Ketamine in the UK

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Acute harms of ketamine use relate to vulnerability and injuries. Long term use can seriously harm both physical and mental health, diminishing quality of life, affecting personal relationships, and impairing academic or professional performance.9 Ketamine induced uropathy from ulceration and thickening of the bladder is a common and serious complication. In the UK, 27% of regular ketamine users report at least one urological symptom—dysuria, frequency, incontinence, haematuria, or retention—with severity correlated with dose and frequency of use.10 Treatment requires abstinence.11 If abstinence is not achieved, irreversible bladder and kidney damage can occur, requiring urinary tract reconstruction. Long term ketamine use is also associated with “K cramps”—severe abdominal pain. This may be related to liver disease that is similar to primary sclerosing cholangitis but less inflammatory and progressive.12 Acute harms of ketamine use relate to vulnerability and injuries. Long term use can seriously harm both physical and mental health, diminishing quality of life, affecting personal relationships, and impairing academic or professional performance.9 Ketamine induced uropathy from ulceration and thickening of the bladder is a common and serious complication. In the UK, 27% of regular ketamine users report at least one urological symptom—dysuria, frequency, incontinence, haematuria, or retention—with severity correlated with dose and frequency of use.10 Treatment requires abstinence.11 If abstinence is not achieved, irreversible bladder and kidney damage can occur, requiring urinary tract reconstruction. Long term ketamine use is also associated with “K cramps”—severe abdominal pain. This may be related to liver disease that is similar to primary sclerosing cholangitis but less inflammatory and progressive.12 — Non-prescribed ketamine use is rising in the UK – https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.r1167

Yikes.

Update 07.05.25 – https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70r1xdyy59o

One Toke Over the Line

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A wave of recent research points to reasons for concern for older users, with cannabis-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations rising, and a Canadian study finding an association between such acute care and subsequent dementia. Older people are more apt than younger ones to try cannabis for therapeutic reasons: to relieve chronic pain, insomnia, or mental health issues, though evidence of its effectiveness in addressing those conditions remains thin, experts said. As Cannabis Users Age, Health Risks Appear To Grow – https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/cannabis-medical-use-older-adults-health-risks/

Then…

And now…

“Our brains are more sensitive to psychoactive substances as we age.” Dr. Benjamin Han

Don’t you know I’m just waiting for the train that goes home, sweet Mary.

Tsundoku (guess the disease)

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“All those books you haven’t read are indeed a sign of your ignorance. But if you know how ignorant you are, you’re way ahead of the vast majority of other people.” Jessica Stillman

Tsundoku is the Japanese word for the stack(s) of books you’ve purchased but haven’t read. Its morphology combines tsunde-oku (letting things pile up) and dokusho (reading books). The Japanese call this practice tsundoku, and it may provide lasting benefits — https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/do-i-own-too-many-books/

Cannabis Dependence and Erectile Dysfunction

/ SupremeCmdr / 3 Comments

The short-term analysis included 29,442 patients with cannabis dependence matched to 29,442 patients without dependence. Cannabis dependence was significantly associated with an approximately 4-fold higher risk for ED and PDE5i prescription at 3 months to 1 year from diagnosis among all men and those aged 40 years and older and an approximately 3-fold higher risk for men aged 18-39 years, Dr Asanad’s team reported in The Journal of Sexual Medicine. The longer-term analysis included 17,211 men with cannabis dependence matched to 17,211 men without dependence. Cannabis dependence was significantly associated with an approximately 1.2-fold increased risk for ED among all adult men and those aged 40 years and older, the investigators reported. Cannabis Dependence Linked With Erectile Dysfunction, Testosterone Deficiency – https://www.renalandurologynews.com/news/erectile-dysfunction-testosterone-cannabis-dependence

Yikes.

What Really Works for Long-Term Weight Loss

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From diet to drugs: what really works for long-term weight loss

Ultimately, the key to lasting weight loss and improved health lies in understanding that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It’s about finding the right combination of support, strategy and science that works for each person. Reiner Jumpertz-von Schwartzenberg – Professorship for Clinical Metabolism and Obesity Research, University Hospital and Medical Faculty, University of Tübingen – https://theconversation.com/from-diet-to-drugs-what-really-works-for-long-term-weight-loss-254551

I read the entire article so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.

Well, knowing there is NO one-size-fits-all changes my future best selling book on weight loss drastically.

What was a “how to” is now memoir. Sigh.

DUI/DWI for a New Generation

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I am impressed with the ability of some people to injure themselves in creative ways.

Analyzing data from the 2016-2021 National Inpatient Sample, UCLA researchers found that 25% of 7350 patients hospitalized for scooter-related injuries were using substances such as alcohol, opioids, marijuana and cocaine when injured. Published in The American Surgeon, the study also notes that overall scooter-related hospitalizations during the 5-year period jumped more than eight-fold, from 330 to 2705. In addition, the risk of traumatic brain injuries among the substance use group was almost double that of the non-impaired patients. University of California – Los Angeles Health Sciences. “Nearly one-quarter of e-Scooter injuries involved substance impaired riders.” https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250429195329.htm (accessed May 3, 2025).

AND don’t forget about these things can randomly explode.

“In all of these fires, these lithium-ion fires, it is not a slow burn there’s not a small amount of fire, it literally explodes,” FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh – https://www.statista.com/chart/29472/fires-caused-by-lithium-ion-batteries/

Thinking Styles – What’s Your Style?

/ SupremeCmdr / 2 Comments

Read this thinking style pyramid and refer back to it as often as needed.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is screenshot-2025-04-26-074800.png

We are all suckers for click bait. I started with this:

Older Adults Face Higher Cancer Risk From Alcohol, Even at Low or Moderate Levels – https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/older-adults-face-higher-cancer-risk-alcohol-even-low-or-2025a

Scary stuff if you’re an older adult! I should STOP DRINKING ALCOHOL.

But what if this study is wrong? See pyramid above. Sensing bias in the article I took a look at the comments. Dr. Bradley Fawkes’ comment was noteworthy. In the results section of the study you’ll find this:

“While no associations were found for low- or moderate-risk drinking patterns vs occasional drinking among individuals without socioeconomic or health-related risk factors…” Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Mortality Among Older Adults With Health-Related or Socioeconomic Risk Factors – https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2822215

So in the absence of socioeconomic or health-related risk factors no associations were found.

Cheers!

When People Did Not Have Access to Mobile Internet, they Spent More Time Socializing in Person, Exercising, and Being in Nature.

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https://www.harmonyhit.com/phone-screen-time-statistics/

Our results provide evidence that blocking mobile internet from smartphones for 2 weeks can produce significant improvements for SWB (subjective well being), mental health, and the objectively measured ability to sustain attention. Even those who did not fully comply with the intervention experienced significant, though more modest, improvements. These findings suggest that constant connection to the online world comes at a cost, since psychological functioning improves when this connection is reduced. Blocking mobile internet on smartphones improves sustained attention, mental health, and subjective well-being – PNAS Nexus, Volume 4, Issue 2, February 2025, pgaf017, https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf017

Excuse me please, I have to check my phone.