So you thought those smog days your city was suffering through were bad? Go to Spain, where their smog has been found to be filled with… Drumroll please… Cocaine, among other drugs.
A study has found that the air in both Madrid and Barcelona has trace amounts of cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, cannabinoids and lysergic acid (which is a relative of LSD). However, officials say this is no cause for alarm, and that the levels should not be considered representative of the air quality of the two cities. The country claims the test sites were close to areas that might be frequented by drug users, for example near a university or near a building thought to be used by drug dealers. Read more…
About half of American doctors in a new survey say they regularly give patients placebo treatments — usually drugs or vitamins that won’t really help their condition.
And many of these doctors are not honest with their patients about what they are doing, the survey found.
Children as young as 2 should be tested for high cholesterol, group says
MONDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) — In a further concession to the impact of the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States, a leading group of pediatricians is recommending that kids as young as 8 years old be given cholesterol-lowering drugs in hopes of preventing heart problems later in life.The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that children as young as 2 years old start having their cholesterol levels screened if they have a family history of heart disease or high cholesterol. Screening should start no later than 10, the academy said.
Dr. Steven P. Shelov, chairman of pediatrics at Maimonides Medical Center and head of Maimonides Infants & Children’s Hospital in New York City, said he agreed with the new guidelines. “More aggressive screening is a good idea, and the use of [cholesterol-lowering] statins at relatively low doses will keep cholesterol at safer ranges.” Read more…
According to Steven Reinberg
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire - May 13, 2008) - Mental health issues are on the rise in Canada, according to psychiatrist Dr. Jean Boodhoo, Chairman of the upcoming ICAM conference in Toronto, May 23 - 25, 2008. Dr. Boodhoo attributes raising financial and marital pressures, increasing drug and alcohol abuse, and steady suicide rates, as factors for why one in four Canadians suffer from a mental illness. Further contributing is the steady increase in cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s, among an ageing population. Despite the prevalence of mental illness with healthcare burden of $8 billion a year, there remains a large disconnect between these illnesses and current alternative interventions.
This disconnect was a big impetus behind the creation of Canada’s premier international conference on Integrative, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (ICAM) and Mental Health. The conference assembles over 20 of the some of the world’s top medical professionals in allopathic, integrative, complementary and alternative medicine with a special focus on mental health.
“Most traditional treatments for mental health disorders involve prescribing psychotropic drugs,” explains Dr. Boodhoo. “While these drugs can be very effective in treating many psychiatric disorders, they unfortunately don’t work for everyone, and they are also prone to side effects. As medical practitioners, we’re looking at allopathic and alternative treatments to enable wellness for the whole person. ICAM gives conference-goers a wider scope of the interventions available for overcoming mental health problems.”
The conference is targeted towards family physicians, health care practitioners and individuals with a keen interest in alternative medicine or mental health solutions. The objective is that they will be made aware of current alternative interventions for mental health patients, future trends in the field and to raise awareness of concerns of legal and ethical issues in this field of practice.
“Medical professionals, as well as the general public, are more readily acknowledging that a focus on nutrition and mind/body medicine significantly improve mental health and overall well-being,” says Dr. Boodhoo. “And specific alternative therapies can do the same. For example, aromatherapy can assist with sleep and behavioural disorders in seniors with cognitive behaviour problems, electromagnetic waves can positively influence mood disorders and the use of herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine can complement the treatment of schizophrenia.”
Conference: First International Conference on Integrative, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (ICAM) and Mental Health
Date: May 23 to 25, 2008
Location: Sheraton Centre Toronto, 123 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
Register: www.camspecialistsconnect.com/registration
Contact: (403) 580-2822; jeannieb@camspecialistsconnect.com
From Macleans.ca:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - On websites touting the mind-blowing powers of salvia divinorum, come-ons to buy the hallucinogenic herb are accompanied by warnings: “Time is running out! … stock up while you still can.”
That’s because salvia is being targeted by U.S. legislators concerned that the inexpensive and easy-to-obtain plant could become the next marijuana.
Eight states have already placed restrictions on salvia, and 16 others, including Florida, either have banned it or considering doing so.
“As soon as we make one drug illegal, kids start looking around for other drugs they can buy legally. This is just the next one,” said Florida state Representative Mary Brandenburg, who has introduced a bill to make possession of salvia a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Some say legislators are overreacting to a minor problem, but no one disputes that the plant impairs judgment and the ability to drive.
Native to Mexico and still grown there, salvia divinorum is generally smoked but can also be chewed or made into a tea and drunk.
Called nicknames like Sally-D, Magic Mint and Diviner’s Sage, salvia is a hallucinogen that gives users an out-of-body sense of travelling through time and space or merging with inanimate objects. Unlike hallucinogens like LSD or PCP, however, salvia’s effects last for a shorter time, generally up to an hour.
No known deaths have been attributed to salvia’s use, but it was listed as a factor in one Delaware teen’s suicide two years ago.
“Parents, I would say, are pretty clueless,” said Jonathan Appel, an assistant professor of psychology and criminal justice at Tiffin University in Ohio who has studied the emergence of the substance. “It’s much more powerful than marijuana.”
Salvia’s short-lasting effects and fact that it is currently legal may make it seem more appealing to teens, legislators say. In the Delaware suicide, the boy’s mother told reporters that salvia made his mood darker but he justified its use by citing its legality. According to reports, the autopsy found no traces of the drug in his system, but the medical examiner listed it as a contributing cause.
Mike Strain, Louisiana’s Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner and former legislator, helped his state in 2005 become the first to make salvia illegal, along with a number of other plants. He said the response has been largely positive.
“I got some hostile e-mails from people who sold these products,” Strain said. “You don’t make everybody happy when you outlaw drugs. You save one child and it’s worth it.”
An ounce of salvia leaves sells for around $30 on the Internet. A liquid extract from the plant, salvinorin A, is also sold in various strengths labelled “5x” through “60x.” A gram of the 5x strength, about the weight of a plastic pen cap, is about $12 while 60x strength is around $65. And in some cases the extract comes in flavours including apple, strawberry and spearmint.
Websites such as Salviadragon.com tout the product with images like a waterfall and rainbow and include testimonials like “It might sound far fetched, but I experience immortality.”
Among those who believe the commotion over the drug is overblown is Rick Doblin of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a non-profit group that does research on psychedelic drugs and whose goal is to develop psychedelics and marijuana into prescription medication.
“I think the move to criminalize is a misguided response to a very minimal problem,” Doblin said.
Doblin said salvia isn’t “a party drug,” “tastes terrible” and is “not going to be extremely popular.”
He disputes the fact teens are its main users and says older users are more likely. “It’s a minor drug in the world of psychedelics,” he said.
Moreover, it’s hard to say how widespread the use of salvia is. National and state surveys on drug use don’t include salvia, and because it is legal in most states, law enforcement officials don’t compile statistics, either.
San Diego State University last year surveyed more than 1,500 students and found that four per cent of participants reported using salvia in the previous year.
Brandenburg’s bill would make salvia and its extract controlled substances in the same class as marijuana and LSD.
Florida state Senator Evelyn Lynn, whose committee plans to study the salvia bill Tuesday, said the drug should be criminalized.
“I’d rather be at the front edge of preventing the dangers of the drug than waiting until we are the 40th or more,” she said.
Here are some facts about a plant some authorities worry will become the new marijuana:
NAME: Salvia divinorum
NICKNAMES: Salvia, Sally-D, Magic Mint, Diviner’s Sage, Maria Pastora, Sage of the Seers, Lady Salvia, Purple Sticky, Sage.
REPORTED EFFECTS: Hallucinogenic effects that last up to one hour, out-of-body experiences, loss of motor co-ordination and awareness of surroundings, loss of consciousness, uncontrolled laughter.
HOW IT’S USED: Smoked, chewed, made into tea, smoked in water pipes.
ORIGIN: Native to Oaxaca, Mexico, and used by Mazatec Indians in healing rituals.
States that have restricted salvia as of December 2007: Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee.
STATES THAT HAVE BANNED OR ARE CONSIDERING BANNING SALVIA: Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
DALLAS, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ — “Arthritis Without Pain” - the Miracle of TNF blockers, examines the science behind the TNF blockers Enbrel, Remicade and Humira, offers practical advice for their use and explores the real-life experience of patients who take them. Written by noted Dallas rheumatologist Scott J. Zashin, M.D. in collaboration with healthcare writer Laure Hesser, Arthritis Without Pain gives patients the knowledge to take charge of their arthritis, move past the pain, and get back to a more active life:
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With the latest information on types of arthritis, standard treatments, lab tests and clinical trials, “Arthritis Without Pain” is a comprehensive guide to TNF blockers and the state of arthritis treatment today. You can purchase your own copy of “Arthritis Without Pain” at [http://www.Amazon.com].
About the Author: Scott J. Zashin, M.D. (http://www.scottzashinmd.com)
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