Making yourself look 20 years older in the shortest span of time possible! An 18 year-old man is wheeled into the Accident & Emergencies (in some countries they call it “ED”, emergency department) complaining of a sudden onset of chest pain that woke him from sleep at 4am.
The pain was felt in the chest and radiates to the neck. He described it as a sharp pain. When asked to rate the pain on a scale of increasing severity from 1 to 10, he said “8″.
He revealed that the pain usually worsens whenever he breathes in and he feels a shortness of breath fevers, chills, cough, nausea, vomiting nor hemoptysis. He had no significant past medical history – never had any surgeries nor trauma. He denied alcohol use and had never seen a shrink. said then he was not taking any medication and he had never known to suffer from any allergies to any medicines.
Urine, blood, temperature, blood pressure – all normal. No bruises on the body. No recent physical injuries. No vehicle collision, no falls and no fractures.
What then caused his severe chest pains?
The patient had been smoking since he was 10 and barely out of elementary school! That’s almost half of his life as a smoker (he’s only 18)! He admitted to occasional marijuana use. And he also admitted to ‘remote experiments’ with inhaled methamphetamines (Meth; description below).
While this teenager did not look 20 years older, people who are Meth addicts usually look haggard.
Methamphetamines (crystal meths) / Meth was originally used as a nasal decongestant and by brochial patients. In Thailand, this drug is known as “Yaba”.
Most of the pleasurable effects of meth are believed to result from the release of very high levels of neuro-transmitter dopamine. It is easily made in clandestine laboratories and it can be snorted, injected or eaten. Meth makes users talkative (luckily I am this way without it), decrease appetite and gives meth-users a false sense of well-being. The elevated release of dopamine produced by use of meth, is thought to have deleterious effects on nerves in
the brain.
Addiction to meth results in a chronic relapsing disease with symptoms such as anxiety (paranoia), confusion, insomnia, mood disturbances and violent behaviour. Meth addicts also suffer from visual & auditory hallucinations and delusions (eg. they feel insects crawling under their skin), repetitive meaningless actions, memory loss, dental problems and weight loss.
Perhaps the thing that stuck with me are the images of people who took Meth (see the before and after)! You may have watched this 2-year-old video before…the images have not been edited in any way:
Why Meth not Cocaine? 50% of meth stays in the body for up to 12 hours; with cocaine it’s one hour. In other words, the HIGH lasted longer. Some users started taking Meth in the hope of losing weight – something you wouldn’t want to do unless you want to look sickly thin! (Sugar is another substance when over-eaten can actually age you but that’s another topic!)
Two months ago, I came across a European family (man, pregnant wife and 2 daughters) who were imprisoned because their website sold seperately-available chemicals. Some of the chemicals they had in stock can easily be recipe for Meth. Now they are waiting for deportment (from UK) without a fair trial. The man tweeted me asking for help and I’ve written to the authorities concerned (nothing happening!)
So the lesson is…avoid cigarettes and any kind of smoking. Avoid even occasional use of marijuana. And avoid inhaling methamphetamines (crystal meths) which gives you bad breathe anyway! And never try to set up an online shop to sell chemicals of any kind (without first seeking legal advise).
Be healthy and be safe!
Related Info
- Meth the Untold Story
- Prescription drugs kill more people than illegal drugs!
“An analysis of 168,900 autopsies conducted in FL in 2007 found that
three times as many people were killed by legal drugs as by cocaine, heroin
and all methamphetamines put together.” – Opednews - Raising healthy vaccine-free drug-free children
Itching to talk back? Please comment below! All comments will be responded to…well, usually!!  I socialise via MyQute.com or Twitter!! I design for both profit and non-profit, and welcomes non-profit writing and designing opportunities (contact me for consideration and we may set up something meaningful!)Disclaimer: This blog entry is NOT a source of medical advice. Any and all suggestions stem from personal opinion and experience. |
