Top 10 Ways to Stay Safe and Sane During the Holidays

Christmas chaos. (Photo credit: Isselmuden)

As noted in our last post, we get it. The holidays are stressful. They bring out the best and worst in us and those around us, and they start making us think all those things we don't ever want to think about again. 

For the health of each of us, our families, friends, employers, employees, coworkers, neighbors, and humans (in general), it behooves us to remember a few key things about this time of year.

Holiday Health: Major Stresses and Triggers

Even fun, goofy families can be exhausting! (Photo credit: optimal tweezers)

No matter how much you love this time of year and the fallen leaves, crisp air, and scent of cinnamon wafting from house to house, there's still plenty of stress and anxiety.

Why? Well, for many of us, there are differing levels of stress. Let's discuss a few:

Happy Thanksgiving from USA MDT!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Happy Black Friday, everyone! Hopefully, you had a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends. At USA MDT, we love the holidays. There's nothing better than getting to spend time with your family, wherever they may be. Thanksgiving is an especially valuable day as it gives us an opportunity to reflect on all the ways we're blessed!

The Inside Story Behind Synthetic Marijuana

The so called "incense blend" spice  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Remember our previous posts on bath salts? Well, those aren't the only "designer drugs" out there wreaking incredible havoc. 

Often listed together, bath salts and synthetic marijuana are two widely varying types of chemical substances used to experience a high. 

Some of the most common names for synthetic marijuana include:

• K2
• Spice
• Blaze

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This was a pretty crazy week for everyone in this area, well, in this region! Hurricane Sandy came through to do as much damage as possible. 

Despite her best efforts, we experienced no lasting damage or harm. We were able to go back to work right away, and keep this show on the road! How are you handling the damage from this crazy storm?

Of course, Halloween also came and went. We love Halloween - the one time of year you get to put aside your normal identity to be someone completely different!

What You Need to Know: Hair Drug Test Facts

Visual depiction of a hair follicle (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Increasing in popularity due to its ability to offer evidence of prior drug abuse up to several years in the past, it is important to understand what hair follicle drug testing entails.

Of course, it's a very simple and painless process for the test subject since it requires a hair sample. But what does it do? What can it test more effectively than other, more traditional drug tests? 

Common Signs of Addiction

English: Drug overdose (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Regardless of the substance, addicts often portray some of the same characteristics.

With any type of abuse, you might notice:

Mood Irregularities

Different drugs cause different reactions on a specific level, but if you know someone who shows drastic changes in their baseline mood, keep that in mind. Although everyone has good and bad days, major personality changes can be a sign of drug abuse.