Hidden Health Science

Archive for the ‘Alternative Medical’ Category

Research published in the October 26, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) conclusively proved that “annual screening with chest radiographs over a 4-year period did not significantly reduce lung cancer mortality.” The trial included more than 150,000 participants who underwent an annual chest radiograph for 4 years. These findings are changing the way medical professionals approach the diagnosis of lung cancer.

EarlyCDT-Lung is a commercially available blood test used to measure specific autoantibodes, or immunobiomarkers, which are elevated in patients with lung cancer. Because these autoantibodies are present at the earliest stages of the disease, EarlyCDT-Lung can be used to determine a patient’s lung cancer risk before a tumor is detected. This critical information can then aid in the early diagnosis of the disease, potentially before a patient exhibits specific symptoms of lung cancer.

CT scans are another screening method for those at risk for lung cancer. As reported in the landmark National Lung Cancer Screening Trials study (NLST) published in the NEJM in July 2011, early detection enabled by low-dose CT scans resulted in a 20% reduction in lung cancer mortality in a high risk patient population. Though this news is very positive in regard to early lung cancer detection, there are several issues associated with utilizing CT scans for lung cancer screening. These issues include: a high false-positive rate, a significant out-of-pocket cost for patients and radiation exposure.

This newly published study by King’s College London establishes a more conclusive role for Essential Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Depression and Anxiety Disorders, from young to old.

The study by the King’s College London states Plasma linoleic acid (Omega-6) levels were found to have a negative linear relationship with depressive symptoms. (Negative association denotes factors that lead to various forms of mental disorder.)

The study, which included 130 participants, aged 60 to 86 years of age, from outpatient psychiatric services of four hospitals, concluded that the higher levels of Omega-6 are associated with higher residual Depression and Anxiety.

The results of another recent study by National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggested that a daily diet of Omega-3 fatty acids should be incorporated for the young and healthy individuals, since it has reduced their symptoms of anxiety.

According to the NCCAM study, a 12 week, double-blind study that included 68 healthy young medical students (38 men, 30 women), not only suggested that omega-3 fatty acids reduced the symptoms of Anxiety, and consistent with the previous studies of NCCAM, Omega-3 diet was suggested for reducing depressive symptoms in “clinically” depressed young subjects.

Moreover, another recent study by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of National Institutes of Health and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHA) recommended that 2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids per day to reduce depression and anxiety scores among active service members with recurrent self-harm tendency.

Omega-3 and Omega-6 are classified as Essential Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, both of which are only obtained through diet and they form an important part of all cellular membranes. Human body is incapable of producing either Omega-3 or Omega-6 and thus depends on the diet for their supply.

Omega-6 is found in most food but Omega-3 can only be attained from leafy green vegetables and cold-water fishes. Due to its scarcity in the diet, the deficiency of Omega-3 is substituted with readily available Omega-6, which explains the association between the higher residual depression / anxiety and the higher levels of Omega-6, as suggested by the King’s College study.

The higher levels of Omega-6 can only be reduced through higher dietary intake of Omega-3.

Higher intake of Omega-3, not only would reduce the high levels of Omega-6, determined to be the key focus of elderly depression and anxiety in the King’s College London study, but consistent with the various recent studies of NIH, higher intake of Omega-3 reduces the anxiety symptoms for the younger population.

by Dr. Mercola

Marijuana was a popular botanical medicine in the 19th and 20th centuries, common in U.S. pharmacies of the time.

Yet, in 1970, the herb was declared a Schedule 1 controlled substance and labeled as a drug with a “high potential for abuse” and “no accepted medical use.”

Three years later the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) was formed to enforce the newly created drug schedules, and the fight against marijuana use began.

The Huffington Post has a concise history of marijuana prohibition, and the struggle for legalization, that is well worth reading — but the most successful movement to date, and the one that is set to produce the first legal marijuana market in decades, is the medical marijuana movement.

Unfortunately, the feds have recently announced a blatant reversal on their previous pro-medical marijuana stance — a move that is threatening to stop the industry cold.

Why are the Feds So Concerned About Medical Marijuana?

Fifteen states plus the District of Columbia have laws allowing medical marijuana.

In other words, in those states it is considered legal to consume, possess or distribute marijuana for medical use.

Up until 2009, the U.S. Justice Department essentially told federal prosecutors to lay off Americans producing and using medical marijuana in accordance with state laws.

But despite marijuana’s legal status at the state level, historically it was common for the DEA to raid medical marijuana suppliers and even arrest patients.

This is because federal law overrides state law, defining the possession or distribution of marijuana as a criminal offense.

According to The State of the Medical Marijuana Markets 2011, the national market for medical marijuana is now worth $1.7 billion — and could grow to close to $9 billion in the next five years — if not for a stunning reversal by the Obama administration. In October 2011, the Obama administration released a letter to clarify their earlier position, which, as Seattle Weekly reports, indicates, “The only people safe from arrest were the “seriously ill” patients and their caregivers… Everyone else? Be forewarned.”

The Obama administration has long been supportive of the medical marijuana movement, evenstating during the presidential campaign that, “The basic concept of using medical marijuana… [is] entirely appropriate.” However the Feds now appear to be launching a full-fledged attack against this legitimate industry, not only by threatening prosecution and arrest, but also by intimidating and coercing banks, land and store owners, as well as other business entities, that help keep the medical marijuana industry alive.

Feds Attempt to Force Medical Marijuana Industry Out of Business

In recent months there have been several blows to the various industries who support the medical marijuana market. Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, reported in U.S. News & World Report Opinion, these disturbing changes:

• “The Department of Justice sent letters this past spring to state lawmakers that were debating legislation to allow for the licensed distribution of medical cannabis, threatening prosecution of those involved with said efforts if the measures went forward;
• The IRS has assessed crippling penalties on taxpaying medical cannabis facilities in California by denying these operations the right to file standard expense deductions;
• The Department of Treasury has strong-armed local banks and other financial institutions into closing their accounts with medicinal cannabis operators;
• The Drug Enforcement Administration has rejected a nine-year-old administrative petition that called for hearings regarding the federal rescheduling of cannabis for medical use, ignoring extensive scientific evidence of its medical efficacy;
• The National Institute on Drug Abuse rejected an FDA-approved protocol to allow for clinical research assessing the use of cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, stating, “We generally do not fund research focused on the potential beneficial medical effects of marijuana.”
• Most recently, Deputy Attorney General James Cole, along with the four U.S. attorneys from California, announced plans for a coordinated effort against operations in California that provide above-ground access to cannabis for those patients qualified to use the substance in accordance with state law.”

The war on marijuana is indeed a strange one, considering the legality of cigarettes and alcohol — products that have vastly greater potential to harm public health, without any of the medicinal benefits. Not to mention that the FDA approves drugs, prescribed by doctors every day, that kill over 100,000 Americans a year.

Moreover, by shutting down reputable marijuana dispensaries, it will only force those who legitimately depend upon it to alleviate their suffering to enter the (sometimes dangerous) black market.

As Seattle Weekly wrote:

“Landlords, worried the feds will steal their property, will tell dispensaries to move out. Banks won’t handle money for pot-themed businesses. Dispensaries will be taxed so heavily they won’t be able to cover the payroll or pay the electric bill.

… An estimated one million people in California have obtained a doctor’s recommendation to grow and use marijuana legally. Patient estimates in Washington are hazier, but the number is thought to be around 100,000.

If the feds shut down every dispensary in the country, all these people will still be able to legally possess marijuana—no matter where they bought it—under their state laws. The only difference is they’ll be forced to go back to buying their weed from Mexican drug cartels, rather than from Americans who provide jobs and pay taxes.”

What are the Medical Uses for Marijuana?

In order to really comprehend the movement behind medical marijuana, you must first understand that this herb truly does show outstanding promise as a medicinal plant. The studies conducted so far show significant potential for the use of cannabis in the prevention and treatment of a wide range of health conditions, including cancer.

For instance, in 2009 a study in the journal Cancer Prevention Research found that marijuana smokers have a lower risk of head and neck cancers than non-marijuana smokers.

Harvard researchers also found that THC in marijuana cuts tumor growth in lung cancer while significantly reducing its ability to spread. There is also a wealth of research linking marijuana with pain relief and improved sleep. In one recent study, just three puffs of marijuana a day for five days helped those with chronic nerve pain to relieve pain and sleep better.

Americans for Safe Access also has links to research studies suggesting that cannabis may help in the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and cancer, while the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine highlights the following medical uses:

Lastly, the research site GreenMedInfo.com lists over 126 potential therapeutic applications for marijuana in disease prevention and treatment, further illustrating just how voluminous the scientific evidence really is in support of the medical marijuana movement.

Your Body is Hard-Wired to Respond to Cannabinoids in the Marijuana Plant

There are more than 60 chemical compounds known as cannabinoids in the marijuana plant. Cannabinoids interact with your body by way of naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors embedded in cell membranes throughout your body. There are cannabinoid receptors in your brain, lungs, liver, kidneys, immune system and more; both the therapeutic and psychoactive properties of marijuana occur when a cannabinoid (such as the THC produced by the cannabis plant) activates a cannabinoid receptor.

Your body also has naturally occurring endocannabinoids that stimulate your cannabinoid receptors and produce a variety of important physiologic processes, far beyond that of the traditional “highs” associated with THC.

What is amazing is that your body is actually hard-wired to respond to cannabinoids through this unique cannabinoid receptor system; research is still ongoing on just how extensive their impact is on our health, but to date it’s known that cannabinoid receptors play an important role in many body processes, including metabolic regulation, cravings, pain, anxiety, bone growth, and immune function.

A report by Dr. Manuel Guzman in the journal of Nature Reviews suggests that these active components of cannabis and their derivatives are potential anti-cancer agents:

” … these compounds [cannabinoids] have been shown to inhibit the growth of tumour cells in culture and animal models by modulating key cell-signaling pathways. Cannabinoids are usually well tolerated, and do not produce the generalized toxic effects of conventional chemotherapies.”

A report by the American College of Physicians (ACP) further notes that:

“Marijuana has been smoked for its medicinal properties for centuries. It was in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia until 1942 when it was removed because federal legislation made the drug illegal … Still, the overwhelming number of anecdotal reports on the therapeutic properties of marijuana sparks interest from scientists, health care providers, and patients.

Over the past 20 years, researchers have discovered cannabinoid receptors: CB1, which mediates the central nervous system (CNS), and CB2, which occurs outside the CNS and is believed to have anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activity.

These scientific developments have revealed much information supporting expansion of research into the potential therapeutic properties of marijuana and its cannabinoids.”

Why Isn’t Marijuana Being Studied?

This is the burning question, as even a quick review of the data suggests that cannabis deserves more than a passing glance as a potential treatment for various diseases. But in the United States – primarily for political reasons — these studies are not being performed.

According to a report by Americans for Safe Access:

“In the past three decades, there has been an explosion of international studies designed to investigate the therapeutic value of cannabis (marijuana).

However, drastic restrictions on research in the U.S. have meant that few clinical trials are being conducted domestically and none are being conducted as part of a sponsor-funded drug development plan aimed at obtaining Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the prescription use of the botanical plant itself.

Meanwhile, research teams in Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Israel, and elsewhere have confirmed – through case studies, basic research, pre-clinical, and preliminary clinical investigations – the medical value of cannabis … “

Of course, in the United States marijuana is so heavily controlled that even if you wanted to conduct a clinical trial, you would have a hard time getting a supply for research purposes. As the Safe Access report states:

” … the federal monopoly on the supply of cannabis has fundamentally limited FDA-approved clinical research to investigate its safety and efficacy in controlling symptoms of serious and chronic illnesses.

In the United States, research is stalled, and in some cases blocked, by a complicated federal approval process, restricted access to research-grade cannabis, and the refusal of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to license private production of cannabis for use exclusively in federally approved research.”

The DEA appears to be behind many puzzling restrictions concerning the marijuana plant, including the fact that it is even illegal to grow hemp in the United States.

Contrary to popular opinion, hemp and marijuana are not the same. Both are members of the Cannabis sativa plant species, but they are two distinct varieties, with hemp generally being too low in THC (the compound responsible for the plant’s notorious psychoactive effect) to create a “high.” In fact, the THC is intentionally bred out of the plant in order to maximize its fiber, seeds and oil — the constituents for which it is most commonly used.

Ironically, despite these differences, the DEA classifies all Cannabis sativa varieties as “marijuana.” This is why the United States is the only industrialized nation in the world where growing industrial hemp is next to impossible. To do so requires a permit from the DEA — and it is reportedly almost impossible to get one.

Could it be that the DEA has its own agenda for keeping marijuana a controlled substance?

Seattle Weekly speculates:

“Ignorance, false propaganda, and rank political posturing tend to be the foundation of the anti-marijuana argument. (Throw in bureaucratic turf protection as well. The DEA, for example, would need fewer agents if pot was decriminalized nationwide.)”

Many Americans Have an Open Mind About Legalizing Marijuana

A new Gallup poll found that a record high number of Americans — 50 percent — favor legalizing marijuana use, which suggests that public pressure will continue to build for a (pun-intended) grassroots legislative overhaul of U.S marijuana laws…

Of course, there are certainly some downsides to marijuana use that need to be addressed, particularly if you are thinking of smoking it for recreational purposes.

Marijuana use can be addictive, and no doubt resources have been squandered, families have been broken up and jobs lost over its use. In the short-term, marijuana use can cause trouble with your ability to think clearly and may impair memory. Marijuana also leads to motor skill impairment and may adversely affect alertness, coordination and reaction time, which is why it should never be used prior to driving.

There is also some evidence that marijuana use can exacerbate psychotic symptoms in those with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, as well as serve as a “gateway” drug that eventually leads to the use of “harder” drugs like cocaine and heroine, although this is still a matter of debate.

Marijuana use among children and teens can also have dire consequences, as drug use of any kind may encourage risky choices and irresponsible behaviors.

Furthermore, while the vast majority of marijuana use is through the act of smoking it, it is worth noting that anytime you heat materials and inhale them you run the risk of introducing toxic elements into your system. Because of this it is always best to use an organic version; any pesticides that are on the material that is burned and inhaled will dramatically increase its toxicity.

It is possible to avoid these risks entirely by either using cannabis in hemp oil form or, as many medical marijuana patients advocate, by using a vaporizer. The device allows for the ingestion of marijuana without any combustion byproducts, eliminating rightful concerns about the cumulative harms associated with smoking it. It is also possible to minimize harm by eating marijuana (along with some fat, as THC is fat-soluble and will not dissolve in water).

It is important to note that in the United States today using marijuana for any reason is still considered an illegal activity that can result in serious legal consequences, including imprisonment.

Sadly, it is not the scientific evidence — but rather politics and an increasingly insatiable privatized industrial-prison complex in need of more drug-convicted “criminals” — which maintains the stranglehold on our freedom to choose wild growing plants as our medicine rather than soley FDA-approved drugs.

I think Willie Nelson said it well in the following quote:

I think people need to be educated to the fact that marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is an herb and a flower. God put it here. If He put it here and He wants it to grow, what gives the government the right to say that God is wrong?

by Aaron Turpen, CannaCentral

A new study in the United Kingdom found that those tested with high IQs in early childhood were likely to become cannabis or cocaine users in adulthood. Men who scored high (ha!) on the test were 50% more likely to have experimented with illicit drugs in general while women were 50% more likely to have tried marijuana or cocaine.

The study, published in The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found that by the age of 30, women who tested into a high IQ had a 15.9% likelihood of trying cannabis (over the population baseline) and men were 35.4% more likely to have toked. Cocaine numbers were similarly split with 3.6% of women and 8.6% of men trying it by age 30.

The research looked at 8,000 Britons (7,904 tested at 5 years, 7,946 at 10) who’d scored high on IQ tests given at age 5 and 10 (standard in UK schools).

The study coincides with similar research showing that these same adults are also more likely to have heavier alcohol use in adult life than the rest of the population.

[source Science Daily]

by Aaron Turpen, CannaCentral

A new study shows that smoking cannabis increases production levels of known appetite hormones in HIV-infected adult men. The study, now an accepted manuscript to be published in the journal Brain Research, was pre-published online on November 7.

Headed by researchers at the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center (HNRC), the Department of Pediatrics, and the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of California, San Diego, the pilot study was completed in July of this year. It was a placebo-controlled trial of smoked medical cannabis to see its direct relation to appetite hormone changes. It was conducted in concert with a THC study for pain reduction.

The double-blind cross-over study exposed subjects to active cannabis and a placebo. It showed that cannabis users had significant increase in plasma levels of ghrelin and leptin (appetite hormones) and decreases in Peptide YY but no change in insulin.

This shows that modeulation of appetite hormones through endogenous cannabinoid receptors is real and independent of glucose metabolism. In other words: when you smoke pot, you get hungry but don’t have the usual hunger trigger of lower insulin levels. Therefore, HIV and other patients with appetite problems may benefit from cannabis use.

The pilot study is a preliminary look at this interaction and paves the way for more in-depth studies along the same vein. One thing researchers would like to see is a measure of the amount of Delta-9 THC required to bring about changes in order to facilitate the possibility of controlled dosing.

The use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) has been extensively studied globally among adult and paediatric populations. Parents, as a group, had not been studied to assess their knowledge and attitude to CAM and general medicine use.

This study is necessary since parents’attitude to medicine use is known to influence their child’s attitude to medicine use later in life. We therefore aim to assess the extent and types of CAM use among Finnish parents, and to determine the factors that promote the CAM use.

Also, we aim to determine parents’attitude to general medicine use.

Methods: Children less than 12 years old, as of spring 2007, were identified from the database of the Finnish Population Register Centre and were selected by random sampling. The parents of these children were identified and a questionnaire was sent to them.

Only the parent who regularly takes care of the child’s medicine was requested to fill the questionnaire. Cross-tabulations and Chi-square test were used to determine the associations between categorical variables.

CAMs were defined as natural products that are not registered as medicines, such as homeopathic preparations, dietary food supplements, and traditional medicinal products.

Results: The response rate of the survey was 67% (n=4032). The use of CAM was 31% in the preceding two days.

The most commonly used CAM products were vitamins and minerals, followed by fish oils and fatty acids. Prescription and OTC medicines were used concomitantly with CAM by one-third of the parents.

CAM was frequently used by parents over 30 years (33%), female parents (32%), highly educated parents (35%), and parents with high monthly net income (3000-3999 euros, 34%). The users of CAM had more negative attitudes towards medicines than non-users of CAM.

Conclusions: Our findings are in accordance with those of previous studies that women over 30 years of age with a high education and income typically use CAMs.

Finnish parents seem to use CAMs as complementary rather than alternative to medicines. Health care professionals should take into consideration both the concomitant use as well as the negative attitudes among CAM users in encounters with the parents.

Author: Katri Hameen-AnttilaUlla NiskalaSanna SiponenRiitta Ahonen
Credits/Source: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2011, 11:107

by Marla Manhart

Many women are choosing to self-treat their own breast cancer, according to a survey conducted by TMD Limited, a medical tourism company.  When faced with the possibility of losing a breast or being side-lined by chemotherapy, some women are going the natural route and treating themselves.

The internet offers hundreds of products and websites that tout cures and advice on self-treatment.  Teas, castor oil packs, vitamins, salves that pull tumors out of the body, Brazilian healers and wheat grass enemas are favorites when it comes to self treatment.  And it seems, according to the cancer patients surveyed, that these therapies appear to work in the beginning.  Patients feel more energy, and think their tumors are shrinking.  They could be experiencing a placebo effect, or in some cases may actually see their tumors temporarily reduce in size.  Eventually, these patients end up getting medical treatment, some after years of treating themselves.

According to the American Cancer Society, 230,480 women in the US will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and 39,520 women will die from breast cancer in 2011.  With so many women self-diagnosing and choosing their own treatments, one wonders what the real numbers would be if women who are self-treating were included.

Sharon Massey first discovered her breast lump when she was 32.  ”I just knew it was cancer.  But I did not want to lose my breast.  My mom died of breast cancer and I was not going to do the conventional treatments she did,” Massey said.  ”I went to a nutritionist, and took hundreds of supplements.  I changed my diet to all raw foods, exercised and refused to think about cancer.  I became a health nut, and no one knew about my lump.”

Massey self treated for 11 years.  Eventually, the mass grew so large it broke through her skin, bleeding and causing pain.  Finally, she saw an oncologist, and had a radical mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation.  ”I shouldn’t have waited,” she said.  ”Maybe if I had been treated earlier, I could have saved my breast.  Fear kept me from seeing a doctor all those years.”

Cheryl Watts was 49 when she found a mass in her right breast.  She was newly married to her second husband, and starting a new career as a real estate agent.  ”I had so much going on, I just didn’t have time for cancer,” Watts explained.  ”I ran 25 miles a week, had a busy social life and was so happy in my new marriage.  The thought of a mastectomy, or of losing my hair to chemo just made me feel ill.  So I kept it to myself, and just did everything I could to stay healthy.  When my husband eventually felt the mass, he insisted I get medical help.  I compromised, and went to an alternative clinic in Mexico.  And I have been in remission now for 6 years, and I still have my breast.”

TMD’s study included hundreds of women who sought help from clinics south of the border.  Tumor size when patients finally sought help ranged from walnut to grapefruit size, and many had broken through the skin and were growing around the chest and armpit.  For these women, the average length of time between finding a lump and getting treatment was 5.3 years.  All cited fear of mastectomy and the experience of watching a loved one die after undergoing radiation and chemotherapy as the main reason they avoided conventional treatment.  Lack of insurance was also a big factor.

According to TMD’s survey, more and more women are taking charge of their own health and making their own treatment decisions.  This may be a good thing – but even alternative doctors caution patients to seek some kind of medical treatment early – when the cancer can be treated successfully.

One physician who has seen this shift treats many patients that have not had any conventional treatment.  Dr. Antonio Jimenezof Hope4Cancer Institute used to mainly treat patients who had been through chemo and radiation, and had been told to get their affairs in order.  ”Today we are seeing many breast cancer patients that self-treated for years.  They generally take good care of themselves, watch their diet and are careful not to compromise their immune system.  These patients tend to fare better than those who have undergone extensive surgeries and chemotherapy.  Unfortunately, cancer treatment is not a do-it-yourself project.”

Raised in New Jersey, Jimenez has practiced in Baja, Mexico for over 20 years, first as medical director of a large hospital there, and since 2001 as medical director and chief physician of Hope4Cancer Institute.  He does not use chemotherapy or radiation, and offers non-invasive therapies from around the world.  His breast cancer success rate rivals anything conventional medicine has to offer.

“We see more and more women who have spent thousands of dollars on supplements and ‘wonder cures’ they used at home, Jimenez says.  ”When those treatments fail, they look for a clinic that can help.  Often, they will go to alternative treatment centers in the US, but those clinics can only offer immune support and detox.  In the US, clinics are not legally able to use the ‘big guns’ like medical hyperthermia and SonoPhoto Dynamic Therapy that attack the cancer.  These are not alternative therapies – they are actually mainstream cancer treatments in many countries around the world that have better healthcare systems that the US.  Just because they have not been submitted for approval in the US does not make them alternative therapies.”

“When all else fails, they look outside the US for a clinic that can help.  By then, the tumors are often so large the patient has to undergo debulking surgery before we can treat them.  There are many options out there other than surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.  Being pro-active doesn’t mean you have to go it alone.  It’s just a matter of finding the right doctor and the right clinic.”

Author Marla Manhart is a medical writer and patient advocate.  She can be reached at:  marlamanhart@hotmail.com.

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New research published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine shows Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP) packs a powerful immune punch. The study uses human blood samples to demonstrate the ability of a specific form of Modified Citrus Pectin to very significantly induce and enhance the benefits of T-cytotoxic cells and human Natural Killer (NK) cells. The NK-cell’s cancer killing activity was demonstrated in live leukemia cancer cells, uncovering yet another mechanism of MCP’s powerful anti-cancer actions. Immune researchers at the Dharma Biomedical LLC (Miami, FL) and the Department of Pathology at Miami Children’s Hospital are excited: “The Modified Citrus Pectin we researched has potential for altering the course of certain viral diseases such as the common cold or other upper respiratory tract viral infections based on the mechanisms of action that were observed in this study,” says lead researcher Steve Melnick. He continues, “We also found that MCP significantly outperformed other known immune enhancing agents such as medicinal mushrooms.” The study includes an analysis performed by the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) that suggests the unique structural components of the MCP induced the selective response in the immune cell subsets.

MCP’s Multiple Cancer-Fighting Properties

This significant increase in T-cytotoxic and NK-cell activation, together with a remarkable increase in NK-cells’ ability to identify and destroy human leukemia cells, demonstrate that the tested MCP is a powerful immune enhancing agent. Specifically, this study highlights MCP’s ability to selectively increase cytotoxic immune activity against cancer and infections. MCP expert Dr. Isaac Eliaz, who is one of the study’s authors, says, “With this new data on Modified Citrus Pectin’s powerful immune effects, together with the extensive research on its ability to block cancer-promoting galectin-3 molecules, we now have a much greater understanding of MCP’s extensive benefits in fighting and protecting against cancer.”

Ongoing Research Explains MCP’s Numerous Health Benefits

Dr. Eliaz says, “As an holistic physician focused on treating cancer and chronic illness, I have been using MCP in my clinical practice for over 15 years. Because Modified Citrus Pectin safely and powerfully addresses so many serious health concerns, it is an ideal tool in integrative medicine. This is particularly true for integrative cancer therapy, where the disease must be attacked simultaneously from multiple angles. By blocking galectin-3?s cancer-promoting effects, reducing inflammation, chelating heavy metals, and — as we now know — providing powerful selective immune benefits including active NK cell induction, MCP is quickly becoming known as one of the most important nutrients in the fight against cancer and other serious health conditions.”

Source: Ramachandran, C., Wilk, B.J., Hotchkiss, A., Chau, H., Eliaz, I., Melnick, S.J. Activation of Human T-Helper/Inducer Cell, T-Cytotoxic Cell, B-Cell, and Natural Killer (NK)-Cells and induction of Natural Killer Cell Activity against K562 Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells with Modified Citrus Pectin. BMC Complem. Altern. Med.2011, 11:59.

A new survey commissioned by the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine reveals that almost half of Ontarians treated by naturopathic doctors report naturopathic medicine has helped reduce their use of prescription drugs. Further, approximately 4 in 10 of those individuals report fewer visits to their family doctors and 3 in 10 to hospitals as a result of the care they receive from naturopathic doctors.

Ontarians seeking more natural approaches to health and wellness are increasingly turning to naturopathic medicine. The survey conducted in August 2011 found that 72% of Ontarians familiar with the practice view naturopathic medicine positively, 43% say they are familiar with the practice and an estimated 18% of all adult Ontarians— an estimated two million people—have seen a naturopathic doctor.

According to the survey, women are both more likely to be familiar with naturopathic medicine (49% versus 36%) and more likely to have a positive impression of it (77% versus 66%) as compared to men. Of interest, the Ontario Ministry of Finance reports that females in Ontario enjoy a life expectancy which is over four years longer than their male counterparts.

“These results show more Ontario residents are not only increasingly using complementary therapies, but also indicating that naturopathic medicine is an effective alternative to help relieve the cost pressures on the publicly-funded provincial health system,” says Nick DeGroot, a naturopathic doctor and dean of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine.

The demand for naturopathic medicine continues to grow with 41% of respondents indicating they are likely to see a naturopathic doctor in the next few years, and over half of these anticipating a visit within the next 12 months.

Moreover, the survey showed that there is a general movement moving towards selecting naturopathic medicine as a treatment option based on a strong desire for more natural approaches to boosting and maintaining health.  In fact, survey respondents currently seeking treatment from naturopathic doctors indicate they are seeking more natural approaches to health and wellness (67%) as opposed to being motivated by a dissatisfaction with traditional health services (4%).

“The naturopathic treatment for my psoriasis has allowed me to make outstanding progress, despite the fact that I’d been treated for the past three years with steroids and other traditional treatments with limited success,” says Andrew Tappin, a patient at the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic. “My psoriasis gradually and consistently diminished, and I’ve also experienced a new burst of energy, clarity of thought and tremendously improved sleep patterns. The naturopathic care I’ve received has given me my life back,” adds Tappin.

This study was conducted by Innovative Research Group Inc. through random digit dialling telephone interviews among a sample of 606 English speaking Ontarians, 18 years of age or older.  The interviews were conducted between August 17^th and August 23^rd, 2011. Up to eight call-backs were made in the case of non-response.  Using 2006 Census data from Statistics Canada, the results were weighted according to region, age and gender to ensure a sample representative of the entire Ontario adult population. After weighting a sample of this size, the aggregate results are considered accurate to within ±4.0% (19 times out of 20).  The margin of error will be larger within each sub-grouping of the sample.

Cannabinoids (marijuana) administration after experiencing a traumatic event blocks the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms in rats, according to a new study conducted at the University of Haifa and published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

“We found that there is a ‘window of opportunity’ during which administering synthetic marijuana helps deal with symptoms simulating PTSD in rats,” said Dr. Irit Akirav of the University of Haifa’s Department of Psychology, who led the study.

In the study, which Dr. Akirav conducted with research student Eti Ganon-Elazar, the researchers set out to examine how administering cannabinoids (synthetic marijuana) affects the development of PTSD-like symptoms in rats, whose physiological reactions to traumatic and stressful events is similar to human reactions.

In the first part of the study, the researchers exposed a group of rats to extreme stress, and observed that the rats did indeed display symptoms resembling PTSD in humans, such as an enhanced startle reflex, impaired extinction learning, and disruption of the negative feedback cycle of the stress-influenced HPA axis.
The rats were then divided into four groups. One was given no marijuana at all; the second was given a marijuana injection two hours after being exposed to a traumatic event; the third group after 24 hours and the fourth group after 48 hours.

A week later, the researchers examined the rats and found that the group that had not been administered marijuana and the group that got the injection 48 hours after experiencing trauma continued to display PTSD symptoms as well as a high level of anxiety.

By contrast, the PTSD symptoms disappeared in the rats that were given marijuana 2 or 24 hours after experiencing trauma, even though these rats had also developed a high level of anxiety.

“This indicates that the marijuana did not erase the experience of the trauma, but that it specifically prevented the development of post-trauma symptoms in the rat model,” said Dr. Akirav, who added that the results suggest there is a particular window of time during which administering marijuana is effective. Because the human life span is significantly longer than that of rats, Dr. Akirav explained, one could assume that this window of time would be longer for humans.

The second stage of the study sought to understand the brain mechanism that is put into operation during the administering of marijuana. To do this, they repeated stage one of the experiment, but after the trauma they injected the synthetic marijuana directly into the amygdala area of the brain, the area known to be responsible for response to trauma. The researchers found that the marijuana blocked development of PTSD symptoms in these cases as well. From this the researchers were able to conclude that the effect of the marijuana is mediated by a CB1 receptor in the amygdala.

Rachel Feldman
University of Haifa