Legal drugs?

K2 is a mixture of herbs and certain cannabinoids that gets you high when you smoke it. Synthetic weed. It’s similar to marijuana except for:

• It’s way more potent
• It’s legal in most states

So since it’s legal, it must be okay, right? Not so fast…

Synthetic marijuana composition

What can someone add to the ingredients of the drug? Answer: practically anything. Over the years, there have been situations when illegal drugs purchased on the street were found to have harmful, even deadly ingredients added to them. It is not too farfetched to conjecture that something similar will eventually happen to users of K2.

Dr. Corey Herbert, a medical editor for TV station WDSU in New Orleans, is concerned about that very situation. He states “Every time you use supplements like this one or anything else, it’s really like playing Russian Roulette because you have no idea what is in that package.”

Long term effects

The drug’s creator, chemist John Huffman of Clemson University, stated his drug mimics the narcotic effects of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. He also cautions that his lab had developed the drug for research purposes only, and that “their effects in humans have not been studied and they could very well have toxic effects.”

As a relatively new synthetic, the jury is still out as to whether or not there are any long term effects coincident with its usage. In ancient Rome, lead was sometimes sprinkled in wine for the effect it had on the user: stupor, disorientation, etc. We now know that ingesting lead can be deadly. Some even postulate the fall of the Roman empire can be attributed to the use of lead in that society.

For current comparisons, K2 and steroids can be viewed side by side. This latter drug was initially touted as a wonder chemical that could enhance athletic performance. But more recent reports of the adverse effects of steroids now make even a casual user think twice if the short term gains really supersede their long term effects. Can we expect cancer? Will the offspring of users experience birth defects? What about neurological impairments?

Testing for K2

It’s difficult if not downright impossible to find someone who has ingested the drug. This was evidenced recently by a drug testing company called Redwood Toxicology. A spokesperson said the possibility of being able to definitively conclude a person is under the use of K2 is very difficult.

The problem in nailing down a sure-fire test, urine-based or otherwise, is the moving target nature of the drug. Since the stuff was originally created in a lab and now other labs are producing it, any number of changes to its composition can be affected with very little ease.

The bottom line

Synthetic marijuana is still pretty new to us all. Little testing has been done, so it’s hard to say if it’s safe or not. What I do know is that a handful of states have already banned it. And we can expect more to follow. So if you’re considering trying out K2, your best bet is to leave it alone until more studies are completed.

What do you think about this new synthetic drug?

When it comes to Big Tobacco, what we have are lies, lies, and still more lies. The myths about tobacco abound in all shapes and sizes. But being aware of these untruths can make you a better and healthier (non)consumer. More importantly, being knowledgeable about these myths can even save you life. Here are seven myths coupled with the cold, hard truth about tobacco use.

Myth #1

Light Cigarettes Are Better for You

The words light, low, mild or similar terminology denotes a tobacco product that is less harmful than regular cigarettes. Don’t fall for it. Simply stated, smokers using light cigarettes do not reduce their risk of developing smoke related cancer and other diseases. Of course, the tobacco companies would love for you to believe otherwise. But as of June 22, 2010, federal law prohibits manufacturers from labeling their products using these or similar descriptive terms. You know that hurt the big boys when it passed.

Myth #2

Go Smokeless So You Don’t Get Cancer

Some people turn to smokeless tobacco under the false assumption that if you don’t inhale it, it can’t hurt you. While it might not give you lung cancer, smokeless tobacco has been shown to cause cancer of the mouth, decay in exposed tooth roots, gums to recede from teeth and sores in the mouth that can lead to cancer. This is a classic situation of picking your poison. No matter what you choose—poison is still poison.

Myth #3

Smoking uplifts your mind

Similar to alcohol use, there is sometimes a temporary feeling of relaxation. But, when the immediate effects wear off the body can plunge the user into a lower feeling than previously experienced. Some studies have shown that smoking can lead to full-blown depression and anxiety. Clear thinking is not a benefit of using tobacco products.

Myth #4

Limited use of tobacco products is not harmful

Nicotine is addictive so it’s going to eventually lead to increased usage. More cigarettes means even greater addiction, and the cycle ever increases. With each cigarette you smoke, you increase your risk of related-diseases.

Myth #5

Smoking is only harmful to the smoker

Second hand smoke is actually just as dangerous to those who inhale as to the primary offender. Many times children are the ones that are most affected by this situation. And the residual effects of smoking are borne by all of society in increased medical costs. And more recently, third-hand smoke has come into question. Apparently, however you are exposed to it, it can be deadly.

Myth #6

I can quit any time

False. As noted earlier, one of the ingredients in tobacco is nicotine, an addictive drug. Shear will power alone usually cannot quell the urge to light up another cigarette. Often, assistance from a medical professional is required to break the smoking habit. If you are a smoker, ask your doctor what might be the best way for you to put down that pack.

Don’t let these myths trick you into smoking apathy. The facts are simple—smoking of any type will inevitably have a negative impact on your health. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.

What other myths have you heard about smoking?

Credit: Dikiy (via Flickr)

Media portrays the changing fashion in all its glory and potentially influences health-related behaviors, especially so in young adults when peer pressure is the strongest.  One such health behavior is smoking. A recent survey in Canada reveals that the young men and women between the ages of 20-24 have the highest smoking rate.

While the younger generation pays a deaf ear to the harmful effects of smoking; researchers say that lighting a single cigarette can have serious adverse effects on young adults.

Harmful Effects Of Smoking

Researchers at McGill University Health Center found that smoking one cigarette increases the stiffness of the arteries in 18 to 30 year olds by a whopping 25%.

For us to be able to help our children get out of this habit, it is important to gain knowledge of what happens in our body when arteries become stiff.

The main function of the arteries is to carry fully oxygenated blood to the various parts of the body. The arteries have valves in them that stop the blood from flowing in a wrong direction. The arteries begin at the heart and they have to function properly to keep us healthy. There are serious health problems related to the non-functioning of arteries, such as plaque buildup that happens due to too much consumption of fatty foods, high blood pressure, lack of exercise, cholesterol, weight, diabetes and age.  On the other hand, when arteries become stiff or rigid, they increase resistance in the blood vessels, making the heart work harder.  The stiffer the artery the greater the risk for stroke or heart disease.

You may wonder what’s new with these results, as we always knew that smoking was bad for the health and the heart.  This study emphasizes the fact that even smoking just a few cigarettes a day can have a major impact on the health of the arteries. You can no longer say; just a couple of cigarettes per day are acceptable.  It is not!

Electronic Cigarettes: The Solution?

In such a scenario, the electronic cigarette (E-cigarette) is considered to be perfect solution by many today. It was invented in 2003 by a Beijing-based company.

An electronic cigarette is also known as a personal vaporizer.  It is a battery device that contains cartridges filled with nicotine, other chemicals and flavor, and provides doses of this nicotine solution through vaporization.  In addition to delivering nicotine, this vapor also provides the exact flavor of inhaled tobacco smoke as well as the same feeling and sensation of actually smoking a cigarette, but without the use of tobacco, smoke or combustion.

Most electronic cigarettes look similar to a cigarette or a cigar or a pipe, and the most common design is one that looks like a ballpoint pen.  They come with refillable and replaceable parts; however, there are also several disposable electronic cigarettes available today.

What Is The FDA’s Take On E-Cigarettes?

There was a recent announcement by the FDA that their laboratory analysis revealed that electronic cigarettes contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, which is an ingredient used in antifreeze.  This analysis was done with a sample of cartridges from two leading electronic cigarettes brands.  They found diethylene glycol in one sample and in the other, carcinogens.

Marketing Of These Products

These e-cigarettes are targeted at young adults who can buy them online or in shopping malls.  The worst part of the whole thing is that no health warnings are given on these products. They also come in different flavors, such as mint and chocolate that would appeal to youngsters.

In conclusion, it is important for everyone to understand that health experts express their concern that these cigarettes could easily increase tobacco use an nicotine addiction in youngsters.

Learning all this worries me because when I was in South Africa recently, I noticed my friend’s son smoking an e-cigarette.  Guess what! That was a gift from his mother who gave it to him in an attempt to get him to stop smoking cigarettes.

As of now things are not really clear about e-cigarettes; although, they are claimed by manufacturers to be a blessing in disguise.  It helps to keep our eyes open and see what FDA and other experts have to say in the future when further tests are conducted. Our children’s health is out responsibility!

By now you know that it is not possible to “live” with a toxic colon because it will not let you live. Yes, it can get very bad if neglected and lead to a host of debilitating health issues, including obesity, severe gastrointestinal dysfunction, gum disease, food allergies as well as recurring depression. But, how do you know if you are a victim?

You will certainly know when you cannot see your knees anymore – due to overweight. That sounds scary but it is a fact.

There are other ways of finding out the condition of the colon. One obvious sign is difficult and painful bowel movements. According to Robert Gray, a nutritional counselor, “Few people have any inkling as to how much old, hardened feces are chronically present within their bodies.”

Transit time can also be used to measure the health of a bowel, with the optimal transit time being 18-20 hours. Other symptoms of a toxic bowel are bloating and gas, weight gain, lower back pain, headaches, fatigue, depression, dark circles under the eyes, sallow complexion, abnormal body odor, tender abdomen and bad breath.

While observing the symptoms is essential, nutritionists also advise undergoing tests to get more detailed information about the colon condition. These tests may also help determine the treatment that is needed.

Testing The Transit Time – A simple procedure that can be done at home is to test the food transit time. Begin by eating a test food, such as corn on the cob, beets, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds or any other food that is visible in the stool. The time of ingestion of the test food should be noted and then it should be carefully watched to see the material appear in the stool, identifying the food in the stool by undigested seeds, kernels or the dark red color from the beets. The time between the ingestion of the test food to the appearance in the stool is the transit time.

Bacterial Breath Test – This test will determine if bacteria has taken over the small intestine, by measuring the levels of hydrogen and methane in the breath after the intake of a specially formulated drink that contains non-digestible sugar (lactulose). If there is bacteria in the small intestine, the levels of both methane and hydrogen will increase.

Iridology – This is an alternative medicine technique that can be used to assess the health of the colon. This diagnostic tool studies the iris of the eye. Iridologists have amazingly mapped the entire body in the iris and will look for black spots, tiny yellow clumps, white circles or speckles on the surface of the iris to detect any disease in any part of the body. James D’Adamo, N.D., a naturopath says that when the colon is toxic a ringed formation will appear on the iris.

Urinary Indican (Obermeyer Test) – This test reveals the amount of indican, which is a bacterial waste product in the urine. A high level of indican reflects a colon filled with putrefactive bacteria.

Tongue Analysis – Traditional Chinese medicine has used the tongue to diagnose a host of internal diseases. To perform a tongue analysis, no food should be eaten after 5 p.m. on the previous day, and also no meat should be included in the last meal. Upon waking up the next morning, the tongue should be checked to see if there is a coating, which if existent, can be an indicator of a clogged colon. The thicker the coating, the worse the problem.

Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis – This involves a physician performing almost two dozen tests on a stool sample. These tests will reveal the level of digestion of food, how efficiently the nutrients are being absorbed, the proportion of friendly bacteria in the intestine when compared to unfriendly bacteria, whether fats are being absorbed, whether yeasts such as Candida are present and also whether the diet contains sufficient fiber. This is considered to be one of the best ways to gauge into the colon and observe its functioning.

After identifying the toxicity of colon by performing any of the above mentioned tests, a colon cleansing is commonly recommended by health practitioners as part of the detoxification program. It is important for everyone to understand their bodies well enough to be able to see the symptoms of colon disease and take appropriate action. As they say, self help is the best help.

Terror is said to wound the brain just as bullets wound the body. Exposure to trauma and events that are extremely tough to handle affect the body chemistry.

This is what happens to soldiers at war, who develop disorders related to the brain or suffer from depression caused by traumatic experiences. Hundreds of thousands of troops serving the nation in Iraq and Afghanistan are said to be suffering from major depression or Post-traumatic stress.

This major health crisis is being handled by the U.S. Military in a way that has never been done in history – by popping the pill.

Growing numbers of U.S. troops are reported to be taking daily doses of Prozac, which is an antidepressant, to calm the nerves.

Officials say that increasing violence in Afghanistan and the isolation caused the troops to rely more on medication; although, it is the same in Iraq, but to a lesser extent. The Army’s fifth Mental Health Advisory Team report reveals data that shows about 12% of the Iraqi combat troops and 17% of the Afghanistan troops are taking antidepressants or sleeping pills.

Prozac (Fluoxetine hydrochloride) is the third most prescribed antidepressant, with over 22.2 million prescriptions having been filled during the last year alone. It has been approved by the FDA for use in treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder, clinical depression, panic disorder and bulimia nervosa. It is prescribed to alleviate anxiety and improve sleep.

Healthcare professionals say that antidepressants are to be used on people with chemical imbalances and not on people who are justifiably depressed because they see horror every day and they are thousands of miles away from home. If antidepressants are given to people without chemical imbalances, it can lead to adverse reactions and probably made worse by “medication.” They are also of the opinion that these soldiers need to receive appropriate care for the mental health conditions, or else they will have to face long-term consequences.

It is reported that even military physicians are divided on this, some are of the opinion that the exact effects of using medications such as Prozac, Zantac and other antidepressants on soldiers at war, is not very clear and others say that using this medicine for mild depression alleviates the need for replacement of soldiers, which can prove to be a costly affair.

There has been a hue and cry about people who are on antidepressants becoming aggressive or killing themselves. There was even the horrific story about Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Prozac magically misplacing important information that shows a strong link between antidepressants and suicides. Long before the drug being approved and brought to the public, there apparently were many drug trials that proved this.

Although, there is no concrete evidence that Prozac may be what is actually making them commit suicide, the trauma that goes with killing people, watching friends die, feeling trapped, living in constant fear, knowing that they are going to go out there and do it over and over again, getting divorced, are sufficient to drive people to suicides.

These soldiers, who are fighting for their nation in Iraq and Afghanistan, pay a price not only in terms of endangering their lives but also pay a heavy psychological price. It all starts off with mild anxiety and passing irritability, difficulty in sleeping and increasing feelings of pessimism and apathy. As it worsens, these feelings last longer and the person concerned becomes panicky and angry. These symptoms are not restricted to the battlefield and continue even when these soldiers go back home, which affects their personal lives and results in broken marriages, breakdowns and suicides. This mental trauma is so severe that the Pentagon is planning on qualifying post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) as part of the “wounds,” which is currently only restricted to the physically injured soldiers. Defense Secretary, Robert Gates said that “it’s clearly something that needs to be considered and the Pentagon is weighing the change.”

With these soldiers subjected to this turmoil on a daily basis, the big question is, “Does Prozac or any other antidepressant really help?”

An investigation conducted on this suggests that the army is using a little-examined practice of giving antidepressants to get the soldiers going and continue fighting, in order to avoid the cost of deploying replacements and training, and also to maintain troop strength. These antidepressants and sleeping aids used for retention are said to have had tragic consequences and many a soldier in the past went back home in a coffin.

These combat troops that pop the pill and go back to work need follow-up care and more than anything else, they need rest.

This investigation reveals that there is alarming evidence that these medications are being dispensed with not much monitoring and minimal counseling, despite the fact that FDA warned that the drugs can increase suicidal thoughts. Another thing that they noticed was that these soldiers were sent back to the front lines by military doctors, after a three-day drug treatment and rest; whereas experts say that these drugs take anywhere between two and six weeks to actually start showing affect and provide any sort of therapeutic value, but the side effects kick in almost immediately.

Families of these troops also reported that their loved ones were prescribed antidepressants by military doctors, with no regular monitoring or counseling.

An explanation given by an Army Surgeon states that these drugs are only used to assist soldiers in passing through an event and they lay emphasis on keeping these troubled troops close to the front lines in their best interests, because it helps them recover and avoids the stigma of abandoning duty.

But experts outside the command look at this differently and point out that it is a completely irresponsible gesture and is being done as it is “best for the Army” and not the soldiers. Many consider this act of supplying antidepressants to the troops as an inhuman act. They say that the Army is denying these soldiers proper treatment, which entails taking them out of the battle, and adding a drug to this situation is the worst thing they can do.

Health experts say that although, Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa and Paxil are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, they can worsen depression and may cause suicidal thinking and the FDA states that people who are on antidepressants should be carefully monitored when they are first prescribed; however, this is an almost impossible task to accomplish in a war zone.

The traumatized troops do find solace in these antidepressants and sleeping pills but in a totally different way – by faking a mental illness to be able to get out of duty. The health care professionals are being traumatized too, by having to constantly be on the alert for troops that are faking. Can the troops be blamed?

People in the habit of smoking know how difficult it is to win the battle of smoke, which is even worse than the battle of the bulge. Most people go through the “quit smoking” phase, but not many people are successful at following through. They hate using the word “addiction,” but that is what it is. Why does this happen?

Smoking makes people feel good by stimulating the mind, while soothing it. This soothing effect is hard to let go. This happens because of the nicotine present in the cigarettes, which triggers a flood of dopamine and several other neurochemicals that flow over the brain’s pleasure channels. Tobacco smoke inhalation is said to be the quickest way to send nicotine to the brain.

Researcher Dr. David Abrams is very understanding when he says, “I completely understand why you wouldn’t want to give it up.” Another researcher says, “It’s more difficult to get off nicotine than heroin or cocaine.”

Dr. Abrams explained that smoking takes charge of the reward systems in our brain that makes people seek water, food and sex. This rewards system also makes the person seek nicotine, making them feel the same urgency. The human brain starts believing that this is also an essential part of survival.

Regarding the addiction to nicotine, doctors say that nicotine does not afford the same level of addiction to all people. Many people never smoke because they do not enjoy it and then there are people that smoke occasionally but do not get addicted. However, most people who start smoking usually get addicted at some point and start smoking all day, every day.

Discoveries in genetics are clearing up some of the unknown facts as to why some people get addicted to smoking while others do not. The culprit is found to be a gene-encoded enzyme that works by clearing nicotine from the bloodstreams of some smokers rapidly and these people end up smoking more to refill the nicotine.

Drug makers are researching this addiction, in order to provide new treatments to help smokers quit smoking.

The latest medication for smokers, which is the first to be approved in ten long years, is Chantix. Chantix works by disguising as nicotine so well that it copies the brain’s nicotine receptors, where it may have the potential to reduce cravings. Then when real nicotine is sent to the brain, it will not be able to find enough free receptors to work on it.

However, the huge enthusiasm that this was met with, faded when there were reports of suicides and other bizarre behaviors noted in people who were taking it.

Researchers are working on Chantix to see where it is going wrong and also on other alternatives, but it may be a while before something else comes along that can help people quit smoking.

Meanwhile, how about trying to put that will power to use, and join the club of minority smokers that quit without needing any external help.