(8/28/2012)

Survey: “Digital peer pressure” fueling drug, alcohol use in high school students
CBS News

August 22, 2012

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASAColumbia) reported that 17 percent of high school students – about 2.8 million U.S. teens – drink, drug and smoke during the school day.

“This year’s survey reveals a new kind of potent peer pressure – digital peer pressure,” Califano said. “Digital peer pressure moves beyond a child’s friends and the kids they hang out with. It invades the home and a child’s bedroom via the Internet,” he said.

Last year’s survey from CASAColumbia found similar rates among teens exposed to questionable images through social media.

View the full article here: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57498147-10391704/survey-digital-peer-pressure-fueling-drug-alcohol-use-in-high-school-students/

Students fight addiction at ‘Recovery High’

By Yardena Schwartz
NBC News 

Alyssa Dedrick was 15 when she began drinking and taking drugs. A year later, she found herself in her first treatment center. It wasn’t voluntary, and she missed hanging out with her friends, who were still experimenting with pot, OxyContin, Percocet and heroin. But her first treatment program didn’t work, because as soon as Dedrick went back to school, she went right back to her old ways. She received treatment four more times, with the same results.

Finally, she and her mother realized that the answer to her seemingly unstoppable problem was not the treatment she received, but where she went when it was over. After her fifth treatment program at the end of her junior year, Dedrick truly wanted to recover. This time, she and her mother decided, she wouldn’t go back to her old high school. Rather than facing the same temptations and triggers, surrounded by friends who weren’t committed to recovery, Dedrick started her senior year at Northshore Recovery High School. It was minutes away from her old high school in Massachusetts, but may as well have been on a different planet.

“I remember going in and thinking, ‘This is a place full of other kids just like me,’” said Dedrick, now 24 and a recent graduate of Clark University.  Dedrick has been clean for five years now, and believes her life would be very different  if she hadn’t finished high school at Northshore Recovery.

“There was a 50/50 chance of me either dying or getting better,” said Dedrick. “I think going to a recovery school really increased my odds, not only of recovery, but of survival in general.”

Recovery high schools on the rise

While teen drug use is nothing new, the proliferation of high schools designed for students in recovery is something of a 21^st century phenomenon. The first recovery high school in the United States opened its doors in Minnesota in 1987, calling itself “Sobriety High.” Until recently, it was one of a handful sprinkled around the country. Today it is joined by at least 35 recovery high schools across the nation, with at least five more in development, Association of Recovery Schools founder Andrew Finch told NBC News.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, close to two million American students meet the criteria for drug or alcohol abuse. Yet less than eight percent of them receive the treatment they need. Those who do get treatment typically return to the schools they left in order to recover, and 75 percent of them relapse within their first year after treatment.

 READ MORE>>

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Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

For more on the Association of Recovery Schools, please visit their website.

And for additional information about college recovery programs, please visit the links below.

• Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
• Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN
• William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ
• Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
• University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
• The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, MN
• Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX

Related coverage from ‘Nightly News’

• Painkiller use breeds new face of heroin addiction
• Heroin abuse plagues Chicago suburbs

How Ovarian Cancer Develops

Watch a medical animation that illustrates how ovarian cancer develops in a woman’s body. Learn about the ovaries and how a tumor develops, as well as ovarian cancer symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

Thousands Wear TEAL Across the USA
September marks the nationwide observance of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

The first Friday in September is National Wear TEAL Day, and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance

will lead the efforts of thousands of Americans wearing TEAL to increase awareness about the deadly disease.

TEAL is the ovarian cancer community’s color and serves as a reminder that ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all the cancers

of the reproductive system and a leading cause of cancer death among women.

To find out what you can do this September to get involved, visit our September guide.

The United States of Teal campaign
United States of Teal is the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance’s campaign to raise awareness about ovarian cancer by gaining the support of state legislative leadership.

With our United States of Teal campaign we’re targeting all 50 state houses and asking legislators to pledge their allegiance to the fight against ovarian cancer. By signing a pledge card, they are letting their constituents know that they are committed to promoting ovarian cancer research, improving the lives of women suffering from ovarian cancer, and helping us raise awareness about ovarian cancer symptoms. Once a legislator pledges, we’ll turn his/her state teal on the United States of Teal web site (www.unitedstatesofteal.org). See the map below to see if your state has turned TEALyet!

To learn more about the campaign, visit www.unitedstatesofteal.org.

What’s New?
Our Shop+Give Program
Some of our favortite retailers have teamed up with the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance this September.

A portion of the proceeds of selected TEAL items from the following retailers will benefit the work of OCNA:

Macy’s, Chico’s, Ann Taylor Loft, PaperSource, RedEnvelope, DHC, Sketchers and Tom Shoes.

Click here to shop TEAL items from your favorite retailer! And Don’t forget to download the App for future online purchases.

Ovarian cancer is a growth of abnormal malignant cells that begins in the ovaries (women’s reproductive glands that produce ova).

Cancer that spreads to the ovaries but originates at another site is not considered ovarian cancer. 

Ovarian tumors can be benign (noncancerous)

or malignant (cancerous). Although abnormal, cells of benign tumors do not metastasize (spread to other parts of the body).

Malignant cancer cells in the ovaries can metastasize in two ways:  directly to other organs in the pelvis and abdomen (the more common way),

through the bloodstream or lymph nodes to other parts of the body.

Symptoms

By Mayo Clinic staff

Symptoms of ovarian cancer are not specific to the disease, and they often

mimic those of many other more-common conditions,

including digestive and bladder problems.

When ovarian cancer symptoms are present, they tend to be persistent and worsen with time.

Signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer may include:

• Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling or bloating
• Pelvic discomfort or pain
• Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea
• Changes in bowel habits, such as constipation
• Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate
• Loss of appetite or quickly feeling full
• Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist
• A persistent lack of energy
• Low back pain

While the causes of ovarian cancer are unknown, some theories exist:

Genetic errors may occur because of damage from the normal monthly release of an egg.

Increased hormone levels before and during ovulation may stimulate the growth of abnormal cells.

Types of Ovarian Cancer

Different types of ovarian cancer are classified according to the type of cell from which they start.

Epithelial tumors – About 90 percent of ovarian cancers develop in the epithelium, the thin layer of tissue that covers the ovaries.

This form of ovarian cancer generally occurs in postmenopausal women.

Germ cell carcinoma tumors –Making up about five percent of ovarian cancer cases, this type begins in the cells that form eggs.

While germ cell carcinoma can occur in women of any age, it tends to be found most often in women in their early 20s. Six main kinds of germ cell carcinoma exist,

but the three most common types are: teratomas, dysgerminomas, and endodermal sinus tumors. Many tumors that arise in the germ cells are benign.

Stromal carcinoma tumors – Ovarian stromal carcinoma accounts for about five percent of ovarian cancer cases. It develops in the connective

tissue cells that hold the ovary together and those that produce the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. The two most common types are

granulosa cell tumors and sertoli-leydig cell tumors. Unlike with epithelial ovarian carcinoma,

70 percent of stromal carcinoma cases are diagnosed in Stage I. READ MORE>>

Treatments and drugs

By Mayo Clinic staff

Treatment of ovarian cancer usually involves a combination of surgery and chemotherapy.

Surgery
Treatment for ovarian cancer usually involves an extensive operation that includes removing both ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the uterus as

well as nearby lymph nodes and a fold of fatty abdominal tissue known as the omentum, where ovarian cancer often spreads. Your surgeon also removes

as much cancer as possible from your abdomen (surgical debulking).

Less extensive surgery may be possible if your ovarian cancer was diagnosed at a very early stage. For women with stage I ovarian cancer, surgery may involve

removing one ovary and its fallopian tube. This procedure may preserve the ability to have children in the future.

Chemotherapy
After surgery, you’ll most likely be treated with chemotherapy — drugs designed to kill any remaining cancer cells. Chemotherapy may also be

used as the initial treatment in some women with advanced ovarian cancer. Chemotherapy drugs can be administered in a vein (intravenously) or injected

directly into the abdominal cavity, or both methods of administering the drugs can be used. Chemotherapy drugs can be given alone or in combination..FOR MORE INFORMATION>>

Basic Information About Gynecologic Cancers

Five main types of cancer affect a woman’s reproductive organs: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar. As a group, they are referred to as gynecologic cancer. (A sixth type of gynecologic cancer is the very rare fallopian tube cancer.)

In 2008 (the most recent year numbers are available)—

• 83,662 women in the United States were diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer.*†
• 27,813 women in the United States died from a gynecologic cancer.*†

*Incidence and death counts cover approximately 100% of the U.S. population.

†Source: U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999–2008 Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2012. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/uscs.

CDC is promoting awareness of gynecologic cancer through its national gynecologic cancer awareness campaign, Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts About Gynecologic Cancer.

What Is Gynecologic Cancer?

Gynecologic cancer is any cancer that starts in a woman’s reproductive organs. Cancer is always named for the part of the body where it starts. Gynecologic cancers begin in different places within a woman’s pelvis, which is the area below the stomach and in between the hip bones.

• Cervical cancer begins in the cervix, which is the lower, narrow end of the uterus. (The uterus is also called the womb.)
• Ovarian cancer begins in the ovaries, which are located on each side of the uterus.
• Uterine cancer begins in the uterus, the pear-shaped organ in a woman’s pelvis where the baby grows when a woman is pregnant.
• Vaginal cancer begins in the vagina, which is the hollow, tube-like channel between the bottom of the uterus and the outside of the body.
• Vulvar cancer begins in the vulva, the outer part of the female genital organs.

Each gynecologic cancer is unique, with different signs and symptoms, different risk factors (things that may increase your chance of getting a disease), and different prevention strategies. All women are at risk for gynecologic cancers, and risk increases with age. When gynecologic cancers are found early, treatment is most effective.

=

How to Contribute

Ready! September is

National Preparedness Month

Emergency Supply Kit

 Printer-friendly list of supplies

. View a list of recommended supplies.

 Text Version

 Email to a Friend.

You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity

to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately.

You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may

be cut off for days, or even a week or longer.

Recommended Items To Include In A Basic Emergency Supply Kit:

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger

Additional Items To Consider Adding To An Emergency Supply Kit:

• Prescription medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Cash or traveler’s checks and change
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container.
• You can use the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) – PDF, 277Kb) developed by Operation Hope,
•  FEMA and Citizen Corps to help you organize your information.
• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov.
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant.
•  Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water.
•  Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Fire Extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

Find out how to keep food safe during and after an emergency by visiting FoodSafety.gov.

Thousands Wear TEAL Across the USA
September marks the nationwide observance of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

The first Friday in September is National Wear TEAL Day, and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance

will lead the efforts of thousands of Americans wearing TEAL to increase awareness about the deadly disease.

TEAL is the ovarian cancer community’s color and serves as a reminder that ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all the cancers

of the reproductive system and a leading cause of cancer death among women.

To find out what you can do this September to get involved, visit our September guide.

The United States of Teal campaign
United States of Teal is the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance’s campaign to raise awareness about ovarian cancer by gaining the support of state legislative leadership.

With our United States of Teal campaign we’re targeting all 50 state houses and asking legislators to pledge their allegiance to the fight against ovarian cancer. By signing a pledge card, they are letting their constituents know that they are committed to promoting ovarian cancer research, improving the lives of women suffering from ovarian cancer, and helping us raise awareness about ovarian cancer symptoms. Once a legislator pledges, we’ll turn his/her state teal on the United States of Teal web site (www.unitedstatesofteal.org). See the map below to see if your state has turned TEALyet!

To learn more about the campaign, visit www.unitedstatesofteal.org.

What’s New?
Our Shop+Give Program
Some of our favortite retailers have teamed up with the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance this September.

A portion of the proceeds of selected TEAL items from the following retailers will benefit the work of OCNA:

Macy’s, Chico’s, Ann Taylor Loft, PaperSource, RedEnvelope, DHC, Sketchers and Tom Shoes.

Click here to shop TEAL items from your favorite retailer! And Don’t forget to download the App for future online purchases.

Ovarian cancer is a growth of abnormal malignant cells that begins in the ovaries (women’s reproductive glands that produce ova).

Cancer that spreads to the ovaries but originates at another site is not considered ovarian cancer. 

Ovarian tumors can be benign (noncancerous)

or malignant (cancerous). Although abnormal, cells of benign tumors do not metastasize (spread to other parts of the body).

Malignant cancer cells in the ovaries can metastasize in two ways:  directly to other organs in the pelvis and abdomen (the more common way),

through the bloodstream or lymph nodes to other parts of the body.

Symptoms

By Mayo Clinic staff

Symptoms of ovarian cancer are not specific to the disease, and they often

mimic those of many other more-common conditions,

including digestive and bladder problems.

When ovarian cancer symptoms are present, they tend to be persistent and worsen with time.

Signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer may include:

• Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling or bloating
• Pelvic discomfort or pain
• Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea
• Changes in bowel habits, such as constipation
• Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate
• Loss of appetite or quickly feeling full
• Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist
• A persistent lack of energy
• Low back pain

While the causes of ovarian cancer are unknown, some theories exist:

Genetic errors may occur because of damage from the normal monthly release of an egg.

Increased hormone levels before and during ovulation may stimulate the growth of abnormal cells.

 flv=

Types of Ovarian Cancer

Different types of ovarian cancer are classified according to the type of cell from which they start.

Epithelial tumors – About 90 percent of ovarian cancers develop in the epithelium, the thin layer of tissue that covers the ovaries.

This form of ovarian cancer generally occurs in postmenopausal women.

Germ cell carcinoma tumors –Making up about five percent of ovarian cancer cases, this type begins in the cells that form eggs.

While germ cell carcinoma can occur in women of any age, it tends to be found most often in women in their early 20s. Six main kinds of germ cell carcinoma exist,

but the three most common types are: teratomas, dysgerminomas, and endodermal sinus tumors. Many tumors that arise in the germ cells are benign.

Stromal carcinoma tumors – Ovarian stromal carcinoma accounts for about five percent of ovarian cancer cases. It develops in the connective

tissue cells that hold the ovary together and those that produce the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. The two most common types are

granulosa cell tumors and sertoli-leydig cell tumors. Unlike with epithelial ovarian carcinoma,

70 percent of stromal carcinoma cases are diagnosed in Stage I. READ MORE>>

Treatments and drugs

By Mayo Clinic staff

Treatment of ovarian cancer usually involves a combination of surgery and chemotherapy.

Surgery
Treatment for ovarian cancer usually involves an extensive operation that includes removing both ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the uterus as

well as nearby lymph nodes and a fold of fatty abdominal tissue known as the omentum, where ovarian cancer often spreads. Your surgeon also removes

as much cancer as possible from your abdomen (surgical debulking).

Less extensive surgery may be possible if your ovarian cancer was diagnosed at a very early stage. For women with stage I ovarian cancer, surgery may involve

removing one ovary and its fallopian tube. This procedure may preserve the ability to have children in the future.

Chemotherapy
After surgery, you’ll most likely be treated with chemotherapy — drugs designed to kill any remaining cancer cells. Chemotherapy may also be

used as the initial treatment in some women with advanced ovarian cancer. Chemotherapy drugs can be administered in a vein (intravenously) or injected

directly into the abdominal cavity, or both methods of administering the drugs can be used. Chemotherapy drugs can be given alone or in combination..FOR MORE INFORMATION>>

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How to Contribute

OVARIAN CANCER EXPLAINED…

flv= e/]

Ready! September is

National Preparedness Month

Emergency Supply Kit

 Printer-friendly list of supplies

. View a list of recommended supplies.

 Text Version

 Email to a Friend.

You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity

to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately.

You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may

be cut off for days, or even a week or longer.

Recommended Items To Include In A Basic Emergency Supply Kit:

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger

Additional Items To Consider Adding To An Emergency Supply Kit:

• Prescription medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Cash or traveler’s checks and change
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container.
• You can use the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) – PDF, 277Kb) developed by Operation Hope,
•  FEMA and Citizen Corps to help you organize your information.
• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov.
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant.
•  Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water.
•  Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Fire Extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

Find out how to keep food safe during and after an emergency by visiting FoodSafety.gov.