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Redaction of substance abuse data could result in long-term implications

Due to a change in federal regulation, from 2013-2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services redacted any health care encounter that included a diagnosis or procedure code related to substance abuse from the Medicare and Medicaid identifiable files.

5 Jun 2018

Proposed National Resilience Strategy to reverse catastrophic increases in 'deaths of despair'

Startling increases in nationwide deaths from drug overdoses, alcohol, and suicides constitute a public health crisis – spurring an urgent call for a National Resilience Strategy to stem these "deaths of despair."

26 May 2018

Opioid overdoses are rising faster among Latinos than whites or blacks. Why?

The tall, gangly man twists a cone of paper in his hands as stories from nearly 30 years of addiction pour out: the robbery that landed him in prison at age 17; never getting his high school equivalency diploma; going through the horrors of detox, maybe 40 times, including this latest bout, which he finished two weeks ago. He’s now in a residential treatment unit for at least 30 days.

17 May 2018

FDA approves new treatment to mitigate opioid withdrawal symptoms in adults

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Lucemyra (lofexidine hydrochloride) for the mitigation of withdrawal symptoms to facilitate abrupt discontinuation of opioids in adults.

17 May 2018

Reversing an overdose isn’t complicated, but getting the antidote can be

A few months ago, Kourtnaye Sturgeon helped save someone’s life. She was driving in downtown Indianapolis when she saw people gathered around a car on the side of the road. Sturgeon pulled over, and a man told her there was nothing she could do: Two men had overdosed on opioids and appeared to be dead.

16 May 2018

Opioid pharmaceutical marketing influences physicians' opioid prescribing rates

A new study shows the significant impact that even a meal or two paid for by a pharmaceutical company can have on prescribing rates, despite a national decline of opioid prescribing rates.

15 May 2018

UCLA researchers identify receptor that plays key role in repairing damage caused by heart conditions

Studies have shown that a simple treatment called lipid emulsion therapy -; fatty acids administered intravenously -; can heal damage to the heart after a heart attack or cardiac arrest. But researchers haven't understood exactly how the treatment works or whether there are more effective ways to repair the heart.

14 May 2018

New survey shows 80% of oncologists have discussed medical marijuana use with patients

Data from a new survey show that as many as 80% of oncologists have discussed medical marijuana use with their patients.

11 May 2018

Using opioid-sparing pain management techniques to better prevent addiction and abuse

Over 2 million people each year switch to persistent opioid use after surgery, and nearly half of all U.S. opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid.

10 May 2018

Walmart announces new regulations for filling opioid prescriptions

Walmart, at the beginning of this week announced regulations regarding filling opioid prescriptions in its own in-store and Sam’s pharmacies. The company as part of its Opioid Stewardship Initiative has vowed to curb not only opioid addictions but also prevent their overdosages and prevent the over-prescription of opioids by doctors.

9 May 2018

Scripps researchers awarded two grants to support studies on cocaine, oxycodone addiction

Last year, more than 60,000 Americans died of an opioid overdose, and millions more struggled with opioid and cocaine addiction.

27 Apr 2018

MGH researchers identify risk factors for drug overdose in youth with substance use disorders

A team of Massachusetts General Hospital investigators has identified factors that may increase the risk of drug overdose in adolescents and young adults. In their report published online in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, the researchers describe finding that more than a quarter of those seeking treatment at Addiction Recovery Management Service, an MGH-based outpatient substance-use-disorder treatment program for youth ages 14 to 26, had a history of at least one overdose.

24 Apr 2018

Probiotics can improve liver health, shows study

Increased awareness of the importance of the microbes that live in our gut has spurred a great deal of research on the microbiome and fueled a booming probiotics industry. A new study suggests probiotics can improve not only the health of our gut but liver health, as well.

23 Apr 2018