Research points to variety of medical uses for pot

Overdoses of prescription drugs hits an all-time high

Deaths from drug overdoses reached an all-time high in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Overdoses of prescription drugs and heroin continue to be the leading cause of unintentional death for Americans, rising 14% from 2013 to 2014.

Last year, 47,055 people died from drug overdoses – 1.5 times greater than the number killed in car crashes. Opioids are involved in 61% of all drug overdose deaths. The latest CDC data finds that deaths from natural opiates such as morphine, codeine and semisynthetic prescription pain killers like oxycodone and hydrocodone jumped 10% from 2013 to 2014.

These alarming stats have many people looking into alternative methods to deal with pain and other health challenges. Cannabis shop owners often hear about improved conditions from their customers, and decades of research point to a variety of medical uses for pot.

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the most recognized ingredient in cannabis. It is best known for causing the high that you get from using marijuana. As a result, THC has also caused the most controversy surrounding the plant’s medical use, with many health professionals citing the high as a drawback. However, while compounds like cannabidiol (CBD) have started to gain favor due to their lack of psycho-activity, decades of research have revealed a number of medical benefits unique to THC.

These are the most reported benefits by The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies:

Pain Relief: One of the most common uses of medical marijuana is for pain relief. And as it turns out, THC is the ingredient in marijuana responsible for its pain-relieving effects.
Studies show that THC activates pathways in the central nervous system, which work to block pain signals from being sent to the brain. Likewise, cannabis has been shown to be especially affective against neuropathic pain, or nerve-related pain.

PTSD: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is another common reason to use medical marijuana. Interestingly, the high from THC is also associated with temporary impairments of memory.

While this may be seen as a drawback for some marijuana users, impaired memory is often therapeutic for those who struggle to forget painful memories, such as patients who suffer from PTSD. Recent studies confirm that oral doses of THC can help relieve a variety of PTSD-related symptoms including flashbacks, agitation and nightmares.

Tinctures are a great alternative to smoking to relieve pain.

Nausea and Vomiting: THC has been available in pill form for treating nausea and vomiting in cancer patients since the 1980s. Marinol, a pill containing synthetic THC, was the first THC-based medication to be approved by the FDA for this purpose. Since then, other THC pills have been developed and prescribed to patients undergoing chemotherapy, including a pill called Cesamet.

Appetite Stimulant: Along with its ability to reduce nausea, THC is known to work as a powerful appetite stimulant in both healthy and sick individuals. Similarly, Marinol and Cesamet are regularly prescribed to boost appetite in patients with cancer and HIV-associated wasting syndrome. A number of studies conducted with Marinol suggest that THC can also stimulate weight gain in patients with anorexia.

Asthma: Treating asthma may not seem like an obvious use for medical marijuana. But as it turns out, THC’s ability to improve breathing in asthmatics is supported by research dating back to the 1970s. Following trials that showed smoking marijuana could help calm asthma attacks, scientists tried (and failed) to develop an inhaler that could deliver THC. While the THC inhaler idea was ultimately abandoned, some say modern-day vaporizers might be the solution.

Glaucoma: Another benefit of THC recognized early on was its potential to relieve eye pressure in patients with glaucoma. Likewise, after studies in the 1970s showed that smoking marijuana could reduce symptoms in glaucoma sufferers, scientists tried (and failed again) to develop a way to administer THC in eye drops. The idea proved too complicated due to the fact that THC is not soluble in water. While some glaucoma patients rely on medical marijuana to this day, The American Glaucoma Society maintains the position that its effects are too short-lived (lasting 3-4 hours) to be considered a viable treatment option.

Sleep Aid: Many are aware of the sleep-inducing effect of marijuana, and research shows that THC is largely responsible. In fact, trials conducted in the 1970s found that oral doses of THC helped both healthy individuals and insomniacs fall asleep faster. Interestingly, more recent studies suggest THC may also improve nighttime breathing and reduce sleep interruptions in those who suffer from a common disorder known as sleep apnea. Researchers are currently working to develop a THC-based medicine for treating the condition.

Sativa and Indica are the two major types of cannabis plants, which can be mixed together to create hybrid strains. Each strain has its own range of effects on the body and mind resulting in a wide range of medicinal benefits.

According to Live Science, Indica plants typically grow short and wide, compared to Sativa plants which grow tall and thin. Indica plants are better suited for indoor growing because of their short growth, and Sativa plants are better suited for outdoor growing
because some strains can reach over 25 ft. in height.

The high produced from smoking Indica bud is a strong physical body high that will make you sleepy or ‘couch-locked’ and provides a deep relaxation feeling compared to a Sativa high, which is known to be more energetic and uplifting. Marijuana strains range from pure sativas to pure indicas and hybrid strains consisting of both. Because Sativa and Indica buds have very different medicinal benefits and effects, certain strains can be targeted to better treat specific illnesses.

For those people looking for an alternative to smoking cannabis and a more discreet way to consume it, tinctures and vaporizers are a great way to go. That’s the alternative to smoking that Washington state resident Abbey Reyes, 42, chose to try for pain relief. She suffers from Rheumatoid Arthritis and was encouraged by a few friends to try edible cannabis. She said it wasn’t the best option for her.

“I never knew how much I should eat for sure and frankly didn’t want to have to worry about it,” she said. “Now I just do tinctures because I know exactly how much to take and it’s easy and quick.”

Tinctures absorb into your system (mouth) about 15 minutes faster than edibles. Reyes replaced several prescription drugs that she was taking for her RA with one tincture hybrid and has found more relief without the added side effects of the meds she had been taking.

“I felt like I was putting poison into my body before, which just didn’t sit or feel right,” she said. “Now I know exactly what I’m taking and feel so much better for it.”

Interested in how to cook with cannabis as another alternative to fight pain and enjoy a natural relaxed state too? Check out The Cannabis Cookbook at http://www.amazon.com/The-Cannabis-Cookbook-Recipes-Munchies/dp/0762430907

Use raw nutrition to heal you

Did you know that more people die in the United States from overeating than from under eating? If you are not eating an enzyme-rich, plant-based diet, your body may be stealing enzymes from your pancreas and heart just to digest the food you are eating.

This activity of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” can cause diabetes and heart disease. Eating a green salad daily can make a healthy difference in how you look and how you feel every day. Research confirms that raw plant enzymes reverse aging.

Let the nutritiously rich book Raw Nutrition: Restore Your Health by Eating Raw and Eating Right guide you to a path of healthy eating.

In Raw Nutrition readers will learn:

• How food addictions are industry inspired and emotionally created

• How to overcome these food addictions by reclaiming the power within and recognizing how blocked emotions can lead to weight issues

• How, by following a raw vegan diet, most people lose at least 10 pounds (4.5 kg) a month eating all they want

• Learn why people who consume only processed foods and fail to eat raw fruits and vegetables may be starving themselves and overeating. While this might seem like a contradiction, it’s true.

No one teaches us what we need to eat every day to achieve optimal health and prevent disease. Eating organic, raw fruits and vegetables eliminates many of the antigens that cause allergic reactions and subsequent disease. This book gives readers an easy-to-remember formula to live healthfully and make the most out of life.

To learn more about Raw Nutrition, check out www.basichealthpub.com or to buy www.amazon.com

Have you had your beans today?

It’s no secret that most Americans

depend far too much on processed foods – and far too little on whole foods to fulfill daily energy needs. A diet that emphasizes nutrient-dense foods, or those that deliver a wide range of nutrients for relatively few calories, does more than provide energy – it nourishes your body and supports good health. Legumes are a low-fat, high-protein source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidant compounds, and dietary fiber.

Other than the common types of legumes that most of us already have at least a little in our diet, such as kidney and black beans, what are the best ones that we should be eating? The legume class of vegetables is extremely broad, encompassing more 13,000 varieties of beans, peas, and lentils. Legumes can be divided into two general categories: immature and mature varieties. Immature legumes, often referred to as “fresh” legumes, include all types of edible pod beans and peas and shell beans that haven’t yet been dried. Wax beans, snow peas, edamame and fresh lima beans are all immature legumes. Mature legumes are harvested from the pod in their fully developed, dried form. They’re commonly known as “dried” beans and peas. Black beans, kidney beans, lentils and split peas are all mature legumes. Nearly all legumes provide protein, fiber, B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium and potassium, but mature legumes tend to be particularly rich sources.

The nutritional benefits of eating more legumes is clearly abundant. As an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, protein and fiber, they are a highly satiating food. This means that for a relatively low amount of calories legumes make you feel fuller longer and, therefore, help prevent the hunger that can lead to unhealthy snacking and unwanted pounds. For about 115 calories, a 1/2-cup serving of cooked lentils provides about 9 grams of protein, 20 grams of mostly complex carbohydrates and less than half a gram of fat. It also supplies nearly 8 grams of fiber, or 31 percent of the recommended daily value. Most legumes contain significant amounts of insoluble and soluble fiber. Eating legumes several times a week promotes bowel regularity and helps keep blood sugar levels in check.


Few know the health benefits more than

Swarna Moldanado, Ph.D. She grew up in India where legumes were not considered the super foods they are now – they were just part of her regular Indian diet. They could be found at any meal, breakfast included. But all that changed when she moved to America and began eating whatever they served in the school cafeteria, which was mostly meats and meat products. It was only when she started cooking for herself that she realized what had been missing in her American diet—legumes. Soon she was again adding dry beans, peas, lentils, and other legumes to her daily diet and feeling better for doing so.

As an educator, Moldanado was curious to learn why legumes were so overlooked in the United States. Her subsequent research turned up a number of misconceptions and inaccuracies as reasons for the prevailing lack of interest in them. This, in turn, let her to research legume-based diets in other parts of the world to ascertain what, if any, impact they had on health and disease in those locales. The information she accumulated was very enlightening—across the board it showed there were major advantages to be gained by adding legumes to the diet.

From here it was a short step to sharing her discoveries and doing this to help improve people’s health became the initial reason for her decision to write Legumes: The Super Foods that Should be Regulars on Your Plate. Any reader interested in optimizing or simply maintaining their health would do themselves a favor by adding this important book to their must-read list.

Thinking of giving up meat in your diet and wondering where your protein would come from? Legumes are sometimes called “poor people’s meat” because they’re an inexpensive source of quality plant protein. They truly are an ideal meat substitute, however, because the vitamin and mineral profiles of legumes and meat are comparable. Whereas meat is also a source of cholesterol and saturated fat, however, legumes are a cholesterol-free food that contains virtually no saturated fat. For just over 110 calories, a 1/2-cup serving of cooked black beans delivers 32 percent, 15 percent and 14 percent of the daily values for folate, magnesium and thiamine, respectively, and about 10 percent each of the daily values for iron and potassium. Opting for legumes instead of meat two or three times a week promotes healthy cholesterol levels and helps protect against heart disease. If you'd like to upgrade your diet even more and try going vegan, check out www.vegannook.com The site was created by a woman who chose to make healthy foods her medicine and contains some very yummy recipes to get you started!

To read more about the health benefits of legumes and how to get them into your diet more, check out Legumes: Why This Superfood Needs to Be on Your Plate at www.basichealthpub.com or www.amazon.com

Studies show that like coconut oil, a handful of walnuts may improve memory too

The evidence continues to build that food is our best medicine. First, it was discovered that coconut oil greatly improves symptoms from Alzheimer's  – now it's been found that eating a handful of walnuts a day may help improve memory, concentration, and information processing speed.

New research from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA found that adults who consumed walnuts showed consistently greater cognitive function than those who did not. This held true regardless of people's age, gender or ethnicity.

"It is exciting to see the strength of the evidence from this analysis across the U.S. population supporting the previous results of animal studies that have shown the neuroprotective benefit from eating walnuts," the lead researcher, Dr. Lenore Arab, said in a press release. "And it's a realistic amount -- less than a handful per day (13 grams)."

In a cross-sectional study that drew from a large sampling of the U.S. population aged 20 and older, Dr. Arab and co-researcher Dr. Alfonso Ang found that people who ate more walnuts performed significantly better on a series of six cognitive tests.

The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, was funded in part the California Walnut Commission.

The study adds to a body of research surrounding walnuts' overall brain health benefits, including the possible effect of slowing or preventing the progression of Alzheimer's disease in mouse models.

These findings may bring some hope to aging baby boomers concerned about the possibility of developing memory loss. According to the World Health Organization, the number of people living with dementia worldwide was estimated at 35.6 million in 2012 and is predicted to double by 2030 and more than triple by 2050.

Why are walnuts so good at protecting our brains?
There are numerous active ingredients in walnuts that may contribute to protecting cognitive functions, the researchers say. They are high in antioxidants and a combination of vitamins and minerals. A significant amount of alpha-linolenic acid, a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid in walnuts, also benefits heart and brain health.

Studies have also backed coconut oil as a memory aid too, which Dr. Mary Newport chronicled in her book Alzheimer’s Disease: What If There Were a Cure? This book is a  fascinating account of how coconut oil helped her husband’s symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Newport substituted a combination of pure, extra virgin (non-hydrogenated) coconut oil, coconut milk, MCT oil and other coconut food products in her husband’s diet to achieve similar amounts of MCTs as the medical food. Her husband improved dramatically, and her book is the result of this healing journey.

The theory behind using coconut oil for Alzheimer’s Disease rests on the observation that the brains of Alzheimer’s patients have neurons (nerve cells) that are insulin resistant — they no longer effectively use glucose (blood sugar) as a fuel. For this reason, some medical researchers and Newport feel that Alzheimer’s Disease is in fact a form of "Diabetes of the Brain." Insulin resistant cells can’t use glucose, but they can use ketone bodies as an alternate fuel source.

To read more about this amazing discovery and journey, check out Alzheimer’s Disease: What If There Were a Cure?  at www.basichealthpub.com or www.amazon.com

Mindful beauty products mirror healthy choices

We're paying more and more attention to the food and drink we put inside our bodies, so isn’t it time to do the same with beauty products we put on our skin?

In the pursuit of beauty and looks we’d rather not show off to the world  – like the circles under our eyes –  we cake on makeup, rub on moisturizers, and spray on perfume. Because this makes us feel and look better, it’s time to pick out products that will mirror what we’re putting inside our bodies too.

Here’s what you should look for when it comes to picking out beauty products:

• Fragrance-free
• Color-free
• Vitamin A-Retinol: a product that actually does work to improve skin tone and reduce wrinkles
• Vitamin C: an effective collagen builder
• Alpha hydroxy acid: a good exfoliant and collagen builder
• Use these products at night, because the sun will actually oxidize the ingredients and render them ineffective.

When it comes to your lips, select products with sunscreen to protect your lips from the carcinogenic effects of the sun (look for zinc oxide on the ingredient list), and glosses made from beeswax, which is completely non-toxic. If you are deeply attached to a petroleum-based gloss, save it for special occasions and use a sunscreen under it to protect your lips.

Being mindful of beauty products will only make you feel even better on the inside too – literally.

To learn more about healthy aging, check out Younger Today: THE CELL SOLUTION to Youthful Aging and Improved Health by authors Vincent C. Giampapa, M.D. and Carol Alt at www.basichealthpub.com or www.amazon.com 

No deaths from any dietary supplements reported

With deaths attributed to prescription drugs continually on the rise, we were curious to see how the stats compare to treating dieases with diet and supplements instead. MegaVitamin Man and author Andrew W. Saul reports his findings in our guest blog – proving yet again how powerful food can be as medicine.

Dr. Andrew W. Saul

Not even one death was caused by any dietary supplement in 2013, according to the most recent information collected by the U.S. National Poison Data System.

The new 251-page annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers, published in the journal Clinical Toxicology (1), shows no deaths whatsoever from any dietary supplement.

Additionally, there were zero deaths from any amino acid or herbal product. This means no deaths at all from blue cohosh, echinacea, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, kava kava, St. John's wort, valerian, yohimbe, Asian medicines, ayurvedic medicines, or any other botanical. There were zero deaths from creatine, blue-green algae, glucosamine, chondroitin, melatonin, or any homeopathic remedy.

Furthermore, there were zero deaths from any dietary mineral supplement. This means there were no fatalities from calcium, magnesium, chromium, zinc, colloidal silver, selenium, iron, or multimineral supplements. Reported in the "Electrolyte and Mineral" category were two fatalities from the medical use of "Sodium and sodium salts." These are not dietary supplements.

The U.S. National Poison Data System is "the only comprehensive, near real-time, poisoning surveillance database in the United States. In 2013, poison professionals at the nation's 55 poison centers managed about 2.2 million human poison exposures, with children younger than 6 accounting for about half of all poison exposure cases."

No man, woman or child died from any nutritional supplement. Period.

If nutritional supplements are allegedly so "dangerous," as the FDA, the news media, and even some physicians still claim, then where are the bodies?

To find out more on how to treat yourself with therapeutic and preventative medicine, check out Andrew Saul's newest book, The Orthomolecular Treatment of Chronic Disease at www.basichealthpub.com or www.amazon.com.

From brain power to boosting immunity and digestion - yoga rocks

Most of us know that yoga increases flexibility and reduces stress, but it’s the unknown and surprising benefits that make this practice a must for anyone looking to improve their overall life experience. 

Better digestion: Sometimes you can’t help but eat fast, especially post-workout when your body is desperate for some fuel. However, yoga can build up your defenses against the urge to go overboard. A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that a steady yoga practice is tied to mindful eating, particularly through breath awareness, which strengthens the mind-body connection.

Brain power: You may have heard that exercising can improve brain function, but yoga specifically has some mega mental benefits. Yoga uses the body and breath as tools to create equanimity and clarity in the mind. By synching movement with steady, conscious breath, we feel less stress and can better focus. A study in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health found that 20 minutes of Hatha yoga stimulates brain function more than walking or jogging on the treadmill for the same amount of time.

Boost immunity: Yoga has been found to boost immunity at the cellular level through changes in gene expression. According to the research, these benefits can be experienced rather quickly—while you’re still on the mat. In addition, by simply improving your overall health, yoga is able to strengthen your internal defense system.

Improvements at work: Yoga moves the body, creating physical space and stirring up energy. Then, when we sit in meditation, we observe that energy settle so we feel deep stillness. This extra 'head space' leads to better decisions, better work relationships, and increased productivity.

Eases depression: All exercise has been shown to help people with depression feel better, and yoga is no exception. A study from Duke University Medical Center suggested that yoga could benefit those living with depression, schizophrenia, other psychiatric conditions, and sleep problems. Practicing mindfulness through yoga and meditation also results in higher serotonin levels (the happiness hormone), and long-term practitioners have shown more mass in the areas of the brain associated with contentment.

Look for it: Published by Basic Health Publications on April 1st, Yoga Therapy and Integrative Medicine: Where Ancient Science Meets Modern Medicine is the first collaborative integrative medical textbook linking modern medicine and alternative therapies with the ancient science of Yoga. Reserve your copy at www.basichealthpub.com