Question by Liza Shevchuk: Natural Remedies For Brain Damage After Drug Abuse?
My older brother has done many drugs from about 16-21. Its been a year since his last use, and he’s been having some serious problems. He has high anxiety and he’s been having frequent episodes of “weird” (as he calls it) feelings. He doesn’t label it as feeling sick. During these episodes he feels jittery, emotional (even cry’s sometimes) out of control, his heart rate goes up. This also causes him to have insomnia. Maybe they’re panic attacks, but the thing is, what triggers it? This occurs randomly on a normal day. We believe its typical withdrawal symptoms, because he abused quite a few drugs. (Marijuana, cigarettes, ecstasy, crystal meth, shrooms, hookah, cocaine, inhalants, “uppers” (as he calls them))
He has gone to see his doctor several times to get treatment, and his doctor said he has migraines.
-____-
He prescribed him anti depressants and that didn’t help my brother AT ALL.
He does this herbal drop treatment (echinacea, other oils, etc) That help him sleep.
Now we’re trying to find him herbal remedies that would help repair his brain damage from all of the abuse he has done to it.
Thank you very much.

Best answer:

Answer by jannsody
I’m not sure that there will be repairing of the brain damage (presuming that he has that as I’m not a medical doctor :), but researchers believe that the brain is very “plastic” and may form new nerve pathways to *help* compensate for the injured areas.

With regard to inhalant use, my friend actually has a severe Brain Injury from huffing at the age of 12, now in her 30s. The chemicals in products used for huffing are actual *poisons* that were never meant to go through the bloodstream.

Please be *very* careful with herbal supplements or “remedies” (e.g., echinacea, ginkgo biloba, chamomile) as they can result in side effects and/or drug (medication) interactions. It’s best to check with a licensed pharmacist before taking any of them. Not everything that is “natural” is safe 😉

Regarding the panic attacks, some people have generalized anxiety (to know specific event) or other types of anxiety. The antidepressants may help to lessen the intensity and/or frequency of the anxiety symptoms. Such medications tend to take about 6-8 weeks before possibly noticing results. A caveat (warning) is that some antidepressants may cause insomnia (trouble getting to and/or staying asleep). However, there are medications that one may take to help counteract the insomnia.

Even though benzo’s (e.g., ativan, valium, xanax, klonopin) may be prescribed to help with sleep, they’re not always recommended as a medication due to their physical addictiveness. (Some withdrawal symptoms from benzo’s may include seizures, psychosis/mental break from reality, or even death.) Some psychiatrists (it’s best to get medication for mental health issues from a board-certified psychiatrist as opposed to “just” a family doctor) prescribe seroquel (or other medications), which is classified as an antipsychotic but in smaller dosages may help with sleep.

You’d mentioned that he’s gone to the doctor several times, and I’m wondering if he’s gone to a neurologist which is medical dr who can help rule out disorders of the nervous system – brain, spinal cord, nerves. I’m just thinking that to help “cover all the bases” (not trying to give false hope though, know what I mean).

I’m not sure that he’d still be going through withdrawal symptoms a year after stopping the drugs, but it’s a good idea to ask a doctor about that as well.

Pertaining to the anxiety, please show him this government site which may have some local counseling agencies: http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/ and can click the second link. Then one can click “near you” on the left-hand side of the page under “find facilities” and can type one’s city and state of residence into search. Their toll-free 24/7 referral helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Just an fyi that the first link is for those looking for substance abuse counseling/treatment, and that may be an option if he’s still “using” or having cravings for substances.

A 12-step program, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), may have some local support groups. The only requirement is having a desire to get sober. One may attend an “open” AA meeting if there is no drinking problem: http://www.aa.org

This site has some common mottos pertaining to those 12-step programs, including “One day at a time”, “First things first” and “People, places and things”: http://www.royy.com/toolsofrecovery.html

Al-Anon is a 12-step program for the *friends and family* of the problem drinker, but one may attend an “open” Al-Anon meeting if the loved one doesn’t have a drinking problem: http://www.al-anon.alateen.org

Give your answer to this question below!

Question by Jamie J: Do you know how to spot an argument or theoretical position which ignores the principle of falsifyability?
Can you give me an example of a statment that ignores this principle?

My peer recently asserted that alcoholics anonymous “is the best treatment for alcohol abuse”.
I feel that the flipant statement is invalid as a fact because a) it is an opinionated statement sans any supportive evidence, and b) due to the nature of the statement, it is not falsifiable lest we establish a shared understanding of what the “best” is supposed to be (i,e. highest success rate, most used, most sought, etc.) inorder to be proven or refuted.

Is any argument that lacks a set of general truths to be considered in violation of the principle of falsifiability?

Best answer:

Answer by ??†?? ?F ??????
no, not quite there yet hon.
a non falsifiable argument would be somethinh we cant prove false.
we can prove this false.
we can merly look at all of the people wh attended different
alcaholic treatments and see what percentage of people slid back into alchahol.
if it turns out that %10 fall back with aa
versus
%30 with other treatments
then it means that it is the best available
if the numbers are oppiste then the statment is false.

you are mixing up general truths and propper definitions
now in this case one can only assume that this person means
that it is of a success rate
because of the very goal of AA.
to get people off drinking.
thus the best treatment is the one who most likely will succeed
and to guess at this we can and must look at success rates.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

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Question by Shabnam: What’s about the court for Lindsay lohan?
i saw some pictures of lindsay lohan in court,and i wanted to be what is that all about?can someone explain me???PLZ

Best answer:

Answer by Ani
January 2006: Vanity Fair reports that Lohan admitted she had bulimia during an interview, but Lohan denies that she has an eating disorder. The article quotes Lohan as saying, “I was sick. Everyone was scared. And I was scared too. I had people sit me down and say, ‘You’re going to die if you don’t take care of yourself.’ ”

January 2007: Lohan checks into rehab for the first time. “I have made a proactive decision to take care of my personal health,” the singer says in a statement. “I appreciate your well wishes and ask that you please respect my privacy at this time.” In December, Lohan’s publicist revealed that Lohan had been voluntarily attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

May 26, 2007: Lohan gets arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after her Mercedes convertible strikes a curb in Los Angeles. Police reported that they found a substance they believe to be cocaine at the scene.

May 28, 2007: Lohan checks into rehab again. “Lindsay admitted herself to an intensive medical rehabilitation facility on Memorial Day,” a representative for the singer/actress says in a statement. “Because this is a medical matter, it is our hope that the press will appreciate the seriousness of the situation and respect the privacy of Lindsay as well as the other patients receiving treatment at the facility.”

June 14, 2007: Lohan is accused of being drunk when she crashed into a parked van in Beverly Hills in October 2005, according to a lawsuit. Raymundo Ortega claims Lohan — who was 19 years old at the time — “consumed alcohol and became intoxicated” at the Ivy restaurant before the accident.

July, 14, 2007: Lohan checks out of Promises rehab facility after more than six weeks and celebrates the end of her 45-day stay by soberly partying with some friends at Pure nightclub in Las Vegas.

July 24, 2007: Less than two weeks after leaving a rehabilitation facility, Lohan is pulled over by police early in the morning and arrested on five counts, including driving under the influence of alcohol, driving on a suspended license and possession of narcotics. Lohan checks into an undisclosed rehab facility hours after the arrest.

August 14, 2007: Lohan gets sued again, this time for assault and negligence by one of the passengers who was traveling in the car the actress allegedly chased the month prior while driving under the influence.

August 23, 2007: Lohan gets charged with seven misdemeanor counts for her two DUI arrests earlier that year. She reaches a plea deal, saying she would spend one day in jail, serve 10 days of community service and complete a drug-treatment program. Lohan is placed on 36 months’ probation and required to complete an 18-month alcohol-education program and pay hundreds of dollars in fines. She also is to finish a three-day county coroner program that required her to visit a morgue and talk to victims of drunken drivers. “It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs,” Lohan writes in a statement released to MTV News.

October 5, 2007: Lohan leaves a two-month rehab stint at the Cirque Lodge Treatment Center in Utah. She is also seen with her estranged father, Michael, who was carrying her suitcases.

December 31, 2007: In a video posted on TMZ, Lohan drinks straight from a bottle of champagne while partying in Italy.

October 16, 2009: Lohan shows up more than an hour late to a probation hearing in Beverly Hills for a progress review on her two DUI cases. She gets another year of probation tacked on due to failure to complete alcohol-education classes as required.

April 26, 2010: Lohan is asked to leave the film “The Other Side.” The director says Lohan was fired because she is not “bankable.”

June 8, 2010: A Beverly Hills judge issues an arrest warrant for Lohan and orders her to post $ 200,000 bail after she violates a court order to not consume alcohol while wearing a SCRAM alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet. The warrant is recalled after bail is posted.

July 6, 2010: Lohan is sentenced to 90 days in jail and 90 days in rehab for violating her probation.

What do you think? Answer below!