Thursday, February 14, 2008

LECTURE SERIES

Talks to focus on addictions

Horry-Georgetown Technical College will hold lectures that focus on addictions from 7 to 9 p.m. at the college's Burroughs and Chapin Auditorium in Conway. Dinner is served at 6 p.m.

On Feb. 21, Dr. Brian Adler and Harold Brown will discuss current medical treatment for addictions and dependency.

On March 6, faculty, staff and students will talk about their own experiences with addictions and recovery.

For information call 349-5378.

BLOOD DRIVE

Give the gift of life

Loris Healthcare System will hold a blood drive from noon to 6 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Center for Health and Fitness in Loris.

To sign up call 716-7381.

HEART HEALTH

Classes, seminars offered

Grand Strand Regional Medical Center will offer the following to raise awareness about heart health for American Heart Month, to be held at HealthFinders, the hospital's community resource center at Coastal Grand Myrtle Beach mall:

Friends and Family CPR Training | Classes will be taught Feb. 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Cost is $15.

"Enjoying the Golden Years: Heart Health and Sexuality" | Dr. Tracey Golden, a gynecologist, will discuss heart health and sexuality for older adults at 6 p.m. today. Golden will discuss various health problems in older adults, including heart disease, stroke, obesity and diabetes, and what impact they could have on sexuality.

"What's New in Diagnosis and Treatment of Heart Disease" | Dennis Meador, with Grand Strand Regional Medical Center's cardiac catheterization lab, will discuss traditional and new technology to diagnose heart disease at 2 p.m. Feb. 20.

"Heart Disease: Know Your Numbers" | Cheryl Paul, nurse manager at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, will hold a question-and-answer discussion on normal versus abnormal lab work and its relation to cardiovascular disease at 2 p.m. Feb. 27. Individuals who participated in the hospital's health fair on Feb. 2 should bring their results.

To register or for information, call 839-9933.

SEMINAR

Raising heart health awareness

Learn ways to keep your heart healthy at a seminar by Loris Healthcare System at 2 p.m. Feb. 29 at the North Myrtle Beach Aquatic and Fitness Center in North Myrtle Beach.

Cholesterol screenings will be offered for $10. Blood pressure screenings will be offered at no charge.


http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/131/story/349661.html

'Similarities' between opiate and nicotine addictions

The brain reacts in a similar way to both nicotine and opiates such as heroin, a new study has revealed.

Researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Centre have found that the effects of nicotine and opiates are equally strong in the nucleus accumbens, the brain's pleasure sensor.

A study using rat brain tissue found that within the nucleus accumbens, the release of dopamine - a neurotransmitter central to the body's system of reward and addiction - is almost identical whether the body has consumed tobacco or heroin.

Writing in the Journal of Neuroscience, the researchers say there is an overlap in the way the two drugs work, with the brain experiencing pleasure and the release of dopamine instigating a desire to experience the substance again.

"There is a specific part of the nucleus accumbens where opiates have been shown to affect behaviour, and when we tested nicotine in that area the effects on dopamine are almost identical," explained Daniel McGehee, associate professor in anaesthesia and critical care at the University of Chicago.

"It also demonstrates the seriousness of tobacco addiction, equating its grip on the individual to that of heroin. It reinforces the fact that these addictions are very physiological in nature and that breaking away from the habit is certainly more than just mind over matter."End of story


http://www.inthenews.co.uk/

Share your story of addictions, help others

The Leaf-Chronicle is looking for those willing to share stories about their addictions for a series on addictions and how they can be curbed.

Several interviews have been set up, but The Leaf-Chronicle is still looking for others to share their stories of addiction, no matter how minor they may seem. Examples may be addiction to eating, gambling, drinking, smoking, television or anything else that seems to control ones life.


http://www.theleafchronicle.com/