Category Archives: G. BOTANICALS

Ayurveda, Ginseng, Heart Disease

Interference by ginseng with a new digoxin immunoassay

Asian ginseng, Siberian ginseng, and the Indian Ayurvedic medicine Ashwagandha interfere with serum digoxin measurements obtained with commonly used fluorescent immunoassay tests.

Abbott Laboratories has marketed an alternative digoxin immunoassay, Digoxin III. Researchers at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston report on the risk of getting inaccurate digoxin levels in patients who take digoxin and one of these herbals at the same time. Continue reading Interference by ginseng with a new digoxin immunoassay →

ADHD, Anxiety (Panic)/Depression, CAM Interactions, Children, Ginkgo, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, St. John's Wort, Valerian

CAM for psychiatric disorders in kids

Researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia have reviewed the evidence in children and adolescents.

The authors include data from adults, because if they limited the discussion to children and adolescents it would be a very short article.

That’s not a problem here. Continue reading CAM for psychiatric disorders in kids →

Animal-assisted Therapy, Biofeedback, Heart Disease, Massage, Meditation, Stress, Wolfsbane, Ylang-Ylang Oil

Stress, heart disease, and what to do about it

Research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that psychosocial factors, such as cynical distrust, chronic stress, and depression are associated with higher blood levels of C-reactive protein (associated with acute inflammatory reactions), interleukin-6 (stimulates an immune response to tissue damage), and fibrinogen (causes blood to clot).

All are related to an increased risk of heart disease.

What can we do about this?

Continue reading Stress, heart disease, and what to do about it →

Liver Disease, Marijuana (Cannabinoids)

Cannabis use in hepatitis C

Cannabis use should be discouraged in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), according to researchers in France.

First, the details.

  • 315 patients with untreated CHC and having a liver biopsy were studied.
  • Detailed histories of recent marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco use were recorded.
  • The biopsies were examined using METAVIR — a scoring system that gives an indication of the activity or amount of inflammation and amount of fibrosis or scarring in the liver.

And, the results.
There were 6 predictors of marked steatosis (accumulation of fat in the liver).

  • Daily cannabis users compared to occasional users and nonusers
  • Viral activity grade of the disease (greater or equal to A2)
  • Genotype 3 (one of the genetic variations and stains of hepatitis C)
  • Body mass index (BMI) greater than 27 kg/m2
  • High blood sugar levels or diabetes
  • HCV RNA load in the blood (associated with a worse outcome of disease) or alcohol intake (greater than 30 g/day)

The bottom line?
Steatosis is important because a build up of fat in the liver worsens liver damage and makes CHC harder to treat.

The authors concluded that daily cannabis smoking is a “predictor of steatosis severity during CHC.” And they recommend that “cannabis use should be discouraged in patients with CHC.”

Among the 6 predictors of steatosis reported in this study, marijuana use is a comparatively easy risk factor to modify and thereby reduce the severity of this disease.

7/6/08 11:05 JR

CAM Politics, Marijuana (Cannabinoids)

Debate: Don’t be fooled into legalizing marijuana

Earlier this year, a study published by researchers at Texas A&M Health Science Center concluded, “Consistent with other studies of the liberalization of cannabis laws, medical cannabis laws do not appear to increase use of the drug.”

Gee wiz. I guess that’s the end of that debate. Not really, as I debate the issue with a valued reader of this blog. Continue reading Debate: Don’t be fooled into legalizing marijuana →