History of Therapeutic Use

Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion Mechanisms of Action Research Findings Tolerance and Dependence Medical and Psychotherapeutic Uses History of Therapeutic Use 

Nausea and Vomiting Cachexia Glaucoma Other Uses Physiological Effects Acute Effects Longer-Term Effects Psychological Effects Behavioral Effects Cognitive Effects Emotional Effects Social and Environmental Effects Summary 

Tolerance to cannabis has been well-documented in animal studies. 

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Colchicine has a long history of successful use and was the treatment of choice for many years. It is used infrequently today because of its low therapeutic index. Colchicine is thought to exert its anti-inflammatory effects by interfering with the function of mitotic spindles in neutrophils by binding of tubulin dimers this inhibits phagocytic activity. 

Cloud, John. The Lure of Ecstasy. Time, June 5,2000, pp. 62-68. Describes the background on ecstasy (MDMA), a drug that was actually developed about 80 years ago and today is widely used in clubs and raves. The history of psychiatric use of the drug is also recounted, and advocates for therapeutic use of the drug are again being heard. The author concludes that the... 

We begin our review of caffeine by presenting the sources of caffeine and a brief history of its use. We then discuss current prevalence statistics. Following that we describe caffeine s pharmacological action, development of tolerance to and physical dependence on caffeine, and caffeine s acute and chronic effects. We conclude with a review of some therapeutic uses of caffeine and other major methylxanthine drugs. 

One of the obstacles to this treatment will be its very wide spectrum of therapeutic usefulness. The old adage is, "If it works for everything, it works for nothing." Generally speaking this is true but in the case of bio-oxidative medicine, it is not true. As you ve seen from the case histories, it is indeed a broad spectrum treatment, and there are very few places where it is not worth, at least initially, a try. 

History of therapeutic radiation exposure Hormonal therapy (estrogen, progesterone) Isotretinoin therapy within the last 6 months Median-depth or deep resurfacing procedure within the last 3-12 months No visible adnexal structures Poor general health and nutrition status Poor physician-patient relationship Previous ionizing radiation exposure Predisposition to keloids Psychological instability Recent facehft surgery Recent use of isotretinoin (Accutane )... 

Another popular herbal dietary supplement that has a long history of use for medicinal purposes is ginseng. Much like Echinacea, three primary species of ginseng exist for therapeutic consumption Panax ginseng (Asian ginseng), Panax notoginseng and Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng). These herbal varieties can be readily authenticated... 

In many developing countries of the world, there is still a major reliance on crude drug preparation of plants used in traditional medicines for their primary health care. Pharmacognosists employed in the different institutions are aware of the changing trends of herbal medications and a number of useful texts on the analysis, uses, and potential toxicities of herbal remedies have appeared recently, which serves as useful guides in pharmacy practice. The history of medicine includes many ludicrous therapies. Nevertheless, ancient wisdom has been the basis of modem medicine and will remain as one important source of future medicine and therapeutics. The future of natural products drug discovery will be more holistic, personahzed and involve the wise use of ancient and modem therapeutic skills in a complementary manner so that maximum benefits can be accmed to the patients and the community. 

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