The mayor says that the law from 2012 for marijuana legalization has caused many problems since it was first adopted.
(Mirror Daily, United States)- Colorado’s mayor is telling his citizen not to vote for the marijuana legalization. Even though he says no to marijuana, many people from Colorado want to keep the law from 2012.
The mayor says that the law from 2012 has caused many problems since it was first adopted. For instance, the level of criminal activity has grown and so did the rate of teenager drug use and abuse. He also mentioned that now probably fewer people will agree with this law now, but it won’t be repealed.
The mayor completed that the normal citizens can’t see the difference but the ones in higher positions, like those who run the city and those in law enforcement, see it.
Proposition 205 is the one that made the mayor and a police officer come together for preventing it to get voted saying that the law in 2012 has already damaged the city enough.
The mayor, Suthers, mentioned that the people in Arizona should wait 2 more years before they make any decision, then, after the law of 2012 celebrates 5 years, they can see the difference.
If Proposition 205 is voted, it will allow the people to receive marijuana at their homes.
The president of the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police, John Ortolano, says that Arizona should not make the same mistake as Colorado when voting these types of laws. He also mentioned that he is concerned with the safety of the citizens.
To provide more information he showed a study that was published last year. In the study, 865 people from Washington and Colorado were questioned. They used marijuana in the past month, and 43 percent of them admitted that they drive under its influence in the last year.
“There is no doubt that in this state that if Proposition 205 passes that more citizens in our state are going to be killed by people that are driving under the influence of drugs,” Ortolano said
Suthers gave an alternative to this law. He said that small amounts of marijuana could be allowed, for personal use. This could mean that anybody can smoke and carry no more than an ounce of drug and get away with only a fine.
What is your opinion about the marijuana legalization in Arizona?
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Both specialists and parents are concerned about young people’s internet addiction.
(Mirror Daily, United States) Many parents are concerned about their children spending too much time in front of the computer. They are worried about being sedentary or damaging their sight. However, a new report from specialists says that there is another risk about internet addiction. The recent findings suggest that it may be the first step to several mental health issues.
The new research is mostly concerned with college students, as they stand as the primary age group that is linked to internet addiction. College students are old enough to escape their parents’ control regarding the hours spent in front of the computer. Moreover, they need the internet for their study projects and work.
Researchers were interested in various aspects, including those stated above. What they found is that college students use the internet excessively, and not only for work and study. Social media networks and gaming play important roles in the phenomenon too.
The study is based on the results of the Internet Addiction Test, which Internet users had to take. Researchers used other means of analyzing the data too. They found both people who used the Internet at normal rates, but also people who could be qualified as “Internet addicts.” Researchers are concerned about the effects of such a habit on the behavior and mental health of users.
Specialists think that Internet addiction can be linked with mental health issues. They have reasons to believe that depression, anxiety, impulsiveness and even ADHD can emerge with users who spent countless hours on the Internet. Users are qualified as addicts if they have a daily routine of using the Internet and find it difficult to deal with life and reality in the absence of the Internet.
According to researchers, the Internet addiction can trigger symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems. The study also finds that people who can’t imagine their life without the online environment are more likely to lack social skills and deal with time management problems.
Researchers are aware of the fact that the Internet is very useful in our modern life and couldn’t be eradicated. However, they need to figure out the precise relation between mental health issues and the internet addiction. In other words, they intend to discover whether the Internet addiction is the real cause which triggers the diseases or it is a symptom of these conditions.
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Heroin overdose and opiate abuse kill hundreds of people each year.
(Mirror Daily, United States) Officials are concerned about pressing problems of our society, such as heroin overdose and opiate abuse. Statistics show increased rates for this phenomenon, and authorities are trying to stop the process. To do so, President Obama has recently proclaimed this week as the Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week.
New Hampshire is one of the most affected states by the heroin overdose and opiate abuse. According to the 2015 statistics, four hundred people died because of the excessive use of these drugs. Reports show that the situation can be the same for this year, too.
Specialists believe that people start their way to addiction problems by abusing painkillers or other types of medicine which are highly addictive. Doctors tend to prescribe such drugs as less as possible, and they also advise pharmacists not to release large quantities to people. Their suggestion is to find alternative solutions to this problem.
However, it seems that once people get addictive to painkillers, the transition to heroin is more likely to occur. Specialists are concerned with the large number of young people who consume opioids.
According to recent statistics, it seems like the number of deaths caused by heroin overdose and opiate abuse is now three times higher than it was six years ago. Also, by comparing the present situation to that at the beginning of the early 2000s, researchers could observe that the current rates are actually four times higher than they used to be.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have previously announced that approximately eighty people die every day in the United States because of opioids. Statistics also point out that new users are most likely to become addictive very soon after being administered the drug. It has been documented that three in four new addicts die due to heroin overdoses.
Nonetheless, there is good news too. Some people are aware of their addiction problems and try to find help for them. There are special treatments that can cure them. Specialists are very supportive and can help people in need anytime they seek for their help.
The drug called naloxone or Narcan can help consumers who had just received an overdose. It can be administered to the patient by friends or family members who happen to be there at the moment. Alabama police officers are also allowed to carry the drug.
If you know someone who struggles heroin overdose and opiate abuse, don’t hesitate to contact specialists who can help.
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Early menopause could be connected with premature death.
A new study shows that women who have early menopause are at higher risk for heart disease and premature death. Even though there were not many studies made regarding this matter, it seems that there really is a connection between menopause and heart issues.
Dutch researchers have used data from 32 studies, involving 300 000 women. They compared those who were younger than 45 at the start of menopause with those who were older when it began. What they discovered have concerned them. It seems that the heart disease risk is 50 percent greater for women that have early menopause. Moreover, this raises the risk of death from all causes.
What is important to know is that the study did not make a cause and effect connection. Researchers just discovered an association between those two. Dr. Talant Muka, from the Erasmus University Medical Center, Netherlands, said that: “These findings suggest that women with early onset of menopause may be a group to target for proactive cardiovascular prevention strategies”.
Women with early menopause could try hormone therapy. The biggest issue is that this treatment if it used for too long, can cause cancer. So the risks will be bigger than the benefits.Doctors are advising female patients to avoid the treatment with estrogen until they have the age of natural menopause. Even though it begins at 51, there is one in 10 women who have early menopause.
Researchers are trying to find out if the ovaries are influencing the heart disease or if the cardiovascular health is influenced by ovaries. They think that the connection can be made in any direction. Women who have early menopause have higher heart disease risk. In the same time, high blood pressure can cause an early menopause.
Of course, there are other factors who influence this event, such as genetic or environmental risk. There are women who made some surgeries and they had menopause earlier than they should. Even though more research have to be done in the future, there is a connection between menopause and heart disease. Women who are 45 years old should pay more attention to their health. If you have early menopause, you should see a doctor to prevent heart diseases. Find why this happened sooner that it should because the risks are higher than for those who got their menopause at 50 years old.
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Do you enjoy your afternoon naps?
(Mirror Daily, United States) There are people who love to take a nap during the afternoon. Other people resent the idea of sleeping during the day. However, those who tend to rest at noon might be facing some other problems, except feeling tired. Researchers suggest that afternoon naps are a symptom of type-2 diabetes.
A team of Japanese researchers conducted a new study, which reveals that afternoon naps might be a problem you can get worried about. Their study is based on results obtained from more than three hundred thousand participants involved in the trials.
Specialists say that feeling tired is one of the signs of undiagnosed type-2 diabetes. Even if you sleep for one hour during the day, you might be a potential patient. The disease seems to be triggering the need for sleep in the patients.
The researchers made clear the fact that afternoon naps are not the cause of type-2 diabetes, but merely a sign, or the effect of the existing disease. The study shows that people who tend to sleep more than an hour during the day are forty-five percent more likely to have the disease than those who only sleep at night. The research states that people who rest for less than forty minutes during the day have fewer reasons to worry about the development of such a disease.
Specialists advise people not to neglect their sleep hours. They say that night sleep is both healthy and refreshing. They are also concerned that people who tend to sleep during daytime have a different lifestyle. For instance, not sleeping well at night because of a stressful job or because of social interaction could lead to the person being tired all day. Moreover, there is also the possibility of people eating more than usual under these circumstances, which is clearly a factor that can cause type-2 diabetes.
Health experts are aware that this study is not the final conclusion as far as the link between afternoon naps and type-2 diabetes is concerned. However, they are sure that the factors which trigger type-2 diabetes also trigger the need for sleep during the day. In other words, the disease manifests through tiredness and long naps in the afternoon.
Researchers will carry out additional trials in order to determine the precise relation between these two elements.
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Have you ever thought about preventing suicide?
(Mirror Daily, United States) The alarming suicide rates across the United States lead specialists to believe that a campaign which raises awareness about the phenomenon is one of the best solutions. They also believe that preventing suicide is up to each and every one of us who can help a friend or a family member in a desperate situation.
Psychologists agree that most suicides can be prevented if friends and relatives know how to deal with the problems of emotionally unstable people. Specialists inform everyone that there are always signs which can show to them that the people they love are in trouble and need their help. It is a typical pattern with those who attempt to commit suicide to share their plans or intentions with someone around them. Experts advise that we should be extremely careful about comments which suggest such intentions. They think that the sooner someone takes actions to prevent suicide, the better.
People who attempt to commit suicide tend to be introvert, lonely individuals. However, this doesn’t mean that they don’t feel the need to communicate to other people. What the specialists advise you is that you shouldn’t be afraid of talking to them about suicide, because it won’t be you the one who sets their mind on the idea. On the contrary, talking through and discussing the problems can turn out to be on of the best methods of preventing suicide.
There are cases when depressed people need someone to tell them not to do reckless acts. Seeing that someone is concerned and cares about them may be exactly what they needed in order to change their mind.
Specialists also suggest that if you don’t know how to deal with such a situation, you can always contact mental health professionals. Sometimes, people with suicidal tendencies are melancholic. There are other cases when people who threaten to hurt or kill themselves could act violently. This is why professionals should intervene.
Statistics show that there are more than one million people who commit suicide every year in the world. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, over forty thousand of them are American. Recent reports show that adult and elderly men are more prone to commit suicide, while adult women tend to be stronger. On the other hand, there are alarming suicide rates among young girls aged 10 to 14.
Remember that preventing suicide is up to you too. If you know someone who seems to have problems, try to talk to them or ask for professional help.
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Human hair contains unique proteins
(Mirror Daily, United States) DNA is not the only medical test which can state the identity of a person. A recent study shows that human hair samples can lead to the same conclusion. The research reveals that hair could be used as a forensic tool.
A team of researchers in California conducted a new study which analyzes human hair and its properties. It seems that our hairs contain proteins which make possible the identification of unique individuals.
The new Californian results stand as a massive breakthrough in the medical field. The new method of identification proves itself even better than DNA. Researchers have long been waiting to discover an alternative method they could rely on whenever DNA tests were not enough or failed.
According to specialists, DNA samples can be preserved for thousands of years. This is how archaeologists can identify relics, for instance. On the other hand, DNA can also be damaged when exposed to light or water.
The researchers in California analyzed samples of human hair from seventy-six living people, as well as samples from dead people, dating back almost three hundred of years ago. The subjects were both man and women, coming from different parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. When coming down to the minimal elements of the hairs structures, the researchers observed that they encode genetic information, very similar to the one that can be found in the human DNA.
The researchers found that there could be one thousand protein markers that could help them determine the precise identity of a person. The recent study accounts for 185 of these markers.
The recent discovery can now help scientists determine people’s identity and if there are related to other people too, based on their hair sample. The new method can come in handy not only to archeologists and doctors but police officers as well. Criminalists are always looking for clues, and hairs can be found at a murder scene, for instance. So the hairs’ analysis could lead them one step closer to the killer.
The scientists also noted that a complete human hair analysis which can establish their identity could take up from two to three days. They also claim that the method could be further improved.
The new study on the proteins in the human hair was published in PLOS ONE.
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All the recent hepatitis A cases are connected to the products at Tropical Smoothies Café.
(Mirror Daily, United States) Officials announced an increased number of hepatitis A cases in the United States. It seems like all the patients have one thing in common, namely being customers at Tropical Smoothies Café.
The first hepatitis A cases were reported in Virginia. Immediate investigations from authorities revealed that the virus came from frozen strawberries imported from Egypt. The owners of the restaurant withdraw their products based on the contaminated fruits.They also announced that they changed their supplier. However, most of the victims are from Virginia. There have been reported more than half of the cases.
Almost twenty other people across the United States have been infected with hepatitis A because they ordered strawberry smoothies. Besides Virginia, other states have reported the disease, such as North Carolina, Oregon, New York, Maryland, and Wisconsin.
The first hepatitis A case emerged in Virginia this summer. The victim was one of the employees at a Tropical Smoothie Café. Other eighty-eight cases have recently been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thirty-nine of the patients needed to be hospitalized. Fortunately, none of the cases is severe, so there are no deaths involved.
Earlier in August, officials from the Tropical Smoothies Café in Virginia apologized to their customers and assured them that the situation wouldn’t happen again. Authorities also suggested people who went to the café between 5 and 8 August that they should visit a doctor and get their vaccines as a precaution measure against the disease.
Doctors believe that this is an outbreak, and they expect to be treating more hepatitis A patients in the weeks to come. The virus can take up to fourteen days to reveal its symptoms, and there is a high possibility that people should be infected with the virus, but not knowing it yet.
Hepatitis A is a disease which affects the liver. It is associated with pale shades of the skin, abdominal pain, fever, and nausea among others. Specialists say that vaccines and medication can significantly improve patients’ condition if they are administered in due time. According to doctors, it is advisable to undergo treatment as soon as possible after the exposure to the virus. However, it is hard to tell whether someone got the virus or on, as the disease can take weeks to manifest.
Hepatitis A vaccines have been introduced in the mid-1990s. Ever since the rate of the disease has been significantly lowered.
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Statins shouldn’t be considered dangerous, according to specialists
(Mirror Daily, United States) The effects of statins have been long debated by specialists. Their major advantage is that they reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood and help you prevent certain diseases. On the other hand, their side effects have also been taken into consideration. So what is the specialist’s conclusion?
Experts published a new study on statins on September 8. They think that the side effects of the medication have been exaggerated throughout time and that they don’s stand as a major risk for patients.
By studying particular cases, researchers were able to observe how the medicine works on patients. One of their important findings was that there are fewer side effects reported cases than improvement cases. In other words, there are more benefits than disadvantages with statins.
Doctors recommend statins to patients who need to reduce the level of cholesterol in their blood. This medication also reduces the risks of strokes and heart attacks.
As far as the medicine’s side effects are concerned, these are inconveniences such as muscle pain, nausea, and liver problems. According to specialists, people shouldn’t get alarmed about them, as they can be canceled by stopping the statins treatment. On the other hand, they draw the patients’ attention that other problems such as heart attacks can’t be canceled. So the patients expose themselves to greater risks by not taking the medication than by being cautious about its’ side effects.
According to official statistics, strokes and heart attacks stand as the main cause of death in the world. At the same time, patients in the United Kingdom widely used statins, and they have a normal life, without being worried about the possible risks caused by the treatment.
Previous British research announced that approximately twenty percent of the patients expose themselves to the side effects of the medication. However, the studies, which were carried out three years ago, were proved to be wrong. Other countries in Europe have further fueled the controversy.
Other British scientists observed that the population was confused about the debates and statistics. Because they didn’t know what to believe, people chose to give up the medicine. Nevertheless, doctors don’t recommend this. They insist on remembering people that the medicine won’t do any harm to them. On the contrary, it can help them improve their life quality, and even prolong it. Specialists think the statins really can save lives, as they prevent strokes and heart attacks.
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Do you think pregnant women should smoke marijuana?
(Mirror Daily, United States) Marijuana is one of the widely spread and used drugs among consumers all around the world. Studies certify its popularity. It is common even among pregnant women. Now, what do scientists have to say about this habit of future moms?
Marijuana can be consumed by smoking or mixing the drug in your food. It is also used for medical purposes, but consumers are addicted to the euphoric state it causes to them. A recent study has investigated the effects of the drug on pregnant women and it seems that it doesn’t affect the baby. What’s more, alcohol and regular cigarettes do more harm to both the mother and the fetus than cannabis.
Previous studies showed that American adults tend to smoke marijuana more than they used to back in the early 2000s. In addition to this, a percentage of more than two of the pregnant women admit to consuming the drug.
Doctors analyzed the effects of marijuana use on both the mother and the babies. According to the research, consuming the drug doesn’t lead to birth defects, miscarriages, or delivery complications. However, doctors don’t exclude the possibility of the babies developing certain disease when they grow up. What other studies prove instead that is alcohol and tobacco that are indeed more damaging for expecting moms than weed.
Specialists are also concerned about pregnant women being administered medical marijuana.
On the other hand, doctors know that this study doesn’t stand as strong evidence. They still don’t recommend using any drug, especially during pregnancy. Specialists suggest that future moms should be extremely careful about their diet and about the products that get into their organisms. They should only consume products which have beneficial effects for both themselves and their babies.
There are two types of women who use marijuana when they are pregnant, namely those who take the drug deliberately, although they acknowledge their condition, and those who take the drug in the early stage of pregnancy when they don’t know they are expecting a baby.
Additional research will reveal more information on the subject, and specialists will be able to find appropriate solutions. However, marijuana is legal in some parts of the United States.
The new study on the effects of marijuana use on pregnant women was published in Obstetrics & Gynecology on September 8.
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