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According to a new analysis, there are now more internet searches for cannabidiol (CBD) information than any other alternative therapies. Acne, pain, menstrual problems, and opioid addiction — the range of conditions that cannabidiol (CBD) can apparently treat seems endless. But does the compound really work? The answer remains unclear.
Nonetheless, CBD is having a moment, says a research letter that JAMA Network Open has published.
The analysis of online searches by the population of the United States reveals that millions are equally or more interested in CBD than they are in any other health products and topics.
Dr. Davey Smith, chief of infectious diseases and global public health at the University of California (UC), San Diego, says: At this time there are no known benefits for taking CBD over the counter. CBD is this generation's snake oil, where millions are engaging with the product without evidence of any benefit. The study's authors assert that investigation into CBD should become a public health priority to catch up with the public's interest.
They conclude their paper by proposing a four-phase plan of action going forward:
1. Studies should focus on the epidemiology of CBD use, characterizing who uses CBD products and for what purposes.
2. Researchers should evaluate the effects and potential drug interactions of CBD.
3. There is a need to develop product safety standards because the mislabeling of CBD products is common, and adulterated products have led to mass poisonings.
4. Marketing practices around CBD should be standardized, as marketing that misleads the public could erode trust in evidence-based medicine.
(Credits: www.medicalnewstoday.com)

Mixing a specific type of meditation with a well-known hallucinogen may make for a new form of therapy that could aid those with depression, according to a new study. People often still regard psychedelic psychotherapy as a controversial treatment. However, recent evidence suggests that hallucinogens may have benefits for depression and anxiety disorders when individuals use them with certain other therapies. The reasoning behind this is still unclear, but one theory states that psychedelics can help quicken the realization and thought processes a person needs for their therapy to work. Psilocybin, a psychedelic that people find in magic mushrooms, has been the subject of several studies. Its effects can range from assisting with social interactions to limiting a person's focus on themselves. One such study, appearing in the Journal of Psychopharmacology in 2016, found that psilocybin, together with psychotherapy, produced antidepressant effects in patients with life-threatening cancer. Researchers at Imperial College London found similar benefits. Trusted Source in people with depression who had not responded to other treatments. Neuroimaging revealed the drug could turn off a part of the brain that is always on when a person is awake. Neuroscientists call this brain element the default mode network. Earlier this year, the U.K. university opened the world's first center for psychedelics research. A trial currently underway at the center is comparing the effects of psilocybin with those of a well-known antidepressant. In the meantime, according to new findings that now appear in the journal Scientific Reports, combining psilocybin with a form of meditation may produce even more positive benefits. With millions of adults in the United States currently living with depression, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, this novel method could provide many more research opportunities. As with all such research avenues, however, it is likely to take time before psychedelic psychotherapy or psychedelic enhanced meditation wholly enter the mental health conversation.
(Credits: www.medicalnewstoday.com)