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  • 8 Amazing Benefits of Astragalus Root According to Scientific Studies

    8 Amazing Benefits of Astragalus Root According to Scientific Studies

    Astragalus Root

    Astragalus is a plant in the legume family, native to Asia. Its root has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries as an immune system booster and to prevent and treat various illnesses. It is also known as Huang Qi in Chinese traditional medicine. Astragalus supplements are available in various forms, including capsules, teas, and tinctures.

    Astragalus is a flowering plant native to China and Korea. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the root of the astragalus plant is used as a tonic and adaptogen. The root is sliced and dried, then it’s ground into a powder, steeped as tea, or even added to the stock in stews. Research today finds that it stimulates the immune system and promotes homeostasis in the body. Here are 8 impressive benefits, according to scientific reports:

    1. Lowers Stress Levels

    In Chinese medicine, astragalus is associated with the “earth” element. It’s considered an adaptogen because it promotes homeostasis in response to stressors and helps the body adapt to stress.

    To test the effect of astragalus on stress hormones, scientists in one study looked at milk-producing cows under heat stress. Heat exposure normally reduces milk production in cows, but astragalus intervention was shown to mitigate this effect by lowering cortisol — the main hormone responsible for producing a stress response in the body.[1]

    In a study on mice, astragalus was shown to counter the mental and behavioral impairments caused by stress. The mice given astragalus performed better on mazes, which scientists translate to better spatial memory, learning, and anxiety levels.[2]

    2. Helps Normalize Blood Sugar Levels

    In an analysis of 13 studies on the effects of astragalus on people with type 2 diabetes, astragalus was reported to lower high blood sugar when taken daily at a dose of around 50 mg.[3] Astralagus root is a staple anti-diabetic herb prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine, and modern studies have identified various plant compounds like flavonoids and polysaccharides in astragalus that are responsible for its effects on blood sugar. These medicinal molecules improve insulin sensitivity, helping to regulate and normalize blood glucose levels.[4]

    3. Supports Cardiovascular Health

    Atherosclerosis is the hardening of the arteries and buildup of plaque that can put you at risk of a heart attack. In a study published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, researchers attributed antioxidants in astragalus to its ability to reverse atherosclerosis in rabbits. In the study, rabbits given astragalus had lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, indicating a reduced risk for heart disease after just 12 weeks.[5]

    Research on the effects of astragalus on heart disease patients is lacking. However, animal trials suggest astragalus has heart-protective benefits that could assist in preventing cardiovascular disease.

    4. Fights Cancer

    In human trials, astragalus has been found to increase the anti-tumor effects of chemotherapy. In fact, astragalus can shrink tumors and prevent cancer from spreading to other parts of the body.[6] Lab studies show that astragalus has anti-cancer effects against human lung cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer.[7,8,9] One of the ways astragalus works is by enhancing the immune system’s natural defense against cancer cell growth. The antioxidants in astragalus may also help with cancer prevention by protecting cells and organs against oxidative damage.

    5. May Counter Chemotherapy Side Effects

    In addition to defending the body against cancer, astragalus could also help in reducing the side effects of chemotherapy drugs. According to a review of multiple studies on patients undergoing chemotherapy, astragalus root effectively reduces nausea and vomiting compared to a placebo.[10]

    6. Boosts Your Immune System

    As an adaptogen, astragalus can stimulate a depressed or burdened immune system. Chronic stress, as well as consuming large amounts of caffeine, sugar, or alcohol, can suppress immune function and make you more vulnerable to colds, flu, and other infections. Astragalus root seems to jumpstart the various immune cells and their functions, causing white blood cells to circulate in the body and mitigate threats more effectively.[11] While more research is needed, it’s possible that supplementing with astragalus could help protect against common colds by strengthening immune function.

    7. Supports Kidney Health

    One of the traditional uses of astragalus in Chinese medicine is to support kidney health. Astragalus root has been found to improve proteinuria, which is the presence of too much protein in the urine. Chronic kidney disease is characterized by kidney damage affecting the ability of the kidneys to filter waste. In a study on patients with chronic kidney disease, astragalus root supplementation was found to improve kidney function.[12]

    8. Protects Brain Health

    Amyloid beta is the toxic waste responsible for Alzheimer’s and dementia when it builds up in the brain. In a study on rats injected with amyloid beta, a group of rats also injected with astragalus root were found to have less neurological damage and symptoms of anxiety compared to the control group. While human studies are needed, it’s possible that astragalus could help in the prevention of neurodegeneration.[13]

    Astragalus Root Safety

    Side effects with astragalus root are rare. Potential side effects that can occur are itching, rash, and gastrointestinal discomfort. Not enough is known about the effects of astragalus on pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, who should therefore avoid it.[14] People with an autoimmune disease should approach astragalus with caution because it can stimulate activity in the immune system.

    Astragalus Benefits and Uses

    There are many reasons astragalus root has been revered in TCM for centuries. It can help protect against diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and even neurological disease like Alzheimer’s and dementia. As an adaptogen, astragalus can help you beat stress and boost your immune system. Astragalus root is found as a tincture, tea, or in capsule form.

    Please note that it is important to consult a healthcare professional before taking any supplement, especially if you have a medical condition or are taking any medications.

    References:

    1. “Analysis of Astragalus Polysaccharide Intervention in Heat-Stressed Dairy Cows’ Serum Metabolomics” by Hanfang Zeng, Yumeng Xi, Yeqing Li, Zedong Wang, Lin Zhang and Zhaoyu Han, 29 March 2020, Animals.
      DOI: 10.3390/ani10040574
    2. “The Effects of Astragalus Membranaceus on Repeated Restraint Stress-induced Biochemical and Behavioral Responses” by Hyun-Jung Park, Hyun Young Kim, Kun-Ho Yoon, Kyung Soo Kim and Insop Shim, 17 August 2009, The Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology.
      DOI: 10.4196/kjpp.2009.13.4.315
    3. “The effect of Astragalus as an adjuvant treatment in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A (preliminary) meta-analysis” by Huiping Tian, Jun Lu, Hairong He, Lu Zhang, Yalin Dong, Hongping Yao, Weiyi Feng and Siwen Wang, 3 June 2016, Journal of Ethnopharmacology.
      DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.05.062
    4. “Recent Advances in Astragalus membranaceus Anti-Diabetic Research: Pharmacological Effects of Its Phytochemical Constituents” by Kojo Agyemang, Lifeng Han, Erwei Liu, Yi Zhang, Tao Wang and Xiumei Gao, 17 November 2013, Evidence-Based Medicinal Plants for Modern Chronic Diseases.
      DOI: 10.1155/2013/654643
    5. “Study of the Effects of Total Flavonoids of Astragalus on Atherosclerosis Formation and Potential Mechanisms” by Deqing Wang, Yuan Zhuang, Yaping Tian, Graham Neil Thomas, Mingzhong Ying and Brian Tomlinson, 29 January 2012, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity.
      DOI: 10.1155/2012/282383
    6. “Anti-tumor effects and mechanisms of Astragalus membranaceus (AM) and its specific immunopotentiation: Status and prospect” by Shanshan Li, Yi Sun, Jin Huang, Bin Wang, Yinan Gong, Yuxin Fang, Yangyang Liu, Shenjun Wang, Yi Guo, Hong Wang, Zhifang Xu and Yongming Guo, 1 April 2020, Journal of Ethnopharmacology.
      DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.112797
    7. “Anticancer activity of Astragalus polysaccharide in human non-small cell lung cancer cells” by Chao-Yan Wu, Yuan Ke, Yi-Fei Zeng, Ying-Wen Zhang and Hai-Jun Yu, 4 December 2017, Cancer Cell International.
      DOI: 10.1186/s12935-017-0487-6
    8. “Anti-tumor potential of astragalus polysaccharides on breast cancer cell line mediated by macrophage activation” by Wenfang Li, Kedong Song, Shuping Wang, Chenghong Zhang, Meiling Zhuang, Yiwei Wang and Tianqing Liu, 8 January 2019, Materials Science and Engineering: C.
      DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2019.01.025
    9. “Astragalus saponins modulates colon cancer development by regulating calpain-mediated glucose-regulated protein expression” by Yue Wang, Kathy K Auyeung, Xiaoyu Zhang and Joshua K Ko, 15 October 2014, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
      DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-14-401
    10. “Integrative Medicine for Relief of Nausea and Vomiting in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer Using Oxaliplatin-Based Chemotherapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” by Meng hua Chen, Brian H. May, Iris W. Zhou, Anthony L. Zhang and Charlie C. Xue, 23 February 2016, Phytotherapy Research.
      DOI: 10.1002/ptr.5586
    11. “Astragalus membranaceus Extract Activates Immune Response in Macrophages via Heparanase” by Qiaojing Qin, Jianying Niu, Zhaoxia Wang, Wangjie Xu, Zhongdong Qiao and Yong Gu, 13 June 2012, Molecules.
      DOI: 10.3390/molecules17067232
    12. “Oral Astragalus Root Supplementation for Mild to Moderate Chronic Kidney Disease: A Self-Controlled Case-Series” by Tetsuhiro Yoshino, Yuko Horiba, Masaru Mimura and Kenji Watanabe, 1 March 2022, Frontiers in Pharmacology.
      DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.775798
    13. “Neuroprotection and anxiety like behavior reduction of Allium hirtifolium and Astragalus hamosus in the Aβ-injected rat” by Z. Bahaeddin, A. Yans, F. Khodagholi and S. Sahranavard, October 2016, Research Journal of Pharmacognosy.
    14. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/astragalus

    This is a general information article and should not be taken as professional medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before taking any herbal supplement or making any changes to your diet or exercise routine. Herbal supplements can interact with certain medications and may not be safe for everyone. Some supplements may not have been adequately tested for safety or effectiveness, and their claims may not have been evaluated by the FDA. Additionally, the dosage and purity of supplements can vary between brands, so it is important to purchase supplements from a reputable source. Keep in mind that the use of herbal supplements is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or medical condition.

  • Cannabis For Pain Relief? Review of 20 Studies Provides Sobering Results : ScienceAlert

    Cannabis For Pain Relief? Review of 20 Studies Provides Sobering Results : ScienceAlert

    Hashish is a single of the most extensively applied medicines in the environment. Though there are only a several nations around the world where hashish is authorized for recreational use, a lot of much more nations have legalized the use of cannabis for clinical explanations.

    Decreasing ache is one particular of the most widespread causes people today report working with healthcare cannabis. According to a US national survey, 17 percent of respondents who experienced reported using cannabis in the previous yr had been approved clinical cannabis.

    When it comes to self-medicine, the quantities are even higher – with estimates that concerning 17-30 per cent of grown ups in North The us, Europe and Australia reporting they use it to regulate pain.

    Though hashish (and hashish-derived products and solutions, these types of as CBD) may possibly be greatly employed for minimizing ache, how productive it actually is in executing this is still unclear. This is what our recent systematic review and meta-analysis sought to uncover.

    Our review, revealed in the Journal of the American Professional medical Affiliation, indicates cannabis is no much better at relieving discomfort than a placebo.

    To carry out our research, we appeared at the results of randomized managed trials in which cannabis was in comparison with a placebo for the treatment of clinical pain. We especially provided reports that when compared the transform in agony depth before and after remedy. In whole, we looked at 20 scientific tests involving just about 1,500 men and women altogether.

    The experiments we integrated seemed at a wide range of different soreness circumstances (these as neuropathic discomfort, which is brought on by hurt to the nerves, and a number of sclerosis) and kinds of hashish goods – like THC, CBD and artificial hashish (these types of as nabilone). These solutions were being administered in a wide range of strategies, which includes by using pill, spray, oil and smoked.

    The majority of the study’s contributors were female (62 percent) and aged between 33 and 62. Most of the experiments were carried out in the US, Uk or Canada – nevertheless we also bundled studies from Brazil, Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Israel, the Czech Republic and Spain.

    Our meta-examination confirmed that agony was rated as currently being drastically fewer rigorous after treatment method with a placebo, with a reasonable to huge outcome depending on each and every person. Our workforce also noticed no substantial variation between cannabis and a placebo for minimizing discomfort.

    This corroborates the outcomes of a 2021 meta-evaluation. In simple fact, this 2021 meta-analysis also identified that larger-high-quality studies with greater blinding techniques (exactly where both individuals and scientists are unaware of who is getting the energetic compound) in fact had better placebo responses.

    This suggests that some placebo-managed cannabis trials fail to be certain suitable blinding, which may possibly have led to an overestimation of the effectiveness of medical hashish.

    Our examine also discovered a lot of individuals can distinguish among a placebo and active hashish, despite obtaining the exact odor, flavor and look. If they are informed that they are acquiring or not acquiring cannabinoids, they are a lot more possible to deliver a biased assessment of the usefulness of the intervention. So to make sure researchers are observing the true impact of cannabis, contributors won’t be able to know what they receive.

    Media coverage

    Our examine also examined the way the research ended up protected by the media and academic journals to see no matter if it connected to the therapeutic effect members reported. We did this simply because study has proven media coverage and details on the net can influence the anticipations that a man or woman has of a treatment method.

    Media existence was measured by way of Altmetric, which is a strategy of analyzing mentions of a review in the media, blogs and on social media. Academic effect was measured in terms of citations by other scientists. We observed a whole of 136 information things in the media and weblogs.

    We classified coverage as optimistic, negative or neutral relying on how the benefits ended up presenting about the usefulness of hashish for managing agony. The mind-boggling the vast majority of news merchandise documented that hashish experienced a constructive result for treating agony. This indicates that media coverage to hashish tends to be constructive, irrespective of what a study’s outcomes truly have been.

    There are a lot of illustrations of the connection concerning therapy anticipations and placebo responses. If a person thinks they will encounter aid from their suffering by employing a certain item or treatment method, this can change the way they conclude up perceiving incoming agony alerts – making them imagine their agony is considerably less critical. Recent evidence suggests that the placebo outcome may perhaps operate even if we’re offered with proof that contradicts our preliminary expectations.

    We are unable to say with 100 {fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} certainty that media protection is dependable for the high placebo response observed in our overview. But given placebos have been demonstrated to be just as very good as hashish for handling ache, our benefits clearly show just how critical it is to feel about the placebo effect and how it can be motivated by exterior components – these kinds of as media protection.

    For solutions, these kinds of as cannabinoids, that obtain a good deal of media focus, we need to have to be more arduous in our clinical trials.The Conversation

    Filip Gedin, Postdoctoral Researcher, Ache investigation, Karolinska Institutet.

    This posting is republished from The Discussion beneath a Artistic Commons license. Read through the unique article.

  • Progresses Made in Series of Studies of Prevention and Control of COVID-19 with Lianhua Qingwen Capsules

    Progresses Made in Series of Studies of Prevention and Control of COVID-19 with Lianhua Qingwen Capsules

    SHIJIAZHUANG, China, March 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — On March 19, the Media Briefing on Prevention and Command of COVID-19 with Lianhua Qingwen Capsules, a patented Chinese drugs designed and manufactured by Yiling Pharmaceutical, was convened in Shijiazhuang Town, Hebei Province, at which the in vitro experimental success of Lianhua Qingwen Capsules versus SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant by Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health not too long ago were being posted. These experimental final results present that Lianhua Qingwen Capsules have considerable inhibiting result on the cytopathic effect induced by Omicron variant so as to reach the anti-novel coronavirus influence.

    Progresses Made in Series of Studies of Prevention and Control of COVID-19 with Lianhua Qingwen Capsules

    Because the outbreak of the COVID-19, a sequence of essential and scientific researches on Lianhua Qingwen Capsules in opposition to SARS-CoV-2 have been carried out, forming a chain of proof for procedure of COVID-19 with Lianhua Qingwen with responsible result on “mobile-animal-scientific”. Primary investigate outcomes present that Lianhua Qingwen have secure in vitro antivirus impact on COVID-19, irrespective of whether wild-type or subsequent several mutants, can considerably strengthen the cytopathic result brought about by virus an infection, and can inhibit the release of proinflammatory factors. At current, in vitro experimental outcomes of Omicron variant have been posted, which has superior outcome. The animal experiment on Lianhua Qingwen Capsules towards Omicron is carrying out the global multicenter scientific study has been carried out in numerous countries.

    The analysis benefits of “Efficacy and Basic safety of Lianhuaqingwen Capsules for the Avoidance of Coronavirus Disorder 2019: A Potential Open-Label Controlled Trial” released on the Evidence-centered Complementary and Different Medicine present that Lianhua Qingwen Capsules can significantly cut down the infection rate of shut contacts and the incidence rate of indicators for clients who are favourable in nucleic acid take a look at, specially the incidence fee of fever, so as to give new therapeutic regimens for suspected scenarios and near contacts of COVID-19.

    In the Prognosis and Treatment Protocol for COVID-19 (Trial Model 9) released by Chinese federal government on March 14, Lianhua Qingwen Capsules are advised for prevention and command of the inhabitants beneath clinical observation and delicate and normal clients in the course of scientific remedy. Lianhua Qingwen Capsules have been recommended for procedure of COVID-19 for 6 moments in the nationwide protocol considering that the outbreak of COVID-19.

    Cision Check out unique written content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/information-releases/progresses-made-in-series-of-reports-of-prevention-and-management-of-covid-19-with-lianhua-qingwen-capsules-301506432.html

    Supply Yiling Pharma

  • Depression responds to transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment in studies : Shots

    Depression responds to transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment in studies : Shots

    Eleanor Cole, Ph.D., demonstrates the treatment on trial participant Deirdre Lehman in May 2019 at the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab.

    Steve Fisch for Stanford Medicine


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    Steve Fisch for Stanford Medicine

    Eleanor Cole, Ph.D., demonstrates the treatment on trial participant Deirdre Lehman in May 2019 at the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab.

    Steve Fisch for Stanford Medicine

    After 40 years of fighting debilitating depression, Emma was on the brink.

    “I was suicidal,” said Emma, a 59-year-old Bay Area resident. NPR is not using her full name at her request because of the stigma of mental illness. “I was going to die.”

    Over the years, Emma sat through hours of talk therapy and tried numerous anti-depression medications “to have a semblance of normalcy.” And yet she was consumed by relentless fatigue, insomnia and chronic nausea.

    Depression is the world’s leading cause of disability, partly because treatment options often result in numerous side effects or patients do not respond at all. And there are many people who never seek treatment because mental illness can carry heavy stigma and discrimination. Studies show untreated depression can lead to suicide.

    Three years ago, Emma’s psychiatrist urged her to enroll in a study at Stanford University School of Medicine designed for people who had run out of options. On her first day, scientists took an MRI scan to determine the best possible location to deliver electrical pulses to her brain. Then for a 10 minute block every hour for 10 hours a day for five consecutive days, Emma sat in a chair while a magnetic field stimulated her brain.

    At the end of the first day, an unfamiliar calm settled over Emma. Even when her partner picked her up to drive home, she stayed relaxed. “I’m usually hysterical,” she said. “All the time I’m grabbing things. I’m yelling, you know, ‘Did you see those lights?’ And while I rode home that first night I just looked out the window and I enjoyed the ride.”

    The remedy was a new type of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) called “Stanford neuromodulation therapy.” By adding imaging technology to the treatment and upping the dose of rTMS, scientists have developed an approach that’s more effective and works more than eight times faster than the current approved treatment.

    A coil placed on top of Emma’s head created a magnetic field that sent electric pulses through her skull to tickle the surface of her brain. She says it felt like a woodpecker tapping on her skull every 15 seconds. The electrical current is directed at the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that plans, dreams and controls our emotions.

    Studies Suggest Benefits From A Personalized Approach To Brain Stimulation

    “It’s an area thought to be underactive in depression,” said Nolan Williams, a psychiatrist and rTMS researcher at Stanford. “We send a signal for the system to not only turn on, but to stay on and remember to stay on.”

    Williams says pumping up the prefrontal cortex helps turn down other areas of the brain that stimulate fear and anxiety. That’s the basic premise of rTMS: Electrical impulses are used to balance out erratic brain activity. As a result, people feel less depressed and more in control. All of this holds true in the new treatment — it just works faster.

    A recent randomized control trial, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, shows impressive results are possible in five days of treatment or less. Almost 80{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of patients crossed into remission — meaning they were symptom-free within a month. This is compared to about 13{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of people who received the placebo treatment.

    For the control group, the researchers disguised the treatment with a magnetic coil that mimicked the actual treatment. Neither the scientist administering the procedure nor the patients knew if they were receiving the real or sham treatment. Patients did not report any serious side effects. The most common complaint was a light headache.

    Stanford’s new delivery system may even outperform electroconvulsive therapy, which is the most popular form of brain stimulation for depression, but while quicker, it requires general anesthesia.

    “This study not only showed some of the best remission rates we’ve ever seen in depression,” said Shan Siddiqi, a Harvard psychiatrist not connected to the study, “but also managed to do that in people who had already failed multiple other treatments.”

    Siddiqi also said the study’s small sample size, which is only 29 patients, is not cause for concern.

    “Often, a clinical trial will be terminated early [according to pre-specified criteria] because the treatment is so effective that it would be unethical to continue giving people placebo,” said Siddiqi. “That’s what happened here. They’d originally planned to recruit a much larger sample, but the interim analysis was definitive.”

    Nolan Williams demonstrates the magnetic brain stimulation therapy he and his colleagues developed, on Deirdre Lehman, a participant in a previous study of the treatment.

    Steve Fisch for Stanford Medicine


    hide caption

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    Steve Fisch for Stanford Medicine

    Nolan Williams demonstrates the magnetic brain stimulation therapy he and his colleagues developed, on Deirdre Lehman, a participant in a previous study of the treatment.

    Steve Fisch for Stanford Medicine

    Mark George, a psychiatrist and neurologist at the Medical University of South Carolina, agrees. He points to other similarly sized trials for depression treatments like ketamine, a version of which is now FDA-approved.

    He says the new rTMS approach could be a game changer because it’s both more precise and kicks in faster than older versions. George pioneered an rTMS treatment that was approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for depression in 2008. Studies show that it produces a near total loss of symptoms in about a third of patients; another third feel somewhat better and another third do not respond at all. But the main problem with the original treatment is that it takes six weeks, which is a long time for a patient in the midst of a crisis.

    “This study shows that you can speed it all up and that you can add treatments in a given day and it works,” said George.

    The shorter treatment will increase access for a lot of people who cannot get six weeks off work or cover child care for that long.

    Ketamine May Relieve Depression By Repairing Damaged Brain Circuits

    “The more exciting applications, however, are due to the rapidity,” said George. “These people [the patients] got unsuicidal and undepressed within a week. Those patients are just clogging up our emergency rooms, our psych hospitals. And we really don’t have good treatments for acute suicidality.”

    After 45 years of depression and numerous failed attempts to medicate his illness, Tommy Van Brocklin, a civil engineer, says he didn’t see a way out.

    “The past couple of years I just started crying a lot,” he said. “I was just a real emotional wreck.”

    So last September, Van Brocklin flew across the country from his home in Tennessee to Stanford, where he underwent the new rTMS treatment for a single five-day treatment. Almost immediately he started feeling more optimistic and sleeping longer and deeper.

    “I wake up now and I want to come to work, whereas before I’d rather stick a sharp stick in my eye,” said Van Brocklin. “I have not had any depressed days since my treatment.”

    He is hopeful the changes stick. More larger studies are needed to verify how long the new rTMS treatment will last.

    At least for Emma, the woman who received Stanford’s treatment three years ago in a similar study, the results are holding. She says she still has ups and downs but “it’s an entirely different me dealing with it.”

    She says the regimen rewired her from the inside out. “It saved my life, and I’ll be forever grateful,” said Emma over the phone, her voice cracking with emotion. “It saved my life.”

    Stanford’s neuromodulation therapy could be widely available by the end of this year — that’s when scientists are hoping FDA clearance comes through. The technology is licensed to Magnus Medical, a startup with plans to commercialize it

    Williams, the lead researcher at Stanford, says he’s optimistic insurance companies will eventually cover the new delivery model because it works in a matter of days, so it’s likely more cost-effective than a conventional 6 week rTMS regimen. Major insurance companies and Medicare currently cover rTMS, though some plans require patients to demonstrate that they’ve exhausted other treatment options.

    The next step is studying how rTMS may improve other mental health disorders like addiction and traumatic brain injury.

    “This study is hopefully just the tip of the iceberg,” said Siddiqi. “I think we’re finally on the verge of a paradigm shift in how we think about psychiatric treatment, where we’ll supplement the conventional chemical imbalance and psychological conflict models with a new brain circuit model.”

    In other words, electricity in the form of rTMS could become one of the vital tools used to help people with mental illness.

  • NFL awards million for studies on cannabinoids’ effects on pain management in players

    NFL awards $1 million for studies on cannabinoids’ effects on pain management in players

    The NFL is awarding $1 million in research funding to two teams of clinical scientists to research the outcomes of cannabinoids on discomfort administration and neuroprotection from concussion in elite football gamers.

    Health care groups from the University of California San Diego and College of Regina in Canada ended up picked from 106 proposals initiated by the NFL and the NFL Gamers Association’s Joint Ache Administration Committee in June 2021.

    “We’re normally interested in seeking to make improvements to our method and our procedure for acute and long-term pain in NFL gamers, and we constantly want to make positive that our players are obtaining the most up-to-day medical consensus all around any of these treatment options,” NFL main medical officer Dr. Allen Sills informed The Associated Press. “So, our burden of evidence is actually large for NFL gamers. Whenever we want to introduce a new treatment, we have to fully grasp how that decision may well effect their nicely-currently being and their functionality. We know you will find been a ton of desire in this place, but we did not really feel like there was a large amount of excellent reliable investigation on the advantages of cannabis, CBD and managing acute and long-term pain. So, that is why we wished to try out to add to the system of science in this region.”

    Dr. Kevin Hill, the director of addiction psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Health care Center and a preeminent cannabis researcher and writer, is the co-chair of the NFL-NFLPA Joint Suffering Management Committee. Hill discussed why there has not been significantly exploration on this matter.

    “One explanation is the [DEA] scheduling of hashish will make it more challenging to do this study, but the key purpose is that stakeholders truly are not fascinated in advancing the science,” Hill informed the AP. “You have states and firms that are producing a whole lot of income selling cannabis merchandise, selling CBD merchandise proper now. So they don’t experience the need to have to demonstrate the efficacy of these products, and thousands and thousands of people are applying them. So which is the predicament that we are in as health and fitness treatment professionals or organizations that genuinely treatment about the wellbeing and safety of our constituents, the players in this scenario.

    “We genuinely want to know, do they operate? And just about every working day I meet up with with individuals who are interested in cannabinoids, and it really is the very same detail — we truly will not know the answers to that. So it gets to be a quite complex chance/reward dialogue. So I am thrilled to be a element of something that truly is likely to get toward getting some responses to the queries that everybody’s been conversing about for many years.”

    The $1 million investigation grant is a progressive go by the league to improved realize and boost substitute soreness management treatment plans. Many NFL players around the decades have inquired about the gains of hashish and cannabinoids. A number of previous players are involved in the healthcare-cannabis organization and have possibly started off their have makes, invested in corporations or been hired as ambassadors.

    “We have listened to from the teams, from the clinical staffs, from the gamers loud and crystal clear that they are fascinated in hashish and cannabinoids, and so we desired to do anything that would advance the science in this area so that we could have improved informed conversations with them,” Hill mentioned. “I also want to emphasize that this is the initially stage below. The NFL has finished terrific research in other places: concussions, musculoskeletal accidents, and many others. We’re not limited just to cannabinoids. We are interested in figuring out, are there ways that we can deal with pain much better? And so we’re heading to use this and appear at this process and see if you will find a way that we can improve this procedure, but continue on to try to progress the science in the interest of players’ wellbeing and safety.”

    Hashish is a banned substance in the NFL, although policies about gamers using marijuana had been loosened in the most recent collective bargaining settlement.

    Less than the most the latest labor deal, players who examination favourable for marijuana are no lengthier suspended but they can be fined depending on the range of constructive assessments. Timing of screening was altered to the 1st two months of education camp in its place of from April to August. Also, the threshold wanted to cause a beneficial test was elevated fourfold.

    The review led by Dr. Thomas Marcotte, Dr. Mark Wallace and scientists at the College of California San Diego will look into the outcomes of cannabinoids on pain and restoration from athletics-linked accidents in elite athletes.

    The investigate led by Dr. J. Patrick Neary and scientists at the University of Regina scientific tests by natural means developed cannabinoids for discomfort management and neuroprotection from concussion and participation in get hold of athletics.

    The projects will consider three years to conduct.

    “This type of get the job done is going to be of desire to athletes in quite a few distinct sporting activities and at all degrees,” Sills claimed. “We know that all sporting activities have some degree of personal injury and soreness that are related with those people injuries. And so I assume this will be very generalizable. These goods are already out there and in numerous conditions, they are remaining broadly employed and broadly marketed. So this investigate will aid inform folks as to which strategies might be valuable and then those people that may perhaps not be. And so I see this as being hugely impactful for the NFL, for all of the elite sport, but also activity at all degree across society.”

  • Long term impact of the WHI studies on information-seeking and decision-making in menopause symptoms management: a longitudinal analysis of questions to a medicines call centre | BMC Women’s Health

    Long term impact of the WHI studies on information-seeking and decision-making in menopause symptoms management: a longitudinal analysis of questions to a medicines call centre | BMC Women’s Health

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