Health News - Sunday, March 18, 2007
Researchers at the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse are launching the first large-scale national study to evaluate treatment of addiction to prescription pain medications such as OxyContin and Vicodin. The 11-site Prescription Opiate Addiction Treatment Study will examine the effectiveness of buprenorphine/naloxone tablets (Suboxone), along with different kinds of drug counseling, in patients addicted to prescription opioids.
The study is a response to the growing problem of prescription drugs abuse in the United States. In 2005, more than six million Americans reported nonmedical use of prescription drugs within the previous month, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. That's more than the number of people who used cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, and inhalants combined. Continue reading
A new study sheds additional light on how erectile dysfunction (ED) interacts with diabetes. The study is another step in uncovering the link between the two disorders, and may lead to improved efficacy in treatments.
Sexual dysfunction is a well-recognized consequence of diabetes mellitus in men. Erectile dysfunction, retrograde ejaculation and the loss of seminal emission have all been described by such patients. This study examined induced penile erection, yawning and stretch in diabetic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats treated with streptozotocin (STZ) to induce diabetes were used as they exhibit sexual and behavioral symptoms similar to those found in diabetic men with sexual dysfunction. Continue reading
You starve yourself, shedding pounds, and it feels too good to ever stop. Or you eat lots -- as much as you want, more than you want -- and then sneak away from your loved ones to purge it all. But you're not 16, not 19, not 21. Not a young woman at all. You're in your 30s, 40s, or 50s. And you can't stop.
Anorexia and bulimia used to be considered health problems that afflicted teenage girls. But doctors are finding that a growing number of older women are now being diagnosed with some sort of eating disorder. "It can happen to anybody at any stage of their life," said Dr. Alexander Sackeyfio, a psychiatrist and eating-disorder specialist at the Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. "I think we're becoming more aware of it and are better at diagnosing it." Continue reading