In March of 2020, Nielsen reported a 54% increase in alcohol sales compared to the same time period in 2019. The initial reaction to the pandemic shutdown was to down more drinks.
Are you still drinking more than usual? Many of you may be and that has us worried. Evidence is accumulating that when it comes to alcohol (even with its heart- and artery-friendly benefits), less is more.
A new study in Cancer Epidemiology shows that in the U.S., alcohol consumption accounts for around 75,200 cancer cases and 18,950 cancer-related deaths every year. Another study in the Journal on Studies of Alcohol and Drugs says more than half of alcohol-caused cancer deaths are experienced by those drinking recommended safe amounts -- one drink a day for women and two for men.
In addition, alcohol is a factor in about 60% of fatal burn injuries, drownings and homicides; 50% of severe trauma injuries and sexual assaults; and 40% of fatal motor vehicle crashes, falls and suicides. It’s related to destabilizing atrial fibrillation, developing depression and many cancers, and it can make it difficult to manage diabetes, hypertension and sleep disorders.
So if you’re handling pandemic or economic stresses by imbibing alcohol, it’s time to wean yourself off the stuff. Limit yourself to one glass of wine every or every other day if you have a high risk for cancer in your family. And if you’ve developed dependence, think about giving it up altogether. Get help through Alcoholics Anonymous, therapy and your doctor. A great substitute: physical activity.
Acute pain medication regimen reduces opioid use and pain too
In 1834, Richard Henry Dana Jr. took a two-year sea voyage from Boston to California and chronicled it in his book “Two Years Before the Mast,” revealing the hardships and pain of the daring adventure.
Today, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston are revealing the incredible benefits of their MAST regimen, designed to manage acute pain (say, post-surgery) while reducing the use of opioids.
Their study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found that using oral acetaminophen along with naproxen, gabapentin (the only drug that required a prescription) and lidocaine patches was an effective pain management approach. If there was breakthrough pain, then oxycodone, an opioid, was used. This significantly reduced the amount of opioids given to patients while in the hospital and reduced by 5% the number of opioid prescriptions provided when they headed home. (At the Cleveland Clinic, an unpublished study found alternative pain relief approaches can reduce opioid prescriptions by as much as 35%.)
While opioids are often needed and effective, it’s smart to limit their use whenever possible. Fortunately, MAST reduces opioid-associated risks (including gastrointestinal complications and dependency) while taking care of severe, acute pain.
So if you are going in for surgery or end up in the ER because of an accident, ask about this new approach to pain management. You can be the MASTer of your treatment. And if you do take opioids for a short time, use a pain management specialist to oversee prescriptions and doses.
