Nearly 80% of the smokers who try to quit relapse within six months, and nicotine is the main reason why. A new brain imaging study supported in part by NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) shows how the nicotine in just a few puffs of a cigarette can drive someone to continue smoking.
Dr. Arthur [...]

Alcoholics generally have dysfunctional sleep patterns, even during abstinence from alcohol.
New findings suggest that acamprosate shows promise as a treatment method for alleviating sleep disturbances experienced by alcoholics during abstinence

Alcoholics generally don’t sleep well. Nor does abstinence improve the situation much. In fact, sleep difficulties during alcohol abstinence may be responsible for a relapse to [...]

(NIH News) If you’re one of the nearly 65 million Americans with high blood cholesterol, National Cholesterol Education Month (September) is a perfect time to read a new publication designed to help you make the lifestyle changes needed to reduce cholesterol and, with it, your risk for heart disease.
Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with [...]

A new study reveals that atomoxetine (Strattera ®, Lilly), an FDA-approved medication for ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), carries a risk of slowing growth rate in some young children, especially in the first 18 months of use.  The meta-analysis of 13 studies examined data on 97 children who stayed in clinical studies for at least 2 [...]

Previous View Held Autism Limited to Communication, Social Behavior, and Reasoning
(NIH News Release) A recent study provides evidence that autism affects the functioning of virtually the entire brain, and is not limited to the brain areas involved with social interactions, communication behaviors, and reasoning abilities, as had been previously thought. The study, conducted by scientists [...]

In July 2006 the FDA approved a new irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor, Rasagiline, for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.  It will be marketed with the trade name of Azilect by Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries, Ltd. It can be used as monotherapy with early Parkinson’s disease as well as combined with levodopa in later stages.  Trials in animal [...]