Health

Kratom Leaf for Drug Cocktail Adds to Thailand’s Woes

Published

13 years ago

July 23, 2012

Bchcomber

People walk on felled kratom trees in a wildlife sanctuary in southern Thailand while on their way to go fishing

Chiangrai Times – The drug, kratom, is far less debilitating than the methamphetamines and heroin that are trafficked through the area. But its rampant use is enough of a problem that it has caught the attention of the Thai government, and led to increased attempts to stop the trafficking.

“It’s an epidemic,” said Srisompob Jitpiromsri, the associate dean at Prince of Songkla University in the southern city of Pattani. “Kratom use has spread all over the place.”

Kratom is a tree that grows in abundance in the tropical

Kratom is a tree that grows in abundance in the tropical jungles here in the south. Chewing the red-veined leaves of the tree, which is in the same family as the coffee tree, was until recently a fading tradition among farmers and rubber tappers who sought an energy boost and stamina under the oppressive sun.

But the spreading popularity of the much stronger narcotic cocktail — typically made by boiling the leaves and adding cough syrup, Coca-Cola and ice — has created a sharp increase in demand for the leaf. Young people sneak into protected forests and smuggle out duffel bags stuffed with the feather-shaped leaves.

The demand also appears to be driven in part by the stigma against alcohol among the Muslims who are a majority in the region.

“Older people aren’t angry if you boil kratom leaves because it’s considered medicine,” said one 26-year-old user who wanted to be identified only by his nickname, Mung.

The problem, authorities say, is that the cocktail sends users into a sleepy torpor, and contributes to a greater sense among villagers that drugs are a scourge for an area already mired in poverty.

“Drug use and poverty are always at the top of the list of most serious problems,” Mr. Srisompob said. “The insurgency is third.”

His most recent survey on kratom use, one in a series done on behalf of Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board, was carried out this year among 1,000 teenagers in the three troubled provinces along the border with Malaysia, and found that 94 percent of the respondents used the drug.

The drug, which is mainly used in the three provinces, is accessible to teens here in part because it is cheap; 20 leaves, enough to create a kratom cocktail for several people, cost the equivalent of $3.

typically made by boiling the leaves and adding cough syrup, Coca-Cola and ice

The forested hills and long sand beaches of Thailand’s southernmost provinces are among the most beautiful scenery in the country. But the charm of the limestone cliffs and rice fields are marred by the deep-seated mistrust between Muslims and the Thai state — and the violence that is fueled by a complex clash of ethnicity, religion and historical resentment.

While Thailand is overwhelmingly Buddhist, most of the 1.9 million inhabitants of the three provinces are Malay Muslims who speak a dialect of Malay used across the border in the Malaysian state of Kelantan.

Some Thai officials draw links between drug trafficking, including kratom, and the insurgency. The Thai-Malaysian border is along a major trafficking route for methamphetamines and heroin that originate in Myanmar.

The links between drugs and the insurgency that has killed more than 5,000 people since 2004, however, are disputed by many experts and law enforcement officials.

Maj. Gen. Choti Chavalviwat, the police commander in Narathiwat Province, said if there is a link between drugs and the insurgency, it is weak. “Religion, history and ethnicity drive the insurgency,” he said.

The ultimate goals of the insurgency are unclear. And unlike many terrorist acts elsewhere in the world, the nearly daily attacks in the three provinces, many targeting symbols of the Thai state, occur without groups or individuals taking responsibility.

Several years ago, Thai antinarcotics officials sought to quantify the link between drugs and the insurgency, Mr. Srisompob said. They compared a list of about 9,000 people who had gone through drug rehabilitation programs with 8,000 suspected of being involved in the insurgency.

“They came up with about 2 or 3 percent on the lists who overlapped,” Mr. Srisompob said.

Insurgents rarely recruit heavy drug users to their cause, he said, because their addiction makes them unreliable foot soldiers in the war against the Thai state.

But Mr. Srisompob sees other, more subtle interplays between the insurgency and the drugs, poverty and unemployment.

“It allows the leaders of the insurgency to say, ‘You see what Thai society is doing to us. They are trying to undermine Muslim society,’ ” he said.

So far, efforts to stop the flow of kratom have fallen short because, local authorities say, the fines for offenders are too lenient.

In recent months, the Thai police have also stepped up their campaign of cutting down trees across the country. But this has created tensions between law enforcement and those charged with protecting the environment.

The largest collection of kratom trees is in a protected forest in nearby Satun Province.

Hundreds of kratom trees thrive in a scenic valley surrounded by limestone cliffs, a spot accessible on foot by following a path that travels along a river and then passes through a large cave.

The authorities have ordered the trees felled, but the guardians of the forest are balking.

Narong Kaewsen, a park ranger at the Satun reserve, said destroying the trees, which are spread over about 30 acres, would require large amounts of herbicide. “At the very least it will harm the water, animals and plants,” Mr. Narong said. “They will also die.”

For now, Mr. Narong and other local officials are trying to stop kratom trafficking by intercepting the young people who prowl the forests, often at night, in search of the leaves.

Panya Tonoon, the headman of the local village, intercepts young traffickers several times a month. “They often just run into the jungles,” Mr. Panya said. “Sometimes we chase them.”

Health

Report Causes Pfizer Stock to Climb Approximately $1 Billion Acquired by Starboard

Published

4 months ago

October 7, 2024

Salman

(VOR News) – According to a rumor that activist investor Pfizer Starboard Value has taken a holding in the struggling pharmaceutical business that is expected to be worth around one billion dollars, the stock of Pfizer (PFE) is on the increase in premarket trading on Monday.

This comes after the report was made public. The report was made available to the general public following this. Starboard Value was successful in moving forward with the acquisition of the position.

Starboard is said to have approached Ian Read, a former chief executive officer of Pfizer, and Frank D’Amelio, a former chief financial officer, in order to seek assistance with its goals of boosting the performance of the company, according to the Wall Street Journal. Read and D’Amelio are both former Pfizer executives.

The purpose of this is to facilitate the accomplishment of its objectives, which include enhancing the overall performance of the firm.

In their previous jobs, D’Amelio and Read were chief financial officers.

It is stated in the report that the hedge fund is of the opinion that Pfizer, which is currently being managed by Albert Bourla, who succeeded Read as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2019, does not demonstrate the same level of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) discipline that Read did. Bourla took over for Read in 2019. Read was succeeded by Bourla in the year 2019.

Pfizer, a multinational pharmaceutical conglomerate, has made substantial investments in the acquisition of more companies that are involved in the research and development of cancer medicines.

These businesses have been acquired for billions of dollars. The biotechnology company Seagen, which was acquired by Pfizer in the previous year for a price of $43 billion, is included in this category. One of the businesses that can be classified as belonging to this category is Seagen.

In spite of the fact that the S&P 500 Index experienced a 21% increase in 2024.

No major trading occurred in Pfizer stock that year.

Due to the fact that the demand for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines fell after the firm reached its pandemic peak in 2021, the share price of the corporation has decreased by over fifty percent since that time.

This drop has occurred ever since the company’s shares reached their maximum peak, which was during the time that this decline occurred. Not only have they not changed at all, but they have also remained essentially stable. This is in contrast to the S&P 500, which has gained 21% since the beginning of this year.

Recently, the corporation was forced to take a hit when it decided to recall all of the sickle cell illness medications that it had distributed all over the world.

Fears that the prescription could lead patients to experience severe agony and possibly even death were the impetus for the decision to recall the product. In spite of the fact that Pfizer’s stock is increasing by almost three percent as a result of the news that followed the company’s decision, this is the circumstance that has come about.

SOURCE: IPN

Health

New Study Reveals Drinking Soda Pop Increases the Risk of Stroke

Published

4 months ago

October 6, 2024

VORNews

If you drink too much soda, fruit juice and coffee, beware!

A recent report from global research indicates that excessive consumption of coffee or soda pop is associated with an increased risk of stroke, although the intake of black and green tea is correlated with a reduced risk. Excessive consumption of soda pop or coffee warrants caution!

Recent research indicates that it may substantially elevate the risk of stroke.

Consuming four cups of coffee daily elevates the risk of stroke, according to studies, although ingesting 3-4 cups of black or green tea daily typically offers protection against stroke. Additionally, consume more coffee; it may reduce your risk of mortality.

Recent findings from global research studies co-led by the University of Galway and McMaster University, alongside an international consortium of stroke researchers, indicate that soda, encompassing both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened variants such as diet or zero sugar, is associated with a 22 percent heightened risk of stroke. The risk escalated significantly with the consumption of two or more of these beverages daily.

Stroke Risk Fizzy Drinks and Soda Pop

The correlation between fizzy drinks consumption and stroke risk was most pronounced in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and South America. Women exhibit the most elevated risk of stroke from bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage) associated with fruit juice beverages. Consuming over 7 cups of water daily diminishes the likelihood of stroke due to a clot.

Researchers observed that numerous items advertised as fruit juice are derived from concentrates and have added sugars and preservatives, potentially negating the advantages often associated with fresh fruit and instead elevating stroke risk.

Fruit juice beverages were associated with a 37 percent heightened risk of stroke resulting from bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage). Consuming two of these beverages daily increases the risk thrice.

Consuming over four cups of coffee daily elevates the risk of stroke by 37 percent, although lower consumption levels do not correlate with stroke risk. Conversely, tea consumption was associated with an 18-20 percent reduction in stroke risk. Additionally, consuming 3-4 cups daily of black tea, such as Breakfast and Earl Grey varieties, excluding green and herbal teas, was associated with a 29 percent reduced risk of stroke.

Consuming 3-4 cups of green tea daily was associated with a 27 percent reduction in stroke risk. Notably, the addition of milk may diminish or inhibit the advantageous effects of antioxidants present in tea. The lower risk of stroke associated with tea consumption was negated for individuals who added milk.

Disclaimer: This article is intended solely for informational reasons and should not be considered a replacement for professional medical counsel. Consistently consult your physician regarding any inquiries pertaining to a medical problem.

Starbucks Faces Sales Decline Amid Price Fatigue and Rising Competition

Starbucks Faces Sales Decline Amid Price Fatigue and Rising Competition

Health

Following a Diagnosis of Breast Cancer, What Else Should You Know?

Published

4 months ago

October 5, 2024

Salman

(VOR News) – Even though breast cancer affects one in eight American women, receiving a diagnosis can make a woman feel isolated.

Experts in breast cancer from the American College of Physicians (ACS) advise patients on how to manage their disease so that they may better cope with this awful information.

First, the kind and stage of breast cancer dictates the course of your care.

In addition to immunotherapy and chemotherapy, there are various surgical options available for the treatment of breast cancer.

Women of African descent are disproportionately affected by triple-negative breast cancer, an extremely aggressive form of the disease that has never proven easy to treat.

According to the American Cancer Society, pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an immunotherapy, has been shown to be helpful when combined with chemotherapy and is currently the recommended course of treatment for certain combinations of triple-negative breast cancer.

In her presentation, Dr. Katharine Yao said, “It’s really important that the patient and physician discuss the patient’s preferences and values when deciding what type of treatment to pursue and that they have an honest, individualized discussion with their care team.”

She is currently responsible for developing breast cancer treatment recommendations for more than 575 hospitals and institutions nationwide in her role as chair of the American College of Surgeons’ National Accreditation Program for Breast Institutions (NAPBC).

Yao, vice chair of research at Endeavor Health NorthShore Hospitals in New York, pointed out that each decision made about a patient’s treatment plan should take her preferences and diagnosis into consideration.

She ought to think about whether she would prefer a mastectomy—a surgical procedure that involves removing the entire breast with or without reconstruction—or a lumpectomy, which involves a surgical procedure that spares part of the breast tissue.

She stated that “the breast cancer you have may be very different from the breast cancer you hear about in your neighbor, colleague, or friend” in a press release issued by the American Cancer Society (ACS).

“Consider that while discussing breast cancer with others.”

Throughout your journey, it is critical that you look after your emotional health because having breast cancer may have a detrimental impact on your mental health.

“Getting a cancer diagnosis does not mean that everything in your life stops to be normal.” Director of the Fellowship in the Diseases of the Breast program at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas and state head of the American Cancer Society Commission on Cancer for Arkansas, Dr. Daniela Ochoa She thinks adding the burden of a cancer diagnosis and treatment to all the other pressures in life may be taxing.

“Managing stress and emotional health is vital component of a treatment plan.”

Ochoa recommends clinically trained psychologists and social workers who have assisted people in coping with cancer to anyone receiving treatment. Learning coping techniques might also be facilitated by joining cancer support groups or cancer wellness initiatives.

Breast cancer specialists say your care team is crucial.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) defines comprehensive care as having support at every stage of the procedure from surgeons, oncologists, patient navigators, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and other specialists.

After receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, women should see a surgeon or medical oncologist to explore their options; nevertheless, treatment shouldn’t be discontinued after just one appointment or after surgery is over.

Additionally, you can ask trustworthy friends or family members to accompany you to appointments and aid you with research or notes. They could serve as a network of support for you.

Yao stated in his talk that “one of the most important things is that patients should search out a team they have confidence in, that they trust will have their back when they need it, and a team they feel they can get access to and that will help them when they are in need.”

SOURCE: MP