"Health News - Medicine, Diet and Fitness"

Hazem Eltahawy, M.D.
Harper Univ. Hospital (video courtesy of
Detroit Medical Center)
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Counterpunch had a good piece Monday taking apart the San Diego Union’s coverage of the crackdown on medical marijuana doctors (background here). He looks particularly at the way the newspaper reporter, David Hasemyer, appears to have told the story of the investigation into Dr. Robert Sterner in the most pro-prosecution way possible, accepting investigators’ claim that Dr. Sterner “prescribed marijuana for a dog.” Fred Gardner writes that the actual documents filed against Dr. Sterner demonstrate that Sterner did no such thing. In context, Gardner writes,

it’s obvious that Sterner refused to grant the detective’s request -but the Union-Tribune’s cut-and-pasted dialog makes it appear otherwise. David Hasemyer’s story is the textual equivalent of a crudely doctored photo.

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There are several drugs in the market that are used to increase sexual drive but most of them are chemical-based and man made. The Maca drug is the natural form of Viagra. Maca is a plant grown in Peru, a country in the South American continent. The scientific name of the plant is Lepidium meyenii. It is a plant, which produces a root similar to radish. The root of the plant is dried and later stored. The significance of the root can be gauged from the fact that it was used even during the Inca civilizations.

Cannabis, pain, and sleep: lessons from therapeutic clinical trials of Sativex, a cannabis-based medicine.: Chem Biodivers. 2007 Aug;4(8):1729-43 Authors: Russo EB, Guy GW, Robson PJ

Cannabis sativa L. has been utilized for treatment of pain and sleep disorders since ancient times. This review examines modern studies on effects of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) on sleep. It goes on to report new information on the effects on sleep in the context of medical treatment of neuropathic pain and symptoms of multiple sclerosis, employing standardized oromucosal cannabis-based medicines containing primarily THC, CBD, or a 1 : 1 combination of the two (Sativex). Sleep-laboratory results indicate a mild activating effect of CBD, and slight residual sedation with THC-predominant extracts. Experience to date with Sativex in numerous Phase I-III studies in 2000 subjects with 1000 patient years of exposure demonstrate marked improvement in subjective sleep parameters in patients with a wide variety of pain conditions including multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathic pain, intractable cancer pain, and rheumatoid arthritis, with an acceptable adverse event profile. No tolerance to the benefit of Sativex on pain or sleep, nor need for dosage increases have been noted in safety extension studies of up to four years, wherein 40-50% of subjects attained good or very good sleep quality, a key source of disability in chronic pain syndromes that may contribute to patients’ quality of life.

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Medicinal chemistry endeavors around the phytocannabinoids.: Chem Biodivers. 2007 Aug;4(8):1707-28 Authors: Stern E, Lambert DM

Over the past 50 years, a considerable research in medicinal chemistry has been carried out around the natural constituents of Cannabis sativa L. Following the identification of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta9-THC) in 1964, critical chemical modifications, e.g., variation of the side chain at C3 and the opening of the tricyclic scaffold, have led to the characterization of potent and cannabinoid receptor subtype-selective ligands. Those ligands that demonstrate high affinity for the cannabinoid receptors and good biological efficacy are still used as powerful pharmacological tools. This review summarizes past as well as recent developments in the structure-activity relationships of phytocannabinoids.

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The effect of cinnamon cassia powder in type 2 diabetes mellitus.: J Med Assoc Thai. 2006 Sep;89 Suppl 3:S200-5 Authors: Suppapitiporn S, Kanpaksi N, Suppapitiporn S

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder and the incidence of cardiovascular is increased two- to fourfold in its complications. Cinnamon is expected to have some degree of anti-diabetic efficacy without troublesome side effects. The objective of the present study was to investigate the anti-diabetic effect of cinnamon cassia powder in type 2 diabetic patients MATERIAL AND METHOD: Sixty type 2 diabetic patients were randomized either 1.5 g/d of cinnamon cassia powder or placebo. Both groups were in combination with their current treatment (metformin or sulfonylurea) according to single blind randomized, placebo-control trial in a 12-week period. Efficacy was evaluated by HbA1c fasting plasma glucose, Lipid profile, BUN, creatinine, liver function test and adverse effects were recorded. RESULTS: After a 12-week period, HbA1c was decreased similarly in both groups from 8.14% to 7.76% in the cinnamon group and from 8.06% to 7.87% in the placebo group. This was not found statistically significantly different. However the proportion of patients achieving HbA1c < or = 7% was also greater in patients receiving cinnamon compared with patients receiving placebo, nevertheless, it was not found statistically significantly different (35% vs 15%, x2 = 3.14, p > (more…)

Plant natural products: back to the future or into extinction?: Phytochemistry. 2007 Jul;68(14):2015-22 Authors: McChesney JD, Venkataraman SK, Henri JT

Natural product substances have historically served as the most significant source of new leads for pharmaceutical development. However, with the advent of robotics, bioinformatics, high throughput screening (HTS), molecular biology-biotechnology, combinatorial chemistry, in silico (molecular modeling) and other methodologies, the pharmaceutical industry has largely moved away from plant derived natural products as a source for leads and prospective drug candidates. Can, or will, natural products ever recapture the preeminent position they once held as a foundation for drug discovery and development? The challenges associated with development of natural products as pharmaceuticals are illustrated by the Taxol story. Several misconceptions, which constrain utilization of plant natural products, for discovery and development of pharmaceuticals, are addressed to return natural products to the forefront.

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Jennifer Wenzel, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29 — The bone loss associated with androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer, along with radiation treatment, can be prevented by a brisk walk five or six times a week, a researcher said here.
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