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Archive for October, 2008

Drugs destroy millions of lives every year, yet the most disturbing aspect of this problem is the damage drug abuse does to our young people and to the future of our country. With more and more young people being introduced to drugs. Marijuana is the word used to describe the dried flowers, seeds and leaves of the hemp plant. On the street, it is called by many other names, such as: astro turf, bhang, dagga, dope, ganja, grass, hemp, home grown, J, Mary Jane, pot, reefer, roach, Texas tea and weed. Hashish is a related form of the drug, made from the resins of the hemp plant. Also called chocolate, hash, or shit, it is on average six times stronger than marijuana. “Cannabis” describes any of the different drugs that come from hemp, including marijuana and hashish. Regardless of the name, this drug is a hallucinogena substance which distorts how the mind perceives the world you live in. The chemical in cannabis that creates this distortion is delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The amount of THC found in any given batch of marijuana may vary substantially, but overall, the percentage of THC has increased in recent years. Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world. A survey conducted in 2002 found that 14 million individuals in the United States alone had smoked marijuana at least once during the previous month. In Ontario, a 2005 survey of students from grades 7 to 12 revealed that of all drugs, excluding alcohol and tobacco, cannabis is the most frequently used. One in seven students reported using cannabis six or more times during the previous year. Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (joint), but may also be smoked in a pipe. Less often, it is mixed with food and eaten or brewed as tea. Sometimes, users open up cigars and remove the tobacco, replacing it with pot -called a “blunt.” joints and blunts are sometimes laced with other, more powerful drugs, such as crack cocaine or PCP (phencyclidine). When a person smokes a joint, he usually feels its effect within minutes. The immediate sensations -increased heart rate, lessened coordination and balance, and a “dreamy,” unreal state of mind -peak within the first 30 minutes. These short- term effects usually wear off in two to three hours, but they could last longer, depending on how much the user takes, the potency of THC and the presence of other drugs laced into the mix. As the typical user inhales more smoke and holds it longer than he would with a cigarette, a joint creates a severe impact on one’s lungs. Aside from the discomfort that goes with sore throats and chest colds, it has been found that consuming lone joint gives as much exposure to cancer-producing chemicals as smoking five cigarettes. The mental consequences of marijuana use are equally severe. Marijuana smokers have poorer memories and mental aptitude than do non-users. Animals given marijuana by researchers have even suffered structural damage to the brain. Marijuana is a mixture of dried-out leaves, stems, flowers and seeds of the hemp plant. It is usually green, brown or grey in colour. Hashish is tan, brown or black resin that is dried and pressed into bars, sticks or balls. When smoked, both marijuana and hashish give off a distinctive, sweet odour. The hemp plant (from which cannabis drugs like marijuana and hashish are made) was grown for use as an hallucinogen more than 2000 years ago. Althoug cannabis contains over 400 different chemicals, the main ingredient which affects the mind is THC. The amount of THC in the hemp plant determines the strength of the drug. The weather, soil and other factors determine the percentage of THC found in the plant. But by using modern farming techniques, hemp growers have developed strains of cannabis which have much higher levels of THC than in the past. THC levels used to average 1% in 1974, but by 1994 had risen to 4%. The levels in hashish are even greater. One form of cannabis, called Sinsemilla (Spanish for “without seeds”) may have THC levels from 7.5 to as much as 24%.Is smoking a joint the same as drinking alcohol? Alcohol consists of one substance only: ethanol. Marijuana contains more than 400 known toxins and cancer-causing chemicals. Alcohol is eliminated from the body in a few hours; THC stays in the body fat for months, possibly longer. Thus, a person who smokes two to three joints a week is constantly under the influence of the drug. THC damages the immune system. Alcohol does not. There is no intention here to minimize the dangers of alcohol abuse, which can be equally harmful. Alcohol, however, can be used in moderation without causing severe damage. Cannabis, which is used almost exclusively as an intoxicant, is far more dangerous even when used in small amounts because its active agent continues to build up in body fat. The immediate effects of taking marijuana include rapid heart beat, disorientation, lack of physical coordination, often followed by depression or sleepiness. Some users suffer panic attacks or anxiety. But the problem does not end there. The active ingredient in cannabis, THC, remains deposited in fat cells and organs such as the brain, sex glands (testicles and ovaries), spleen, liver and lungs. What does that mean to you? Even if you stop using the drug, you can continue to experience harmful physical and mental side effects from it for months or even years. Smoking marijuana and hashish causes more lung damage than smoking tobacco. The risk of lung cancer is many times higher for joint smokers than for cigarette smokers. Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more cancer-causing hydrocarbons than cigarettes and one joint is equal to five tobacco cigarettes. Chronic joint smokers often suffer from bronchitis, an inflammation of the respiratory tract. Marijuana changes the structure of sperm cells, deforming them. Thus even small amounts of marijuana can cause temporary sterility in men. Marijuana use can upset a woman’s menstrual cycle. A pregnant woman who regularly smokes marijuana or hashish may give birth prematurely to an undersized, underweight body. Studies show that the mental functions of people who have smoked a lot of marijuana tend to be impaired or diminished. The THC in cannabis disrupts nerve cells in the brain affecting the memory. Cannabis is one of the few drugs which causes abnormal cell division which leads to severe hereditary defects. Over the last 10 years, many children of marijuana users have been born with reduced initiative and lessened abilities to concentrate and pursue life goals. Studies also suggest that prenatal use of the drug may result in birth defects, mental abnormalities and increased risk of leukaemia in children. Short-term effects: Sensory distortion, Panic, Anxiety, Poor coordination of movement, Lowered reaction time, After an initial “up,” the user feels sleepy or depressed, Increased heartbeat (an risk of heart attack).Long-term effects: Reduced resistance to common illnesses (colds. bronchitis. etc.), Suppression of the immune system, Growth disorders, Increase of abnormally structured cells in the body, Reduction of male sex hormones, Rapid destruction of lung fibers and lesions (injuries) to the brain could be permanent, Reduced sexual capacity, Study difficulties: reduced ability to learn and retain information, Apathy, drowsiness, lack of motivation, Personality and mood changes, Inability to understand things clearly. Because a tolerance builds up, marijuana can lead users to consume stronger drugs to achieve the same high. When the effects start to wear off, the person may turn to more potent drugs to rid himself of the unwanted conditions that prompted him to take marijuana in the first place. Marijuana itself does not lead the person to the other drugs; people take drugs to get rid of unwanted situations or feelings. The drug (marijuana) masks the problem for a time (while the user is high). When the “high” fades, the problem, unwanted condition or situation returns more intensely than before. The user may then turn to stronger drugs since marijuana no longer “works.” The vast majority of cocaine users (99.9%) began by first using a “gateway drug” like marijuana, cigarettes or alcohol. Of course, not everyone who smokes marijuana and hashish goes on to use harder drugs. Some never do. Others quit using marijuana altogether. But some do turn to harder drugs. One study found that youth (12-17 years old) who use marijuana, are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than kids that do not use pot, and that 60% of the kids who smoke pot before the age of 15 move on to cocaine. Marijuana is sometimes combined with harder drugs. Joints are sometimes dipped in PCP, a powerful hallucinogen. PCP is a white powder, also available in liquid form, and often used with cannabis. PCP is known for causing violent behavior and creating severe physical reactions including seizures, coma and even death. The use of marijuana is not only harmful to the pot smoker himself. He can also become a risk to society. A study in the United Kingdom found that 74% of cannabis-smoking drivers had driven on the road while stoned. And 70% of those who drove admitted that it had a bad effect on their driving. Yet many pot smokers interviewed during that study insisted it was OK to smoke and drive. Even when they were “very high.” In Australia, a study found that cannabis intoxication was responsible for 4.3% of driver fatalities. It is almost impossible to grow up today and not be exposed to drugs. Peer pressure to do drugs is high and honest information about the dangers of drugs is not always available. Many people will tell you marijuana is not dangerous. Consider who is telling you that. Are these the same people who are trying to sell you some pot? Marijuana can harm a person’s memory – and this impact can last for days or weeks after the immediate effects of the drug wear off. In one study, a group of heavy marijuana users were asked to recall words from a list. Their ability to correctly remember the words did not return to normal until as long as four weeks after they stopped smoking. Students who use marijuana have lower grades and are less likely to get into college than non-smokers. They simply do not have the same abilities to remember and organize information compared to those who do not use these substances. Smoking can cause increased nasal congestion. Increases your risk for many health problems, heart disease, stroke, emphysema, cancers and mucous in the throat area, which can lead to greater snoring.

When I was a kid I was quite jealous of my mom. She was narcoleptic and could fall asleep anywhere and at any time (although not always by choice!). Myself, I fall asleep easily enough (OK, as long as the room is perfectly dark and quiet), but I rarely sleep through till morning, waking up at between 2 and 3 a.m. most nights. I do not really consider this a problem, since my partner has a similar sleep pattern. He is a good company at 2 a.m.
Doctor Co-director of the Sleep Program at Hospital says that insomnia, whose definition includes waking up in the middle of the night and having trouble falling asleep again, is a common problem in our culture.
“30 per cent of the population complains about their sleep process in any given year. Of that 30 per cent, half, or 15 per cent of the population, will have significant difficulty with impairment caused by insomnia.”
The most common sleep disturbance, Doctor says, is something we all experience to some degree: stress.
Hmm… perhaps I wake up because I am a stressed-out working mom.
But, an authorized teacher of the Sounder Sleep System, a series of movements and breathing techniques designed to help us snooze, offers a different explanation. She says that wakefulness during the night might be related to the two distinct sleep periods of our prehistoric ancestors; as we age, we tend to revert to our ancestral patterns.
“They were very tuned into dark and light, going to sleep as darkness fell, then awakening hours later to check on the fire, check on the babies, and make babies,” she explains. “And then they returned to sleep for a second period.”
Yet another perspective on why people wake in the middle of the night comes from, a medical herbalist, explains how our organs are active at different times of the day and night.
“Between 1 and 3 a.m., your liver is busy, making vitamins and hormones, eliminating toxins, and generally cleansing your body. If you are under a lot of stress, your body releases a lot of cortisol, and for some people this has a stimulating effect as the liver detoxifies.”
As much as I love the cavewoman element of my 2 a.m. wakings (at least on the nights my partner is also up), it would be nice to have a little more control over my sleep pattern. Medical herbalist has several suggestions to help me that my liver does its job without stimulating me to wakefulness, starting with the obvious: reduce my reliance on caffeine and alcohol.
“Initially, it is best to use a kit to detoxify your liver. And then, if you start to eat foods that are cooling for the liver, you should expect to see, improvements in your sleep.”
Cooling foods include bitter herbs like dandelion root, rosemary, thyme, and turmeric, and vegetables such as radicchio, romaine lettuce, and artichokes. For meat, fish, is the best bet; lamb, however, will almost definitely cause you to wake up hot in the night.
Authorized teacher of the Sounder Sleep System also shares some suggestions to help me get back to sleep on those nights when I am the only one awake in the wee hours.
“Light wakes us up and darkness puts us to sleep, so make sure your sleep cycle relates to the natural daylight cycle. If you engage in vigorous exercise, do this earlier in the day. In the evening, keep your consumption of excitatory foods, such as red meat and sweets, to a minimum, and eat inhibitory foods: milk, cheese, chicken soup, bananas, and turkey, for example.”
And if all else fails, authorized teacher of the Sounder Sleep System offers a Sounder Sleep System exercise to use when sleep is evasive. It is called “breath surfing.”
“Hold your hands thumb to thumb, index finger to index finger, and lay them lightly on your belly. Let your thumbs separate and rise slightly on the inhale and return on the exhale. Focus your attention on the movement of your hands rising and falling, surfing on your belly. Repeat this six or eight breaths and then rest.”
Two or three repetitions of breath surfing is usually enough to settle me back to sleep. And on the nights it does not work? Do not tell my partner, but sometimes I roll around just enough to wake him, so we can celebrate our caveman roots.