HEALTH

What a drag, Israeli firm grows “highless” marijuana

drag(Reuters) – They grow in a secret location in northern Israel. A tall fence, security cameras and an armed guard protect them from criminals. A hint of their sweet-scented blossom carries in the air: rows and rows of cannabis plants, as far as the eye can see.
It is here, at a medical marijuana plantation atop the hills of the Galilee, where researchers say they have developed marijuana that can be used to ease the symptoms of some ailments without getting patients high.
“Sometimes the high is not always what they need. Sometimes it is an unwanted side effect. For some of the people it’s not even pleasant,” said Zack Klein, head of development at Tikun Olam, the company that developed the plant.
Cannabis has more than 60 constituents called cannabinoids. THC is perhaps the best known of those, less so for its medical benefits and more for its psychoactive properties that give people a “high” feeling.
But cannabis also contains Cannabidiol, or CBD, a substance that some researchers say has anti-inflammatory benefits. Unlike THC, it hardly binds to the brain’s receptors and can therefore work without getting patients stoned.
“CBD plants are available in different forms all over the world,” said Klein, adding that the company’s plant is free of THC and very high in CBD.
Tikun Olam began its research on CBD enhanced cannabis in 2009 and about six months ago they came up with Avidekel, Klein said, a cannabis strain that contains 15.8 percent CBD and only traces of THC, less than one percent.
CANNABIS AS MEDICINE
Marijuana is an illegal drug in Israel. Medicinal use of it was first permitted in 1993, according to the health ministry.
Today cannabis is used in Israel to treat 9,000 people suffering from illnesses such as cancer, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and post traumatic stress disorder, according to Israel’s health ministry.
Drug companies have also been interested in cannabis as a medicine. Britain’s GW Pharmaceuticals, with Bayer and Almirall, sells an under-the-tongue spray called Sativex that is designed to minimize highs by manipulating ratios of active ingredients.
Raphael Mechoulam, a professor of medicinal chemistry at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said Avidekel is thought to be the first CBD-enriched cannabis plant with no THC to have been developed in Israel.
“It is possible that (Avidekel’s) CBD to THC ratio is the highest among medical marijuana companies in the world, but the industry is not very organized, so one cannot keep exact track of what each company is doing,” he explained.
Although there have been no clinical trials in humans, Mechoulam, who is a leading researcher of cannabinoids, said that Avidekel showed promise as a potent anti-inflammatory.
Ruth Gallily of the Hebrew University who works for the company and has been studying CBD for more than 12 years, said she has found that the substance has impressive anti-inflammatory qualities. She has been testing the effects of Tikun Olam’s CBD-enhanced cannabis on mice and expects clinical trials to begin in a few months.
Avidekel is a new strain of a plant that is already permitted for medical use so there is nothing stopping patients who are already being treated with marijuana from trying Avidekel. About 10 patients began using it in the past six months, Klein said.
“The cannabis plant, enriched with CBD, can be used for treating diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, liver inflammation, heart disease and diabetes,” she said, adding there are no side effects.
“It’s a huge advantage,” said one 35-year-old patient who asked not to be identified, “I can smoke during the day, function with a lot less pain and still be focused, work and drive. It is a great gift.”
The woman began suffering chronic pains after a tumor was removed from her spine. She began treatment with regular THC-containing marijuana eight months ago. Two months ago she started smoking Avidekel.
“The difference is huge. Before, I would only smoke at the end of the day and stay in pain.” Now, she said, with the highless marijuana “my life is so much better.”
Despite Avidekel’s highless benefit, Klein does not see regular marijuana disappearing any time soon. THC has its own unique effects that alleviate illness symptoms.
“Don’t worry, I think that cannabis with THC will still be (around),” he said.
Source : reuters

Coconut works wonders for your skin

Coconut Kajal Agrawal on how to keep your skin smart and radiant…
Skin-tillating
Make up mantraf stress on it. To re-vitalise my skin, I prefer using natural, fruit-based moisturisers. Coconut-based products are fantastic as they penetrate right into the skin giving it a hydrated, quenched look all day long. Be it on the sets or the red carpet, I make sure my skin is moisturised. I also ensure that I use a dual protection, broad spectrum sun screen before stepping out. Last but not least, my diet includes lots oys made me use natural ingredients for my skin and hair. This has stood me in really good stead in keeping my hair and skin healthy and beautiful from within. Honey, lime juice and yoghurt is my favourite skin cleansing pack with its anti-bacterial properties, while coconut is another great skin nourisher that moisturises and hydrates the skin in unique ways. For my hair, whenever I’m having a bad hair day, a quick oil massage with a hot towel treatment gives my hair deep conditioning to rejuvenate its shine. When washing my hair, in the last rinse I squeeze a dash of lemon to get instant shine!
Favourite fragrance
Light blue by D&G for the day and Wish by Chopard for the evenings. I also like Diamante from the House of Fraggonard.
Your go-to products
The Victoria’s Secret range of body washes and my for day and night
I am blessed with healthy skin so I don’t have to use that much make up. For the day, I like to keep it natural with just a kajal and lip balm. For the night, I go for a more glamorous look, where I prefer to go heavy on the eyes, especially when wearing western or indo-western outfits. With Indian outfits, I prefer to go with nude make up as the clothes are so glamorous anyway!
A make up, skin or hair trick you’ve learnt from an expert
My mother has always made me use natural ingredients for my skin and hair. This has stood me in really good stead in keeping my hair and skin healthy and beautiful from within. Honey, lime juice and yoghurt is my favourite skin cleansing pack with its anti-bacterial properties, while coconut is another great skin nourisher that moisturises and hydrates the skin in unique ways. For my hair, whenever I’m having a bad hair day, a quick oil massage with a hot towel treatment gives my hair deep conditioning to rejuvenate its shine. When washing my hair, in the last rinse I squeeze a dash of lemon to get instant shine!
Favourite fragrance
Light blue by D&G for the day and Wish by Chopard for the evenings. I also like Diamante from the House of Fraggonard.
Your go-to products
The Victoria’s Secret range of body washes and my Carmex lip balm.
A beauty disaster
Going overboard with your make up! It is the most distasteful thing, especially when you see celebs at red carpet events with too much make up caked on their faces! Keep it simple, elegant and appropriate and you can never go wrong. Another beauty disaster most people commit is forgetting to use sunscreen, or not cleansing their face by removing all the make up and grime of the entire day. It’s the biggest sin for your skin!
A beauty tip from you to the readers
Be skin smart and go natural! Using natural ingredients like coconut is the best thing you can do for your skin and hair, and to be beautiful from within! You can get the pampering you deserve, while getting the effective nourishment into your beauty quotient!
Source : The Independent

Alcohol abuse contributes to big rise in deaths from liver disease

Beer on bar
Heavy drinking is a major cause of a 25% increase in deaths from liver disease in England in under a decade, according to the government’s specialist NHS unit on terminal care.
The first report from the fledgling National End of Life Care Intelligence Network warns that the victims of liver disease are getting younger, with deaths increasing among people in their forties. Deaths rose from 9,231 in 2001 to 11,575 in 2009; some 60% of these were men, and 90% of them were under 70.
Deaths are more common in England’s northern regions marked by high employment and low educational achievement.
The findings were described as making stark reading by Martin Lombard, the NHS’s national clinical director for liver disease. They are certain to increase calls for stronger measures against binge drinking and for awareness of the results of unhealthy living. “The key drivers for increasing numbers of deaths from liver disease are all preventable – alcohol, obesity, hepatitis C and hepatitis B,” Lombard said. “We must focus our efforts and tackle this problem sooner rather than later.”
The figures for causes of death between 2001 and 2009 show a general decline in other major causes, such as heart disease, but the report acknowledged that cancer and vascular and respiratory conditions were still the big killers. However, more than one in 10 deaths among people in their forties followed a liver condition, and its place in the medical league table of “years of life lost” is high: 37% of liver disease deaths for people in their forties were alcohol related, split 41% for men and 30% for women.
Alcohol was a much greater factor for deaths in deprived areas, judged by the national ward index of social deprivation: 44% of deaths were from liver disease in areas at the bottom of the table, 28% in those at the top. Terminal liver disease is very demanding of NHS resources, with two-thirds of those affected dying in hospital, compared with an average of 55% for other conditions.
The report, Deaths from Liver Disease – Implications for End of Life Care in England, showed that the north-west region had the highest liver disease death rate – 24 per 100,000, with 11.4 from alcohol complications. It was followed by the north-east with 21.9 and 10.1. The east of England had the lowest rate, 12.9 and 4.9, followed by the south-west, 14.3 and 6.4, and the south-east,14.8 and 5.8.

The British Liver Trust called for higher alcohol prices, taxing of high fat food, and testing for viral hepatitis, and said: “The current nature of the disease means that people are diagnosed late in their condition. This exposes the inadequacies in our healthcare in identifying patients early and also the lack of will to invest in prevention strategies that will have a serious impact, such as alcohol pricing, taxing high fat foods and testing for viral hepatitis.”
The report’s lead author, Julia Verne, said it represented the first summary of key facts, on which future discussions could be built. “It is crucial that commissioners and providers of health and social care services know the prevalence of liver disease in their local areas.”
Claire Henry, director of the National End of Life Care Programme, said: “Clinicians caring for people with liver disease need to be having conversations with them about end of life care. This is exceptionally challenging for those with liver disease, who are often younger, come from ethnically diverse or deprived backgrounds, and may feel stigma associated with the disease. It is additionally complicated for those dying of alcohol-related liver disease, who may also have mental health or drug dependence problems, and little family or social support.
“These factors make good communication about end of life care so important.”
The Department of Health said: “These figures are a stark reminder of the preventable damage that eating too much and drinking too much alcohol can do.
“Urgent action is needed to halt this trend. Our upcoming liver
strategy will set out our plans on this issue, drawing on our plans to
tackle problem drinking and obesity.”
Source: guardian

Chocolate ‘may help keep people slim’

 
chocolat
People who eat chocolate regularly tend to be thinner, new research suggests.
The findings come from a study of nearly 1,000 US people that looked at diet, calorie intake and body mass index (BMI) – a measure of obesity.
It found those who ate chocolate a few times a week were, on average, slimmer than those who ate it occasionally.
Even though chocolate is loaded with calories, it contains ingredients that may favour weight loss rather than fat synthesis, scientists believe.
Despite boosting calorie intake, regular chocolate consumption was related to lower BMI in the study, which is published in Archives of Internal Medicine.
The link remained even when other factors, like how much exercise individuals did, were taken into account.
And it appears it is how often you eat chocolate that is important, rather than how much of it you eat. The study found no link with quantity consumed.
According to the researchers, there is only one chance in a hundred that their findings could be explained by chance alone.
Lead author Dr Beatrice Golomb, from the University of California at San Diego, said: “Our findings appear to add to a body of information suggesting that the composition of calories, not just the number of them, matters for determining their ultimate impact on weight.”
This is not the first time scientists have suggested that chocolate may be healthy for us.
Other studies have claimed chocolate may be good for the heart.
Consumption of certain types of chocolate has been linked to some favourable changes in blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol level.
And chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, does contain antioxidants which can help to mop up harmful free radicals – unstable chemicals that can damage our cells.
Dr Golomb and her team believe that antioxidant compounds, called catechins, can improve lean muscle mass and reduce weight – at least studies in rodents would suggest this might be so.

Mice fed for 15 days with epicatechin (present in dark chocolate) had improved exercise performance and observable changes to their muscle composition.
They say clinical trials are now needed in humans to see if this is the case.
But before you reach for a chocolate bar, there are still lots of unanswered questions. And in the absence of conclusive evidence, experts advise caution.
While there’s no harm in allowing yourself a treat like chocolate now and again, eating too much might be harmful because it often contains a lot of sugar and fat too.
And if you are looking to change your diet, you are likely to benefit most from eating more fresh fruits and vegetables.
Source: bbc

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