VALO'S ARCHIVE

Fry JM, Pressman MR, DiPhillipo MA, Forst-Paulus M. Abstract The effectiveness of codeine as a treatment for the excessive daytime sleepiness of narcolepsy was studied in two experimental trials. In an open trial of codeine in five narcoleptic subjects, dramatic clinical improvement was reported . However, all-night polysomnography and maintenance of wakefulness tests before and after codeine showed no significant differences . A double-blind placebo-codeine trial was conducted in which eight narcoleptic subjects received codeine for 1 week and placebo for 1 week in a random order. During the week they kept a diary, and on the sixth evening and for 10 h following awakening on the seventh day they were monitored by radiotelemetry in the sleep laboratory for electroencephalogram, electro-oculogram, and electromyogram. The results were analyzed for sleep stages as well as four levels of wakefulness. The results showed no significant differences in any of the objective sleep or wakefu...

Opioids attach to receptors in the brain. Normally these opioids are the endogenous variety that are created naturally in the body. Once attached, they send signals to the brain of the "opioid effect" which blocks pain, slows breathing, and has a general calming and anti-depressing effect. The body cannot produce enough natural opioids to stop severe or chronic pain nor can it produce enough to cause an overdose. opioids can activate receptors because their chemical structure mimics that of a natural neurotransmitter. This similarity in structure "fools" receptors and allows the drugs to lock onto and activate the nerve cells. Although these drugs mimic brain chemicals, they don't activate nerve cells in the same way as a natural neurotransmitter, and they lead to abnormal messages being transmitted through the network. Opioids target the brain's reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions o...

If you read the ingredients label on a loaf of bread, you will usually find an ingredient listed there as L-cysteine. This is a non-essential amino acid added to many baked goods as a dough conditioner in order to speed industrial processing. It's usually not added directly to flour intended for home use, but you'll find it throughout commercial breads such as pizza dough, bread rolls and pastries. While some L-cysteine is directly synthesized in laboratories, most of it is extracted from a cheap and abundant natural protein source: human hair. The hair is dissolved in acid and L-cysteine is isolated through a chemical process, then packaged and shipped off to commercial bread producers. Besides human hair, other sources of L-cysteine include chicken feathers, duck feathers, cow horns and petroleum byproducts. Most of the hair used to make L-cysteine is gathered from the floors of barbershops and hair salons in China, by the way. While the thought of eating dissolved hai...

Coffee and hormones:  Here's how coffee really affects your health. By Bryan Walsh Throughout its long history, coffee has endured both accolades and opposition. Over the ages, some of the world’s greatest composers, thinkers and statesmen have extolled coffee’s virtues, while others have denounced it as a poisonous, mind-corrupting drug. Coffee has been praised by certain religions and prohibited by others. Some governments have subsidized coffee crops; others have imposed steep taxes and duties on them. Doctors vali­date coffee’s health benefits yet worry about its contribution to cardiovascu­lar disease, diabetes, and even cancer. Coffee is more popular than ever, which contributes to its contradictory status. In moderation, coffee poses minimal health risks for most people. In some cases, coffee even appears to be protective. But many North Ameri­cans now consume coffee in large quantities, which can significantly damage our neuroendocrineimmune system over...