February 4, 2010

Drug Testing at Home

Posted in Category : Common Ailments

A lot of workplaces all over the world have made it mandatory for employees to give periodical work tests. There are also many who prefer to have their employees give a drug test before hiring them. There are several drug tests that are used for these screening purposes these days. However, while a lot of these tests give accurate results, there are also some who may not be so accurate.

Here are some of the common scenarios where drug testing may occur:

  • Pre/ post employment testing for drugs.
  • Random drug testing by the employer.
  • Home testing of teens by their parents to establish drug abuse and seek treatment.
  • Drug tests are also used if there is a reasonable suspicion of someone of not being fit for a particular task or a job. Such a drug test may also be taken to test unsafe work behavior.
  • High school drug tests for catching adolescent deviants.
  • Drug testing by law enforcement agencies for establishing a crime. Juvenile drug testing is the most commonly used testing in this area.
  • Treatment follow up by rehabilitation centers.
  • Drug testing to check for driving under the influence of narcotics.

Since drug tests have become very sophisticated and extremely accurate, the best way to beat it is abstinence. You can hardly fail a drug test if you haven’t used any drugs. Unfortunately, sometimes these drug tests may test positive for the chemicals present in prescription medicines. Though drugs are detectable in the blood stream only for a limited period of time, if the hair follicles are tested, there is no way to beat the test.

However, usually urine and blood are still the preferred methods of checking for drugs because they remain detectable in the urine and the blood for some period of time. Urine is the main route of excretion for these drugs. It is easy to collect samples of blood and urine and the tests are inexpensive. Saliva and perspiration are also used for drug testing, but the time for detection is much shorter than in urine and blood.

The root of the leaves of the goldenseal plant can help absorb the chemicals and traces of drugs in your body. Though these are available in the form of a pill, it is better to brew a tea with the roots and leaves and drink it.

Consuming a diet which is high in fiber can also help you excrete the remnants of the drugs more readily. The chemicals and remnants of drugs are redirected to the colon when a high fiber diet is consumed. Therefore the urine remains free of any traces.