How safe are outpatient ketamine clinics? Ketamine is approved for the treatment of difficult-to-treat depression.
An uncommon class of psychedelic drug known as a dissociative, ketamine, is experiencing a resurgence in use. Ketamine, sometimes known as "special K," is a common anaesthetic used in hospitals and veterinary clinics that was originally developed from PCP, also known as "angel dust."
Both ketamine's medical and recreational uses are supported by its effects, which include pain control, amnesia, intoxication, dissociation, and euphoria. Due to its clearance for treating treatment-resistant depression (TRD), which is severe depression that has not improved with other therapy and includes people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts, it has recently become more extensively used.
Evidence of ketamine's benefits
Esketamine (Spravato), a prescription form of ketamine that is administered through a nasal spray, was approved by the FDA in 2019 for TRD. However, the rules state that it can only be used "under the supervision of a health care professional in a qualified doctor's office or clinic." Therefore, medical personnel must watch you using it and then follow you after you've taken your dose to monitor your vital signs and your overall clinical progress.
In research when ketamine was compared to a placebo, depression scores decreased subjectively and statistically significantly, and the efficacy of ketamine for TRD was first shown for short-term treatment. (In both trial groups, patients continued taking their normal antidepressants out of anxiety that TRD wouldn't be treated in the placebo arm.) In a study where ketamine (together with the standard antidepressant) helped patients stay in stable remission 16 weeks into treatment, it was discovered that nasal ketamine has longer-term efficacy.
With ketamine, TRD relief happens quickly. People who are struggling with the crushing weight of depression can start to feel the effects of ketamine in about 40 minutes, whereas they may have to wait weeks for an SSRI to help.
Is ketamine the best course of treatment for you?
Should you seek therapy at a ketamine clinic?
How safe are ketamine clinics?
Common Causes of Hair Loss and How to Stop It.
Both men and women throughout the UK and across the world can develop hair loss. There are a number of factors that can cause hair loss, such as ageing and genetics. What is causing your hair loss can determine whether your hair falls out abruptly or gradually, or can regrow on its own. In some instances, treatment may be needed to regrow hair.
Here are some of the common causes of hair loss, as well as methods that can help in treating it.
Hereditary Hair Loss
Both men and women of all ages can develop this kind of hair loss. Hereditary hair loss is the most common type across the world. It’s known as male pattern hair loss for men and female pattern hair loss for women. Regardless of the type, the medical term is known as androgenic alopecia. This type of hair loss means you have inherited genes that cause hair follicles to shrink and stop growing hair eventually. Shrinking can start in your teens but normally begins later in life. Treatment can help to stop or slow down hair loss. There’s also the possibility that hair can regrow. However, this depends on when you start treatment.
Age
The aging process is inevitable and happens to us all. What comes with ageing is hair loss. Most people notice some hair loss. This is because hair growth slows down. There will come a point where hair follicles stop growing hair. This causes the hair on the scalp to start thinning. Hair will also begin to lose its colour. A woman’s hairline starts to recede naturally over the years. If caught early, treatment can help regrow hair in some individuals.
Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata is a disease that begins when the body’s immune system starts attacking hair follicles. This results in hair loss. One can lose hair anywhere on the body, including the nose, scalp, and ears. Some people lose their eyebrows and eyelashes too. If you opt for treatment, this may help in stimulating hair regrowth. You can find out more about alopecia areata, including what causes it, treatment options, and how common the disease is.
Childbirth
A couple of months after giving birth, you may start noticing a lot more hairs on your pillow or brush. Try not to panic. This is common and happens to many women. Postpartum hair loss isn’t anything to worry about. In most cases, postpartum hair loss is temporary. To deal with postpartum hair loss and speed up the process, there are certain things that can help. These include getting the right nutrients in your diet, going easy on your hair, and choosing the right accessories. If you have any concerns, make sure to speak to your GP.
What Are Postnatal Vitamins?
Principal Ingredients in Postnatal Vitamins
Getting the right nutrients is crucial for mothers both during and after pregnancy. While postnatal vitamins give you the micronutrients you need after giving birth, prenatal vitamins are taken during pregnancy. The major nutrients in postnatal vitamins are shown below.Omega-3 Fatty Acids
For a healthy brain, eye, and nerve cell development in developing infants, omega-3 fatty acids are essential, particularly the longer chain DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) found in fish or algal oils. There is some evidence that taking fish oil supplements can also help with mood and stress management after giving birth.Choline
An essential vitamin for a healthy infant's brain and memory development is choline. Choline requirements rise during pregnancy and are greatest for breastfeeding mothers. Additionally, choline helps maintain digestive and immunological health in pregnant women.Eggs, organ meat, caviar, salmon, shitake mushrooms, and soybeans are among the foods high in choline. A postnatal vitamin containing choline is a good substitute if some of these items are a little too exotic for you to regularly eat.
For the first year after giving birth, lactating moms are advised to take 550 mg of choline daily.
Due to blood loss after childbirth, iron levels can drop. Iron is a crucial mineral for breastfeeding mothers to restore for both themselves and their children.
Iron helps your baby's thyroid function develop properly. To generate haemoglobin, a protein that delivers oxygen to your red blood cells, your body needs iron. You can get iron deficiency anaemia if your haemoglobin is low due to low iron levels. You experience fatigue and poor energy when you have anaemia, which can influence your mood and make it more difficult to form a bond with your child. Additionally, you can become more agitated and more prone to postpartum depression.
Cereal with iron added, lentils, lima beans, oysters, and chicken liver are a few examples of foods high in iron. A good source of iron is a postnatal vitamin.
Dietary fat can be beneficial or detrimental to the heart. Make an informed choice.
There are 'no fats, low fats, healthy fats, and bad fats. Dietary fat has a lengthy and often perplexing history. Where does it fit into a balanced diet, and what effect does it have on your health, particularly your heart? The following are some facts regarding fat.
A tale about two kinds of fat
Saturated and unsaturated fats are the two types. (A third form, trans fat, has been abolished or significantly reduced in food products.)
Saturated fat is regarded as "bad" fat. It is found mostly in animal products such as beef and pork, as well as dairy products such as cream, butter, and cheese. Other sources include fast food and processed meals.
Unsaturated fat is the "healthy" type of fat. There are two major subtypes of unsaturated fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
Monounsaturated. Avocados, peanuts, peanut butter, and nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and pecans contain these lipids. Additionally, certain oils, such as olive, peanut, safflower, sunflower, and canola, contain significant amounts.
Polyunsaturated. Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are among these lipids. These are also referred to as essential fats because they cannot be synthesised by the body and must be obtained through meals. Omega-6 fatty acids are found in oils such as soybean, corn, sesame, and peanut. Additionally, they are abundant in walnuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and flaxseeds. Canola and soybean oils, as well as fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna, and trout, contain omega-3 fatty acids.
Going on a trip this summer and fall? Remember to carry these digestive remedies.
The COVID travel restrictions have been lifted, and Americans are eager to get back on the road. Some estimates say that 75% of us will travel within the United States this summer, and new data shows that international travel from the United States was more than twice as high in May 2022 as it was in May 2021.
However, keep your digestive health in mind while you pack your bags. Travel companions with stomach issues, including diarrhoea, constipation, and indigestion, are all too prevalent.
The COVID travel restrictions have been lifted, and Americans are eager to get back on the road. Some estimates say that 75% of us will travel within the United States this summer, and new data shows that international travel from the United States was more than twice as high in May 2022 as it was in May 2021.
Travel messes with a lot of the body's natural cycles, including digestion, according to Dr. Kyle Staller, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, which is affiliated with Harvard. Time shifts changed eating habits, and a lack of sleep are all likely to blame, particularly in people with sensitive gastrointestinal systems.
Here is a closer look at three typical digestive problems, along with advice on how to avoid and treat them.
Travel tummy: Diarrhea
The easiest approach to preventing diarrhoea when travelling is to avoid contaminated food and drink and to practise excellent hygiene by often washing your hands.
Testing of wastewater has detected increased COVID levels and even poliovirus. Can it anticipate future virus outbreaks?
When can we anticipate the next increase in COVID?
For months, the United States has documented more than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases and 300 deaths every day. In reality, the number of cases is likely substantially higher due to declining testing rates and the exclusion of positive home tests from official counts. With this many cases and new strains coming out, it seems likely that there will be more in the future.
When then?
Possibly in the coming weeks, when new, extremely contagious variants spread. Or perhaps in autumn and winter when we spend more time indoors. Or perhaps this virus will surprise us once more and wait until next year to reappear.
By the time we realise that COVID-19 infections are quickly spreading in a community, the pandemic has already been ongoing for some time. Because the first signs of the infection are often absent, it could spread for a while before anyone notices.
If we could predict when the next increase will occur, we might be able to take preventative actions. And this is where your stool comes in — faeces, poop, or whatever term you want — comes in.
Using wastewater to detect viral outbreaks
When a person has a viral infection, the virus can frequently be discovered in their faeces. Therefore, it is possible to test the wastewater of a town, city, or community for the presence of viruses and to determine the rate of increase over time.
This method has been utilised since the 1940s when polio was a significant threat. But testing wastewater can also find different kinds of hepatitis, the norovirus that causes flu-like symptoms, and maybe even measles.
The testing procedures for wastewater have evolved throughout time. In the beginning, people tried to grow viruses from water samples. More recently, they have been trying to find viral genetic material.
Polio and COVID were discovered in wastewater.
In June 2022, testing of London's wastewater detected the virus that causes polio, a potentially fatal or crippling disease. Even though no active cases of polio have been found in London yet, this discovery has led to a look into where the virus came from, who might be infected, and if it is a threat to public health.