Drug Abuse: Ketamine

Recently I read an article by the BBC on the drug trade of Ketamine and the expansion of the illegal trade which got me thinking what is this stuff and what are some of the negative implications for its drug abuse.

Above you can see some of the "Street Names" for Ketamine.

So, Ketamine is considered as a disassociate anesthetic and originally saw its application in field military hospitals or with use in animals. However, it is also considered to be a clubbing drug due to the pleasant sensations it can give as well as a date rape drug due to a detached feeling some can experience.

Some useful articles I found for more information include the following.

http://www.webmd.com/depression/news/20140923/ketamine-depression
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/prescription/ketamine.html
http://www.drugs.com/cdi/ketamine.html

Public Spending on Health Graph

Spring Break Drugs

Here is a video from National Geographic I recently found regarding drug use and abuse during spring break. I thought it was interesting. I don't know if it is real or dramatized as much of real life TV is but I think there is some truth to it.

Keloids

So just recently as in this last week I have had some scar tissue appear on my index finger of my left hand. At first I though nothing of it and picked at tit which did not make it go away. Since then I have had my eye on it and have not seen it change much for better or for worse and I am pretty sure it might be a keloid. 

A keloid according to medline plus is "...a growth of extra scar tissue where the skin has healed after an injury." The first time I heard of keloids was in my undergrad where a professor who was a physician assistant still in practice mention them how they are technically harmless but have no official way to be treated or removed and if agitated can worsen. In short they are a more cosmetic issue but can be sensitive and painful to some people.

I am not sure why mine has formed but I do wonder how come this is at least in my mind a poorly understood topic in the medical world.

Shark Fins

So I just ran across this interesting slide show on the illegal shark fin trade.  Basically what is happening is there is a practice of de-finning sharks and letting them back into the ocean with the belief that well its just a fin.  Which releasing a wounded animal back into many ecosystems results in death.

To be honest I do not know that statistics on how many nor do I know all the details but what I do have to say is the continued practice of de-finning will have an impact on the ocean ecosystem.  And of course the tie in with this to public health would be the environmental health aspect.

here is the link to the story and slide show.

http://www.businessinsider.com/gordon-ramsays-shark-bait-documentary-2013-8

Being Active

Yep, I know it is an over done topic but it is an important one.  first I am going to cover a few of the basics.


GUIDELINES

this depends on on the situation such as are you healthy, your age and so forth however here are some guidelines created by the dept of Health and Human Services for an adult that is healthy (age 18-64).

"Adults should get at least two and a half hours (150 minutes) each week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity. You need to do this type of activity for at least 10 minutes at a time as intervals shorter than this do not have the same health benefits. Adults should also do strengthening activities, like push-ups, sit-ups and lifting weights, at least two days a week."

-http://www.fitness.gov/be-active/physical-activity-guidelines-for-americans/



I do have to admit it is interesting  that they point out how the duration needs to be at least ten minutes due to health benefits for shorter duration's are not the same, probably they are referring to cardiovascular health on this one.


CUSTOMIZATION


I wanted to cover this because exercise is only effective if it is done. Yeah who cares if you know how an Olympic athlete trains if it doesn't commit a change in what is done in your life.  That it is why I believe in creating a plan that fits whatever life and time limitations that you have  so that you can over time build up and be consistent because 1 week of intense exercise followed by months of idleness is not very effective either.

However regardless of  how you start I highly recommend doing some sort of activity that gets your heart working and some sort of activity for muscle building.


EXAMPLES

I have tried all kinds of exercises since I was 15 because I have wanted my body to be healthy and there have been so many research projects showing that there is a correlation between physical activity and health.  So here are some examples

A circuit of body weight exercises such as push ups, squats, planks etc.  I tried this for awhile and it seemed to help with my endurance and energy levels.

Heavy Compound weight exercises such as dead lift, clean & press etc.  I was very impressed with the results but you need the equipment and time and it left me dead afterwards every time which might not be practical if your a parent.

Activity based such as sports, hiking, swimming etc.  This one is great if that is were your joys are but that's the key you gotta love that stuff.

Any how that is all for today and of course this is very important to public health because due to the greater efficiency that technology brings we are becoming less active and in correlation with the decrease in activity several chronic illnesses have became common.

Flu Fact Sheet

Prime time for getting a flu shot is October however getting it late does not mean it is any less effective.

Most people killed from influenza in a typical season are 65 or older in modern times but influenza in history has killed millions of people.

It takes 2 weeks after vaccination for antibodies to be developed and be effectively immune but...

you could still get the flu after being vaccinated due to a very different strain exposed to your body.

There are two main kinds of vaccine administration 1) A shot of dead microbes in the muscle and 2) A nasal spray of weakened microbes ie. "Live Attenuated"

Generally there are only three strains of Flu in a vaccine per season and are decided by the CDC months ahead of Flu Season on what statistically might be the most prevalent

The "Stomach Flu" is not a type of influenza but is usually attributed to a different cause

Should you get a Flu shot?  Well it wont kill you and know it wont give you any side effects like autism, that is just a myth

Renewable Energy: VAWT

Not to rewrite what has already been written but here is a quick exposure to a not so new tech known as VAWT or Vertical Axis Wind Turbines.  First I am no engineer so I cannot refute or support the claims in the article that I am going to link but it  has peaked my interest.

For more info hit the link

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Energy-Matters/Vertical-Axis-Wind-Turbines-Comparison.aspx

Here are some images of hi and low tech creations of VAWT

Poor Health...A Series of Unfortunate Events

Poor Hygiene

Poor Nutrition

Inactivity

Obesity

Diabetes

Heart Disease

Death

Social Entrepreneurship

The internet is an interesting in which you can start in one place and end up in another.  I was searching for a topic to post in this blog and went from one thing to another until I found something of interest.

That when I cam upon Hopeful Staffing.  This is a social entrepreneurship organization.  For those of you who do not know what that is it is the combination of business beliefs with non profits in which you better humanity through a self sustaining program that can even make a profit, neat huh?

Pretty much what this organization is a staffing agency for the homeless.  I like social entrepreneurship because it takes creative thinking to help someone with out having to rely on someone else for funding when it comes to social programs.

Well here is a link to a short article on Hopeful Staffing.

http://socialinnovation.se/en/hopeful-staffing/

By the way this ties in to public health because public health in one description is just simply the bettering of everybody plus many programs are funded by organizations or/and the government.  I would love to see some social entrepreneurship in public health.

Cheers!

Sustainability

Today I was reading my many sources of articles and found this interesting article on up cycling materials.  This is just a rewording of taking garbage and recycling it into something of greater value.  Usually I am disappointed and mentally compare it to something a child would do in elementary, or it is something that requires a great deal of high tech capital to be able to perform.

This time however I was very impressed.  I know this is not quite the "public health" topic that is usually posted.  But I really like sustainability and the clever ways capitalism allows people to be ingenious to make money and sometimes help the world out.


Here is an interesting article cited in the above upper link with some impressive wear.

http://www.reclaimtowear.com/2012/topshop-reclaim-to-wear/

Bath Salts+ Inhaled = Zombie Attack???

For those in the U.S. this is all old hat about the man who got hopped up on bath salts and ate a man's face off.  For those who have not heard the story here is a news clip to get up to date.

So this being a blog on public health here is the tie in for this week: What goes on in a human's brain when they "do" bath salts.  Instead of ripping someone else's work I will just post a link here

http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2012/06/05/the-straight-dope-on-what-bath-salts-do-to-your-brain-and-why-theyre-dangerous/

and here

http://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/directors-page/messages-director/2011/02/bath-salts-emerging-dangerous-products

and here for an article done earlier on Mephedrone

http://everythingpublichealth.blogspot.com/2011/12/mephedrone-info-graphic.html

The basic gist from the first article is not so much what happens in the brain but quantity of dosage plus sleep deprivation equals chaotic behavior.  The second link is a quick blurb on what are bath salts and what are the active chemicals in these substances and the repercussions.

Drug abuse is a public health and safety issue all over the world.  They come in various forms and have various side effects but in my opinion , and being nothing more then just that, these drugs are used at first to fill a void in a persons life and then that is when these substances with there addictive potential take over a persons life.

If you want to see the results of the attack type "bath salt attack"  WARNING it is very gory.


links for more information on drug abuse from the blog

http://everythingpublichealth.blogspot.com/2012/01/desomorphine-krokodil.html

http://everythingpublichealth.blogspot.com/2012/02/infograph-mexican-drug-wars.html

Prosthetics

Of the Past...

And of the not so future...

Hobbit Homes and the Environment

Ok, ok. Maybe that is a bit of stretch from what this post is really about but hopefully I got your attention any ways.  Really what I have is some information on a organization/pseudo movement known as

Creativity

Philip Montgomery for the Wall Street Journal
Illustrations by Serge Bloch

Today's link and blurb are on creativity.  Yes, I know sounds like a topic that belongs on an art website but I wanted to mention this on public health because in the field of public health the problems are so diverse

Infograph: Mexican Drug Wars

Mexico has been having quite the battle with the major drug cartels in the country over the last couple years
and the media has not been shy about showing us that, but who are the major players in this mess hit the link for a infograph that breaks down the major groups and their leaders.

For larger more visible image take link to source:


http://www.good.is/post/transparency-who-s-who-in-the-mexican-drug-wars/



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Darfur in 10 Minutes

Darfur it's one of those names of a region that many people have heard but don't know why or what is the big deal about it.  This is a 10 minute clip going into the major "Drivers" of the current situation.  I will be first to admit I don't know the whole scenario but based on what I already knew from other sources this hits it on the button and provided additional insight.  Hope it helps clarify Darfur for you to.  P.S. Stuff like this totally has impact on public health in the international sense because war zones have all kinds of public health needs.

link for video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USLDoIiFzzg

Desomorphine (Krokodil)

Desomorphine is a designer drug that has became popular in Russia.  However I find this one very interesting because of the intense damage it inflicts on a users body.

Drug Resistant Tuberculosis

Bacteria adapting to medicine and there by making it ineffective has been a public health concern for years now especially among those who's body immune systems are weakened by HIV or old age.  Her are a few articles on the current trend seen among resistant Tuberculosis.


http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46010460/ns/today-today_health/t/india-reports-new-strain-totally-drug-resistant-tuberculosis/#.TxRQtm-JdDQ

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/tuberculosis/understanding/whatistb/scientificillustrations/pages/extensivelydrugresistantillustration.aspx




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Public Health Jobs

Health Center Manager
Planned Parenthood
Stapleton, CO

https://plannedparenthoodext.hire.com/viewjob.html?optlink-view=view-67708&ERFormID=newjoblist&ERFormCode=any


Epidemiologist
Georgia Dept of Public Health
Atlanta, Georgia

http://cfusion.sph.emory.edu/PHEC/JobDetails.cfm?JobID=38036