RETIRED MEN’S ASSOCIATION Cigar Box Bulletin V M 21 I AY

RETIRED MEN'S ASSOCIATION

Cigar Box Bulletin

VOLUME 21 ISSUE 5 MAY 2017

ADDICTION AND THE BRAIN

Brian W. O'Connor, MD

Brian W. O'Connor, MD, is a graduate of Boston College and Georgetown University. He did his residency at Walter Reed Army Hospital, outside of Washington, DC. He began practicing medicine in private practice in 1991, after serving in the military. His career began in obstetrics and gynecology and he spent 20 years caring for patients in Melrose, MA.

Reporter: Abner Salant

disclosed that his son is an addict and has been undergoing many of the experiences of others similarly afflicted.) Dr. O'Connor now specializes in the care of opioid dependence. His interests also include alcohol abuse disorders and addiction problems in underserved populations and the corrections community. Dr. O'Connor is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology as well as in addiction medicine.

Dr. O'Connor began to ex-

plore addiction medicine in In 2004, when Dr. O'Connor found that his

2009 due to a surge of preg- son was addicted, he, like many parents, was

nant women, presenting to shocked. His son had enjoyed a good family

his office, that were afflict- life with all the benefits of a well-established

ed with substance use disor- home. Dr. O'Connor first went to Mclean

der and unable to access Hospital in Belmont, MA, in search of help.

treatment. Dr. O'Connor That began his discovery of how little support

initially treated only preg- was available in Massachusetts, particularly

nant patients. In conjunction with the growing for mental health issues. This, coupled with

Opioid Epidemic, Dr. O'Connor founded his the growing number of addictive pregnancy

addiction medicine practice, Middlesex Re- cases in his practice, motivated him to under-

covery, in June of 2010. (In his talk, he also take training in addic-

Continued on Page 2

May Meeting Minutes

Ship's Bell Rang at 10:00 AM

Reporter: Bill Johnson

R ay Atkins called the meeting to or- Visitors ? der at 10 am; the cell phones were Paul Murphy called for members to introsilenced, and he led us in the Pledge duce their guests.

of Allegiance and the Star Spangled Banner

(Ken Watson accompanied us on his key- Dick Testa introduced Jack Regan (NE U.;

board)

then into construction)

New Members ?

Dr. Oscar Harrell introduced Steve Swanger

(Sudbury Housing Auth,)

Nick Veeder announced Ken Watson as our

newest member.

Jim Latimer introduced Stan Wulf

July Meeting Date Changed to

Friday, July 7

to accommodate activities at the

church

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Aging With Optimism 4

Funnies??

5

Lets Get Acquainted-- Don Sherman

6

Anniversaries & Birthdays

7

Stop Pests This Spring 8

How Ethanol Can Impact your Engine

9

RMA Bulletin Board 10

Addiction-Al Persson 11

UPCOMING MEETINGS Friday, June 9 Friday, July 7 Thursday, August 10

Continued on Page 2

CIGAR BOX BULLETIN

Speaker -- Continued

PAGE 2

tion treatment. Notwithstanding this training, he quickly In the 1980's, vein-injection ("shooting") of heroin was

found out how ill prepared he was to tackle the problem. mostly confined to the Northeast, but then it began to

The detox success rate, depending how "success" is de- spread to the rest of the country. At that time, hospitals

fined, can be less than 1%. (After "drying out", the patient were rated based on their success in pain management; that

can later go back to addiction.) Detox is not a treatment, helped foster the use of pain medications such as Percocet.

only an entry step to remove toxins. The cure is a difficult Most patients leaving the hospital did not continue its use,

and extended process involving psychosocial treatment. In but about 10% did. Users found that they had a much fast-

spite of the fact that addiction is a huge problem in this er effect if the pills were crushed and the powder was

State, he encountered local resistance in locating his office snorted; that became the first entry to addiction even

and treatment centers in various communities. He was al- though it was expensive. Surgery patients were discharged

most literally kicked out of one office, thrown out of an- with fifteen 5 mg Percocet pills with average use of about

other, and, after 15 years in Malden, was even forced to 50-100 mg/day. Users, however, usually in about 5 years,

leave there. He is now located in Woburn at the Middlesex went to heroin at a daily cost of $30 compared to $150 for

Recovery PC, in the extensive Cummins Industrial Park Percocet. In weeks or months, they eventually transitioned

area and away from most private residences.

to fentanyl.

In first explaining the nature of addiction, Dr. O'Connor

said that one should focus on the individual rather than The next topic in Dr. O'Connor's presentation was the rea-

statistics, since patients do better if they are educated. As a son for the behavioral effects of opioids. Over time, the

starter, we are familiar with the term endorphin, composed body adjusts so that endorphin receptors also became des-

of endo (inside) and orphin (morphine). Some types of ignated as opioid receptors. All opioids can trace their ori-

morphine are created naturally by the body. Endorphin gins to plants, and they end up "hijacking" the endorphin

transmitters and receptors represent, respectively, a lock receptors. They cause the body to release dopamine that,

and key. Receptors in the brain are located next to the spi- among other actions, functions as the "pleasure molecule."

nal column and are part of what is called the Limbic Sys- It promotes pleasurable sensations, whether it be gam-

tem. These receptor zones have pleasure receptors that bling, shopping, or whatever an individual's source of

help to implement the survival instinct (such as the desire good feelings may be. The cortex contains all the execu-

to eat). Opiates are items that stimulate these centers.

tive functions of the brain, and the reward pathways are

Opium contains morphine, codeine, and thebane, which located next to these. Measuring what is referred to as the

are naturally occurring compounds referred to as opiates. Hedonistic Tone, dopamine levels are normally seen in the

Opioids are opium-like compounds, either semi-synthetic level of 4-6. The first time an addict takes an opiate, his

or synthetic.

HT level goes up to 7-7.5, before going back down to a

level below his initial one. It then takes more and more

- Semi-synthetic opioids include oxycodone and its deriva- drug to get back up to the original high; this is the body's

tives, all of which are prescription drugs. Around 1850, tolerance mechanism.

there was an addiction outbreak, mostly among women for

unknown reasons, and the pharmaceutical company Bayer

in its experimentation added two acetyl groups, similar to Tolerance ultimately leads to dysphoria, where users have

what it had done with salicylic acid to form aspirin. Devel- to rely on drugs just to get back to their base line. The

oped in 1895 to try to combat morphine addiction, that body does not like the depressive effect and tries to battle

product is heroin, a semi-synthetic opioid.

back. Once an addict stops using, he gets the opposite ef-

fect with all the withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal usual-

- Fentanyl is an example of a completely synthetic opioid, and it is mostly smuggled in from China. Based on a potency scale in which morphine is rated at 1, codeine at ?, and heroin at 4, fentanyl is rated at 25. Fentanyl is also cheaper than heroin, and, in the last 10 weeks, Dr. O'Con-

ly lasts about 7 days. Success or failure depends on how well he can resist the promise of relief from taking the drug again. All detox programs are just money-makers since they do not effect cures, and a prosperous detox industry has developed.

nor has dealt with over 20 heroin addicts but over 300 fen-

tanyl users. Fentanyl is often sold as heroin or other drugs. Most users start between the ages of 14-17, and, unfortu-

Continued on Page 5

PAGE 3

VOLUME 21 ISSUE 5

Minutes -- Continued

Travelers ?

Reporting on Minutes ? Bill Johnson

Paul introduced the RMA travelers.

Reporting on the Speaker ? Abner Salant

Howard Kendall went to London England; visited 91-year

Bulletin ? Bob Diefenbacher

-old uncle, had fish & chips, and survived left-side driving.

Sound Equipment ? Ron Riggert

Bill Ely, with his wife, stayed several months in Florida and survived unusual cold, wind and pollen.

Slide Show ? Don Sherman, Bob Curtiss, and Al Persson

Jim Metcalf visited San Diego in March for the baptism of his nephew.

Kobe Kobayashi, visited Portugal (via London, with thea-

Website ? Bob Curtiss and Bill Thompson Photographer - Art Phipps

tre show and river cruise) and saw the museum of Henry

the Navigator's trip around Africa's Cape of Good Hope. Announcements -

Ray Atkins showed appreciation to members for the following services:

Coffee ? Paul Sturgis Donuts from Stop & Shop ? Bill Cooper Badges ? Ken Coleman Facilities ? Mike Sheff, Rey Graunas, Fred Jungalwala, Dick Kilbourne

Harold Wilkinson has a summary of some of the document types discussed in his presentation at the last meeting ("living will", etc.)

Nick Veeder made a vigorous plea for members to submit their portrait photos for the RMA files.

Ken Coleman reminded us of the Trip to the MFA on May 16th (Tuesday) to view "Matisse in the Studio" at 10:30 AM. He also noted the Paw Sox Trip on Aug 10th for $40,

with a 7 AM bus from church parking.

Continued on Page 5

The Cigar Box Bulletin

P. O. Box 261 Wayland, MA 01778

Board of Directors

Ray Atkins

President

Chris Hammer

1st Vice President

Larry Vifquain

2nd Vice-President

Merrill Mack

Treasurer

Chris Hammer

Program Chairman

Bob Diefenbacher

Editor of Bulletin

Board Members

Ray Atkins Mort Brond Bill Ely* Chris Hammer Frank Lyons* Al Persson* Nick Veeder

Bill Beebee Bob Diefenbacher Karl Geiger Wally Hart Merrill Mack Ron Riggert Larry Vifquain

*Past RMA Presidents

Thank You To Our Proof Readers

Yutaka Kobayashi, Bob Curtiss

Published monthly by the Retired Men's Association of Weston, Way-

land, Sudbury and surrounding communities.

PAGE 4

Minutes--Continued

VOLUME 21 ISSUE 5

Vital Statistics -

Special Treat -

Gerry Brody told us that the oldest birthday belongs to Rey Graunas (89) and the oldest anniversary to Claire and Rey Graunas (59).

Ken Watson and Bill Ladoulis, with keyboard and violin, played the musical vignette "The Swan" from the 1905 Saint-Saens's ballet. A video of the "dying swan" dance played in coordination with the music.

Health of Members -

There was no ROMEO lunch for May.

Bill Ely announced that Ted Grenham is recovering. John Heckscher is also recovering (check "Caring Bridge" web site).

Humor ? Harold Wilkinson showed us jokes through the Ages, featuring Ancient Roman Jokes and funny sayings from Pericles and Voltaire. All were unexpectedly fresh and funny.

News for You--A Life Half Full: Aging With Optimism

(NewsUSA) - As Americans age, one element seems to be whelmingly, the respondents perceived these media por-

a key for their mental and physical health: optimism. That's trayals of their own demographic as inaccurate, rating the

the finding suggested by a new Humana survey, which

accuracy level as, on average, 5 or less on a 10-point scale.

asked Americans age 60 and over how they perceive the Those aging Americans who do feel that media accurately

importance of various wellness traits.

portrays them think about aging more than the average and

Although the survey uncovered many perspectives, the

have a higher level of fear about aging than their peers.

findings about optimism suggest a possible link between a Taken together, these findings feed into growing evidence

"glass half full" mentality and mental and physical health: that suggest that ageism is a social determinant of health

* Older Americans who rated themselves as very optimistic and may positively or negatively impact health outcomes about aging tended to be the most active physically, socially and in their communities.

* They also reported a much lower number of physically unhealthy days per month on average: 2.84 for the most optimistic, compared to 12.55 physically unhealthy days for the least optimistic

* The most optimistic also felt on average 12 years younger than their actual age (those who are least optimistic felt on average 7 years older than their actual age).

The survey also asked respondents to rate how they feel about the depiction of people age 60 and over in pop culture: in film, television, commercials and so on. Over-

Please remember to check the RMA Bulletin Board announcements on page 10

CIGAR BOX BULLETIN

Speaker Continued--

nately, as was the case with Dr. O'Connor's son, no one believes it can happen in their family. Addiction is a pediatric illness. with treatment suffering from inadequate support and funding. By contrast, Congress easily appropriated $2 billion to fight the zika virus.

Many activities that signal an ongoing addiction problem are in plain sight. The average patient spends $100 per day, and requires psychosocial treatment which too often is inadequate or unavailable. Alcohol/marijuana use leads to opioid addiction, although individual reactions vary widely. Marijuana is considered "harmless" but there is immediate harm to the individual - temporary loss of IQ. The high typically lasts about 2 hours. However, the inability to think clearly lasts for another 8 hours. Such temporary loss of reasoning and comprehension abilities can affect performance in school, work, and even driving vehicles.

PAGE 5

Funnies???

My high school assignment was to ask a veteran about World War II. Since my father had served in the Philippines during the war, I chose him. After a few basic questions, I very gingerly asked, "Did you ever kill anyone?" Dad got quiet. Then, in a soft voice, he said, "Probably. I was the cook."

Groan...another blonde joke--

A blonde, a redhead, and a brunette were all lost in the desert. They found a lamp and rubbed it. A genie popped out and granted them each one wish. The redhead wished to be back home. Poof! She was back home. The brunette wished to be at home with her family. Poof! She was back home with her family. The blonde said, "Awwww, I wish my friends were here." -

A Scary Chinese Fortune...

..."That Wasn't Chicken"

PAGE 6

Let's Get Acquainted--Donald S. Sherman

Career: Pediatric Dentist. After fin- I have always loved classical music, and now have a col-

ishing my specialty training, I enlisted lection of over 500 CD's, which I loaded onto my comput-

in the US Army and was lucky to be er. I set up a music file server which is connected to my

stationed as a Captain in a US Army den's entertainment center. I love listening to music at a

dental clinic in Vicenza, Italy, where I volume level I consider normal, but my wife does not

treated the children of Army and civil- agree with my definition of normal.I still go regularly to

ian personnel serving at the US Mili- Boston Symphony concerts. I played the clarinet in the

tary base there during 1964 & 1965. Saugus High band, but, since I never learned how to read

In 1966 I opened an office in Lexing- music, I depended on my skill to play any part by ear. My

ton, and later bought an office condo in Arlington. While music teacher was not happy, but the concertmaster let me

treating children in Arlington I had the opportunity of

be in the school band anyway.

treating girls age 12-18 who were resident of the Germain I have been a member of the Lexington Rotary Club since

Lawrence School- where wards of the state with severe 1966. We participate in many local civic events, and raise

emotional and behavioral issues lived. They were chal- money to award 16 scholarships annually to graduating

lenging dental patients, but I got great satisfaction helping high school students. On a national and international level,

them overcome the fear of dentistry, and helping them

Rotary started an effort in 1985 to eliminate Polio world-

learn that they can overcome challenges. I also taught part wide. We have recently been joined by the United Nations

time at the Boston University School of Dental Medicine. I and the Gates Foundation, and worldwide polio cases have

was a frequent lecturer at the annual Yankee Dental Con- dropped from 350,000 cases worldwide annually in 1985

gress- the New England dental society continuing educa- to 10 cases last year.

tion meeting. I retired from clinical practice in 2001, but

continued to teach at BU. I also lectured at many state

My mother and father arrived in the USA as children with

dental society annual meetings in the USA and Canada. At their families in the 1920's. My parents were both born in

these meetings I usually lectured on using new technolo- Poland, which makes me a first generation American. I

gies to provide a higher standard of care for better commu- have a brother Howard. I met my wife Barbara in the ele-

nication with patients and better case documentation.

vator of the apartment building we both lived in in Cam-

bridge in 1966. She was a computer programmer working

Hobbies:

at the Instrumentation Lab of MIT. We got married in

At the age of 15 I got my first high end camera. It was a 1968.

German Zeiss Contax camera that an uncle who fled Ger- We have 3 children. Jonathan is a Paramedic working as

many in 1939 brought to the USA. I have continued the an instructor at a Police Academy on Long Island. His

hobby moving to digital in 2001. I now have a collection wife is Jane, and they have 4 children. My son Robert lives

of over 60,000 digital images taken of family events and with his wife Anastassiya in Shanghai,China. Both are

on world travel. Starting this year, I am scanning many of now fluent in Chinese. He is employed at a law school,

my slides and negatives taken before the digital era. I hope and his wife works in management for Ralph Lauren Co.

to assemble several family self-published books for my in Asia. Our daughter Sara graduated summa cum laude

children and grandchildren. I will be using facial recogni- from Duke, but was severely limited by chronic illness.

tion software to help sort through all my images. I am a Tragically, she died in 2014.

member of the Sudbury Valley Nature Photography group

which meets monthly.

I grew up in Saugus, Ma on the North Shore. I went to

school in Saugus, where I became active in Boy Scouts. I

While serving in the US Army in 1964 I was introduced to went each summer from 1948-1958 to a summer Boy

Ham radio, as the army provided the equipment so service Scout camp, where I rose to being a scoutmaster, and part

personnel could communicate with family in the USA. I of management. I also achieved Eagle Scout rank in 1953.

got my Ham Radio license- WA1OEJ- in 1971, and I now After high school I went to Brandeis University, where I

have a station in my home. In the last 2 years I have con- majored in science. I attended the Harvard School of Den-

tacted hams in over 150 countries. We hams learn to avoid tal Medicine, graduating in 1962. I then went on to the

politics and religion when speaking to people in other

University of Missouri Dental School for two years where

countries. I am a member of the Framingham Amateur I was trained as a Pediatric Dentist.

Radio Club.

During my 4 years at Harvard, in the summer of 1960 I

Continued on Page 8

CIGAR BOX BULLETIN

Anniversaries in May

Member

Spouse

Anniv.

Yrs.

Michael Sheff

Lou

Petrovic

David

Doran

Reynold P. Graunas

Marilyn Judy Linda Claire

05/19/1984 33 05/06/1967 50 05/04/1963 54 05/24/1958 59

Average Years Married--49

PAGE 7

Birthdays in May

Member

Ronald Paul James Robert William A. Bradford William M. Larry Robert Edwin E. Waldo L. Morton L. Alvin David Milton A. Reynold P.

Smith Jr Kudirka Metcalf Joseph McCullough Conant Carleton Vifquain Allard Larsen Hart Brond Glazerman Macklin Jones Graunas

Birthday

05/30/1955 05/21/1947 05/29/1945 05/10/1943 05/25/1943 05/17/1941 05/13/1940 05/14/1940 05/14/1937 05/09/1937 05/08/1936 05/02/1935 05/08/1933 05/02/1930 05/10/1929 05/29/1928

Age

62 70 72 74 74 76 77 77 80 80 81 82 84 87 88 89

Average Age--72

PAGE 8

Let's Get Acquainted--Continued

VOLUME 21 ISSUE 5

went to Israel, and lived with an Israeli family for two

cals. I also learned to ski in Italy, as the army provided free

months. It was part of an exchange program run by the

loans of equipment. In the winter I traveled to local ski re-

Jewish Agency, the immigration agency of Israel. I took a sorts where the lift tickets were $1.60 per day. In the sum-

Lambretta motor bike with me that I bought in Italy on the mer I traveled regularly to Venice or to Lake Como. While

way to Israel. I was introduced to dental care in Israel, and technically I was serving my country, it was a two year

had a chance to travel all over the country. In 1960 Israel paid vacation. The only danger I faced in Italy was when I

was much less prosperous than it is now, and I got to many drove my car onto Italian superhighways. The Italians do

places, and met many nice people. I continued to take lots not believe in speed limits. You drive as fast as your car

of pictures.

can go.

While I was in Italy in the US army in 1964, my Army room mate was an American of Italian extraction. We shared an apartment living off base in the city. With his fluent Italian we joined a Vicenza Italy dinner club, made up of only local Italians. We joined them for a monthly visit to local restaurants. Quite an experience with the lo-

In 1996 my wife & I visited Uzbekistan for two weeks, just after Uzbekistan became independent from Russia. It was an exciting time to be there among the first Western tourists in Uzbekistan since the Russians took over in 1895.

News For You--Stop Pests This Spring With These Safe, Simple Steps

(NewsUSA) - Spring is here, and that means not only getting plant-based Stay Away Rodent repellant pouch, and you

a jump on your cleaning, but also having a reason to check may avoid becoming one of the 21 million American homes

all areas of your house and garage for signs of pests that invaded by rodents each winter (according to the National

might have made themselves at home over the winter.

Pest Management Association). After pest-proofing your

Take a tour through your house and try these simple steps suggested by Kari Warberg Block, pest prevention expert and founder of EarthKind and Stay Away natural pestprevention products for a few pest-proofing techniques for each room of your house

kitchen, proceed to the pantry, where moths might try to make themselves at home. Prevent problems by storing food in airtight glass, metal, or plastic containers; cleaning and checking packages for signs of holes; and placing a non -toxic Stay Away Moths pouch nearby.

* Outside: The best defense is a good offense when it

* Bedroom and Closet: Moths also can consider closets a

comes to protecting the outside of your home from pests. place to call home, but a Stay Away Moths pouch can keep

Inspect the exterior of your house and patch any cracks or them at bay. In the bedroom, the non-toxic Stay Away Spi-

other openings that may have developed over the winter. ders repellant offers a similar strategy. After vacuuming to

remove any existing webs, use the repellant to prevent addi-

* Living room: Keep ants from becoming unwanted guests tional infestations.

in your living room by vacuuming the entry/living room

areas thoroughly to get rid of any crumbs, and clean up any * Garage and Basement: These areas can harbor a variety of

sweet, sugary spills which are the number one culprit for pests. To keep them out, avoid storing items in cardboard

attracting ants in this area. Also, try a non-toxic ant repel- boxes, which can attract rodents (they use cardboard to

lant such as Stay Away Ants pouches. All Stay Away prod- build their nests) as well as cockroaches (they like to feast

ucts are made in the USA from essential oils and plant fi- on the glue ). Also, repair any leaky pipes to prevent the

bers, so they are eco-friendly and have no known risks as- development of mold and moisture.

sociated with use in the home.

* Kitchen: Use natural ingredients to keep your kitchen clean and repel rodents and other pests. Be sure to clean under refrigerators, stoves, and sinks because these are the areas where rodents frequently make their nests. Dog food is the number one attractant to hungry rodents. Try using a

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