One THC unit, defined as 5 milligrams, is analogous to the standard unit used to compare beer, wine and spirits in alcohol research. Based on surveys of consumption patterns and a clinical diagnosis at the end of the study, the researchers derived thresholds that mark the difference between unremarkable consumption and cannabis use disorder. A cannabis use disorder is present when someone can no longer control their cannabis consumption and continues to use despite clear problems in everyday life.
They are writhing, holding their stomach, complaining of really bad abdominal pain and nausea, said Dr. Sam Wang, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist and toxicologist at Children's Hospital Colorado, who treats adolescents with the condition. They vomit and then just continue to vomit whatever they have in their stomach, which can go on for hours, Wang told CNN in a prior interview.
The rate of children and teenagers living with high blood pressure globally has nearly doubled because of a toxic combination of unhealthy diets, mass inactivity and soaring levels of obesity, according to the largest review of its kind. Experts said 114 million children who have developed hypertension even before reaching adulthood were facing potentially deadly and lifelong harm, including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and a myriad of serious health complications.
Although the decreasing prevalence of substance use among adolescents is encouraging, the decline is not as significant among teens experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors, as compared to their peers.
"A lot of my work is about increasing access to healthy food, in New York City and in upstate New York," Leak said. "I mostly work with adolescents, who are change agents in low-resource households. Often these adolescents are 'adultified' and drive household food choices."
Regularly getting a good night's sleep is important in helping us function properly, but while we know a lot about sleep in adulthood and later life, we know surprisingly little about sleep in adolescence.