A unique Women’s Treatment Specialty Credential Training Course is available in New Jersey. This powerful course  was developed by the Certification Board, Inc. This add-on credential was developed in order to provide clinicians with a greater understanding of the unique needs of women with substance use issues.

The 5 required courses are being offered by the Northern New Jersey Maternal/Child Health Consortium’s Perinatal Addiction Prevention Project.

Clinicians do not have to be licensed in order to take the courses or to apply for the Credential.

The courses will be offered at the Bergen County Department of Health Services.  In addition, the courses will be offered every week without interruption, including April 14, 21, 28, May12, and May 19.

Click this link for more information on the Women’s Treatment Speciality Training

A small study has found that babies exposed to methamphetamine and alcohol before birth have smaller caudate nucleus regions in the brain than non-exposed children or children exposed to alcohol only in the womb, HealthDay News reported March 17.

Researchers compared brain scans of 13 children exposed to alcohol before birth, 21 children exposed to meth and alcohol, and 27 children who were not exposed to either drug.

The caudite nucleus assists in learning, memory, motor control and motivation.

“We know that alcohol exposure is toxic to the developing fetus and can result in lifelong brain, cognitive and behavioral problems,” said researcher Elizabeth Sowell of the University of California at Los Angeles. “In this study, we show that the effects of prenatal meth exposure, or the combination of meth and alcohol exposure, may actually be worse. Our findings stress the importance of drug abuse treatment for pregnant women.”

The findings were published March 17, 2010 in the Journal of Neuroscience.

The New York Times reported A new study suggests that Indian spices and ceremonial powders may contain lead at levels that could be hazardous to children.

Lead has been found in house paint and imported toys, and now it appears Indian spices and ceremonial powders may contain lead at levels that may be hazardous to children.

Sindoor, the vermillion powder applied along the hairline or as a dot on the forehead, had the highest contamination levels of some 157 products tested by Boston researchers, with some samples consisting of almost 50 percent lead, according to a paper published early online in the journal Pediatrics on March 15.

A federally funded treatment and prevention program is being credited with a 32-percent decline in fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) cases among Native Americans in Alaska,  Anchorage Daily News reported Feb. 19.

The $29-million program, which also included a multimedia education campaign, “did turn the corner,” said Diane Casto of the state Division of Behavioral Health. “What we know about prevention … you need to get the message out strongly, consistently, over and over again. It gave a good kick-start.”

The rate of children born with FAS among native populations declined from about 20 per 10,000 births in 1996 to 13.5 in 2002, according to state officials. Also, fewer children were born with alcohol spectrum disorders.

By contrast, the FAS rate among non-Native residents in Alaska did not drop.

You can read more studies about alcohol consumption at Join Together.

As children become adolescents, one of the most important aspectsof their medical care is providing developmentally appropriate confidential care and navigating the changing relationship with parents and guardians. Click here to access an article discussing why and when to provide confidential care, the limits on confidentiality, and strategies to facilitate obtaining confidential information.

Pocket Shots are marketed as booze in a bag that “goes anywhere.”  They are sold at liquor stores around the Tampa Bay area and on the Internet. The company says they’re for people on the go who are over 21, and since this is a single-serve item, it’s easier to keep track of how much you’ve consumed.

College students have been ordering the pocket shots and getting them delivered at their schools with no problem despite many being underage.  Read more about this problem at http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/investigates/308-pocket-shots-concern-colleges

A new report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Commission to Build a Healthier America documents the correlation between education and health.  You can read more about the ways in which being educated influences our life styles and choices at Education Matters for Health