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Swap funds or add services? Use of opioid settlement cash sparks strong disagreements

State and local governments are receiving billions of dollars in opioid settlements to address the drug crisis that has ravaged America for decades.

15 Apr 2024

New natural supplement shows promise in preventing postpartum blues

A new study published in the Lancet discovery science journal eClinicalMedicine has confirmed that a novel natural supplement-;invented, researched, developed and commercialized at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)-;prevents postpartum blues, and reduces symptoms of postpartum depression over the following six months after giving birth.

10 Apr 2024

UC San Diego researchers discover genetic connections to alcohol consumption

A research group centered at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine has drilled deep into a dataset of over 3 million individuals compiled by the direct-to-consumer genetics company 23andMe, Inc., and found intriguing connections between genetic factors influencing alcohol consumption and their relationship with other disorders.

5 Apr 2024

More kids are dying of drug overdoses. Could pediatricians do more to help?

A 17-year-old boy with shaggy blond hair stepped onto the scale at Tri-River Family Health Center in Uxbridge, Massachusetts.

5 Apr 2024

Study shows positive impact of medical marijuana laws on mental health

The approval of marijuana for medical use has had little effect on the mental health of the general population in the US. But legalization for therapeutic purposes does benefit those for whom it is intended.

4 Apr 2024

UT Health San Antonio launches Be Well Institute for substance use research and treatment

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) is establishing the Be Well Institute on Substance Use and Related Disorders, a pioneering initiative dedicated to advancing research, education and evidence-based treatments.

3 Apr 2024

Dartmouth-led research identifies unique brain areas for emotion regulation

Ever want to scream during a particularly bad day, but then manage not to? Thank the human brain and how it regulates emotions, which can be critical for navigating everyday life.

3 Apr 2024

Sweet truths and bitter pills: How free sugars affect human health

The current evidence about the effect of free sugars on health outcomes in humans, including mood, cognition, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.

3 Apr 2024

E-cigarette use linked to increased risk of heart failure, large study finds

People who use e-cigarettes are significantly more likely to develop heart failure compared with those who have never used them, according to one of the largest prospective studies to date investigating possible links between vaping and heart failure.

2 Apr 2024

Track opioid settlement payouts — to the cent — in your community

State and local governments are receiving billions of dollars in settlements from companies that made, sold, or distributed prescription painkillers and were accused of fueling the opioid crisis.

2 Apr 2024

For-profit companies open psychiatric hospitals in areas clamoring for care

A for-profit company has proposed turning a boarded-up former nursing home here into a psychiatric hospital, joining a national trend toward having such hospitals owned by investors instead of by state governments or nonprofit health systems.

1 Apr 2024

Promising new compound reduces alcohol dependence in animal studies

Scripps Research scientists have found that LY2444296-;a compound that selectively blocks the kappa opioid receptor (KOP)-;may reduce drinking in cases of alcohol dependence in animal studies.

29 Mar 2024

Emergency departments prove fertile ground for smoking cessation success

The Cessation of Smoking Trial in the Emergency Department (COSTED) study demonstrates that a brief intervention including e-cigarette starter kits can significantly help smokers in emergency departments quit, offering a new avenue to tackle smoking rates and associated health inequalities.

28 Mar 2024

Is smoking linked to abdominal obesity?

Researchers estimate the causal relationship between smoking and abdominal obesity.

27 Mar 2024

Feedback loop involving estrogen linked to women's higher propensity to nicotine addiction

A newly discovered feedback loop involving estrogen may explain why women might become dependent on nicotine more quickly and with less nicotine exposure than men.

25 Mar 2024

A paramedic was skeptical about this Rx for stopping repeat opioid overdoses. Then he saw it help.

Fire Capt. Jesse Blaire steered his SUV through the mobile home park until he spotted the little beige house with white trim and radioed to let dispatchers know he'd arrived.

25 Mar 2024

Smoking linked to increased abdominal fat

The worry of gaining weight is a common excuse for smokers not to quit.

21 Mar 2024

Inhibiting neurons involved in the body's stress response may reduce alcohol use

Neuroscientists at Scripps Research have found that inhibiting neurons involved in the body's stress response may reduce alcohol consumption in people who have both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD)-;even if they still experience trauma-related anxiety.

21 Mar 2024

Researchers develop a cost-effective method to spatially characterize and map brain epigenomes

An estimated one in six people suffer from a brain disorder worldwide, according to the American Brain Foundation.

20 Mar 2024

Amid mental health staffing crunch, Medi-Cal patients help one another

Three people gathered in a classroom on a recent rainy afternoon listened intently as Derrick Cordero urged them to turn their negative feelings around.

19 Mar 2024