those caused by street drugs. Opioid misuse already causes three times more deaths than a heroin overdose. There are still twice more opioid abusers than those who use heroin.

Doctors have been treating drug addiction for decades. However, managing the addiction to prescription drugs is more challenging. After all, it means managing addiction to one prescription drug with another medication that is relatively safer but not entirely safe. In addition, medicines used to manage opioid addiction are not completely safe and have a range of side effects. Therefore, there is a need to find novel remedies that are safer for prolonged use.

CBD provides hope for managing opioid addiction

Opioid addiction is challenging to manage like any other drug addiction. It is about managing withdrawal syndrome and reducing drug-seeking behavior. For this, doctors use other drugs that help counter withdrawal symptoms and alter the drug-seeking habit. However, a drug used to manage these issues may also be addictive and are not essentially safe.

In recent years, CBD (cannabidiol) has been gaining significant popularity. It is among the most commonly used health supplements. It is safe for prolonged use and has many health benefits. For example, it may relieve pain, reduce stress and anxiety, help sleep better, and more.

CBD is one of the cannabinoids extracted from cannabis plants. However, it does not cause high or euphoria, which occurs due to a substance called THC. CBD products are THC-free or contain it only in traces. CBD is proven safe beyond doubt. Moreover, manufacturers extract CBD from hemp, not from marijuana. Hemp is also a variety of cannabis plants, but it is naturally low in THC and thus safe for regular human consumption.

This is not the first time researchers are testing CBD to manage health conditions. CBD is already approved to address some health conditions. Thus, there are already US FDA-approved CBD-based drugs. For example, a medication called Epidiolex is FDA approved to manage a rare kind of resistant epilepsy in children. Additionally, it appears that CBD is also suitable for conditions like multiple sclerosis and more.

Recently, researchers have started paying much attention to CBD as a remedy for drug addiction. Thus, a company called ANANDA Scientific Inc. has already filed an IND (new drug approval application) for the clinical trial of their unique CBD-based drug to manage opioid addiction. They have already begun the clinical trial, which is in the advanced stages. Moreover, there are significant chances of its approval as pilot studies have already shown the benefits of CBD in managing drug addiction.

Prescription-based CBD can work for managing addiction

Some people here may ask the question: why not simply use CBD-based health supplements that are readily available on the market? Well, CBD-based supplements would not work for many reasons. Firstly, the FDA does not test them. Thus, many of them may not contain much CBD. Many commonly sold health supplements contain hemp oil, which is a different thing and not a CBD product.

But perhaps the dosage is the more significant reason that usual CBD supplements would not work. This is because they contain tiny amounts of CBD. For example, the daily CBD dosage that one can get from usual health supplements is about 20-30 mg a day (usually a max of 70 mg). In contrast, US FDA-approved drugs may contain several hundred milligrams of CBD.

The company, ANANDA Scientific Inc.’s filing shows they are testing 600 to 1200 mg of CBD daily. That is several times higher dosage than one would find in a regular health supplement. That is why, a need for a clinical trial, and this explains why FDA regards it as a CBD-based drug and not a health supplement. Moreover, it is also expected to have better bioavailability and thus efficacy.

To sum up, we are pretty likely to see the introduction of safe, effective, CBD-based drugs to manage opioid addiction. This would be a high-dose CBD product and will be available on a doctor’s prescription.

Summary: Alcohol abuse disorder is a significant problem among adults. It is among the preventable causes of ill-health. Nonetheless, doctors who treat alcohol abuse disorder know that treating the condition is not easy. There are high relapse rates among the patients. In addition, it appears that binge drinking at a young age causes epigenetic changes, making people prone to anxiety and alcohol abuse disorders. Thus, experts think that gene therapy, Opioid addiction treatment and Telehealth treatment could be an effective way to treat the condition.

Binge drinking is a significant problem in the US. Studies suggest that about one-sixth of all adults in the US engage in binge drinking. These people do not essentially have alcohol abuse disorder, and they are not living with alcoholism. However, they drink excessively from time to time.

 

Binge drinking is described as when someone consumes 4-5 or more drinks on occasion. Binge drinking is associated with significant harm. For example, it is the cause of motor vehicle accidents, violence, memory and learning problems, and more.

 

New studies suggest that some people are prone to binge drinking. They are often well-educated individuals with good incomes. However, they are used to consuming alcohol excessively now and then. Thus, they are exposing themselves to undue risk. Binge drinking is quite different from alcoholism, as binge drinkers are sober most of the time.

 

Researchers have long tried to understand why some individuals continue binge drinking. It seems that binge drinking at a young age causes changes in gene expression. Thus, a person becomes hard-wired to drink excessively. It also means that managing binge drinking by medications is quite challenging.

 

Researchers have identified genes associated with binge drinking and tools to modify them

 

Of course, genes do not change readily. Thus, modern studies show that high alcohol consumption causes epigenetic changes. In epigenetic changes, genes remain intact or unchanged. However, gene expression changes due to lifestyle choices. Once gene expression has changed, it continues to cause trouble for the rest of your life.

 

There could be many ways of overcoming epigenetic changes. For example, unlike genetic changes, these epigenetic changes might be overcome through lifestyle modification. However, some researchers think that the faster way could be by using gene therapy.

 

For gene therapy, two things are required. First, science needs to identify the genes that were altered due to binge drinking, and then they need to find tools for gene editing. It appears that science has identified both of them, at least in animal studies.

 

In a study done on mice models, researchers fed them with excessive alcohol for a long. And they found that this led to specific epigenetic changes. For example, they saw that binge drinking especially led to the changes in the so-called Arc gene. The changes in this particular gene expression occurred emotion and memory center. These changes predispose individuals to anxiety and alcohol use disorder later in life.

 

It means that editing this particular gene may help reduce anxiety and the risk of alcohol use disorder. The problem with epigenetic changes is that they continue to persist for the rest of life. These changes are quite challenging to reverse through lifestyle modification. However, one may alter these changes via gene editing.

 

In the study, researchers used CRISPR-dCas9 for gene manipulation. This tool is the gold standard for gene therapy these days. They found the tool quite effective for reducing anxiety and other changes, thus reducing the risk of alcohol abuse disorder.

 

Although these are still early days, researchers think it is just a matter of time before gene therapy becomes widely available. These findings can definitely contribute to the treatment of alcohol abuse disorder in adults. In addition, it can help provide a permanent cure for addiction.

Summary: Studies show that opioid addiction treatment is crucial in the wake of alarming data revealing a 30% increase in overdose-related deaths between 2019 to 2020 in the US. The data analysis highlights the disproportionate impact on Blacks and Indigenous Americans. Young black people were hit particularly hard by the rise in overdose deaths. Fentanyl and fentanyl-laced drugs are believed to be the leading cause of overdose deaths.

Certain population groups in the US have historically been at a disadvantage. However, new data shows that drug overdose deaths are rising at an alarming and disproportionate rate among Black and Indigenous people in the US.

Analysis of the report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that deaths due to drug overdose rose by 30% between 2019 to 2020, which is a massive increase.

However, as they say, the devil is in the details. On further analyzing the same report, one can see that drug overdose deaths affected Black and Indigenous people more severely. This new report shows a massive jump of 44% in overdose-related deaths among Black people.

Things are also quite bad for American Indians and Alaska Native people. In this population group, the number of drug overdose-related deaths rose by 39%.

Researchers say that deaths among Indigenous people and Blacks outpaced those among white people. Thus, overdose-related deaths among white people rose by about 22% during the same period, which is significantly lower.

Of course, one way to explain these differences is the pattern of substance abuse. Whites choose different kinds of drugs than Blacks or Indigenous Americans. 

However, experts say that there are many reasons for such differences. For example, one of the significant causes of high mortality among specific population groups is treatment biases.

Though a 30% increase in overdose deaths is already a historical landmark, there is more to it. It appears that the overdose issue affected younger Black people (15 to 24 years old) worse, with an almost 86% increase in overdose deaths. It means that in just one year, overdose deaths nearly doubled in this population group.

Not only that, overdose deaths were seven times higher in Black men older than 65 years old compared to white men, which is an unbelievably massive difference.

Like many other reports, the study found that this difference was highest in the counties with the greatest socioeconomic disparities. Thus, for example, if the income gap in any county was less among various ethnic groups, then differences in overdose deaths also was lower.

Researchers say that income inequality between various racial groups seems to have the most significant impact since this leads to poor housing, lack of health insurance, limited access to treatment, and more.

When digging deep into the overdose death reports, experts also found that most of those who die do not get timely treatment for substance abuse or overdose. Thus, for example, data shows quite a low percentage of treatment for substance use among Blacks, with only one in 12 receiving any kind of treatment. Statistics were almost similar for disadvantaged populations like Hispanics and Indigenous people.

In the study, researchers noted a few other trends that may have practical implications. First, they found that most overdose deaths occurred due to illicitly produced fentanyl. Even in those with cocaine or methamphetamine overdose, fentanyl contamination appears to be a significant issue.

Hence, researchers say that tackling the illicit fentanyl supply is important for reducing overdose deaths in the US.

Further, researchers recommend increasing access to substance abuse treatment and better access to medications like naloxone that can reverse opioid overdose. Additionally, better availability of fentanyl test strips would also help in understanding which drug contains fentanyl.

It is our mission to bring real hope and transformational change to patients who would otherwise be consigned to a lifetime of medications, doctor’s visits, and suffering. We expose misaligned incentives and return the power of health to the individual. We believe empowered individuals change their communities. We use a combination of lifestyle intervention, medication management, and emerging scientific research to help our patients.  When you are ready or have questions, reach out.

The content provided herein is not intended to provide assessment, diagnosis, treatment, or medical advice; it also does not constitute provision of healthcare services. No information in this content should ever be considered as a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional, it is provided for thoughtful discussion, informational and educational purposes only.

Summary: Alcohol overuse or alcohol use disorder is associated with higher mortality, especially in young adults. People understand that alcohol increases the risk of health issues like liver disease, pancreatitis, and motor vehicle accidents. However, people do not realize that AUD may also considerably increase cancer risk. Fortunately, new studies also show that quitting alcohol may help reduce this elevated cancer risk.

It is no secret that most adults in the US consume alcohol. However, some may become addicted to alcohol. Few people, about 5% of alcohol users, start consuming alcohol in excessive amounts. Some so-called heavy drinkers frequently engage in binge drinking. These are people living with alcohol addiction or alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Some risks related to AUD are well known to people, like the increased risk of motor vehicle accidents and other kinds of accidents. Unusual aggression and associated trauma. AUD may also cause liver and kidney damage and is associated with a greater risk of pancreatitis. Alcohol addiction is among the leading causes of death in young adults.

However, what many people do not realize is that alcohol also considerably increases the risk of different types of cancers. For some cancer types, alcohol may increase the risk by as much as 30% or even more.

Thus, studies in the US show that high alcohol consumption may increase the risk of cancer anyway between 3-8%. So, on average, high alcohol consumption contributes to about 5% of cases of cancer. Though 5% may not sound significant, but it is worth understanding that cancer is among the top five causes of premature death in the US. Thus, it means that alcohol accounts for 75,000 cancer cases each year and causes more than 18,000 deaths.

Here it is worth understanding that when statistics say that alcohol use disorder kills 140,000 people each year, these statistics do not include deaths caused by cancer that occurs due to AUD. So it means that AUD is causing far more deaths than statistics show.

Studies also suggest that AUD contributes disproportionately to various cancer risks. Thus, it is among the leading causes of oral cavity cancers in the US. However, it also contributes considerably to breast, colon, rectal, and liver cancers.

However, there is good news, too. One of the most extensive studies to date shows that this risk can be significantly reduced. Moreover, this new study shows that this increased risk of cancer is primarily seen in heavy drinkers, people who drink alcohol regularly.

In a new study published in the journal JAMA, researchers analyzed the data of more than four million adults with a follow-up period of more than six years.

The study found that mild alcohol consumption did not increase cancer risk much. Cancer risk increased significantly only in heavy drinkers or those living with AUD.

There were many other encouraging findings in the study. It appears that cancer risk can be reduced by quitting drinking. The study found that once someone stops abusing alcohol, cancer risk still remains high for some time. However, after some time of abstinence, like a year or more, cancer risk is significantly reduced. Thus, those who quit drinking alcohol or drink in small amounts have a reduced cancer risk, and the risk is almost similar to non-drinkers.

Here it is worth understanding that a follow-up period of about six years is not long for understanding the cancer risk associated with AUD. Thus, this risk may be much higher in reality as most people living with AUD continue to abuse alcohol for years or even decades. Another limitation of this study is that it was in Asians.

Despite some limitations, this study highlights one very important and often neglected factor: AUD is also associated with increased cancer risk. Moreover, reducing alcohol intake appears to reduce cancer risk, too.