European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 26, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                New drug May help fight alcoholism by Thomas ii.  ii los Angeles times in .1 finding that promises to revolutionize the treatment ref alcoholism two groups of researchers have independently found a drug that reduces an alcoholic s craving for liquor use of the medication called Nal Trevone in combination with conventional behavioural treatments reduced relapses into alcoholism from the Normal 50 percent of patients to Only 20 percent according to reports printed recently in the archives of general psychiatry the medication also made it easier for alcoholics who relapsed into drinking while on the program to return to abstinence according to or. Joseph Volpel Culli a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania medical Center. Quot these Are very important observations and we will be issuing new Grants to reproduce and extend them Quot said or. Enoch Cordis director of the National Institute on alcohol and alcoholism in Ite Thesda my. Quot but More important this is the beginning of a new Era in which both pharmacy therapy and verbal therapy will be incorporated into alcoholism treatment. Nal Trevone is promising but others will come Down the Road in the next  the discovery could have immediate Impact on alcoholism treatment because Nal Trevone is already widely available for use in treating narcotics addiction. Any physician is thus Able to prescribe the drug for other purposes such As treatment of alcohol abuse alcoholism is the most significant drug abuse problem in the United states. Government studies have shown that a minimum of 10.5 million americans Are victims of alcoholism and Many researchers believe that number significantly underestimates tire problem. At least 100,000 deaths Are associated with alcohol abuse each year either from cirrhosis of the liver or from accidents caused by intoxication. Hut perhaps even More important Are the soda costs nearly half of All americans have been exposed to alcoholism in their own families according ton 1991 government report and alcoholism is a major cause of divorce but few alcoholics a no More than one in to according to Volpel cell a seek treatment for their addiction. And Many who do seek treatment quickly drop out of programs perhaps because the craving for liquor is so Strong that they Are unable to resist the temptation current medical treatment a a As opposed to the counselling programs exemplified by alcoholics Anonymous a relies on a medication called antabuse patients who drink alcohol after taking antabuse suffer severe nausea and vomiting. The drug serves As Quot a threat to the patient not to drink but does nothing to reduce craving Quot Cordis said antabuse is a valuable med Littlon for patients who Are committed to slopping their drinking he said Luil is of Little value for those who Are not strongly motivated Nal Trevone was developed for beating heroin abuse. It targets the same receptors in the brain that produce feelings of pleasure when heroin or other opiates bind to them Nal Trevone also binds to those Sites hut does not produce a  Quot High Quot alcohol does not bind to those receptors in the brain but recent research Volpel cell said suggest that alcohol causes the release of the brain own endorphins that do bind to those receptors and produce a pleasurable sensation i to tiers reasoned that Nal Trevone might help in treating alcohol abuse. Preliminary studies in 1991 hinted that might ire the Case but controller studies in which neither the patient nor the physician knew the medication being Given were necessary to prove it the new studios appear to accomplish that studies Are testing a new drug Lett eaves the  for ii Ohol. Patch could Tell drinkers they be had enough by Malcolm Ritter the associated press i Ley bartender. A shot and a path please. A Patch stuck to the skill t an estimate Bow much alcohol is in a person s blood and it May someday be Able to Tel Imbi Bers when they be had enough. An ongoing study has found that the Penny sized White Patch starts turning Green within about a minute of being stuck on the Buck of a Drinker s hand a  study co author James a by. Experiments with seven men showed hut the More Alt Olio t Oris Umed and the higher the blood alcohol level the Darker the Patch became. If further research reinforces these findings suc.1i a Patch might be handed out by bartenders or dispensed with six packs to warn people when they re nearing intoxication said any a psychologist and assistant professor in the department of anaesthesia and critical care at the University of Hie ago. In the study each participant drank a tonic and Lime drink on four or Castor is with a different Alt Ohol doses each time i he closes ranged from Zero to one that prot fun de blood alcohol Levels just below Legal Inlo Xic a Lori any said i he  it was applied i 5 minutes after it drink. Willion about i minutes of application the Hue of its pea sized color one could reveal what dose of alcohol each h Man had consumed any said. I he Hue also wits related to each Man s blood Alc Ohol com extra Tom Whit h Wen measured by breath less the Patch Detec is alcohol vapor allot escapes through the skirt he said. I in said that it t Ould bet improved by altering the size of the c Olur zone Whir h May Cut the 20 minute delay. Any said that the Pate h would ire just for individuals use and would nut replace e breath analysing devices for polic e work. To your health treating tinnitus aspirin and diabetics by or. Simeon Margolis the Baltimore Sun q Honvo a constant ringing in my oars that is particularly annoying Whon i am trying to Sloop. What causes this and Onn anything to Dono to Mako it go away As Tho Mot local torm for Tho ringing nolo Hoard by you but not by others s tinnitus it can also Havo a buzzing roaring whistling or hissing Quality although tinnitus May to Pusod by smooth Long As simple As a plug of Wax in Tho oar Moro often it is a symptom of a Moro Dorlous problem in Tho Middle oar such As a Holo in Tho eardrum stiffening of Tho Middle oar Bones Oto sclerosis an infection or a collection of fluid. All of those May to  by some loss of Hoard no. Ono of Tho loading causes of tinnitus and hearing loss is Chronlos of Rosuro 10 loud nol3os, Somo Modl cations also damage Tho acoustic Norvo and tinnitus is Assoc lated with Dlab Otos allergies blood Rosuro abnormalities and thyroid problems those with Tho problem should Havo a thorough evaluation by an oar Noso and Throat specialist otolaryngologist who May to Able to identify and Troat Tho Causo if your hearing is impaired a Hoard no Aid May Roduco Tho ringing noise your difficulty in getting to Sloop is a common problem for Puoplo with tinnitus which la usually Moro Botho Somo in quiet surroundings. Tinnitus can to Mado loss notice Pablo by using a compost Long sound to mask Tho ringing within your head listening to music at Low Vot Umo or to Tho Rushing sound called Wilto noise produced by tuning Tho radio dial Botteon two pm stations to Onorata a subdued Static May also Holp others Havo benefited from a tinnitus mos kor a Small Delco worn Elko a Hoard no Aid that pro sonts a Moro pleasant sound than Tho tinnitus. Q s i Havo rend about Tho benefits of aspirin for Tho prevention of heart attacks but hesitate to Toko it Rogol arly Boco Uoo of my Dlab Otos is aspirin Safe for diabetics a a study of 3,711 diabetic Patio nut Between Tho Ngoa of 10 and 70 found that Dally aspirin compared with a Placebo produced a Small but significant Doc roast in Tho frequency of fatal and nonfatal heart attacks Over a five to seven year period. Thero was no Dilfer onco Between Tho two groups in Tho Overall death rate. Those results Are similar to Earlor reports on Tho of focus of aspirin in individuals without diabetes Tho Protection against Hoart attacks was Tho same in men and women for All types of Dlab Otos no harmful effects of aspirin wore selected Side effects occurred just As often in Tho group on Placebo As in those treated with aspirin,.by jul