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Entheogenesis and Entheogenic Employment of Harmal
Published in Ephraim Shmaya Lansky, Shifra Lansky, Helena Maaria Paavilainen, Harmal, 2017
Ephraim Shmaya Lansky, Shifra Lansky, Helena Maaria Paavilainen
Folk religions. Haoma is the more formal name for soma (also sauma) restricted to religious contexts and preserved in the pre-Islamic Avesta of Zorastrianism. It is said to deliver healing, victory, salvation, and protection, originating in mountains, promote childbirth, employed as incense, and to deflect evil (apotropaic effect). It is the most widely used incense in Iran and the only one that contains psychoactive alkaloids.
Zoroastrianism
Published in Steven L. Jeffers, Michael E. Nelson, Vern Barnet, Michael C. Brannigan, The Essential Guide to Religious Traditions and Spirituality for Health Care Providers, 2012
Steven L. Jeffers, Michael E. Nelson, Vern Barnet, Michael C. Brannigan
Haoma juice (Haoma is the Avestan name for the ephedra plant the sap of which when pounded while reciting a formula of prayers is believed to have divine qualities) may be given to the person in order that the soul may gain strength and immortality, as it is about to embark upon its journey into the spiritual hereafter. An oil lamp (divo) should be kept burning close to the head of the person as it is believed that a short while before death, the soul is timid and nervous as it is about to move into a new environment.
Bioactivity and mechanisms of flavonoids in decreasing insulin resistance
Published in Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry, 2023
Min Zhou, William H. Konigsberg, Canhua Hao, Yinbo Pan, Jie Sun, Xiaojing Wang
The potential clinical uses of flavonoids have been evaluated for different diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and Alzheimer. Additional experimental and clinical studies are needed to establish the real therapeutic impact of flavonoids in the near future. Results obtained in in vitro and in vivo studies strongly indicate that flavonoids improve insulin sensitivity, increase glucose tolerance and therefore may exert a beneficial effect on IR. Currently, some clinical trials have assessed the effects of flavonoid-rich food intake on IR (Table 3). The results of A Comparison Chocolate with and Without High Cocoa Solids in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in a Randomised Clinical (NCT01617603) have been reported. The trial compared differences in IR (HOMA) between treatments after 12 weeks of product intake. Average HOMA decreased from 6.50 to 2.81 in the high-polyphenol milk chocolate (approximately 1 mg/g with epicatechin) + cocoa polyphenols (20 g/day, two active products provide 20 mg/day epicatechin) group. Average HOMA decreased from 4.63 to 2.21 in the low polyphenol milk control (approximately 0.05 mg/g with epicatechin) + cocoa polyphenols (20 g/day, two active products provide 20 mg/day epicatechin) group. Although the trial examined both endothelial function and oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes, ClinicalTrials.gov did not report measurements. According to HOMA values, the intake of epicatechin-containing foods can reduce IR in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Onset of androgen deprivation therapy leads to rapid deterioration of body composition, physical performance, cardiometabolic health and quality-of-life in prostate cancer patients
Published in Scandinavian Journal of Urology, 2023
Maarten Overkamp, Lisanne H. P. Houben, Saskia van der Meer, Joep G. H. van Roermund, Ronald Bos, Arjan P. J. Kokshoorn, Mads S. Larsen, Luc J. C. van Loon, Milou Beelen, Sandra Beijer
The declines in lean mass and physical performance in our patient group were accompanied by a significant increase in fat mass (Figure 1b). This is in line with previous research showing that ADT increases fat mass with ∼11% during the first year of treatment [3]. Again, we observed an 8 ± 8% increase in fat mass following merely 5 months of treatment, indicating that these changes in body composition occur rapidly following onset of ADT. In line, patients experienced a significant increase in waist circumference, which supports the contention that fat mass gain during ADT predominantly occurs in the abdominal region. Increased abdominal fat mass forms a risk factor for the development of insulin resistance and can eventually lead to type II diabetes. In accordance, patients in the present study had a significantly increased HOMA-IR index after 5 months of treatment. These metabolic derangements need to be diminished to prevent the development of type II diabetes or other cardiometabolic diseases and its impact on survival in PCa patients on ADT [25].
Gender Difference in the Association of Hyperuricemia with Insulin Resistance and beta-cell Function in Nondiabetic Korean Adults: The 2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Published in Endocrine Research, 2023
Jeong Min Seong, Mi Young Gi, Ju Ae Cha, Hyun Ho Sung, so Young Park, Cho Hee Park, Hyun Yoon
The present study has several limitations. First, this study assessed insulin resistance and beta-cell function using HOMA indices. The “gold-standard” methods (e.g., the hyperglycemic clamp tests or hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp) are known to be more accurate than HOMA-IR and HOMA-B. However, HOMA-IR and HOMA-B are more appropriate for use in large epidemiological studies.7 Second, we did not examine the possible role of aging with respect to differences in UA levels and their possible effect on beta cell function and Insulin resistance. Third, our analyses from KNHANES data were from very homogeneous, non-diabetic Korean adults and therefore, the results may not be applicable to other ethnic groups or diabetic subjects. Fourth, this study is a cross-sectional study. Therefore, the ability to establish a causal relationship between hyperuricemia with insulin resistance and beta-cell function by gender in nondiabetic Korean adults is limited. Nevertheless, this study is the first to explore the gender difference in the relationships among hyperuricemia, HOMA-IR and HOMA-B in nondiabetic Korean adults. More accurate and generalizable results might be obtained by performing a cohort study.