The word health according to WHO refers to a state of complete emotional and physical well-being. In humans, disease is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes pain, dysfunction, distress, social problems, or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader […]
The World Health Organization made a bold offer in 1948. Defining health as not merely the absence of disease or infirmity but a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. In general, disease is defined as any harmful deviation from the normal structural or functional state of an organism, generally associated with certain signs […]
It all started with a Percocet prescription 4 years ago. One night, while working as a nurse in one of the busiest emergency departments in Philadelphia, I was exposed to meningitis. Coincidentally, I became very ill a couple of days later with persistent high fevers. Finally deciding to seek medical attention, I underwent a lumbar puncture, […]
RP 10 325 is a combination of the semisynthetic opioid oxycodone and the mild analgesic acetaminophen, the active component of Tylenol. It’s used to treat moderate to severe pain on a short-term basis, and it is dispensed in tablet form. The opioid aspect of the drug rapidly produces tolerance. Individuals regularly taking RP 10 325 […]
René Gerónimo Favaloro, Argentine heart surgeon (born July 14, performed the first documented coronary bypass operation and was the first surgeon to perform successful heart-transplant surgery in Argentina. Favaloro earned a degree in medicine from the National University of La Plata in 1948; he worked as a doctor in the province of La Pampa before […]
Definition: often, a place of residence that acts as an intermediate stage between an inpatient or residential therapeutic programme and fully independent living in the community. The term applies to accommodation for alcohol- or drug-dependent individuals endeavouring to maintain their sobriety (compare therapeutic community). There are also halfway houses for individuals with psychiatric disorders or leaving […]
Definition: A therapeutic strategy that combines early detection of hazardous or harmful substance use and treatment of those involved. Treatment is offered or provided before such time as patients might present of their own volition, and in many cases before they are aware that their substance use might cause problems. It is directed particularly at […]
Definition: general term referring to comorbidity or the co-occurrence in the same individual of a psychoactive substance use disorder and another psychiatric disorder. Such an individual is sometimes known as a mentally ill chemical abuser (MICA). Less commonly, the term refers to the co-occurrence of two psychiatric disorders not involving psychoactive substance use. The term […]
Definition: One of a group of structurally related drugs used mainly as sedatives/hypnotics, muscle relaxants, and anti-epileptics, and once referred to by the now-deprecated term “minor tranquillisers”. These agents are believed to produce therapeutic effects by potentiating the action of gamma- aminobutyric acid (GABA), a major inhibitory neurotransmitter. Benzodiazepines were introduced as safer alternatives to […]
The World Health Organization defines adverse drug reaction as a response to a drug that is noxious and unintended, and which occurs at doses normally used in man for the prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy of disease, or for the modifications of physiological function. In the general medical and pharmacological fields, adverse drug reaction denotes a […]
