PATTI LuPONE (live) “Meadowlark” from the (flop) Broadway show The Bakers Wife, 1976. It’s a cult favorite. Stephen Schwartz is the composer, and this recording is from Patti LuPone’s show “On Broadway” 1997. (Patti chats with the audience at the end. We will try to find the song from Oliver that she references.–PG)
“Come along,
fly with me, my meadowlark,
fly with me on the silver morning,
past the sea where the dolphins bark
we will dance on the coral beaches,
make a feast of the plums and peaches
just as far as your vision reaches
fly with me.”
Patti LuPone speaks to the audience and introduces a song which we will post shortly—from Oliver.
“As Long As He Needs Me”. Patty LuPone from Oliver:
From the American Medical Association: (Note the links below)
The AP (6/4, Tanner) reports, “Alcohol problems affect almost 33 million adults and most have never sought treatment,” according to a study published online June 3 in JAMA Psychiatry. The research conducted by investigators at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism also suggests that “rates have increased in recent years.”
NIAAA director George Koob, PhD, “said it’s unclear why problem drinking has increased but that many people underestimate the dangers of excessive alcohol.” Koob also pointed out that effective behavioral treatments and medications exist to help people overcome problem drinking. He said, “There’s a lore that there’s only Alcoholics Anonymous out there and that’s not true.”
TIME (6/4, Sifferlin) reports that the study examined “the prevalence of drinking issues based on a new definition for alcohol use disorders in the” American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). That “definition classifies problem drinkers as those who have two of 11 symptoms including continuing to drink even if it harms relationships, drinking harming performance at work of school, or inability to quit,” with problem severity being “classified by the number of symptoms a person has.”
Newsweek (6/4, Main) reports that “researchers surveyed more than 36,000 Americans and asked them about their drinking habits,” also finding that “binge drinking is becoming more common and intense.” Koob said, “There has been this cultural shift – people are drinking more when they drink.”
Yahoo! News (6/4, Chan) quotes Koob, who said, “These findings underscore that alcohol problems are deeply entrenched and significantly under-treated in our society.”
The NPR (6/4, Hurt, Shute) “Shots” blog points out that “Native Americans face the greatest risk overall” for problem drinking, “and men are still drinking more than women, with 36 percent of men reporting alcohol use disorder at some point in their lives, compared to 22.7 percent of women.” Among young people, “drinking problems were worst…with 26.7 percent of young adults under 30 saying they’d had trouble in the past year, compared to 16 percent of 30- to 44-year-olds.”
Blogfinger Medical C0mmentary: Paul Goldfinger MD, FACC, Editor @ Blogfinger.net
The 5th edition of the DSM of the American Psychiatric Association (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) was released in 2013. This is the “bible” for mental health workers to use for diagnostic nomenclature. The alcohol data was gathered in 2012 and 2013 by the National Institutes of Health, looking at adults 18 and older. The 18-29 year old group is particularly affected, and not only do many have drinking problems, but the amount of drinking has been going up.
The section on “alcohol use disorders:” —AUD is very important because it recognizes that 14% of adults in the US currently have a drinking problem (33 million) and that 30% of the population has had an AUD at some time in their lives. They now recognize that most people with AUD have not sought treatment and that AA is not the only treatment option. There are medications and there are behavioral therapy methods.
The devastation caused by AUD is huge: It is disabling to individuals, and its effects harm families, work places, and, overall, the national interest. And don’t forget the physical issues: acute alcohol intoxication during binge drinking can cause death; even mild impairment (with alcohol level below illegal) can cause auto accidents; and long term use can cause cancer, heart disease, brain damage, and liver disease.
A big concern is that many won’t admit that they have a problem, and those around them may not recognize a problem either. The new criteria help define the diagnosis and the degrees of involvement—spelled out in the handbook.
You can buy a copy of the DSM-5 Handbook on line (eg Amazon.com)
DANISH NATIONAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA. Drinking songs often glamorize alcohol intake—-eg all those Irish drinking songs. Here is Verdi’s “Drinking Song—Libiamo” from the film The Quartet (and here is ourBF 2013 movie review: Quartet movie )
The CBS Evening News (1/30, lead story) reported on Friday that “the CDC said that the flu season in much of the country appears to have peaked.” However, “the flu is now widespread in all but six states and it’s sending Americans 65 and older to the hospital at the highest rate in at least a decade.”
NBC Nightly News (1/31, story 3, 0:25, Williams) reported that the high number of hospitalizations is “being blamed on this particularly nasty strain of flu this year and a vaccine that, sadly, has proven only about 23 percent effective.”
Bloomberg News (1/31, Cortez) reported, “The annual outbreak, already in its 10th week, has extended beyond the lower bound of a normal flu season and isn’t showing signs of easing, said Lyn Finelli, chief of surveillance and outbreak response at the” CDC. In a telephone interview, she explained, “‘While the flu may have peaked in many areas of the country, there is a surge in other areas,’ including New England, the Northeast and the West Coast.”
Blogfinger Medical Commentary: Paul Goldfinger, MD, FACC
The influenza pandemic 1918-1919 killed 20-40 million people worldwide. This gives you an idea of the potential virulence of this viral illness. During the last ten years, the CDC has been recording hospitalization rates for citizens over age 65 in the US. The elderly are the most vulnerable group to having serious consequences after catching the “flu.” This season, which began in the fall, is the worst in ten years. The A(H3N2) strain is dangerous, and “genetic drift” has made it resistant to the current vaccine. There is no cure for this illness.
The epidemic has peaked now, and although hospitalizations are still very high, outpatient visits are falling off. Hopefully we will see a marked drop in a few weeks. Meanwhile, if you have early symptoms (cough, fever and sore throat,) call your doctor to see if you are eligible for an anti-viral drug such as Tamiflu (oseltamivir). This drug should shorten the length of the illness by a day or two and may reduce serious complications. There is some controversy about the use of Tamiflu (or the two others on the market), but the CDC has advised doctors to use the drug as needed. I remember one recent flu season where the drug was sold out because individuals were stocking up on it, and even this season there have been spotty shortages.
