“Overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. Using opioids, whether prescribed or illegally, comes with a significant risk of overdose. It’s important for Veterans and their family members and caregivers to know what to do in an emergency. Learn about the signs of overdose and about the medication naloxone.  Knowing how to use this medication could save a life.”

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

(https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/substance-use/overdose.asp?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=search-va-naloxone&utm_term=broad-match&utm_content=opioid%20overdose&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItN3F4Mv_gAMVh9LjBx1jRwL7EAAYAiAAEgKN-_D_BwE)

Opioid addiction remains one of the primary public health crises in the nation. In order to fight it, everyone needs to do their part. The medical community is taking steps to address the frequency with which they prescribe opioid-based pain medications. Law enforcement has stepped up their efforts to reduce the influx of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanyl. Unison Health has increased its capacity to treat substance abuse disorders through its Sub-Acute Detox facility and Recovery Housing.

PREVENT MISUSE IN THE FIRST PLACE:

One of the best ways to prevent you or the people around you from misusing opioids is to not have any around in the first place! If you’ve been prescribed opioid-based prescription pain medications in the past, check your medicine cabinet to make sure you don’t have any leftovers. Over half of all people with a history of opioid misuse report having gotten or stolen them from a friend or family member.

The best way to dispose of extra medications is through a program in your community. In the meantime, there are places throughout the greater Toledo area where you can deposit unwanted prescription medications safely and easily or check out what places are nearer to you in your county online.

Recognizing the Signs of Opioid Misuse:

According to the AMA, 45% of people who use heroin started with an addiction to prescription opioids. Because people usually receive their initial prescriptions from honest doctors trying to alleviate legitimate pain, some individuals labor under the misconception that these medications are safer than illegal drugs. The fact of the matter is that the potential for abuse and even addiction is very real, and addiction has been known to take hold after just one week of regular use.

For people who are concerned that their child, loved one or friend is misusing opioids, look for the signs. Mood swings or constant irritability may describe the majority of teenagers, but in their extreme form it could indicate a more serious problem. Losing a job or failing in school can also be a red flag, as can disappearing for long periods of time, stealing money or frequent flu-like symptoms. Of course, be on the lookout for more obvious signs such as puncture marks on the arms or excessively lethargic behavior.

Stage 3: Getting Help for People Fighting Opioid Addiction

The AMA also offers pointers on what to do when you’re dealing with someone contending with serious opioid misuse, including knowing the signs of an overdose. These may include:

• Slowed or no breathing
• Unconsciousness
• Confusion
• Nervousness
• Pinpoint pupils
• Clammy skin
• Fatigue
• Seizures

If someone you know is misusing opioids, it may be a good idea to keep Naloxone – Narcon (a narcotic antidote) on hand. Naloxone reverses the effects of opioids and can help preventing death from an overdose until healthcare professionals can arrive. Naloxone is available at a number of pharmacies throughout the U.S. without a prescription, and is recommend you confer with your doctor to see if Naloxone is right for your loved one.

“Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood.  Cerebral means having to do with the brain. Palsy means weakness or problems with using the muscles. CP is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain that affects a person’s ability to control his or her muscles. ”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/cp/facts.html)

   The Motor Cortex

Neurological disabilities include a wide range of disorders, such as epilepsy, learning disabilities, neuromuscular disorders, autism, ADD, brain tumors, and cerebral palsy, just to name a few. Some neurological conditions are congenital, emerging before birth.

Today we will cover how the brain is actually affected in cerebral palsy to understand the symptoms that the each patient who is diagnosed with it is going through and each patient is individual with symptoms and the intensity.

Cerebral palsy is generally caused by damage to parts of the brain, specifically, the parts of the brain that control movement. The following types of brain damage can lead to developmental issues, movement problems, and issues with swallowing, hearing, and eye movement.  Those areas of the brain dealing with movement are the cerebellum that is responsible for our balance and the motor cortex in the cerebrum.

How the cerebellum works that is affected in Cerebral Palsy-CP:

Maintenance of balance and posture. The cerebellum is important for making postural adjustments in order to maintain balance. Through its input from vestibular receptors and proprioceptors, it modulates commands to motor neurons to compensate for shifts in body position or changes in load upon muscles.

Although the cerebellum accounts for approximately 10% of the brain’s volume, it contains over 50% of the total number of neurons in the brain. Historically, the cerebellum has been considered a motor structure, because cerebellar damage leads to impairments in motor control and posture and because the majority of the cerebellum’s outputs are to parts of the motor system. Motor commands are not initiated in the cerebellum; rather, the cerebellum modifies the motor commands of the descending pathways to make movements more adaptive and accurate. The cerebellum is involved in the following functions:

Maintenance of balance and posture but more function is to it. The cerebellum is important for making postural adjustments in order to maintain balance. Through its input from vestibular receptors and proprioceptors, it modulates commands to motor neurons to compensate for shifts in body position or changes in load upon muscles. Patients with cerebellar damage suffer from balance disorders, and they often develop stereotyped postural strategies to compensate for this problem (e.g., a wide-based stance).

Coordination of voluntary movements. Most movements are composed of a number of different muscle groups acting together in a temporally coordinated fashion. One major function of the cerebellum is to coordinate the timing and force of these different muscle groups to produce fluid limb or body movements.

Motor learning. The cerebellum is important for motor learning. The cerebellum plays a major role in adapting and fine-tuning motor programs to make accurate movements through a trial-and-error process (e.g., learning to hit a baseball).

Cognitive functions. Although the cerebellum is most understood in terms of its contributions to motor control, it is also involved in certain cognitive functions, such as language. Thus, like the basal ganglia, the cerebellum is historically considered as part of the motor system, but its functions extend beyond motor control in ways that are not yet well understood.

How the Motor Cortex works, that is affected in Cerebral Palsy-CP:

The motor cortex is an area within the brain’s cerebral cortex that is involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements. The motor cortex can be divided into the primary motor cortex and the nonprimary motor cortex.

The primary motor cortex is critical for initiating motor movements. The nonprimary motor cortex, further divided into other areas such as the premotor and supplementary cortex, is involved with planning, initiating, and selecting the correct movement.

Both hemispheres have a motor cortex, with each side controlling muscles on the opposite side of the body (i.e., the left hemisphere controls muscles on the right side of the body).

CP is caused by injuries or abnormalities of the brain.

Most of these problems occur as the baby grows in the womb. But they can happen at any time during the first 2 years of life, while the baby’s brain is still developing.

In some people with cerebral palsy, parts of the brain are injured due to a low level of oxygen (hypoxia) in those areas. It is not known why this occurs.

Premature infants have a slightly higher risk of developing CP.

Cerebral palsy (CP) refers to a group of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement and muscle coordination. CP is caused by damage to or abnormalities inside the developing brain that disrupt the brain’s ability to control movement and maintain posture and balance. The term cerebral refers to the brain; palsy refers to the loss or impairment of motor function.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood. Cerebral means having to do with the brain. Palsy means weakness or problems with using the muscles.

In some cases, the areas of the brain involved in muscle movement do not develop as expected during fetal growth. In others, the damage is a result of injury to the brain either before, during, or after birth. In either case, the damage is not reversible and the disabilities that result are permanent.

Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect movement and muscle tone or posture. It’s caused by damage that occurs to the immature, developing brain, most often before birth.

Signs and symptoms appear during infancy or preschool years. In general, cerebral palsy causes impaired movement associated with exaggerated reflexes, floppiness or spasticity of the limbs and trunk, unusual posture, involuntary movements, unsteady walking, or some combination of these.

People with cerebral palsy can have problems swallowing and commonly have eye muscle imbalance, in which the eyes don’t focus on the same object. They also might have reduced range of motion at various joints of their bodies due to muscle stiffness.

The cause of cerebral palsy and its effect on function vary greatly. Some people with cerebral palsy can walk; others need assistance. Some people have intellectual disabilities, but others do not. Epilepsy, blindness or deafness also might be present. Cerebral palsy is a lifelong disorder. There is no cure, but treatments can help improve function.

CP is the leading cause of childhood disabilities in the U.S., but it doesn’t always cause profound disabilities. Someone with mild CP may not need any assistance or may have slight problems, such as difficulty walking, while a person with severe CP might need special equipment or lifelong care. The disorder isn’t progressive, meaning it doesn’t get worse over time and some symptoms may even change as the child gets older.

There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but supportive treatments, medications, and surgery can help many individuals improve their motor skills and ability to communicate with the world.

“Did you know that our brains are much more efficient than computers in every way? Or that our brains have 100,000 miles of blood vessels, which is enough to circle the earth four times?

“The brain is the most complex thing in the universe,” says neurologist Marwan Sabbagh, MD. “On one level, it’s a softball-sized collection of cells, chemical and connective tissue and on another level, it’s the totality of all things.”

He shares 3 interesting facts of the brain:

1. The human brain is the only object of any kind that can contemplate itself.
2. The brain only feels pleasure and there are no pain receptors in the brain. Migraine and headache pain arise in the meninges, or the brain’s covering.
3. The brain runs on electricity, producing enough power to light a 25 watt bulb.”

Cleveland Clinic (https://health.clevelandclinic.org/brain-teasers-infographic/)

“Your body produces C-reactive protein, or CRP, when something is starting to become inflamed. So if a doctor finds CRP in your blood, which they can do through a test, they’ll know there’s inflammation happening somewhere in your body.

If your arteries are inflamed, you have a greater risk of:  Heart disease, Heart attack, Stroke & Peripheral arterial disease.

CRP seems to predict the chance of having cardiovascular problems at least as well as cholesterol levels. A recent study found that elevated levels of C-reactive protein were associated with three-times-greater risk of a heart attack.”

Medically Reviewed by James Beckerman, MD, FACC on August 19, 2022

WEB MD (https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heart-disease-c-reactive-protein-crp-testing)

“Gardening has many health benefits. It allows you to get outside, get active, and sit less, which might help to reduce stress,” says Dr. Philip Smith, a life-long gardener who oversees obesity research at NIH. “Gardening can also help to improve your diet if you eat more fruits and vegetables. They’re especially delicious, with a more intense flavor, when ripe and freshly picked.”

News in Health NIH (https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2016/04/plants-partners-health)

    Dandelion

Some people may ask if a vegetable or fruit is it considered a plant.  Through a very resourceful site “MAYO Clinic” the state the following:

“According to botanists (those who study plants) a fruit is the part of the plant that develops from a flower. It’s also the section of the plant that contains the seeds. The other parts of plants are considered vegetables. These include the stems, leaves and roots — and even the flower bud.

From a culinary standpoint, vegetables are less sweet — or more savory — and served as part of the main dish. Fruits are more sweet and tart and are most often served as a dessert or snack. Both fruits and vegetables can be made into juice for a refreshing beverage. Some fruits are “grains” or “nuts” or “seeds” — and are served accordingly.

Nutritionally speaking, fruits and vegetables are similar. Compared with animal products, they’re generally lower in calories and fat, but higher in fiber. Fruits and vegetables also contain health-enhancing plant compounds such as antioxidants. And they’re loaded with vitamins and minerals.”

So yes part of a plant can be a fruit or vegetable.

How we get benefits from plants medically:

Ginger:

Ginger is one spice that I recommend keeping on hand in your kitchen at all times. Not only is it a wonderful addition to your cooking (especially paired with garlic) but it also has enough medical properties to fill several books.

Ginger is best known for its anti-nausea effects but also has broad-spectrum antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, and anti-parasitic properties, to name just several of its more than 40 scientifically confirmed pharmacological actions. It is anti-inflammatory, making it valuable for pain relief for joint pain, menstrual pain, headaches, and more.

The pain-relieving potential of ginger appears to be far-reaching. Along with help for muscle and joint pain, ginger has been found to reduce the severity of migraine headaches as well as the migraine medication Sumatriptan – with fewer side effects.4

Ginger also shows promise for fighting cancer, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, asthma, bacterial and fungal infections, and it is one of the best natural remedies available for motion sickness or nausea (from pregnancy or chemotherapy, for example).

Taking one gram of ginger daily may help reduce nausea and vomiting in pregnant women, or those with migraines and ginger has been shown to work better than a placebo in relieving morning sickness.5

Ginger is also a must-have if you struggle with indigestion, and it does more than simply relieve pain. Ginger contains powerful protein-digesting enzymes and helps to stimulate the emptying of your stomach without any negative effect, and it’s an antispasmodic agent, which may explain its beneficial effects on your intestinal tract.

Many people enjoy ginger tea on a regular basis, and this is one of the simplest ways to use it. Simply chop off a couple of inches of ginger root and let it steep in hot water for fresh ginger tea. I would advise against using it daily as it can lead to an allergy and is what happened to me about twenty years ago.

You can also peel the root using a paring knife and then slice it thinly (or grate it or mince it) to add to tea or cooked dishes. You can’t go wrong by adding ginger to stir fries or even your favorite homemade chicken soup. For serious issues, a natural health care provider can help you get the maximum therapeutic benefits of ginger.

Garlic:

Eating a clove or two of fresh garlic a day may indeed keep the doctor away, in part because it has immune-boosting, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal effects. Many of garlic’s therapeutic effects are derived from its sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin, which are also what give it its characteristic smell. In general, garlic’s benefits fall into four main categories:

-Reducing inflammation (reduces the risk of osteoarthritis and other disease associated with inflammation).

-Boosting immune function (antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic properties).

-Improving cardiovascular health and circulation (protects against clotting, retards plaque, improves lipids, and reduces blood pressure).

-Toxic to at least 14 kinds of cancer cells (including brain, lung, breast, gastric, and pancreatic).

In addition, garlic may be effective against drug-resistant bacteria, and research has revealed that as allicin digests in your body, it produces sulfenic acid, a compound that reacts with dangerous free radicals faster than any other known compound. This is one of the reasons in my article garlic what listed as one of the top seven anti-aging foods you can consume.

In order to get the health benefits, the fresh clove must be crushed or chopped in order to stimulate the release of an enzyme called alliinase, which in turn catalyzes the formation of allicin.

Allicin, in turn, rapidly breaks down to form a number of different organosulfur compounds. So to “activate” garlic’s medicinal properties, compress a fresh clove with a spoon prior to swallowing it, or put it through your juicer to add to your vegetable juice.

A single medium-size clove or two is usually sufficient and is well-tolerated by most people. The active ingredient, allicin, is destroyed within one hour of smashing the garlic, so garlic pills are virtually worthless. Black garlic, which is basically fermented garlic, and sprouted garlic may contain even more antioxidants than regular garlic.

Peppermint:

Peppermint offers benefits to the respiratory system, including for coughs, colds, asthma, allergies, and tuberculosis. In terms of digestive health, peppermint oil capsules have been described as “the drug of first choice” in IBS patients,7 and peppermint oil is an effective alternative to drugs like Buscopan for reducing colonic spasms.8

It may also relax the muscles of your intestines, allowing gas to pass and easing abdominal pain. Try peppermint oil or leaves added to tea for gas relief. Inhaling the peppermint aroma may offer memory enhancement and stress relief, and peppermint oil acts as an expectorant and decongestant, and may help clear your respiratory tract.

Use peppermint essential oil as a cold rub on your chest or inhale it through a vaporizer to help clear nasal congestion and relieve cough and cold symptoms. Peppermint oil may also help relieve tension headache pain. For headache pain, try dabbing a few drops on your wrist or sprinkling a few drops on a cloth, then inhaling the aroma. You can also massage the oil directly onto your temples and forehead. Peppermint essential oil is ideal for muscle and chest rubs, headache pain, dental care, and aromatherapy. You can even add it to your homemade cleaning supplies for extra antimicrobial power and natural fragrance.

When selecting peppermint for your own use, the fresh leaves will impart a superior flavor to dried leaves (such as for use in tea). Look for fresh leaves that are green in color without any dark spots or yellowing. In addition to using fresh mint leaves in tea, you can add them to soups, fruit salad, or gazpacho. Additionally, it is really easy to grow peppermint yourself and the plant works as a highly effective deterrent to many insects that might invade your garden or your home.

Lavender:

Lavender oil is known for its calming and relaxing properties, and has been used aromatherapeutically for alleviating insomnia, anxiety, depression, restlessness, dental anxiety, and stress. It has also been proven effective for nearly all kinds of ailments, from pain to infections.

It is particularly fascinated by its oil potential in fighting antifungal-resistant skin and nail infections. Scientists from the University of Coimbra found that lavender oil is lethal to skin-pathogenic strains known as dermatophytes, as well as various Candida species. Lavender oil can also be used to:

Relieve pain. It can ease sore or tense muscles, joint pain and rheumatism, sprains, backache, and lumbago. Simply massage a small amount of lavender oil onto the affected area. Lavender oil may also help lessen pain following needle insertion.

Treat various skin disorders like acne, psoriasis, eczema, and wrinkles. It also helps form scar tissues, which may be essential in healing wounds, cuts, and burns. Lavender can also help soothe insect bites and itchy skin (lavender oil can help ward off mosquitoes and moths. It is actually used as an ingredient in some mosquito repellents).

Keep your hair healthy. It helps kill lice, lice eggs, and nits. The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database (NMCB) says that lavender is possibly effective for treating alopecia areata (hair loss), boosting hair growth by up to 44 percent after just seven months of treatment.11

Improve your digestion. This oil helps stimulate the mobility of your intestine and stimulates the production of bile and gastric juices, which may help treat stomach pain, indigestion, flatulence, colic, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Relieve respiratory disorders. Lavender oil can help alleviate respiratory problems like colds and flu, throat infections, cough, asthma, whooping cough, sinus congestion, bronchitis, tonsillitis, and laryngitis. It can be applied on your neck, chest, or back, or inhaled via steam inhalation or through a vaporizer.

Stimulate urine production, which helps restore hormonal balance, prevent cystitis (inflammation of the urinary bladder), and relieve cramps and other urinary disorders.

Improve your blood circulation. It helps lower elevated blood pressure levels and can be used for hypertension.

Thyme:

Thyme is a fragrant herb that makes a wonderful addition to your cooking, in part because it is rich in antioxidants. Thyme contains health-boosting flavonoids including apigenin, naringenin, luteolin, and thymonin, and has been shown to protect and increase the percentage of healthy fats found in cell membranes. As reported by the George Mateljan Foundation:12 “In particular, the amount of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid) in brain, kidney, and heart cell membranes was increased after dietary supplementation with thyme.”

Thyme is also nutrient dense, containing vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, manganese, copper, and dietary fiber. When used in cooked dishes, thyme may also help inhibit glycation and the formation of dangerous advanced glycation (meaning glucose broken down) end products (AGEs) in your food, making thyme a potential preventer of heart disease and premature aging. Due to thyme oil’s antibacterial, antispasmodic, anti-rheumatic, expectorant, hypertensive, and calming properties, it also has a long list of topical uses, including:

Home remedy – Thyme oil is used to relieve and treat problems like gout, arthritis, wounds, bites, and sores, water retention, menstrual and menopausal problems, nausea and fatigue, respiratory problems (like colds), skin conditions (oily skin and scars), athlete’s foot, hangovers, and even depression.

Aromatherapy oil – The oil can be used to stimulate the mind, strengthen memory and concentration, and calm the nerves.

Hair product – It is said that thyme oil can prevent hair loss. It is used as a treatment for the scalp and is added to shampoos and other hair products.

Skin product – Thyme oil can help tone aged skin and prevent acne outbreaks.

Mouthwashes and herbal rinses – Like peppermint, wintergreen, and eucalyptus oils, thyme oil is used to improve oral health.

Insecticide/insect repellent – Thyme oil can keep insects and parasites like mosquitoes, fleas, lice, and moths away.

Chamomile:

Chamomile is most popular in tea form for use to calm upset stomach and help support restful sleep. Germany’s Commission E (a government organization) has even approved the use of chamomile for reducing swelling on your skin and fighting bacteria. Chamomile is a powerful anti-inflammatory that also has antibacterial, anti-spasmodic, anti-allergenic, muscle relaxant, and sedative properties. It is used to treat psoriasis, eczema, chickenpox, diaper rash, slow-healing wounds, abscesses, and gum inflammation, and according to Herb Wisdom may also be useful for the following conditions:

The oil serves many medicinal purposes, but one of the best-documented uses is for relaxation. The oil has a calming effect on people, and can be used to help induce sleep, ease frayed nerves, and promote a general sense of calmness and well being. It is great for those with nervousness or anxiety problems.

Aside from having mental calming properties, chamomile is also good at relaxing sore muscles and tight joints.

It can ease menstrual cramps and back aches, as well as relax the digestive system to ease upset stomach or indigestion issues.

When applied topically to the skin, it soothes redness and irritation. For this reason, it is a common ingredient in skincare. It also eliminates itchiness and is good for those with allergic reactions. Sometimes chamomile is used on rashes. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it can work to take down swelling caused by rashes or skin irritants.

Dandelion:

Dandelion, a plant, has traditionally been used as a liver tonic, useful for detoxification and improving liver function. Dandelion is known as a stimulant that is typically used for kidney and liver disorders. It is also traditionally used to reduce the side effects of prescription drugs, as well as to treat infections, gallbladder problems, water retention and swelling.15 Dandelion greens, which you can prepare simply by blanching them in boiling water for 20 seconds to help remove their bitter flavor (they can also be added to vegetable juice), contain many nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin B6, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, iron, potassium, and manganese. They are a particularly good source of vitamin A and may also have cancer fighting properties.

So believe it or not plants enhance our lives and with technology it will further expand in helping human lives.

“Vegetables and fruits are an important part of a healthy diet, and variety is as important as quantity.  No single fruit or vegetable provides all of the nutrients you need to be healthy. Eat plenty every day.  At least nine different families of fruits and vegetables exist, each with potentially hundreds of different plant compounds that are beneficial to health. Eat a variety of types and colors of produce in order to give your body the mix of nutrients it needs. This not only ensures a greater diversity of beneficial plant chemicals but also creates eye-appealing meals.”

Harvard T.H. Chain (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vegetables-and-fruits/)