People who abuse methamphetamine or other similar stimulants are significantly more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than people who do not abuse drugs, according to a new study.

Researchers from the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Canada looked at 300,000 hospital records and found that patients who were admitted for methamphetamine or stimulant abuse had a 76 percent higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than other people.

Globally, methamphetamine and similar stimulants are the second most commonly abused class of illicit drugs.

“This study provides evidence of this association for the first time, even though it has been suspected for 30 years,” said lead researcher Dr. Russell Callaghan, a scientist with CAMH.

Parkinson’s disease is caused by a deficiency in the brain’s ability to produce a chemical called dopamine. Previously, animal studies have shown that methamphetamine tends to damage to dopamine-producing areas of the brain.

Interestingly, cocaine abuse did not show similar health effects.  The findings also did not apply to patients who take amphetamines for medicinal purposes, such as ADHD, because the dosage for these people is much lower than that of drug abusers.

Put into numbers, the results essentially showed that for every 10,000 people who abuse methamphetamine, approximately 21 will develop Parkinson’s, compared with 12 people out of 10,000 in the general population.

However, the rate may actually be higher for methamphetamine abusers, the researchers warn, because it is often the case that drug abusers do not seek or have access to medical care.

Prescription drug abuse is up across the United States, and researchers believe increases in Internet access may be to blame.

Investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Southern California have found that large increases in prescription drug abuse have paralleled expansions in high-speed Internet access from 2000 to 2007.

Specifically, the states with the largest increases of people seeking treatment for prescription drug abuse are also the states which have had the greatest expansions in Internet access.

Each 10 percent increase in the availability of Internet service in a state was accompanied by an approximately 1 percent increase in admissions for prescription drug abuse, according to the analysis.  The increases were strongest for narcotic painkillers, followed by anti-anxiety drugs, stimulants and sedatives.

Interestingly, the same did not hold true for illegal drugs like cocaine or heroin.  Admissions to treatment centers for abuse of those drugs either held steady or decreased in relation to increasing Internet access.

“We know we face a growing problem with prescription drug abuse in the United States,” said study author Dana Goldman, PhD, director of the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at USC, in a press release.

“One need only look at statistics for college campuses, where prescription drugs are fast replacing illegal substances, to see the magnitude of the problem,” she added. “Our findings suggest that Internet growth may partly explain the increase in prescription drug abuse, since it is well known that these drugs are easily available online.”

Researchers say the presence of online pharmacies, many of which do not adhere to regulations requiring a physician’s prescription, allow visitors to purchase frequently abused drugs – such as painkillers, stimulants, sedatives and tranquilizers – from rogue sites that may be located outside the U.S.

“The lack of an increase in abuse of drugs not available on the Internet suggests that an overall growth in drug-seeking behavior cannot explain the rise in prescription drug abuse,” the researchers said.

“Further studies need to better evaluate how easily commonly abused prescription drugs can be purchased online and explore the importance to the problem of foreign Internet pharmacies, which are outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. government.”

Americans will be able to turn in unused prescription drugs at more than 4,700 sites nationwide on Saturday, April 30, as part of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, US News and World Report reported.

The free event, sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, will take place from 10 a.m to 2 p.m.  Collection sites can be found by visiting the DEA website (www.dea.gov) and clicking the “Got Drugs?” banner.

DEA officials say the event allows people to safely dispose of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs that could be stolen and misused if left in a home medicine cabinet.

Take-Back day is also an opportunity to educate people about prescription drug abuse, according to DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart.  Statistics from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health show that more Americans abuse prescription drugs than cocaine, hallucinogens and heroin combined.

Most often, the drugs are obtained from family and friends.

“Studies have shown that, for many, prescription drugs are the very first drugs they abuse and all too often they aren’t the last,” Leonhart said.  “That is why we are committed to helping Americans keep their homes safe by ridding their medicine cabinets of expired, unused, and unwanted drugs.”

Last year, more than 242,000 pounds of prescription drugs were collected at nearly 4,100 sites operated by government, community, public health and law enforcement partners, according to a DEA news release.

Click here to read more from US News and World Report.

A new federal study indicates that ecstasy use is rising among teens and young adults and causing a significant increase in emergency room visits, WebMD reported.

According to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, hospital emergency room visits involving ecstasy rose almost 80 percent, from 10,000 visits to nearly 18,000, during a four-year time span from 2004 to 2008.

The majority of hospital visits involved patients between the ages of 18-29, though children between the ages of 12-17 still made up nearly 20 percent of the visits.

SAMSA said that 78 percent of the cases also involved the use of at least one other “substance of abuse” – most often alcohol.

“The resurgence of ecstasy use is cause for alarm that demands immediate attention and action,” said SAMHSA administrator Pamela Hyde, JD, in a news release. “The aggressive prevention efforts being put into place by SAMHSA will help reduce use in states and communities, resulting in less costly emergency department visits related to drug use.”

Ecstasy, known as ‘E’ or ‘X’, is a psychoactive drug that is chemically similar to methamphetamine.  Its side effects include anxiety attacks, hypertension, hyperthermia and rapid heartbeat.  The risks of adverse reactions increase when ecstasy is used in conjunction with alcohol or other drugs.

Click here to read more from WebMD.

One reason—if not the main reason—we diet and exercise is that we want to look good to the opposite sex (or maybe the same sex).

And, of course, one reason—if not the main reason—we want to do that is to be attractive to our (real or imagined) sexual partner.

Now, what does any of this have to do with health, you wonder? The answer is, plenty. A healthy sex life improves your overall quality of life. It improves your immune system because it significantly relieves stress. Good physical exercise burns calories, and it improves your mood by pumping endorphins into your bloodstream that make you feel good. It also plays a key role in keeping couples together, so the benefits of sex are innumerable.

But once you get on into your forties, you might find your sex drive shifting into a lower gear. This diminished or lack of sex drive is more common in women than it is in men. Even men with erectile dysfunction usually have a normal sex drive. While libido problems can be either physical or psychological, the root causes tend to be the same in both sexes. Alcoholism is the main physical factor responsible for a decreased libido; another is drug abuse, of cocaine, for example.

Obesity and anemia are other potential physical problems. And there are certain tumors of the pituitary gland that increase the hormone prolactin, which lowers the libido. Some prescribed medications, especially antidepressants, lower the level of the hormone testosterone, which is needed by both sexes to maintain an adequate sex drive. Psychological factors influencing libido include depression, stress, and confusions about sexual orientation.

Anyone with a lack of sexual desire should first try to take these factors out of the equation. So if you’re drinking excessively, overweight, depressed, or taking medications, these issues need to be dealt with to resolve a flagging libido. Counseling can help with the psychological problems of sexual hang-ups, depression, or stress.

There is no magic remedy for the loss of sexual libido. Though testosterone has been identified as a key hormone that improves sexual appetite in women, doctors who have been giving women testosterone supplements for the past 30 years have found that it has little effect on their libido, while it sometimes causes facial hair growth, a deepened voice, and an enlargement of the clitoris.

I have no doubt that one day there will be a libido pill for women and men, as I’m sure the drug companies are hard at work on this potentially lucrative solution.

There are a number of other sexual problems that women may experience at any age. One is dyspareunia, or painful sexual intercourse. Any part of the genitals can cause pain during sex, including the skin around the vagina. Vaginal infections, like yeast infections or viral infections, are a common cause, and the pain can be felt when either a tampon or penis is inserted into the vagina. It can also occur from just sitting or wearing pants. To treat dyspareunia, physicians may recommend hormone creams, dilators to help stretch the vagina, Kegel exercises, or, in rare cases, antidepressants.

Another potential cause of dyspareunia is vaginismus, an involuntary contraction of the vaginal muscles that may prevent insertion of the penis during intercourse. The diagnosis of vaginismus is usually problematic because it’s often difficult to separate the physical pain with the emotional anxiety of experiencing that pain; in other words, just the fear of the pain can cause vaginismus.

Any woman complaining of these symptoms should be taken seriously. A doctor must conduct a physical examination to eliminate the possibility of such physical causes as infections, fibroids, or anatomical deformities of the uterus, ovaries, or vagina. Even vaginal dryness can cause painful sex. A decrease in estrogen at menopause can cause the vaginal walls to become dry, creating a discomfort or pain during intercourse.

If there are no treatable physical conditions, it’s important to discuss the woman’s feelings as well as the physical situations that lead to this type of discomfort. Some women have a very positive attitude toward sex; other women have had negative sexual experiences that play a significant role in their fears and negative feelings about sex.

Some women may have a history of sexual abuse, rape, or trauma, for instance; these things need to be identified in a very delicate way. Treatment of vaginismus usually involves practicing relaxation techniques and doing Kegel exercises to relax the vaginal muscles. At home, one exercise that may prove beneficial is to have your partner gradually insert a dilator into your vagina. This must be done at a pace with which you feel comfortable until the pain and discomfort are overcome. Partner, doctor, and patient all have to be in sync for this type of therapy to be successful.

Many women experience discomfort or pain at the time of their period. This pain is caused by contractions of the muscle of the uterus during menstruation that occur due to the release of the prostaglandins, which are hormones that are produced in the lining of the uterus. For most women these menstrual contractions are neither severe nor disabling. But some women experience significant menstrual pains called dysmenorrhea.

Women suffering from dysmenorrhea should exercise, get plenty of sleep, and avoid stress. Over-the-counter painkillers can minimize the amount of prostaglandins released, and they usually help reduce the pain. If the painkillers are not effective, your doctor will have to look for other things that are causing the pain. And ultrasound is sometimes used in such cases to make sure you don’t have any other medical conditions, like pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, or fibroids.