Medical marijuana, a description of the illegal drug also known as “pot” that popped into general awareness around the same time that the almost everyone in the US became aware of the AIDS epidemic. Marijuana was advocated as valuable in treating severe weight loss associated with AIDS, and for relieving the nausea and vomiting which accompanied chemotherapy in most cancer patients.
In mid February of this year (2008) the American College of Physicians (ACP), the second largest doctors group in the United States, released a statement urging that the use of marijuana by patients with certain diseases be reconsidered by the U.S. Government.
Strokes occur when the blood flow to the brain is blocked. A stroke can kill brain tissue and is one of the world’s leading causes of death and permanent disability. Accepted treatment options include medications, surgery, hospital care and rehabilitation, which may soon include music therapy to speed recovery.
A recent study published in the Oxford University Press journal Brain reports that when stroke patients in Finland listened to music for a couple of hours each day, their verbal memory and attention span improved significantly compared to patients who either received no musical stimulation or who listened only to stories read aloud.
It is well known that different plants have different fragrances. Even toddlers will stop to smell the flowers. Plants with unpleasant smells are usually described as having odors. Those with pleasant smells are considered to have fragrance or aromas. Scents have been used by healers and in religious rites for probably longer than recorded history. It is known that frankincense and myrrh were highly valued during the time of the pharaohs. Both of these are derived from plants.
The oils used in aromatherapy are also derived from plants. They are considered ‘essential oils’. They are the result of distillation of the essences of assorted plants.
Are you suffering from a condition that lends the option to use marijuana for medical treatment? As helpful as it may be, there may be a new reason to think twice about using the substance. While there are now a dozen states that offer the substance for medical use, patients have recently been denied organ transplants because of their previous use of the drug, even though it may have been legally obtained and approved for treatment.
Timothy Garan, a 56-year-old musician, was removed from an organ recipient list because of his use of and dependency on marijuana, as well as other medical conditions. Some feel marijuana use could potentially prevent the organ transplant from being a success. His family physician had been prescribing the drug for pain relief, to help with his appetite, and as a sleep aid. Ganan is suffering from Hepatitis C which destroys a patient’s liver. There is no guarantee that a new liver would not eventually be infected with Hepatitis.
Tea has long been used in China as a natural remedy, used by the British as a societal prerequisite, and the proliferation of tea brands and types at your local grocery attests to Americans current love of the brew. Sure, English Breakfast tea is delicious when paired with a scone, green tea can be sipped alongside sushi, and my favorite spiced Indian chai has become a staple with the latte lovers at Starbucks; but none of these compare to the herbal healing powers of chamomile, which new research concludes could soon help diabetes patients.
Chamomile is a mild tea with a fruit flavor many have likened to the scent and taste of apples. Ironically, the word chamomile is derived from the Greek word chamaimēlon, meaning “ground apple” or “earth apple” and is made by drying flowers of the plant Matricaria chamomilla L. and steeping them in water for a few minutes, providing the drinker with a multitude of antioxidants. Chamomile could be called the physician of teas with a variety of uses such as calming stress, soothing anxiety and nervous disorders, inducing sleep at night, relieving stomach cramps, inflammation, skin irritations and gout, while boosting the immune system. A new study followed chamomile’s progress in lowering certain conditions caused by diabetes.
