Category Archives: addiction

Seven things your radiation oncologist wants you to know

Posted on February 13, 2019 by

BY AMBER SMITH Linda Schicker, MD, an assistant professor of radiation oncology at Upstate, tells what to expect when you face radiation therapy. She sees many of her patients at the Upstate Cancer Center’s radiation oncology office in Oneida, at … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, adolescents, health care, HealthLink on Air | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Facing a crisis: Meet the Upstate experts working  to solve the opioid epidemic

Posted on December 19, 2018 by

The opioid epidemic is fueled both by the abuse of street drugs such as heroin and the addiction to prescription painkillers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says prescription opioids contribute to 40 percent of all opioid overdose deaths in the United … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, drugs/medications/pharmacy, emergency medicine/trauma, health care, infectious disease, poison center/toxicology, prevention/preventive medicine, psychology/psychiatry, public health, research | Tagged , , ,

Putting heads together: Brain researchers collaborate to understand and battle dementia, addiction, schizophrenia and more

Posted on August 31, 2018 by

BY AMBER SMITH What do drug addiction, neurodevelopmental disorders and dementia have in common? All three disorders have origins in the brain, with causes and potential treatment methods that tend to overlap. For instance, they are all caused, at least in … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, aging/geriatrics, Alzheimer's/dementia, brain/neurology, health care, psychology/psychiatry, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to save someone from an opioid overdose

Posted on August 10, 2018 by

BY AMBER SMITH In preparation Purchase naloxone (trade name, Narcan), available without a prescription in New York pharmacies. Keep it with you, but do not store it in extreme temperatures (such as a car glove box), which can damage the … Continue reading →

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What you can do about the public health crises of gun violence and drug addiction

Posted on November 8, 2017 by

The number of Americans dying from gun violence or drug overdoses now surpasses the number of motor vehicle fatalities in the United States. The public health crises of gun violence and drug addiction are also felt in Central New York. … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, Check-Up From The Neck-Up, drugs/medications/pharmacy, health care, HealthLink on Air, poison center/toxicology, prevention/preventive medicine, public health, research | Tagged , , , , , , ,

You know smoking causes lung cancer; do you know what other diseases tobacco causes?

Posted on September 25, 2017 by

  If you or someone you love smokes, lung cancer us not your only health concern. Regular tobacco and electronic cigarette smokers increase their risk of heart and vascular diseases, including stroke, and lung diseases including emphysema — plus a … Continue reading →

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E-cigarette dangers go beyond cancer

Posted on March 8, 2017 by

  The use of electronic cigarettes is higher among high school students than adults, a trend that alarms U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD. E-cigarettes contain a concentrated and more potent dose of nicotine than tobacco cigarettes, which is particularly … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, adolescents, brain/neurology, drugs/medications/pharmacy, HealthLink on Air, poison center/toxicology, public health, research, Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital/pediatrics | Tagged , , ,

Lung cancer vigil celebrates survivors, memorializes the departed

Posted on November 18, 2016 by

Caregivers and patients gathered at the Upstate Cancer Center Thursday, on the evening of the Great American Smokeout, for a candlelight vigil calling attention to lung cancer. “Even though everybody’s heard of it, a lot of people don’t realize that … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, cancer, community, lung/pulmonary

To avoid withdrawal, she nearly died: Former addict warns of the dangers of antidiarrheal drug

Posted on October 3, 2016 by

BY JIM HOWE Katharine “Kate” Rayland never intended to become addicted to – and nearly die from – an over-the-counter drug designed to prevent diarrhea. She developed a potentially fatal heart problem and landed in the intensive care unit at … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, adolescents, brain/neurology, community, digestive/gastrointestinal, drugs/medications/pharmacy, emergency medicine/trauma, health care, HealthLink on Air, heart/cardiovascular, illness, patient story, poison center/toxicology, public health, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

6 answers about heroin

Posted on September 30, 2016 by

Who uses heroin? Experts from the Upstate New York Poison Center say that some users turn to heroin because it is cheaper than prescription pain medicine. They may inject it, inhale it by snorting or sniffing, or smoke it. About … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, brain/neurology, death/dying, drugs/medications/pharmacy, poison center/toxicology, public health | Tagged , , , , ,