How About Don't Drink, or Do Drugs & Drive?

How many of you have heard "Don't Drink & Drive"?  It's a very common statement heard every month, especially around major holiday’s associated with drinking.  Cops only ever really seem to be focused on those that have been drinking, but did you know that "drugged" driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving, but isn't discussed as widely as drunk driving? 

In 2006, the National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted a survey to assess the drugged driving incidents on our highways.  This survey also added in day time check points as well as the typical nighttime ones.  What they found out was that over 16% of the drivers going through the check point were under the impairing effects of drugs.  This means that at least one in six drivers on our roads have at least one active drug in their nervous system, and that adversely affects them and the way they are driving. 

Almost everyone knows that there are a few states that allow "medical-marijuana", and so the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area did a study that also showed the effects.  In 2013, Colorado voters said that recreational marijuana would be permitted as medicinal marijuana had already been permitted the previous decade.  What the study found was that in the 9 year period as traffic deaths were actually waning (by up to 16%), the deaths of marijuana-impaired driving had increased by 114%. 

Now we aren't saying that marijuana is the only cause, which is far from the truth.  Marijuana is the one we are covering most, as it is the one that is most commonly used, thanks in part to the laws passed in some states.  The truth is any drug, whether illegal or prescribed, can be dangerous to other people on the road or the driver.  Most people believe that because they are taking a drug prescribed by a doctor that they will be fine, but a lot of times there are warning labels to not drive, but are largely ignored. A person driving under the influence of narcotics (legal or otherwise), for example, may have reflex time reduced by up to 50%.

This trend of drugged driving is finally starting to come to light and being talked about a little more.  The NHTSA has demonstrated their support for training officers to detect drugged driving the same as drunk driving.  Currently less than 1% of all law enforcement officers have been trained as a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE), but the NHTSA is hoping that will change.  We need drugged driving to be on par with drunk driving, since it is just as dangerous.
 

***Facts for this article were obtained from DATIA Focus publication Volume 7, Issue 3 summer 2014.

Pop Quiz!?!

Ok we are going to try something new today and say that dreaded statement that teachers always say, "Pop quiz time!"  Yes, a pop quiz, the one thing we all hated in school with no chance to study for it, so let’s give it a shot!  Everyone have their pencils ready and thinking caps on?  Ok the 2 questions for today are: 1) What is the most deadly, silent killer for women and men? 2) Why is it that way?

Ok pencils down.  The answers are 1) Heart disease, and 2) it has no symptoms.  Heart disease statistically kills more people every year than accidents, or other diseases.  The biggest reason is that it shows no symptoms, and since people have no symptoms, they don’t tend to go to the doctor for regular checkups, because they feel fine.

Most people think of heart disease as heart attacks, but it really encompasses so much more than that.  Heart disease can also be an irregular heartbeat, any damage to the heart muscles, or the buildup of the plaque that often leads to a heart attack.  There are many factors that contribute to heart disease with family history being the largest factor.  We all know, from multiple news reports, that an inactive lifestyle, and improper diet, are also a huge factor.  Some other factors include smoking (that topic is for another week), drinking, and not seeing your doctor regularly.

“Well, I don’t drink or smoke, have no family history, and I’m active in my life so I don’t have to worry about heart disease.” you say.  Well, unfortunately, you are wrong.  You always want to talk with your doctor about heart disease even if you don’t have those factors listed above.  There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration. Your doctor is the only one who can tell you if you should worry or not.

The good news is heart disease isn’t a life sentence for anyone anymore.  We know so much more than we did even 50 years ago. People are living longer with heart disease than ever.  Giving up vices like drinking and smoking as well as changing your lifestyle can help tremendously.  If you know the factors, and fall into some of them, by talking with your doctor he can help you reduce the odds that you will have any issues.  Heart disease is truly the silent killer, since often times the first symptom you have is death.

The Wonderful Back and How to Protect It

Our back, the most important part of our bodies as the spine protects the nerves that run the length of our bodies, and provides the support and flexibility we need daily.  Unfortunately, the back is also the most abused part of our bodies daily.  We don’t sit properly, we lift things incorrectly, and our age and weight all play a part in how we abuse our backs.  Back injuries are also the most common workplace injury, according to OSHA, resulting in millions of dollars in claims and missed time at work.  Because the spine is the “highway” of information in our bodies, any little tweak or sprain can result in pain, but with a few proper techniques you can help protect yourself.

We have all heard don’t lift with your back, but do you know why?  The back muscles aren’t the strongest in the body as they are only there to help provide the support to the spine, and weren’t meant to carry heavy loads.  Our arms and legs have some of the strongest muscles in the body, so when we lift, we should be using those muscles.  Lifting with our legs takes the strain from the muscles supporting the back and puts it onto the parts that are actually designed to lift and carry.   Parents often have the hardest time remembering to do this, as things like the play pen and walkers weren’t designed with the proper lifting techniques in mind.

When you set down a box or other item you are carrying, do you twist to put it down or do you just drop it?  You should never twist when you put down a load as it puts a lot of strain on your back that isn’t needed, and isn’t allowing your legs or arms to do what they were designed to do.  Dropping the load instead of setting it down can also cause injuries as you could drop it on your foot, or if someone else is helping you, they could wind up being the ones hurt instead.

To help maintain your back, remember to stand and sit up straight, don’t slouch (just like your mother always told you, moms always tend to know best).  Make sure that you have a good mattress, one that doesn’t sag when you sit or lie in it, and a body pillow can also help by keeping you in alignment when you sleep.  Exercise is really good for your back and your health in general, but make sure you talk to your doctor first to make sure you can. 

Just remember that without our backs we would be like a bunch of jelly fish.  Our back is one of our greatest assets, and one of the most important as well.  Take care of it and it will take you far.

Name That Drug

It is that time again . . . time to play “Name That Drug”. Okay, for those of you who don’t know how to play yet, I will give you a list of facts, signs and symptoms, other names and then, finally, I will tell you what the drug is named.  So let’s begin!

 Facts: This drug, just like many others, is made from a very common plant.  It was originally designed as a pain killer. However, this drug has proven to be a drug that is almost impossible to break free from its grip both physically and mentally. It is currently a worldwide multi-billion dollar enterprise covering all people of all ages and tax brackets.

 Signs and symptoms:  It starts out causing a short lived high followed by everything from depression to a craving for more.  Typically when used the person won't eat or sleep, and it can even make them feel paranoid or hostile when not high. Because of the lack of sleep, the user often starts to suffer from hallucinations, and they start to lose weight from the lack of food.

 Other names: Nose candy, dust, and snow.

 Any ideas?  This drug is derived from the coca leaves hence its name cocaine.  According to drugfreeworld.org cocaine is the second most common trafficked drug worldwide and the number of seizures by law enforcement are increasing every year with the largest numbers seized from South America.  Next to meth, cocaine creates the greatest psychological dependence of any drug.  The body of the user develops a tolerance to the drug so quickly its harder for the user to get the same high every time, and are always having to up their dose to attempt the same high as before.  Cocaine is often mixed with other drugs, which only increases the danger to the user as often times mixing two different drugs can be fatal.  Women who are pregnant while using cocaine will give birth to children who are addicted to cocaine, and for those not addicted to the drug they are often underweight and born premature.

The facts in this posting were found on drugfreeworld.org.

Hearing Loss, Prevention, & Breakthroughs

This week we will cover the wonderful world of hearing, how to prevent hearing loss, and some new medical breakthroughs they have made in trying to save hearing for those who work in loud noise environments.

Hearing is an amazing sense in how it works when it does, since some people are born deaf.  The ear if one of the smallest organs in our bodies, but the most complex in how it works.  In essence the ear is just an amplifier for the brain, but that “amplifier” doesn’t work if one of the 3 parts to it is “broken”. 

The 3 parts of the ear are the outer, middle, and inner.  The outer ear is the part that helps direct the sound into the ear canal itself and thus to the middle ear.  The middle ear has 3 tiny bones, as well as the eardrum, and they work together to amplify the sound.  This amplification is transferred to the inner ear. That converts the sound to an electrical impulse by moving across the fluid in our ears, and is converted to an electrical impulse that is sent out to the brain.  From there the brain sorts out what the waves are, and how they are relevant to the situation.

The most common reason for hearing loss of any age group is loud noises.  Infants can even have this type of hearing loss as well from being around any loud noises on a regular basis, i.e. they have an older sibling that listens to really loud music regularly.  Teens have this type of hearing loss from the loud music they listen to on their musical systems, and have their earphones in their ears,  turned up loudly repeatedly (but of course they never listen to their parents to “turn it down” as we parents don’t have a clue as to what we are talking about).  Adults tend to lose their hearing when they work in an environment that is very loud, i.e. construction sites using jackhammers.

Prevention is the key to keeping your hearing longer as you get older.  The easiest but not always the most practical is to avoid the areas where loud noise is going on, but of course in this day and age, it’s harder to avoid those situations.  The next best way is ear protection from either noise cancelling earphones or ear plugs that you can wear.  Some people prefer to not wear these items as they may be uncomfortable, but very necessary to prevent the hearing loss.

Currently there is a company in Oklahoma called OMRF and the Hough Ear Institute that is working on a solution to restoring some of the damaged cells in our ear and preventing some of the damage caused by exposure to the loud noises.  It would be a pill that you would take that would help reduce some of the free radicals that cause damage to the inner ear. 

Here's an interesting tidbit: Birds & fish can spontaneously regenerate the inner ear cells when they are damaged, but mammals can’t, so this pill would be sort of like what birds & fish do naturally.

http://kfor.com/2014/07/25/new-medical-breakthrough-could-help-soldiers-with-hearing-loss/