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Chronic Pain More Common Than Many Top U.S. Ailments

A person’s risk of developing chronic pain is higher than the risk of developing some of the most common diseases in the U.S., such as diabetes, depression, or high blood pressure, a new study shows.

Drexel’s Master of Science in Nonprofit Management: Public, Professional & Social Sectors helps you build a career with purpose—whether you’re just getting started, looking to transition or boosting your credentials in the nonprofit world. From human rights and social services to education and environmental outreach, our program can help you flourish in the field that excites you.

PROGRAM GOALS

Our degree equips you with the following demonstrable skills:

Communication — Enhance your oral, written and presentation skills to easily and effectively collaborate with, and lead, others in the workplace. You also learn how to communicate with outside constituents, board members and community leaders while honoring the organization’s mission.

Campaign management — You build the strategic planning, management, communication and financial skills needed to effectively run annual funds and capital campaigns.

Donor cultivation — Using communication, leadership and nonprofit sector trends, as well as specific mission information, you cultivate interested individuals into donors, elevate small donors into capital-level donors, and maintain those relationships over time.

Ethics — You develop a strong moral and ethical framework to manage mission-driven, largely volunteer-based institutions.

Self-assessment — You gain the ability to examine one’s role, responsibility and effectiveness within an organization. By acknowledging strengths and weaknesses, you can capitalize on strengths while also targeting specific areas for growth.

JOB OUTCOMES

The Master of Science in Nonprofit Management: Public, Professional & Social Sectors is an ideal degree for those looking to become, or enhance skills as a:

• General and Operations Manager
• Public Relations and Fundraising Manager
• Social and Community Service Manager
• Administrative Services Manager
• Planned Gifts Officer
• Director, Foundation Relations
• Major Gifts Officer
• Fundraiser
• Talent Director
• Program Director
• Executive Director
• Donor Relations Manager
• Director of Development
• Board Member
• Director
• Vice President of Advancement

We offer a structured foundation supported by a flexible programme of study across our courses, allowing you to build your skills and knowledge while keeping your personal interests and career goals firmly in mind.

In the first year, you will explore important concepts and ideas in the fields of management, accounting, and statistics, as well as the global business environment. Second-year teaching will enhance your understanding of core research methods alongside optional units. If you opt for BSc Business Analytics, you'll study specific units on the subject in first and second year. In the final year, you'll put your skills and knowledge into practice and take a choice of specialist units. Most students will complete a dissertation, conduct a consultancy project or write a business plan.

Sample units may include:

• Consumption and Consumer Behaviour
• International Business Management
• The Digital Economy
• Project Management
• Digital Marketing
• Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence for Business
• Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability.

If you have chosen BSc Business and Management, you will have the option to tailor your degree pathway through taking a combination of specialist units. Pathways include Management Consulting, Digital Business and Human Resource Management.

If you have opted for a course with Study Abroad, you will spend your third year studying at a partner institution overseas either in English or in a modern language. Find out more about studying abroad at Global Opportunities.

The latest weight loss craze could also help people control their drinking.

Semaglutide treatments such as Ozempic and Wegovy have been shown to reduce the symptoms of alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to a study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry on Nov. 27.

The collaborative study from The University of Oklahoma (OU) and Oklahoma State University (OSU) found a “significant and noteworthy decrease” in the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores of six patients who were receiving semaglutide treatment for weight loss.

Lead study author Dr. Jesse Richards, director of obesity medicine and assistant professor of medicine at the OU-TU School of Community Medicine, said the study was inspired by his conversation with Dr. Kyle Simmons, professor of pharmacology and physiology at the OSU Center for Health Sciences.

“I had been hearing from a significant number of patients that their alcohol intake was spontaneously decreasing while [they were] on the medication,” Richards told Fox News Digital.

As a bariatric surgery clinic employee, Richards noted that it’s standard to screen patients for alcohol use.

At the clinic, a number of patients tested positive for alcohol consumption, sometimes in concerning amounts.

Later, while on semaglutide medication, they reported reduced alcohol intake.

One of Richards’ patients — who previously drank large amounts of alcohol — shared a new inability to drink more than two cans of beer now because it “just doesn’t sound good.”

This response piqued Richards’ interest in learning more about patients’ aversion to alcohol, which directly correlated to his research.

Research has shown that this effect is “mediated through adjustments in the reward pathway in the brain,” he said.

“The GLP-1s are actually modifying dopamine, decreasing the craving and decreasing the motivation to acquire things in that compulsive intake category.”

The most surprising takeaway from the study, Richards said, was that the same significant treatment response was seen even at very low doses.

“We found that even patients on the lowest dose of semaglutide — a quarter milligram — had a quite significant and relatively … quick onset reduction in alcohol intake,” he said.

Of the six patients studied, all but one were on low doses — from a quarter to a half milligram.

“And that’s very encouraging because we know that the lower doses of these medications are tolerated much better,” said Richards.

While the results seem promising, the doctor said he does not recommend that patients use semaglutide treatments for alcohol use disorder at this time, due to supply and safety issues.

“If patients have [obesity and diabetes] indications for the medication and they also struggle with alcohol intake … having them on this treatment may potentially be beneficial,” Richards said.

“But because there has been a global medication shortage, and because we don’t have prospective trials and don’t know what the specific safety is versus the well-established safety data in obesity and diabetes, [I] would not recommend it just for patients who have AUD.”

There are three FDA-approved drugs available for alcoholic use disorder that are currently underused, the doctor noted.

Given that five million people in the U.S. are currently taking semaglutide medications, if it is proven that those drugs have a significant effect on alcohol use disorder, “by default, they are going to become the most widely used drug to Improve these symptoms — just by virtue of the fact that so many people are on them for diabetes or obesity,” Richards noted.

He confirmed that additional research is underway with two ongoing trials.

“Since we were able to show clinically meaningful reductions in alcohol intake and AUD symptomatology in a real-world setting, that bodes very well for these types of medications,” he said.

Looking ahead, Richard said there is a need for higher-quality evidence of the medication’s impact on AUD compared to placebo drugs or environmental factors.

Even though it’s unclear whether GLP-1 producers will market the medication to AUD patients in the future, Richards said this could become an “established medical practice once the safety and efficacy has been determined.”

For patients who struggle with AUD, Richards recommended they talk to their health care providers about available treatment.

He also alerted patients that if they experience a reduced appetite and usually consume “a bunch of calories” in alcohol, it may be necessary to look into a more balanced diet.

Avantika Waring, 9amHealth’s chief medical officer and a trained physician and endocrinologist in San Francisco, applauded the OU and OSU study findings for further supporting what clinicians “are already seeing in practice,” she told Fox News Digital.

“GLP-1 medications have a lot of effects that we are still learning about, and the ability to decrease cravings and the reward signals related to alcohol use are just some of the benefits,” she said.

“It’s an important starting point for further clinical trials,” she added.

Waring also warned that GLP-1 medications should not be used to treat AUD specifically, as they can cause side effects such as nausea and changes in appetite.

“People struggling with alcohol use disorder should consult with their physicians before starting GLP-1 medications to make sure that they can stay hydrated and safe on therapy,” she said.

Waring noted that if ongoing clinical trials find semaglutide treatments to be effective for AUD, the medical community will “have another tool to help people living with alcohol addiction and we’ll see expanded use of these already popular drugs.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Novo Nordisk for comment on the potential link between semaglutide medications and alcohol use disorder.

Brown seaweed could be a great nutritional supplement for some diabetes patients.

A new South Korean study, published in the journal Nutrients, revealed that eating certain algae could be a promising strategy for blood glucose management.

Researchers at the Seoul National University of Science and Technology, within the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, investigated how different diets have been recommended for type 2 diabetes management.

Certain seaweeds contain “various functional components” that have reported benefits related to blood glucose regulation, improved intestinal health and enhanced lipid profiles, according to the study.

Researchers analyzed 23 studies from various databases that explored the effects of brown seaweed and its extracts on various populations, including both healthy participants and those with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Among the seaweed-consuming group, the result showed “significant improvements” to levels of post-meal blood glucose, glycated (sugar-linked) hemoglobin (HbA1c) and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), which is a measure of insulin resistance.

However, fasting blood glucose and insulin levels did not significantly react with seaweed consumption, the study found.

Higher doses of seaweed — 1,000 mg or more — showed more benefit than lower doses.

Brown seaweeds and algae, including Ecklonia cava, Laminaria digitata, Undaria pinnatifida, Acophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus, were found to be most effective.

“Based on our research, seaweed supplementation appears to be a promising strategy for reducing postprandial blood glucose, HbA1c and HOMA-IR levels, thereby enabling better blood glucose management and leading to a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes,” the researchers concluded in a discussion of the findings.

Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors for additional content.

California-based emergency medicine physician Dr. Joe Whittington weighed in on the study findings, calling the indication of certain seaweeds “compelling.”

“These results suggest that seaweed could be a valuable addition to dietary strategies aimed at managing or even preventing type 2 diabetes, especially in terms of post-meal blood sugar spikes,” he told Fox News Digital.

The doctor noted that the effects were more beneficial at higher doses and longer consumption periods, specifically over a 12-week period.

“This information is crucial for anyone considering seaweed as a supplement for diabetes management, as it indicates that both dosage and duration are important factors for effectiveness,” he said.

While the rise in global seaweed consumption is a “positive trend,” Whittington pointed out that there’s still a need for safety assessments of factors, including “concerning iodine levels, heavy metals and other potential contaminants.”

The physician also highlighted some study limitations, including “significant publication bias and a lack of studies on different extraction methods of seaweed.”

“Future research should address these gaps, including the comparative effects of brown, red and green algae, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of their potential in diabetes management,” Whittington said.

As a health care professional, Whittington shared his appreciation for the “value of integrating evidence-based dietary interventions into holistic care plans for patients,” as the role of diet in managing chronic conditions is receiving “growing recognition.”

“Seaweed, being a natural and potentially cost-effective supplement, could offer a complementary approach alongside traditional diabetes treatments,” he said.

“However, it’s crucial to integrate such findings into clinical practice cautiously, considering individual patient profiles and potential interactions with existing therapies.”

Whittington suggested that “more research is needed, especially in diverse populations and in conjunction with conventional treatments.”

He also said, “As always, patients should consult with health care professionals before starting any new supplements, especially those with chronic conditions like diabetes.”