The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

During #DrugsFactWeek, I have a special guest contributor:  Guest post by John T. James, PhD, DABT Patients must understand that accepting drugs into their body is an invasion into their body, no less so than serious surgery. Even though that bodily invasion leaves no external scars, drugs often have powerful and lasting side effects on patients, even when approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Patients must ask questions about any new drug they are prescribed. The first question to ask is whether lifestyle changes might be effective rather than drugs. Many people report a “cure” from diabetes simply by major and sustained changes in diet and exercise. Likewise exercise and dietary changes can stave off the progression toward hypertension as we age. Now let’s suppose that there are no alternative to taking a therapeutic drug. The most important question is to ask whether the drug is being prescribed to you off label – that is for purposes or popula...

There was a day you gave birth to a child that you believed was your heart and soul and you would protect that child from all the bad things in this world.   From infancy to toddler to elementary school and hanging that beautiful finger painting artwork up on your refrigerator door, the joy and pride of parenthood kept growing. Then we start the tweenage era.   That middle-school itch.   The peer pressure, the "where do I belong" and "who will be my friend" in the lunchroom.   Today life growing up from a child to a tween to a teen is escalated by technology of the digital access that kids have today.   It is like they are growing up in the Jetson generation only hundred times faster.   It is advised that parents should have the "tech talk" with their kids even before the "sex talk."   That is a strong indicator of the importance of how cyber-life has taken over our lives--both young and old. Drug dealers have figured this ou...

"Out of Reach" is a special documentary created by a teen filmmaker who captures the issue of teen prescription drug abuse as it exists in his world. The issues contained in the film are a reflection of this issue across the country. It was created in collaboration with director Tucker Capps (of A&E's "Intervention") and The Partnership at Drugfree.org 's Medicine Abuse Project. With the holiday's around the corner, it is imperative that parents not only know what is in their medicine cabinets, but also be aware of what their parents (grandparents) have in their homes.  As you visit relatives and friends this holiday season, it can also be an opportunity for your teen/tween to scout out a variety of bathrooms and medicine cabinets. Be an educated parent - you will have safer and healthier kids. Learn more from The Medicine Abuse Project .

Let's face it, our teens are very smart or they wouldn't be keen enough to manipulate parents into believing they are as innocent as they aren't! On a weekly basis I receive calls from parents about their highly intelligent teens that are smoking pot, using drugs, drinking and other risky behavior.  These kids can also be extremely good athlete's that have recently lost interest in their sport too.  What is going on?  Is it peer pressure, low self-esteem or something else?  Are they being bullied in school, did something happen that we don't know about?  Either way it is time to get your teenager help before it escalate into addiction or worse. Your intelligence at 16 is a strong indicator of how much and how often you will drink throughout adulthood. Over the last 55 years, in the U.S. and U.K., several studies have been conducted that show a direct relationship between childhood intelligence and adult alcohol consumption. Controlling for a huge plethor...

What does this say to parents of teenagers?    Are the parents too trusting of the teens or are the teens too smart for the parents? Are you still digesting that?    Let's understand this. One in four teens (24 percent) reports having misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime (up from 18 percent in 2008 to 24 percent in 2012), which translates to about 5 million teens. That is a 33 percent increase over a five-year period.   -According to Drugfree.org That is a lot teens using illegal prescription drugs to get high or alter their moods.  Where are they getting these drugs from?   Parents, grandparents, a friend's home or simply buying them off the street.    This isn't   blame game it is time to get a grasp on it and communicate to your kids about the risks of prescription medicine when it is not taken for the reasons it is prescribed for by a doctor.   Sometimes it takes a ne...