Seated in meditation and swathed in veils of steam arising from the boiling water below him, the figure of Rolf could often be seen by the geothermally heated river at the Amazonian healing center where he had come to seek treatment. Catching sight of him at such moments, I was struck by the bravery of the man.

With the support of his partner, with whom he runs a school of Ayurvedic studies, Rolf has done the unthinkable. He had set aside the chemical cocktail Western medicine now prescribes to suppress symptoms of HIV and is seeking healing in the shamanic tradition of vegetalismo, under the guidance of a curandero – or traditional healer – an Ashaninca Indian living in the jungle of Peru. Despite the iron wall of opposition from the medical establishment, Rolf is committed to the proposition that HIV can be entirely healed in the body using traditional medicine, and is pioneering what might just turn out to be a way.

A man who ran naked through the Stateline casino core was subdued by a Taser on Tuesday before a group of “startled” children in the Harrah's Lake Tahoe casino arcade.

Sean Stanley Smith, 19, was jailed on charges of indecent exposure and resisting a peace officer.

He reportedly told officers he had ingested marijuana and LSD, and was running naked because he thought he was “the Terminator.”

A deputy patrolling the casino core at 1:45 p.m. Tuesday was waved down by a motorist who said there was a naked man running in front of the Marriott across the Nevada/California state line. The deputy, traveling west on Highway 50 in front of Harrah's, saw the naked suspect running in front of the Pony Express statue.

The suspect ignored the officer's command to stop and ran inside the casino.

The deputy grabbed his Taser and entered the casino with South Lake Tahoe police officers who had been searching for the suspect.

Smith reportedly ran into the arcade, startling the children who were playing video games.

The deputy deployed his Taser with a “touch stun” which failed to subdue the suspect. The second time, Smith went to the ground and was handcuffed.

Everyone knows you should never use a Taser on a Terminator, it just makes them mad.

Weeks after legalizing the sale of marijuana to sick people, lawmakers have voted to explore how much Rhode Island might collect in revenue if it were to make all sales of marijuana legal and impose a “sin tax” of $35 per ounce.

During the General Assembly’s aborted rush to adjournment Friday, the Senate approved a resolution — introduced earlier the same day — to create a nine-member special commission to study a swath of issues surrounding marijuana.

Among them: “The experience of individuals and families sentenced for violating marijuana laws … The experience of states and European countries, such as California, Massachusetts and the Netherlands, which have decriminalized the sale and use of marijuana.”

The sponsors of the eleventh-hour measure — which requires no further action — include Senators Joshua Miller, D-Cranston; Leo Blais, R-Coventry; Rhoda Perry, D-Providence; Charles Levesque, D-Portsmouth, and Susan Sosnowski, D-South Kingstown.

In a brief interview Wednesday, Miller said the resolution was sparked by the referendum-driven move to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana in Massachusetts, and by what he perceives as “a national trend towards decriminalization.” In November 2008, Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, making getting caught with less than an ounce of pot punishable by a civil fine of $100.

Asked why he waited until what was to be the last day of the session to introduce the measure, Miller said he and his fellow sponsors felt it was “very important” for this study to be “defined as an issue” completely separate and apart from the passage — over Governor Carcieri’s veto — of legislation allowing the creation of state-regulated dispensaries to sell marijuana for medicinal use.

Miller said it also “took that long for it to be taken seriously.”

Food scientists combine sugar, fat and salt in ways that make junk foods like burgers, chips, cold drinks and pizzas impossible to resist, says a leading expert who claims that cereals and ready meals can act on the brain's reward centres in the same way as tobacco.

David Kessler, former head of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), claims that manufacturers seek to trigger a 'bliss point' when people eat certain products.

'It is time to stop blaming individuals for being overweight or obese. The real problem is we have created a world where food is always available and where that food is designed to make you want to eat more of it. For millions of people, modern food is simply impossible to resist,' The Times quoted him, as saying.

In his new book, The End of Overeating, David suggests food manufacturers use precise combinations of fat, sugar, salt and texture to make foods 'hyper-palatable'.

To reach the conclusion, Kessler with researchers at Yale University conducted a study using functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques.

About 50 percent of obese people and 30 percent of those who are overweight were prone to so-called 'excessive activation', the study found.

'The right combination of tastes triggers a greater number of neurons, getting them to fire more,' said Kessler.

'The message to eat becomes stronger, motivating the eater to look for even more food,' he added.

Kessler said: 'Many of us have what's called a 'bliss point' - the point at which we get the greatest pleasure from sugar, fat or salt.

'As more sugar is added, food becomes more pleasurable until we reach the bliss point, after which it becomes too sweet and the pleasure drops off.'

To The Editor: Salvia divinorum (salvia) is a sage plant that is easily obtained in the United States. Its active ingredient, Salvinorin A, is a novel and highly selective pure kappa opiate receptor agonist with rapid onset and powerful hallucinogenic properties (1). Salvia has become increasingly popular as a drug of abuse when smoked. No long-term negative outcomes have been reported from the use of salvia. We present a case in which salvia precipitated persistent psychosis.

"Mr. J" was a 21-year-old man with no family or personal psychiatric history or laboratory abnormalities. He was reported to have normal social interactions, behavior, and cognitive skills. He was transferred to our psychiatric unit for acute psychosis and paranoia, which occurred shortly after smoking salvia. In transport, the patient became suspicious and attempted to jump from the vehicle. Upon presentation, he demonstrated echolalia, paranoia, flight of ideas, and psychomotor agitation. The patient remained agitated for the first 2 days of hospitalization. He attempted to barricade himself in his room. Risperidone (3 mg by mouth/three times per day) was administered, and the patient was eventually stabilized. The dosage, however, resulted in the parkisonian features of rigidity, bradykinesia, and masked facies.

Mr. J was transferred to the chemical dependency unit for further treatment. He was stabilized, and treatment with risperidone was slowly tapered. During the taper from risperidone, the patient continued to improve and manifested better insight and logical thought processes. He participated in group therapy and interacted with peers, and the parkinsonian features subsided. One day after risperidone was withdrawn, the patient’s symptoms abruptly returned. He became agitated, paranoid, and aggressive and believed he was able to project and receive thoughts. He returned to the inpatient psychiatry unit where risperidone (3 mg by mouth/twice daily) was reinstated. He was once again stabilized and transferred to the referring psychiatric facility for further treatment. At the 4-month follow-up, the patient exhibited no perceptible improvement.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a persistent negative outcome from the use of salvia. We suspect that our patient was genetically predisposed to schizophrenia, and salvia precipitated the clinical manifestations. This may relate to the drug’s ability to influence dopamine levels in the brain and potentiate plastic changes in frontal lobe networks (3).

Read Full Post »

It is estimated that 120,000 tons of caffeine are consumed each year, making it the most popular psychoactive substance globally. While many people sip a cup of joe to wake up in the morning before going to work, a growing number of athletes are using coffee to increase their performance.

In recent studies it has been shown that coffee improves performance and endurance during prolonged, exhaustive exercise. Short-term, high-intensity workouts also saw vast improvements with an added bonus of caffeine decreasing the perception of pain during exercise. While caffeine is mostly known to improve mental alertness, it also reduces the perception of fatigue.

The ground-breaking study by exercise physiologist, David Costill, Ph.D., used two female and seven male competitive cyclists to study the effect of caffeine on their performance. He found that consuming caffeine 60 minutes before exercising led to an 18% increase in performance. He also noted that the test subjects burned more fat and felt less exhausted indicating that the exercise felt less strenuous.

A more dramatic result of caffeine’s effect on athletes is shown in a test of trained runners. That study resulted in athletes achieving a 44% increase in race-pace endurance. Additional studies have reached similar conclusions.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that it is requiring manufacturers to put a Boxed Warning on the prescribing information for the smoking cessation drugs Chantix (varenicline) and Zyban (bupropion). The warning will highlight the risk of serious mental health events including changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts when taking these drugs.

“The risk of serious adverse events while taking these products must be weighed against the significant health benefits of quitting smoking,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director, the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States and we know these products are effective aids in helping people quit.”

Similar information on mental health events will be required for bupropion marketed as the antidepressant Wellbutrin and for generic versions of bupropion. These drugs already carry a Boxed Warning for suicidal behavior in treating psychiatric disorders.

Government experts say prescription drugs like Vicodin and Percocet that combine a popular painkiller with stronger narcotics should be eliminated because of their role in deadly overdoses.

A Food and Drug Administration panel on Tuesday voted 20-17 that prescription drugs that combine acetaminophen with other painkilling ingredients should be pulled off the market.

The FDA has assembled a group of experts to vote on ways to reduce liver damage associated with acetaminophen, one of the most widely used drugs in the U.S.

Despite years of educational campaigns and other federal actions, acetaminophen remains the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S., according to the FDA.

Panelists cited FDA data indicating 60 percent of acetaminophen-related deaths are related to prescription products. Acetaminophen is also found in popular over-the-counter medications like Tylenol and Excedrin.

And here's the video...

Sources tell TMZ an extremely dangerous and potent drug used for surgical anesthesia was found at Michael Jackson's house after he died ... and this may well be the drug that killed him.

We're told the drug Propofol was discovered at the residence. The drug is used to put people under anesthesia before surgery. It is an extremely powerful drug that is only available to medical personnel. As one source said, "There is no conceivable way this drug can be properly prescribed for home use."

The drug can only be administered with an IV. Interestingly, Propofol burns and the drug Lidocaine is used to reduce the pain associated with the Propofol injection. As we first reported, Lidocaine was found near Jackson's body.

One of the major side-effects of Propofol is cardiac arrest if it's taken in combination with narcotic painkillers, however, Propofol is so powerful it can stop someone's heart on its own.

A registered nurse has come out and said Jackson begged her for the drug Diprivan -- the brand name for Propofol. She says he needed it for insomnia but she declined to supply it.

Sources say the drug is so inappropriate and reckless for home use, if a doctor facilitated it for Jackson and it caused his death, he or she could be prosecuted for manslaughter.

This story just gets weirder and weirder. Next we'll hear that Jackson was shooting formaldehyde to prematurely embalm himself in the case of sudden death...

Revelers across Asia who snort the animal tranquilizer ketamine for a hallucinogenic high may face incontinence and other health problems as new dangers of this cheap party drug start showing up in long-term studies.

Doctors in Hong Kong, where ketamine took off as a party drug about a decade ago, have recently found that heavy users have poor bladder control and are prone to long-term liver damage.

"The worst cases are in young people who have to empty their bladders every 15 minutes. They can't even take a bus ride without alighting and going to the toilet," said Ben Cheung, a psychiatrist who works with ketamine users.

"Their kidney functions are affected and they are so young. This is a serious health consequence that we never expected because it has never been seen anywhere else."

Incontinence is not the only problem for these drug users, who sniff the powdery hallucinogenic that looks much like cocaine but costs 10 percent of the price.

A recent study in Hong Kong of 97 drug users, most of whom primarily took ketamine, found that over 60 percent of them suffered depression, 31 percent complained of poor concentration and 23 percent had memory problems.

"It shocked the users. Never did they think it would affect brain function and they care about that," said Tatia Lee, who was a member of the team conducting the study.

Ketamine users usually mix the drug, synthesized in 1962 as an veterinary anesthetic, with other substances. To increase profits, dealers add powder from paint scraped off walls, chalk and crushed glass which gives the same shimmer of good quality ketamine.

Um... So are the bladder problems due to ketamine or the crushed glass? Either way this story does not look like it's going away anytime soon.

Pop legend Michael Jackson was battling with numerous disorders and was spending 30,000 pounds (50,000 dollars) a month on prescription drugs like narcotic pain relievers, muscle relaxants and anti-depressants before his death.

The ailing "Thriller" star, who died last week, was said to have consumed "mountains of medication" as he battled numerous disorders in the year leading up to his death, reported thesun.co.uk.

Along with narcotic pain reliever Vicodin, 50-year-old Jackson gorged on other drugs like muscle relaxant Soma and sedative Xanax, antidepressant Zoloft, anti-anxiety drug Paxil and heartburn pill Priolosec.

The revelations on the true scale of the tragic star's pills habit came as his family said they now wanted an investigation into the quantity of drugs he was prescribed.

Dr Jonathan Chahal of the Ormskirk District General Hospital used to inhale the anesthetic Entonox and air while on duty, the General Medical Council (GMC) was told on Monday.

GMC counsel Craig Sephton QC said that Dr Chahal had admitted to using the gas on at least four occasions and had told staff that it caused a "floaty" sensation. "He asked if they had ever tried it. He said it was fun and made you feel floaty," Mr Sephton told the panel.

It has also emerged that four female nurses were persuaded by the doctor to inhale the gas, which is generally used to relieve pain during labour.

Entonox is a medical mix of half nitrous oxide and half oxygen.

A 20-year-old man has been arrested for misusing 911 after asking police to escort him to a concert in Miami.

Deputies say Michael Kruse of Jacksonville initially called 911 because he felt sick on June 21.

The call went into the 911 call center in St. Johns County.

Kruse’s speech was slurred and the dispatcher had difficulty understanding him.

Dispatch: “Are you sure you haven’t taken something sir? Because you’re not making a whole lot of sense.”

Caller: “I’ve been smoking marijuana.”

Dispatch: “You’ve been smoking marijuana?”

Caller: “Yes.”

Dispatch: “Do you want a deputy to come and take you to jail?”

Caller: “Why?”

Dispatch: “You just told me on a taped line you just got done smoking marijuana.”

Caller: “Awww. Are you serious?”

Sgt. Chuck Mulligan, spokesman with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, said deputies located Kruse, took him to a family member, and gave him a stern lecture about 911.

Hours later on June 22, Kruse called 911 again. This time he was driving on I-95. He told the dispatcher he wanted a police escort to see the rapper, Lil Wayne, in concert in Miami.

Dispatch: “You want a police escort to take you to Miami?”

Caller: “Or, you have a helicopter?”

Dispatch: “We don’t just send helicopters up for rappers.”

Caller: “Well, I’m driving there right now. I just wanted the fastest way to get there. I didn’t want to get pulled over on the highway.”

The dispatcher had Kruse pull off the interstate and deputies arrested him for misuse of 911.

The advertising media used by the campaign combined low cost national cable and Ohio News Network. For added exposure element a PR bonus blitz was distributed via PRweb.com.

Initially, it was difficult t get approval to run NORML’s PSA/Commercial. Ohio News Network was quick to be first but other media outlets passed. Finally, a national media vendor with homes in every market in the country, gave the go ahead.

The National Cable Homes buy (April 20-April 22, 2009) reached homes with ’smart cableboxes’, which tracks the precise networks and advertising spots watched. NORML only paid for the audience reached and who stayed tuned to the ads.

-97.5% of people who watched the stay tuned in.

-Average length of time they viewed was 59.2 seconds

NORML’s ad buyers viewed the PSA as being very effective, and for the very high percentage of the public who watched the ad, they apparently could not turn away.

The Numbers

7,700 spots ran across 210 markets over three days, in each market, 38 spots ran on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, CNN-Headline News, FX, Spike and Fuse.

-A total of 2,428,858 total viewing households were reached

-A total of 2,394,690 actual viewers watched the commercials live

-34, 168 additional viewers recorded the networks and watched the commercials within 7 days

-75 spots ran in 1.5 million homes on the Ohio News Network from April 23-April 28.

NORML’s PR package reached 30,000 journalists, 30,000 websites and 225,000 RSS subscribers, resulting in over 136,313 viewed packages, and 2,118 media outlets tracked the story.

The avg. cost was $2.07 per 60 second TV ad

Tom Angell, media relations director for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, asks White House "Drug Czar" Gil Kerlikowske what he thinks of all the recent discussion on drug legalization.

The results are obnoxious. So, the "Drug Czar" can't even acknowledge "legalization" as a legitimate concept in his "vocabulary"? Awesome. Personally, after this and the whole DOMA fiasco, I have decided that "hope" and "change" aren't actually in my own vocabulary.

The Rhode Island legislature overrode a gubernatorial veto of a medical marijuana law Tuesday afternoon by an overwhelming margin, paving the way for state-licensed medical marijuana shops to begin operating. The House voted 68-0 for the pot measure and the senate moved it minutes later by a 35-3 count.

Once the law takes effect, the state will be the first in the nation to have one officially licensed nonprofit center selling marijuana. Over time, the state will license further nonprofit dispensaries.

The bill got a boost in the state after a much publicized incident in which a pot dealer beat up a medical marijuana patient. Proponents of the bill argued that patients shouldn't have to deal with unregulated, unlicensed drug dealers, but deserved a more orderly system.