Kolette Okoro
400l B
This article seeks to bring to light important discoveries that were made, laws that were passed in the field of Medicine, and inventions related to health in the month of September, 2018.
* Speaking of laws, two years ago, the State of Ohio (a State in America) passed a medical marijuana law that came into full effect on the 8th of this month. This law if properly enforced implies that registered medical marijuana patients with physician recommendation will now be able to buy medical marijuana from state-licensed dispensaries. Ohio joins the number of States in America in which the medical use of marijuana is legalized. Over the years, marijuana has been used as a healing agent and it has been found to treat various medical conditions including glaucoma, Crohn’s disease, seizures, anorexia (as marijuana stimulates appetite), nausea (it is beneficial to cancer patients that have become nauseous as a result of chemotherapy), bipolar disorder, muscle spasms, anxiety, and emphysema. Considering the numerous medical uses of marijuana, this is seen as a big leap in the field of medicine.
* Also, another law was also passed a few days ago by the Australian Senate which would require a mandatory reporting of medicine shortages of medicines by Pharmaceutical companies in Australia. This law would go a long way in ensuring the effectiveness of pharmaceutical companies in Australia. Under this new law, a critical medicine is said to be in shortage if there is not enough or likely will not be enough, for all patients who take it or may need to take it, at any time within the next six months.
* Here in Nigeria, a bill was passed in Benue State a few days ago in the Benue House of Assembly; the Benue Health Management Agency (BHMA) bill. According to a lawmaker, this bill when signed into law will ensure that every Benue resident have easy access to health care services. He further went on to say that the bill would protect families from huge medical bills and minimize healthcare services. According to him, apart from improving private sector participation in health care services, it would also assist the poor and vulnerable members of the society and guarantee their rights to quality healthcare enshrined in the National Health Act. What a win for the indigenes of Benue State!
* Moving on to medical discoveries that were made in September. Earlier this month, scientists developed a new vaccine that when incorporated with other existing therapies can be used to treat melanoma (a type of skin cancer) and also prevent its recurrence. Researchers from the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, California recently worked with other experts from various institutions to develop a vaccine that would be highly effective against melanoma when administered to patients together with other therapies. The therapies talked about here are substances that would aid or modify the action of the newly discovered vaccine for example Diprovocim (a compound that reinforces immune response). One of the researchers who co-led the research, a certain Prof Dale Boger, later said that the drug administered with other therapies like Diprovocim produced a complete and wholesome response in the treatment of melanoma. The vaccine also has the ability to prevent recurrence. According to Prof Dale Boger, “just as a vaccine can train the body to fight off external pathogens, this vaccine trains the immune system to go after the tumor”.
* Another important intervention this month was the discovery that a number of weight loss and workout supplements contain potential harmful doses of a substance which has been ruled out as unsafe. The World Anti-Doping agency (WADA) has banned all athletes from taking any drugs or supplements that contain a substance called “highenamine” as it has toxic effects on the heart. Despite the fact that this substance, highenamine has been banned by WADA due to its effect on cardiovascular health, it is still a major component of some weight loss and work-out supplements as it (highenamine) is found in certain plants such aconite. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2015, about 23,005 emergency department visits in the United States are related to supplement intake. The study concludes by stating that to better protect consumers, the Food and Drug Administration should now finalize their guidelines on supplement ingredient. It also warned doctors on the dangers of highenamine to cardiovascular health.
* In addition to the above, another research was found that fasting triggers a molecule that can delay the aging of our arteries. This discovery is seen as a win as it could help prevent age-related chronic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. In a recent study, researchers were able to reverse common signs of aging such as hair loss and wrinkles in mice and few other researchers were able to replicate such with aging human cells. As most of us already know, ketone bodies are produced during fasting period and these ketone molecules have anti-aging properties and could therefore prevent age-related chronic diseases.
References
- The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA)
- The Business Journals site
- Vanguard News Nigeria
- Medical News Today
Which of these laws would be most beneficial to health?
Which of these laws is Nigeria in dire need of?
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