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Daily Cannabis Use Linked to Public Health Burden

The AHA! Team — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 05:24:00 +0000

George Washington University via Newswise – A new study analyzes the disease burden and the risk factors for severity among people who suffer from a condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (Washington Feb. 20, 2025) Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome Researchers at the George Washington University say the condition occurs in people who are long-term regular consumers of cannabis and causes nausea, uncontrollable vomiting and excruciating pain in a cyclical pattern that often leads to repeated trips to the hospital. “This is one of the first large studies to examine the burden of disease associated with this cannabis-linked syndrome,” says Andrew Meltzer, professor of emergency medicine at the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences and lead author of the study. “Our findings suggest that cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome could represent a costly and largely hidden public health problem.” Many experts say that the condition is on the rise While the exact prevalence of the condition is unknown, many experts say that the condition is on the rise as the number of daily or near daily users of cannabis has increased in the US. To assess the burden of disease, Meltzer and his colleagues conducted a survey of 1,052 people who report suffering from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. The researchers asked questions about frequency of use, duration of the habit, the age they started using the drug, and need for emergency department or hospital care. Key findings of the study: 85% reported at least 1 emergency department visit and 44% reported at least 1 hospitalization associated with the hyperemesis symptoms. Early age of cannabis initiation was associated with higher odds of emergency department visits. Daily use of cannabis before the onset of the syndrome was nearly universal, with over 40% of respondents reporting they used marijuana more than 5 times a day. Prolonged use was common with 44% reporting using regularly for more than 5 years before onset of syndrome. The new research suggests that the condition may impose a heavy burden on individuals who suffer from it as it often results in pain, vomiting and costly trips to the hospital. Emergency room doctors can stabilize the patient and help alleviate the acute symptoms but the only known way to stop the episodes of excruciating abdominal pain and repeated vomiting is to stop using cannabis, Meltzer says. A substantial risk of this painful and costly condition Although this study had some limitations, including self-reported use of cannabis, Meltzer says it suggests a substantial risk of this painful and costly condition, especially for users who begin daily use of cannabis as adolescents. He says more research is needed to understand why some people suffer from the condition after prolonged cannabis exposure and others do not. In addition, it is unclear why cannabis changes from a drug that has been known to ease nausea and vomiting, especially among patients undergoing chemotherapy, to causing nausea and vomiting in a subset of people. Many patients don’t realize that the syndrome is connected with their use of cannabis Meltzer says it is important for clinicians to advise those with frequent cannabinoid use or hyperemesis about the risks and subsequent disease burden. He says many patients don’t realize that the syndrome is connected with their use of cannabis. Physicians should explain that and advise patients on resources to help them quit, he says. The study, Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome is Associated with High Disease Burden: An Internet-based Survey, was published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine on Feb. 20, 2025. Andrew Meltzer explains more about the study in this GW video. -GW- To read the original article click here.

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Probiotics Significantly Improve the Symptoms of Pregnancy-Related Problems

AHA Publisher — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 08:00:23 +0000

University of California – Davis Health via News-Medical – In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine found that probiotics significantly improve the symptoms of pregnancy-related nausea, vomiting and constipation. The findings were published in the journal Nutrients. Nausea and vomiting affect about 85% of pregnancies and can significantly impact quality of life, particularly during early pregnancy. “The cause of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is unknown to this date. Various theories have been proposed, but none of them is conclusive. Nausea, vomiting and constipation during pregnancy can significantly diminish the quality of patients’ lives. Once nausea and vomiting during pregnancy progress, they can become difficult to control, and sometimes the patient even needs to be hospitalized.” Albert T Liu, Study Lead Author and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California – Davis Health Beneficial Microbes Probiotics are referred to as “beneficial bacteria.” They can be found in foods like yogurt, kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut and tempeh. Probiotics are also available as food supplements. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, other than vitamins, probiotics or prebiotics were the third most commonly used dietary supplement for adults. Probiotics are thought to support the community of different microbes, often referred to as the “gut microbiome,” found in the gastrointestinal tract. During pregnancy, hormones like estrogen and progesterone increase, bringing about many physical changes. These increases can also change the gut microbiome, which likely affects the digestive system functions and causes unwanted symptoms like nausea, vomiting and constipation. The researchers set out to determine whether supplementing with a probiotic could be beneficial for gastrointestinal function during pregnancy. The study lasted for 16 days. A total of 32 participants took a probiotic capsule twice a day for six days and then took two days off. They then repeated the cycle. The probiotics were available over-the-counter and mainly contained Lactobacillus., a type of good bacteria. Each capsule contained approximately 10 billion live cultures at the time of manufacture. Participants kept 17 daily observations of their symptoms during the duration of the study, for a total of 535 observations for the researchers to statistically assess. What the researchers found was that taking the probiotic significantly reduced nausea and vomiting. Nausea hours (the number of hours participants felt nauseous) were reduced by 16%, and the number of times they vomited was reduced by 33%. Probiotic intake also significantly improved symptoms related to quality of life, such as fatigue, poor appetite and difficulty maintaining normal social activities, as scored by questionnaires. Probiotics were also found to reduce constipation significantly. “Over the years, I’ve observed that probiotics can reduce nausea and vomiting and ease constipation. It’s very encouraging that the study proved this to be true,” said Liu. “Probiotics have also benefited many of my other patients who weren’t in the study,” said Liu. New Clues From Gut Microbes and Byproducts Participants also contributed fecal specimens before and during the study. The samples were analyzed to identify the type and number of microbes and the different byproducts of digestion. This allowed the researchers to examine whether biomarkers in the fecal specimens corresponded with more severe nausea and assess how the probiotics affected participants who began the study with different baseline biomarkers. One finding was that a low amount of bacteria that carry an enzyme named bile salt hydrolase, which generates bile acid to absorb nutrients, was associated with more pregnancy-related vomiting. Probiotics increase bile salt hydrolase-producing bacteria, which may explain why the supplements decreased levels of nausea and vomiting. Another finding was that high levels of the gut microbes Akkermansia and A. muciniphila at the beginning of the study were associated with more vomiting. The probiotic significantly reduced the amount of those particular microbes and also reduced vomiting. This suggests Akkermansia and A. muciniphila may be reliable biomarkers that can predict vomiting in pregnancy. Another finding was that vitamin E levels increased after taking probiotics. Higher levels of vitamin E were associated with low vomiting scores. “This research provides key insights about the impact of gut microbes on gastrointestinal function during pregnancy. Our gut microbiota explains why we are what we eat, and why bacteria-generated metabolites and products have a huge impact on our health,” said Wan. “They affect the gastrointestinal tract as well as skin health and neurological function.” Although the findings are intriguing, the researchers caution that due to the small sample size, further studies will be needed to confirm the effects of the probiotics. “Our previous work showed the benefits of probiotics in preventing liver inflammation. The current study might be one of the first to show the benefits of probiotics in pregnancy,” said Wan. “It would be interesting and important to further test whether probiotics can reduce nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients.” To read the original article click here.

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Fewer Migraines From More Fish Oil and Less Vegetable Oil, Study Reveals

AHA Publisher — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 07:00:02 +0000

Lori Alton via NaturalHealth365 – If you are one of the millions of Americans who suffer from migraine headaches, you know that the pain can be relentless – persisting for hours and even days. Unfortunately, these disabling headaches are far from rare. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), research from 2018 showed that over 15 percent of all American adults reported having a migraine within the past three months. While Western medicine attempts to address migraines with pharmaceutical drugs – including addictive opioids and toxic NSAID medications – new research published in the medical journal The BMJ shows a simple dietary intervention may reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. To discover how “tweaking” your diet may help tame migraine headaches, read on. Ladies, Beware: Women Suffer Migraine Headaches Twice as Often as Men Do Migraine headaches are usually characterized by throbbing, pulsing pain, limited to only one side of the head. In addition, nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound can occur, along with visual disturbances such as flashes of light and blind spots. Migraines can last anywhere from 4 to 72 hours and can strike at unpredictable intervals. Some patients report rare, isolated attacks, while others suffer multiple headaches a month. Studies show that women are almost twice as likely to experience migraines than men, disproportionately affecting younger women. In fact, one of the benefits of senior citizenship is that the frequency of migraines seems to take a nosedive as we age. According to the CDC, one-fourth of women between 18 and 44 reported a severe headache within three months – a rate that plummets to only 7.6 percent of women aged 75 and over. Older men also fared better than younger, with 12.3 percent of men 18 to 44 reporting headaches, compared to a mere 4 percent in men 75 and older. Still, despite the measure of relief some patients gain in their “golden years,” migraine headaches remain a painful ordeal for many. “Double-Edged Sword” – Balance of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Affects Pain and Inflammation The research investigated the effects of two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids – omega-3s, found in cold-water fish in the form of EPA and DHA – and omega-6s, found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds. Omega-3s are believed to be strongly anti-inflammatory, while omega-6s can be pro-inflammatory. Does this mean that omega-6 fatty acids are “bad?” Not necessarily. After all, a certain amount of inflammation is needed by the body to fight injury and infection. But, dietary intake of the two fats must be balanced, with most natural health experts advising an “omega-3 to omega-6 ratio” of 1:4. Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet (aptly abbreviated as SAD!) tends to be top-heavy with omega-6 oils (thanks to soybean oil in many commercial foods) while potentially low in omega-3s. The effect of this unhealthy way of eating? Systemic chronic inflammation – which not only can trigger migraines but lies at the root of many degenerative diseases. The new study showcases the benefits of properly balancing this pair of essential fatty acids. BIG NEWS: Research Highlights Hope for Migraine Sufferers The study – conducted by researchers from the National Institute on Aging, the National Institutes of Health, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – involved 182 frequent migraine sufferers experiencing 5 to 20 headaches a month. One group of participants received a diet with increased omega-3s (EPA and DHA in the amount of 1.5 grams a day), while a second group received a diet with increased omega-3s along with decreased amounts of linoleic acid (a common omega-6). By comparison, the control group was given a diet that featured a higher ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s. The results helped to confirm what natural health experts have long maintained about the power of proper nutrition to mitigate inflammation. An impressive finding is that the diet higher in omega-3s reduced total daily “headache hours” by up to 40 percent. And, when the diet was higher in omega-3s and lower in omega-6s, the number of “migraine days” in a month were decreased by four – also a significant improvement. In addition, the greatest decrease in severity and frequency occurred with the combination diet. Study leader Christopher Ramsden, MD, noted that this was the first moderate-sized controlled trial showing that targeted changes in the diet can decrease physical pain. The key to the dietary intervention’s success seems to revolve around oxylipins, natural fatty acid-derived compounds that influence pain and inflammation. While omega-3s help produce oxylipins that reduce inflammation and pain, omega-6s appear to create oxylipins that worsen pain and provoke migraines. Experts Concur on the Importance of Anti-Inflammatory Omega-3s Other noted headache experts are “on board” with the study’s findings and acting on them. For example, Rebecca Burch, MD, a physician with the Graham Headache Center at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA., declares, “(The study) results support recommending a high-omega-3 diet to patients in clinical practice.” For a better balance of polyunsaturated fats in your diet, seek to avoid processed seed and vegetable oils that are high in omega-6s (as well as the processed foods that contain them). Instead, olive, palm, and coconut oils – along with grass-fed butter – are a wiser choice. To boost beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, experts advise eating two servings of cold-water fatty fish – such as wild-caught salmon or sardines – a week. Pastured-raised eggs can also help provide omega-3s. Ramping up omega-3s while decreasing omega-6s is an intriguing natural intervention that shows promise in helping to manage painful headaches and bring much-needed relief to migraine sufferers. Sources for this article include: ScienceDaily.com Medscape.com CDC.gov CDC.gov To read the original article click here.

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