A National Directory of Drug Treatment Centers and Alcohol Treatment Centers, Therapists and Specialists. A free, simple directory providing assistance and guidance for those seeking help regarding alcohol addiction, drug addiction, dependency and many other conditions that affect the mind, body and soul.
Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Boozing mothers affect babies’ response to pain: Study

Prenatal exposure to alcohol dulls the pain response in babies, according to a new study from the University of British Columbia.

The research, which will be published in the April issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, showed that even healthy babies whose mothers drank while they were pregnant were affected by the alcohol.

The tests were done in a region of South Africa where 11 per cent of children have fetal alcohol syndrome — compared to the Canadian rate of 0.9 per cent.

UBC pediatrics professor Dr. Tim Oberlander and co-researchers from B.C., Michigan and South Africa determined the pain response by pricking the babies’ heels and squeezing to collect drops of blood — standard screening tests for metabolic diseases including hypothyroidism.

Infants whose mothers consumed at least 14 drinks per week while pregnant or had been binge drinking before delivery did not react to the pain the way babies born to a control group of non-drinking moms did.

The researchers catalogued the babies’ heart rate, facial grimacing and other measures of pain.

“This study is the first to document a relationship between prenatal alcohol exposure and biobehavioural responses to a noxious event in human newborns,” the researchers said in a statement. They added that how the infants react to pain may put them at a risk for problems later in life.

Previously studies have shown that as adults, people with fetal alcohol syndrome have increased anxiety, depression and aggression and altered responses to stress. Yet as infants, as shown by the current study, they have a dulled response.

The $40,000 study was funded by the UBC Child and Family Research Institute, Wayne State University and the state of Michigan.

source: Canwest News Service

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Use science to bolster ‘just say no’ message

Teen drinking

With high school graduation season in full swing, many parents are worried that alcohol may play a harmful role in their teens’ celebrations. An organization that studies teen drinking says parents should assume their teens will drink, and should use science to try to dissuade them. The Science Inside Alcohol Project advises parents to explain….

Continue reading

Treatment for bulimia eating disorder

Most often, sufferers of bulimia do not seek medical help for improving their disorder, as they are ashamed or ignorant of their condition. Therefore, many times it is the parents, friends and the relatives of the sufferers, who need to be alert and on suspecting any symptoms of bulimia seek medical advice. The treatment for….

Continue reading

What to Expect at a Drug Treatment Center

Drug treatment centers provide a number of different services that are aimed at helping people who are addicted to drugs to change their behaviors and overcome addiction. Depending on the type of drug treatment center that you attend the number of counselors and staff members as well as their experience you may encounter various different….

Continue reading

Alcoholism among older people may be overlooked

As people age, they may tend to mix alcohol with prescription drugs. Disaster can ensue. Research suggests alcoholism among the elderly may not be diagnosed or is simply overlooked. Todd Wagner, clinical director at Blue Mountain Counseling in Dayton, said alcoholism among seniors is a growing problem, often going unnoticed. Maybe providers aren’t asking seniors….

Continue reading

Calls to the general helpline will be answered by a paid advertiser. By calling the helpline you agree to our terms of use.

I NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOWI NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOW 888-647-0579Response time about 1 min | Response rate 100%
Who Answers?