[photo] Addy Schultz, 72, cuddling a baby going through opioid withdrawal at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, ( DAVID SWANSON / Staff Photographer ) Marie McCullough covers health and medicine, with a special focus on cancer and women's health issues. Study suggests prevention efforts are having an effect on melanoma in Pa., N.J. As the 13-day-old infant scrunched up his face and squirmed in obvious pain, Addy Schultz tightened her embrace. The baby relaxed in her arms almost instantly. "When he cramps up, I hold him harder and pat a little firmer," explained Schultz, 72, sitting in a rocking chair in the newborn intensive care unit at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. "They don't like to be stroked or caressed." [continues 869 words]
With New Jersey's endorsement of medical marijuana, there may be no stopping the rehabilitation of cannabis from illegal drug to legitimate therapy. Late yesterday, Gov. Corzine signed a law making New Jersey the fourteenth state to legalize medical pot. Four more states and the District of Columbia are expected to follow suit by year's end. Many things are driving this sea change. The federal government last year announced that it would no longer prosecute medical marijuana smokers in states where it is legal, while the National Institutes of Health has begun funding research on medicinal use in a reversal of a long-standing policy. [continues 718 words]
In the U.S., cases and deaths have declined dramatically. A Philadelphia program illustrates why further progress will be hard-won. The man in the clean white kicks leaned forward at his desk and addressed his 15 classmates. "I've heard that this is a plague and a curse that God sent down on us. I used to think that, too," he told the group. "But that's a lie, because I know I am not cursed. I'm taking care of my health. I'm more considerate of people. I have a lot of blessings." [continues 1636 words]
WASHINGTON - A Program To Test Some Women For Drugs Made Doctors "Agents Of The Police," Justice David Souter Says. Once again trying to define the limits on warrantless drug searches, the Supreme Court Wednesday heard arguments about a South Carolina hospital's policy of testing certain pregnant women for cocaine use, then giving results to police without the patients' consent. The case, Ferguson vs. city of Charleston, stems from a policy developed by the Medical University of South Carolina in cooperation with Charleston police. [continues 599 words]
The "Date Rape" Drug Has Shown Promise In Treating Cataplexy, A Rare Neurological Disorder. A push in Pennsylvania to criminalize a drug used in date rapes is worrying patients who need the drug to treat a rare sleep disorder. GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyrate, is a clear, flavorless, liquid sedative that can have intoxicating effects. Slipped into a drink, it can bring on unconsciousness and amnesia. GHB is easily obtained over the Internet, and has been involved in more than 20 sexual assaults and 3,500 cases of recreational abuse, including 600 overdoses and 32 deaths, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. [continues 881 words]
