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Happy New Year! New research on Binge Drinking.

12/30/2014

In a little more than 24 hours we will be celebrating the arrival of 2015. Some of us are likely to celebrate too much with alcohol so today’s research comes at a good time.[i] Research conducted at the University of Maryland by Dr. Majid Afshar and published in the journal Alcohol indicates that binge drinking is bad for us in an unexpected way.[ii] Most of us are familiar with the common bad outcomes of drunkenness such as hangovers and arrest for drunk driving.

Those involved in healthcare often see the worst outcomes. Trauma injuries from falls, car wrecks and other accidents result in hospital stays and at times death. Alcohol poisoning due to drinking too much in a short time (binge drinking) is common enough that my home state passed a law to help. The law encourages the friends of anyone who has drunk so much that they could die to call for help without fear of being arrested for underage drinking.

The unexpected outcome in the research was that an episode of binge drinking suppresses the immune system. After drinking 4 to 5 ounces of vodka the subjects in the study reached the legal definition of intoxication and impairment with a blood alcohol level of 0.8. After the drinking started blood tests were drawn to measure the level of immune system activity at twenty minutes, two hours and four hours.

The results showed that after an initial increase in immune activity at twenty minutes, the immune systems response fell below normal. This is important when you consider that people injured while drinking often find themselves needing an intact immune system to fight infection. I suppose it’s just another good reason to stay sober.

While the Bible does not forbid drinking alcohol, it does tell us not to get drunk! “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,” (Ephesians 5:18 NAS) Plainly Paul tells us that binge drinking has no place in the life of the Christian. And, medical science tells us just another reason why.

[i]Loyola University Health System. "Binge drinking disrupts immune system in young adults, study finds." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 December 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141229092606.htm>.

[ii] Majid Afshar, Stephanie Richards, Dean Mann, Alan Cross, Gordon B. Smith, Giora Netzer, Elizabeth Kovacs, Jeffrey Hasday. Acute Immunomodulatory Effects of Binge Alcohol Ingestion. Alcohol, 2014; DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2014.10.002

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Marijuana& Real Research: The Results Aren’t Good!

12/21/2014

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Every once in a while I feel obligated as a physician to sound the warning about the dangers of marijuana when used as medicine and for recreational purposes. Please understand that I am all for real research about whatever possible real medical uses there could be for the active ingredients in pot. What I oppose is the testimonial folk medicine that is being used in this country to push through the legalization of “medical” marijuana and eventually recreational pot as well.

This week some real research was reported about one of the “qualifying conditions” for using medical marijuana that many states have approved and the results are not good. It has been assumed that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD could be helped by the “calming” effect of smoking marijuana. The research showed that instead of helping the symptoms of PTSD, the drug may make them worse and increase violent behavior.[i]

The study included 2276 patients in a Veterans Administration program for treating PTSD. Patients who never used responded with a noticeably lower symptom rate than those who continued the use or started it while in the program. Patients who stopped after they left the program benefitted from quitting marijuana with a lower symptom rate as well.

The most concerning aspect of the research was that those who started smoking pot after they left the program had the most problems with violent behavior. While all of the study groups saw improvement in violence scores, those who started using marijuana after they completed the treatment program improved the least. "This was a surprise because generally, marijuana is not thought to be associated with violence. There's been a little bit of literature investigating this, but this was interesting," said Dr Samuel T. Wilkinson from the Yale University School of Medicine.

It would appear that Marijuana does not help PTSD. Beyond that marijuana is an addictive drug that can result in patients having psychotic episodes. In addition, the most common way that it is used is by smoking. The idea that smoking pot can be safe is just as ridiculous as the idea that smoking tobacco is safe and harmless.

While there may be some limited use for the active ingredients in marijuana, PTSD does not appear to be one of them. Until real research defines what use marijuana may have, the risks outweigh the benefits for most all patients.

[i] Medical Marijuana May Worsen PTSD Symptoms, Increase Violence
Deborah Brauser December 15, 2014 Medscape.com. I will post the link to the article on Twitter and Facebook.
All quotes and information in this blog come from this article.

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Depression: A Problem or a Useful Tool?

12/12/2014

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It is always fun when someone gets a grant to do research that confirms something we might have known from reading our Bibles. And, so it is from an interview in Science Daily and an article in PLoS ONE. The question is whether or not there is some useful aspect to depression.

A study published this past month by researchers at McMaster University examined the idea that depression isn’t just a disease.[i] Instead, they believed it could be a useful tool for those in the middle of real life struggles. One of the researchers, Paul Andrews, said the following about this question. “Depression has long been seen as nothing but a problem. We are asking whether it may actually be a natural adaptation that the brain uses to tackle certain problems. We are seeing more evidence that depression can be a necessary and beneficial adaptation to dealing with major, complex issues that defy easy understanding.”[ii]

The researchers developed a test to measure an important aspect of the thinking of those with depression; analytic rumination. The authors did not want to diminish the importance of serious depression. However, they believed that understanding how people think while they are depressed could give an insight into how to help. Analytic rumination is a kind of thinking in which the individual focuses strongly on the problem they face. It is difficult to distract them and as a result they may neglect important things such as eating, friendships, work, and sleep. The researchers believed that this concentration of thinking may be a natural and somewhat involuntary response.

The idea that depression may be a normal response to the stresses and strains of life is nothing new. A growing number of those in professions that care for those labeled with depression believe that most of those labeled with depression today are struggling with normal sadness due to loss.[iii] They also believe that this normal sadness is a useful tool in dealing with problems. It often draws help from friends. Normal sadness gives us the opportunity to reassess our goals and change when struggling on might simply lead to failure.

This isn’t a new idea. The apostle Paul spoke about the issue of sorrow 2000 years ago. “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (2Corinthians 7:10) Sadness is not an accident or a disease. It is a God given emotion that God intends to use to drive us to Himself.

Now, someone might notice that I have substituted the word sorrow for depression and they would be right. I have done that because that is what psychiatry and medicine in the United States have done for years. And while they did that, they labeled sadness, even normal grieving as a disease. Paul would say they were wrong. Sadness over loss, normal sadness is an emotional gift that God gives us to draw us in His direction.[iv]

So the researchers and Paul agree. They see depression with its sadness as a normal adaptive tool that helps us deal with problems. Paul said that when we sorrow according to the will of God, it can lead to change and salvation. The researchers are getting closer.

[i] Skye P. Barbic, Zachary Durisko, Paul W. Andrews. Measuring the Bright Side of Being Blue: A New Tool for Assessing Analytical Rumination in Depression. PLoS ONE, 2014; 9 (11): e112077 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112077

[ii] McMaster University. "A new test measures analytical thinking linked to depression, fueling the idea that depression may be a form of adaptation." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 November 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141119125105.htm>.

[iii] The Loss of Sadness, Horwitz and Wakefield. P43.

[iv] Good Mood Bad Mood, Charles Hodges P55.

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Happy New Year! New research on Binge Drinking.

Marijuana& Real Research: The Results Aren’t Good!

Depression: A Problem or a Useful Tool?

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