Daily Archives: June 20, 2021

NCLA Lawsuit in Texas Seeks to End SEC’s Lifetime Gag Orders that Violate the First Amendment – StreetInsider.com

Posted: June 20, 2021 at 1:08 am

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Washington, D.C., June 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In June 2016, Christopher Novinger and the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reached a settlement of the agencys claims that he and his company, ICAN Investment Group, LLC (ICAN), violated federal securities law. SEC required Mr. Novinger and ICAN to sign a consent order claiming that he had agreed to be bound forever by a Gag Orderan administrative tool meant to silence people with lifetime speech bans related to their prosecutions. For nearly 50 years, SEC has insisted that all people who settle their cases with the agency must agree to a gag that violates nearly every free speech doctrine.

Today the New Civil Liberties Alliance, a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group, filed aMotion for Relief from Judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on behalf of Mr. Novinger and ICAN, challenging the constitutionality of the SEC Gag Order that continues to hold themand the truthhostage. Mr. Novinger simply wants to speak candidly about SECs enforcement proceedings without facing the threat of a reopened prosecution.

Mr. Novingers Gag Order is broad, all-encompassing, and fails to provide clear notice of what speech it forbids. Worse, the Gag Order never expires. The ban is longer even than a criminal sentence would have been for the charged violation, which is especially relevant here as Mr. Novinger was never criminally charged. Perpetually mandating silence on such unclear terms that forbid him to do what even convicted people have every right to do (i.e., speak about their cases) violates Mr. Novingers due process rights.

The Gag Rule violates the First Amendment for a multitude of reasons: 1) it is a forbidden prior restraint on future speech; 2) it is a content-based restriction of speech; 3) it grants SEC unbridled enforcement discretion and silences Mr. Novinger in perpetuity; 4) it forbids truthful speech; 5) it unconstitutionally conditions settlement upon surrender of Americans inalienable rights of free speech; 6) it compels speech; and 7) it abridges Americans rights of petition long protected by the First Amendment. Any rule that racks up a list of constitutional violations this lengthy compels the conclusion that it could never have been a valid rule in the first place.

And, in fact, it was not. As NCLA points out, SEC created this Rule in 1972 without notice and comment, in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. SEC dishonestly called it a Housekeeping Rule. Such rules cannot bind anyone outside the government, but SECs gag orders always bind outside parties. The Gag Rule was void from the day it was snuck into the Federal Register.

NCLA released the following statements:

SEC is notorious for issuing press releases that instantly destroy careers, reputations, businesses, and lives. It is hard to imagine a policy better designed to suppress the truth about these important matters than SECs Gag Rule, which contrives to give the agency the last word and render those it charges powerless to defend themselves in the court of public opinion. Fortunately, our Constitution does not permit that baleful bargain. Peggy Little, Senior Litigation Counsel, NCLA

The SEC requires settling defendants to state that they do not deny the SECs allegations if they truthfully say they do not admit them. The First Amendment forbids such compelled speech. The Gag Order also requires individuals to impute their own guilt. The Fifth Amendment does not permit such coerced self-condemnation. It is high time for SECs enforcement apparatus to be made to workwithin the confines of the Constitution. Kara Rollins, Litigation Counsel, NCLA

For more information visit the case page here.

ABOUT NCLA

NCLA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group founded by prominent legal scholarPhilip Hamburger to protect constitutional freedoms from violations by the Administrative State. NCLAs public-interest litigation and other pro bono advocacy strive to tame the unlawful power of state and federal agencies and to foster a new civil liberties movement that will help restore Americans fundamental rights.

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NCLA Lawsuit in Texas Seeks to End SEC's Lifetime Gag Orders that Violate the First Amendment - StreetInsider.com

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In His Wild Bid to Stop Leaks to the Press, Trump Even Spied on His Own Lawyer – Truthout

Posted: at 1:08 am

From the Nothing New Under the Sun files, I bring you a former president whose concern over leaks to the press eventually blew his entire administration straight to hell.

President Nixons staffers formed the White House Plumbers, explains Time, a secret unit tasked with digging up dirt on Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg. The Plumbers went on to commit crimes for the Committee for the Re-Election of the President, including the Watergate burglaries. Although Nixon denied knowledge of the Plumbers activities, tapes subpoenaed during the Watergate investigation revealed years of political espionage and illegal surveillance. The Smoking Gun tape revealed that Nixon was involved in the cover up. On August 8, 1974, Nixon became the only American president to resign the office.

Nothing so dramatic as that is in the offing today; Donald Trump whose own surveillance program against journalists, Democratic politicians and their families, and even his own lawyer, is roiling Washington, D.C., once again is already out of office. He has been quacking about getting reinstated as president from his funnel hole in New Jersey. Sure, put him back in, and then impeach him a third time. Maybe this one will stick.

The first reports of Trumps administration running its own ham-fisted Plumbers operation landed late last week with a rolling boom. As the Justice Department investigated who was behind leaks of classified information early in the Trump administration, it took a highly unusual step: Prosecutors subpoenaed Apple for data from the accounts of at least two Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, aides and family members, reported The New York Times. One was a minor.

The roll call of people affected is a perfect match to another Nixonian throwback, the enemies list. Atop Trumps effective corollary to Nixons list was House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who was a regular target of Trumps tirades. All told, Apple received subpoenas that covered 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses. A number of the people swept up in this metadata search were not in government, including the aforementioned minor.

Along with the subpoena came a nondisclosure order which barred Apple from informing its customers that the Justice Department was digging into their data. The nondisclosure order was extended three times, reports CNN, each time for a year, Apple said. When it was not extended for a fourth time, Apple said it informed the affected customers on May 5, 2021.

Concurrently, the Trump administration also seized communications data from CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post. This revelation landed more than a week ago, tangling the Biden administration up in the mess, because his Justice Department apparently continued this surveillance after Trump left office. The Biden White House has disavowed these activities, and the policy regarding leak investigations over at Justice has been changed.

The wildest revelation came this weekend, when it was revealed that one of Trumps targets was his own White House counsel, Doug McGahn. Apple told Mr. McGahn about the subpoena last month, said one of the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. Mr. McGahns wife also received a similar notice from Apple, reports the Times.

The time frame for this is easy enough to recall. Not long after Trump took office, his administration sprang more leaks than a badly wrapped diaper. Nobody in the administrations lower echelons had the courage to resign in protest over the terrifying things they were seeing Anonymous, your table is ready but they were more than happy to spray that cheese into the wind for the news media to collect, and collect it they did.

There were weeks when one could not walk around the block without tripping over 10 heavily sourced news reports about White House shenanigans regarding the southern border, the ceaseless infighting within the administration that was usually inspired by Trump himself, and the administrations dealings with Russia both before and after the election. The Russia questions, it appears, hit a tender spot with Trump, initially prompting the broad and surreptitious data harvest.

Fallout from these revelations is just beginning. House Democrats intend to hold hearings on the matter and will subpoena any witnesses who dont come voluntarily. This includes former Attorney General William Barr, who was running Justice when all of this went down. Barr is trying to put as much daylight as he can between himself and these subpoenas, but that will be challenging.

In May of 2019, then-Sen. Kamala Harris asked Barr directly if the president or anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested you open an investigation into anyone? Barrs reply was a tap-dancing clinic, but if and when he appears at a hearing on this matter, he will not have many places to hide besides an invocation of his Fifth Amendment rights.

The House will not be the only entity involved in this investigation. The Justice Departments internal watchdog announced Friday that he would review how officials sought the data of reporters, lawmakers and others as part of an aggressive crackdown on leaks during the Trump administration, reports the Post, a day after it was revealed the department years ago had secretly obtained the data of two congressmen well known for their criticism of President Donald Trump.

For their part, congressional Republicans are putting on their best What, me worry? faces as these revelations continue to roll in, and why not? Few of them have paid a price for loyalty to Trump, even now that he is out of office. As far as the public stance of the GOP goes, its all blue skies.

but I do wonder. At present, the Republican Party has tasked itself to defeat several wildly popular pieces of Democratic legislation, bury the sacking of the Capitol by Trump supporters under a compost pile of They were just tourists excuses even as they block an investigation into the incident, and now this, a scandal straight out of central casting with an eerily familiar historical hook to boot. There are only so many running chainsaws a person can juggle before limbs start getting lopped off.

The reason this latest issue is so important is that it appears to show the executive branch of the government wielding presidential power to target the legislative branch, reports CNNs Stephen Collinson, and the Presidents personal political enemies. It would be hard to find a more clear and flagrant abuse of presidential power. This behavior would not only be a perversion of the DOJs critical role in ensuring the neutral and apolitical application of justice a key requirement for a democratic society. It would also mirror the actions of autocrats across the world, many of whom Trump openly admired.

The GOPs worst enemy in this? Trump himself, of course. Does anyone think he will sit quietly while this investigation unfolds daily on the television he watches relentlessly? I would be not at all surprised if at some point he winds up pulling a Colonel Jessup from A Few Good Men: Did you order the Code Red? YOURE GOD DAMNED RIGHT I DID!

One of these days not today or tomorrow, but someday I have to believe the GOP will be forced to wise up and toss this hot potato back into the pot. They are whistling past the political graveyard now because Trumps base still has the back of the loyal, but there are not enough voters in that base to make a winning national coalition. As these treacherous stories about the former president continue to pile up, that loyalty may come only to be worth the price of a bus ticket home.

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In His Wild Bid to Stop Leaks to the Press, Trump Even Spied on His Own Lawyer - Truthout

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Paul Robeson Was One of the Greatest Figures of the 20th Century – Jacobin magazine

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Paul Robeson was a Renaissance man in many ways athlete, lawyer, actor, singer, and activist for racial justice, international solidarity, and socialism. Over Robesons decades-long career, he recorded nearly three hundred songs and starred in countless shows and films, including Shakespeares Othello and the film The Proud Valley.

Every avenue of professional success seemed open to Robeson, but his commitment to the struggle for socialism and against colonialism shaped industry and public perceptions of him. During the McCarthy era, he was blacklisted in Hollywood and questioned before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Despite the domestic political persecution, he never wavered in his political commitment to social equality.

In 1973, three years before Robesons death, Dr Harold D. Weaver Jr wrote the following essay, published in The Black Scholar, on Robesons life, career, and organizing. Dr Weaver is an associate at Harvard Universitys Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, and a longtime leader in the BlackQuaker Project. The article has been lightly edited for length.

Who is Paul Robeson, the man? He had just about as good a mind, body, will, and voice all in one person as functioned in the first half of the twentieth century. Honored throughout the world as an outstanding drama, film, and concert performer, Robeson transferred this artistic prestige to that of a political spokesman on behalf of those seeking to gain and to retain freedom. His friendship with, and active support of, Third World freedom fighters Azikiwe, Kenyatta, Nehru, and Nkrumah attest to this. To the United States State Department, the House Un-American Activities Committee, the renters of major US concert halls, the National Football Hall of Fame, and numerous Rutgers alumni, his political utterances brought infamy and, from some, cries of disloyalty.

So, while there is a Mount Paul Robeson in the USSR, a Paul Robeson Archives in the German Democratic Republic, and an International Stalin Peace Prize in Robesons possession, his own government would not even permit him a passport to go abroad to practice his profession; entrepreneurs denied him the privilege of singing in the Carnegie Halls of America for eight long years. His failure to continue supporting a political-economic system whose military efforts against fascism he had actively backed during World War II by recruiting, by publicly justifying, and by entertaining troops at military installations and workers at defense plants, was interpreted by some as treasonable.

Robeson was in the vanguard of significant developments related to black intellectual and political assertion. He was an intellectual forerunner in scholarly publications on African culture and linguistics in the 1930s. His warning to President Truman in 1946 that unless the US government began to protect black Americans from lynchings, blacks would take the necessary steps of self-defense preceded the teachings of Malcolm X, Robert Williams, the Deacons for Justice, and the Black Panthers. Robeson had a concrete liberation program. His proposed tactics of using two mass-based organizations the churches and the labor unions was an important contribution to black political thought.

Robeson grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, the son of the minister of the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church. At age sixty (in his very important political statement Here I Stand) Paul Robeson was to reminisce about his father, about the important role of his father, in young Pauls search for identity: As I went out into life, one thing loomed above all else. I was my fathers son, a Negro in America. That was the challenge.

As C. L. R. James has put it, Paul Robeson was a great political figure. He took part in a struggle which was bigger than himself. And he never buckled down under brute force, racist pressures, or an imperialist campaign to discredit him, which was a big and an unprecedented sacrifice for humanity.

From the early 1930s, Robeson developed and advocated two major political commitments African liberation and anti-imperialism. The American establishment garnered its forces to persecute him on both, often confusing its population about which was more threatening.

Robeson linked the liberation struggle of his people in America with the same struggle of his people in Africa. He threw himself into African efforts at identity, positive images, and freedom in several ways: (1) through his studies, interviews, speeches, and writings on African linguistics and culture; (2) through his films; (3) through direct individual aid to African and other Third World nationalists in the United Kingdom; and (4) organizationally through the Council on African Affairs in the United States.

In 1937, Robeson cofounded the Council of African Affairs, which he was to serve actively as chairman, to aid the national-liberation struggles. The organization was politically smeared into oblivion in 1955 as a result of conflicts with the American government. According to Adelaide Hill and Martin Kilson, in Apropos of Africa, the council was the first organization of Negro Americans actively to involve Africans in the United States within an institution whose specific purpose was to influence government policy toward Africa. It was at its 1944 conference, over which Robeson presided, that a young student from Ghana, Francis Nwi-Kof Nkrumah [who would later go on to become Kwame Nkrumah], participated, as a representative of the African Students Association; the conference was aimed at drafting a program for Africas postwar liberation and advancement. The councils program was sixfold:

1. To give concrete help to the struggle of the African masses.2. To disseminate accurate information concerning Africa and its people; in that, to wake up Americans to what is happening in Africa, the one continent where undisguised colonial slavery is still practiced.3. To influence the adoption of governmental policies designed to promote their advancement and freedom and preserve international peace.4. To smash the iron curtain of secrecy and double talk surrounding the schemes for intensified imperialist exploitation of Africa and its people.5. To prevent American loans and guns from being used to crush the freedom struggle of Africans and other subjected peoples.6. To strengthen the alliance of progressive Americans, black and white, with the peoples of Africa and other lands in the common struggle for world peace and freedom.

Through mass rallies, conferences, workshops, cables, declarations, press releases and advertisements, financial and food aid to famines in Africa, hosting nationalist leaders and delegations, and meetings with major members of the US Government and of the UN Secretariat and delegations, Robeson and the council contributed to the cause of African freedom.

Significant was Robesons declaration in a 1946 meeting with President Truman. In response to the presidents assertion that the United States and Britain were the last refuges of freedom in the world, Robeson replied, the British Empire is one of the greatest enslavers of human beings. Because of Robesons international prestige and popularity, the British press and at least one top member of its government, the colonial secretary, expressed sharp opposition to this.

With his linking the struggle for black liberation in the United States with the worldwide struggle of oppressed peoples, Robeson identified American imperialism as the main enemy of liberation efforts. That is the context in which he said that he did not see how black Americans would want to fight against the Soviet Union on behalf of their oppressors, including Senator Eastland (Miss.).

How did Robeson respond to Marxism-Leninism generally and to the USSR specifically? Only the Soviet Union was seen as militarily strong enough to be able to challenge US imperialism and Western colonialism in international forums and elsewhere. Robesons political evolution to socialism took several steps. From experiencing racial exploitation in the United States, he began to see class exploitation on the Liverpool docks and in the Welsh coal mines. After personally experiencing a near-lynching at the Friedrichstrasse railway station in Hitlers Germany, Robeson was deeply moved by his warm reception in the Soviet Union, both from the political and artistic elites and from the general population. The great Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein, whom he had gone to the USSR to see to discuss a movie about Toussaint LOuverture and Henri Christophe, welcomed him at the Moscow train station. People were to greet him warmly wherever he went. Those personal experiences and observations were to aid his attraction to the country; Robeson was to remark that for the first time in his life he felt like a man.

It is alleged, but not substantiated, that during World War II, only two photos were allowed in Soviet government offices: Joseph Stalins and Robesons. He later became a confidant of the next head of Soviet government and party, Nikita Khrushchev, even before any American president was to meet Chairman Khrushchev occasionally relaxing at Khrushchevs dacha on the Black Sea. Robeson was optimistic of a major role which he saw the USSR playing in a racist world:

Russia is the father of experiment. The Russians will save the white world from complete destruction. The black and yellow man will rise up to avenge themselves. They will show that men are equal, that difference in color does not make men the enemies of one another.

His exposure to Marxist thinkers and readings in London, his positive experiences and treatment throughout the USSR, and his observations of cultural and economic evolution in Central Asia were to aid his subsequent identification with scientific socialism.

A major illustration shows the responses of the United States political system to Robeson during the period between 1950 and 1958 a period during which, as the New Statesman and Nation put it, he was sentenced to unemployment in a country he could not leave. His encounter with the notorious House Committee on American Activities which with the State Department was leading the governments efforts to silence Robeson deserves our attention.

Robeson had answered a subpoena to appear on June 12, 1956, before HUAC with the impression that such an appearance might help him retrieve the passport that the United States State Department had confiscated. Instead, the committee turned the hearing into a personal attack on Robeson. Inquisitors attempted to discredit him by labeling him a Communist subversive, loyal to a foreign power. Robeson was denied his request to face and to examine his accusers, as well as to read a prepared statement. Invoking the Fifth Amendment over thirty times, Robeson refused to aid and abet the national witch hunt of senators Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon and their Lower House colleagues.

From the Committees printed record, a verbatim excerpt of an exchange between Brother Robeson and inquisitor Francis Walter, committee chairman, speaks for itself:

Chairman: You are speaking to the chairman of this committee.Robeson: Mr. Walter?Chairman: Yes.Robeson: The Pennsylvania Walter?Chairman: That is right.Robeson: Representative of the steelworkers?Chairman: That is right.Robeson: Of the coal mining workers and not United States Steel, by any chance? A great patriot.Chairman: That is right.Robeson: You are the author of all of the bills that are going to keep all kinds of decent people out of the country?Chairman: No, only your kind.Robeson: Colored people like myself, from the West Indies and all kinds, and just the Teutonic Anglo-Saxon stock that you would let come in.Chairman: We are trying to make it easier to get rid of your kind, too.Robeson: You do not want any colored people to come in?Chairman: Proceed

And proceed Robeson did he proceeded to challenge uncompromisingly the political, economic, and cultural foundations of American racism.

Paul Robeson Jr summarizes the interaction between his father and establishment institutions political, communications, cultural, and economic:

My father survived an unprecedented onslaught. He took all they had to throw at him, came out the other end triumphant, unbowed his famous comment was, I shall not retreat one thousandth part of an inch. . . . He never took a word back, and he retired unbowed and undefeated.

To separate Robeson, the artist from Robeson, the man, or, for that matter, from Robeson, the political man, is not possible.

Robesons view of the artist as activist came early. He gave as a reason for leaving a potentially lucrative career as a Wall Street lawyer the argument that he could reach more people in a single evening as an artist than he could reach in several years practicing law. John Henrik Clarke describes Robeson, the artist-activist: He was the forerunner of the artist who saw that his art extended beyond the stage and had to be involved with the life of the people.

The culture of his own people was his window to the culture of other peoples of the world. He saw the interrelationship among them and, thus, he came to study the cultures of the common people their folk art, folk music, and folk literature. His refusal to sing to Jim Crow audiences in the South occurred two generations ago and began a trend that was to lead to civil rights activities in the South in the 1950s and 1960s.

As Anatal Schlosser has pointed out, It was through singing that he best came to realize both personal and political ambitions. . . . It was not his speeches but his songs that spoke for his politics. Robesons political beliefs were manifested in his concert presentations; he became interested in the kinship of folk music generally and introduced folk songs of all nations on his programs. And as fascism expanded in Europe in the 1930s, Robeson contributed his art to anti-fascist causes, while maintaining his regular concert schedule. The effect of his growing militant position in regular recitals became evident in his interpretation of spirituals and the changing of lyrics of other music to give them greater political meaning. In England, gallery-seat prices were reduced in order to admit more of the people he believed really wanted to hear him.

Of Paul Robesons numerous successes on the stage, his was the definitive Othello in the modern theater. Setting an all-time record of 296 performances for a Shakespearean play on Broadway, Othello in 1944 won for Robeson highest praise. His roles on the stage had symbolic political significance. He performed superbly to satisfy his audience but also transmitted to that same audience a political message which would eventually help to intensify political freedom as well as social equality.

In film, as Thomas Cripps has pointed out, Robesons role should be viewed essentially as that of a man who fought successfully to help destroy the distorted myths about blacks projected by the Hollywood film industry. In the formative years of Robesons movie career, certain roles were forced upon him. The thinking of Hollywood in those days, as it very well may be today, was anti-black in every respect, especially the thought of assigning meaningful roles to black actors. Robeson became the victim of his trade. Beginning with Oscar Micheauxs Body and Soul, Robeson made eleven feature films, mostly in England, between 1924 and 1944, along with three significant political documentaries, for which he did the voice-over narrations.

Robesons film experiences were intertwined with his political life in several ways. His negative experiences with American and British film producers and directors in the highly competitive film industry inevitably were to help shape his evolving views of the capitalist economic system. Overt racism prevailed through all layers of the industry, including the intentional distortion of images, patterns of discrimination in employment, and the distribution of films. Even as a famous interpretive artist he was not immune to racism in film, in concert, in theater. Regarding images, Robeson was to remark: Hollywood can only visualize the plantation type of Negro the Negro of Poor Old Joe and Swanee Ribber.

His film Song of Freedom (1937), about a successful black singer who, after discovering his aristocratic African origins, returns to take over leadership, received Robesons praise: I believe this is the first film to give a true picture of many aspects of the life of a coloured man in the West. Hitherto . . . he has been caricatured as a comedy character. This film shows him as a real man. The film has two significant autobiographical items. One is the profoundly personal identification with, and interest in, the history, aspirations, and culture of the African motherland. A second is the abdication by a successful artist of a lucrative career and fame on behalf of a cause in which he believes and which he sees as paramount. Kwame Nkrumah who had worked closely with Robeson in Britain selected the film for viewing at his Convention Peoples Partys second anniversary celebration in 1950 and was later to offer Robeson a visiting professorship of drama and music at the University in independent Ghana, a post which Robesons health would not permit his accepting.

Finally, involvement in film led to Robesons first trip to the USSR, in 1936, to meet with the great Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein. Although initially made to discuss making a film on the Haitian military and anti-slavery leader Toussaint LOuverture, the voyage was to have profound political impact on the thirty-eight-year-old Robeson, and to influence his thinking and behavior about political, economic, and social phenomena for the rest of his public life.

Despite his international fame in the concert halls, in the theater, and on the screen, it is significant that this artist-activist never allowed his personal success to explain away what happened to his people. The essence of Robesons political evolution can be seen in his changing the lyrics of Oscar Hammersteins Ol Man River. Early in his artistic career, Robeson was to sing it as written:

You get a little drunk and you lands in jail,I gets weary and sick of tryinIm scared of livin and feared of dyin

His later message to the worlds oppressed, with whom he identified, and to the oppressor, for whom he had scorn, is summed up by the significant changes:

You show a little grit and youll land in jail.I must keep fightin until Im dyin

He dared assert his manhood and that of his people. That is how the beleaguered Robeson responded to racism, whether it be in the classroom, on the football field, in the political arena, on the stage, in the concert hall, or on the screen.

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Oncologists, Breast Cancer Patients Differ on Alternative Therapies – WebMD

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June 14, 2021 -- Oncologists may be underestimating how many breast cancer patients are using some type of complementary medicine or alternative treatments, according to a new survey released along with the American Society of Clinical Oncologys annual meeting.

Complementary or alternative treatments typically refer to treatments that are used alongside standard or conventional treatments; acupuncture, massage therapy, homeopathy, and reflexology are some examples. Mind-body therapies such as yoga as well as herbs and vitamins are also considered to be complementary medicine, according to the CDC.

The surveys results showed that oncologists were discussing complementary medicine with only about half of patients, and that oncologists and patients differed in their opinions as to which type of treatments offered the most benefit and improvement to quality of life.

This is a well-known and ongoing problem between practitioners and patients, says Wayne Jonas, MD, a co-author of the report and executive director of integrative health programs at the Samueli Foundation. Patients are much more likely to use complementary and integrative medicine than providers realize, and providers often know very little about these areas or have a negative opinion about them, and so the patients dont bring them up.

Even though the use of complementary medicine in cancer care has been increasing among cancer patients, gaps remain in doctor-patient communication and education. The survey was done to measure awareness, usage, and attitudes toward complementary and lifestyle therapies among oncologists and patients when included as part of cancer treatment.

Done in late 2020, the survey included 115 oncologists who treat patients with breast cancer as well as 164 breast cancer patients who had been diagnosed within 2 years of the survey.

While nearly three-quarters of breast cancer patients (73%) reported using at least one type of complementary medicine after they were diagnosed with cancer, oncologists believed that percentage was much lower (43%), the researchers found

About two-thirds of both oncologists and patients agreed that complementary and lifestyle approaches contributed to improved quality of life and well-being for patients. But these viewpoints were very different when it came to whether they helped. While 60% of patients believed they did, only 36% of oncologists said the same.

Whats more, oncologists in the survey reported that they discussed complementary and lifestyle therapies with 55% of patients, but only 28% of patients said their doctor had been the source of information.

The survey also gauged awareness of complementary and lifestyle therapies among patients and oncologists. Most oncologists (92%) reported that they were familiar with at least one therapy, and viewed nutrition consultation, support groups, mental health support, and exercise consultation as the most important forms of complementary medicine. Spiritual services and meditation or mindfulness were considered less important, though these were two approaches patients gave high marks to.

There is disconnect between oncologists and women with breast cancer in what each group thinks are important, said Charles Shapiro, MD, a professor of medicine, hematology, and medical oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, who was not involved in the study. Spirituality, meditation, and mindfulness were rated higher by women with breast cancer than oncologists -- no surprises here, never assume anything.

The Samueli Foundation is providing funding for the Society for Integrative Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology to develop clinical practice guidelines that will cover the use of complementary approaches in cancer treatment. The first set of guidelines is on schedule to be released this fall.

Evidence-based tools, such as these guidelines, can help clinicians more proactively engage with their patients about the use of complementary or integrative medicine and close that communications gap, said Jonas.

WebMD Health News

CDC: Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Wayne Jonas, MD, executive director, integrative health programs, Samueli Foundation.

Samueli Foundation.

Charles Shapiro, MD, professor of medicine, hematology, and medical oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City.

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Oncologists, Breast Cancer Patients Differ on Alternative Therapies - WebMD

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What Are the Homeopathic Remedies for Ganglion Cysts? – Healthline

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A ganglion cyst is a fluid-filled sac that often appears on your joints. Usually, the only symptom is a noticeable lump, but it can also cause pain or muscle weakness.

If a ganglion cyst is causing discomfort, it can be treated with aspiration (draining), steroid injections, or surgery. However, if you are seeking more natural options, you might be interested in trying homeopathic remedies for ganglion cysts.

Theres no scientific evidence that proves homeopathic options can help with ganglion cysts the research on homeopathy in general is lacking.

Read on to learn about the homeopathic options for ganglion cysts, the research available, plus other natural remedies to cope with them.

Homeopathy is an alternative medical practice developed more than 200 years ago. Its rooted in the concept of like cures like. This notion states that if a substance causes certain symptoms, the substance can also cure those symptoms.

Homeopathic medicine is also based on the idea that lower doses are more effective. Homeopathic products consist of various substances diluted in water or in sugar pellets.

However, homeopathy is based on unconventional theories. Its not a replacement for standard medical treatment.

Homeopathy uses substances that come from:

There are several ways to use homeopathic remedies for ganglion cysts. Generally, its recommended to use them in a diluted liquid. The suggestion is typically about 4 drops twice a day for several days, but the specific product youre using should provide a recommendation for dosage.

You may also find these remedies in oil or cream form, which can be applied directly to your cyst.

The following homeopathic remedies are often recommended by homeopathic practitioners for ganglion cysts.

According to homeopathic practitioners, ruta is the best remedy for ganglion cysts. Its thought to ease strain in your muscles, joints, and tendons. This may help ganglion cysts, which may be related to overuse.

If a ganglion cyst presses against a nerve, it can cause pain. In this case, calcarea fluorica, also called calcarea flour, is recommended by homeopathic practitioners. Its said to ease this type of pain.

Benzoic acid is used for ganglion cysts that are accompanied by dark brown, foul-smelling urine. According to homeopathy, this urinary symptom means that the cyst can be treated with this remedy. Its thought to reduce the size of the cyst.

Silicea is said to treat ganglion cysts on the left side of your wrist. Its recommended if you have odorous sweat, along with numbness and weakness in your hands.

This remedy is thought to help your body reabsorb the material present in a cyst.

Calcarea carb is used for ganglion cysts on the right side of your wrist. Its believed to treat pain and nerve compression caused by the cyst.

Graphites is used for ganglion cysts in people who are prone to weight gain, skin conditions, and feeling cold.

Rhus tox is used to relieve wrist pain caused by a ganglion cyst. If you have a history of wrist injury or trauma, a homeopathic practitioner might recommend rhus tox.

There are several reasons you may consider homeopathy over more traditional routes.

If you have a ganglion cyst, you might seek homeopathy if:

However, theres controversy over the effectiveness of homeopathy. Theres limited evidence proving that homeopathic remedies work for any health condition. The available research has also produced mixed results.

A 2015 research review showed that its unclear if homeopathic treatment is any different from placebo. A 2016 meta-analysis also reported that adverse side effects often occur in homeopathic studies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised against using homeopathic treatments for serious conditions. Additionally, according to a 2015 review by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), theres no proof that homeopathy is effective for any condition. The NHMRC states that using homeopathy may pose a health risk.

Plus, theres no specific research regarding homeopathy for ganglion cysts. This means homeopathic remedies havent been tested for safety and efficacy when used for ganglion cysts. More research is necessary to confirm how homeopathy can help ganglion cysts, if at all.

If youre thinking of starting a homeopathic regimen or taking new herbs or supplements, consult a healthcare professional first. They can help you avoid medication interactions and ensure the remedies are safe for you.

There are other ways to relieve ganglion cysts without medical treatment. These options might be safer than homeopathic remedies.

Ganglion cyst natural remedies include:

Its unclear if homeopathy for ganglion cysts actually works. Theres no research on how homeopathic substances specifically affect ganglion cysts. Plus, homeopathy in general is controversial, as theres little evidence to prove its effectiveness for any condition.

Typically, a ganglion cyst doesnt need medical treatment. You can use a warm compress, OTC pain relievers, or a brace to ease unpleasant symptoms.

If youre still curious about homeopathic remedies, check with a medical professional first. Its also best to contact a trained homeopathic practitioner if you plan to go that route.

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Covid stress: People turning to alternative therapies – Telangana Today

Posted: at 1:08 am

Alternative medicine witnessing demand as many try to deal with issues arising out of the pandemic

Hyderabad: As the pandemic shows no signs of disappearing anytime soon, those in the alternative medicine field say they are observing an uptick in demand for people looking to relieve their symptoms.

Reiki healer Dr Meena Bajaj says she is seeing more youngsters coming to her for healing. They are unable to deal with anxiety and the stress due to different situations in their life. A lot of Covid patients in recovery and those suffering from it have also reached out, says the 62-year-old healer.

The Japanese-based healing technique, Reiki usually requires in-person meetings, but Dr Meena says, the technique is not really encumbered by space, location or distance.

When the body is ill, the chakras get disbalanced, we balance them by redirecting energy to them. The chakras work as a whole and not individually, and cleanse the system. There is a lot of negativity around us, which affects our body eventually, we stop that from happening by ensuring energy flows freely, explains Dr Meena who takes on 5-6 calls a day from patients, many in post-Covid recovery.

Yoga practitioner Rajeshwari Vaddiparthi who runs the Amrithavarshini Yoga centre says, with any alternative therapy, its important to understand that its an ongoing process, and not something that will give you instant results.

You cant start doing vigorous asanas or pranayama and expect results instantly. The body has to be attuned to it long enough to make a difference. I have observed the same inflexibility in a 60-year-old and a 20-year-old. In the former, it is due to age and the latter due to inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle. So one has to modify the postures and breathing techniques according to such factors, says Rajeshwari who receives a lot of requests for teacher training in Yoga as many with time on their hands want to learn and turn teachers for others.

Many are also enquiring about chanting therapy which is known to have spiritual and mental health benefits. Chanting can have a physiological and psychological effect. It can alleviate emotional exhaustion, depression, and change the mood, explains Rajeshwari.

Bach flower therapy is also being used in conjunction with Yoga therapy for people now.

Anxiety and fear together are two common issues we see now. Bach flower therapy works by healing the emotions of a person. Each flowers essence in the 35 to 38 varieties works on a particular emotion. Some varieties when combined together with Yoga can help a persons emotional state significantly. It doesnt have any disruptive effects on the body and can be used on pregnant women and babies too. So they are very safe and can be used with other forms of therapies, explains Bach therapist Kamala Chirravuri.

With most people dealing with allergies during changing seasons, she advises Rescue Remedy which is a combination of five flowers which alleviates the symptoms in majority of the people. With any therapy, its always better to consult an expert, they all say, rather than turning to Google.

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Headache pressure points on the feet: Pictures and science – Medical News Today

Posted: at 1:08 am

Acupressure is a type of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that aims to restore balance to the bodys energy system. Headache pressure points on the feet are spots where acupressure practitioners claim pressure can cause shifts in the bodys energy. This may alleviate pain.

Research on acupressure is relatively new. However, some studies do support the effectiveness of acupressure for head pain.

This article will list pressure points on the feet and other parts of the body that could help a person relieve headaches. It will also explain the science behind pressure points and list potential headache triggers a person may wish to avoid.

There are only a couple of pressure points on the feet that may help with headaches. These points are safe to use alongside other pressure points. For example, a person can stimulate a pressure point elsewhere on the body and then move to the feet.

Some points to stimulate for headaches include:

This spot, also known as Liver 3, is on the top of the foot. Find it by locating the spot on the webbing between the big and second toes. Then move down so the hand is level with the knuckle, and stimulate for several minutes.

It can help ease headaches and tension, as well as low back pain and stress.

Acupressure practitioners also refer to this spot as Gall Bladder 41.

Find the spot between the pinky toe and fourth toe, then move down to the area between the knuckles where the toes connect to the feet. Stimulate for several minutes.

Applying pressure to this point can help with headaches, period pain, and menstrual headaches.

Learn about different hand pressure points to relieve various conditions here.

The pressure points listed below may also help with headaches.

illustration by Diego Sabogal

This spot is also known as Gall Bladder 20. Stimulate this pressure point behind the neck, on either side of the spine, at the spot where the large muscles of the neck attach to the base of the head.

This may help ease headaches, as well as cold symptoms, fatigue, and migraine.

illustration by Diego Sabogal

A person can stimulate this pressure point, also referred to as Large Intestine 4, by locating the spot on the side of the index finger where it connects to the hand, between the index finger and thumb.

This may help relieve stress, tension, toothaches, generalized face pain, and headaches. However, stimulating He Gu is not safe during pregnancy.

illustration by Diego Sabogal

Acupressure practitioners also call this spot Gall Bladder 21.

Stimulate this point on the top of the shoulders, at the exact midpoint between the neck and the shoulders. It should help with headaches, neck pain, and neck stiffness.

Applying pressure to this point may not be safe in pregnant people.

illustration by Diego Sabogal

Find Zhong Zu, or Triple Heater 3, between the pinky and ring finger, between the knuckles where the fingers connect to the hand.

Stimulating this spot may help ease tension headaches, as well as neck and shoulder pain.

Learn more pressure points that may relieve headaches here.

TCM practitioners believe a vital energy force called chi (Qi) circulates throughout the body. Illness and other health issues can cause imbalances of this energy, leading to pain and serious medical conditions. Stimulating certain pressure points helps more effectively move chi.

Research on acupressure is not conclusive. Although practitioners have used this complementary medicine for thousands of years, science is only now beginning to explore its use.

To stimulate a pressure point, apply firm and steady pressure in an up-and-down or circular motion for several minutes. It should not hurt. If it does, try slightly moving the pressure point.

A small number of studies suggest acupuncture can be a helpful treatment for head pain. For instance, a 2010 randomized clinical trial compared self-reported pain 1 and 6 months following either muscle relaxant treatment or acupressure. While both groups got better, improvements were much greater in the acupressure group.

A 2014 systematic review found more generally that acupressure could help relieve pain, including head pain.

However, there are some issues with studies of pressure points and acupressure for headaches. Most do not look at specific acupressure points but rather a group of points. This makes it difficult to discern whether a specific spot is more effective than another one.

Learn about acupressure and acupuncture here.

Headaches are among the most common afflictions, and most are harmless. The specific triggers will depend on the type of headache.

For example, certain foods may cause a migraine, while sitting at a desk all day in a strained posture may trigger a tension headache.

It may be useful to keep a log of headaches and their triggers to identify any patterns. Some triggers include:

Most headaches are not dangerous and resolve with or without treatment.

However, some headaches are a chronic source of pain, especially for people experiencing migraines and those with chronic tension headaches. A headache may also warn of a serious underlying medical issue.

A person should contact a doctor if:

Seeking emergency medical attention is necessary if a sudden, very intense headache co-occurs with numbness on either side of the body, confusion, loss of consciousness, or trouble walking or moving.

Acupressure points for headaches may help a person feel better faster. For some people, these pressure points are a viable alternative to headache medication and the side effects it can cause.

As with any chronic medical condition, it is advisable to contact a doctor if headaches are frequent or if home remedies prove ineffective.

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Alternative And Complementary Medicine Market 2021 Global Demand and Emerging Trends by 2028- Columbia Nutritional Inc., Herb Pharma, Herbal Hills …

Posted: at 1:07 am

The research report provides deep insights into the global market revenue, parent market trends, macro-economic indicators, and governing factors, along with market attractiveness per market segment. The report provides an overview of the growth rate of Alternative And Complementary Medicine market during the forecast period, i.e., 20212028. Most importantly, the report further identifies the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies. The research segments the market on the basis of product type, application, technology, and region. To offer more clarity regarding the industry, the report takes a closer look at the current status of various factors including but not limited to supply chain management, niche markets, distribution channel, trade, supply, and demand and production capability across different countries.

Major Key Players:

Columbia Nutritional Inc.; Herb Pharm; Herbal Hills; Helio USA Inc; Deepure Plus; Nordic Naturals; Pure Encapsulations, Inc.; Quantum Touch Inc.; John Schumachers Unity Woods Yoga Center; Yoga Tree; The Healing Company; and Iyengar Yoga Institute.

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Market Overview: The global Alternative And Complementary Medicine Market can be segmented on the basis of design, end-use, application, and region. The most applications of evaporative condensing units are refrigeration and air conditioning; of the two, the refrigeration application segment is anticipated to lead the global evaporative condensing unit market.

Alternative And Complementary Medicine Market Report covers size, share and forecast (value and volume) by regions, high players, product varieties and applications, with historical knowledge in conjunction with forecast from 2021 to 2028.

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Alternative And Complementary Medicine Market Report offers the following points:

The Report covers Associate in Nursing thorough description, competitive state of affairs, wide product portfolio of key vendors and business strategy adopted by competitors in conjunction with their SWOT analysis, revenue, sales and Porters 5 Forces Analysis.

The markets factors delineate during this Report are:

Key Strategic Developments: The analysis includes the key strategic developments of the market, comprising R&D, M&A, agreements, new product launch, collaborations, partnerships, joint ventures, and regional growth of the key competitors functioning within the market on a worldwide and regional scale.

Key Market Features: The Report assessed key market options, as well as revenue, capacity, price, capability utilization rate, production rate, gross, production, consumption, import/export, supply/demand, cost, market share, CAGR, and profit margin. Additionally thereto, the study provides a comprehensive analysis of the key market factors and their latest trends, in conjunction with relevant market segments and sub-segments.

Analytical Tools: the worldwide phase change Condensers Market Report provides the strictly studied and evaluated knowledge of the highest trade players and their scope within the market by suggests that of many analytical tools. The analytical tools like Porters 5 forces analysis, feasibleness study, SWOT analysis, and ROI analysis are practiced reviewing the expansion of the key players operative within the market.

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Major Points from Table of Contents:

The Global Alternative And Complementary Medicine Market analyzing 15 Chapters in detail:

Chapter 1, to describe Alternative And Complementary Medicine Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force.

Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Alternative And Complementary Medicine , with sales, revenue, and price of Alternative And Complementary Medicine , in 2015 to 2021;

Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2015 to 2021;

Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Alternative And Complementary Medicine , for each region, from 2015 to 2021;

Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;

Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2021 to 2028;

Chapter 12, Alternative And Complementary Medicine market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2021 to 2028;

Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Alternative And Complementary Medicine sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.

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We at QYReports, a leading market research report publisher cater to more than 4,000 prestigious clients worldwide meeting their customized research requirements in terms of market data size and its application. Our list of customers includes renowned Chinese companys multinational companies, SMEs and private equity firms. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering you accurate, in depth and reliable market insight, industry analysis and structure. QYReports specialize in forecasts needed for investing in an and execution of a new project globally and in Chinese markets.

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Deepak Chopra: Stress No 1 epidemic in our society pandemic an opportunity to reinvent body and soul – The Indian Express

Posted: at 1:07 am

Alternative medicine guru Deepak Chopra, MD believes the pandemic has made it even more important for people to be aware of the dangers of stress, which he calls the Number 1 pandemic affecting our society. Chopra says mindfulness and mental wellbeing are an important part of our holistic health, and we must understand how this part of our health impacts other areas from mind-body connection, to activity, to sleep, to nutrition, and beyond.

Fitbit, one of the worlds leading fitness tracker brands, has started offering Chopras Mindful Method exclusively for its premium users. I admire Fitbits commitment to making the world a healthier place by taking a holistic approach to health and wellness, he says in an email interview, adding: Mindful Method makes a regular mindfulness practice easy and accessible no matter whether you are learning how to begin or are interested in taking your mindfulness practice to the next level.

Edited excerpts from the email interview:

How important is mindfulness to cope with stress?

Deepak Chopra: I see stress as the number one epidemic of society today and its more important than ever for me to offer support for people to help manage it. As we all know, it is a global issue, with one in three people experiencing psychological and physiological symptoms caused by stress.

According to the American Heart Association, more than one-third of people across the globe report physical and mental side effects of stress, which if unmanaged over time, can lead to negative health effects ranging from headaches to increased risk of cardiac disease, to obesity and depression. Better managing your emotional wellbeing, including mindfulness, stress, and sleep, can have a positive impact on your overall health.

I understand that trying to maintain your health today is hard, but its also more important than ever to take care of yourself. Everyone can incorporate mindfulness into their day, whether just starting out or looking to deepen an existing practice.

Has it become more of an issue in the pandemic?

There are many reasons to be stressed today more than ever before. However, I view the pandemic as an opportunity to reinvent the body and soul especially as we navigate difficult challenges such as balancing parenting and virtual learning, feeling isolated from family, friends, and coworkers, or caring for the health of your loved ones or simply needing motivation to put yourself first.

Indians are culturally supposed to be better at controlling stress and staying calm. Have we lost that over the years?

The truth is that, across the globe, we have all become used to daily stress and anxiety, which is not the best thing for our wellbeing. What is encouraging to me is that people have started giving due attention to mindfulness and started to adopt different ways to focus on mental well-being. For instance, according to Fitbit, we saw how meditation in India saw a massive uptick as the go-to activity among Indian Fitbit users.

How much is technology to be blamed for our stress?

Technology is not the bad guy in this equation. Technology is neutral. We are the creators of technology, not the victims of it. It can be used for destructive purposes. You can poison the food chain, you can be a troll on the internet and you can cause a lot of distress and stress. Or you can use it to ease the world. Its up to us if we use it for the divine or not. I believe technology is here to help us get in touch with the divine. Technology is part of evolution and if we dont adapt, we become irrelevant.

The most exciting part of this new era of technology is that we can immediately see the metrics behind how our bodies respond when we introduce mindfulness, breathing, and mind-body connection techniques into a routine.

My Fitbit Sense allows me to measure and see my personal data in the moment and trends over time, and whats great is that your device is collecting personal health insights 24/7 while its on my wrist and can check the results anytime on device and in the app. By tracking and measuring these metrics, we can figure out how a mindfulness practice (or any activity) is affecting our bodies, and adjust what were doing to better help better manage something like stress. This is where you start to make the connection between how everything activity, sleep, meditation, nutrition, and beyond fits together. The data is the truth, so the metrics I track empower me to know my body better and make the correlations between how Im feeling mentally and physically.

With Fitbit Premium, I also see deeper insights and details about my Sleep Score and Stress Management Score, as well as receive additional guidance and programs like my Mindful Method to help me take action and implement new habits it helps take the guesswork out of things and empowers me along my health journey. My Mindful Method for Fitbit includes sessions that focus on mindfulness for total well-being, incorporating mindfulness throughout your day, and using it as a tool to find awareness, manage stress and emotions, and build concentration.

Therefore, I see technology more as an enabler in our busy lives to reflect and manage some of the important aspects of health and keeping a track of our goals.

Is fatigue something that grips the mind more than the body?

Fatigue is simply a sign that we are not taking proper care of our mind and body, and neither is more important than the other. Im glad that our health is increasingly being defined as so much more than being exercise fit. Being healthy in todays environment is also about managing stress. Stress has a profound impact on your health, so it is important to understand how your body reacts to it and how you can manage it.

With the help of technology and wearables, we can now easily monitor the impact stress and fatigue has on our body as well as mind. The rise in skin temperature, resting heart rate and a poor EDA score are signs of unhealthy stress levels along with other physical conditions.

If you had one advice for all to cope with this pandemic, what would it be?

Consider meditation if your personal situation allows for it. In a 24-hour period, if you kept a log of how you feel, youd see, immediately, anybody would see that the mind is all over the place. Its not naturally tending to anxiety. Although these days, because of the news, it turns more towards anxiety. But the mind by itself always vacillates between joy and sorrow, between despair and hope, between pain and pleasure, so by definition, the mind is never peaceful.

Mindfulness is a practice which is more an awareness rather than using the mind. You are watching the mind. And as you observe the mind, or observe breath, or observe sensations, or observe emotions, or observe any experience, which is what we mean by mindfulness, then the mind automatically quiets and you feel rested and restored and renewed.

This pandemic is an opportunity for us to reinvent our lives and reinvent how we feel in our physical body, but also improve our emotional wellbeing.

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Immune system dysfunction and cannabis use linked to psychosis – Health Europa

Posted: at 1:07 am

A first-of-its-kind study by researchers at the University of So Paulos Ribeiro Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP) in Brazil found that individuals exposed to a combination of these two factors the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood and cannabis use (either daily or during adolescence) are more likely to suffer from psychosis than those who are exposed to neither or to only one. According to the authors, the study provides the first clinical evidence that immune dysregulation modifies the cannabis-psychosis association.

The study was part of a project conducted by the European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene-Environment Interactions (EU-GEI), a consortium of research centres in 13 countries, including Brazil. An article published in The Lancet Psychiatry by the consortium in 2019 showed that daily cannabis use increased the likelihood of suffering from a psychotic disorder threefold.

The article has been published in the journalPsychological Medicine.

In the more recent study, the researchers analysed data for 409 people aged 16 to 64, including patients experiencing their first psychotic episode and community-based controls. The sample was drawn from the populations of Ribeiro Preto and 25 other cities in the region. The variables analysed included cannabis use frequency (daily, not daily, or never), duration (five years or less), and onset age (in adolescence or later).

As well as the questionnaire on cannabis use, researchers measured various cytokines in plasma donated by the volunteers and calculated scores representing their systemic inflammatory profiles. They also collected clinical and socio-demographic data, especially variables known as confounders, such as age, gender, schooling, ethnicity, body mass index, smoking, and use of psychoactive substances. The results obtained were independent of confounding factors.

Fabiana Corsi-Zuelli, first author of the article, said: Not everyone who uses cannabis develops psychosis. This suggests that the association may be modified by other factors, which may be biological, genetic, or environmental.

In a previous study conducted as part of my masters research, we identified a correlation between plasma cytokines and the first psychotic episode. Following up on this discovery, and the consortiums recent publication showing a higher incidence of psychosis among subjects who used cannabis on a daily basis, our next step was to see if the biological factor [inflammatory profile] affected the link between cannabis use and psychosis.

We found a statistically significant correlation between inflammatory profile and cannabis use on a daily basis or during adolescence. In sum, the results showed that immune system dysfunction can modify the association between cannabis use and psychosis and that a combination of these two factors increases the odds of suffering from a psychotic disorder.

The principal investigator for the project is Cristina Marta Del-Ben, Professor at FMRP-USPs Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences. According to Del-Ben, risk factors for psychosis may be biological, including genetic predisposition and problems during pregnancy, as well as environmental, including traumatic experiences during childhood and adolescence, and exposure to psychoactive substances, especially cannabis.

Professor Del-Ben said: The mechanisms of the disorder are poorly understood. Our findings show that frequent current use of cannabis or use of the drug in adolescence is a risk factor for psychosis. We didnt detect the same correlation with occasional or recreational use. In the multicentre study, which included European cities with varying levels and types of cannabis availability, we also found that the risk of psychosis is greater in users of stronger cannabis strains with a THC content or 10% of higher. THC is the primary psychoactive constituent of cannabis or marijuana.

Following these insights, the researchers plan to next study genetic variants associated with the immune system and use neuroimaging data to explore the link with environmental risk factors.

Focusing in this way on the interactions between genetics and the environment will help us understand the neurobiology of psychosis, especially the role played by the immune system.

Its important to the search for alternative treatments for these disorders, and also to answering often neglected questions relating to the physical health of psychiatric patients, Corsi-Zuelli said.

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Immune system dysfunction and cannabis use linked to psychosis - Health Europa

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