January 7, 2025 • 19 mins
On the next episode of Keeping Ashland Healthy, Dr. Ashley and the Boss start off the New Year with a news roundup. Covered topics include the welcome fall in US Overdose Deaths, the preventative impacts of exercise on depression, the importance of treating core issues rather than symptoms, and a summary of Eco-therapy, a Nature-Based Approach to health. Hyperlinks for today’s pieces can be found here: Overdoses. Exercise and Depression. Root Causes. Eco-Therapy. Learn more about the Board at www.ashlandmhrb.org/ or by calling 419.281.3139.
(Record Date: January 2, 2025)
(Record Date: January 2, 2025)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome. You're listening to the Keeping Ashland Healthy Podcast, a
podcast production of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of
Ashland County, Ohio. Thanks for joining us, and welcome to
our first broadcast of the New Year, twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Doctor Ashley, Happy New year.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
I'm glad you're back. I told the audience you were out,
you were collecting coal, you were putting coal in different
stockings throughout the Ashland Stark County community.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
So you're back, though, Yeah, you make me sound terrible.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
No, No, the audience notice, I'm telling truth.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Good.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
So we are here in twenty twenty five and is
We've got a busy year packed. So I want to
let the audience know that the Mental Health and Recovery
Board has several things, our events, trainings, We've got an
upcoming levy come October. In November that we'll talk. But
it's just going to be full of I think a
lot of exciting events, activities and news items like we're
(00:58):
talking about today.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Yeah, I think it's to be a great year.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, it's going to be a busy here. So we
appreciate the listeners, appreciate all of you that make the
time for this program. Again. You know, here at the
Mental Health and Recovery Board, we we just want to
let not only Ashland County residents, but anybody who might
be listening to the podcast just know about mental health
and substance use resources. You know, when we talk about
(01:24):
mental health and substance use, what do we mean by it?
And we try to cover a bunch of different angles,
if you will, from the research to books to articles
to where the field maybe is falling down a little
bit it needs to improve. We are not shy doctor
Ashley about calling out our own field when we need to,
because we want it to be as good as it
(01:46):
can be to help those folks that are seeking help.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
I think it's important to think critically about what we're
doing and what we could do better, for sure a question, Yeah, agreed.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
So on tap today we have four recent news articles. Again,
don't worry a listener. We try to link all of
these stories that we're referencing today in the episode description,
so don't worry about trying to jot this all down.
It'll be there for you on our website which is Ashlan,
(02:15):
mh RB and mhr beast in formenttal Health Recovery Board
Ashlett MHRB dot org. You can always go there, and
also wherever you get your podcast on iHeart or wherever
you get it, you'll see that in the episode description,
you should be able to click on the hyperlinks to
the stories that doctor Ashley and I will discuss today.
So again, the first one is it's a big one.
(02:38):
It's one that will probably come up again and again
as we do the podcast, Doctor Ashley, and it's entitled
the Fallacy of Modern Psychiatry Treating symptoms ignoring causes. And
this is an article that was published at the Madam
in America site recently. And the reason this one is
(02:59):
so critical and important in my mind is this idea
of treating symptoms ignoring causes sometimes called root causes. This
is something that I've seen. I'm of an age, doctor Ashley,
believe it or not, that I've seen more and more
of this in my career where we have gotten away
(03:19):
from root causes of what's going on and just been
focusing on knocking down symptoms, and that could be using
psychiatric drugs or even some of the psychotherapy approaches. It's
all about how can we highlight identify symptoms that are
bothering the individual and get rid of those with no
(03:40):
real effort made to understand what is behind those symptoms.
And the older I've gotten perhaps maybe it's a product
of that. I've just recognized that the symptom approach is
really short sighted and we need to be focused on
what's behind that if we're really gonna help folks make
those meaningful life changing changes. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I like that a lot.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
It reminds me of there's like a saying about people
falling in the river, and people keep coming down the stream, right,
but eventually you have to go back up and look
at why they're falling in instead of just pulling them
out of the stream all the time. So it kind
of made me think about that.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Saying, yeah, yeah, my former boss and menor mister Steve
Stone told that story a lot. He's a great storyteller,
and he explained that to folks in a very graphic way.
It's like, you know, you know, we need to find
out who's chucking these babies in the river, right, we
got to get upstream and figure out how they're getting there,
not just rescuing them from the river that we see.
(04:42):
So the quote that I liked from the piece was
they mentioned that human behavior is shaped by a complex
interplay of life's events, conditions, and circumstances. To truly understand
a person's actions and behaviors, one must ask what was
this person exposed to, what they experience. These questions point
(05:02):
to a profound truth. Behavior cannot be separated from the
environment in which it develops. From the safety of one's
surroundings to access to proper nutrition, sleep, social stability, the
circumstances of life have a lasting biochemical effect on the brain.
These experiences are not merely coincidental with development. They actively
(05:24):
shape it. So we need to know more about the
person's story, and we need to ask those questions about
origin story, you know, Marvel character alert Todder Ashley, We
need an origin story. We need to go to the
front of the book. You know. Sometimes we talk about
person coming into the office and we're picking up that
book that life story right in the middle, and we
(05:47):
can't act as if we know that person or that story,
if you will, by picking it up in the middle.
We need to go back and understand and ask the
questions that will give us a better understanding of how
they grew up, what did they experience, what did they
see here, touch, tastes, smell, et cetera. Who are the
vital people that were in their life or who were
not in their life. So we need to get back
(06:07):
to some of the basics.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah, so looking at the person and not jumping to
what is wrong with you? We talk about this a
lot here at the board. It's not what is wrong
with this person innately, but what has happened to them instead?
And I think that can shape the way that we
approach treatment with people, how we help people.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Yeah, agreed, And those we often often talk about here
at the board of the ACE score, the Adverse Childhood
Experiences Score, And again that's only part of the story.
But we need to ask about what's happened to you,
as you said, doctor Ashley, And we've got to make
sure we're looking at all those dimensions biological, social, environmental, spiritual,
circumstantial evidence and events. We just need to look at
(06:48):
the whole person and not reduce things down to symptoms.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
What do you think is the outcome of that?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
What? Like, how does it help us to look at
what's happened to them rather than what it might be
wrong with them?
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Yeah? I mean, for one, I think it's it's much
more respectful of the individual to start with understanding that,
you know, human beings are complex, We are not simplistic
and simple, and you know, a five fifteen to twenty
minute interview should not then lead to some kind of
serious diagnoses and approach using maybe psychiatric medications, which the
(07:20):
article talks about. I think it's much more respectful to
ask those questions and honors. I think that person's life
journey and all their experiences and reinforces to them that
they're more than their symptoms. And I think it's more
hopeful as an approach. And you know, because their circumstances,
(07:41):
you know, we can draw out all the resiliency that
everybody has to some extent and build on that versus
starting from this idea that you know what's broke, what's wrong,
and see if we can't fix that.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yeah. I love that.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yeah. So again, we need to account for the whole person,
and I think this approach does that. I mean see
the person as a whole person. So you know, sometimes
I think what can happen, whether it's intentional or not,
if you just look at it symptoms, It's like those
symptoms aren't part of the whole person. We need to
explore and understand the whole person. All right, that's great,
(08:13):
and our next article comes so sorry, before we leave
that too much, get your steps in. Get a step
counter track monitor. You know, doctor Ashley, some people have
these really fancy phones. I think they actually track your
all kinds of stuff. All right. Our next topic is
(08:34):
what's called eco therapy, a nature based approach to health,
and doctor Ashley, you took the lead on this one,
and this was a study, a recent study talking about
ecotherapy as a form of therapy. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I really like this.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
I think it goes along well with what you're talking
about with exercise and decussion. Ecotherapy is a form of
therapy that considers our relationship with nature as part of
the healing process. To greats nature based healing into psychological
therapy approaches, recognizing that the connection with nature can play
a central role in our well being. I personally love nature.
(09:11):
That's I mean, that's healing for me, getting out and
getting in touch with nature, disconnecting from my phone and
all of the concerns of daily life for a little bit.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
So I really believe.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
That that is a powerful tool. And what's really cool
about it is that it's very accessible for people, for
most people, and also it can be powerful in the
role of healing.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
So, yeah, we've mentioned before about Ashton County is very
rich when it comes to our county and our city
parks and all those opportunities. And again, as you say,
I mean they're accessible. I mean they don't cost a
lot to go to these parks and walk or be
in nature.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
So the article says that eco therapy can help reduce stress,
boost mood, improve focus, attention and memory, strengthen your immune system.
We need that right this time of year. Absolutely norovirus
watch out for that and also helps promote physical health.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
So love it. And again, so this is part of
the reason we do these studies is so if your therapists,
ask your therapists about these things. Hopefully they know about
it already, but if not, it doesn't hurt to ask
them and say, hey, what do you think about this?
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yeah, how could we use this as part of what
we're doing.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah. The quote that jumped out at me for this one.
It says, while individual approaches may vary, ecotherapy consistently revolves
around shared principles that emphasize human nature connection, holistic well
being in a mutually carrying relationship with the environment. So again,
I don't want to sound like two tree hugger race. Yeah.
(10:46):
I don't know if that's a word about Cresson, but
I know this isn't for everybody, but I think you're
right being able to get out, reminding all of us
that you know, we're more than just our offices and
our homes. That nature really can play a I think
a therapeutic role. Yeah, and just a sense of well being.
(11:07):
And we don't talk about this. There's been some books
written this concept of all awe and nature can do that,
whether that's a sunset, sunrise, it's clouds, it's you know,
some people go on the trips, they see some of
the great things like grand canyons and mountains, and there
is something about awe and nature really can provide that
(11:29):
in and of itself, I think can be relaxing in
curative I.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Think so too.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Yeah. And also the article mentioned getting out disconnecting from
your screens, right, because we're attached to our screens, but
they say disconnect from your screens, reconnect with yourself and
when you're out in nature, focusing on your senses, so
engaging each of your senses while you're out there. Yeah,
there's something I think meditative about that. Yeah, and I
(11:56):
think that's why it kind of helps reconnect with yourself.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Well, this last piece is it's an important one that
the subject is important in the sense that we're talking
about overdose deaths, and the title of the article is
overdose deaths in the United States fell seventeen percent in
a recent one year period according to the CDC. As
we've talked about before on this program, the opioid issue,
(12:25):
particularly fentanyl and some of the other very very lethal
opioid synthetic opioids that are prevalent. Unfortunately, they've caused drug
overdose deaths of over one hundred thousand in several years.
But we have just recently seen that fall by seventeen
percent between July twenty twenty three and July twenty twenty four.
(12:46):
So that is welcome news, doctor Ashley. You know, we
hope that continues. But you know, there's there's a lot
of things. I think the question I get is, so
what contributes to that? And the article touches on some
of those things. That one came out of CBS News,
So I would say, and again you jump in, but
(13:06):
I think the things here locally that we've been doing,
that we've heard and we believe based on reports of
our partners, that are making a difference. First has been
the use of narcan or in a lock zone. It's
called again this is the opioid drug reversal medication. That's
we're trying to make available throughout the county and a
bunch of different places point of contact for getting your
(13:29):
narcan if you don't have it as a CADA one
of our partner agencies. And again, these truly are life
saving this medication. Another one that maybe folks don't know
about is what's called the Quick Response Team. And again
this is a collaborative effort between a CADA and a
law enforcement where if someone has an overdose and they survive,
(13:53):
obviously they're brought back, they survive. What happens is the
quick Response team will respond to their home location or
wherever they're living and follow up with them to say, one,
are you getting services? If not, how can we help
you get into services? Here's they bring out information, They
just want to connect with the person and basically say,
(14:13):
to some extent, look, you always died. Let's see this
as a wake up call the ultimate wake up call
to see if we can't get you some help so
that never happens again.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, and I think that's the beautiful thing about in
a lock zown. So in the article it said we
cannot treat dead people, right, so we're bringing people back
so that they can get that opportunity to get treatment,
and the Quick Response Team helps us engage them absolutely.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
And people ask about the treatment for opioid addiction. Again,
we've been saying for some years it's called medication. It's
just a treatment. It is an evidence based approach. Akita
has been doing that for some years. Apple Sea does
it as well. It basically the therapy is aided by
the use of medications that keep the person from going
(14:59):
into withdrawal and participating in drug seeking behavior. So because
it's very difficult to be in any kind of productive
therapy if you're actively in withdrawal. So yeah, the medication
helps prevent that and allows a person to be present
and benefit by treatment. And that approach has We've seen
really good success at a CATA, So that's another part
(15:22):
of why the deaths are falling. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
I think one of the things along with that community
education just letting people know one where to get it,
that it's free at a lot of places, it's available
over the counter. You have to pay for it then obviously,
and then also educating that it's literally just a nasal
spray so it's not the scary medication or it's not
hard to use, right, removing those barriers and educating people
(15:47):
so they know they can use narcan.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Yep, maybe last, but not least would be Maybe people
don't think of this, but I do about why the
rates might be falling jail based services and good linkage
services when the person leaves the jail. We are excited
about the robustness of our jail based services here in
Ashton County. So if an individual does get in trouble,
(16:11):
it ends up at our jail and struggling with opioid
or at any kind of substance use, you know services
down there are readily available. They can get services, and
that might be for that particular person, might be the
best opportunity to really get serious about their substance use. Absolutely,
and you know, the treatment they get down there then
can be extended once they're released. So we have linkage
(16:34):
coordinators at the jail, so as the person has started
to work on their substance use. They can get hooked
up before they even leave withoutpatient treatment and services. So
that hopefully, because we know there's a gap there, doctor, Actually,
if there is a gap between when they are released
and when they follow up, the longer that gap, the
more risky it is for that person to read.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Yes, yeah, people may not know that when individuals are
released from jail or prison, that's kind of a risky
period of time for them because they've not used for
a period of time. Then they may use the amount
that they were using before and now they don't have
the same tolerance, so it becomes very dangerous. They may
overdose and a lot of people die during that stage.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
That's a great point. I appreciate you bringing that up.
So the better we do, hopefully listeners, you can understand
those four things. We think if we do those well,
that is contributing to this reduction of seventeen percent in
the overdose deaths in the country, Doctor Ashua, I hope
that continues to fall, and I hope it falls precipitously
both in Ashon County and throughout the United States. And
(17:37):
I'm hopeful that with these strategies and other strategies that
we haven't touched on. We'll see that happen.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Absolutely. I'm hopeful too.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
They did mention it's still over one hundred thousand deaths, right,
so it's still a significant issue that we have to
keep pushing on. Absolutely, But it is a hopeful, hopeful article.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Well, speaking of hopeful on all of these articles hopefully
have been hopeful for the new year, Doctor Ashley. So
I am excited to be doing these podcasts with you
throughout the year. We've got, like I said, a large
number of events and activities planned. So uh, audience, I
just asked you you stick with doctor Ashley and I
as we continue to bring you these these podcasts. Hopefully
(18:16):
you find them helpful if you If you do, reach
out and contact us either through the website or by
calling this at four one nine two eight one three
one three nine. If you don't find them of any use,
please don't contact us.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Okay, thanks for listening.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Thanks for listening, and we will see you next time.
Thank you for listening to another episode of the Keeping
National and Healthy podcast. The podcast is a production of
the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Ashland County, Ohio.
You can reach the Board by calling four one nine
two eight one three one three nine. Please remember that
the Board funds a local twenty four to seven crisis
line through Applese Community Mental Health Center. It can be
(18:55):
reached by calling four one nine, two eight nine six
to one one one. That's four one nine, two eight
nine six one one one. Until next time, Please join
us in keeping Ashland healthy
Welcome. You're listening to the Keeping Ashland Healthy Podcast, a
podcast production of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of
Ashland County, Ohio. Thanks for joining us, and welcome to
our first broadcast of the New Year, twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Doctor Ashley, Happy New year.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
I'm glad you're back. I told the audience you were out,
you were collecting coal, you were putting coal in different
stockings throughout the Ashland Stark County community.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
So you're back, though, Yeah, you make me sound terrible.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
No, No, the audience notice, I'm telling truth.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Good.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
So we are here in twenty twenty five and is
We've got a busy year packed. So I want to
let the audience know that the Mental Health and Recovery
Board has several things, our events, trainings, We've got an
upcoming levy come October. In November that we'll talk. But
it's just going to be full of I think a
lot of exciting events, activities and news items like we're
(00:58):
talking about today.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Yeah, I think it's to be a great year.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, it's going to be a busy here. So we
appreciate the listeners, appreciate all of you that make the
time for this program. Again. You know, here at the
Mental Health and Recovery Board, we we just want to
let not only Ashland County residents, but anybody who might
be listening to the podcast just know about mental health
and substance use resources. You know, when we talk about
(01:24):
mental health and substance use, what do we mean by it?
And we try to cover a bunch of different angles,
if you will, from the research to books to articles
to where the field maybe is falling down a little
bit it needs to improve. We are not shy doctor
Ashley about calling out our own field when we need to,
because we want it to be as good as it
(01:46):
can be to help those folks that are seeking help.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
I think it's important to think critically about what we're
doing and what we could do better, for sure a question, Yeah, agreed.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
So on tap today we have four recent news articles. Again,
don't worry a listener. We try to link all of
these stories that we're referencing today in the episode description,
so don't worry about trying to jot this all down.
It'll be there for you on our website which is Ashlan,
(02:15):
mh RB and mhr beast in formenttal Health Recovery Board
Ashlett MHRB dot org. You can always go there, and
also wherever you get your podcast on iHeart or wherever
you get it, you'll see that in the episode description,
you should be able to click on the hyperlinks to
the stories that doctor Ashley and I will discuss today.
So again, the first one is it's a big one.
(02:38):
It's one that will probably come up again and again
as we do the podcast, Doctor Ashley, and it's entitled
the Fallacy of Modern Psychiatry Treating symptoms ignoring causes. And
this is an article that was published at the Madam
in America site recently. And the reason this one is
(02:59):
so critical and important in my mind is this idea
of treating symptoms ignoring causes sometimes called root causes. This
is something that I've seen. I'm of an age, doctor Ashley,
believe it or not, that I've seen more and more
of this in my career where we have gotten away
(03:19):
from root causes of what's going on and just been
focusing on knocking down symptoms, and that could be using
psychiatric drugs or even some of the psychotherapy approaches. It's
all about how can we highlight identify symptoms that are
bothering the individual and get rid of those with no
(03:40):
real effort made to understand what is behind those symptoms.
And the older I've gotten perhaps maybe it's a product
of that. I've just recognized that the symptom approach is
really short sighted and we need to be focused on
what's behind that if we're really gonna help folks make
those meaningful life changing changes. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I like that a lot.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
It reminds me of there's like a saying about people
falling in the river, and people keep coming down the stream, right,
but eventually you have to go back up and look
at why they're falling in instead of just pulling them
out of the stream all the time. So it kind
of made me think about that.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Saying, yeah, yeah, my former boss and menor mister Steve
Stone told that story a lot. He's a great storyteller,
and he explained that to folks in a very graphic way.
It's like, you know, you know, we need to find
out who's chucking these babies in the river, right, we
got to get upstream and figure out how they're getting there,
not just rescuing them from the river that we see.
(04:42):
So the quote that I liked from the piece was
they mentioned that human behavior is shaped by a complex
interplay of life's events, conditions, and circumstances. To truly understand
a person's actions and behaviors, one must ask what was
this person exposed to, what they experience. These questions point
(05:02):
to a profound truth. Behavior cannot be separated from the
environment in which it develops. From the safety of one's
surroundings to access to proper nutrition, sleep, social stability, the
circumstances of life have a lasting biochemical effect on the brain.
These experiences are not merely coincidental with development. They actively
(05:24):
shape it. So we need to know more about the
person's story, and we need to ask those questions about
origin story, you know, Marvel character alert Todder Ashley, We
need an origin story. We need to go to the
front of the book. You know. Sometimes we talk about
person coming into the office and we're picking up that
book that life story right in the middle, and we
(05:47):
can't act as if we know that person or that story,
if you will, by picking it up in the middle.
We need to go back and understand and ask the
questions that will give us a better understanding of how
they grew up, what did they experience, what did they
see here, touch, tastes, smell, et cetera. Who are the
vital people that were in their life or who were
not in their life. So we need to get back
(06:07):
to some of the basics.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah, so looking at the person and not jumping to
what is wrong with you? We talk about this a
lot here at the board. It's not what is wrong
with this person innately, but what has happened to them instead?
And I think that can shape the way that we
approach treatment with people, how we help people.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Yeah, agreed, And those we often often talk about here
at the board of the ACE score, the Adverse Childhood
Experiences Score, And again that's only part of the story.
But we need to ask about what's happened to you,
as you said, doctor Ashley, And we've got to make
sure we're looking at all those dimensions biological, social, environmental, spiritual,
circumstantial evidence and events. We just need to look at
(06:48):
the whole person and not reduce things down to symptoms.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
What do you think is the outcome of that?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
What? Like, how does it help us to look at
what's happened to them rather than what it might be
wrong with them?
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Yeah? I mean, for one, I think it's it's much
more respectful of the individual to start with understanding that,
you know, human beings are complex, We are not simplistic
and simple, and you know, a five fifteen to twenty
minute interview should not then lead to some kind of
serious diagnoses and approach using maybe psychiatric medications, which the
(07:20):
article talks about. I think it's much more respectful to
ask those questions and honors. I think that person's life
journey and all their experiences and reinforces to them that
they're more than their symptoms. And I think it's more
hopeful as an approach. And you know, because their circumstances,
(07:41):
you know, we can draw out all the resiliency that
everybody has to some extent and build on that versus
starting from this idea that you know what's broke, what's wrong,
and see if we can't fix that.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yeah. I love that.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yeah. So again, we need to account for the whole person,
and I think this approach does that. I mean see
the person as a whole person. So you know, sometimes
I think what can happen, whether it's intentional or not,
if you just look at it symptoms, It's like those
symptoms aren't part of the whole person. We need to
explore and understand the whole person. All right, that's great,
(08:13):
and our next article comes so sorry, before we leave
that too much, get your steps in. Get a step
counter track monitor. You know, doctor Ashley, some people have
these really fancy phones. I think they actually track your
all kinds of stuff. All right. Our next topic is
(08:34):
what's called eco therapy, a nature based approach to health,
and doctor Ashley, you took the lead on this one,
and this was a study, a recent study talking about
ecotherapy as a form of therapy. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I really like this.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
I think it goes along well with what you're talking
about with exercise and decussion. Ecotherapy is a form of
therapy that considers our relationship with nature as part of
the healing process. To greats nature based healing into psychological
therapy approaches, recognizing that the connection with nature can play
a central role in our well being. I personally love nature.
(09:11):
That's I mean, that's healing for me, getting out and
getting in touch with nature, disconnecting from my phone and
all of the concerns of daily life for a little bit.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
So I really believe.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
That that is a powerful tool. And what's really cool
about it is that it's very accessible for people, for
most people, and also it can be powerful in the
role of healing.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
So, yeah, we've mentioned before about Ashton County is very
rich when it comes to our county and our city
parks and all those opportunities. And again, as you say,
I mean they're accessible. I mean they don't cost a
lot to go to these parks and walk or be
in nature.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
So the article says that eco therapy can help reduce stress,
boost mood, improve focus, attention and memory, strengthen your immune system.
We need that right this time of year. Absolutely norovirus
watch out for that and also helps promote physical health.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
So love it. And again, so this is part of
the reason we do these studies is so if your therapists,
ask your therapists about these things. Hopefully they know about
it already, but if not, it doesn't hurt to ask
them and say, hey, what do you think about this?
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yeah, how could we use this as part of what
we're doing.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah. The quote that jumped out at me for this one.
It says, while individual approaches may vary, ecotherapy consistently revolves
around shared principles that emphasize human nature connection, holistic well
being in a mutually carrying relationship with the environment. So again,
I don't want to sound like two tree hugger race. Yeah.
(10:46):
I don't know if that's a word about Cresson, but
I know this isn't for everybody, but I think you're
right being able to get out, reminding all of us
that you know, we're more than just our offices and
our homes. That nature really can play a I think
a therapeutic role. Yeah, and just a sense of well being.
(11:07):
And we don't talk about this. There's been some books
written this concept of all awe and nature can do that,
whether that's a sunset, sunrise, it's clouds, it's you know,
some people go on the trips, they see some of
the great things like grand canyons and mountains, and there
is something about awe and nature really can provide that
(11:29):
in and of itself, I think can be relaxing in
curative I.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Think so too.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Yeah. And also the article mentioned getting out disconnecting from
your screens, right, because we're attached to our screens, but
they say disconnect from your screens, reconnect with yourself and
when you're out in nature, focusing on your senses, so
engaging each of your senses while you're out there. Yeah,
there's something I think meditative about that. Yeah, and I
(11:56):
think that's why it kind of helps reconnect with yourself.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Well, this last piece is it's an important one that
the subject is important in the sense that we're talking
about overdose deaths, and the title of the article is
overdose deaths in the United States fell seventeen percent in
a recent one year period according to the CDC. As
we've talked about before on this program, the opioid issue,
(12:25):
particularly fentanyl and some of the other very very lethal
opioid synthetic opioids that are prevalent. Unfortunately, they've caused drug
overdose deaths of over one hundred thousand in several years.
But we have just recently seen that fall by seventeen
percent between July twenty twenty three and July twenty twenty four.
(12:46):
So that is welcome news, doctor Ashley. You know, we
hope that continues. But you know, there's there's a lot
of things. I think the question I get is, so
what contributes to that? And the article touches on some
of those things. That one came out of CBS News,
So I would say, and again you jump in, but
(13:06):
I think the things here locally that we've been doing,
that we've heard and we believe based on reports of
our partners, that are making a difference. First has been
the use of narcan or in a lock zone. It's
called again this is the opioid drug reversal medication. That's
we're trying to make available throughout the county and a
bunch of different places point of contact for getting your
(13:29):
narcan if you don't have it as a CADA one
of our partner agencies. And again, these truly are life
saving this medication. Another one that maybe folks don't know
about is what's called the Quick Response Team. And again
this is a collaborative effort between a CADA and a
law enforcement where if someone has an overdose and they survive,
(13:53):
obviously they're brought back, they survive. What happens is the
quick Response team will respond to their home location or
wherever they're living and follow up with them to say, one,
are you getting services? If not, how can we help
you get into services? Here's they bring out information, They
just want to connect with the person and basically say,
(14:13):
to some extent, look, you always died. Let's see this
as a wake up call the ultimate wake up call
to see if we can't get you some help so
that never happens again.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, and I think that's the beautiful thing about in
a lock zown. So in the article it said we
cannot treat dead people, right, so we're bringing people back
so that they can get that opportunity to get treatment,
and the Quick Response Team helps us engage them absolutely.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
And people ask about the treatment for opioid addiction. Again,
we've been saying for some years it's called medication. It's
just a treatment. It is an evidence based approach. Akita
has been doing that for some years. Apple Sea does
it as well. It basically the therapy is aided by
the use of medications that keep the person from going
(14:59):
into withdrawal and participating in drug seeking behavior. So because
it's very difficult to be in any kind of productive
therapy if you're actively in withdrawal. So yeah, the medication
helps prevent that and allows a person to be present
and benefit by treatment. And that approach has We've seen
really good success at a CATA, So that's another part
(15:22):
of why the deaths are falling. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
I think one of the things along with that community
education just letting people know one where to get it,
that it's free at a lot of places, it's available
over the counter. You have to pay for it then obviously,
and then also educating that it's literally just a nasal
spray so it's not the scary medication or it's not
hard to use, right, removing those barriers and educating people
(15:47):
so they know they can use narcan.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Yep, maybe last, but not least would be Maybe people
don't think of this, but I do about why the
rates might be falling jail based services and good linkage
services when the person leaves the jail. We are excited
about the robustness of our jail based services here in
Ashton County. So if an individual does get in trouble,
(16:11):
it ends up at our jail and struggling with opioid
or at any kind of substance use, you know services
down there are readily available. They can get services, and
that might be for that particular person, might be the
best opportunity to really get serious about their substance use. Absolutely,
and you know, the treatment they get down there then
can be extended once they're released. So we have linkage
(16:34):
coordinators at the jail, so as the person has started
to work on their substance use. They can get hooked
up before they even leave withoutpatient treatment and services. So
that hopefully, because we know there's a gap there, doctor, Actually,
if there is a gap between when they are released
and when they follow up, the longer that gap, the
more risky it is for that person to read.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Yes, yeah, people may not know that when individuals are
released from jail or prison, that's kind of a risky
period of time for them because they've not used for
a period of time. Then they may use the amount
that they were using before and now they don't have
the same tolerance, so it becomes very dangerous. They may
overdose and a lot of people die during that stage.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
That's a great point. I appreciate you bringing that up.
So the better we do, hopefully listeners, you can understand
those four things. We think if we do those well,
that is contributing to this reduction of seventeen percent in
the overdose deaths in the country, Doctor Ashua, I hope
that continues to fall, and I hope it falls precipitously
both in Ashon County and throughout the United States. And
(17:37):
I'm hopeful that with these strategies and other strategies that
we haven't touched on. We'll see that happen.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Absolutely. I'm hopeful too.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
They did mention it's still over one hundred thousand deaths, right,
so it's still a significant issue that we have to
keep pushing on. Absolutely, But it is a hopeful, hopeful article.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Well, speaking of hopeful on all of these articles hopefully
have been hopeful for the new year, Doctor Ashley. So
I am excited to be doing these podcasts with you
throughout the year. We've got, like I said, a large
number of events and activities planned. So uh, audience, I
just asked you you stick with doctor Ashley and I
as we continue to bring you these these podcasts. Hopefully
(18:16):
you find them helpful if you If you do, reach
out and contact us either through the website or by
calling this at four one nine two eight one three
one three nine. If you don't find them of any use,
please don't contact us.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Okay, thanks for listening.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Thanks for listening, and we will see you next time.
Thank you for listening to another episode of the Keeping
National and Healthy podcast. The podcast is a production of
the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Ashland County, Ohio.
You can reach the Board by calling four one nine
two eight one three one three nine. Please remember that
the Board funds a local twenty four to seven crisis
line through Applese Community Mental Health Center. It can be
(18:55):
reached by calling four one nine, two eight nine six
to one one one. That's four one nine, two eight
nine six one one one. Until next time, Please join
us in keeping Ashland healthy
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