SO, we all want to lead long, happy and healthy lives, right? And to do that we know we need to quit smoking, get more exercise and lose some weight, right? Well, it turns out there are a couple of very important things that you shouldn’t do ... drugs and alcohol.

We know what alcohol can do to the liver and other body parts, but what you may not know is if you drink a lot when you’re pregnant, you run the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) which means your kids can be born with birth defects and retardation. Researchers at Georgetown University recently reviewed many different studies on FAS.

Alcohol can have a range of effects on the baby, but the fetal brain is particularly at risk because of its complex blood networks. Alcohol is carried from the mother to the child through blood that flows through the umbilical cord.

Alcohol can cause dramatic and irreversible effects on the fetus, like developmental delay, head and facial irregularities, seizures, hyperactivity, attention deficits, cognitive deficits, learning and memory impairments, poor psychosocial functioning, facial irregularities, and motor coordination deficits. Many factors influence the severity of the damage, such as maternal genetics, the mother’s age, her history of alcohol abuse and poor prenatal care. 

Alcohol is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation, the researchers say. FAS is relatively uncommon, affecting one baby in a thousand, but fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), the less severe form of FAS, is much more common and has a broad range of the same symptoms. And here’s the sad part: FAS is completely preventable. Many kids that wind up in special ed classes on Guam shouldn’t be there. Women who are pregnant SHOULD NOT DRINK. AT ALL. 

And then there’s drugs. We all know about meth or ice or speed or whatever you want to call it. Makes you feel good, right? It’s also eating your brain. 

In a new study conducted at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, the researchers discovered that people who abused methamphetamine or other amphetamine-like stimulants were more likely to develop Parkinson's disease.

The researchers examined almost 300,000 hospital records from California covering 16 years. Patients admitted to hospitals for methamphetamine use disorders had a 76 percent higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease compared to those with no disorder. Although the connection between meth use and Parkinson has been suspected for years, this study provides the first evidence of the association. 

Parkinson's disease is caused by a deficiency in the brain's ability to produce a chemical called dopamine. Because animal studies have shown that methamphetamine damages dopamine-producing areas in the brain, scientists have worried that the same might happen in humans.

It’s been a challenge to establish this link, however, because Parkinson's disease develops in middle and old age, and it’s necessary to track a large number of people with methamphetamine addiction over a long time span. The CAMH team took an innovative approach by examining hospital records from California – a state in which methamphetamine use is prevalent – from 1990 up to 2005. In total, 40,472 people, at least 30 years of age, had been hospitalized for methamphetamine usage during this period.

These patients were compared to two groups: 207,831 people admitted for appendicitis with no diagnosis of any type of addiction, and 35,335 diagnosed with cocaine use disorders. A diagnosis of Parkinson's disease was identified from hospital records or death certificates. Only the methamphetamine group had an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

While the appendicitis group served as a comparison to the general population, the cocaine group was selected for two reasons. Because cocaine is another type of stimulant that affects dopamine, this group could be used to determine whether the risk was specific to methamphetamine stimulants. Cocaine users also served as a control group to account for the health effects or lifestyle factors associated with dependence on an illicit drug.

So ... you want your kids to be healthy and smart? You want to avoid being a shaking vegetable in your old age?  Well, it’s simple. No drugs, no alcohol!

Cruise on over to The Deep website to learn more about substance abuse and many other topics. Enjoy!