Methamphetamine exposure and chronic illness in police officers: significant improvement with sauna-based detoxification therapy
Ross GH, Sternquist MC
Toxicology and industrial health · 20 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Controlled clinical trial (classified by our AI screen)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
Based on full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2011-11-16 · Toxicol Ind Health · vol. 28 · issue 8 · pp. 758–768
- Publisher
- SAGE Publishing
- Cited
- 29 citations · more than 93% of similar papers · 4.4× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 35 works
- Access
- Open access (repository copy) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Occupational Health and Performance · Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis · Sleep and related disorders
- Keywords
- Medicine, Methamphetamine, Population, Medical record, Physical therapy, Psychiatry, Environmental health, Internal medicine
- MeSH
- humans, chronic disease, methamphetamine, treatment outcome, exercise, steam bath, health surveys, retrospective studies, behavioral symptoms, mental health, occupational exposure, police, adult, middle aged, occupational health, female, male
2 authors
From US
- Gerald H. Ross
- Marie C Sternquist · correspondingFoundation for Advancements in Science and Education
Abstract
Background
The medical literature reports health hazards for law enforcement personnel from repeated exposure to methamphetamine and related chemical compounds. Most effects appear transitory, but some Utah police officers with employment-related methamphetamine exposures developed chronic symptoms, some leading to disability. This report is of an uncontrolled retrospective medical chart evaluation of symptomatic officers treated with a sauna detoxification protocol designed to reduce the chronic symptoms and improve the quality of life.
Methods
Sixty-nine officers consecutively entering the Utah Meth Cops Project were assessed before and after a treatment program involving gradual exercise, comprehensive nutritional support and physical sauna therapy. Evaluations included pre- and post-treatment scores of the Research and Development Corporation (RAND) 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) in comparison with RAND population norms, pre- and post-treatment symptom score intensities, neurotoxicity scores, Mini-Mental Status Examination, presenting symptom frequencies and a structured evaluation of treatment program safety.
Results
Statistically significant health improvements were seen in the SF-36 evaluations, symptom scores and neurotoxicity scores. The detoxification protocol was well tolerated, with a 92.8% completion rate.
Conclusions
This investigation strongly suggests that utilizing sauna and nutritional therapy may alleviate chronic symptoms appearing after chemical exposures associated with methamphetamine-related law enforcement activities. This report also has relevance to addressing the apparent ill effects of other complex chemical exposures. In view of the positive clinical outcomes in this group, broader investigation of this sauna-based treatment regimen appears warranted.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
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