Drug overdoses reached a new high last year in the U.S., according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Nearly 108,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2022, the agency said. 

This was a marginal increase from 2021, when 106,669 people died of drug overdoses.

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Overdoses are still the leading cause of death for adults in the country, largely driven by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid drug.

Over the past two decades, the rate of drug overdose deaths has spiked from 8.2 per 100,000 people in the year 2000 to 32.6 per 100,000 in 2022, per the CDC.

The overdose rate increased for males between 2021 and 2022, and slightly decreased for females.

Overdoses increased among adults ages 35 and older between 2021 and 2022, and they decreased among those aged 15 to 34. 

They were lowest for adults 65 and older.

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Overall, roughly 25% of adults aged 12 and older — over 70 million people — used illicit drugs in 2022, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

“When it comes to the intractable problem of substance abuse, one thing is evidently clear: America has an appetite for drugs, and not enough is being done about it,” Dr. David Campbell, clinical and program director of Recover Together in Bend, Oregon, who was not involved in the CDC report, told Fox News Digital.

“It should come as no surprise, then, that overdoses have emerged as one of the top 10 causes of non-genetic deaths and a leading contributor to the first drop in life expectancy in the United States in over two decades.”

One doctor said that Americans have an “appetite for drugs” and that not enough is being done to protect Americans. (REUTERS/Nikolay Doychinov (BULGARIA))

Although the record-high rates signify an ongoing problem, some industry experts are pointing out that the rate of increase has slowed considerably.

“Despite the grim statistics released today by the CDC, overdose fatalities rose at a slower rate in 2022 compared to a year earlier,” said Philip Rutherford, strategy lead for substance use at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

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Rutherford was also not involved in the CDC’s report.

“Let’s hope this is an early indication that the upward curve of overdose deaths is flattening,” he added.

What needs to change?

To help reverse the high rate of overdoses, Rutherford stressed the need for addiction treatment and recovery support. 

“It will require increasing the size of the behavioral health workforce, augmenting the number of peer support specialists and implementing a variety of strategies to provide care in all settings,” he said.

Rutherford also called for increasing support for underserved populations and eliminating “deserts of care.”

“We strongly urge pharmacies to increase the supply of suboxone,” he said. 

“That simple step will sharply increase equitable access to treatment and recovery supports and help communities provide people with the opioid use disorder medication they need to survive.”

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Dr. Lawrence Weinstein, chief medical officer of American Addiction Centers in Tampa Bay, Florida, also emphasized the need for education around the dangers of hidden substances, such as fentanyl. 

“Fentanyl, along with fentanyl analogs and other adulterants, can be mixed with other substances without the user’s knowledge, putting them at much greater risk of overdose,” he told Fox News Digital. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s office in Houston said it seized more than 7 million fatal fentanyl doses in 2022.  (U.S. State Department )

“Being aware of that risk can encourage those with substance-use disorder to be more mindful and cautious.” 

Weinstein noted that “harm-reduction strategies” — like the availability of naloxone (Narcan) and needle-exchange programs — can help, but he also called for more widespread substance-use disorder treatments. 

“Fentanyl can be mixed with other substances without the user’s knowledge, putting them at much greater risk of overdose.”

“Evidence-based treatment can reduce substance use disorder, health harms and overdose deaths, and the longevity and quality of treatment directly relates to lower mortality rates,” he said.

“We should also prioritize medication-assisted treatment to help individuals achieve and maintain sobriety.”

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A lack of mental health resources could also contribute to the problem, Weinstein said.

“Our country must find ways to make community mental health resources more readily available through walk-in clinics and telehealth, and to expand the number of providers, especially in areas most impacted by the overdose epidemic,” he told Fox News Digital.

Accessibility to walk-in clinics and telehealth doctors can be critical to helping with mental health issues, said one health professional. (Ashley Gibson/Cleveland Clinic)

“Not only is substance-use disorder itself often driven by underlying mental health issues, but the impact of substance-use disorder and overdoses on families and communities is creating a secondary mental health crisis that must be addressed before it turns deadly.”

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In the event of an overdose, Weinstein said it’s essential to call 911 first, administer naloxone if available, administer rescue breaths if needed — and stay until help arrives. 

“These simple steps could save a life,” he said.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health. 

It sounds like the stuff of horror films — but for people who are afflicted with a rare disorder, it’s a terrifying reality.

A condition called prosopometamorphopsia (PMO) causes facial features to appear distorted, according to researchers from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

A study published in The Lancet revealed that a 58-year-old man reported seeing faces as distorted or “demonic” for 2½ years.

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“The patient stated that the distortions — severely stretched features of the face, with deep grooves on the forehead, cheeks and chin — were present on every person’s face he encountered, but he reported no distortions when looking at objects, such as houses or cars,” the researchers wrote in the findings.

The patient did not see those same distortions when looking at two-dimensional faces on printed paper or digital screens.

Still, despite the distortions, the patient reported that he was able to recognize people.

After the researchers showed the man some images on a screen of a person, they then had him compare the images with that same person’s actual face. 

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The patient provided feedback on the differences he perceived between the two — and the researchers used computer software to edit the photograph to capture what he was seeing.

“Through the process, we were able to visualize the patient’s real-time perception of the face distortions,” said Antonio Mello, a PhD student in psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth who worked on the study, in a press release.

“This suggests that the brain’s way of visually ‘displaying’ faces, and the brain’s ability to recognize a person’s face, might be occurring in two different parts of the brain,” said a neurologist about the study’s findings. (iStock)

Dr. Jonathan Tiu, a neurologist and assistant professor of neurology at Hackensack Meridian School of medicine in New Jersey, was not involved in the study but reviewed the findings.

“Fascinatingly, the patient highlighted in the recent Lancet case report was still able to recognize everyone he was looking at,” Tiu told Fox News Digital.

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“This suggests that the brain’s way of visually ‘displaying’ faces, and the brain’s ability to recognize a person’s face, might be occurring in two different parts of the brain.”

What to know about PMO

The name of the disorder, prosopometamorphopsia, comes from “prosopo” (the Greek word for face, prosopon) and “metamorphopsia,” which refers to perceptual distortions.

Tiu described PMO as a “very rare visual disorder” that causes a person to see visual distortions of facial features.

Experts don’t fully understand how PMO occurs and who is more likely to experience it.

“This can include a twisting or stretching of someone’s eyes or a visual ballooning of that person’s chin, or they might even see features where they shouldn’t be, like seeing that person’s teeth hover over their lips,” he said.

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Experts don’t fully understand how PMO occurs and who is more likely to experience it.

“It is thought that an injury to specific parts of facial processing networks in the brain, whether it be from a stroke or tumor, can produce the symptoms of PMO,” Tiu said.

Among those who are diagnosed with PMO, it is common for them to have been misdiagnosed at some point, researchers said in the study findings. (iStock)

The condition has also been known to occur as an effect of migraines or seizures, but sometimes it comes on without any identifiable cause.

PMO is very rare, with fewer than 100 documented cases, according to the neurologist.

There are different types of PMO, as noted in a separate article published by senior author Brad Duchaine, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth.

“It’s a problem that people often don’t understand.”

The two most common types are full-face prosopometamorphopsia (full-face PMO) and hemi-prosopometamorphopsia (hemi-PMO), he noted.

Most cases last only a few days or weeks.

Some patients, however, continue seeing the distortions for years.

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Among the people who have had PMO, it is common for them to have been misdiagnosed at some point, the researchers stated in the study findings.

“We’ve heard from multiple people with PMO that they have been diagnosed by psychiatrists as having schizophrenia and put on anti-psychotics, when their condition is a problem with the visual system,” Duchaine said in the release.

In one study from 2021 that reviewed 81 individuals with PMO, the authors found that there was full or virtually full recovery in more than half of the reported cases.  (iStock)

“And it’s not uncommon for people who have PMO to not tell others about their problem with face perception because they fear others will think the distortions are a sign of a psychiatric disorder,” he added.

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For those who have the condition, the optimal treatment should be tailored to the underlying cause of the symptom, Tiu noted.

In one study from 2021 that reviewed 81 individuals with PMO, the authors found that there was full or virtually full recovery in more than half of the reported cases, he pointed out.

“Of those who recovered, the PMO resolved quickly within days to weeks,” Tiu said. 

The facial processing networks that involve PMO may be in a part of the brain that has generally good potential for recovery.

“However, some patients took years to recover, and in a group of patients, the symptoms did not demonstrate any improvement.”

The study authors concluded that the facial processing networks that involve PMO may be in a part of the brain that has generally good potential for recovery, Tiu added.

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The Dartmouth researchers expressed hope that this latest study will help raise awareness of the rare but impactful condition.

As Duchaine added, “It’s a problem that people often don’t understand.”

Fox News Digital contacted the researchers for additional comment.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health. 

Cold therapy has been a popular health trend in recent years, but a new review suggests it might not live up to the hype — although others disagree. 

Medical researchers from the University of Warwick in the U.K. conducted a review of nine different studies of the Wim Hof Method (WHM), a health and wellness discipline that combines cold therapy, breathing and meditation.

Although the method was found to reduce inflammation, the researchers concluded that the “quality of the studies [done on the method] is very low” and that “all the results must be interpreted with caution.”

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They also noted that the studies had small sample sizes, so they can’t be applied to the general population.

The results were published in the journal PLOS ONE on March 13.

What is the Wim Hof Method?

The Wim Hof Method is based on the philosophy and practices of Dutch athlete Wim Hof. 

The method has three pillars: cold plunging, breathing and mindset.

Previous research has shown that the method can have multiple mental and physical health benefits.

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Nicknamed “the Iceman,” Hof himself previously told Fox News Digital in an interview that a chief benefit of his method is reducing inflammation — which is a leading cause of most ailments and autoimmune diseases.

“I’m bringing my knowledge from nature through science to global health care, showing that through science — no speculation — we are able to do so much more within our physiology,” he said. 

The Wim Hof Method is based on the philosophy and practices of Dutch athlete Wim Hof. Fox News Digital spoke to Hof in an on-camera interview on March 27, 2023. (Angelica Stabile/Fox News Digital)

In addition to reducing inflammation, Hof also credited cold therapy with improving his mental health during a difficult time in his life.

With cold water plunging, “you open up to peace inside — and that inaugurates the healing,” he said. 

“I began to have control over my emotions,” he also said.

Findings flag limitations of studies

“The key takeaways from the review indicate [the] promising use of WHM in the inflammatory response category,” Omar Almahayni, the study’s lead researcher at Warwick Medical School, told Fox News Digital.

“However, it’s crucial to note that all studies included exhibit a high concern for risk bias, indicating the early stages of investigation into the Wim Hof Method.”

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“While some positive effects are observed, such as attenuation of inflammation, the overall benefits remain uncertain.”

The researchers uncovered many limitations of the studies they reviewed, Almahayni said.

“All the trials had a very high risk of bias due to the lack of a prior published protocol, small sample size and complexity of blinding the participants and outcome assessors to the intervention,” he said.

The Wim Hof Method of cold water plunging was shown to reduce inflammation in the reviewed studies. (iStock)

Psychological outcomes were also difficult to measure, the researcher noted, as they relied on subjective input in response to a questionnaire. 

“Since the participants were not blinded, it was very difficult to ensure that the answers were honest and valid to the experience,” said Almahayni.

Fox News Digital reached out to Wim Hof’s team for comment on the review. 

Experts defend cold therapy

Mark Palchak, CEO of Silient, a South Carolina-based chilled water company, was not involved in the systematic review, but noted that the findings show the clear anti-inflammatory properties of cold therapy.  

“The simple fact that inflammation-related diseases kill 3/5 of people worldwide, combined with the anti-inflammatory results from this study, suggests that the cold therapy discipline works,” Palchak told Fox News Digital.

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Cold therapy can also be beneficial for athletes, he said, helping to reduce inflammation in the joints and cartilage and aiding in post-workout recovery.  

“One of the main benefits from cold therapy our customers experience that wasn’t mentioned in the study is related to the ability to get hard things done throughout the day,” Palchak added.  

Cold therapy can be beneficial for athletes — helping to reduce inflammation in the joints and cartilage and aiding in post-workout recovery.   (iStock)

“When you force yourself into ice-cold water first thing in the morning, everything else you do throughout the day becomes materially easier. Doing hard things leads to great things.”

Dr. Peter Michael, director of regenerative orthopedics and spine at Miami Wellness, a pain relief center in Miami, Florida, previously spoke with Fox News Digital about the benefits of ice baths.

“It’s crucial for individuals to remain cautious and informed about the current state of research on the Wim Hof Method.”

Ice baths are effective at reducing inflammation in the body by constricting blood vessels and reducing blood flow to the affected area, noted Michael, who was not involved in the new U.K. study.

“Ice baths can help speed up muscle recovery by reducing soreness and fatigue after exercise,” he said.

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Cold plunges can also help increase the production of white blood cells, which are responsible for fighting off infections and diseases, the doctor added. 

Some experts also believe that ice baths can have a calming effect on the body, reducing stress and anxiety levels and triggering the release of endorphins in the brain.

More research needed, researchers say

Based on the review findings, lead researcher Almahayni called for more evidence to be gathered about the Wim Hof Method — including a larger number of participants — before it’s recommended to the public. 

Ice baths and other forms of cold therapy aren’t for everyone — and are not considered a cure-all for medical conditions, experts agree. (iStock)

“It’s crucial for individuals to remain cautious and informed about the current state of research on WHM,” he said. 

“While there are promising indications of its benefits, more evidence is needed before making conclusive recommendations.”

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Ice baths and other forms of cold therapy aren’t for everyone and are not considered a cure-all for medical conditions, experts agree.

People considering this method should check with a health care provider before taking the plunge.

Angelica Stabile of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.