Seventeen members of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel voted unanimously that the benefits of the OraQuick HIV-test outweigh the potential risks. The final decision as to whether the product will be approved by the FDA will be made later this year.

Users of the test will collect specimen using a mouth swab, and will return a result within 20 minutes. It does not, however, appear to be as accurate as professionally-administered diagnostics.

The Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based Orasure has marketed a version of OraQuick to doctors, nurses, and other health care practitioners since 2004. The test is said to have the ability to identify both carriers and non-carriers 99 percent of the time.

Trials conducted by the company showed that OraQuick could correctly detect HIV among those who are carrying the virus 93 percent of the time. Based on FDA estimates, if approved, the test may miss around 3,800 HIV-positive people per year, while identifying 45,000.

That may translate to the prevention of 4,000 new HIV transmissions annually, although the statistics will depend on the number of people who will purchase and use the test.

Tom Donohue, founder of HIV awareness group Who’s Positive, shared: “Over-the-counter testing has the potential to reach a far greater number of people who want to know their HIV status on their own terms.”

A new critical trial indicates that smoking marijuana helps relieve painful muscle cramping experienced by people with multiple sclerosis. The study, which was published on Monday, determined that 30 MS patients with muscle “spasticity” experienced relief after a few days of marijuana smoking.

Researchers warned, however, that the study did not evaluate whether the benefits derived from smoking pot outweigh the disadvantages.

Dr. Jody Corey-Bloom of  the University of California – San Diego, lead researcher of the new study, shared: “We’ve heard from patients that marijuana helps their spasticity, but I think a lot us thought, ‘Well, it’s probably just making you feel good… I think this study shows that yes, (marijuana) may help with spasticity, but at a cost.”

The cost that Dr. Corey-Bloom is referring to, as determined by her and her team, is that smoking may cause fatigue and dizziness in some users, and generally slowed down people’s skills soon after using marijuana.

Corey-Bloom shared further that it is not clear whether marijuana use would have long-term consequences.

Nicholas LaRocca, vice president of healthcare delivery and policy research at the National MS Society, shared: “The issue of treating spasticity is certainly an important one… Spasticity is a big problem for many people with MS, and the current medications don’t necessarily work for everyone. But smoking marijuana does not appear to be a long-term solution, because of the cognitive effects.” LaRocca was not involved in the study.

HB 2388 will call for drug testing of applicants for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), and withhold payments to those who will test positive for illegal drug use. The bill passed by the House, however, has already undergone changes in the Senate. While the original version of the bill called for testing for everyone applying for aid, the Senate modified it such that not everyone will be subjected to testing.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) currently continues to provide assistance to recipients who test positive for illegal drug while undergoing treatment, according to Sen. David Holt, Senate author of the bill. HB 2388 will halt payments while still providing treatment.

Sen. Holt shared: “We do have drug testing in the bill, but only where there is suspicion when the person is on illegal drugs… It sends a message that this is a temporary program paid for by people’s neighbors so that they can get back on their feet. It’s just a common-sense idea that if you are using illegal drugs, this probably isn’t the best time to be using TANF. It’s probably a waste of our money and your time and you need to come back when you’re clean.”

The bill requires that adults who apply for TANF be screened for drug use by the DHS, which will cover the cost of screening. Child-only cases, as well as underage parents, will be exempted from testing, and parents who test positive can name an alternative person to receive benefits, ensuring that children of erring parents may still continue to receive benefits.

Applicants undergoing treatment may reapply for benefits six months after their date of denial.

The results of a research, published online on May 8 in Annals of Emergency Medicine, indicated that based on information from the National Poison Data System, there were 1,898 reports of poisonings after inhalation of synthetic cannabinoids during a nine-month period in 2010.

Lead study author Dr. Christopher Hoyte of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center in Denver shared the following insights: “Users reported racing thoughts, palpitations, anxiety, paranoia and psychosis… Although the drug is legal, it obviously has potential to cause harm, and one patient in our group actually died.”

The poison control centers also reported such effects as agitation, vomiting, confusion, and hallucinations.

The most common reported effect of synthetic cannabinoid use was irregular heartbeat, with a 58-year-old man succumbing to cardiac arrest. In addition, 52 patients were reported to have experienced seizures, which included two cases of status epilepticus.

Managing synthetic drug abuse has proved to be a challenge, due to the number of varieties of synthetic marijuana that are available, as well as the number of chemicals in its ingredient list. Manufacturers also continuously make changes to their formula in order to sidestep the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which has issued a temporary ban on the five main chemicals used in the manufacture of synthetic marijuana.

For Elliot, the touch of the sheet on her toes can send piercing pain to her feet. For Axelton, the pain was so intense that every thing he does reminds him of his disease. This was the case until they were introduced to an innovative new form of technology called monochromatic infrared energy (MIRE). While infrared had been used to help heal the legs of injured racehorses, Axelton was the first person in Coos County to undergo such treatment.

MIRE induces a release of nitric oxide from the bodies red blood cells, facilitating better blood flow and circulation.

According to Axelton: “Within one week the pain was a little less intense. After two weeks I noticed a little less pain. After a couple months there was a big difference, and today I am pain-free.” For Elliot: “The first time I went in for treatment, I came out pain-free for over a day. It was amazing to me the difference it made. After a couple of months, nothing bothered my feet.”

Licensed massage therapist Sarah Hicks, who helped open the MIRE Healing Center in 2005, believes this is the chance for pain sufferers to enjoy a lifetime cure. She uses infrared to treat patients with conditions ranging from arthritis to carpal tunnel.

An infrared therapy session costs about 40, but Hicks believes everyone should have an infrared unit in their home. For between $1,000 and $3,000 per unit, patients can enjoy the benefits of this technology anytime, anywhere.

Hicks said: “The money pharmaceutical companies make off chronic pain right now is off the charts. If people have chronic pain for life, they get a client for life. Nobody can make money off of infrared, and that’s why it isn’t in the mainstream medical.”

In a study published online in the American Journal of Human Genetics, researchers said that nitric oxide supplements were able to manage treatment-resistant hypertension in a patient with argininosuccinic aciduria (ASA).

Brendan Lee, PhD, of the Baylor College of Medicine, shared that treatment with inorganic nitric oxide supplements helped normalize blood pressure levels. The researchers wrote: “Our results support the contention that the investigation of nitric oxide supplementation in ASA subjects should be performed in a systematic manner.”

They added: “Our results confirm that the vascular dysfunction seen with argininosuccinate lyase deficiency is independent of the metabolic defect in the urea cycle, is directly associated with nitric oxide deficiency in the vasculature, and can be rescued by a nitric oxide synthase-independent nitric oxide source in vivo.”

The FDA released a statement on Tuesday saying that Truvada, a drug marketed by Gilead Sciences, may be safe and effective for the prevention of HIV infection. Taking the pill daily, the FDA concluded, may prevent “infection with a serious and life-threatening illness that requires lifelong treatment.”

An estimated 1.2 million Americans are infected with HIV, a virus that attacks the immune system and develops into AIDS, a fatal disease where the body cannot fight off infections if left untreated with antiviral drugs. To date, no drugs have been proven to prevent being infected with HIV, and a vaccine may not be ready for several decades.

It was in 2010 when researchers first reported that Truvada may prevent people from being infected with HIV. A three-year study was able to determine that daily doses of the medication reduce the risk of infection among healthy gay and bisexual men by 44 percent, along with the use of condoms and counseling. Another study reported that Truvada can reduce the risk of HIV infection by 75 percent in heterosexual couples where one partner has been infected by HIV, and the other was not.

Chris Rumble was diagnosed with leukemia just recently. A little over a month ago, he was doing what any other normal kid would be doing, like playing hockey.

He had not been feeling well, and was brought to the hospital. His diagnosis, however, was far from what he expected: he had leukemia, and doctors informed him that 95 percent of his blood was full of leukemia cells.

The news was hard, not just for the young man, but for his parents. His father, Darren, was a former professional hockey player, and is currently assistant coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds.

While he was at the Children’s Hospital in Seattle, Rumble decided to deal with the surprising turn of events over the past month by making his own music video, to the tune of the hit song by Kelly Clarkson, “Stronger.”

And just as any other kid would do after making a music video, Rumble’s video – and the quite appropriate song that accompanied it – was posted online, where it has created quite a stir. Since it was posted on Sunday, the video has gone viral and become a sensation over the Internet. It has been watched nearly 800,000 times.

The song, it seems, is a reflection of how Rumble is at this time, as he is also getting stronger. Doctors have said that he has an immature form of leukemia, and that he should be able to beat the disease after four rounds of chemotherapy.

At the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting, researchers presented the results of their study that looked into the data of more than 5,000 Americans.

Those who consumed more than 2.5 milligrams of isoflavones per day had an average 5.5 mmHg lower systolic pressure compared to those who consumed less than 0.33 mg of isoflavones per day.

If you drink an 8-ounce glass of soy milk, you get about 22 mg of isoflavones. If you eat 100 grams of roasted soybeans, you get as much as 130 mg of isoflavones. This shows that you do not really need a huge dietary change, which usually turn many individuals off, to get enough amount of isoflavones in your body.

Lead investigator Safiya Richardson, a graduating medical student at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, said: “What’s unique about this study is that the results are very applicable to the general population. Our results strongly suggest a blood pressure benefit for moderate amounts of dietary isoflavone intake in young black and white adults.”

She added: “Any dietary or lifestyle modification people can easily make that doesn’t require a daily medication is exciting, especially considering recent figures estimating that only about one-third of American hypertensives have their blood pressure under control.”

Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of women and heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, shared that isoflavones “dilate the vessels by increasing the release of nitric oxide.” She thinks that this new study “brings to light a compelling dietary recommendation that can help control hypertension in younger patients.”

Isoflavones are believed to boost production of enzymes that make nitric oxide, which helps relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure

Dr. Bryan works at the Texas Therapeutics Institute in the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and he has been fervently telling anyone interested in health about how this mineral is a miraculous little helper for the body.

Nitric oxide maintains normal blood pressure and prevents plaque from building on artery walls, Dr. Bryan explains, it acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain and most studies have proven NO has proven benefits for people with cardiovascular disease.

“Loss of nitric oxide is the earliest sign of onset and progression of cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Bryan says. “Restoring it early on can delay or even prevent manifestation of disease.

And the most important thing that nitric oxide does for the body? It’s actually responsible for penile and clitoral erection in men and women. That should get most people to pay attention to its importance for humans.

Even though it is clearly an important little piece of the human puzzle, it doesn’t get much attention in the media and Dr. Bryan has a theory about that. “I believe the lack of awareness stems partly from the fact that it is not part of the standard blood labs performed by physicians such as triglycerides or C-reactive protein,” he says. “Aand that there have been no nitric oxide based drugs developed in the past 15 years.”

Slow development in these areas means the media has been unaware of what progressions there have been on the NO front, the doctor says. But he’s aiming to change that.

Dr. Bryan, along with Janet Zand, a doctor of oriental medicine and a pioneer in the development of nutritional and herbal supplements, and natural health author Bill Gottlieb, has written a book called The Nitric Oxide (NO) Solution.

The bad news is that many people are NO-deficient, but the good news is that it’s easy to increase your nitric oxide levels.

Some of the easiest tips from The Nitric Oxide (NO) Solution include: eating carrots, spinach and pomegranate, drinking red wine in moderation, deep breathing exercises, sitting in saunas and even just listening to joyful music.

“The easiest tips to follow are what we have been told for decades: eat a healthy diet and get moderate physical exercise,” Dr. Bryan says. “Both of these promote nitric oxide production. The fact is that most Americans do not eat the right foods and most do not get enough exercise.”

As a result of the couch potato epidemic, people are becoming grossly NO-deficient, Dr. Bryan warns. This is partly to blame for the pandemic of chronic disease sweeping America.

Of course, like everything, too much nitric oxide is also bad for the body so it’s important to maintain a proper level. “Too much NO produced by our immune system during an active infection or sepsis can cause harm,” he says. “We know how much a normal healthy 150 lb person makes in a 24-hour period and can then begin to tailor products that can generate those physiological levels of NO.”

If it seems like Dr. Bryan has a ton of knowledge about nitric oxide, that’s because it’s his life’s work. He started in 2000 while a student at Louisiana State University (LSU) where he began to develop analytical methods to detect and quantify nitric oxide in biological tissues and compartments.

After LSU, Dr. Bryan trained at Boston University Medical School within the Whitacker Cardiovascular Institute as a Kirschstein Cardiology Fellow where he was focused on diagnostics for insufficient production and development of therapies to restore production. After three-and-a-half years at Boston, he was recruited by Doctor Ferid Murad Ph.D., one of the three Nobel Laureates who shared in the Nobel Prize in 1998 for discovering NO, to join the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center where he has been now for over six years.

“We have been fortunate to make a number of seminal discoveries that have changed the way we think about NO production and regulation,” he says.