Tag: Patients

South Korea to Allow Special Voting for COVID-19 Patients | Health News

By HYUNG-JIN KIM, Linked Push

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s parliament on Monday accepted plans to offer a exclusive time for COVID-19 people to vote through the March 9 presidential election as the place grapples with a report-breaking omicron surge.

The proposed revision of an election-associated legislation will acquire effect if it is endorsed by the Cupboard Council and signed by the president — ways broadly regarded as a formality considering that the governing and opposition events have already agreed on the evaluate.

Voters identified with hugely infectious disorders these types of as COVID-19 and other people put in quarantine would be allowed to pay a visit to polling stations and forged ballots after standard voting closes at 6 p.m., in accordance to a duplicate of the legislation on the web page of the Countrywide Assembly. The particular voting time would shut at 7:30 p.m.

Virus individuals who have already used for postal ballots in a now-finished registration interval can nevertheless vote by mail, according to the Countrywide Election Fee.

Political Cartoons

Commission officials explained they will operate out facts such as no matter whether to put in independent polling booths for unwell voters and what protective gear polling officers would have on.

The shift arrives as South Korea is having difficulties to suppress a fast-spreading omicron surge.

On Monday, new virus scenarios surpassed 50,000 for a fifth consecutive day, having the country’s verified complete to 1,405,246 with 7,102 deaths. The present level of new day-to-day conditions is about a 12-fold boost from mid-January, when omicron grew to become the country’s dominant strain.

Overall health authorities are warning that South Korea may see up to 170,000 new everyday scenarios by late February. As of Monday, about 232,000 folks with mild or average signs are staying handled at home, in accordance to the Wellbeing Ministry.

In response to the virus spike, South Korea has substantially eased quarantine constraints and reshaped its COVID-19 reaction to concentrate on at-residence procedure and speedy antigen screening.

How to offer with the pandemic’s economic impact is a warm matter in the March 9 presidential vote. Belief surveys present liberal governing get together candidate Lee Jae-myung and his conservative opposition rival Yoon Suk Yeol jogging neck-and-neck. By law, existing President Moon Jae-in is barred from in search of reelection and his one five-calendar year term finishes in May perhaps.

Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This material may perhaps not be revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

February 14, 2022
Months in, Medicaid transition still confusing patients
By Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven

About 1.7 million people in the state have experienced a change to their insurance in the seven months since North Carolina began its switch from a Medicaid system administered by the state to one managed by five for-profit organizations (and one by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for tribal members).

Despite a marketing push and outreach efforts, a quarter of people with Medicaid didn’t know about the transition back in July according to a study from an advocacy group. And now, more than half a year in, data from the Medicaid Ombudsman’s office — which fields and investigates questions from people with Medicaid — show that thousands are still confused about the technically public insurance, which now looks and acts a lot like private insurance.

Issues with education, access to care

From June 27 through Nov. 27, the Medicaid Ombudsman’s office received more than 10,000 calls. This specific office is designed to support patients. A different agency helps providers, but it is also called the Medicaid Ombudsman — meaning, the 10,000 calls likely represent a mix of both patients and providers calling for help.

The Ombudsman opened cases for about 6,200 callers. Around 2,800 of those people reached out for general educational information, or to make a complaint. A good chunk called to change their plan, while nearly 10 percent called to discuss “access to care” issues and 184 people called about problems with non-emergency medical transport.

Bumps were expected during the start of the transition. Those at the state level have argued the change will be worth it for the budget predictability and improved health outcomes they believe will come under managed care. With the new system, the private plans receive a flat per-person rate, which state health officials argue will encourage the organizations to invest in whole-person health and lead to better health outcomes for patients.

Still, some providers worry cuts to reimbursement rates will come in the future, which will lead fewer providers to accept Medicaid. Stacy Kozlowski, a pediatric occupational therapist in Johnston County, said she’s had increasing issues with service denials.

“Things were supposed to be unchanged for the first year. Already we’re seeing that’s not the case,” she wrote in a text.

More than anything, people are worried that the neediest Medicaid recipients will be lost in the shuffle.

“From a business perspective we can survive,” Kozlowski said. “The increased overhead is burdensome, but the kids will suffer.”

Geographic distribution

Judging from the numbers to the Ombudsman, people across the state are struggling with the transition at similar rates, some rural residents more than others. Of Hyde county’s 696 managed care beneficiaries, 9 called the Ombudsman’s office — meaning, 1.3 percent of enrollees, the highest call rate. Similar rates are seen in Martin (1.15 percent) and Mecklenburg (1 percent) counties.

While some calls involved multiple managed care organizations, when broken down to include only calls involving individual plans, the greatest percentages came from those enrolled with UnitedHealthcare (.18 percent) and WellCare (.18 percent). The complaints represent a very small portion of overall members, though they are higher than complaint rates from the other managed care organizations across the state.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services has documented other issues with UnitedHealthcare’s MCO plan. In September 2021, the department reported that 15 percent of people enrolled in United’s plan who live in eastern North Carolina do not have an in-network hospital within 30 minutes, putting it out of step with the standard plan network adequacy standards.

The state’s Medicaid dashboard lists each MCO and the top three reasons the organizations denied claims in November 2021. The data is broken down into claims submitted by smaller medical offices or solo practitioners (listed as professional claims), institutions, and pharmacies. Some of the most common reasons include failure to obtain prior authorization, service billed for not included within the contract, billing provider not enrolled in Medicaid and many more.

There are two Medicaid Ombudsman: one helps patients navigate the transition to managed care, while the other helps providers. People with Medicaid can call 877-201-3750 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Health care providers should contact [email protected] or 919-527-6666 with any questions.

Of the denials listed, UnitedHealthcare, which covers the entire state, has the highest number at about 130,100 — nearly 30,000 more than the denials listed from the next highest MCO, Amerihealth Caritas, which also insures people statewide.

‘Raise Your Hand’

Before the transition, health advocates honed in on one predictable issue with the transition. They were concerned that the 1 million people who are supposed to stay on the state-run Medicaid Direct — those with significant mental health needs, developmental disabilities, children in foster care, and people on certain Medicaid waivers — might be incorrectly switched to a managed care plan.

“When we were working with the department on the implementation of all this, one of the things I raised with them was, how are you going to identify all these people?” said Doug Sea, the director of the Family Support and Health Care department at the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy. He’s worked in public benefit law since the 1980s.

One answer is the “Raise Your Hand” process: if a person was incorrectly switched to a managed care plan, they or their health care provider needs to fill out a form and request to be switched back. The Medicaid Enrollment Broker — another child of the managed care transition — is supposed to help beneficiaries with this process, along with any other person on Medicaid who has questions about how to choose a plan.

“Their job is to help people decide which plan to choose, or to help people change between plans, or to help people navigate this process of moving back and forth,” Sea explained. “Your circumstances could change — one day you’re in foster care, the next day you’re back with your parents. One day you need enhanced mental health services, the next day you don’t.”

Do you have Medicaid? Send an email to [email protected] and tell me how it’s going: What questions do you have? What services are you struggling to get covered? Are there enough doctors in your area who accept your plan? I want to hear it all.

Maximus, a for-profit company that earned $4.2 billion in revenue last year, was awarded a base $17 million contract with DHHS to be the Enrollment Broker in 2018. According to the company’s 2021 filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, 39 percent of its revenue comes from state agencies.

During the five months for which NC Health News reviewed data, 169 callers to the Ombudsman’s office requested to stay on Medicaid Direct, and 94 were referred to the “Raise Your Hand” process.

It’s not a huge number, but those who were supposed to be exempt from the managed care transition are those with significant needs, meaning that figuring out how to switch one’s self back to Medicaid Direct is yet another thing to do on a long list of needs. Luckily, once the process is initiated, a spokesperson from DHHS said the switch happens within 24 hours.

But, there’s still one more barrier: if a person’s Medicaid eligibility will soon be under review — as happens once a year — the automated system does not allow their transfer to be processed.

The Medicaid Enrollment Broker can be reached at 1-833-870-5500. This brochure lists the different agencies people with Medicaid can contact about various issues.

“Beneficiaries who have not been redetermined [as] eligible are unable to make that change until after their redetermination is complete,” wrote DHHS spokesperson Summer Tonizzo.

“The way North Carolina [has] set up this system is very complicated,” Sea said. “We’ve seen a lot of cases where people are not in the right place, or their request to move back doesn’t get processed, or they don’t get written notice that their request has been denied, or their request got lost, or their request can’t be processed in time for them to get the services they need.

“There’s just a whole host of ways this can go wrong,” he said.

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by Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven, North Carolina Health News
February 8, 2022

<h1>Seven months into NC’s Medicaid transition, data show patients are still confused</h1> by Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven, North Carolina Health News February 8, 2022 <h4 id=”h-by-clarissa-donnelly-deroven”>By Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven</h4> About 1.7 million people in the state have experienced a change to their insurance in the seven months since North Carolina began its switch from a Medicaid system administered by the state to one managed by five for-profit organizations (and one by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for tribal members). Despite a marketing push and outreach efforts, a quarter of people with Medicaid didn’t know about the transition back in July <a href=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2021/06/22/nc-medicaid-managed-care-information-blitz-did-not-reach-all-enrollees/”>according to a study from an advocacy group</a>. And now, more than half a year in, data from the Medicaid Ombudsman’s office — which fields and investigates questions from people with Medicaid — show that thousands are still confused about the technically public insurance, which now looks and acts a lot like private insurance. <h4 id=”issues-with-education-access-to-care”>Issues with education, access to care</h4> From June 27 through Nov. 27, <a href=”https://ncmedicaidombudsman.org/”>the Medicaid Ombudsman’s</a> office received more than 10,000 calls. This specific office is designed to support patients. A different agency helps providers, but it is also called the Medicaid Ombudsman — meaning, the 10,000 calls likely represent a mix of both patients and providers calling for help.  The Ombudsman opened cases for about 6,200 callers. Around 2,800 of those people reached out for general educational information, or to make a complaint. A good chunk called to change their plan, while nearly 10 percent called to discuss “access to care” issues and 184 people called about problems with non-emergency medical transport. <div class=”wp-block-image”> <figure class=”aligncenter size-full”><a href=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/donate/”><img src=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/COVID-Donate-Ad-NEW-April-2021.png” alt=”” class=”wp-image-33559″ /></a></figure> </div> Bumps <a href=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2021/06/04/almost-1-5-million-consumers-have-been-moved-to-nc-medicaids-managed-care-now-what/”>were expected</a> during the start of the transition. Those at the state level have argued the change will be worth it for the budget predictability and improved health outcomes they believe will come under managed care. With the new system, the private plans receive a flat per-person rate, which state health officials argue will encourage the organizations to invest in whole-person health and lead to better health outcomes for patients. Still, some providers worry cuts to reimbursement rates will come in the future, which will lead fewer providers to accept Medicaid. Stacy Kozlowski, a pediatric occupational therapist in Johnston County, said she’s had increasing issues with service denials.  “Things were supposed to be unchanged for the first year. Already we’re seeing that’s not the case,” she wrote in a text. More than anything, people are worried that the neediest Medicaid recipients will be lost in the shuffle.  “From a business perspective we can survive,” Kozlowski said. “The increased overhead is burdensome, but the kids will suffer.” <h4 id=”geographic-distribution”>Geographic distribution</h4> Judging from the numbers to the Ombudsman, people across the state are struggling with the transition at similar rates, some rural residents more than others. Of Hyde county’s 696 managed care beneficiaries, 9 called the Ombudsman’s office — meaning, 1.3 percent of enrollees, the highest call rate. Similar rates are seen in Martin (1.15 percent) and Mecklenburg (1 percent) counties.  While some calls involved multiple managed care organizations, when broken down to include only calls involving individual plans, the greatest percentages came from those enrolled with UnitedHealthcare (.18 percent) and WellCare (.18 percent). The complaints represent a very small portion of overall members, though they are higher than complaint rates from the other managed care organizations across the state. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services has documented other issues with UnitedHealthcare’s MCO plan. In September 2021, the department reported that 15 percent of people enrolled in United’s plan <a href=”https://medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/media/10451/download?attachment”>who live in eastern North Carolina</a> do not have an in-network hospital within 30 minutes, putting it out of step with the standard plan network adequacy standards.  The state’s <a href=”https://medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/reports/dashboards”>Medicaid dashboard</a> lists each MCO and the top three reasons the organizations denied claims in November 2021. The data is broken down into claims submitted by smaller medical offices or solo practitioners (listed as professional claims), institutions, and pharmacies. Some of the most common reasons include failure to obtain prior authorization, service billed for not included within the contract, billing provider not enrolled in Medicaid and many more. <div class=”wp-block-group has-secondary-background-color has-background”> There are two Medicaid Ombudsman: one helps patients navigate the transition to managed care, while the other helps providers. People with Medicaid can call 877-201-3750 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Health care providers should contact <a href=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2022/02/08/seven-months-into-ncs-medicaid-transition-data-show-patients-are-still-confused/mailto:Medicaid.ProviderOmbudsman@dhhs.nc.gov”>Medicaid.ProviderOmbudsman@dhhs.nc.gov</a> or 919-527-6666 with any questions. </div> Of the denials listed, UnitedHealthcare, which covers the entire state, has the highest number at about 130,100 — nearly 30,000 more than the denials listed from the next highest MCO, Amerihealth Caritas, which also insures people statewide.  <h4 id=”raise-your-hand”>‘Raise Your Hand’</h4> Before the transition, health advocates honed in on one predictable issue with the transition.  They were concerned that the 1 million people who are supposed to stay on the state-run Medicaid Direct — those with significant mental health needs, developmental disabilities, children in foster care, and people on certain Medicaid waivers — might be incorrectly switched to a managed care plan. “When we were working with the department on the implementation of all this, one of the things I raised with them was, how are you going to identify all these people?” said Doug Sea, the director of the Family Support and Health Care department at the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy. He’s worked in public benefit law since the 1980s.  One answer is the “Raise Your Hand” process: if a person was incorrectly switched to a managed care plan, they or their health care provider needs to fill out a form and request to be switched back. The Medicaid Enrollment Broker — another child of the managed care transition — is supposed to help beneficiaries with this process, along with any other person on Medicaid who has questions about how to choose a plan. “Their job is to help people decide which plan to choose, or to help people change between plans, or to help people navigate this process of moving back and forth,” Sea explained. “Your circumstances could change — one day you’re in foster care, the next day you’re back with your parents. One day you need enhanced mental health services, the next day you don’t.” <div class=”wp-block-group has-secondary-background-color has-background”> Do you have Medicaid? Send an email to <a href=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2022/02/08/seven-months-into-ncs-medicaid-transition-data-show-patients-are-still-confused/mailto:clarissa@northcarolinahealthnews.org”>clarissa@northcarolinahealthnews.org</a> and tell me how it’s going: What questions do you have? What services are you struggling to get covered? Are there enough doctors in your area who accept your plan? I want to hear it all. </div> Maximus, a for-profit company that earned <a href=”https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1032220/000162828021023790/mms-20210930.htm#i1ede23d283e845e08701f9599b85e800_91″>$4.2 billion</a> in revenue last year, was awarded a base <a href=”https://www.ncdhhs.gov/news/press-releases/2018/08/03/dhhs-awards-contract-medicaid-managed-care-enrollment-broker-services-maximus”>$17 million contract with DHHS</a> to be the Enrollment Broker in 2018. According to the company’s 2021 filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, 39 percent of its revenue comes from state agencies. During the five months for which NC Health News reviewed data, 169 callers to the Ombudsman’s office requested to stay on Medicaid Direct, and 94 were referred to the “Raise Your Hand” process.  It’s not a huge number, but those who were supposed to be exempt from the managed care transition are those with significant needs, meaning that figuring out how to switch one’s self back to Medicaid Direct is yet another thing to do on a long list of needs. Luckily, once the process is initiated, a spokesperson from DHHS said the switch happens within 24 hours.  But, there’s still one more barrier: if a person’s Medicaid eligibility will soon be under review — as happens once a year — the automated system does not allow their transfer to be processed.  <div class=”wp-block-group has-secondary-background-color has-background”> The Medicaid Enrollment Broker can be reached at 1-833-870-5500. <a href=”https://medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/media/8275/download”>This brochure</a> lists the different agencies people with Medicaid can contact about various issues. </div> “Beneficiaries who have not been redetermined [as] eligible are unable to make that change until after their redetermination is complete,” wrote DHHS spokesperson Summer Tonizzo.  “The way North Carolina [has] set up this system is very complicated,” Sea said. “We’ve seen a lot of cases where people are not in the right place, or their request to move back doesn’t get processed, or they don’t get written notice that their request has been denied, or their request got lost, or their request can’t be processed in time for them to get the services they need. “There’s just a whole host of ways this can go wrong,” he said. <div class=”wp-block-group”> <div class=”wp-block-group has-secondary-background-color has-background”> </div> </div> This <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2022/02/08/seven-months-into-ncs-medicaid-transition-data-show-patients-are-still-confused/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org”>North Carolina Health News</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/cropped-favicon02.jpg?fit=150{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}2C150&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=37543&ga=UA-28368570-1″ style=”width:1px;height:1px;”> 
1
February 8, 2022
Glacial Gold Distilled CBD 200 Oil Available Nationally to Medical Patients Through Mendo

Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – January 11, 2022) – Nextleaf Solutions Ltd. (CSE: OILS) (OTCQB: OILFF) (FSE: L0MA) (“Nextleaf“, “OILS“, or the “Company“) , a federally regulated manufacturer and distributor of cannabis vapes and oils under its prohibition-era brand, Glacial Gold™, is pleased to announce that Distilled CBD 100 Oil and Distilled CBD 200 Oil are available nationally through its medical cannabis distribution partner, Quebec-based Medicibis (“Mendo“).

Glacial Gold™ Distilled CBD 200 Oil is a first in Canada, with the highest amount of CBD in a single unit (5700 mg), highest potency of CBD available in an ingestible format, and best dollar value per milligram for CBD in Canada.

The Company’s multi-patented ingredient processing technology is the secret behind Glacial Gold™ products. Distilled CBD 200 Oil was developed to meet the needs of the everyday CBD consumer. Glacial Gold™ CBD distilled oils are formulated with organic coconut MCT oil and a standardized dose of CBD.

In British Columbia, Nextleaf is a top 10 supplier of vapes and oils. Glacial Gold™ has multiple products inside the top 20 best selling SKUs within the vape and oils categories.

Figure 1: All Glacial Gold products are available nationally through Mendo Medical

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5347/109650_bbb413370450abaf_001full.jpg

Mendo operates an online portal for medical patients that ships nationwide through www.mendocannabis.ca. All Glacial Gold™ CBD and THC vapes and distilled oils are distributed by Mendo to their patients in Quebec and across Canada.

“We’ve made the process of obtaining a medical cannabis document and becoming a member of Mendo a quick and easy one,” said Jay Schwartz co-founder and COO of Mendo. “Canadians that visit our online platform simply follow a link and schedule a consultation with one of our licensed medical professionals. This is done from the comfort of their home by telephone or video conference. In most cases the applicant’s account is approved within 24 to 36 hours at which point they may begin to place orders for medical cannabis delivered to their home as early as the next business day.” Mr. Schwartz added, “We are delighted to offer all Canadians a carefully curated menu of products with compassion pricing, as well as swift access to receive their medical document at no charge.”

“The team at Mendo are experienced operators with a unique approach in Quebec that has been a major catalyst for the growth of their distribution platform,” said Paul Pedersen co-founder and CEO of Nextleaf. “Nextleaf is pleased for Glacial Gold vapes and distilled oils to be available to medical patients coast to coast through the Mendo platform”.

CBD is increasingly thought of as a potential therapeutic treatment for opioid use disorder. On January 4, 2022, the FDA approved human trials evaluating an investigational drug using CBD to be conducted at UCLA and funded by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse.^[1]

Medical patients including veterans, have made it clear that they need a reliable supply of consistent quality medical cannabis products for those living with PTSD, chronic pain, and other conditions that disproportionately impact veterans. According to a 2019 Veterans Health and Medical Cannabis Study^[2], 96{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of veterans reported they experience a much greater quality of life because of their cannabis consumption.

As part of the Company’s commitment to improving access to medical cannabis, Nextleaf launched an assortment of accessibly priced Glacial Gold™ CBD and THC products for the medical market through Mendo.

Quebec is the third-largest cannabis market in Canada, representing approximately 15{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}^[3] of Canadian cannabis retail sales in the country, and approximately 22{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of the Canadian population^[4]. Canadian spending on medical cannabis totaled $587 million in 2020^[5]. Medical cannabis has become an important component of Canadian healthcare, with $119 million of medical cannabis purchases reimbursed by the Federal Government through Veterans Affairs Canada in 2020^[6].

About Medicibis

Medicibis operates out of its 20,000 sq.ft. facility located 15 minutes from downtown Montreal in St Jean Sur Richelieu. Medicibis also operates an online portal for medical patients that ships nationwide through their website mendocannabis.ca. Mendo’s menu has been carefully curated to offer a variety of products from licensed producers from all over Canada. Mendo is positioned to become one of the leading suppliers of medical cannabis to patients and veterans in the country.

About Nextleaf®

Nextleaf is a federally regulated manufacturer and distributor of cannabis vapes and oils under its award-winning prohibition-era brand, Glacial Gold™. The Company’s multi-patented ingredient processing technology transforms cannabis and hemp biomass into high-purity distillate at an industrial scale. Nextleaf is a low-cost producer of cannabis oils, and supplies THC and CBD ingredients to qualified wholesale partners across Canada. Nextleaf is the first publicly traded company to be issued a U.S. patent for the industrial extraction and purification of cannabinoids. The Company has been issued 17 U.S. patents, and over 90 patents globally, on cannabinoid processing including distillation and acetylation. Nextleaf develops proprietary cannabinoid-based formulations and delivery technology through its Health Canada Research Licence with sensory evaluation of cannabis via human testing. For more information visit www.nextleafsolutions.com and www.Glacial.Gold

Nextleaf Solutions trades as OILS on the Canadian Securities Exchange, OILFF on the OTCQB Market in the United States, and L0MA on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Follow the Company across social platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Follow Glacial Gold: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

For more information please contact:
Jason McBride, Corporate Development
604-283-2301 (ext. 219)
[email protected]

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,
Paul Pedersen, CEO

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements”. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those regarding the Company’s ability to capitalize on its IP portfolio, receipt of the Dealer’s Licence within the anticipated timeframe or at all, the activities the Company expects to conduct if the Dealer’s Licence, the ability of the Company to develop and protect intellectual property relating to psychedelics, the expected benefits to the Company if the Dealer’s Licence is received, the Dealer’s License assisting the company in obtaining a unique position for the Company to develop a suite of standardized plant-derived drugs, the Company’s strategy, plans, objectives, goals and targets, and any statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words “believe”, “expect”, “aim”, “intend”, “plan”, “continue”, “will”, “may”, “would”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “forecast”, “predict”, “project”, “seek”, “should” or similar expressions or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company’s expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially include, but are not limited to the risk factors discussed in the Company’s MD&A for the most recent fiscal period. Management provides forward-looking statements because it believes they provide useful information to investors when considering their investment objectives and cautions investors not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law. The CSE has not reviewed or approved the contents of this press release.

^[1] https://hempindustrydaily.com/fda-signs-off-on-human-cbd-trials-to-treat-opioid-addiction/
^[2] https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/the-2019-veterans-health-and-medical-cannabis-study
^[3] Statistics Canada, July 2021 cannabis retail sales
^[4] Statistics Canada
^[5] https://mjbizdaily.com/canadas-legal-cannabis-market-continues-to-erode-illicit-markets-share/
^[6] https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/about-vac/research/research-directorate/publications/reports/cmp2018

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109650

January 12, 2022
New Study Suggests Cannabis Plants May be Able to Absorb Cancer-Causing Heavy Metals — Authors Warn About Dangers to Cancer Patients
Cannabis Crops Can Soak up Most cancers-Creating Heavy Metals: Research

New exploration implies that some cannabis vegetation may well be in a position to take in cancer-creating large metals from soil.

Review authors explained this was significantly troubling for most cancers people who use cannabis to relieve therapy facet effects.

Persons who use health-related cannabis, or hashish in common, ought to be aware of probable hazards and weigh the dangers vs. benefits.

Professional medical marijuana has been shown to be a massive support for a lot of most cancers patients dealing with nausea, agony, insomnia, and other issues.
A new research led by scientists at Penn State uncovered that cannabis vegetation — which are applied to deliver several merchandise this sort of as professional medical marijuana, hemp, and cannabidiol (CBD) oil — can absorb hefty metals from soil. Research authors famous that this could be notably troubling for most cancers individuals who may possibly use cannabis merchandise to deal with the side results of different therapies. Medical cannabis has been proven to alleviate quite a few illnesses, like nausea, soreness, and a lack of urge for food, so it’s critical that people today working with it have the full image.

“Heavy metals, these kinds of as guide, mercury, cadmium and chromium, are recognised to be carcinogenic,” reported Louis Bengyella, assistant research professor of plant science at Penn Point out. “The hefty-metal written content of hashish is not controlled therefore, individuals could unknowingly be exposed to these harmful metals. This is terrible news for anybody who makes use of cannabis but is notably problematic for most cancers clients who use health-related marijuana to treat the nausea and soreness affiliated with their therapies.”

It is important to continue to keep in intellect, nonetheless, that when it’s excellent to be informed of any dangers with the items you take in, the health-related hashish provide is diverse and there are a large amount of selections. As with everything we consume, being mindful of in which the merchandise will come from and how it is processed is handy.

The outcomes of the analyze have been released in Toxin Reviews and authors shared how they discovered some hashish strains are normally employed for phytoremediation, which is the use of crops to remove pollutants from soil, drinking water, or air. However, applying the vegetation for phytoremediation can aid the absorption of major metals.

What Does This Imply for Cancer People?

The researchers found that guide, cadmium, and chromium in particular have been able of staying transported and distributed by the stalk and into the leaves and bouquets of the plants. So, what does this suggest for men and women who use cannabis goods? Bengyella stated that using tobacco the cannabis merchandise would pose the biggest menace. “It is disturbing to comprehend that the cannabis merchandise remaining applied by shoppers, specially cancer sufferers, may be producing unwanted damage to their bodies,” he claimed.

A option for shoppers would be to be wary of where you are acquiring goods from. Even so, review authors reported that a much more common answer would be for those rising the products to keep away from procedures that set their vegetation at danger.

The crew presented three recommendations when it arrives to rising hashish: “avoid abandoned industrial websites, carry out air excellent analyses before establishing a farm, and perform a soil pH examination mainly because pH can impression the quantity of significant metals a plant absorbs.”

How Can Professional medical Cannabis Help Cancer People?

People with all sorts of cancers have turned to health care cannabis to aid alleviate facet outcomes that can occur with treatment method. Several patients favor the solutions to narcotics or other pain killers as they feel hashish is fewer harsh on their bodies and, in some instances, even additional effective.

Authorities may prescribe it to offer with a host of facet results, like:
- Nausea
- Deficiency of appetite
- Ache
- Insomnia
- Despair
In a previous chat with SurvivorNet, Integrative Hashish Physician Dr. Junella Chin discussed that a plant-based tactic can deal with numerous aspect consequences that physicians would otherwise have to create quite a few prescriptions for.

“Chemotherapy patients usually occur to see me if they have nausea, if they have diminished hunger, if they have pain, if they have insomnia, and if they are depressed,” she discussed. “I could in essence write four or five distinctive prescription remedies, which a whole lot of physicians do, a great deal of oncologists do — or we can try obtaining the patient choose a single plant-based mostly medicine initially.”

Dr. Junella Chin points out how clinical cannabis can be used to assistance ease cancer treatment facet outcomes.

Is Clinical Cannabis Hazardous?

Though it is been revealed to be a useful tool for several persons going by cancer therapy, it’s continue to important to recall that smoking cigarettes marijuana could be dangerous as nicely. However, there is not a entire whole lot of investigation about how cannabis smoke has an effect on the lungs. With cigarettes, there is decades of documentation that smoking cigarettes sales opportunities to lung most cancers and other conditions. But some medical professionals dread using tobacco marijuana could be truly harmful as nicely.

In a former discussion with SurvivorNet, Dr. Raja Flores, Chairman of the Office of Thoracic Operation at Mount Sinai Health and fitness System, warned that the notion that smoking cannabis is a safer solution than cigarettes or consuming alcohol is a dangerous 1 — mainly because it simply cannot be backed up with concrete proof.

“There is a lobby out there that is attempting to say that marijuana’s improved than ingesting, that it is safer, that it does not lead to most cancers, and that you ought to do that — and they’re the two terrible,” Dr. Flores explained. “There is no true good population-based mostly examine that looks at cannabis smoking, and that has experienced adequate time elapsed to present its affiliation with lung most cancers.”

Dr. Raja Flores clarifies that cigarette smoking marijuana could be linked to most cancers, but there have been no lengthy-time period experiments to confirm it still.

Due to the fact setting up a clear link to most cancers requires a whole lot of time and means, for now, men and women who desire to use it will have to weigh hazards vs. benefits. Also, preserve in thoughts, health-related hashish can be eaten in various other approaches besides cigarette smoking.

Find out more about SurvivorNet’s rigorous clinical overview procedure.
Hashish Plants Can Soak up Most cancers-Causing Significant Metals: Examine

New study indicates that some hashish vegetation could be equipped to take in cancer-leading to weighty metals from soil.

Study authors reported this was specifically troubling for most cancers sufferers who use cannabis to reduce therapy side results.

Persons who use health-related hashish, or hashish in normal, ought to be conscious of likely potential risks and weigh the dangers vs. added benefits.

Clinical marijuana has been demonstrated to be a enormous aid for several most cancers sufferers working with nausea, soreness, sleeplessness, and other challenges.

A new review led by scientists at Penn Condition discovered that hashish crops — which are utilised to deliver many items this sort of as professional medical marijuana, hemp, and cannabidiol (CBD) oil — can take in heavy metals from soil. Study authors pointed out that this could be significantly troubling for most cancers individuals who could use cannabis items to offer with the side outcomes of many treatments. Clinical cannabis has been revealed to reduce several illnesses, like nausea, discomfort, and a lack of urge for food, so it’s critical that folks employing it have the comprehensive image.

“Heavy metals, this sort of as guide, mercury, cadmium and chromium, are identified to be carcinogenic,” claimed Louis Bengyella, assistant investigate professor of plant science at Penn Point out. “The significant-metallic articles of hashish is not controlled as a result, buyers could unknowingly be uncovered to these harmful metals. This is terrible news for anyone who makes use of hashish but is especially problematic for most cancers clients who use health-related marijuana to handle the nausea and discomfort related with their solutions.”

Go through Much more

It is vital to retain in thoughts, however, that when it’s fantastic to be knowledgeable of any dangers with the products and solutions you consume, the health care hashish provide is varied and there are a large amount of alternatives. As with something we eat, currently being conscious of where by the product comes from and how it is processed is useful.

The outcomes of the research were printed in Toxin Evaluations and authors shared how they discovered some hashish strains are frequently employed for phytoremediation, which is the use of crops to eliminate pollutants from soil, h2o, or air. Even so, using the plants for phytoremediation can facilitate the absorption of hefty metals.

What Does This Indicate for Cancer People?

The scientists learned that direct, cadmium, and chromium in certain were capable of staying transported and distributed through the stalk and into the leaves and bouquets of the vegetation. So, what does this indicate for people who use hashish items? Bengyella explained that smoking the cannabis merchandise would pose the largest danger. “It is disturbing to notice that the hashish products staying made use of by consumers, specially cancer people, might be creating unneeded hurt to their bodies,” he reported.

A solution for individuals would be to be wary of wherever you are obtaining products from. Even so, research authors reported that a a lot more widespread resolution would be for individuals growing the goods to stay away from procedures that place their vegetation at danger.

The group provided 3 tips when it comes to developing hashish: “avoid abandoned industrial sites, execute air good quality analyses right before establishing a farm, and perform a soil pH test since pH can impact the quantity of major metals a plant absorbs.”

How Can Medical Marijuana Assist Most cancers Patients?

Men and women with all types of cancers have turned to health care marijuana to enable alleviate side consequences that can occur with therapy. Many individuals desire the products to narcotics or other suffering killers as they come to feel hashish is fewer severe on their bodies and, in some situations, even extra successful.

Specialists may possibly prescribe it to offer with a host of side consequences, like:

Nausea

Absence of appetite

Discomfort

Insomnia

Depression

In a previous chat with SurvivorNet, Integrative Hashish Medical professional Dr. Junella Chin described that a plant-based solution can tackle several side results that medical doctors would otherwise have to publish several prescriptions for.

“Chemotherapy sufferers typically appear to see me if they have nausea, if they have reduced urge for food, if they have discomfort, if they have insomnia, and if they are depressed,” she spelled out. “I could in essence publish four or 5 distinct prescription drugs, which a large amount of medical professionals do, a lot of oncologists do — or we can consider owning the individual take one particular plant-centered drugs to start with.”

Dr. Junella Chin explains how medical marijuana can be utilised to enable ease most cancers therapy facet consequences.

Is Health care Marijuana Risky?

While it’s been shown to be a helpful tool for many folks heading as a result of cancer procedure, it is still important to keep in mind that cigarette smoking marijuana could be dangerous as perfectly. Unfortunately, there is not a complete great deal of analysis about how marijuana smoke has an effect on the lungs. With cigarettes, there is decades of documentation that cigarette smoking qualified prospects to lung cancer and other illnesses. But some medical professionals fear cigarette smoking cannabis could be genuinely hazardous as effectively.

In a earlier discussion with SurvivorNet, Dr. Raja Flores, Chairman of the Office of Thoracic Operation at Mount Sinai Overall health System, warned that the strategy that smoking cigarettes marijuana is a safer solution than cigarettes or consuming alcohol is a harmful one particular — due to the fact it cannot be backed up with concrete proof.

“There is a foyer out there that is attempting to say that marijuana’s greater than ingesting, that it is safer, that it does not trigger cancer, and that you must do that — and they’re each bad,” Dr. Flores said. “There is no authentic good population-based mostly analyze that seems at marijuana smoking cigarettes, and that has experienced enough time elapsed to demonstrate its affiliation with lung cancer.”

Dr. Raja Flores describes that cigarette smoking cannabis could be joined to cancer, but there have been no lengthy-phrase scientific tests to show it but.

Mainly because creating a obvious connection to cancer needs a good deal of time and assets, for now, individuals who desire to use it will have to weigh hazards vs. rewards. Also, maintain in intellect, healthcare hashish can be eaten in a number of other methods moreover cigarette smoking.

Learn additional about SurvivorNet’s arduous professional medical critique course of action.
December 31, 2021

A Preliminary Report on Herbal Medicine Use Among Patients Hospitalize

Introduction

Globally, herbal medicines use has been reported as a common practice both in the prevention and treatment of diseases.^1–3 This is especially common with diseases with high mortality, morbidity or those without conventional therapy that cure the disease. Previous studies in Uganda report that more than 60{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of the population depended on traditional medicine before the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.⁴ Due to the high mortality associated with the second wave of COVID-19, this practice is likely to have increased.

Many factors have been identified as drivers of herbal medicine use. In many parts of the world, users have reported that herbal remedies are safe, effective, and are cheap.^1,5 In Uganda, easy access, and cultural familiarity as well as the higher number of traditional health practitioners compared to health-care professionals are some of the common factors influencing this practice.^4,6 A recent study in Uganda reported that media has increased the use of herbal medicines in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.⁷ However, there is limited information concerning the level of herbal medicine use among hospitalized COVID-19 patients and the reasons why they resort to this practice even with the existence of conventional supportive treatment and vaccines.

Although some studies have reported the role of combining herbal remedies with westernized medicine in the treatment of COVID-19,⁸ the side effects of these remedies are not well studied. This is in addition to the wide variation in the types of herbal medicines on the market which may wrongly influence their use. Various studies have documented harmful consequences of herbal remedies including hepatotoxicity and allergies, which may be worsened by confounders such as self-medication.^1,9 The continued use of herbal medicines without question may lead to long-term health consequences for both the individual and the government.

The Uganda National Drug Policy and Authority Statute (1993) gives the National Drug Authority (NDA) a mandate to regulate herbal medicine use including approving of all manufacturers. During the pandemic, several manufacturers have hit the market with herbal medicine products, but only a few of these are approved by the NDA and little has been done to regulate their practice.¹⁰ This study, therefore, aimed to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with herbal medicine use among hospitalized patients at the two large COVID-19 treatment units in Uganda.

Methods

Study Design and Setting

An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted between July and August 2021 in two large CTUs in Kampala, Uganda, namely, Mulago National Referral Hospital CTU and Namboole Stadium CTU. These are the main referral CTUs in the country with bed capacities of over 30,000 beds catering for a diverse range of patients from all over the country. The CTUs run daily, seeing both patients referred from other health facilities across the country as well as patients who are being followed up routinely.

Study Population

We approached all patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the two-largest CTUs in the country. Eligible participants were those confirmed to have COVID-19 and aged 18 years and above. Respondents with a known history of impaired mental capacity to provide coherent and reliable information, critically ill in the absence of a reliable caretaker were excluded.

Sample Size Calculation

The sample size was calculated using the Kish Leslie formula for cross-sectional studies where the estimated sample size at 95{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} confidence interval was 384 participants. To cater for non-response associated with critically ill, unable to provide information or absence of caretakers, 10{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of the estimated sample size was added leading to a final sample size of 422 participants.

Questionnaire Development

The questionnaire was divided into three major sections: socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, tribe, religion, education level, employment status, occupation, residence), herbal medicine use assessment (prevalence, and reasons for herbal medicine use), and factors associated with herbal medicine use with both open and closed-ended questions.

Measurements

The questions asked were modified from the International Questionnaire to Measure Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (I-CAM-Q); which aims to comparably assess the use of CAM internationally.¹¹

Data Analysis and Management

Fully completed questionnaires were extracted from KoBo Toolbox^® and exported to a Microsoft Excel 2016 for cleaning and coding. The cleaned data was exported to STATA 16 (StataCorp LLC, College Station, Texas, USA) for analysis. Numerical data were then summarized as means and standard deviations or median and range as appropriate. Categorical variables were summarized as frequencies and relative percentages. To assess the association between independent variables with herbal medicine use, chi-square test or Fishers’ exact test (for categorical variables) and Mann-Whitney U-test (for continuous variables) were used at bivariate analysis. All independent variables with p < 0.2 at bivariate analysis were included in the multivariable logistic regression models to adjust for confounders. A p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Ethics

The study was performed according to the Declaration of Helsinki, after obtaining approval from Mulago Hospital Research and Ethics Committee (Approval number MHREC 2097). Consent forms were given to respondents before the initiation of the study.

COVID 19 Precautions

The study was conducted following the Ministry of Health and the National COVID-19 task force guidelines of Uganda.

Results

Characteristics of the Participants

The study was terminated early because of a significant reduction in the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and the closure of one of the CTUs. Of the anticipated 422 participants, we recruited 108 (25.6{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}). Of the 108 participants, 58 (53.7{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}) were female, with a median age of 38 (range: 20–75) years. Majority of the participants were from central Uganda (70.4{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, n = 76) and were Christians (66.7{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, n = 72), more than one-third attained tertiary level of education (37.7{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, n = 40). More than half were employed (56.5{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, n = 61) and were married (52.8{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, n = 57). Forty-nine (45.4{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}) participants had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Majority were on COVID-19 treatment (86.9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}) and more than half were getting their treatment from Namboole CTU (58.3{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, n = 53). Table 1 summarizes the socio-demographic characteristics of participants.

Table 1 Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Participants

Herbal Medical Use

Of the 108 participants, 58 (57.3{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}) ever used herbal medicine and the majority had used herbal medicine in the past 12 months (71.9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, n = 41). Of those that had used herbal medicines in the past 12 months, 35 (85.4{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}) had used before a diagnosis of COVID-19, and 15 (36.6{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}) continued to use even while on treatment for COVID-19 (Figure 1). Their doctors or nurses asked almost half of the participants about herbal medicine (49.5{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, n = 53), and the majority reported some improvement after using herbal medicine (80.7{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, n = 46). Table 2 summarizes the use of herbal medicine by the participants. Of those that were using herbal medicines, efficacy, accessibility, and affordability were the frequently reported as the reasons for their use (n = 35, 60.3{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}), (n = 14, 24.1{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}) and (n = 14, 24.1{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}), respectively (Figure 2A). Gastrointestinal disturbances such as diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, and vomiting were the most commonly reported side effects associated with the use of herbal medicines (Figure 2B).

Table 2 Herbal Medicine Use Among the Participants

Figure 1 Herbal medical use before and after diagnosis of COVID-19 in the last 12 months. ε represents the total number of patients who had used herbal medicines in the last 12 months before this survey.

Figure 2 (A) Reasons for use of herbal medicines among COVID-19 patients. (B) Common side effects of herbal medicines reported.

Table 3 summarizes factors associated with herbal medicine use among the participants at bivariate analysis. Vaccination status (p = 0.004), level of education (p = 0.002), and accessibility of the herbalists vs conventional treatment (p < 0.001). Table 4 summarizes factors associated with herbal medicine use among the participants at multivariable logistic regression: being vaccinated (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 3.1, 95{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} CI: 1.4–6.8, p = 0.005) and having attained a tertiary level of education (aOR: 6.2, 95{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} CI: 1.7–23.1, p = 0.006), as well as the accessibility of the herbalists (aOR: 31.2, 95{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} CI: 3.7–263.2, p = 0.002).

Table 3 Bivariate Analysis for Socio-Demographic Factors Associated with Herbal Medical Use

Table 4 A Multivariable Logistic Regression Showing Predictors of Use of Herbal Medical Use

Discussion

In the current study, the prevalence of herbal medicine use was found to be 57.3{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}. All participants who reported to have used herbal medicines started to use before hospital-based treatment a third of whom continued to use even after initiation of COVID-19 treatment. This finding was consistent with the results of a cross-sectional online survey among Vietnamese adults that found nearly half of the respondents to use herbal medicine for common illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.¹² However, studies from Saudi Arabia report rather a higher prevalence (>90{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}) of herbal medicines use in the management of COVID-19 and other conditions.^1,5,13 This big difference in the prevalence could be explained by the fact that our study assessed herbal medicine use among virologically confirmed patients, unlike the Saudi Arabian study whose participants reported to have used herbs for boosting their immunity and to improve general health and not to cure infection.¹³ However, a finding of herbal medicine use of more than half in our study is concerning given limited evidence supporting efficacy and safety of herbal medicines. In fact, previous studies in Uganda assessing herbal medicine use have reported a comparatively high prevalence.^6,14,15 Easy access, affordability, cultural familiarity, and the unfavorable doctor–patient ratio in Uganda are the major factors leading to increased herbal medicine use.⁴

Being vaccinated, having attained a tertiary level of education, as well as the accessibility of the herbalists were found to be significantly associated with herbal medicines in this study. This finding corroborates with the results of a study conducted in Vietnam which reported higher levels of income, urban dwellers, and higher levels of education to be more likely to use herbal medicines in the management of COVID-19.¹² Although studies from other countries have reported a predilection of females towards herbal medicine use,^12,16 this was not the case in our study. Our study revealed that participants who were vaccinated against COVID-19 continued to use herbal medicine for prevention and treatment. Notably, still, our participants believed that herbal medicines were safe and effective corroborating findings reported by Nguyen et al, in which nearly 70{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of participants considered herbal medicines safe and effective.¹² With limited research evidencing the efficacy, mode of action, and toxicity profiles of the common herbal medicines on market, the population is at great risk of drug-herbal medicine interactions, drug resistance, and unexplained adverse reactions. Efforts should be directed towards further studies to understand the role of herbal remedies in patient management and public awareness to guide their utilization.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in sub-Saharan Africa to assess the use of herbal medicine among COVID 19 patients hospitalized in treatment centers. Previous studies on herbal medicine use in Uganda and other sub-Saharan countries have focused on populations with HIV, hepatitis, and hypertension and there is a paucity of literature on the prevalence and rationale of herbal medicine use among patients with COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa.^17,18 Findings from this study provide documented evidence on herbal medicine use among the population of COVID-19 patients, which will be used to promote public awareness, and knowledge of proper use of herbal therapies and contribute to the National Drug Authority’s objective to regulate the use of herbal medicine in Uganda. This information can also be used to promote activities to bring about improved communication between patients and health workers about herbal medicine use.

Limitations

Several limitations were taken into consideration as we interpreted these results. First, the study employed a non-random sample. Participation in the study was voluntary and no information was available about the characteristics of those who did not participate. Secondly, the cross-sectional design of our study does not allow for a causal interpretation of the results. Thirdly, the CTUs employed were geographically situated in town and this could have limited access to populations in rural areas who could have reflected different study findings. However, despite these limitations, this is the first study in Uganda assessing the prevalence of herbal medicine use and its associated factors among hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Conclusion

The use of herbal medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic is a widespread practice among the general population in Uganda amidst unpublished evidence of their safety and efficacy. Continuous public health awareness is suggested on the different natural remedies and further studies on the role of herbal medicine in patient management are recommended.

Data Sharing Statement

The data used to support the results of the research are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge administrative support from Mulago National Referral hospital, Namboole COVID-19 Treatment Unit, and Kiruddu Referral Hospital.

Author Contributions

All authors made substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, took part in drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content, agreed to submit to the current journal, gave final approval to the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health, US Department of State’s Office of the US Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy (S/GAC), and President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) under Award Number 1R25TW011213. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Disclosure

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest for this work.

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2. Laelago T, Yohannes T, Lemango F. Prevalence of herbal medicine use and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at public health facilities in Hossana Town, Southern Ethiopia: facility based cross sectional study. Arch Public Health. 2016;74(1):1–8.

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4. De Coninck J. Promoting herbal medicine in Uganda – ICH NGO Forum [Internet]. The status of traditional medicine; 2016 [cited September 14, 2021]. Available from: http://www.ichngoforum.org/promoting-herbal-medicine-uganda/. Accessed November 5, 2021.

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6. Nyeko R, Tumwesigye NM, Halage AA. Prevalence and factors associated with use of herbal medicines during pregnancy among women attending postnatal clinics in Gulu district, Northern Uganda. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016;16(1). pmc/articles/PMC5053208. doi:10.1186/s12884-016-1095-5

7. Musoke P, Nantaayi B, Ndawula Kato R. Fear of COVID-19 and the media influence on herbal medication use in Uganda: a cross-sectional study. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2021;14:3965s–75. doi:10.2147/RMHP.S332325

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10. Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (control) Act. National Drug Policy and Authority Act (Chapter 206) | Ulii [Internet]. National Drug Policy and Authority Act; 2016 [cited September 14, 2021]. Available from: https://ulii.org/akn/ug/act/statute/1993/13/eng{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}402016-02-15#sec_5. Accessed November 5, 2021.

11. Quandt SA, Verhoef MJ, Arcury TA. Development of an international questionnaire to measure use of complementary and alternative medicine (I-CAM-Q). J Altern Complement Med. 2009;15(4):331–339. doi:10.1089/acm.2008.0521

12. Nguyen PH, De Tran V, Pham DT, Dao TNP, Dewey RS. Use of and attitudes towards herbal medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study in Vietnam. Eur J Integr Med. 2021;44:101328. doi:10.1016/j.eujim.2021.101328

13. Abdullah Alotiby A, Naif Al-Harbi L. Prevalence of using herbs and natural products as a protective measure during the COVID-19 pandemic among the Saudi population: an online cross-sectional survey. Saudi Pharm J. 2021;29(5):410–417. doi:10.1016/j.jsps.2021.04.001

14. Auerbach BJ, Reynolds SJ, Lamorde M, et al. Traditional herbal medicine use associated with liver fibrosis in Rural Rakai, Uganda. PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e41737. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041737

15. Langlois-Klassen D, Kipp W, Rubaale T. Who’s talking? Communication between health providers and HIV-infected adults related to herbal medicine for AIDS treatment in western Uganda. Soc Sci Med. 2008;67(1):165–176. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.02.027

16. Lam CS, Koon HK, Chung VC-H, Cheung YT. A public survey of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine use during the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong. PLoS One. 2021;16(7):e0253890. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0253890

17. Kloos H, Mariam DH, Kaba M, Tadele G. Traditional medicine and HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia: herbal medicine and faith healing: a review. Ethiop J Health Dev. 2013;27(2):141–155.

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December 7, 2021

How Doctors Can Help Their Patients Make Heart-Healthy Lifestyle Changes

THURSDAY, Nov. 4, 2021 (American Coronary heart Affiliation Information)

Lifestyle improve is a highly effective, demonstrated way for a man or woman to prevent coronary heart sickness. But to make healthier changes adhere, men and women often require a little support.

Primary care medical doctors could offer very important support in connecting individuals with counseling which is been demonstrated to make a distinction. But simply because of time constraints or other obstacles, those people doctors generally really don’t.

A new report offers guidance on how to improve that.

The scientific assertion, published Thursday in the American Coronary heart Association journal Circulation, summarizes exploration displaying the gains of behavioral counseling. It also offers simple methods for busy overall health treatment gurus to help people get that variety of care – treatment that goes beyond the normal 15-moment once-a-year appointment.

Deepika Laddu, who led the group that wrote the statement, said it really is not generally enough for a affected person to merely figure out the require to alter their taking in or exercising routines.

“It is a single matter to say, ‘I’m going to lower the amount of unwanted fat in my diet.’ But they need guidance to say, ‘I’m likely to sustain that as a life-style,’” explained Laddu, an assistant professor of bodily remedy in the College or university of Utilized Wellness Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

These help may contain advice on arranging a wholesome diet or location practical workout ambitions. It also could include checking in regularly to make certain all those designs and targets remain on monitor.

But “suppliers do not have time,” Laddu explained. “They might not have the methods in place. There also are program-relevant variables,” these kinds of as the bureaucracies behind referral insurance policies or reimbursement.

The report spells out the great importance of conquering this kind of boundaries by summarizing investigate on applications sent in principal treatment or community options that have been shown to get the job done in folks who are middle-aged or more mature. “We are offering the most effective-apply methods of what has been performed and what has efficiently been proven to improve health and fitness behaviors – not for a small time period of time, but for a long time,” Laddu claimed.

One case in point is the Diabetic issues Avoidance Program, explained report co-creator Dr. Jun Ma, a professor of drugs at the University of Illinois at Chicago. It truly is a effectively-studied intervention that contains lifestyle coaches who satisfy often with contributors. It is really been demonstrated to do the job as effectively or much better than medication at reducing danger factors for heart sickness.

But it however tends to be a great deal easier for a physician to publish a prescription than to enroll anyone in such a plan, Ma said. “They do not have the same system or infrastructure to just prescribe a behavioral intervention.”

Overworked primary care experts shouldn’t be expected to do all the function by themselves, Ma explained. “Standard clinicians are not skilled to be behavioral counselors or wellness coaches. So, it requires a group-centered solution. We have to have to have folks effectively qualified in behavioral counseling to be on the care crew.”

To assist with that, the report presents medical practitioners inbound links to lists of neighborhood programs – available as a result of the Centers for Condition Manage and Prevention, the YMCA and many others – that they can use to refer people. And it explains how plans could qualify for insurance coverage protection less than the Cost-effective Treatment Act.

Ma claimed even if a exercise has not been building use of behavioral techniques, the assertion is published to fit in with the way physicians are qualified to tutorial sufferers. So, the hope is it systematically will make it less difficult for doctors to help individuals and arrange care for all those who have to have it.

The report is a setting up point for transforming the way medical practitioners market overall health in light-weight of long-time period tendencies showing an growing older population with escalating degrees of heart sickness, Laddu stated.

“I never know if our wellness care method is going to be outfitted for dealing with the growing burden of heart condition that is envisioned unless of course we make a adjust now,” she reported, “and except if we enable companies understand what applications are obtainable and enhance the awareness of what can be carried out further than the constraints of their 15-moment window.”

When a affected person is all set for change, Laddu explained, the health and fitness treatment group also requirements to get accountability and say, “I require to aid my individual transform,” no matter whether which is immediately encouraging a patient or “arranging the guidance system so that their individual can get the treatment that they will need, when they want it, for as prolonged as they will need it.”

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Dilemma

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November 19, 2021

Tag: Patients

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