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Adipose Derived Stem Cells and Brain Regenerative Addiction

April 20, 2015

Adipose Derived Stem Cells for Brain Regenerative Addiction

Addiction to drugs is known for their adverse health effects. After using drugs for a long time a person’s health become deteriorated leading to myriads of complications. The part of the body that is the most adversely affected is the brain. The brain and the entire nervous system are subjected to lots of damage after a long use of drugs of abuse. The brain works together with the neurotransmitters to pass messages in order to initiate certain responses but after along use of drugs of abuse the coordination between them becomes altered. Neurotransmitters are very crucial in the nervous system. They are the chemicals that transmit messages from one nerve cell to another. Nerve cells are known as neurons. The nerve impulse travels from the first nerve cell through the axon, a single smooth body arising from the nerve cell to the axon terminal and the synaptic knobs. Each synaptic knob communicates with a dendrite or cell body of another neuron, and the synaptic knobs contain neurovesicles that store and release neurotransmitters. The synapse lies between the synaptic knob and the next cell. For the impulse to continue traveling across the synapse to reach the next cell, the synaptic knobs release the neurotransmitter into that space, and the next nerve cell is stimulated to pick up the impulse and continue it. An interference with the neurotransmitters can adversely affect the flow of message within the nervous system. After prolonged use of drugs they interfere with the harmonious flow of information from the brain to the rest of the body maiming its normal functions. There are myriads of neurotransmitters that are affected by prolonged use of drugs of pleasure.

Adipose Derived Stem Cells

Some of the neurotransmitters that are adversely affected during addiction

Dopamine is one of the neurotransmitters that are highly targeted by drugs of pleasure. Due to the ‘high’ feelings it is associated with, some people have called it the ‘bliss neurotransmitter’. It is responsible for good feeling, the euphoric feelings that drug addicts seek from various drugs of abuse. Dopamine has great influence on well-being, alertness, learning, creativity, attention and concentration. Levels of dopamine should be optimal in the brain since when the level of dopamine is low it can leave us craving food, sex or stimulation. When the dopamine level is too high it can cause addictive behaviors. It has been observed that patients who are put on medications to boost dopamine level especially the Parkinson’s patient, they will form an addictive behavior like gambling when the levels of dopamine shoots beyond the optimal level. Dopamine boosts the feelings of pleasure but when the levels are too high it may result in Paranoia or a suspicious personality. Dopamine is also released when there is high stress. Therefore the level of dopamine should be regulated to ensure sound health. This is where the functions of inhibitory neurotransmitters set in, however with influence of drugs this coordination between excitatory neurotransmitters and inhibitory neurotransmitters is maimed.

Some drugs of pleasure contain nicotine which influences mood, cognition, and body function by binding to and activating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) located on neurons in the brain. When activated by either nicotine or the endogenous neurotransmitter acetylcholine, the nAChR opens a channel that allows ions to pass through the neuron’s membrane from the exterior to the interior of the cell and trigger changes that activate the cell. When you take tobacco or other drug with nicotine the nicotine will have interactions with nAChRs and therefore any nicotine dependence treatment should focus on altering these interactions.

Nicotine produces rewarding effects by interacting with nAChRs on neurons in the brain’s mesolimbic reward system. This system comprises dopaminergic neurons that originate in the ventral tegmental area often shortened as VTA and release the neurotransmitter dopamine in regions involved in information processing, memory, and emotions, such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc), hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Increases in dopamine levels within the mesolimbic system give rise to rewarding effects. Nicotine directly enhances dopamine levels in the mesolimbic system by interacting with nAChRs on the dopaminergic neurons and causing them to release more of the neurotransmitter. Nicotine also modulates dopamine release indirectly by binding to nAChRs located on excitatory glutamatergic and inhibitory gamma aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) neurons in the ventral tegmental area. These glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons originate from a number of brain areas, such as the NAc, hippocampus, PFC, amygdala, ventral pallidum, and pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus, and regulate the activity of dopaminergic neurons.

Adipose Derived Stem Cells

Using Adipose derived stem cells to restore the health of the brain

As explained above the brain chemistry is adversely altered after prolonged use of drugs of abuse and these calls for restoration and regeneration of the brain during addiction treatment. Today researchers have found that adipose derived stem cells can be used in regenerating and restoring the neurotransmitters that are affected during drug addiction. The stem cells can be used to create healthy cells in situations where drugs have damaged cells. This can be done by taking healthy stem cells and transplanting them into the nervous system through an IV. Through this doctors can cause changes in brain and body chemical compositions that offer a key to healing problems such as alcoholism and drug addiction. The healthy stem cells are capable of changing the chemical composition of our brains and how the brain works. When healthy stem cells are transplanted into the damaged brain area. In the case of drugs; the area of the brain that controls impulses and chemical reactions to substances they begin to rebuild that area without the previous cellular dysfunction. This means that brain functions that facilitate addiction will be done with.  Stem cells are the best remedy as they are new and have no mutations that therefore restore the affected areas to equilibrium and facilitating whole-body healing of the addict.

Here at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center we are committed to availing the best integrative approaches to treatment of diseases. We advocate for dietary as well as natural healing to diseases wherever possible. Visit as at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) will be of help.

Adipose Derived Stem Cells for Brain Regenerative Addiction

 

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Stem Cell Therapy for Addiction Treatment

March 25, 2015

Adipose Derived Stem Cell Therapy for Integrative Addiction Treatment

Addiction treatmentAddiction was, is and will continue to be a problem in the society. Today addiction stands as one of the most complicated diseases of the human race. It is not very easy to heal from addiction and many factors contribute to this. One of the factors is that after a prolonged use of drugs a person’s neurotransmitters are damaged and therefore the communication between the nerves is altered. The nervous system is the most affected system of the body after a prolonged drug use with neurotransmitter such as dopamine, GABA and serotonin being the most affected neurotransmitters. After a long term use of certain drugs, the level of GABA will be depleted to a point where it will be at an all-time low. This will lead to myriad of complications as the nerve impulses will be unregulated. This will lead to such problems as anxiety, depression, cognitive impairment and seizures among other diseases. Without restoring the level of GABA to healthy limits, any attempt to treat an addict will be ineffective. Dopamine levels will also be low and this will lead to depression and anxiety which are major symptoms of addiction. The use of drugs of abuse affects the neurotransmitters adversely and therefore there is need to restore the health of the neurotransmitters in order to do away with the addicted brain. This can be achieved through integrative addiction treatment which involves using both orthodox ways of addiction treatment and recovery as well as other alternative addiction treatments that have been hailed for effectiveness. One of the alternative addiction treatments that have been targeted by many researchers is the use of adipose derived stem cell therapy.

Why adipose derived stem cell therapy?

By now you know that the stem cells possess a rare ability to differentiate into different cells and therefore are capable to be used in replacing worn tissues cells and part of organs that are damaged as a result of prolonged drug use.

The stem cells can be derived from the adipose tissues where they are available in large quantities. having been derived from the adipose tissues the stem cells can thereafter be supplemented into areas where they are mostly needed to help correct the damages caused by addiction. After a prolonged use of drugs the brain chemistry becomes altered and this causes imbalances between the excitatory neurotransmitters like the dopamine and the inhibitory neurotransmitters like the GABA. When this happens the addict will continue using the drug to normalize the situation by heightening the falling dopamine level as opposed to initial use of the drug to heighten the dopamine level in order to induce feelings of euphoria. This explains why some people who have used drugs for a long time are always at their ‘ lows’. With the stem cell therapy this defect can be corrected and the balance in the brain chemistry can be achieved.

The use of stem cell therapy in treating of illnesses is not new, it is has since become a vital component of regenerative medicine and its application in integrative addiction treatment should not raise eyebrows. As it is used in treatment of other diseases to create living and functional tissues, regenerate and repair tissue and organs in the body that are damaged due to age, disease and congenital defects it can be used in addicts to correct defects in the brain chemistry and restore the balance. Stem cells have the power to go to these damaged areas and regenerate new cells and tissues by performing a repair and a renewal process, restoring functionality.

Using adipose derived stem cell therapy for addiction

Current research has found Stem cell therapies to be effective in treating genetic diseases such as alcoholism and drug addiction at their source. Being the basic cells in the body that are charged with a responsibility of rebuilding and healing dysfunction and disorder. The stem cells can be used to create healthy cells in situations where genetic pre-dispositions cause destruction. This can be done by taking healthy stem cells and transplanting them into the infected area. Through this doctors can cause changes in brain and body chemical compositions that offer a key to healing problems such as alcoholism and drug addiction.

Addiction TreatmentThe healthy stem cells are capable of changing the chemical composition of our brains and how the brain works. When healthy stem cells are transplanted into the damaged brain area. In the case of drugs; the area of the brain that controls impulses and chemical reactions to substances they begin to rebuild that area without the previous cellular dysfunction. This means that brain functions that facilitate addiction will be done with.

As known the body cells die while some are born replacing the worn out cells. Typically due to mutation, mutated cells will give rise to malfunctioning cells just like they and this will affect the whole body leading to rise of diseases. Stem cells are the best remedy as they are new and have no mutations that therefore restore the affected areas to equilibrium and facilitating whole-body healing of the addict.

In conclusion, the health of neurotransmitters matters a lot and now that it is known that some drugs depletes these neurotransmitters there is need for treatment of addiction in a manner that restores the functions of the entire nervous system. This is why here at AWAREmed we are dedicated to finding the best solutions to addiction and dependence on substances. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is always in the mood of helping any patient to be addiction free. Call on her for help.

Adipose Derived Stem Cell Therapy for Integrative Addiction Treatment

 

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Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse

March 13, 2015

Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse: Prevention Treatment and Home Remedies

Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse

Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse as a means of eliminating drug abuse

If we have to defeat drug use and abuse from our societies then we must chose to change the game. It must not be business as usual for both the victims and the affected. Drug abuse is decaying the moral fabric of our societies and we must all say yes to the principal of adopting the right mechanisms for cocaine abuse and other drugs. Doctor Akoury is championing for the prevention approach. She says that it is always easy to prevent than to let it happen then start treatment. In line of this fact, ideally prevention of drug abuse whether it is cocaine or any other should start early just when one is planning to get pregnant. A lot of damage is done when the baby is still in the womb that manifests itself as they grow into preadolescent years. If we can achieve this then we will be left with handling the growing preadolescent year’s cases for all children and more so for those who are at risk. When defining those at risk it would mean the inclusion of children born in families with a history of any addiction such as alcoholism and drug use. We can also further simplify the concept by teaching children to say NO to use of tobacco products, alcohol, and drugs. This may look simple but achieving it may not nonetheless if it is done then it is an excellent prevention tool. If we can keep the children and our mothers planning to give us future generations from the gateway drugs of nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana, then we may be able to prevent the escalation to harder drugs such as cocaine and therefore protect people from the long-term effects of drug use.

Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse: Diagnosis of Cocaine Abuse

Often, the final diagnosis of someone who is abusing cocaine is not made by emergency department evaluation and may require admission to the hospital, further testing, and results of tests, which take time or are not done in a hospital emergency department.

Overall, the doctor will conduct whatever tests are necessary to evaluate the symptoms of someone with cocaine-induced conditions. In addition to a physical exam and medical history, tests may include blood and urine analysis, chest X-ray, CT scans, MRI scans, and spinal tap.

  • Cocaine-induced headaches can include such conditions as tension headache, stroke (bleed in head), sinusitis, meningitis, or brain abscess.
  • Cocaine-induced seizures might indicate more serious problems such as bleeding in the brain, meningitis, very high blood pressure with organ injury, or low blood pressure, respiratory failure, and heart problems. Infants may experience seizures caused by parents’ smoking cocaine in their presence. It is important to note that this is a form of child abuse and should immediately be reported to local child-welfare services.
  • Psychiatric complications caused by cocaine abuse may include cocainomania, anxiety, hallucinations, paranoia, psychoses, violence, major depression, suicidal or homicidal tendencies, or attempted suicide or homicide.
  • Nasal and throat complications of cocaine abuse can include diagnoses of nasal itching, postnasal drip, nosebleed, sinusitis, laryngitis, and perforated nasal septum.
  • Pulmonary diagnoses may include pneumonia, bronchitis, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema), asthma or reactive airway disease, or a collapsed lung.
  • Cardiovascular complications include heart problems such as chest pain, heart attack, abnormal heart rhythms, and various heart conditions that can lead to sudden death.
  • Pregnancy complications may include vaginal bleeding, threatened abortion, incomplete abortion, spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage. Ultrasound may be used to establish the diagnosis in these cases.
  • Infectious complications may include cellulitis, shooter’s abscess, lung abscess, brain abscess, septic shock, hepatitis, and any of the opportunistic infections associated with AIDS if you are HIV infected. Poor decision making associated with cocaine abuse also increases the risk of infection with other sexually transmitted diseases.
  • Body packers and stuffers may have various diagnoses depending on whether the packets leak or remain intact. If they leak, the diagnoses may be massive cocaine intoxication with seizures, high temperatures, hypertension, muscle breakdown, heart attack, abnormal heart rhythms, kidney failure, and death. If the abuser has no symptoms with normal vital signs and refuses medical care, invasive procedures may not be done until proper legal documentation has been provided.

Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse: Treatment and Home Remedies

First and foremost, the cocaine abuser must stop using the drug and other drugs that accompany its use. Not many complications of cocaine use can be treated at home. The most common complications are psychiatric in nature.

  • Anxiety, mild agitation, loss of appetite, insomnia, irritability, mild panic attacks, mild depression, and mild headaches could probably be treated at home by quitting use of the drug and observing the user.
  • Runny noses, nasal congestion, and brief nosebleeds can also be cared for at home by stopping the drug, increasing the humidity of the air breathed in with vaporizers and humidifiers, and direct nasal pressure for 10 minutes to stop the nosebleed. Apply a topical antibiotic such as bacitracin or petroleum jelly to help with the drying and crusting. Avoid nose picking.
  • The chronic cough or coughing up of black non-bloody phlegm can be treated again by cessation of cocaine smoking and other drugs such as tobacco or marijuana. Over-the-counter cough medicines containing the ingredient guaifenesin, the active compound in Robitussin, plus increased water drinking may help.
  • IV drug users who continue to use cocaine may lower their exposure to communicable diseases and infection by not reusing or sharing needles. Cleansing the skin properly prior to the injection also decreases the risk of infection.

Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse: Follow-up

It is important that strict adherence of a follow-up program should be observed without any amendments as was presented on discharge from the hospital. When one is addicted to drugs the whole family suffers therefore treatment options should be tailored to meet the individual’s family needs. The extended relatives should also be included in the treatment plan where is possible. This may consist of follow-ups with a drug counselor for therapy, as well as treatment by a psychiatrist, family doctor, internist, infectious-disease specialist, obstetrician, general surgeon or heart surgeon. Finally dear reader, the principal of adopting the right mechanisms for cocaine abuse should be seen as a stepping stone to lasting solutions. This is very important because since there is little medication treatment for cocaine addiction, rehabilitation becomes one of the best options you have. This can be professionally done at the home of solutions (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care) when you visit us at this facility we will focus on developing a good working relationship with you (cocaine addict) to professionally address the underlying strengths and helping you develop strategies for recovery which will include abstaining from drug use and reducing their cravings. Up on scheduling for an appointment with doctor Akoury, your situation will be evaluated and in confidence offer the best treatment recovery approach.

Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse: Prevention Treatment and Home Remedies

 

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Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine

March 13, 2015

Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine: The consequences of Cocaine Abuse

Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine

Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine. Having this drug around you all the time can be one of the reasons why you cant quite

We all know that drug abuse is not healthy for any one’s life. Any drug abused has with it great consequences. It may not matter the intensity of the drug used, the common denominator is that there are real consequences. Again it may not matter the different methods of their usage or why they are used because it does not change the consequences. A lot has been said about drug abuse and ideally good coverage has been done to create awareness of the seriousness of these drugs. Cocaine is one of the many abused drugs today and it has caught our attention. And for that reason having talked to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury, we want to interrogate some of the methods and reasons why people abuse cocaine and drugs generally. In the meantime, as we get into the discussion, if you are struggling with drug addiction (not just cocaine) help is very close near you if only you can schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury for professional direction today. Now back to the discussion, we are going to be looking at cocaine abuse in relation to the US even though this is not just a problem affecting the US alone but it is a global problem.

Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine: Methods of abuse

This drug cocaine often come in the powdered hydrochloride salt form and it can be used in various ways including injection, mixed with liquor, swallowed, or applied to oral, vaginal, or even rectal mucous membranes. It is commonly snorted or sniffing as many would prefer. When snorted, the usual procedure is placing a thin line of coke say of about 0.3 cm wide by 2.5 cm long, on an uneven surface. The finely divided powder is then snorted (inhaled quickly) into a nostril through a cylindrical plastic tube or glass straw or a rolled currency bill. The procedure is then repeated within a few minutes using the other nostril. And besides these tools of snorting if you allow me, there are also other special spoons and paraphernalia available for snorting cocaine.

It must be noted that cocaine use is generally not taken orally by mouth for recreational purposes. Because the drug is illegal, people have done much wired things when smuggling the drug for sale. As a result of these toxic reactions, including death, have occurred in some people who swallowed the drug to avoid police detection or border authorities. It may sound funny but this is how far people can go to ensure that the drug is available for market. Therefore this means of transport or packaging in a smuggling attempt is known as body packing. This crystalline white powder (cocaine) can also dissolve easily in water and used intravenously (“slammed”). Under this form, it has a high melting point and therefore cannot be smoked. Nonetheless this is the most widely used form of the drug.

Freebasing involves the conversion of cocaine hydrochloride into cocaine sulfate that is “free” of the additives and nearly 100% pure. It does not dissolve in water easily and has a low melting point and therefore smoking it would be the better option for usage. Those using this runs the risk of being burned by the conversion process because of a highly volatile solvent, such as ether, is being used.

Crack is extracted from powder cocaine using baking soda and heat which is relatively safe method compared with the ether technique. The waxy base becomes rocks of cocaine, ready to be sold in vials. This rock cocaine is also easy to smoke, the most common form of use in the streets. Cocaine sulfate is also available as coca paste known as basuco, bazooka, piticin, pistol, pitillos, or tocos and is widely smoked in South America. Users of this drug prefers it because it is resistant to destruction by heat meaning that it can be either be smoked in cigarettes, including marijuana cigarettes, or in coke pipes. Remember that smoking the freebase produces a more powerful effect and quite swiftly, however it must be noted that it can also be more dangerous primarily because what is called the safe dose can easily be exceeded.

Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine: Why is cocaine very addictive?

It has been established by different researcher that when cocaine is involved, all laboratory animals can become compulsive cocaine consumers. Animals will work more persistently at pressing a bar for cocaine than for any drug, including opiates. In one of the studies an addicted monkey pressed the bar nearly 12,800 times just to get a single dose of cocaine. This therefore communicates that if the animal survives, then it will definitely make a return to the task of obtaining more cocaine. Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center agree that just like the animals reaction so is the human response being similar to that of the laboratory animal. The cocaine dependent human beings will prefer it to all other activities and will use the drug until the user or the supply is exhausted. The consequence of this is that such people will show behavior entirely different from their previous lifestyle.

Cocaine-driven humans will compel themselves to perform unusual acts compared with their former standards of conduct. This is a very sad example but all the same it can happen. A cocaine user may sell his/her child just to get more cocaine. There are many stories of professionals, such as lawyers, physicians, bankers, and athletes, with daily habits costing hundreds to thousands of dollars, with binges in the range of thousands of dollars. Cocaine doesn’t have any respect for your status or office it can destroy you resulting in loss of job and profession, loss of family, friends and housing, bankruptcy, committing crimes, and death.

Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine: Effects

The method of use dictates the onset of activity and duration of its effects as follows:

  • If snorted for example, the effects will peak within 30 minutes with its duration of effect lasting one to three hours.
  • If swallowed with alcohol, effects peak in 30 minutes and last about three hours.
  • If used intravenously or inhaled/smoked, the effects peak in seconds to two minutes but last only 15-30 minutes.
  • The breakdown products of the drug will be excreted and can be detected in the urine for 24-72 hours and for chronic users, it can be detected for up to two weeks.

Finally this drug is not any you can play around with. You and I we have a duty to save the situation where we can. Therefore let us pool together and do the noble thing by calling the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center for professional solutions today without any further delays.

Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine: The consequences of Cocaine Abuse

 

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Cocaine Abuse is an endless Phenomenon

March 13, 2015

Cocaine Abuse is an endless Phenomenon: Important Facts about Cocaine

Cocaine Abuse is an endless Phenomenon

Cocaine Abuse is an endless Phenomenon and it use is causing more harm to life. Snorting cocaine is one of the most commonly used method

It is true that cocaine is currently one of the most abused major stimulant drugs not just in America but across the globe. Surprisingly it has recently become the drug most frequently involved in emergency department visits. Cocaine may not be newly abused drug but all the same it is often considered the “caviar” of recreational drugs. Nonetheless this difference is reflected in its descriptions. The cocaine abuse is an endless phenomenon and has been given called the champagne of drugs, gold dust, Cadillac of drugs, status stimulant, yuppie drug, and others. Besides those nouns it also has other street names which are used depending on its appearance or method of use. Such street names may include flake, snow, toot, blow, nose candy, her, she, lady flake, liquid lady “a mixture of cocaine and alcohol”, speedball [cocaine and heroin], crack, rock. In all these names cocaine is commonly known as coke. The name is actually not very important for us says doctor Akoury. Our interest is not in the name because the name alone doesn’t affect life. Whether you nick name it what the impact on its usage is the same and that is our point of concern. That is why we have the choice topic of cocaine abuse is an endless phenomenon.

Even though this is a global problem, we want to zero it down to US for the purpose of this article. The available statistics regarding the use of cocaine in the US is worrying. It is estimated that by 2012 children as young as 12 years representing the younger lot and moving to adulthood had used cocaine. That translates to about 1.7 minion people. And in that same time it is estimated that up to 1.1 million people had suffered from cocaine abuse or dependence. The other important facts about cocaine use include the drop in cocaine use is that men tend to be the biggest users of the drug more often than women. And in fact adults of between 18-25 years of age are by far the highest rate of cocaine use.

Even as we venture into this discussion of cocaine abuse is an endless phenomenon, myths about the drug will always be there and one common myth is that cocaine is not addictive because it lacks the physical withdrawal symptoms seen in alcohol or heroin addiction. In paper that may sound factual, however cocaine does have influential psychological addictive properties. This has been demonstrated by more than one user in the past and in quotes, “if it is not addictive, then why can’t I stop?” That is actually the common statement given by all users of cocaine further confirming the addictive power in this drug. Like for instance, currently the tendency in drug abuse in the United States is currently numerous or poly-drug abuse, and cocaine is not immune either. It is often used with alcohol, sedatives such as diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), or heroin, as an upper/downer combination. Normally in instances like this the other drug is used to moderate the side effects of the primary addiction.

If I may ask why do we say that cocaine abuse an endless phenomenon? The answer to that is in the pattern in which this drug is being used. It appears that at every stage of life there is a group of users who graduate to the next stages and the vicious cycle continues. For example, while college students tend to abuse alcohol more than teens the same age who do not go on to college, non-college students seem to abuse cocaine, as well as marijuana and tobacco, more than their peers who attend college. A common poly-drug abuse problem, seen especially in adolescents, is cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana. If nothing is done then this generation of cocaine, alcohol and marijuana will graduate to collage with this baggage on their shoulders then to adulthood and finally old age. In dealing with this problem, it is important that we appreciate that drug-use disorders spare no one and it cuts across all societies. It has no respect for gender, age, profession, race, religion, or physical attributes.

Cocaine Abuse an endless Phenomenon: History

The ultimate objective of this article is to understand the effects of cocaine abuse and dopamine deficiency syndrome. But before we get there, let us get an overview of the history of this drug. Cocaine is a naturally occurring alkaloid usually extracted from the leaves of the coca shrub, which was originally found in the Andes Mountains of Peru and Bolivia. With its appreciation as a lucrative cash crop, it is now cultivated in Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, the West Indies, Ecuador, and Java. Coca leaves were mixed with lime and chewed by the Peruvian Indians as early as the sixth century to allay the effects of cold, hunger, and fatigue. It is still used as such as a gift from the Sun God. In this sense, coca is an important sociocultural tradition for Peruvian and Bolivian Indians and should not be confused with the cocaine snorting, smoking, and injecting of the Western abuser. Coca was later introduced to Europe, where the alkaloid cocaine was isolated. Its medicinal effects on depression, alcohol and morphine addiction, fatigue, and as a local anesthetic were discovered. However, these discoveries were not without cost to those who experimented with it. The result was addiction and dependency on the drug.

Cocaine Abuse is an endless Phenomenon: A brain tonic

Interestingly around 1886, an elixir containing cocaine from the coca leaf and caffeine from the African kola nut was introduced in Atlanta. It was traded as a brain tonic recommended as a medication for headaches, alcoholism, morphine addiction, abdominal pain, and menstrual cramps. This elixir, appropriately named Coca-Cola, rapidly became one of the most popular elixirs in the country. However because of the adverse effects of cocaine, appreciated even then, the Coca-Cola Company decided to use a de cocainized coca leaves in 1903. At this time cocaine was under strict control in the United States in 1914 with the Harrison Narcotic Act. It was finally listed as a narcotic and dangerous. Though its use is dangerous, it is not a narcotic, but its use is subject to the same penalties as those for opium, morphine, and heroin.

Cocaine Abuse is an endless Phenomenon: Limited medical use

Cocaine has little medical use. Because of its anesthetic effect, it was used for eye surgery. But because of its profound ability to vasoconstriction blood vessels (that is, make veins and arteries narrow, thus stopping bleeding), it can lead to scarring and delayed healing of the cornea. Medications that are chemically similar to cocaine are available for use in the nose for surgery, stopping nosebleeds, and as a local anesthetic for cuts in children. We are going to continue with is discussion looking at how and why people abuse cocaine both in the past and present but in the meantime if you have any concern about cocaine abuse, you can schedule for an appointment with the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center and doctor Dalal Akoury will be of great help to you.

Cocaine Abuse is an endless Phenomenon: Important Facts about Cocaine

 

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