Various health complications of Heroin abuse

June 5, 2015

Various health complications of Heroin abuse: Short and long term effects

Various health complications of Heroin abuse can be corrected if treatment is sought in good time

While looking at the elaborate information about heroin addiction in our previous article, we noted that various studies have established the undoubted prevalence of heroin addiction in this generation. Doctor Akoury establishment of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center has been taking the lead role in creating awareness about the scourge of addiction and most importantly offering lasting solutions to the victims. This is the spirit that every other organization should have and meticulously implement for us to have a vibrant healthy and economically productive society. Because of the addictiveness nature of heroin, the various health complications of heroin abuse are very indiscriminative and everybody is vulnerable in equal measures. With the help of professionals from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury, we are going to explore with a view of understanding some of the effects of heroin abuse in our health.

As we had mentioned before that there are three major means of administration of heroin into the body with injection being the most predominant, it has also been established that soon after injection or inhalation and heroin crosses the blood brain barrier. And while in the brain, heroin is converted to morphine and binds rapidly to opioid receptors. With these done abusers will typically report feeling a surge of pleasurable sensation, a “rush” which now brings us to the understanding of some of the short term effects of heroin abuse.

Various health complications of Heroin abuse: Short-term effects of heroin abuse

“Rush”
Depressed respiration
Clouded mental functioning
Nausea and vomiting
Suppression of pain
Spontaneous abortion

The intensity of the rush is a function of how much drug is taken and how rapidly the drug enters the brain and binds to the natural opioid receptors. It is important to note that heroin is particularly addictive because it enters the brain so quickly. With heroin, the rush is usually accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, and a heavy feeling in the extremities, which may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and severe itching. Doctor Akoury further explains that after the initial effects, abusers usually will be drowsy for several hours. Mental function is clouded by heroin’s effect on the central nervous system. Cardiac functions slow. Breathing is also severely slowed, sometimes to the point of death. Heroin overdose is a particular risk on the street, where the amount and purity of the drug cannot be accurately known.

Various health complications of Heroin abuse: What are the long-term effects of heroin use?

One of the most detrimental long-term effects of heroin is addiction itself which is a chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, and by neurochemical and molecular changes in the brain. Heroin also produces profound degrees of tolerance and physical dependence, which are also powerful motivating factors for compulsive use and abuse. Other long-term effects of heroin abuse may include the following:

Addiction
Infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C
Collapsed veins
Bacterial infections
Abscesses
Infection of heart lining and valves
Arthritis and other rheumatologic problems

The common denominator with all addictive drugs is that their users will become their prisoners. In the same way heroin abusers will by and by spend more of their time, energy and resources in obtaining and using the drug. And once addicted and are now prisoners of drugs, their primary purpose in life will be to seek for the drug and use it disorderly thereby making very significant changes in their brains. Besides that as they continue abusing the drug, physical dependence develops with higher doses of the same. This will then cause the body to adapt to the presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms occurring should the drug use be stopped abruptly. When we talk about withdrawal, it is important to note that this can take place even within few hours from the last usage. The following are some of the symptoms of withdrawal restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold sweats with goose bumps (“cold turkey”), and leg movements. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between 24 and 48 hours after the last dose of heroin and subside after about a week. However, some people have shown persistent withdrawal signs for many months. And even though heroin withdrawal may never be fatal to healthy adults, this may not be so with unborn children in the womb, it can cause death to the fetus of a pregnant addict.

When using heroin, it is important to note that the continued use of this substance may lead to the user being addicted to it. And this happens; many addicts will have to endure many of the withdrawal symptoms to reduce their tolerance for the drug so that they can again experience the rush. In the past explains doctor Akoury, physical dependence and emergence of withdrawal symptoms were believed to be the key features of heroin addiction. However studies have revealed that this may not be the case entirely, since craving and relapse can also occur weeks and months after withdrawal symptoms are long gone. We also know that patients with chronic pain who need opiates to function (sometimes over extended periods) have few if any problems leaving opiates after their pain is resolved by other means. This may be because the patient in pain is simply seeking relief of pain and not the rush sought by the addict.

Various health complications of Heroin abuse: What are the medical complications of chronic heroin abuse?

Finally medical consequences of chronic heroin abuse include scarred or collapsed veins, bacterial infections of the blood vessels and heart valves, abscesses (boils) and other soft-tissue infections, and liver or kidney disease. Lung complications (including various types of pneumonia and tuberculosis) may result from the poor health condition of the abuser as well as from heroin’s depressing effects on respiration. Many of the additives in street heroin may include substances that do not readily dissolve and result in clogging the blood vessels that lead to the lungs, liver, kidneys and the brain. This can cause infection or even death of small patches of cells in vital organs. Immune reactions to these or other contaminants can cause arthritis or other rheumatologic problems. And of course, sharing of injection equipment or fluids can lead to some of the most severe consequences of heroin abuse – infections with hepatitis B and C, HIV, and a host of other blood-borne viruses, which drug abusers can then pass on to their sexual partners and children. With these explanations, it is only prudent that if you are struggling with heroin addiction, then you need to seek for immediate treatment which can be done professionally if you schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. Up on receipt of your request they will slot you in for treatment and help you all the way to reclaim your life back professionally and confidentially.

Various health complications of Heroin abuse: Short and long term effects

Endothelial Progenitor Cells For Injured Tissue Repair

June 3, 2015

Endothelial Progenitor Cells Role on Injured Tissue

The endothelial progenitor cells are sourced from the bone marrow and have been found to have the ability to proliferate and differentiate in mature endothelial cells. However, these cells are not only sourced from the bone marrow alone but can also be found in large proportions in non-marrow sources like spleen which particularly has been found to be rich in EPCs. Isolated spleen-derived mononuclear cells, pre-selected with an endothelial cell medium, demonstrated endothelial cell characteristics and formed tubular-like structures. There are hopes that these cells can be used to sufficiently improve re-endothelialization and lessen neointima formation after carotid artery injury. In a trial, intravenous transfusion of spleen-derived EPCs in splenectomized mice showed special homing to the injured area. However, these results were only achieved when the host organ was removed. Thereafter, it was suggested that removal of the spleen prolonged the EPC time in circulation, which may result in a change of surface markers on the cell because of homing signals of the injury site thus favoring recruitment to the ischemic area rather than preferential homing to the organ of origin. With researchers still working to establish the mechanism with which the EPCs repair damaged tissues; there is hope that these cells can be useful in treatment of injured tissues.

Apart from the crucial role of maintaining the cardiovascular homeostasis that the vascular endothelial cells play, they also provide a physical barrier between the vessel wall and lumen. The endothelium also secretes a number of mediators that regulate platelet aggregation, coagulation, fibrinolysis, and vascular tone. However crucial functions the endothelium plays, it may lose its physiological properties and hence termed endothelial dysfunction. Incase this occurs it will not be able to promote vasodilation, fibrinolysis, and anti-aggregation as it normally does to ensure sound vascular health. Endothelial cells secrete several mediators that can alternatively mediate either vasoconstriction, such as endothelin-1 and thromboxane A2, or vasodilation, such as nitric oxide (NO), prostacyclin, and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor. Nitric oxide is the chief contributor to endothelium-dependent relaxation in conduit arteries; however the contribution of endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor predominates in smaller resistance vessels.

Restores endothelial functions

The endothelial progenitor cells are essential as they are immature but with the ability of differentiating into mature endothelial cells and hence may help restore the endothelial functions in case of injuries that may result in endothelial dysfunction. The release of growth factors and cytokines may cause vascular injury and tissue ischemia which will in turn mobilize endothelial progenitor Cells which will specifically home in on the ischemic sites to stimulate compensatory angiogenesis once in the peripheral circulation.

Furthermore, endothelial progenitor cells forms part of a pool of cells able to form a cellular patch at sites of endothelial injury, thus working directly to achieve the homeostasis and repair of the endothelial layer. Endothelial progenitor cells have now been identified to be playing a major role in cardiovascular biology, as a matter of fact, the extent of the circulating EPC pool is now considered a mirror of cardiovascular health. Practically all risk factors for atherosclerosis have been linked to declining population of circulating endothelial progenitor cells or their dysfunction. The increase in population of the circulating endothelial progenitor cells have been linked to decreased cardiovascular mortality.

One of the common diseases of the cardiovascular is atherosclerosis which is characterized by leucocyte infiltration, smooth muscle cell accumulation, and neointima formation. Basically atherosclerosis is a cardiovascular inflammatory disease. It has been shown that the activation and damage of the endothelial layer is what causes the development of lesions. Recent studies have disputed an earlier notion that the adjacent intact endothelium replaces the damaged endothelial cells. These studies have demonstrated the recruitment and incorporation of vascular progenitor cells into atherosclerotic lesions and thus providing evidence in support of the role of vascular cells in the development of the disease. The incorporation of endothelial progenitor cells into mice showed promising results. In a model of transplant atherosclerosis, regenerated endothelial cells from arterial grafts were found to originate from recipient circulating blood but not the remaining endothelial cells of the donor vessels. It was also found that the endothelial monolayer in a vein graft three days after surgery was completely lost and later replaced by circulating endothelial progenitors.

The endothelial progenitor cells are able to mediate vascular repair and attenuate the progression of this disease even when there is a continued vascular injury. treatment of chronic injuries have been done with endothelial progenitor cells in mice in trials , however the mechanism involved is still a mystery but it is clear that these EPCs contribute a big deal to the restoration of the injured endothelial layer. In one example, intravenous infusion of spleen-derived mononuclear cells increases endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in atherosclerotic mice, signifying that progenitor cells play an important role in repairing the vascular injury.

Finally, for more information about bone marrow transplant and stem cell transplantation, visit www.awaremednetwork.com. Dr. Dalal Akoury has been practicing integrative medicine for years; she will be able to help. You can also visit http://www.integrativeaddiction2015.com and learn more about the upcoming Integrative Addiction Conference 2015. The conference will deliver unique approaches to telling symptoms of addiction and how to assist patients of addiction.

Endothelial Progenitor Cells Role on Injured Tissue

Foods That Help Boost Serotonin Level

March 17, 2015

Foods That Raise Serotonin Level

Serotonin is one of the most important neurotransmitters in the brain. Serotonin helps in regulation of mood and sleep. According to recent research findings, when the level of serotonin is below optimum it can cause increased incidences of aggressive behavior. Low serotonin levels have also been linked to anxiety and depression. If the recent research findings have to be believed which of course they are, then low serotonin levels are dangerous as it may lead to suicidal acts. In terms of dieting, making sure you’re not serotonin deficient is vital because serotonin triggers satiety after eating. Depressed serotonin levels is the likely reason why the vast majority of people cannot stay on a very low carbohydrate diet for the long term without feeling an unavoidable need to binge which may lead to more complex disorders. In the brain the production of neurotransmitter happens naturally without intervention of any other drug, however when you have used the drugs of abuse for some time they will lead to depletion in the levels of the brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine. This therefore means that for healthy levels of serotonin to be achieved after use of drugs, there is need for replenishing and supplementing serotonin through diet. There are foods that are very helpful in raising the levels of serotonin . Here are some of them.

Serotonin

Fresh Vegetables

Fresh vegetables work in myriad ways to ensure good health. the greens are rich in various minerals and vitamins that go along way in boosting the levels of serotonin. some of the fresh vegetables that are actually beneficial in increasing the level of serotonin include Spinach which contains a substantial dose of folic acid. it is also a wonderful source of the mineral magnesium, a natural anxiety combatant. Without enough magnesium in your diet, you may find it hard to concentrate in addition to being fatigued and irritable. other foods that are rich in magnesium and hence helpful in boosting levels of serotonin include; cacao, seaweed, bananas, orange, tree nuts, peanuts, whole grains, corn, cheese, eggs, milk, and white fish.

Fresh Fruit

Fresh fruits are rich in nutritional content. The fresh fruits are rich in vitamins that serve the purpose of rejuvenating the body and giving it a healing approach as well as protecting the body and restoring crucial neurotransmitters like the serotonin which therefore helps in ensuring good moods. fruits are rich in B3 vitamins. these fruits may include watermelon, peaches, bananas, cantaloupe, and avocado. Generally, the B vitamins are very essential in restoration of neurotransmitters especially after a period of long term use of drugs of pleasure that are known to disrupt the functions of the neurotransmitters.

Apples

An apple a day keeps the devil away is a common adage. The health benefits of apples are many and this explains why it is always recommended for patients. A compound found in apples called “quercetin’ is an antioxidant that studies have shown may not only help in the prevention of cancer but may also play an important role in the prevention of neurodegenerative disorders. the medicinal abilities of this compound is confounding. It also helps in boosting serotonin as well as dopamine levels.

Herbs that Boost Serotonin Levels:

St. John’s wort -St. John’s wort is effective against mild to moderate depression, alleviates anxiety, insomnia, and irritability and eases pain. It increases the level of serotonin in the brain as well.

Dandelion– This herb is widely used in Europe as an excellent liver detoxifier and mild diuretic. It increases the flow of bile and encourages both the transformation and transportation of nutrients. It has been used historically to treat liver disorders, arthritis and gout. In the addict it will ease the transportation of nutrients in the body and restore energy in the cells as well as boost the level of serotonin.

Cannabis- though known for all the wrong reasons, cannabis has very high medicinal content, however it is highly addictive and that dictates that it be used in moderation as unregulated use can cause addiction. It works in a way that it increases the levels of excitatory neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.

Burdock– burdock has been used to treat other conditions ranging from arthritis to diabetes to hair loss, and it’s an active ingredient in some cancer treatments this herb is also good in resoring the levels of serotonin.

Ginseng– contrary to what many people believe , ginseng does not only increase the level of serotonin in the body but also works in rejuvenating, restorative, boosts energy and vitality and is tonic to the brain. Ginseng is often prescribed for patients fighting depression which is a common symptom of withdrawal from drug use. This herb is a better therapy for those who are under physical, emotional, mental or spiritual stress as it is a very strong antidepressant and adaptogenic. Ginseng promotes strong nerves, sound sleep, improves memory, clear thinking and enhances concentration.

Use of drugs for along time causes damage to the neurotransmitters. apart from the foods and the herbs, you can also increase the level of serotonin by sunlight. Bright light increases the production of Serotonin in the body. Basking in the sunlight can absolutely improve your mood and also soothe muscle aches. It is good to note that by increasing the level of serotonin in your body, you are setting good grounds for addiction treatment and recovery. However, these problems need to be treated effectively through integrative medicine. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an expert at this. Call her on (843) 213-1480 for help.

Foods That Raise Serotonin Level

Tag Archives: Blood–brain barrier