Safe Haven
(773) 435-8300
www.asafehaven.com
2750 West Roosevelt Road
Chicago IL 60608

Rehab Locator

Mix of mental health and substance abuse services
Services Provided: Substance abuse treatment, Halfway house
Type of Care: Residential short-term treatment (30 days or less), Residential long-term treatment (more than 30 days), Outpatient
Special Programs/Groups: Persons with HIV/AIDS, Women, Men, Criminal justice clients

Treatment Gap

The treatment gap is massive among those who need treatment for a substance use disorder and do not receive it. In 2007, 23.2 million people aged 12 or older required treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem, but only 3.9 million received treatment at a specialty substance abuse facility. Reducing this gap requires a multipronged approach. Strategies include increasing access to effective treatment, achieving insurance parity, and reducing stigmas and raising awareness among both patients and health care professionals.

Nails

Nail care is more than the proper maintenance of the fingernails and toenails. A nail is a horn-like envelope covering the dorsal aspect of the terminal phalanges of fingers and toes. The nail is made of a hard protein called keratin. Nails can dry out, just like skin. They can also peel, break, and become infected. The nail protects the ends of the fingers and toes from trauma and helps pick up small objects. Care of the fingernails and toenails is important. Poor nail care causes problems. Recommendations for maintaining nail health include: keeping nails clean and dry in order to keep bacteria and other infectious organisms from collecting under the nails; cutting nails straight across with only slight rounding at the tip; using a fine-textured file to keep nails shaped and free of snags; and avoiding nail-biting. Nail changes, swelling and pain can signal serious problems that may require a physician and medical nail care. Medical nail care includes preventing and treating diseases. Nail diseases are distinct from diseases of the skin. Although nails are a skin appendage, they have their own signs and symptoms, which can relate to other medical conditions. Nail conditions that show signs of infection or inflammation require medical assistance beyond a beauty parlor. Deformity or diseases of the nails are onychosis. Onychia is an inflammation of the nail folds of the nail with formation of pus and shedding of the nail. Onychia results from the introduction of microscopic pathogens through small wounds. The medical term for ingrown nails is onychocryptosis. Ingrown nails can affect the fingers and the toes. With this condition, the nail cuts into one or both sides of the nail bed, resulting in inflammation and possibly infection. The relative rarity of this condition in the fingers suggests that pressure from the ground or shoe against the toe is a prime cause. The movements involved in walking or other physical disturbances can contribute to the problem. Mild onychocryptosis in the absence of infection is treatable by trimming and rounding the nail. In more advanced cases including infection, doctors perform matrixectomy by surgically excising the in growing portion of the nail down to its bony origin and thermally or chemically cauterizing the matrix to prevent recurrence. The best results are by cauterizing the matrix with phenol.

Hormonal Acne Treatments

In females, hormonal treatments can improve acne. The common combined oestrogen and progestogen methods of hormonal contraception have some effect, but the antiandrogen, Cyproterone, in combination with an oestrogen (Diane-35) is particularly effective at reducing androgenic hormone levels. Diane-35 is not available in the USA, but a newer oral contraceptive containing the progestin drospirenone is now available with fewer side effects than Diane-35 or Dianette. Diane-35 is effective where blood tests show abnormally high levels of androgens. Along with this, treatment with low dose spironolactone can have anti-androgenetic properties, especially in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Fat Loss Surgeon

A fat loss surgeon performs bariatric surgery, bypass surgery, gastric banding and obesity surgery. Surgical weight control is an option for very overweight who cannot lose pounds with only a healthy diet and exercise. Weight loss surgery limits the amount of food a person can intake. Some operations also restrict the amount of food the stomach can digest. Many people who have fat loss surgery lose weight quickly. If patients follow all diet and exercise recommendations, most can keep the weight off. Like all surgeries, fat loss surgery has risks and complications, including infections, hernias and blood clots. Men who are at least 100 pounds overweight and women who are at least 80 pounds overweight are eligible for this surgery. If candidates somewhat less overweight, surgery still might be an option if they also have diabetes, heart disease or sleep apnea. Bariatric surgery, or weight loss surgery, is a type of procedure that doctors perform on people who are dangerously obese. This procedure achieves weight loss by surgical reduction of the size of the stomach by means of an implanted gastric banding device, through removal of a portion of the stomach or by re-sectioning and re-routing the small intestines to a small stomach pouch as gastric bypass surgery. Long-term studies show that fat loss surgery procedures result in significant long-term loss of weight, recovery from diabetes, improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, and a reduction in mortality of 23 percent to 40 percent. The U.S. National Institutes of Health recommends bariatric surgery for obese people with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 40. When a patient ingests just a small amount of food, the first response is a stretching of the wall of the stomach pouch, stimulating nerves, which tell the brain that the stomach is full. The patient feels a sensation of fullness, as if they had just eaten a large meal—but with just a thumb-full of food.