unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (09/12/89)
shuffle signals between individual brain cells. The highs wear
off when the level of neurotransmitters fall off, plunging an
addict into depths of despair and craving. In preliminary
treatment attempts at Yale, patients are being tested on the
oral antidepressant drug desipramine in an attempt to fight the
craving that can occur after a cocaine high. In early studies,
59% of cocaine addicts on desipramine were able to remain drug
free for 3 to 4 weeks, compared to 17% of those not taking
desipramine. The patient must cooperate; they must take the
desipramine daily to produce the desired affect. Yale
researchers are also testing an injectable long-acting
antidepressant. Because the drug is not approved for use in this
country, it is being tested in the Bahamas. Even with early
treatment successes, experts stress that medical treatment is
only one part of treatment, reducing the craving so addicts can
deal with other psychological and social issues. Representative
CHARLES RANGEL, D-NY, says unless there are programs to deal with
the person after the chemical dependency is eliminated, it is a
short-lived success. Scientists continue the search for new
drugs. In one of the newest research projects, scientists at
the Veterans Administration Hospital in Philadelphia are
treating cocaine addicts with a drug long used against influenza
and Parkinson's disease.
Bill Of Rights For 43 Million Disabled Americans
Henry Champ Washington, DC
Late Thursday, the Senate passed legislation prohibiting
discrimination against disabled Americans. Senator EDWARD
KENNEDY, D-MA, says the legislation strikes down the physical
barriers, but he believes striking down the social attitudes of
the country is equally important. Under the Senate bill,
transportation must be accessible to all disabled, public phones
must accommodate the deaf, and state and local governments must
enforce access laws to all restaurants, theaters, shops and
office buildings. Most important, no company with 15 employees
or more can deny a job to a qualified, but disabled, applicant,
even if it means installing ramps and equipment, as Merrill
Lynch did with special phones for a deaf stock broker. There is
criticism from small business men who get no financial support
for accommodating the disabled. COLEMAN (SP), a businessman,
says the legislation is not responsible, and will create a whole
new class of bankrupt small business people. Coleman, and other
businessmen, say the bill does not clearly set out standards
they would have to meet. Sponsors say there will be a study, but
the bill will pass first. KENNEDY says we need the bill because
we need the idealism and energy of the disabled. The President
supports the bill, and the House says it will also pass it.
Poland Will Have Western Economic Markets
Tom Brokaw New York, NY
In Poland, the Solidarity led government says it will make the
big switch from communist economics to a Western market whatever
the cost.
* Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501)
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Patt Haring | UNITEX : United Nations
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