Drug addiction and alcoholism are commonly associated with mental disorders. According to one estimate, in any given year about 10 million individuals suffer from drug addiction, alcoholism and mental disorders across the United States.
Nevertheless, treatment for dual diagnosis has been administered in separate services--a separation that has its roots planted in days of old.
Redesigning addiction treatment and psychiatric services
There have been attempts in recent years to address this problem by restructuring and integrating addiction treatment services and psychiatric services. One such attempt is the implementation of specialized dual diagnosis treatment programs, where, ideally, treatment can be provided in one facility. Currently a large proportion of mental health and addiction treatment facilities offer such dual diagnosis programs, perhaps indicating that change is upon us.
Improvement in Dual Diagnosis Treatment Programs
Despite the enthusiastic reception of these dual diagnosis programs in various settings, empirical evaluations of some of the earlier treatment programs in mental health settings produced equivocal results. From identified results, one can conclude, that while integration of services for treating dual diagnosis clients is a desirable goal; it is not sufficient. This conclusion is further supported by the growing recognition of the special needs of the dual diagnosis clients. Dual diagnosis is associated with increased vulnerability to occupational and housing instability, victimization, and medical complications such as HIV infection and hepatitis. Meeting the special needs of dual diagnosis clients in these domains requires additional services and, often, intensive case-management--resources that are not available at many substance abuse or addiction treatment programs.
More recent studies of comprehensive dual diagnosis programs in which at least some of these special needs of client are met, have produced encouraging results supporting the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of dual diagnosis treatment programs. It is not clear, however, to what extent the dissemination of dual diagnosis programs across various addiction treatment facilities in recent years has been matched by growth of these other needed services.
Know Your Dual Diagnosis Treatment Program
What we do know is that dual diagnosis treatment programs exist in most private drug rehab and alcohol rehab programs today. The merging od addiction treatment services and psychiatric treatment services has made for a much more effective addiction treatment setting. The ability to provide the dual diagnosis patient with detox services for their drug addiction or alcoholism to be followed by a psychiatric evaluation and treatment has opened the road for recovery for many dual diagnosed patients. As with any addiction treatment program that claims to have a dual diagnosis treatment program, take the time to educate yourself as to the comprehensiveness of the dual diagnosis treatment component. If you are not sure what to ask for you can call the dual diagnosis helpline at 1-800-511-9225 and they will assist you. At the bare minimum, the dual diagnosis treatment component should have a competent psychiatrist, trained in addiction medicine. If you are looking for a dual diagnosis treatment program, I would suggest looking at www.lakeviewhealth.com. In addition to a detox program and dual diagnosis treatment programBusiness Management Articles, Lakeview also has a full compliment of addiction treatment services.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Huttner is a principal with Lakeview Health Systems, an addiction treatment program which speiclazes in dual diagnosis treatment.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Impacted Wisdom Teeth: Diagnosis and Treatment
The impacted wisdom teeth often partially erupt at the later ages (45-55). Not only they are difficult to extract at that age, the healing time is much longer.
"Wisdom teeth" are classified as molars. Molars are the chewing teeth found furthest in the back of the mouth. Most humans have first, second, and third molars.
A person's third molars are their wisdom teeth. These teeth come in behind the 2nd molars (if there is necessary room for them and they are aligned properly) usually during a person's late teens or early twenties. In most cultures, this is the ages of maturity, hence the term "wisdom." Usually there are four wisdom teeth: upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right.
In dental terminology an "impacted tooth" refers to a tooth that has failed to arise completely into its expected position. This unfortunate failure to erupt precisely may occur either because there is not space enough in the jaw for the tooth, or because the tooth's angulation is improper. The impacted wisdom teeth often partially erupt at the later ages (45-55). Not only they are difficult to extract at that age, the healing time is much longer.
Dentists use specific terms to describe the positioning of impacted wisdom teeth. There are two ways of describing the "impaction" of the wisdom teeth. The most common way is to describe the direction of the impaction. For example, mesial impaction (also called angular impaction) simply means that the wisdom tooth is angled forward, toward the front of the mouth. Distal impaction means the wisdom tooth is angled toward the throat. Vertical impaction means the tooth is angled toward the head and horizontal impaction means the tooth is pointed sideways.
Alternatively, the impacted teeth can be described according to the degree of impaction. If the tooth is just covered with the gum, it is called soft-tissue impaction. If the tooth is covered by the gum and some of the jaw bone, it is called partial-bony impaction. If the tooth is covered under the gum and all the jaw bone, it is called complete-bony impaction.
The alternative to having wisdom teeth removed is to keep them. A few lucky people are able to retain their wisdom teeth and care for them as they would their other teeth. People with large jaws (blacks and African) can often keep their wisdom teeth because their wisdom teeth have room to erupt properly in the mouth. But for most of us, this isn't possible, and a postponement in their removal can cause grave problems.
The most common problems linked with wisdom teeth include cavities, gum inflammation (pericoronitis), facial abscess (cellulitis), cyst, crowding (occlusal malaligment, and numbess (parathesia). In rare circumstances (about 3-5 in Texas each year), the wisdom teeth's infection can travel downward and cause airway obstruction and sudden death. Moreover, in traditional Chinese medicine, the four wisdom teeth are associated with the four chambers of the heart. A problem with the wisdom teeth creates a "block" in the Meridian (energy) system, leading to heart's trouble.
The wisdom teeth usually cause trouble when the body is under stress such as final exam, moving to new location, and pregnancy. For example, during my oral surgery residency in Houston, I witnessed the single abscess of the lower wisdom tooth led to two deaths--the 35 year-old diabetic pregnant mother and her 6-month-old fetus. The best time for the surgical removal of the wisdom teeth is when they are about 2/3 of the fully developed sizes. This is typically at the ages of late teens or early twenties. Currently, there are two common practices for surgical removal of the wisdom teeth. The most common recommendation is to remove all four under intravenous sedation and local anesthesia. Alternatively, you can unilaterally extract one side (upper and lower wisdom teeth), two at a time, 3-6 month apart, under local anesthesia.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For more information, contact Dr. Nguyen at drnguyen@softdental.com or visit www.softdental.com.
"Wisdom teeth" are classified as molars. Molars are the chewing teeth found furthest in the back of the mouth. Most humans have first, second, and third molars.
A person's third molars are their wisdom teeth. These teeth come in behind the 2nd molars (if there is necessary room for them and they are aligned properly) usually during a person's late teens or early twenties. In most cultures, this is the ages of maturity, hence the term "wisdom." Usually there are four wisdom teeth: upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right.
In dental terminology an "impacted tooth" refers to a tooth that has failed to arise completely into its expected position. This unfortunate failure to erupt precisely may occur either because there is not space enough in the jaw for the tooth, or because the tooth's angulation is improper. The impacted wisdom teeth often partially erupt at the later ages (45-55). Not only they are difficult to extract at that age, the healing time is much longer.
Dentists use specific terms to describe the positioning of impacted wisdom teeth. There are two ways of describing the "impaction" of the wisdom teeth. The most common way is to describe the direction of the impaction. For example, mesial impaction (also called angular impaction) simply means that the wisdom tooth is angled forward, toward the front of the mouth. Distal impaction means the wisdom tooth is angled toward the throat. Vertical impaction means the tooth is angled toward the head and horizontal impaction means the tooth is pointed sideways.
Alternatively, the impacted teeth can be described according to the degree of impaction. If the tooth is just covered with the gum, it is called soft-tissue impaction. If the tooth is covered by the gum and some of the jaw bone, it is called partial-bony impaction. If the tooth is covered under the gum and all the jaw bone, it is called complete-bony impaction.
The alternative to having wisdom teeth removed is to keep them. A few lucky people are able to retain their wisdom teeth and care for them as they would their other teeth. People with large jaws (blacks and African) can often keep their wisdom teeth because their wisdom teeth have room to erupt properly in the mouth. But for most of us, this isn't possible, and a postponement in their removal can cause grave problems.
The most common problems linked with wisdom teeth include cavities, gum inflammation (pericoronitis), facial abscess (cellulitis), cyst, crowding (occlusal malaligment, and numbess (parathesia). In rare circumstances (about 3-5 in Texas each year), the wisdom teeth's infection can travel downward and cause airway obstruction and sudden death. Moreover, in traditional Chinese medicine, the four wisdom teeth are associated with the four chambers of the heart. A problem with the wisdom teeth creates a "block" in the Meridian (energy) system, leading to heart's trouble.
The wisdom teeth usually cause trouble when the body is under stress such as final exam, moving to new location, and pregnancy. For example, during my oral surgery residency in Houston, I witnessed the single abscess of the lower wisdom tooth led to two deaths--the 35 year-old diabetic pregnant mother and her 6-month-old fetus. The best time for the surgical removal of the wisdom teeth is when they are about 2/3 of the fully developed sizes. This is typically at the ages of late teens or early twenties. Currently, there are two common practices for surgical removal of the wisdom teeth. The most common recommendation is to remove all four under intravenous sedation and local anesthesia. Alternatively, you can unilaterally extract one side (upper and lower wisdom teeth), two at a time, 3-6 month apart, under local anesthesia.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For more information, contact Dr. Nguyen at drnguyen@softdental.com or visit www.softdental.com.
Cure Insomnia - Causes, Types and Diagnosis of Insomnia
The starting point to finding a way to cure insomnia is to understand just what causes insomnia and how to go about diagnosing your insomnia. It's often easy to realize that you're suffering from insomnia but quite another matter to find out why.
If you find it difficult to fall asleep, or to sleep right through the night, then there's a very good chance that you're suffering from insomnia (or to be technical - insomnia sleep disorder).
Insomnia tends to fall into two broad categories. If your sleeping problems tend to come and go and normally only last for a few days at a time then you are said to be suffering from transient insomnia. However, if your insomnia persists and last for more than just a few days, running literally into weeks, then your insomnia is classed as being permanent.
As a general rule, women tend to suffer from insomnia more than men do, almost certainly as a result of the many hormonal changes which women experience. Additionally, a sedentary lifestyle, an underlying medical condition or the side effects of prescription medication can also increase the likelihood of insomnia and so the condition is also often seen as increasing with age.
Transient insomnia can result from a variety of different causes including too much stress, traveling across different time zones and environmental factors such as noise or temperature variations of more than a few degrees. Exposure to too much light or to loud or persistent noise, such as traffic or even a partner snoring, can create an environment in which sleep is difficult. Insomnia can even be the result of learned behavior.
In general transient insomnia does not require treatment (in the sense of medical treatment) and the condition will generally remedy itself once you recognize the cause of your insomnia and take a few, usually very simple, steps to remove it.
By contrast, permanent or chronic insomnia can be serious and does require some form of treatment plan. Just how severe a problem your insomnia presents will depend very much on the underlying cause and the first step in the process to cure insomnia is to find out just what is causing it.
One possibility is that your insomnia results from an underlying medical condition which could include hundreds of different possible causes including anxiety, depression, asthma, heart disease, kidney problems, sleep apnea and many more. Your fist port of call therefore should be your doctor because your insomnia cure clearly lies, at least in part, in treating your underlying medical condition.
If the problem is not medical then you need to widen your search and consider other possible causes such as your working pattern (especially true in the case of shift workers), your consumption of alcohol, tea coffee and other drinks and the long term use of medication for existing ailments.
Determining just what is causing your insomnia can be a long process and will often mean selecting one possible cause at a time and addressing that to see if makes a difference, before moving on to the next possibility. However, even though it may take some time, this is a necessary process and, without an obvious cause, it is one step that cannot be avoided.
Diagnosing insomnia is also difficult because the whole subject of sleep itself is subjective. The right amount of sleep for one individual will not necessarily be right for somebody else and determining the extent of a sleep problem in each individual is often a matter for debate. One good way to assess the extent of the problem is to keep a sleep journal and then, based upon the information which you gatherFeature Articles, to assess yourself against a sleep questionnaire or even to seek the help of a sleep specialist who has the tools necessary to help to diagnose your insomnia.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Donald Saunders is the author of a number of health-related publications discussing the problems of sleep and giving detailed advice on using natural remedies to cure insomnia and manage other sleep disorders. For more information on diagnosing insomnia please visit Help-Me-To-Sleep.com
If you find it difficult to fall asleep, or to sleep right through the night, then there's a very good chance that you're suffering from insomnia (or to be technical - insomnia sleep disorder).
Insomnia tends to fall into two broad categories. If your sleeping problems tend to come and go and normally only last for a few days at a time then you are said to be suffering from transient insomnia. However, if your insomnia persists and last for more than just a few days, running literally into weeks, then your insomnia is classed as being permanent.
As a general rule, women tend to suffer from insomnia more than men do, almost certainly as a result of the many hormonal changes which women experience. Additionally, a sedentary lifestyle, an underlying medical condition or the side effects of prescription medication can also increase the likelihood of insomnia and so the condition is also often seen as increasing with age.
Transient insomnia can result from a variety of different causes including too much stress, traveling across different time zones and environmental factors such as noise or temperature variations of more than a few degrees. Exposure to too much light or to loud or persistent noise, such as traffic or even a partner snoring, can create an environment in which sleep is difficult. Insomnia can even be the result of learned behavior.
In general transient insomnia does not require treatment (in the sense of medical treatment) and the condition will generally remedy itself once you recognize the cause of your insomnia and take a few, usually very simple, steps to remove it.
By contrast, permanent or chronic insomnia can be serious and does require some form of treatment plan. Just how severe a problem your insomnia presents will depend very much on the underlying cause and the first step in the process to cure insomnia is to find out just what is causing it.
One possibility is that your insomnia results from an underlying medical condition which could include hundreds of different possible causes including anxiety, depression, asthma, heart disease, kidney problems, sleep apnea and many more. Your fist port of call therefore should be your doctor because your insomnia cure clearly lies, at least in part, in treating your underlying medical condition.
If the problem is not medical then you need to widen your search and consider other possible causes such as your working pattern (especially true in the case of shift workers), your consumption of alcohol, tea coffee and other drinks and the long term use of medication for existing ailments.
Determining just what is causing your insomnia can be a long process and will often mean selecting one possible cause at a time and addressing that to see if makes a difference, before moving on to the next possibility. However, even though it may take some time, this is a necessary process and, without an obvious cause, it is one step that cannot be avoided.
Diagnosing insomnia is also difficult because the whole subject of sleep itself is subjective. The right amount of sleep for one individual will not necessarily be right for somebody else and determining the extent of a sleep problem in each individual is often a matter for debate. One good way to assess the extent of the problem is to keep a sleep journal and then, based upon the information which you gatherFeature Articles, to assess yourself against a sleep questionnaire or even to seek the help of a sleep specialist who has the tools necessary to help to diagnose your insomnia.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Donald Saunders is the author of a number of health-related publications discussing the problems of sleep and giving detailed advice on using natural remedies to cure insomnia and manage other sleep disorders. For more information on diagnosing insomnia please visit Help-Me-To-Sleep.com
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Diagnosis of prostate cancer
If If you are over 55-60 it's can safe your life ! What do you know about Prostate Cancer? Don't go too late to the doctor and take the chance to learn about this illness.
The diagnosis of prostate cancer can be made onclinical suspicion of the disease, followingscreening, or as an incidental finding duringtransurethral resection for suspected benigndisease (TURP). Clinically suspected prostate cancer Prostatecancer can be completely asymptomatic or presentwith symptoms similar to benign prostaticenlargement (see symptoms). It can also presentwith the symptoms of metastatic disease. Ondigital rectal examination prostate cancer feelsrock hard and nodular. Invasion into thesurrounding structures may be palpable as a hardmass. Spread to the lymph glands may be palpablein the groins or pelvis. Bony metastases to thelumbar spine or pelvis are often tender topalpation. PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) is asubstance excreted by all prostate cells. Theblood level of PSA is elevated in prostate cancerand the level of elevation correlates with theextent of disease. The PSA level can also beelevated by benign diseases such as prostatitisand benign prostatic hyperplasia. The normalrange for PSA is 0 - 4 ng/ml. The higher the PSAthe greater is the chance of having prostatecancer. Somebody with a PSA of 4 - 10 ng/ml has a25% chance of having prostate cancer, while a PSAof greater than 10 carries a 50% risk of thedisease. Very high levels of PSA (>100ng/ml)almost invariably indicate widespread metastaticdisease. The diagnosis of prostate cancer isconfirmed by needle biopsy and histologicalanalysis of the biopsy specimens. A transrectalultrasound scan is performed via a probe insertedinto the rectum, and ultrasound guided needlebiopsies of the prostate are taken. The procedureis performed under local anaestheticScreening All healthy men over the age of 50years should have annual prostate cancer checks.
Black men and men with a positive family historyshould start at age 40. The aim of screening isto diagnose the disease at an early stage whileit is still potentially curable. By the timeprostate cancer becomes symptomatic it is usuallybeyond cure. The screening tests consist of adigital rectal examination and a PSA blood test.
The prostate gland may feel entirely normaldespite the presence of an early cancer. Thecombination of PSA and digital rectal examinationis more sensitive than either test alone. If oneor both of these tests are abnormal a transrectalultrasound and needle biopsies of the prostategland are performed.
Incidental finding following TURP Whenever atransurethral resection of the prostate gland isperformed for suspected benign disease theremoved tissue is sent for histological analysis.
Occasionally evidence of unsuspected prostatecancer is found in the tissue. In a young manwith an otherwise long life expectancy this isobviously significant. A tiny focus of cancer inan elderly man is probably not significantFind Article, sincethe prostate cancer will not have sufficient timeto become bothersome.
With our next information – we will inform youabout the “Diagnosis of prostate cancer” – so youshould have a look on this site in the next 2weeks! If you have any question sends us youre-mail.
Health-Service-Online Fritz Frei Admin
http://www.cancer-info.info
info@cancer-info.info
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fritz Frei make it easy to check out the important details about the diagnoses and test's of the Male - Breast-Cancer. To receive more information's about all cancer -questions - Links and last research NEW's - visit the http://www.cancer-info.info
The diagnosis of prostate cancer can be made onclinical suspicion of the disease, followingscreening, or as an incidental finding duringtransurethral resection for suspected benigndisease (TURP). Clinically suspected prostate cancer Prostatecancer can be completely asymptomatic or presentwith symptoms similar to benign prostaticenlargement (see symptoms). It can also presentwith the symptoms of metastatic disease. Ondigital rectal examination prostate cancer feelsrock hard and nodular. Invasion into thesurrounding structures may be palpable as a hardmass. Spread to the lymph glands may be palpablein the groins or pelvis. Bony metastases to thelumbar spine or pelvis are often tender topalpation. PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) is asubstance excreted by all prostate cells. Theblood level of PSA is elevated in prostate cancerand the level of elevation correlates with theextent of disease. The PSA level can also beelevated by benign diseases such as prostatitisand benign prostatic hyperplasia. The normalrange for PSA is 0 - 4 ng/ml. The higher the PSAthe greater is the chance of having prostatecancer. Somebody with a PSA of 4 - 10 ng/ml has a25% chance of having prostate cancer, while a PSAof greater than 10 carries a 50% risk of thedisease. Very high levels of PSA (>100ng/ml)almost invariably indicate widespread metastaticdisease. The diagnosis of prostate cancer isconfirmed by needle biopsy and histologicalanalysis of the biopsy specimens. A transrectalultrasound scan is performed via a probe insertedinto the rectum, and ultrasound guided needlebiopsies of the prostate are taken. The procedureis performed under local anaestheticScreening All healthy men over the age of 50years should have annual prostate cancer checks.
Black men and men with a positive family historyshould start at age 40. The aim of screening isto diagnose the disease at an early stage whileit is still potentially curable. By the timeprostate cancer becomes symptomatic it is usuallybeyond cure. The screening tests consist of adigital rectal examination and a PSA blood test.
The prostate gland may feel entirely normaldespite the presence of an early cancer. Thecombination of PSA and digital rectal examinationis more sensitive than either test alone. If oneor both of these tests are abnormal a transrectalultrasound and needle biopsies of the prostategland are performed.
Incidental finding following TURP Whenever atransurethral resection of the prostate gland isperformed for suspected benign disease theremoved tissue is sent for histological analysis.
Occasionally evidence of unsuspected prostatecancer is found in the tissue. In a young manwith an otherwise long life expectancy this isobviously significant. A tiny focus of cancer inan elderly man is probably not significantFind Article, sincethe prostate cancer will not have sufficient timeto become bothersome.
With our next information – we will inform youabout the “Diagnosis of prostate cancer” – so youshould have a look on this site in the next 2weeks! If you have any question sends us youre-mail.
Health-Service-Online Fritz Frei Admin
http://www.cancer-info.info
info@cancer-info.info
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fritz Frei make it easy to check out the important details about the diagnoses and test's of the Male - Breast-Cancer. To receive more information's about all cancer -questions - Links and last research NEW's - visit the http://www.cancer-info.info
Differential Diagnosis of Search Engine Listing Criteria
The ariticle has elaborated the idea of how search engine includes a site and the difference of algorithms adopted by different crawlers
My research is based on a photographic equipment retail web site www.microglobe.co.uk which is a very best selling site no doubt with gaining good popularity in web circles just in no time. Popularity stand for honesty, good services, low price and all around the product and customer online or offline. In my study the popularity stand for link popularity that I have been working on for a year now. The SEO techniques, expert opinions, webmasters suggestions, forum discussions, email marketing, directory submission, chat discussion are salient areas of my research.
Differential Diagnosis applies on human is now asserted to be true on search engines listing criterias. The backdoor techniques adopted by different search engines sometime troubles webmasters at the other end.
While marketing what we assume most important are the inbound links to the subject web sites, but the story is quite different, for differential criteria of various search engines ranking and listing techniques. One can be amazed with the search results the other day morning, where the links are marginally down, traffic is low, rank is down, moral is down contrary with yesterday, where it was done for no effort. Inspite the team work hard, submissions go on contineouslyFree Articles, some of the directories are paid with the appropriate fee for listing and the result is the other way round. It is simply discouraging as good ranking sometimes turned out to be a magic game. Search engines criteria sometimes contradict with each other suffer a great loss to even potential web sites designed by well oriented webmasters for there is no guage to measure the parameters adopted by the big players.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Webmaster and software developer for Microglobe 2002-2006, 37 New oxford street London UK
My research is based on a photographic equipment retail web site www.microglobe.co.uk which is a very best selling site no doubt with gaining good popularity in web circles just in no time. Popularity stand for honesty, good services, low price and all around the product and customer online or offline. In my study the popularity stand for link popularity that I have been working on for a year now. The SEO techniques, expert opinions, webmasters suggestions, forum discussions, email marketing, directory submission, chat discussion are salient areas of my research.
Differential Diagnosis applies on human is now asserted to be true on search engines listing criterias. The backdoor techniques adopted by different search engines sometime troubles webmasters at the other end.
While marketing what we assume most important are the inbound links to the subject web sites, but the story is quite different, for differential criteria of various search engines ranking and listing techniques. One can be amazed with the search results the other day morning, where the links are marginally down, traffic is low, rank is down, moral is down contrary with yesterday, where it was done for no effort. Inspite the team work hard, submissions go on contineouslyFree Articles, some of the directories are paid with the appropriate fee for listing and the result is the other way round. It is simply discouraging as good ranking sometimes turned out to be a magic game. Search engines criteria sometimes contradict with each other suffer a great loss to even potential web sites designed by well oriented webmasters for there is no guage to measure the parameters adopted by the big players.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Webmaster and software developer for Microglobe 2002-2006, 37 New oxford street London UK
A Drug Rehab and Dual Diagnosis Treatment
National statistics have shown that drug addicts and alcoholics who attend a long term addiction treatment and drug rehab programs, where their dual diagnosis is addressed, have a higher
Although individual addiction treatment and dual diagnosis programs can vary, the average length of time of such a treatment program is approximately four to six weeks.
Detox and Dual Diagnosis
Drug rehab is a series of addiction treatment services with very specific focus to each. Alcohol detox and drug detox is only the first step to completing drug rehab. Alcohol detox or drug detox alone is not sufficient to change the patterns created by drug addiction and alcoholism. Recovery from drug addiction or alcoholism involves an extended addiction treatment process which usually requires the help of drug rehab professionals.In most cases, a person’s dual diagnosis is not fully addressed in detox. The reason for this, is that so many of the symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal or drug withdrawal mimic psychiatric symptoms, it is best to wait until the patient is medically stable. It is usually in the drug rehab portion of addiction treatment that the dual diagnosis is more fully diagnosed and treated.
Why Detox in Drug Rehab
Denial is a significant barrier in treating dual diagnosis and drug addiction. Almost all addicts tell themselves that they can conquer their drug addiction or alcohol addiction on their own without the help of addiction treatment resources. Unfortunately, this is not usually the case. When an addict makes an attempt to discontinue drug abuse and alcohol abuse without the aid of professional drug rehab help, recovery is short lived, sometimes due to intense cravings and sometimes due to overpowering alcohol withdrawal or drug withdrawal symptoms. An addict or alcoholic who wishes to recover from their drug addiction or a dual diagnosis needs more than just strong will power. Trying to overcome the barriers to living a drug-free life without the guidance of a successful drug rehab as the foundation can be extremely difficult. For additional information on dual diagnosis or addiction treatment program, call 1-800-511-9225 or go to www.lakeviewhealth.com.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Huttner has 25 years experience in the field of addiction treatment and dual diagnosis. He is a partner in Lakeview Health Systems which specializes in the treatment of drug addiction and dual diagnosis.
Although individual addiction treatment and dual diagnosis programs can vary, the average length of time of such a treatment program is approximately four to six weeks.
Detox and Dual Diagnosis
Drug rehab is a series of addiction treatment services with very specific focus to each. Alcohol detox and drug detox is only the first step to completing drug rehab. Alcohol detox or drug detox alone is not sufficient to change the patterns created by drug addiction and alcoholism. Recovery from drug addiction or alcoholism involves an extended addiction treatment process which usually requires the help of drug rehab professionals.In most cases, a person’s dual diagnosis is not fully addressed in detox. The reason for this, is that so many of the symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal or drug withdrawal mimic psychiatric symptoms, it is best to wait until the patient is medically stable. It is usually in the drug rehab portion of addiction treatment that the dual diagnosis is more fully diagnosed and treated.
Why Detox in Drug Rehab
Denial is a significant barrier in treating dual diagnosis and drug addiction. Almost all addicts tell themselves that they can conquer their drug addiction or alcohol addiction on their own without the help of addiction treatment resources. Unfortunately, this is not usually the case. When an addict makes an attempt to discontinue drug abuse and alcohol abuse without the aid of professional drug rehab help, recovery is short lived, sometimes due to intense cravings and sometimes due to overpowering alcohol withdrawal or drug withdrawal symptoms. An addict or alcoholic who wishes to recover from their drug addiction or a dual diagnosis needs more than just strong will power. Trying to overcome the barriers to living a drug-free life without the guidance of a successful drug rehab as the foundation can be extremely difficult. For additional information on dual diagnosis or addiction treatment program, call 1-800-511-9225 or go to www.lakeviewhealth.com.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Huttner has 25 years experience in the field of addiction treatment and dual diagnosis. He is a partner in Lakeview Health Systems which specializes in the treatment of drug addiction and dual diagnosis.
Parkinson's Disease: Its Over-Diagnosis and Under-Diagnosis
What are the keys to diagnosing Parkinson's disease? Let's ask James Parkinson.
In this era of genuinely marvelous, high-tech, medical devices, it is sometimes surprising that certain diseases are still diagnosed "clinically," meaning that the clinician makes the call based on just the story of symptoms and the physical exam. Parkinson's disease is one such disease. There is no "Parkinson scan" or "Parkinson blood-test" to rely upon. MRI scans, CT scans and blood tests are usually normal in people with this disease.
Of course, once upon a time—before scans and blood-tests even existed—this is how all diagnoses were made. So, in a sense, diagnosing Parkinson's disease gets back to the very roots of what doctors are supposed to do. But when there are no corroborative tests available to prove or disprove a diagnosis, even the doctor sometimes gets it wrong.
Before delving into the challenges of diagnosing Parkinson's disease, let's first consider what is known about this condition.In 1817 James Parkinson, an English surgeon and apothecary, published a classic, short book entitled "An Essay on the Shaking Palsy." In it, Parkinson identified a consistent pattern of physical abnormalities in six patients he had examined. Although people with identical abnormalities had doubtlessly been around for thousands of years, Parkinson was the first to recognize this pattern of abnormalities as a distinct condition. For this important achievement, the disease was eventually named for him.
In the book's opening sentence Parkinson wasted no time in laying out prominent features of this disease: "Involuntary tremulous motion, with lessened muscular power, in parts [of the body] not in action and even when supported; with a propensity to bend the trunk forwards, and to pass from a walking to a running pace: the senses and intellects being uninjured."
Subsequently, scientists discovered that degeneration of a limited group of brain cells containing the chemical transmitter dopamine was responsible for these clinical changes. (The group of brain cells involved is too slight to show up on brain scans in all but the most advanced of cases.) In 1967, levodopa (one of two ingredients in brand-name Sinemet) a drug the body can convert into dopamine, was found helpful in alleviating many of the symptoms. Later, other drugs (dopamine agonists) were created that improved symptoms by mimicking the action of the missing dopamine. These include bromocriptine (brand name Parlodel), pergolide (Permax), pramipexole (Mirapex) and ropinirole (Requip). To date, there are no treatments that reliably stop or reverse the underlying disease-process.
As a condition that affects about one percent of people over the age of 60, Parkinson's disease is usually on the radar screen of patients and doctors alike when new symptoms are present that suggest the disease. That other conditions can resemble it was not news to James Parkinson who devoted a chapter of his 1817 book to "Shaking palsy distinguished from other diseases with which it may be confounded."In my consultation practice of neurology, I see both over-diagnosis and under-diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. The problem usually centers on one of the most visible of symptoms, the tremor. When tremor of the hands is present, doctors often diagnose Parkinson's disease, even when another condition is to blame. When tremor is absent, doctors often fail to consider Parkinson's disease, even when it is present. One key to accurate diagnosis is to focus on the characteristics of the tremor itself. The Parkinsonian tremor usually affects one hand first, and at all stages of the disease the initially affected hand remains more tremulous than the other hand. And, as Parkinson himself emphasized, the tremor is most evident when the hand is at rest or supported, and decreases when the hand is in the air or put to use. In other conditions that cause hand-tremors, the hands are more equally affected, and the tremor is more evident when the hands are in the air or put to use.
What about cases in which no tremor is present? Because symptoms of Parkinson's disease worsen slowly—year by year instead of month by month—patients and their families often mistake these changes as due to normal, healthy aging. Non-tremor symptoms of Parkinson's disease can include relative immobility of body-parts (hypokinesia), especially of the face which can show a mask-like lack of expression. Movements, once initiated, are slow (bradykinesia). Walking, as James Parkinson noted, involves a bent-forward posture with shuffling, short steps and reduced swinging of the arms. Sometimes the body's center of gravity gets ahead of the feet's ability to catch up, resulting in the passing "from a walking to a running pace" that Parkinson described and is known as festination.
The physical exam also shows clumsiness in hands and feet. Increased muscle tone, called "rigidity," is encountered in the patient's neck and arm muscles, even while they are supposed to be relaxed.
Patients who have Parkinson's disease without tremor are often the most gratifying cases to treat. Having developed their problems slowly and having believed all along that their symptoms were due to agingComputer Technology Articles, they are happily astonished by the rapid improvement in function produced by appropriate medication.
(C) 2005 by Gary Cordingley
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gary Cordingley, MD, PhD, is a clinical neurologist, teacher and researcher who works in Athens, Ohio. For more health-related articles, see his website at: http://www.cordingleyneurology.com
In this era of genuinely marvelous, high-tech, medical devices, it is sometimes surprising that certain diseases are still diagnosed "clinically," meaning that the clinician makes the call based on just the story of symptoms and the physical exam. Parkinson's disease is one such disease. There is no "Parkinson scan" or "Parkinson blood-test" to rely upon. MRI scans, CT scans and blood tests are usually normal in people with this disease.
Of course, once upon a time—before scans and blood-tests even existed—this is how all diagnoses were made. So, in a sense, diagnosing Parkinson's disease gets back to the very roots of what doctors are supposed to do. But when there are no corroborative tests available to prove or disprove a diagnosis, even the doctor sometimes gets it wrong.
Before delving into the challenges of diagnosing Parkinson's disease, let's first consider what is known about this condition.In 1817 James Parkinson, an English surgeon and apothecary, published a classic, short book entitled "An Essay on the Shaking Palsy." In it, Parkinson identified a consistent pattern of physical abnormalities in six patients he had examined. Although people with identical abnormalities had doubtlessly been around for thousands of years, Parkinson was the first to recognize this pattern of abnormalities as a distinct condition. For this important achievement, the disease was eventually named for him.
In the book's opening sentence Parkinson wasted no time in laying out prominent features of this disease: "Involuntary tremulous motion, with lessened muscular power, in parts [of the body] not in action and even when supported; with a propensity to bend the trunk forwards, and to pass from a walking to a running pace: the senses and intellects being uninjured."
Subsequently, scientists discovered that degeneration of a limited group of brain cells containing the chemical transmitter dopamine was responsible for these clinical changes. (The group of brain cells involved is too slight to show up on brain scans in all but the most advanced of cases.) In 1967, levodopa (one of two ingredients in brand-name Sinemet) a drug the body can convert into dopamine, was found helpful in alleviating many of the symptoms. Later, other drugs (dopamine agonists) were created that improved symptoms by mimicking the action of the missing dopamine. These include bromocriptine (brand name Parlodel), pergolide (Permax), pramipexole (Mirapex) and ropinirole (Requip). To date, there are no treatments that reliably stop or reverse the underlying disease-process.
As a condition that affects about one percent of people over the age of 60, Parkinson's disease is usually on the radar screen of patients and doctors alike when new symptoms are present that suggest the disease. That other conditions can resemble it was not news to James Parkinson who devoted a chapter of his 1817 book to "Shaking palsy distinguished from other diseases with which it may be confounded."In my consultation practice of neurology, I see both over-diagnosis and under-diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. The problem usually centers on one of the most visible of symptoms, the tremor. When tremor of the hands is present, doctors often diagnose Parkinson's disease, even when another condition is to blame. When tremor is absent, doctors often fail to consider Parkinson's disease, even when it is present. One key to accurate diagnosis is to focus on the characteristics of the tremor itself. The Parkinsonian tremor usually affects one hand first, and at all stages of the disease the initially affected hand remains more tremulous than the other hand. And, as Parkinson himself emphasized, the tremor is most evident when the hand is at rest or supported, and decreases when the hand is in the air or put to use. In other conditions that cause hand-tremors, the hands are more equally affected, and the tremor is more evident when the hands are in the air or put to use.
What about cases in which no tremor is present? Because symptoms of Parkinson's disease worsen slowly—year by year instead of month by month—patients and their families often mistake these changes as due to normal, healthy aging. Non-tremor symptoms of Parkinson's disease can include relative immobility of body-parts (hypokinesia), especially of the face which can show a mask-like lack of expression. Movements, once initiated, are slow (bradykinesia). Walking, as James Parkinson noted, involves a bent-forward posture with shuffling, short steps and reduced swinging of the arms. Sometimes the body's center of gravity gets ahead of the feet's ability to catch up, resulting in the passing "from a walking to a running pace" that Parkinson described and is known as festination.
The physical exam also shows clumsiness in hands and feet. Increased muscle tone, called "rigidity," is encountered in the patient's neck and arm muscles, even while they are supposed to be relaxed.
Patients who have Parkinson's disease without tremor are often the most gratifying cases to treat. Having developed their problems slowly and having believed all along that their symptoms were due to agingComputer Technology Articles, they are happily astonished by the rapid improvement in function produced by appropriate medication.
(C) 2005 by Gary Cordingley
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gary Cordingley, MD, PhD, is a clinical neurologist, teacher and researcher who works in Athens, Ohio. For more health-related articles, see his website at: http://www.cordingleyneurology.com
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