Many individuals with eating disorders abuse over-the-counter substances

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Aug 20,2009

Remuda Ranch Reports Many Patients with Eating Disorders Abuse Over-the-Counter Substances Such As Diet Pills, Laxatives, Diuretics and Others

Between 11 and 13 million people in the U.S. have eating disorders and at least one million will die from their disorder. It is not unusual for women and girls struggling with eating disorders to either abuse or become dependent on over-the-counter substances.

“It may surprise many people, including some healthcare providers, that over-the-counter products and supplements for dieting purposes are frequently abused by those with eating disorders,” said Kevin Wandler, MD, of Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating and Anxiety Disorders. “A full 64 percent of eating disorder patients abuse diet pills. The health consequences of diet pill abuse are enormous and include high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, tremors, thickening of the heart muscle, and kidney damage.”

Other substances abused by individuals with eating disorders include:
Alcohol – Typically individuals with anorexia don’t consume alcohol, due to its high calorie content. However, for people with bulimia and a sub-group of those with anorexia who also binge and purge, alcohol is frequently consumed, then eliminated through vomiting.

Caffeine - It’s consumed in the form of black coffee or diet drinks to fill the stomach and it staves off hunger. Caffeine also serves as a diuretic, and people with eating disorders confuse temporary fluid loss with actual weight loss. In addition, those with bulimia in general use liquids because self-induced vomiting is easier when the stomach is full of fluid.

Amphetamines and Cocaine – These substances are used because they suppress appetite and provide energy in the absence of adequate food
intake.

Nicotine - Nicotine is an appetite suppressant that can increase metabolism in females as much as 10 percent. It’s not uncommon for girls with eating disorders to take up smoking to control appetite in an effort to lose unwanted pounds.

Laxatives, Diuretics and Over-the-counter Diet Pills – Like so many over-the-counter medications, these drugs are intended to address a
specific medical need during a limited time frame. Although laxatives and diuretics are not often considered drugs of abuse or dependence, individuals can become dependent on them. With prolonged use, users can develop tolerance and withdrawal. A recent study found that in a sample of 200 bulimics, 31 percent used diuretics.

“It can take the body months to recover from laxative and other over-the-counter substance abuse,” adds Dr. Wandler. “It’s important to get professional help before the abuse escalates.”

Source: Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating and Anxiety Disorders


U.S. life expectancy reached nearly 78 years (77.9), and the age-adjusted death rate dropped to 760.3 deaths per 100,000 population, both records, according to the latest mortality statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The report, “Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2007,” was issued today by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The data are based on nearly 90 percent of death certificates in the United States.

The 2007 increase in life expectancy — up from 77.7 in 2006 — represents a continuation of a trend. Over a decade, life expectancy has increased 1.4 years from 76.5 years in 1997 to 77.9 in 2007.

Other findings:

  • Record high life expectancy was recorded for both males and females (75.3 years and 80.4 years, respectively). While the gap between male and female life expectancy has narrowed since the peak gap of 7.8 years in 1979, the 5.1 year difference in 2007 is the same as in 2006.
  • For the first time, life expectancy for black males reached 70 years.
  • The U.S. mortality rate fell for the eighth straight year to an all-time low of 760.3 deaths per 100,000 population in 2007 — 2.1 percent lower than the 2006 rate of 776.5. The 2007 mortality rate is half of what it was 60 years ago (1532 per 100,000 in 1947.)
  • The preliminary number of deaths in the United States in 2007 was 2,423,995, a 2,269 decrease from the 2006 total.
  • Heart disease and cancer, the two leading causes of death, accounted for nearly half (48.5 percent) of all deaths in 2007.
  • Between 2006 and 2007, mortality rates declined significantly for eight of the 15 leading causes of death. Declines were observed for influenza and pneumonia (8.4 percent), homicide (6.5 percent), accidents (5 percent), heart disease (4.7 percent), stroke (4.6 percent), diabetes (3.9 percent), hypertension (2.7 percent), and cancer (1.8 percent).
  • The death rate for the fourth leading cause of death, chronic lower respiratory diseases, increased by 1.7 percent. Preliminary death rates also increased for Parkinson’s disease, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, and Alzheimer’s, but these gains are not statistically significant.
  • There were an estimated 11,061 deaths from HIV/AIDS in 2007, and mortality rates from the disease declined 10 percent from 2006, the biggest one-year decline since 1998. HIV remains the sixth leading cause of death among 25- to 44-year-olds.
  • The preliminary infant mortality rate for 2007 was 6.77 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, a 1.2 percent increase from the 2006 rate of 6.69, though not considered statistically significant. Birth defects were the leading cause of infant death in 2007, followed by disorders related to preterm birth and low birthweight. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) was the third leading cause of infant death in the United States.

The full report is available at www.cdc.gov/nchs.


Health Care Worker Vaccination Rates Still Major Barrier to Decreasing Transmission of Flu to Patients

Joint Commission Resources announced the results of the first-ever Flu Vaccination Challenge, a program launched just prior to the 2008/2009 flu season to help increase flu vaccination among health care workers. During the program’s inaugural year, JCR challenged hospitals across the country to achieve a seasonal flu vaccination rate of 43 percent or higher among their staff. The goal was based on results from a 2005/2006 national survey of health care worker seasonal flu vaccination rates.*

With help from the Flu Vaccination Challenge, about 1.1 million health care workers were vaccinated against the seasonal flu, and 94 percent of participating hospitals met “the Challenge.”+ According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all health care workers should be vaccinated to help decrease the spread of seasonal flu to patients, which can lead to serious health risks and even death. However, in recent years, flu vaccination rates among health care workers have continued to remain low. JCR is a not-for-profit affiliate of The Joint Commission.

Flu Vaccination Challenge Results: 2008/2009 Flu Season

More than 1,700 hospitals – including at least one hospital from each of the 50 states – participated in the Flu Vaccination Challenge. Approximately 78 percent of participating hospitals increased their health care workers’ flu vaccination rate from the previous year. On average, the total number of health care workers vaccinated against seasonal flu among participating hospitals increased by 14 percent.+

“We are thrilled with the level of participation and enthusiasm from the hundreds of hospitals across the country that participated in ‘the Challenge’; however, we believe organizations can do better,” said Barbara M. Soule, R.N., M.P.A., C.I.C., practice leader, Infection Prevention and Control Services, JCR. “Despite the encouraging results, nearly 40 percent of health care workers among the participating hospitals were not vaccinated and remained unprotected against the flu. Influenza occurs in health care settings and studies have shown that health care workers are a potential source of these infections.”

“All individuals who work in a health care facility should be vaccinated against the flu,” said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman, Department of Preventive Medicine, and professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “When we talk about whom to vaccinate, we have to change our mindset. Vaccination shouldn’t be limited to doctors and nurses, it should be encouraged for everyone who works in a health care facility. The flu is a highly contagious disease; therefore if you work in a health care setting, you may be needlessly putting patients at risk if you are not vaccinated against this preventable disease.”

The Joint Commission defines health care workers as all people who provide care, treatment and services in the health care organization, including those receiving pay, volunteers and health profession students.

Program Goals: 2009/2010 Flu Season

JCR is “raising the bar” and introducing a tiered approach to setting this year’s seasonal flu vaccination goals. Health care facilities will be challenged to reach a 65, 75 or 90 percent vaccination rate. The goals were determined by evaluating last year’s results and recognizing that most participating hospitals surpassed the national flu vaccination rate. The tiered approach encourages health care facilities to strive for a better vaccination rate than achieved the previous year. Those that do will be recognized by JCR for their dedication to keeping their employees healthy and helping to protect their patients. JCR is also broadening “the Challenge” to include health care workers in ambulatory and long-term care facilities, emphasizing the importance of flu vaccination and patient safety beyond the hospital setting.

Soule continued, “This flu season, we are encouraging hospitals to participate in ‘the Challenge’, leading to an increased flu vaccination rate among health care workers nationwide. JCR is committed to providing participants with additional tools and resources to help achieve even greater success.”

Efforts to increase vaccination coverage among health care workers are supported by The Joint Commission. The Joint Commission requires accredited hospitals, critical access hospitals and long term care organizations to offer the flu vaccine annually on site to staff and licensed independent practitioners. JCR is committed to continuously improving the safety and quality of care in hospitals. The Flu Vaccination Challenge is one way to contribute to this goal by increasing vaccination rates among health care workers. Resources for participants in “the Challenge” include a complimentary seasonal influenza monograph released in June by The Joint Commission, a myths and facts fact sheet, virtual poster presentations and audioconference downloads as well as a software program for participants to easily track employee flu vaccination rates at their organization.

The 2009 Flu Vaccination Challenge begins today and will continue through the flu season until March 2010. For additional information regarding how health care facilities can help improve their flu vaccination rates, please visit www.FluVaccinationChallenge.com.

The focus of the Flu Vaccination Challenge is on seasonal flu, which is a contagious and potentially deadly infection, affecting thousands of people each year. For questions related to the H1N1 virus, please refer to the CDC Web site at www.CDC.gov.

* Results from a national survey during the 2005/2006 influenza season; N=833

+ The data is self-reported by each participating hospital and is not a standardized study of all U.S. health care workers.

Source: Joint Commission Resources


Researchers get prescription drugs, no prescription required, from Yahoo! online ads

LegitScript.com, an online pharmacy verification service, and KnujOn.com, an Internet compliance company, have released a report analyzing Yahoo’s online advertisements for Internet pharmacies. The report indicates that more than 80% of Yahoo’s Internet pharmacy ads reviewed by the authors were operating contrary to US federal and state laws.

In the report, the researchers state that they were able to buy prescription drugs without a prescription from Yahoo Internet pharmacy advertisements, including of potentially habit-forming medications. In one case, the drugs were imported from India, which is prohibited by US law.

The report also touches on PharmacyChecker.com, Yahoo!’s Internet pharmacy verification service. In the report, the authors indicate that they acquired prescription drugs without a prescription from an Internet pharmacy approved by PharmacyChecker and listed on PharmacyChecker.com. Those drugs were also imported from India.

Yahoo!, Google and Microsoft require their Internet pharmacy advertisers to be verified as legitimate by PharmacyChecker.

Dan Pearson, father of Justin Pearson, after whom Minnesota’s Internet pharmacy law is named, said “My daily trip to the cemetery to visit my son only reinforces my resolve to address this national travesty. The search engines have said for years that they are taking effective steps to stop no-prescription-required Internet pharmacies from advertising. Until they get serious about this, parents like myself will continue to bury our children.”

In an earlier report, the authors announced that they had purchased prescription drugs without a prescription, and had been sent counterfeit medications, from bing.com online pharmacy advertisers. A few days after Microsoft responded that it had manually reviewed its pharmacy ads and removed all offenders, KnujOn announced that it had conducted yet another purchase of addictive prescription drugs from a bing.com advertiser without a valid prescription.

Yahoo’s policy requires Internet pharmacy advertisers to be “based in” the United States or Canada. The report reviewed three Internet pharmacies that were approved as advertisers based on having a Canadian pharmacy license. In all three cases, the Internet pharmacies indicated that the drugs would actually be shipped from places like India, Singapore or Barbados, not Canada. One Internet pharmacy advertiser approved as a licensed Canadian Internet pharmacy stated that it could fill prescriptions anywhere in the world except for Canada, because prescription drug importation is illegal there.

The report indicates that three national organizations, including the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), and National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, have written to all three search engines over the last year to warn them that they were profiting from ads placed by online pharmacies acting unlawfully.

“We’re making this a public issue because it’s time for this to stop,” KnujOn President Garth Bruen said. “If the search engines continue to knowingly facilitate illegal prescription drug sales, then we’ll continue to issue these reports. Our reports stop when the problem is fixed.”

“Yahoo! needs to require that its Internet pharmacy ads adhere to US laws and National Association of Boards of Pharmacy standards,” LegitScript President John Horton said. “These are the same safeguards that govern brick-and-mortar pharmacies used throughout the US everyday. Shouldn’t American Internet users be assured of the same safeguards online?”

LegitScript is the only Internet pharmacy verification organization in the United States identified by the NABP as adhering to its standards for certifying Internet pharmacies as safe and legitimate. KnujOn tracks Internet criminality and has succeeded in removing over 100,000 spam websites from the Internet.

Source: LegitScript.com


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