Co-founder of NC-based lender attacked
November 30, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C. - A co-founder of the community development lender Self-Help Credit Union was attacked…
US sets levels of melamine in infant formula
November 30, 2008
US health authorities have raised the safety threshold for melamine for infant formula amid widespread concern over the use of the industrial chemical in Chinese dairy products. Melamine is used to line cans, make flame retardant and cleaning…
Jabs urged as measles rates rise
November 30, 2008
The Health Protection Agency is urging parents to get their children vaccinated with the MMR jab as measles cases rise to their highist number in more than 10 years.
Leftover Turkey Recipes: A Pressing Health Issue
November 30, 2008
Associated Press
Before the Health Blog signs off for the day, we thought we’d consult with the American health establishment on a pressing question: What to do with leftover turkey. The establishment didn’t disappoint.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (part of NIH) has this basic turkey soup recipe. One public health tip that may already be familiar to many cooks: For a dish that’s lower in saturated fat, let the soup cool and skim off the fat that condenses on the surface.
For something a little heartier (no pun intended), consider the American Heart Association’s Turkey Tetrazzini. The turkey is skinless, of course, and the evaporated milk is skim. The AHA calls it a “great way to use turkey leftovers.”
Finally, diabetics might consider this turkey stew recipe, courtesy of NIH’s National Diabetes Education Program. The recipe doesn’t mention leftovers, but to our amateur eye, it looks like you could just skip the part about cooking the chunks of turkey in a skillet and start with the part where you put the turkey and the tomatoes in the casserole.
Selenium may slow march of AIDS
November 30, 2008
Increasing the production of naturally occurring proteins that contain selenium in human blood cells slows down multiplication of the AIDS virus, according to biochemists.
Houston denies reuniting with Bobby Brown
November 30, 2008
Singer Whitney Houston has issued a statement denying the rumors of a reunion with Bobby Brown.
Examining Rehab 2 With Dr. Drew - Episode 6
November 30, 2008
Our scene-specific blog commentary on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew continues. Below, the doctor talks about the main points of the episode, among them: Friends & Family weekend, Amber’s checkered past and a breakthrough with Gary that didn’t make it to air.
Before we talk about the episode, I want to ask you a question that regularly crops up in the blog comments, but that I’ve never asked you: why are the patients allowed to indulge in their smoking addictions?
In California, I’m required by law to give people a place to smoke. It’s in what’s called Patient’s Rights. I offer every single patient CHANTIX and most of them refuse it. Brigitte Nielsen from last season is the only one who successfully stopped smoking also. Although the old wisdom in addiction treatment was that you deal with the smoking later, current research shows that you’re more likely to stay off your drug of choice if you address smoking at the same time. So I address it with every single one, but I’m obliged by law to let them kill themselves with cigarettes.
Also, Mary Carey showed up on an online extra recently, and hers is not necessarily a “success story.” She says that she’s “60 percent better.” Did you bring her in to show the current patients that rehabilitation is an ongoing process?
Yes. It’s important for them to see her ongoing struggle and to look at rehab realistically. Even somebody who’s motivated has trouble getting all the way there.
So, the biggest revelation in this episode is Amber’s prostitution past.
Something that didn’t get on camera happened when I was talking to Amber’s mom while she was being treated at the hospital. That hospital eventually stopped allowing us to bring in cameras. I addressed this with the mom and she said, “Well, [the johns] were nicer to her than anybody.” My god, you know? You try to survive when you’re an addict, you’ll go to any length.
Tawny’s response is, “I’m mad at your mom.”
She was angry with Amber’s mom for empathic failure, for dealing with Amnber like an object and not a person. But what came out of that was that Tawny started talking about how angry her daughter must have been with her. I thought that was pretty interesting that it kinda cuts both ways. It’s never black and white with relationships and addiction. Everyone has their role to play.
Is Friends & Family Weekend helpful for you in giving these people treatment? Does it allow you to sort out their family situations, since up till then, you’re often just hearing it from one side?
Yes, it’s always very different from the family’s perspective. And I’m always ready to hear it. It’s an interpersonal disorder, so it effects everybody and everybody needs to participate.
Rodney’s daughters couldn’t make the Friends & Family Weekend, but you brought them in anyway. Why was it so important to have them in?
Rodney’s ashamed of his addiction and he hides it. It’s important that he lets his daughters see him all the time because they will help him in his recovery. He didn’t want to see his dad drinking, and his assumption is his daughters don’t want to see him drinking, either. In reality, they want to be around him no matter what his condition is. They get scared to death when he disappears because then they know he’s drinking.
At the start of the weekend, Amber’s mom passes out. How was her recovery coming along at that point?
She’d just come out of the ICU, She was just barely up and around. I had her on five different blood-pressure medications. She became overcome by the heat, her blood pressure dropped and she passed out. Up to that point, she was coming along slow and steady. I was looking forward to working with her during the family groups. But it was OK. She was committing to treatment, going to meetings and following directions.
Did talking to anyone at Friends & Family besides Gary leave any great impression on you?
While I was talking to Nikki and her husband, her kids were sitting inside the mansion at the window. Tawny and her daughter were very powerful. I admire the daughter’s courage: wherever we wanted to go, she as ready. Tawny wasn’t as comfortable. With Steven and his wife, I told her: “Steven’s going on tour? He’s dead. You’re standing over his grave. What do you say? How do you feel?” We eulogized him. and the whole time, Steven was saying, “Naw man, don’t do that. Don’t go there.” But we did it.
What follows is service on the beach Did you hold it on a beach because the restaurant was such a trigger for Brigitte last season?
Yeah. Although, Shawn and Steven just took off and went in the water. They’re patients. They’re on a field trip, but they’re still expected to play by the rules. Basic compliance with the program.
The show ends with dinner. When Gary toasts, he talks about his personal journey, how he finally reached his point of knowing that he needed rehab. Was this a breakthrough for him, or is it just the first time the at-home audience is seeing him say this?
That was where Gary was. I wasn’t surprised he stood up and said that, especially after this profound moment he and I shared the day before at the Friends & Family workshop. It was one of the most positive moments out the show’s entire run for me. You know, Gary had one positive moment with his dad, where he acknowledged that Gary was a competent person. I said, “Gary, I see that in you.” And he froze because no one besides his dad had been able to reach in and touch him like that. I was able to channel Gary’s father for him and he went into a fugue state. He just froze. He didn’t come out of it for a few minutes and then once he did, he said, “Oh my god, I’m seeing things more clearly. I’m more accepting of things. I’m imagining a bog of ice melting and witches flying away. It was a very powerful moment. For me, that’s why I carry a special relationship with Gary. At that moment, he and I formed a very mutual bond.
Related content
Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew show page
Celebrity Rehab videos and extras
Eternal Sonata - Walkthrough (PDF)
November 30, 2008
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Gangster Wine Showdown
November 30, 2008
A little while ago, realizing that there’s now a gangster-wine trifecta in play with the introduction of a line based on “The Sopranos”, a couple of unnamed informants and I decided to see which vino most deserved the title of Godfather of Gangster Wines. Here are the wines that we tried out: The Sopranos Pinot Noir The Sopranos Chianti DOCG Francis Ford Coppola Cabernet (”The Godfather,” etc.) Bracco Wines Barolo (as in Lorraine Bracco, from “The Sopranos” and “Goodfellas”) And, just to shake things up a bit, something from the Godfather of Crunk, Lil Jon: Little Jonathan Winery Merlot Little Jonathan Winery Cabernet (And, yes, we know crunk has nothing to do with gangster rap.) See how the wines fared after the jump.
No. 2 Connecticut routs Bryant 88-58
November 30, 2008
HARTFORD, Conn. - Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun says he still gets butterflies before games, even when playing a team like Bryant. Calhoun earned his 780th career victory Saturday as his No. 2 Huskies (6-0) routed the Bulldogs 88-58. The win moved Calhoun into a tie with Lou Henson and Lute Olson for eighth place on the all-time list. “If I’m still excited about it and still got a little something going through my stomach, which I do, before Bryant, than I think (the players) should,” Calhoun said. “I would like them to share that experience, because you…
