Abstinence News and Research

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Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging a desire or appetite for certain bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to abstention from sexual intercourse, alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical considerations.

Interventions that help smokers quit before surgery can reduce risk of complications afterward: Review

It is well known that smokers are at an increased risk for post-surgical complications such as infections and poorly healing wounds. Likewise, smoking can contribute to lowered survival and delayed healing.

7 Jul 2010

Alcohol during pregnancy affects fertility of unborn son: Study

According to new research a mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy can significantly affect the fertility of her unborn male offspring. The Danish study involved 347 young men aged 18 to 21 and found that those whose mothers had drunk more than four drinks a week during pregnancy had one third the sperm levels compared to those whose mothers were teetotalers.

29 Jun 2010

Mass. Legislature denies requests to trim municipal health benefits; N.Y. ordered to transfer people with mental Illness out of institutional group homes

"The state's public employee unions won a major victory this week when the Legislature abandoned efforts to allow cities and towns to trim generous health care benefits enjoyed by thousands of municipal employees, retirees, and elected officials. The decision by lawmakers not to address the issue in next year's budget means the Legislature will almost certainly not act on it this year, setting the stage for mayors and other municipal officials to take their case directly to voters in a ballot initiative for 2012" (Murphy, 6/25).

28 Jun 2010

Individuals get involved in alcohol or drug related accidents during summer holidays

As the days grow longer and hotter, some chemical dependency professionals have their own name for summer: substance abuse season, because that's when individuals who abuse or are addicted to alcohol, prescription medications and drugs get involved in alcohol or drug related accidents during the summer holidays.

24 Jun 2010

Misperceptions about 'light,' 'low,' 'mild' cigarettes

Today, new legislation will go into effect surrounding the ban of word descriptors such as "light," "low," and "mild" on all packaging and advertising of existing cigarettes and smokeless products. However, a new survey, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare, shows that many smokers will choose the cigarettes in lighter-colored packaging because they incorrectly believe these cigarettes would be less harmful to their health or make it easier to quit smoking.

23 Jun 2010

Forget play school for infants, sex school proposed in UK health guidelines

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), UK has come up with its latest health proposal for the improvement of public health. The latest guidance proposal from NICE says sex education should be taught to children from the age of five. This they say is important to help them make the right decisions about delaying sexual intimacy until they are mature enough.

18 Jun 2010

Dim and demented under the influence of cannabis

New research shows what many Cannabis users have suspected or known for a while, continuous use can lead to dimmer brains. Australia ranks among the world's highest cannabis users and this puts the population at a high risk of developing dementia say researchers.

10 Jun 2010

NCHS report: Declines in teen sex, improvements in contraceptive use remain unchanged

Declines in teen sex and improvements in contraceptive use among sexually experienced teens remained essentially unchanged between 2002 and 2006-08, according to data released today by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. The new report provides national estimates of sexual activity and contraceptive use among teens aged 15-19 and is based on the latest round of the National Survey of Family Growth.

3 Jun 2010

UCSF studies describe wide reach of tobacco industry and its influence on national health care reform

Three new UCSF studies describe the wide reach of the tobacco industry and its influence on young people, military veterans and national health care reform. The analyses will be published in a special July edition of the American Journal of Public Health titled "Modeling to Advance Tobacco Control Policy."

29 May 2010

CPC seminar to explore new rules shaping pregnancy, pregnancy planning

The transformation of pregnancy into a time of expert-led 'training' for potential parents will be discussed and criticised at the final Changing Parenting Culture seminar at the University of Kent's Canterbury campus 22-23 June.

27 May 2010

New study indicates pregnancy can double HIV risk in men

Young women of reproductive-age are among those at greatest risk of acquiring HIV, and several studies have suggested that during pregnancy women are even more susceptible to infection.

24 May 2010

Public health and HIV/AIDS prevention policies should reflect and work with evolution of sexual behavior

HIV/Aids prevention campaigns which take into account changing sexual trends and social norms are more effective than campaigns which ignore them, according to the results of a series of surveys conducted in France. The findings will be published in the forthcoming issue of AIDS, the leading journal in the field of HIV and AIDS research.

20 May 2010

Long-term smoking cessation success possible with treatment philosophy and individualized information

A recently completed randomized trial compared three ways to deliver a behavioral smoking cessation program using varenicline (Chantix®): by phone, web, or both. Although phone counseling had greater treatment advantage for early cessation and appeared to increase medication adherence, no differences in abstinence outcomes were seen at six months.

19 May 2010

Researchers discover molecular mechanism behind smoking cessation effect

The tobacco addiction epidemic is a major public health problem worldwide. Professor Zhao Baolu and his group from the State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences set out to tackle this problem. After 20 years of innovative research, they have developed a novel tea filter to treat cigarette addiction and have discovered the molecular mechanism behind the smoking cessation effect.

12 May 2010

Health overhaul provisions raise moral, religious debates

The new health law has renewed concerns about some moral and religious issues, such as the government's role in providing sex education and health care workers' ability to opt out of providing end-of-life care and abortions.

12 May 2010

First Edition: May 11, 2010

Today's coverage includes more details regarding how the new health law moves forward with efforts to provide health insurance coverage to young adults.

11 May 2010

New multi-faceted treatment program for young adults addicted to opioid drugs

A multi-faceted treatment program for young adults addicted to opioid drugs was unveiled today at the National Institute on Drug Abuse's Blending Conference in Albuquerque, N.M. This eighth meeting in the series brings together researchers and clinicians so their latest findings can be immediately applied to the needs of patients and their families dealing with addictive disorders.

23 Apr 2010

Cognitive behavior therapy works better as couples therapy for alcohol-dependent women

Barbara McCrady and Elizabeth Epstein wanted to know whether cognitive behavior therapy worked better for alcohol-dependent women when delivered as couples therapy than when delivered as individual therapy. They reported recently that both treatment methods worked well, but women treated in couples therapy maintained their gains a bit better than those in individual therapy. Also, women suffering from depression in addition to alcohol-dependence did better in couples therapy. Their paper appeared recently in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

22 Apr 2010

New treatment options for patients with SAH

Results from two French studies presented today at the International Liver CongressTM 2010 press conference will help inform clinical practice in the treatment of patients with severe or acute alcoholic hepatitis.

17 Apr 2010

No nicotine in e-cigarettes for Australians yet

According to a recent study undertaken by the Clinical Trials Research Unit at the University of Auckland published in British Journal Tobacco Control on 8th April 2010, electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes containing nicotine have similar effects to real cigarettes such as the desire to smoke, withdrawal, dependence and other effects.

13 Apr 2010