Study finds no evidence marijuana use increases stroke risk HealthDay News, 2020. https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2020/06/04/Study-finds-no-evidence-marijuana-use-increases-stroke-risk/3321591274273/?upi_ss=Cannabis An observational study conducted at hospitals found no evidence that marijuana use increases risk for stroke. File Photo by Atomazul/Shutterstock Whether pot use increases the risk of stroke has been hotly debated, and now a new study adds to evidence that it doesn't. "Our observational study looked specifically at recent cannabis use by reviewing drug testing data for people admitted to the hospital. While more research is needed with larger numbers of people, our study lends support to the studies showing that cannabis use does not increase the risk of stroke," said [...]
Lire la suiteWithin-treatment changes in a novel addiction treatment program using traditional Amazonian medicine David M. O’Shaughnessy , Ilana Berlowitz, Robin Rodd, Zoltán Sarnyai and Frances Quirk Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 2021, Vol. 11, 1–18 DOI : 10.1177/2045125320986634 Abstract Aims : The therapeutic use of psychedelics is regaining scientific momentum, but similarly psychoactive ethnobotanical substances have a long history of medical (and other) uses in indigenous contexts. Here we aimed to evaluate patient outcomes in a residential addiction treatment center that employs a novel combination of Western and traditional Amazonian methods. Methods : The study was observational, with repeated measures applied throughout treatment. All tests were administered in [...]
Lire la suiteMedical Cannabis Use Rising Among Older Adults Pauline Anderson Medscape Medical News ©March 22, 2021 More individuals are using medical cannabis, but the increase appears to be more pronounced among seniors, new research suggests. Results of a large Canadian survey study show that the proportion of older users among total users increased from 17.6% before 2017 to 26.7% in 2018 and 31.2% in 2019. The proportion of older users was 22.7% in 2020, but there were fewer participants in this latest sample (8869 in 2019 and 5644 in 2020). The majority of older respondents reported that they use cannabis to relieve pain and prefer cannabidiol [...]
Lire la suitePositive expectations predict improved mental-health outcomes linked to psychedelic microdosing, KAERTNER L.S., STEINBORN M.B., KETTNER H., SPRIGGS M.J., ROSEMAN L., BUCHBORN T., BALAET M., TIMMERMANN C., ERRITZOE D., CARHARDT-HARRIS R.L. : Nature, 2021, 11, 1941 Doi : 1038/s41598-021-81446-7 Abstract Psychedelic microdosing describes the ingestion of near-threshold perceptible doses of classic psychedelic substances. Anecdotal reports and observational studies suggest that microdosing may promote positive mood and well-being, but recent placebo-controlled studies failed to find compelling evidence for this. The present study collected web-based mental health and related data using a prospective (before, during and after) design. Individuals planning a weekly microdosing regimen completed surveys at strategic [...]
Lire la suiteRepeated Ketamine Infusions Linked to Rapid Relief of PTSD Deborah Brauser Medscape. com, January 18, 2021 Medscape Medical News © 2021 www.medscape.com/viewarticle/944282_print Repeated intravenous infusions of ketamine provide rapid relief for patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), new research suggests. In what investigators are calling the first randomized controlled trial of repeated ketamine administration for chronic PTSD, 30 patients received six infusions of ketamine or midazolam (used as a psychoactive placebo) over 2 consecutive weeks. Between baseline and week 2, those receiving ketamine showed significantly greater improvement than those receiving midazolam. Total scores on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) for the first group were almost 12 points [...]
Lire la suiteAdd-On Cannabidiol Treatment for Drug-Resistant Seizures in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. A Placebo-Controlled Randomized Clinical Trial Elizabeth A. Thiele, MD, PhD; E. Martina Bebin, MD, MPA; Hari Bhathal, MD; Floor E. Jansen, MD; Katarzyna Kotulska, MD, PhD; John A. Lawson, BMed, PhD; Finbar J. O'Callaghan, MBChB, PhD; MichaelWong,MD, PhD; Farhad Sahebkar, MD; Daniel Checketts, MSc; Volker Knappertz, MD; for the GWPCARE6 Study Group JAMA Neurology, 2020, December 21 online, E1-E7. doi : 10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.4607 IMPORTANCE : Efficacy of cannabidiol has been demonstrated in seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes but appears not yet to have been established in conditions with primarily focal seizures, such as [...]
Lire la suiteThe experimental effects of psilocybin on symptoms of anxiety and depression : A meta-analysis Simon B. Goldberg, Brian T. Pace, Christopher R. Nicholas, Charles L. Raison, Paul R. Hutson Psychiatry Research, 2020, 284, 112749 Doi : 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112749 A B S T R A C T The current meta-analysis examined the effects of psilocybin in combination with behavioral interventions on anxiety and depression in samples with elevated symptoms. Across four studies (one uncontrolled; three randomized, placebo-controlled; N = 117), within-group pre-post and pre-follow-up effects on anxiety and depression were large (Hedges’ gs=1.16 to 1.47) and statistically significant. Across three placebo-controlled studies, pre-post placebo-controlled effects were also [...]
Lire la suiteCannabidiol prescription in clinical practice: an audit on the first 400 patients in New Zealand Graham Gulbransen, MBChB, FAChAM, FRNZCGP1*, William Xu2, Bruce Arroll, MBChB, PhD, FRNZCG BJGP Open, 2020, 1-8 DOI : 10.3399/bjgpopen20X101010 Abstract Background : Cannabidiol (CBD) is the non- euphoriant component of cannabis. In 2017, the New Zealand Misuse of Drugs Regulations (1977) were amended, allowing doctors to prescribe CBD. Therapeutic benefit and tolerability of CBD remains unclear. Aim : To review the changes in self- reported quality of life measurements, drug tolerability, and dose- dependent relationships in patients prescribed CBD oil for various conditions at a single institution. Design & setting : An [...]
Lire la suiteDevelopment of Ketamine Administration as a Treatment for Chronic PTSD Abigail B. Collins, BS; Sarah B. Rutter, MA; and Adriana Feder, MD Psychiatric Annals, 2020, 50, (2), 68-76. doi : 10.3928/00485713-20200109-01 ABSTRACT Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent, chronic, and dis-abling condition for which currently available pharmacotherapies are insuf-ficiently effective. Ketamine, which is a glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, has emerged as a promising and rapid-act-ing novel treatment intervention for this disorder. Findings from a proof-of-concept, randomized, controlled cross-over study of single-dose intravenous ketamine administration (compared to single-dose midazolam) in patients with chronic PTSD suggest that ketamine is associated with rapid improvement in [...]
Lire la suiteOral Cannabidiol Does Not Convert to Δ8-THC or Δ9-THC in Humans : A Pharmacokinetic Study in Healthy Subjects José Alexandre S. Crippa, Antonio Waldo Zuardi, Jaime Eduardo Cecílio Hallak, Bruna Miyazawa, Sandra Aparecido Bernardo, Carmem Maria Donaduzzi, Silvane Guzzi, Wagner Alex Jann Favreto, Alline Campos, Maria Eugênia C. Queiroz, Francisco S. Guimarães, Patrícia Moura da Rosa Zimmermann, Letícia Mello Rechia, Volnei Jose Tondo Filho Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2020, Vol. 5, No. 1 Doi : 10.1089/can.2019.0024 Abstract Introduction: Recent studies have suggested that cannabidiol (CBD) could interconvert into Delta-8- and Delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol. Materials and Methods: Thus, we tested the plasma samples of 120 healthy human subjects [...]
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