Shaw's Eco-Logic

This HND piece puts the spotlight on Ibogaine, a hallucinogenic drug with demonstrated anti-addictive properties. Not surprisingly, these properties were discovered inadvertently by a heroin addict, as he and a group of friends were experimenting with other drugs.

They were astonished to find that they lost their cravings for heroin, and had no withdrawal symptoms, either.

However, being classified as a Schedule I drug, ibogaine is stigmatized, and even if it weren't, ti is a naturally-occurring substance, so there is no inherent interest by Big Pharma. Fortunately, there is plenty of positive literature on the matter, and the powers-that-be are finally taking an interest.

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Our friends at Interscan continue to build out their already very comprehensive website.  The latest addition is the completion of the "More on the gases we detect" section.  Culled from a host of sources, these little summaries address..

• How they’re used
• Where they might be encountered
• Occupational health and regulatory information
• Links to the Interscan product pages, for the particular gas

Check it out!

This HND piece continues the discussion of the medical effects of cannabis. In this piece, we examine Cannabis and cancer, and cite a few positive studies.

There are demonstrated anti-tumor properties, as well as effects against the nausea and vomiting often induced by chemotherapy. Ironically, there are two FDA-approved drugs for the nausea/vomiting indication, which are nothing more than synthetic versions of the naturally-occurring chemicals in Cannabis. Yet, Marijuana is a Schedule I drug (the worst classification), and one of the first drugs classified). Note that Schedule I drugs are so classified, in part, because they have "no currently accepted medical treatment use in the U.S."

Ah...but who determines what is "medically acceptable"? Surprise, surprise! The entire asinine classification system is 99% politics and 1% science.

Read the complete article.

This HND piece first defines the concept of AI, and then gives some examples of how it is already being used in healthcare.

While improving diagnoses via combining with big data is the most touted use of AI, my favorite new application by far is a wearable bra insert that does a superb job of diagnosing breast cancer. By all reports, this unit, worn for a few hours, which communicates to the physician via the Internet, does a much better job than mammography.

The key here is a special algorithm that interprets temperature readings of the breast. Certain temperature patterns are indicative of tumor activity.

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This HND piece takes off from the notion that far too many problems that society is unwilling to deal with end up within the institutions of education or healthcare. Not only are these large institutions tasked with responsibilities heretofore unknown to them, the specter of individual rights gets thrown in, as well.

Individual rights imply that such services should be customized. Thus, we discuss examples of personalization in healthcare and education. Personalized medicine programs are offered by elite healthcare systems across the country, and we spotlight one unique California-based school that offers truly customized programs.

Read the complete article.