Suit claims reduced-sentence offer for birth control and sterilization was ‘eugenics with a twist’ – ABA Journal

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Constitutional Law

Posted August 21, 2017, 9:14 am CDT

By Debra Cassens Weiss

Mario Williams of Nexus Caridades Attorneys at left; at the podium, Nexus CEO Mike Donovan and plaintiff Christel Ward.

A federal lawsuit filed last week claims a Tennessee judge and sheriff violated inmates constitutional rights through a program offering reduced jail time if they undergo vasectomies or get contraceptive implants.

The suit, filed on behalf of a woman who didnt get the promised 30 days off her jail term, claims the White County program amounted to eugenics with a twist, Courthouse News Service reports. The Tennessean and the Associated Press also have stories; a press release is here.

The plaintiff, Christel Ward, wants to get her Nexplanon implant removed, but was told she will have to pay $250 for the procedure. Ward was allowed to sign up for the program even though she didnt qualify, according to the suit. The suit seeks an order allowing the implant removal for free, a declaration that the program is unconstitutional and punitive damages.

The complaint alleges that White County Sheriff Oddie Shoupe asked Judge Sam Benningfield to issue the standing order offering the sentence reductions. Benningfield issued the order in May and rescinded it July 27 after the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee issued a statement condemning the program.

The suit claims the program violated inmates Fourth and 14th Amendment right to be free from unlawful government coercion. It also claims negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The suit was filed by pro bono lawyers with Nexus Caridades Attorneys Inc., which provides electronic monitoring and immigrant bail bond alternatives.

Mario Williams, a lawyer with Nexus, said at a news conference that 35 women and 42 men had signed up for the program. A spokesman for the sheriff declined to comment when contacted by the Tennessean.

Benningfield had previously said he was trying to help these folks, you know, begin to think about taking responsibility for their life and doing right and giving them a leg up.

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Suit claims reduced-sentence offer for birth control and sterilization was 'eugenics with a twist' - ABA Journal

Leeds research centre set for green light – Insider Media

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Images courtesy of ADP Manchester

Plans for a world class research and development centre close to the Parkinson Building in the centre of Leeds look set to be approved.

The University of Leeds submitted plans for its Integrated Campus for Engineering and Physical Sciences (ICEPS) in June 2017 and the designs will go before Leeds City Council's city plans panel on 31 August.

The planning report concluded that the panel should defer and delegate the decision to the chief planning officer for approval.

It said: "It is considered that the public benefits of the development, in enabling the university to deliver a step change in achieving the Universitys ambitions of world-class research and student education, outweigh the minor harm to the heritage significance of the building and its surroundings whilst alternative forms of development would be more harmful."

ICEPS would be a multi-disciplinary teaching facility with resources for research and student education in the engineering and physical sciences disciplines.

The new building would encompass new lab spaces specifically for the high specification equipment required to undertake modern research and enable growth in these areas.

It would consist of a new six-storey (plus a basement) building and the refurbishment of and new roof to the grade II-listed Old Mining Building. The facility would contain the highly technical laboratory, postgraduate research spaces, undergraduate teaching and academic offices.

The design and access statement said: "The Integrated Campus for Engineering and Physical Sciences is a unique and exciting opportunity at the University of Leeds.

"The project will deliver state of the art and exemplary facilities capable of supporting the longterm development of physical, bio-nano, computing and engineering sciences through enhanced educational and research facilities.

"This will enable a step change in achieving the universitys ambitions of world-class research and student education through the delivery of a flagship development."

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Leeds research centre set for green light - Insider Media

Freeze-Dried Foam Soaks Up Carbon Dioxide – Photonics Online – Photonics Online

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Rice Scientists Lead Effort To Make Novel 3-D Material

Rice University Materials Scientists Have Created A Light Foam From Two-Dimensional Sheets Of Hexagonal-Boron Nitride (H-BN) That Absorbs Carbon Dioxide.

They Discovered Freeze-Drying H-BN Turned It Into A Macro-Scale Foam That Disintegrates In Liquids. But Adding A Bit Of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) Into The Mix Transformed It Into A Far More Robust And Useful Material.

The Foam Is Highly Porous And Its Properties Can Be Tuned For Use In Air Filters And As Gas Absorption Materials, According To Researchers In The Rice Lab Of Materials Scientist Pulickel Ajayan.

Their Work Appears In The American Chemical Society Journal ACS Nano.

The Polyvinyl Alcohol Serves As A Glue. Mixed Into A Solution With Flakes Of H-BN, It Binds The Junctions As The Microscopic Sheets Arrange Themselves Into A Lattice When Freeze-Dried. The One-Step Process Is Scalable, The Researchers Said.

Even A Very Small Amount Of PVA Works, Said Co-Author And Rice Postdoctoral Researcher Chandra Sekhar Tiwary. It Helps Make The Foam Stiff By Gluing The Interconnects Between The H-BN Sheets And At The Same Time, It Hardly Changes The Surface Area At All.

In Molecular Dynamics Simulations, The Foam Adsorbed 340 Percent Of Its Own Weight In Carbon Dioxide. The Greenhouse Gas Can Be Evaporated Out Of The Material, Which Can Be Reused Repeatedly, Tiwary Said. Compression Tests Showed The Foam Got Stiffer Through 2,000 Cycles As Well.

And When Coated With PDMS, Another Polymer, The Foam Becomes An Effective Shield From Lasers That Could Be Used In Biomedical, Electronics And Other Applications, He Said.

Ultimately, The Researchers Want To Gain Control Over The Size Of The Materials Pores For Specific Applications, Like Separating Oil From Water. Simulations Carried Out By Co-Author Cristiano Woellner, A Joint Postdoctoral Researcher At Rice And The State University Of Campinas, Brazil, Could Serve As A Guide For Experimentalists.

Its Important To Join Experiments And Theoretical Calculations To See The Mechanical Response Of This Composite, Woellner Said. This Way, Experimentalists Will See In Advance How They Can Improve The System.

About Rice University Rice Graduate Student Peter Owuor Is Lead Author Of The Paper. Co-Authors Are Ok-Kyung Park, A Visiting Scholar At Rice And A Postdoctoral Researcher At Chonbuk National University, Republic Of Korea; Rice Postdoctoral Researchers Almaz Jalilov And Rodrigo Villegas Salvatierra And Graduate Students Luong Xuan Duy, Sandhya Susarla And Jarin Joyner; Rice Alumnus Sehmus Ozden, Now A Postdoctoral Fellow At Los Alamos National Laboratory; Robert Vajtai, A Senior Faculty Fellow At Rice; Jun Lou, A Rice Professor Of Materials Science And Nanoengineering; And James Tour, Rices T.T. And W.F. Chao Chair In Chemistry As Well As A Professor Of Computer Science And Of Materials Science And Nanoengineering; And Professor Douglas Galvo Of The State University Of Campinas. Ajayan Is Chair Of Rices Department Of Materials Science And Nanoengineering, The Benjamin M. And Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor In Engineering And A Professor Of Chemistry.

The Air Force Office Of Scientific Research And Its Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative Funded The Research.

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Are Nano-Metals Dead on Arrival? – Machine Design

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Thousands of years before current era (BCE), people were using copper. Tin was added a few hundred years later, thus sparking the Bronze Age. This first work in metallurgy would set the pace for inventions, world economies, and wars won through the knowledge of controlling these elements. Today, knowledge is still the key.

This article will cover some of the successes and challenges in bringing these revolutionary materials to market. First, what are nano-metals? They are defined as metals controlled or altered on a nanometer scale. Sometimes it represents a buzzword for a new alloy or composite that may or may not actually be altered at the nano-level.

Nano-Metals in Automotive

With the push for more fuel-efficient and safer vehicles, high-strength steels are showing up in more white bodies of vehicles today. While aluminum might sound like a natural switch, the amount of material needed to match the strength of steel would require new molds as well as adjustments to the equipment for the change in volume.

Many studies in lightweighting vehicles focus on the body in white. It consists of the vehicles non-moving parts, and is usually made of sheet-metal components. Many of the metals in cars today did not exist 15 to 20 years ago, says Dave Paratore, President and CEO for NanoSteel (Courtesy of Honda).

Ford invested heavily in this, but not all car manufacturers have the ability to make the necessary upgrades. Other automotive manufacturers are looking for advanced high-strength steels that will work with current production lines. Many alloys can increase strength, but this would alter the metals formability properties, causing them to crack when being stamped into the desired shapes.

This challenge led NanoSteel, based in Providence, R.I., to experiment with novel recipes and thermochemistry to produce, in bulk, a new type of steel that contains nanoscale microstructures. Such a construct can deliver unique combinations of strength and ductility. The company uses conventional steel alloying elements, but in novel ratios. Process control and alloying ratios dictate the resulting properties. The end result is stronger, formable steel thats designed to be used in todays automotive plants.

The auto industry is pushing for third-generation, advanced high-strength steels. The materials properties arent specifically defined, but the figure shows the target for the tensile strengths and elongation percentages of the current and target third-generation materials.

Nano-metals help reduce the weight of vehicles while increasing strength. This is just one example of how the slightest adjustments in chemistry can affect the final product.

Microalloying

If the ratio is such an important factor, how much of an alloy can change a metals property?

Many additives might be as little as 0.5% of a specific alloy, but as little as 0.03% of them have been used to alter properties. This slight addition changes the microstructure of the product. Often, steels will increase in strength, because alloys can slow the recrystallization of austenite that causes the grain size to become finer.

Another example is that small amounts of niobium and vanadium can improve surface hardness, which in turn increases resistance to wear, also known as carbonitriding. Refining the grain size, shape, and dispersion of slight additions of alloy can hone metals to cater to a wide range of material properties, including cold processes.

Along those lines, the article Microalloying Strengthens Steel illustrates that point: With resulfurized 1144 steel, a carbon grade often chosen for its machinability, a light cold drawing increases its yield strength by 15,000 psi, and a heavier drafting boosts it to 25,000 psi. If vanadium is added, yield strength further increases to about 20,000 psi. Adding vanadium and nitrogen typically increases yield strength by about 30,000 psi. This strength increase is retained after cold drawing.

Furthermore, microalloying can eliminate the need for annealing in some cases. Between increasing strengths, improving machinability, and reducing energy in post-processing, microalloying demonstrates the importance of understanding the slightest adjustments in chemistry.

Process Control and Layers

How does the process affect the materials properties? Case in point: By controlling the steel manufacturing process, it is possible to surround martensite with ferrite. This allows the metal to be ductile due to the ferrite, but have the dispersed strong (but brittle) martensite to absorb energy effectively, increasing ductility and strength. This has been a success in the automotive industry. A metal with this composition makes for lightweight, but strong, steel for crumple zones (crumple zones are areas of a vehicle designed to absorb energy in a collision).

The balance between ductility and strength is a battle thats actually been played out since the times of the Samurai. Folding steel in layers let a Samurais sword become hard to keep its edge, but ductile enough so it wouldnt shatter when struck. Taking these alloying concepts, and combining them with layers and new processes, is now revolutionizing multiple industries and markets.

Modumetal worked with the state of Washington to test guardrails made from laminated nanometals. While they showed better performance at a competitive price, the government enforces a standard that prohibits the Department of Transportation from using this material.

Seattle-basedModumetal Inc. is applying the Samurai sword concept and pushing it to the nanometer scale, using a patented, industrial-scale electrochemical process to produce a class of materials called nano-laminated alloys. In the process, metal is electrochemically deposited onto a substrate in nano-scale layers that can vary in composition or microstructure, or both. The end result is an entirely new way of enhancing material properties, including dramatically improved strength, toughness, corrosion, thermal, and wear characteristics, to name a few. In addition, Modumetal is able to mass-produce these metals at a competitive price.

Metal Matrix Composites

The design requirement to make products lighter but still maintain their productivity has increased the demand on metal matrix composites (MMCs). These materials are being used in a variety of industries, including automotive and aerospace applications.

Metal matrix composites (MMC) might not necessarily be a nano-metalin the case of dispersion hardening, it may not even be layered. However, engineering isnt about buzzwordsits about solving problems. Some benefits engineers are finding with MMCs include higher temperature capability, fire resistance, higher transverse stiffness and strength, no moisture absorption, higher electrical and thermal conductivities, and better radiation resistance. Demand for these properties and lightweight parts has driven the market especially for aluminum MMCsaluminum currently represents the largest segment (about 30%) of the MMC market.

Dispersion hardening is a non-layered example of a MMC. Controlling the MMC manufacturing can lead to nano-sized second-phase dispersion of a material within a matrix. Where alloying is generally considered bonding of two or more metals, dispersion hardening suspends a material like fiber glass in an epoxy, and can improve adhesion resistance, flexural strength, toughness, and hardness. This has proven successful in multiple industries, particularly in materials for jet engines and turbines.

Fighting Corrosion

Microalloying and MMCs can improve mechanical properties, but chemical properties could save trillions of dollars worldwide. The National Association of Corrosion Engineers did a study and found that 4.1% of the world GDP is lost to corrosion, says Christina Lomasney, CEO and President of Modumetal.

Electroplating has been around since the 1800s, but has become more sophisticated. In the 1980s, electroplating began to be used to make zinc-nickel (Zn-Ni) coating to protect against corrosion and wear.

This image shows a cross-section (not to scale) of a typical Zn-Ni coating. The three layers of coating consist of a layer of Zn-Ni alloy, covered by a layer of chromate, with a topcoat or sealant on top.

A general mix of 85% zinc and 15% nickel electroplated in layers onto parts has shown to maintain its corrosion resistance even if formed or bent after coating. In addition, Zn-Ni coatings are able to handle thermal stresses. For example, a test was done on zinc versus Zn-Ni costed parts. Results showed that:

The automotive and aerospace industries are talking a lot about nano-metals, but much of that 4.1% lost GDP comes from corroding infrastructure. Electroplating Zn-Ni and nano-metals can increase corrosion resistance, and can help the U.S. get ahead of the rust, but regulations are stopping production.

A Rusty Government

Galvanizing technology was standardized in 1928 under ASTM A123. Today, if you look at the Department of Transportation specifications, the standard to use galvanized material is still pervasively specified everywhere. So we are using technology that is about 100 years old, says Lomasney. I could produce nano-metal guardrails that last 30 times longer than the current galvanized metals, but we would not be able to use them. Before you get angry at the government, remember the DOT is just enforcing what the experts are saying is the best action.

The government tried in 1993 to implement standards that were performance-based, but they were fundamentally flawed. Instead of detailed specifications, the DOT just ended up with standards that would say something like use standard A123, then add a corrosion requirement. This obviously didnt fix the problem.

Now, fortunately, there is a bi-partisan Corrosion Prevention Caucus in the House of Representatives that published the following:

According to a 2001 study by the Federal Highway Administration, corrosion costs the U.S. economy $276 billion every year or roughly 3.1% of our national GDP. When updated to 2015, the cost of corrosion is almost $500 billion annually... When properly installed and maintained, corrosion is largely preventable. Corrosion prevention technologies significantly reduce the risk of harmful effects and the overall financial cost to the U.S. Government.

Recycling Complex Metals

While the caucus fights for new regulations, we must also consider recycling. If standards are based on performance, but say nothing about the materials end-of-life, could stockpiles of valuable metal be added to landfills? When dealing with plastics, some countries have banned custom polymers due to recycling difficulties.

Fortunately, with metals, we are already separating precious metals in the smelting process. The recycling of electronics shows that it is possible to recycle complex metal alloys. However, galvanized steel is easy to recycle, too. Any added energy to recycle nano-metals should be considered.

However, if guardrails made with a nano-metal can last 30 times longer than traditional galvanized steel, galvanized steel would theoretically have to take 1/30th the energy than recycling a nano-metal. In addition, the cost and energy to decommission and commission miles of new guardrails at potentially a 30:1 ratio already put nano-metals at a clear advantage.

Finally, what does it cost? Lomasney says nano-metals are cost-competitive. When considering the return on investment, you have to consider youre eliminating a lot of maintenance and construction cost because they can offer better mechanical and chemical properties than traditional galvanized metals.

From the Bronze Age to the Age of the Samurai, to the industrial and silicon revolutions, history has shown us the importance of material science. If we continue to hold back our technology with outdated or poorly written standards, our economy and infrastructure might also become history.

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Are Nano-Metals Dead on Arrival? - Machine Design

Foraging for fetal cells in mothers’ blood – Chemical & Engineering News

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Every pregnant woman who has considered getting a prenatal genetic test is familiar with the dilemma: Amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS) are the only available diagnostic tests that can say for sure whether a fetus has a devastating genetic disorderbut these tests are invasive, and each carries a small risk of miscarriage. Now, researchers are developing a less invasive test that collects fetal cells from a maternal blood sample using an antibody-coated chip, allowing for conclusive testing for genetic disorders with a simple blood draw (ACS Nano 2017, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.7b03073).

In amniocentesis and CVS, doctors insert needles or catheters into the uterus to collect placental cells. These cells, called trophoblasts, share the same genome as the developing fetus. But the trophoblasts dont remain exclusively in the uterus. During early pregnancy, the growth of the placenta is a little like the growth of a tumor, says Hsian-Rong Tseng of the University of California, Los Angeles. The placenta grows into and essentially invades the uterus. The end result is that some of the trophoblasts end up circulating in the maternal blood. Tsengs team had previously developed a chip that captures tumor cells from blood samples (Acc. Chem. Res.2014, DOI: 10.1021/ar5001617) and realized they could adapt the method to capturing trophoblasts.

The researchers covered a piece of glass with a forest of nanosized poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) pillars, which provide ample surface area for attaching the bait to capture cells of interest. To capture trophoblasts in particular, Tseng and colleagues attached an antibody that binds to a trophoblast surface protein to the nanopillars. Then, they applied blood samples obtained from six mothers carrying normal male fetuses and nine mothers carrying fetuses with genetic abnormalities, such as trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), to the chip. The nanopillar chip captured 80% of the trophoblasts in blood samples spiked with a known trophoblast concentration, compared with 20 30% for a flat antibody-coated chip, says Tseng. That boost was critical, he says, with only two to six trophoblasts per 2 mL of maternal blood. The researchers still had to use 10 mL of blood to gather enough cells for genetic analysis.

To isolate the fetal cells from others stuck on the chip, the researchers tagged the trophoblasts with fluorescent antibodies and then used laser capture microdissection to collect only those cells that glowed. Using commercial microarrays, they analyzed the trophoblast genotypes, correctly identifying the sex and whether the fetus had genetic abnormalities for all 15 samples, as confirmed with amniocentesis or CVS.

The fishing of the cells is innovative, says Sascha Drewlo of Wayne State University, but he says the approach still needs to overcome significant hurdles before its ready for commercial application, including boosting the number of cells captured and lowering the amount of blood needed for analysis. Tseng is aware of these challenges, and hopes to improve his cell yield in future experiments by obtaining trophoblasts from cervical samples instead of maternal blood. A pap smear sample can yield hundreds of trophoblasts, says Tseng.

Tseng cofounded a company, FetoLumina Technologies, to commercialize the chip technology.

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Foraging for fetal cells in mothers' blood - Chemical & Engineering News

Bloodborne, Transhumanism and Cosmic Cyberpunk – Kotaku UK (blog)

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With all its morbid decadence, the richly-layered Gothic imagination and cosmic horror of Bloodborne tends to overshadow some of its more (post)modern influences. Bloodborne isnt a traditionalist, after all, but a punk: or to be more precise, a cyberpunk. It may not havesinister corporations or hackers, yet this sci-fi renegade still conjures the rebellious ghost in the machine.

Most obviously, theres the overpowering presence of that looming megalopolis Yharnam as dependent on monumental, almost brutalist architecture as any good futuristic urban sprawl. The social dynamics within Yharnam echo the politics of cyberpunk, the hegemonic power of the Healing Church pitted against the social outcasts roaming the grimy streets. Dangerous social experiments and unchecked technological advancements have led to a Victorian dystopia. There are even cyberspaces, simulated, subordinate worlds in the form of the Dreams, which can be accessed and even hacked by those who are privy to secret knowledge.

Yharnham:

Ridley Scott'sBlade Runner:

And just like cyberpunk, the world of Bloodborne is held captive by the promise of transhumanism the idea that humankind will, one day, be able to transcend our fleshlylimitations and become something more. Whether it is Deus Ex or Bloodborne, the tool for this quasi-religious endeavour is cutting edge research and technology. In Deus Ex, that means body modification through nanotech or even merging consciousnesses with an omnipresent AI. In Bloodborne, its the Healing Church and Byrgenwerth researching into the old ones and their blood that drives this change: aiming to transform humans, in theory, into celestial beings that have entirely discarded their humanity. Not unlike in Blade Runner, the eye becomes an omnipresent symbol of self-directed evolution and the dangerous knowledge necessary to pursue it.

However, Bloodborneisa punk that refuses to slavishly follow in the tracks of those that came before. The differences are the most fascinating thing here. The futuristic vision of transhumanism, whether it is presented as a utopian promise or a dystopian threat, is seen as an evolutionary culmination or perhaps even singularity that severs the umbilical cord that connects us to our evolutionary history. The human is a product of natural processes, distant cousin of the apes. The posthuman the product of transhumanism is something different (strangely, it is our human arrogance that leads to this fallacy of teleological evolution.)

Blade Runner

Eye of a Blood-Drunk Hunter

Bloodbornes idea of transhumanism is recognisable, but different. Its still a morally complex idea, both pursued by individuals and institutions while also causing societal upheaval, but its vector is in the opposite direction. The path to transcendence doesnt lead the inhabitants of Yharnam away from humankinds evolutionary history, but confronts it head-on in a retrogressive journey. The first enemies our hunter encounters are beastmen, many of them recognisably human but some, like the werewolves or Vicar Amelia, almost devoid of human characteristics. Theyre hairy and canine, clearly mammalian despite their deformities. So far, this is in keeping with stories like Robert Louis Stevensons The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or H.P. Lovecrafts tales of human degeneracy, such as Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family, in which a British nobleman burns himself alive after discovering that one of his ancestors was an ape goddess from the Congo. These stories play with our post-Darwinian revulsion at being the offspring of mere animals.

But as you progress through Bloodborne, the hunter descends deeper down the evolutionary ladder. Soon, enemies resemble snakes, insects, arachnids. Later, they become more alien still, strange variations of squids, snails, slugs (that is, molluscs) or even fungi. They have names like Celestial Emissary, or Celestial Child and are closely related to the Great Ones, some of whom, like Ebrietas or Kos, share similarities with the games mollusc-like creatures. Bloodborne displays a special fascination with mushrooms and molluscs, as well as the creatures of the ocean (especially in The Old Hunters DLC). These creatures are associated with the primordial, the early origins of life on earth, and their strange forms, both beautiful and disturbing, gives them a semblance of otherworldliness. And since they dont seem to belong to this world, perhaps they originally visited earth from unknown regions of the cosmos?

Kos

Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos

Celestial Child

Nudibranch, Nembrotha Kubaryana. Photo by Nick Hobgood

Nudibranch, Nembrotha Cristata. Photo by Chriswan Sungkono.

Nudibranch, Tritoniopsis Elegans. Photo by Sean Murray.

From this anthropocentric perspective, becoming like these creatures means getting closer to the miraculous origins of life, when the earth and the cosmos had yet to be disentangled. The transhumanism of Bloodborne thus turns the usual teleological view of human evolution on its head; the forces of evolution, whether natural or self-directed, will not bring humans closer to the gods, but have instead distanced them from the celestial spring of life. To fulfil their atavistic yearning to return to the lap of the cosmos, the inhabitants of Yharnam must regress to earlier evolutionary stages. The horror and tragedy of turning into wolf-like beasts, therefore, isnt just due to a revulsion to our animal ancestors or the destruction they cause, but the knowledge that those beastmen didnt regress far enough. If only they hadnt gotten lost in this evolutionary valley, they could have emerged on the other side as transcendental beings, as kin not of the earth, but the cosmos. At least, thats one way of looking at the complex picture Bloodborne paints.

The transcended hunter as slug-like Great One in Bloodbornes true ending

The beautiful thing about this is that it doesnt just fly in the face of transhumanism as it is usually understood, but the most problematic aspects of Lovecrafts work, too. The ugly concept of degeneracy, with all its overt racism, was an integral part of Lovecrafts fictional worlds. The ancient and unambiguously evil powers of the Great Old Ones is tied to primitives and mongrels, marginalised humans seen as genetically impure and degraded. They are easily manipulated by the old gods and worship them in the hidden and remote corners of the earth.

In Bloodborne, the blame of Yharnams ruin is dramatically shifted. The hidden corners of worship arent foreign jungles or secluded villages, but the sacred spaces of a church that is the backbone and centre of a sprawling megalopolis; the mysteries of the Great Ones are still secret knowledge, but secrets of a powerful, manipulative elite (as you would expect in the conspiracy-filled worlds of cyberpunk stories). But while this elites endeavours clearly lead to a horrific dystopia, the moral issues of this regressive transhumanism stay ambiguous throughout. The degenerate beastmen are hapless, unfortunate victims rather than villains. The experiment of transcendence through reverse evolution seems doomed to fail, but it is not at all clear whether that goal is inherently misguided. After all, the Great Ones seem amoral rather than evil (not unlike the people of Yharnam), and the hunter is no stranger to the allure these celestial beings exert through their disturbing kind of beauty. Perhaps their apparent darkness stems purely from the human minds failing to comprehend their true nature? Either way, Lovecrafts ideas of degeneracy doesnt entirely fit into Bloodbornes world.

Being kin to both the Lovecraftian as well as cyberpunk, Bloodborne, too, is a kind of mongrel. But this impurity is precisely what enables it to distinguish itself and comment meaningfully on its ancestral genres. It reshapes its influences by letting disparate ideas collide and creates something fresh from the wreckage. Its not unique in its subversion of transhumanist idealism or Lovecraftian racist tropes, but the way it combines these separate issues in a seamless if ambiguous whole is entirely original.

Bloodborne is both a cyberpunk dystopia in which the end point of self-directed evolution is not a disembodied mind, but a slug or a squid, as well as a tale of cosmic horror where that dubious degeneracy stems not from shady outsiders or social outcasts, but squarely from within organised mainstream religion and science. It shares with cyberpunk an awareness and distaste for the unequal power dynamics in a world governed by the amoral ambitions of hegemonies, but, like Lovecraft, looks backwards to our distant origins rather than to the future. And soBloodborne transcends its influences, and challenges us on new planes of existence.

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Bloodborne, Transhumanism and Cosmic Cyberpunk - Kotaku UK (blog)

Now the Libertarians have known sin: Reckoning with the rise of the alt-right – Salon

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Last December as the smoke was clearing from the electoral explosion and many of us were still shell-shocked and wandering around blindly searching for emotional shelter, Salons Matthew Sheffieldwrote a series of articlesabout the rise of the alt-right. The movement had been discussed during the campaign, of course. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton even gave a big speech about it. Trumps campaign strategist and chiefconsigliere, Steve Bannon the once and future executive editor of Breitbart News had even bragged that his operation was the platform of the alt-right just a few months earlier. But after the election there was more interest than ever in this emerging political movement.

Its an interesting story about a group of non-interventionist right-wingers, who came together in the middle of the last decade in search of solidarity in their antipathy toward the Bush administrations wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was a motley group of conservatives, white nationalists and Libertarians that broke apart almost as soon as they came together. The more clever among them saw the potential for this new brand and began to market themselves as the alt-right, and it eventually morphed into what it is today. The series is a good read and explains that the alt-right really was a discrete new movement within the far right wing and not simply a clever renaming of racist and Nazi groups.

This week, conservative writer Matt Lewis of The Daily Beast, a Trump critic,wrote a pieceabout the Libertarian influence on the alt-right and suggested that Libertarians work harder to distance themselves from this now-infamous movement. He points out that former Rep. Ron Pauls presidential campaigns were a nexus of what became alt-right activism. Sheffield had written about that too:

Pretty much all of the top personalities at the Right Stuff, a neo-Nazi troll mecca, started off as conventional libertarians and Paul supporters, according to the sites creator, an anonymous man who goes by the name Mike Enoch.

We were all libertarians back in the day. I mean, everybody knows this,he said on an alt-right podcast last month. [Note: This podcast seems to have been deleted.]

It wasnt just obscure neo-Nazi trolls. Virtually all the prominent figures in or around the alt-right movement, excepting sympathizers and fellow travelers like Bannon and Donald Trump himself, were Paul supporters:Richard Spencer,Paul Gottfried, Jared Taylor,Milo Yiannopoulosand Alex Jones. (The latter two deny being part of the alt-right, but have unquestionably contributed to its rise in prominence.) Pauls online support formed the basis for what would become the online alt-right, the beating heart of the new movement.

In fact, Ron Paul then a Texas congressman and the father of Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the original alt-right candidate, long before Donald Trump came along. Paul was also, by far, the most popular Libertarian in America.

Those of us observing the Paul phenomenon and Libertarianism from the left always found it curious in this regard. Pauls racism was simply undeniable.It was documented for decades. He hid behind the states rights argument, as pro-Confederate racists have always done, but it was never very convincing. If you are a principled Libertarian who believes in small government and inalienable individual rights, what difference does it make whether a federal or state government is the instrument of oppression?

Most of us thought a lot of Pauls appeal, especially to young white males, came down to a loathing for the uptight religious conservatism of the GOP, along with Pauls endorsement of drug legalization. That made some sense. Why would all these young dudes care about the capital gains tax?

And lets face facts, it wasnt just Libertarians who could be dazzled by Pauls iconoclasm.There were plenty of progressives drawn to his isolationist stance as well.But as it turns out, among that group of Atlas Shrugged fans and stoners were a whole lot of white supremacists, all of whom abandoned Ron Pauls son Rand in 2016 when Donald Trump came along and spoke directly to their hearts and minds.

Is there something about Libertarianism that attracts white supremacists? It seems unlikely, except to the extent that it was a handy way to argue against federal civil rights laws, something that both Paulpreandfilsendorsed during their careers, legitimizing that point of view as a Libertarian principle. (In fairness, Rand Paul has tried to pursue more progressive racial policies in recent years which may also have helped drive away his dads supporters.) Other than that, though, it seems to me that Libertarianism has simply been a way station for young and angry white males as they awaited theirGod Emperor, as they call Trump on the wildly popular alt-right site, r/The_Donald.

Still, Libertarians do have something to answer for. While principled Libertarianslike Cathy Youngcertainly condemned the racism in their ranks at the time, but others who supported Ron Paul failed to properly condemn the rank bigotry undergirding the Paul philosophy.

Lewiss Daily Beast piece certainly provoked some reaction among Libertarians. Nick Gillespie at Reasonobjectedto the characterization of Libertarianism as a pipeline to the alt-right, writing that the alt-right and Trumpism, too, to the extent that it has any coherence is an explicit rejection of foundational libertarian beliefs in free trade and free migration along with experiments in living that make a mess of rigid categories that appeal to racists, sexists, protectionists, and other reactionaries. So he rejects calls to purge Libertarianism of alt-righters, since he believes they were never really Libertarians in the first place.

Gillespie does, however, agree that Libertarian true believers should call out such people wherever we find them espousing their anti-modern, tribalistic, anti-individualistic, and anti-freedom agenda. (It would have been easy to include racist in that list but, being generous, perhaps he meant it to fall under the term tribalistic.)

Meanwhile, over at the Volokh Conspiracy, Jonathan Adler addresses some Libertariansmisplaced affinity for the Confederacy,a phenomenon I must admit I didnt know existed. Evidently,there really are Libertarianswho take the side of the secessionists, supposedly on the basis of tariffs and Abraham Lincolns allegedly monstrous record on civil liberties. Adler patiently explains why this is all nonsense and wrote, Libertarianism may not be responsible for the alt-right, but its fair to ask whether enough libertarians have done enough to fight it within their own ranks.

Good for these prominent Libertarians for being willing to confront the currents of racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia that at the very least have contaminated their movement. We await the same honest self-appraisal from the conservative movement and Republican leaders as a whole.

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Now the Libertarians have known sin: Reckoning with the rise of the alt-right - Salon

The Insidious Libertarian-to-Alt-Right Pipeline – Daily Beast

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Libertarianism has an alt-right problem. Many prominent leaders of the alt-right have, at some point, identified as libertarian. I am curious as to why?

Milo Yiannopoulos has billed himself (and has been billed by others) as libertarian. About a year ago, he came clean about that. According to Business Insider, the alt-right troll Tim Gionet (aka Baked Alaska) formerly identified as a carefree, easygoing libertarian who supported Kentucky Sen. Rand Pauls bid for the White House, firmly opposed the war on drugs, and championed the cause of Black Lives Matter

Gavin McInnes bills himself as a libertarian, but he founded the Proud Boysa mens rights group that is considered part of the alt-right. Augustus Invictus, a Florida attorney who literally drank goats blood as part of an animal sacrifice, ran for senate in the 2016 Libertarian Party primary and spoke at Liberty Fest. Recently popular among college libertarians, Stefan Molyneux evolved into a pro-Trump alt-righter. And Richard Spencer was thrown out of the International Students for Liberty conference this year after crashing the event.

It is also true that many of todays alt-righters are disaffected conservatives. However, there are many more conservatives in this country than there are libertarians, which suggests a disproportionate number of todays prominent alt-righters began as libertarians.

Its ironic that some of these people start off calling themselves libertarian, but they are the antithesis of everything that the libertarian project stands forwhich is cosmopolitanism versus parochialism, individualism vs. group identity, and libertarianism or autonomy versus authoritarianism, Nick Gillespie, editor in chief of Reason.com tells me.

Granted, there are a few similarities between the two groups. For example, paleoconservatives (think populist nationalists like Pat Buchanan) and libertarians both tend to be anti-interventionist in foreign policy. But there are also multiple contradictions. Jeffrey A. Tucker, content director for the libertarian Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), lists five differences between the alt-right and libertarians. And yet, it seems observably true that libertarianism is disproportionately a gateway drug to the alt-right. Again, the question is why?

Some would explain this away as normal. People change ideologies all the time, David Boaz, executive vice president of the Cato Institute, told me in an interview. Some libertarians become conservatives, some become welfarist liberals, a few drift into creepy extremes. Jason Kessler apparently was in Occupy Wall Street before he became an alt-right leader. The original neocons were leftists first. Hillary was a Goldwater Girl.

Speaking of Barry Goldwater, its also true that a principled libertarian like him might end up on the wrong side of civil rights issues simply because he fears the expansion of central government and prioritizes the freedom of business owners over the right of individuals to be served at a lunch counter. This conundrum has proven to be a vexing enough problem for libertarians to overcome. However, it does not fully explain the link between libertarianism and todays alt-right.

Like any emerging ideology, the alt-right didnt just materialize out of nowhere. There were forerunners crying in the wilderness who were generally viewed as harmless kooks. The paleo-libertarian seed that Ron Paul, Murray Rothbard, and Lew Rockwell planted in the 1990s has come to bear some really ugly fruit in the last couple of years as elements of the alt-right have made appearances in various libertarian organizations and venues, writes Steve Horwitz, an economist who writes at Bleeding Heart Libertarians.

The Ron Paul Revolution might not have amounted to much electorally, but it would be wrong to underestimate the impact he has had on libertarianism and the alt-right. In a way, Ron Paul is the guy who lit the fuse, Nick Gillespie says. And he embodies some of those contradictions [between libertarianism and the alt-right]. Gillespie tells me that Richard Spencer came up to him at the Republican National Convention in 2016 and said that he was activated into politics because of Paul. Gillespie sees Pauls legacy as very mixed, as someone who was simultaneously positing this very libertarian worldview, but then hes also speaking to peoples fears and anxieties. If one were looking for the missing link to explain this phenomenon, Ron Paul (and his paleolibertarian allies) would be a good place to start.

Still, my guess is that this has as much to do with attitude as it has to do with ideology. One explanation for why young libertarians metastasize into alt-righters is self-selection bias. Some of the people drawn to libertarianism are predisposed to be seduced into the alt-right. In this regard, they are merely passing through a libertarian phase. Libertarianism is an unpopular view. And it takes particular personality typesto be open to taking unpopular views, explains Kevin Vallier, an associate professor of philosophy at Bowling Green State University, who writes for the blog Bleeding Heart Libertarians. Someof these personality types are people who are open to new experience, love the world of ideas and have a disposition for independent thought. However, some of these personality types simplyenjoy holding outrageous and provocative views, who like to argue and fight with others, who like insult and shock. Vallier continued, The worst flaw in the contrarian trap is that it makes libertarians open to views thatdeserveto be unpopular and despised, including the thinly-veiled racism of the sort Hans Hermann Hoppe trades in from time to time. (Note: Some see Hoppes support of what he calls a pro-European immigration bias as an example of thinly-veiled racism.)

As a political philosophy, libertarianism is somewhat unique in its unflinching support of free speech. In some cases, this free speech is unsavory. If youre anti-political correctness, libertarianism might seem like a good place to landeven if you dont buy into the whole libertarian philosophy. This affinity for libertarianism wears off when they realize that were principled, that no, were not just trolling, says Gillespie.

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David Boaz provided yet another explanation. Some people may become libertarians because theyre angry, Boaz says. For a while, its enough to be angry at the government. But ultimately libertarianism is about peaceful cooperationmarkets, civil society, global trade, peaceso it just isnt angry enough for some people. Racial intolerance is a way to be angry at the whole world. And I think you hear that in some of the alt-right types.

The most recent example of this transformation is Christopher Cantwell, who has garnered 15 minutes of infamy by virtue of appearing in that viral Vice documentary about Charlottesville.

On a post-Charlottesville blog post, Cantwell discussed his conversion from libertarianism to the alt-right. As immigration became a leading news story in America and Europe, he writes, Lew Rockwell gave a talk titled Open Borders Are an Assault on Private Property. From here, I decided to readHans Hermann Hoppes Democracy: The God That Failed. From these, I realized that the libertine vision of a free society was quite distorted. The society we sought actually would provide far more order and control than [would] modern democratic governments. It would encourage more socially conservative behavior and less compulsory association. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, I was once again reminded of my naivety.

Cantwell continues, People should be free to exercise complete control over their own person and property. If blacks are committing crimes, or Jews are spreading communism, discriminating against them is the right of any property owner. The fact that he may or may not miss out on good blacks or Jews is a risk he takes, and the merit of his decisions will be proven out by the market. Since a libertarian society would permit this, it seemed foolish that I should be compelled to support a democratic government policy which did not It was only after all this that Donald Trump seemed worth taking seriously.

A friend of mine who is libertarian suggests that other libertarians never liked Cantwell, and that he was simply using libertarianism as a shield for expressing a lot of disturbing viewpoints. Despite the negative stereotypes, casting yourself as libertarian still has some cache. Celebrities like Bill Maher and Vince Vaughn have identified with the labelwhich seems to be a way of expressing some conservative viewpoints while still supporting the decriminalization of marijuana and distancing yourself from social conservatism. Libertarians wont continue to enjoy this status if the alt-right is allowed to tarnish their philosophy, too.

Over at HotAir, Taylor Millard says that conservatives and libertarians need to purge white supremacists. If they are smart, they will follow his advice.

Originally posted here:

The Insidious Libertarian-to-Alt-Right Pipeline - Daily Beast

Does libertarianism have an alt-right problem? – Washington Post

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Writing in the Daily Beast, Matt Lewis suggestsa disproportionate number of alt-right leaders claim to be former libertarians. Exploring why this might be, he identifies several possibilities, and in the process gives libertarians some things to think about.

Among other things, Lewis notes that the Ron Paul campaign and movement was heavily influenced by paleo-libertarian types, such as Lew Rockwell, who have long been critical of immigration and multi-culturalism. Its worth remembering that Rockwells circle eagerly embraced Pat Buchanans first presidential run in 1992 and stayed the course even after Buchanan turned away from antiwar and anti-government themes and began stressing cultural issues. For some self-described libertarians, Buchanans embrace of the culture war was a feature, not a bug, for (in their view) one problem with big government is that it tends to help the wrong people.

Lewis also considers whether some folks who are predisposed to find libertarianism attractive are also predisposed to be seduced by the alt-right. For such folks libertarianism may lose its appeal when they discover the alt-right offers an angrier or more outrageousideology to embrace.

One factor Id add (and that weve discussed on Volokh before) is the misplaced affinity for the Confederacy among some libertarians. War tends to increase the growth of government, and some libertarians note that the federal government grew during the Civil War. This leads some to the (terribly mistaken) conclusion that the Confederacy was somehow the more libertarian side in that conflict. This idea is reinforced by revisionist historical accounts that try to claim the war was really over tariffs (a claim which used to be taught in some high schooltextbooks, especially in the South), or that President Abraham Lincoln had a particularly monstrous record on civil liberties. Neither claim is true. The South explicitly seceded over slavery, and however bad Lincolns civil liberties records was, the Souths was far worse (and was worse even when one tries to discount slavery). [For more on the problem of misplaced Confederate sympathies among libertarians, I recommend this 2013 BHL post by Jacob Levy.]

Lewis closes by suggesting that libertarians (and conservatives) become more vigilant about associations with white supremacists. Hes right. I would also suggest that conservatives and libertarians rethink their embrace of controversialists, particularly on college campuses, as this feeds the alt-right beast. Libertarianism may not be responsible for the alt-right, but its fair to ask whether enough libertarians have done enough to fight it within their own ranks.

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Does libertarianism have an alt-right problem? - Washington Post

How The Libertarian Party’s Partisan Politics Hurts Libertarianism … – The Liberty Conservative

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If you speak to any political activist operating outside of the two-party mainstream, a common point mentioned is how party politics compromises principles. Republicans often sacrifice conservative principles to advance the party elite. Although individuals such as House Speaker Paul Ryan or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are considered leaders in the Republican Party, conservative activists generally do not consider them standard bearers of their cause. Case in point is the failure to legitimately repeal Obamacare.

The same is said for many liberals and progressives in terms of the Democratic Party. Instead of nominating someone more devout to their cause such as Senator Bernie Sanders, the party elite opted for Hillary Clinton, a mistake possibly responsible for Trumps unexpected presidency. The Democratic Party seems more concerned with the party elite than advancing their principles.

So why would the Libertarian Party be any different?

Libertarian National Committee chairman Nicholas Sarwark has an active presence online, targeting individuals who stand at odds with his party. This is not unusual, as across the country, Republicans figuratively snipe at Democrats and vice versa. Even on that rare occasion there is common ground among both sides, partisanship always reigns supreme. It is a fact of life in todays political climate.

But with the last election, the Libertarian Party sought to brand itself as the sane alternate to the madness of the two-party duopoly. The problem is that the partys own chairman contradicts this own line of logic.

Sarwark has criticized libertarian icon, former Texas Congressman Ron Paul as well as his libertarian-leaning son Senator Rand Paul. More recently, he has taken aim at historian Tom Woods. The recurring theme is Sarwarks love for hurling insults at non-Libertarians, even the ones that are simply unenrolled libertarians.

Is this healthy for the cause of liberty?

The liberty movement had a very brief moment of unity in 2012 when Ron Paul ran for President, but after that, the movement splintered almost immediately. Libertarians want success for the Libertarian Party, but many Paul-aligned activists remain within the Republican Party. In a number of ways, libertarianism has fallen victim to a tug-o-war between political parties.

So where does this leave Sarwark?

The question ultimately lies where his loyalties are and to a degree, what the aim of the Libertarian Party is.

Is the Libertarian Party in existence to advance its own brand, or does it exist to advance libertarian principles? More importantly, do these goals align?

If the answer to the latter question is yes, then the Libertarian Party would support causes that advance libertarian principles. Nobody is arguing that the Ron, Rand, or Woods are perfect. With that being said, it is undeniable that these individuals have made a significant contribution to liberty. Given Sarwarks attacks, its then easy to assume that advancing the Libertarian Party and the cause of liberty are not parallel causes.

So where does that leave the Libertarian Party?

Ultimately, the Libertarian Party is a lot like the Republican Party. Candidates, activists and scattered leaders may genuinely identify with the principled cause, but the party structure works contrary to it. Political parties work contrary to principles, whether it be Republicans with conservatism or Libertarians with libertarianism.

When Sarwark attacks prominent libertarian figures simply because they dont identify with individuals such as Gary Johnson or Bill Weld, he is setting back the cause of liberty in favor of pushing his brand. This may be his job as a party chairman, but lets not operate under the assumption that he is working towards the goal of advancing liberty.

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How The Libertarian Party's Partisan Politics Hurts Libertarianism ... - The Liberty Conservative

Marxism, Nazism and a Potentially Radical Theory for Libertarianism – Being Libertarian

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The Poles have the historical appearance to have been oppressed by both the Nazis and the Commies/Marxists. Countries in Eastern Europe who went through being occupied by Nazis and Marxists often speak out loudly about their dangers. Yet, out here in the West, it seems our people are willing to only hear half of it, as the Marxists are spreading like wildfire.

Socialism, National Socialism (Nazism for those who somehow dont know this), Communism and any other variation of Marixsm, as well as any racial supremacist groups, including the KKK, have no place in the United States. You have the right to your beliefs but you do not have the right to enforce those beliefs on the people via policy and/or law, and this has to be the libertarian position. These political beliefs violate the non-aggression principle, and the overall rights of the individual. If we were to allow any socialist policies to go forth, including such things as universal healthcare or free college/university we would be failing (I hate to sound like a collectivist) the people of the United States. Through these types of policies, we, the people, would essentially be financially responsible for the lifestyles and educational choices of the rest of the country through taxation, which brings me to my next point.

The general libertarian view on taxation is that it is coercion. The state is essentially stealing our money through threat of force; this means that the state itself is in violation of the NAP. Would we, in turn, suggest that the state itself be dissolved? Many say yes, yet this enters the realm of anarchism, and less of libertarianism. Libertarianism, as I know it, isnt for the complete dissolution of government but for the reduction of government. But how can a government exist without money? Weve already answered this in thousands upon thousands of conversations: through donation and charity.

The government works today as a middle man: it takes our money and funnels it into things such as infrastructure and welfare. It does so via coercion through threat of force and while we know that these services can be provided solely through the market, we must think of those who arent capable of a self-sustainable life: seniors, the mentally and physically disabled, and in some cases, children whose parents are unable to provide resources needed to live.

What we need is tax reform and we already know the solution (in fact, we rant about it all the time): volunteerism. Make it so that taxation is a voluntary system and that we, the people, get to decide where our money gets to go to. If you want to donate $2,000 to the welfare of the mentally ill than thats where the money will go. If you want to donate $10 to fill a pot hole, have at it. In short, the government is supposed to work for the people, but through threatening us in order to provide us services, it is doing more harm than good. Without the threat of jail time or even a forced quota system, government could be, at its essence, a charitable organization. Isnt that what the government is supposed to be anyways, for the people and by the people?

This being such a radical idea, and already with so many holes in it for a large country to implement suddenly, I would suggest if we want to make any progress towards a truly free and liberty focused society we find a way to test a system such as this. It could be proposed and put up for a vote in a small town somewhere and tried out for a set period of time. Probably the best two things about this theory is that it is doesnt violate the NAP in any way and that it is a volunteer based system.

In a time of radicals on every side of the aisle and high tensions, I cant think of a better time to try to actually test out this theory and bring the country back to sanity. Benjamin Franklin supposedly said, Im an extreme moderate. I believe anybody not in favor of moderation and compromise ought to be castrated. It is best that the only radicals in society be those who promote individualism and liberty instead of those who promote collectivism and obedience.

* Jarod Goodwin is an archaeology student in his mid-twenties. Hes worked in the grassroots movement for the election of Jim Webb in 2016, and in informing foreigners and locals alike to the different political sides of things like Brexit, the Dutch election, French election, Canadian, Swedish, and Brazilian politics.

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Marxism, Nazism and a Potentially Radical Theory for Libertarianism - Being Libertarian

Is the Encyclopedia of Libertarianism like Wikipedia? – Cato Institute (blog)

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I see that my colleagues are referring to the new online Encyclopedia of Libertarianism as a Wikipedia for libertarianism. I suppose thats sort of true, in that its an online encyclopedia. But its not exactly Hayekian, as Jimmy Wales describes Wikipedia. That is, it didnt emerge spontaneously from the actions of hundreds of thousands of contributors. Instead, editors Ronald Hamowy, Jason Kuznicki, and Aaron Steelman drew up a list of topics and sought the best scholars to write on each one people like Alan Charles Kors, Bryan Caplan, Deirdre McCloskey, George H. Smith, Israel Kirzner, James Buchanan, Joan Kennedy Taylor, Jeremy Shearmur, Leda Cosmides and John Tooby, Norman Barry, Richard Epstein, Randy Barnett, and Vernon L. Smith, along with many Cato Institute experts. In that regard its more like the Encyclopedia Britannica of libertarianism, a guide to important topics by top scholars in the relevant field.

The Britannica over the years has published articles byAlbert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Marie Curie, Leon Trotsky, Harry Houdini, George Bernard Shaw, Bertrand Russell, Milton Friedman, Simon Baron Cohen, and Desmond Tutu. They may have slipped a bit when they published articles by Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Lee Iacocca. And particularly when they chose to me to write their entry on libertarianism.

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Is the Encyclopedia of Libertarianism like Wikipedia? - Cato Institute (blog)

The Key to Getting to Mars Could Be in Recycling Astronaut Pee Into Food Supplements – ScienceAlert

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Researchers have shown how astronaut urine, poop and even exhaled breath could be turned into 3D-printed plastics and nutrients, the kind of smart waste recycling we're going to need if humans are to make the long trip to Mars and beyond.

The trick is in a yeast called Yarrowia lipolytica, which scientists have found can feed on the carbon from our breath and the nitrogen in our pee to produce everything from vitamin supplements to polyesters, perfect for the production of space tools.

Due to time and weight restrictions, we can't just take everything we're going to need on Mars up in a rocket, which is why the recycling system put together by a team from Clemson University could be vital for future missions to the Red Planet.

"If astronauts are going to make journeys that span several years, we'll need to find a way to reuse and recycle everything they bring with them," says one of the researchers, Mark A. Blenner. "Atom economy will become really important."

Right now, the carbon and nitrogen-eating yeast can only provide small amounts of polyesters and nutrients, but the team is working on increasing its output.

One of the developed yeast strains was engineered to produce omega-3 fatty acids, which help heart, eye, and brain health. The supplements we buy here on Earth have a shelf life of just a couple of years, so astronauts will need a way of making their own.

Another strain was developed to produce polyester polymers, the type of plastic you can find in clothes and which could eventually be repurposed to feed a 3D printer the hope is that astronauts could repair and replace tools while out in space.

If that wasn't enough, the yeast investigations might help in fish farming and human nutrition on our own planet, through its ability to produce omega-3.

"We're learning that Y. lipolytica is quite a bit different than other yeast in their genetics and biochemical nature," says Blenner. "Every new organism has some amount of quirkiness that you have to focus on and understand better."

As well as boosting the output of the yeast, there are other challenges to overcome: right now the yeast needs an extra ingredient added by the scientists to properly convert carbon, while the polymers are proving tricky to harvest from the yeast (which hangs on to them tightly as a potential food source).

Even with the limitations of the system as it stands though, it shows a promising way of developing the sort of deep space waste recycling we'll need for long space journeys.

The experiments have been funded with a grant NASA awarded in 2015 to look into this kind of biological processing, and to build on the human waste recycling systems we already have on board the ISS urine and sweat can already be converted back into drinking water, for example.

"Having a biological system that astronauts can awaken from a dormant state to start producing what they need, when they need it, is the motivation for our project," says Blenner.

The findings are being presented at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

The American Chemical Society also put together a video looking at the research, which you can view below:

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The Key to Getting to Mars Could Be in Recycling Astronaut Pee Into Food Supplements - ScienceAlert

Food supplements very popular, but not always healthy: poison information center – NL Times

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Food supplements, for example for more energy or slimming supplements, are increasingly popular in the Netherlands. But they are by far not always healthy and some even contain forbidden substances, the national poisoning information center NVIC warned in its annual report for 2016. In some cases the information on the labels don't match the substances actually in the supplements, ANP reports.

The most risky supplements are those taken for sports and slimming. "Often illegal substances are found that can cause serious health problems", the NVIC warns. Supplements taken prior to sports can, "in some cases, lead to life-threatening situations".

The NVICreceived a total of 740 poisoning reports last year. A third involved young children who took an inappropriate supplement, such as melatonin. About 500 were about relaxing supplements, including 64 about people who took hemp oil. Nausea, sleepiness, dizziness, confusion, accelerated heart rate and hallucinations were some of the reported side effects.

Earlier this year Dutch food and consumer product safety authority NVWA already warned against libido boosters and . Over 60 percent of the supplements the NVWA tested contained hazardous supplements such as sildenafil, sibutramine and amphetamine-like substances like synephrine and caffeine.

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Food supplements very popular, but not always healthy: poison information center - NL Times

Food supplement: Probiotics may not boost gut bacteria for good … – Express.co.uk

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GETTY

Probiotics can keep your gut healthy and help your digestion.

They work by replacing the bad bacteria - such as Bifidobacteria - with good bacteria, like Lactobacillus acidophilus.

The idea is that if they nurture beneficial bacteria in the gut, they can stall the growth of unwanted bacteria.

This could improve digestion, boost the immune system, and even lower rates of certain diseases.

You can get the benefits by eating foods such as live-cultured yoghurt, sauerkraut and kefir.

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Research has found probiotics can be useful for treating symptoms of IBS. But other studies have found they make little difference to gut health.

Taking probiotic supplements has also become popular in recent years.

Research by the University of Chicago has found probiotics can be useful for treating symptoms of IBS, such as bloating and abdominal pain.

However, scientists are now questioning whether probiotics are as effective as previously thought.

"Thirty billion Lactobacillus sounds good, but after going through the stomach acid, only about 43 of them survive," said Ian Orme, a professor of microbiology and pathology at Colorado State University, to Business Insider.

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Indeed, a study published last year by the University of Copenhagen found no difference in the gut bacteria between participants who were taking probiotic supplements and others who werent.

This is the same for probiotic yoghurt which a study published in April by the University of Toronto found didnt contain enough beneficial bacteria to make a difference.

Scientists have now been looking at ways to create a more effective option for gut health.

They are working on a new type of supplement - synbiotics - which combine a probiotic bacterial strain with a prebiotic.

Prebiotics feed beneficial bacteria and help it to thrive in the gut.

GETTY

With synbiotics, it is thought that the probiotic pushes out the bad bacteria and the probiotics simultaneously acts as the food supply.

A study published this month showed that newborns who were given a synbiotic were at a substantially lower risk of developing sepsis.

Additionally, it is thought the new type of supplement could also help with obesity, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

However, further research is required to confirm the findings.

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Food supplement: Probiotics may not boost gut bacteria for good ... - Express.co.uk

Could high doses of vitamin B supplements raise lung cancer risk? – CBS News

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Men, and especially male smokers, appear to be more likely to develop lung cancer if they take high doses of vitamins B6 and B12, new research suggests.

For men taking these vitamin supplements, the risk of lung cancer was nearly doubled. For men who smoked, the risk was between three and four times higher, the study found.

"High-dose B6 and B12 supplements should not be taken for lung cancer prevention, especially in men, and they may cause harm in male smokers," said study lead author Theodore Brasky. He is a research assistant professor at Ohio State University.

However, the study wasn't designed to prove cause-and-effect between the vitamins and lung cancer; it only showed an association.

It's also not clear why only men and current male smokers seem to face an extra risk.

And a trade organization representing the vitamin industry cautioned against reading too much into the study.

Most people in the United States get enough vitamin B6 through their diets, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Some people with certain health conditions may need supplements.

As for vitamin B12, the NIH reports that most Americans get enough from their diet. But some groups -- such as older people and vegetarians -- may be deficient and need supplements. The vitamin may also cause interactions with medications.

Dietary sources of vitamin B6 and B12 include fortified cereals and foods that are high in protein.

The new study included more than 77,000 adults, aged 50 to 76, in Washington state. The participants were recruited from 2000 to 2002, and answered questions about their vitamin use over the previous 10 years.

The researchers found that just over 800 of the study volunteers developed lung cancer over an average follow-up of six years.

The study found no sign of a link between folate (a type of B vitamin) and lung cancer risk. And vitamin B6 and B12 supplements didn't seem to affect risk in women.

However, "we found that men who took more than 20 milligrams per day of B6 averaged over 10 years had an 82 percent increased risk of lung cancer relative to men who did not take supplemental B vitamins from any source," Brasky said.

"Men who took more than 55 micrograms per day of B12 had a 98 percent increased lung cancer risk relative to men who did not take B vitamins," he noted.

Men who smoked at the beginning of the study period and consumed high levels of the B vitamins were three to four times more likely to develop lung cancer, he added.

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A new investigation may have you rethinking some of your vitamins. Consumer Reports finds certain ingredients in dietary supplements sold around ...

"B6 is typically sold in 100 mg (milligram) tablets. B12 is often sold between 500 mcg (microgram) and 3,000 mcg tablets," Brasky said.

"In contrast, most multivitamins include 100 percent of the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance, which is under 2 mg per day for B6 and 2.4 mcg per day for B12. People should really ask themselves if they need over 1,200 times the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of a substance. There's simply no scientific backing for these doses," he said.

The study doesn't conclusively link higher doses of the vitamins to higher rates of lung cancer. If there is a connection, it's not clear how the vitamins might influence the cancer risk, Brasky said, although it may have something to do with how the vitamins interact with male sex hormones.

Paul Brennan, head of the genetics section with the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said the study appears to be valid.

However, the findings conflict with his group's recent research, published July 22 in theJournal of the National Cancer Institute, which didn't find any links between high blood levels of vitamin B6 and lung cancer in people at large, or men specifically.

"If anything," Brennan said, "we found a small protective effect that was more apparent among men."

Still, Brennan added that "there is clearly no evidence that these vitamins have any substantial protective effect. Smokers taking these vitamins should quit smoking."

Dr. Eric Bernicker, a thoracic oncologist with Houston Methodist Hospital, agreed with that advice and said the study points to a higher risk of lung cancer from higher doses.

"There's a strong belief that vitamins would never harm you. As in much of nutrition, the story is more complicated than that," Bernicker said.

In a statement, Duffy MacKay, a senior vice president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade group for the vitamin industry, urged consumers "to resist the temptation to allow sensational headlines from this new study to alter their use of B vitamins."

According to MacKay, "The numerous benefits of B vitamins from food and dietary supplements -- including supporting cognition, heart health and energy levels -- are well-established."

In addition, McKay said, the study has limitations. Among other things, it required participants to remember what they consumed over 10 years.

The study was published Aug. 22 in theJournal of Clinical Oncology.

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Could high doses of vitamin B supplements raise lung cancer risk? - CBS News

Traditional & Alternative Medicine

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Glimpses of Traditional Medicine 2016

Track 1:Traditional Medicine Today: Clinical and Research Issues

These are naturally occurringplant derived substances with minimal or no industrial processing that have been used to treat illness.Traditionalherbalmedicinesare getting significant attention in gworld health debates. In China, herbal medicine played a prominent role in the strategy to contain and treat SARS. 80% of African populations use some form oftraditional herbal medicine.

Related Conferences:Naturopathic Physicians&Acupuncturists ConferenceJuly 24-26, 2017 Melbourne, Australia;5thInternational Conference andExpo on AcupunctureandOriental Medicine ConferenceIllinois, Chicago, USA;2ndInternational Conference andExpo on Holistic Medicineand Nursing August 14-15, 2017Toronto, Canada;8thInternational Conference on Natural &Alternative Medicine ConferenceSeptember 25-27, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 7thInternational Conference andExhibition on Traditional Medicine&Alternative MedicineOctober 24-26, 2017 Dubai, UAE; The 2ndEthnomedicineandTraditional Medicine conference(CETM) June 1-3, 2016, Nanjing, China; (AACMAC) 2016-AustralasianAcupuncturetherapyandChinese Medicine Annual Conference20-22 May 2016, Perth, Australia; (ICNM) InternationalCongress onNaturopathicMedicineJuly 1-3, Barcelona, Spain; 10thAustralianHomeopathicMedicine Conference, October 22-23, 2016 Brisbane, Australia;Society the Individual and Medicine,FloridaHerbalConference, February 26-28 2016 Florida, USA,Australian Traditional Medicine Association(ATMS) events,European Herbal conference&Traditional Medicine Practitioners AssociationNational Association,American Medical Association,Australian Natural Therapists Association(ANTA),World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Track 2:Challenges and Future Directions of Traditional Medicine

Approximately 80% of people today depend uponherbal medicinesas a component of their primary healthcare according to the WHO, there is still great concern about the safety and efficacy of herbal use. While herbal medicines can potentially contribute to the advancements ofhealthcaresystem, many major challenges must be overcome prior to the successful integration of herbal remedies into mainstream medicines. One of the major barriers is the current lack of accurate translations andinterpretations of TraditionalChinese herbaltexts and research by Western scientists.

Related Conferences:Naturopathic Physicians&Acupuncturists ConferenceJuly 24-26, 2017 Melbourne, Australia;5thInternational Conference andExpo on AcupunctureandOriental Medicine ConferenceIllinois, Chicago, USA;2ndInternational Conference andExpo on Holistic Medicineand Nursing August 14-15, 2017Toronto, Canada;8thInternational Conference on Natural &Alternative Medicine ConferenceSeptember 25-27, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 7thInternational Conference andExhibition on Traditional Medicine&Alternative MedicineOctober 24-26, 2017 Dubai, UAE; The 2ndEthnomedicineandTraditional Medicine conference(CETM) June 1-3, 2016, Nanjing, China; (AACMAC) 2016-AustralasianAcupuncturetherapyandChinese Medicine Annual Conference20-22 May 2016, Perth, Australia; (ICNM) InternationalCongress onNaturopathicMedicineJuly 1-3, Barcelona, Spain; 10thAustralianHomeopathicMedicine Conference, October 22-23, 2016 Brisbane, Australia;Society the Individual and Medicine,FloridaHerbalConference, February 26-28 2016 Florida, USA,Australian Traditional Medicine Association(ATMS) events,European Herbal conference&Traditional Medicine Practitioners AssociationNational Association,American Medical Association,Australian Natural Therapists Association(ANTA),World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Track 3:Herbal Medicine

Herbal medicinesare one type of dietary supplement. They are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts, and fresh or dry plants. People use herbal medicines to try to maintain or improve their health.Herbis a plant part or plant used for its flavor, scent or therapeutic properties forherbal remedies.

Many people believe that products labeled "natural" are always good and safe for them. This is not necessarily true.Herbal medicinesdo not have to go through the testing that drugs do. Some herbs, such as ephedra and comfrey, can cause serious harm. Some herbs can interact with prescription orover-the-counter medicines.

Related Conferences:Naturopathic Physicians&Acupuncturists ConferenceJuly 24-26, 2017 Melbourne, Australia;5thInternational Conference andExpo on AcupunctureandOriental Medicine ConferenceIllinois, Chicago, USA;2ndInternational Conference andExpo on Holistic Medicineand Nursing August 14-15, 2017Toronto, Canada;8thInternational Conference on Natural &Alternative Medicine ConferenceSeptember 25-27, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 7thInternational Conference andExhibition on Traditional Medicine&Alternative MedicineOctober 24-26, 2017 Dubai, UAE; The 2ndEthnomedicineandTraditional Medicine conference(CETM) June 1-3, 2016, Nanjing, China; (AACMAC) 2016-AustralasianAcupuncturetherapyandChinese Medicine Annual Conference20-22 May 2016, Perth, Australia; (ICNM) InternationalCongress onNaturopathicMedicineJuly 1-3, Barcelona, Spain; 10thAustralianHomeopathicMedicine Conference, October 22-23, 2016 Brisbane, Australia;Society the Individual and Medicine,FloridaHerbalConference, February 26-28 2016 Florida, USA,Australian Traditional Medicine Association(ATMS) events,European Herbal conference&Traditional Medicine Practitioners AssociationNational Association,American Medical Association,Australian Natural Therapists Association(ANTA),World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Track 4:Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicineis a healing system developed in China more than 2,200 years ago, incorporating therapies that are in some cases. One of its guiding principle is to dispel evil and support the good. In addition to treatingillness,Traditional Chinese Medicinefocus on strengthening the body's defenses and enhancing its capacity forhealingherbsand to maintain health.

Related Conferences:Naturopathic Physicians&Acupuncturists ConferenceJuly 24-26, 2017 Melbourne, Australia;5thInternational Conference andExpo on AcupunctureandOriental Medicine ConferenceIllinois, Chicago, USA;2ndInternational Conference andExpo on Holistic Medicineand Nursing August 14-15, 2017Toronto, Canada;8thInternational Conference on Natural &Alternative Medicine ConferenceSeptember 25-27, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 7thInternational Conference andExhibition on Traditional Medicine&Alternative MedicineOctober 24-26, 2017 Dubai, UAE; The 2ndEthnomedicineandTraditional Medicine conference(CETM) June 1-3, 2016, Nanjing, China; (AACMAC) 2016-AustralasianAcupuncturetherapyandChinese Medicine Annual Conference20-22 May 2016, Perth, Australia; (ICNM) InternationalCongress onNaturopathicMedicineJuly 1-3, Barcelona, Spain; 10thAustralianHomeopathicMedicine Conference, October 22-23, 2016 Brisbane, Australia;Society the Individual and Medicine,FloridaHerbalConference, February 26-28 2016 Florida, USA,Australian Traditional Medicine Association(ATMS) events,European Herbal conference&Traditional Medicine Practitioners AssociationNational Association,American Medical Association,Australian Natural Therapists Association(ANTA),World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Track 5:Acupuncture

Acupunctureis a form ofTraditional Chinese Medicinethat has been practiced for centuries. It's based on the theory that energy, called chi, flows through around your body along pathways called meridians Acupuncturists believe that illness occurs when something block or unbalance your chi. Acupuncture is a way to unblock or influence chi and help it flow back into balanceAcupunctureis putting thin needles into your skin at certain points on your body. This is done to influence the energy . sometimes heat, pressure, or mild electrical current is used along with needles.

Related Conferences:Naturopathic Physicians&Acupuncturists ConferenceJuly 24-26, 2017 Melbourne, Australia;5thInternational Conference andExpo on AcupunctureandOriental Medicine ConferenceIllinois, Chicago, USA;2ndInternational Conference andExpo on Holistic Medicineand Nursing August 14-15, 2017Toronto, Canada;8thInternational Conference on Natural &Alternative Medicine ConferenceSeptember 25-27, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 7thInternational Conference andExhibition on Traditional Medicine&Alternative MedicineOctober 24-26, 2017 Dubai, UAE; The 2ndEthnomedicineandTraditional Medicine conference(CETM) June 1-3, 2016, Nanjing, China; (AACMAC) 2016-AustralasianAcupuncturetherapyandChinese Medicine Annual Conference20-22 May 2016, Perth, Australia; (ICNM) InternationalCongress onNaturopathicMedicineJuly 1-3, Barcelona, Spain; 10thAustralianHomeopathicMedicine Conference, October 22-23, 2016 Brisbane, Australia;Society the Individual and Medicine,FloridaHerbalConference, February 26-28 2016 Florida, USA,Australian Traditional Medicine Association(ATMS) events,European Herbal conference&Traditional Medicine Practitioners AssociationNational Association,American Medical Association,Australian Natural Therapists Association(ANTA),World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Track 6:Alternative Medicine & Treatment Methods

Complementary andalternative medicineis also known as CAM.Complementary and alternative medicinetries to prevent and treat different conditions with the following techniques:Healing touch Energy Herbal medicines ManyComplementary and alternative medicine therapieshave been around for centuries. But do they really work..?

There is research to show that someComplementary and alternative medicine techniquescan help with problems like pain and nausea. But othertherapiesdon't have enough medical evidence to decide if they are effective.

Related Conferences:Naturopathic Physicians&Acupuncturists ConferenceJuly 24-26, 2017 Melbourne, Australia;5thInternational Conference andExpo on AcupunctureandOriental Medicine ConferenceIllinois, Chicago, USA;2ndInternational Conference andExpo on Holistic Medicineand Nursing August 14-15, 2017Toronto, Canada;8thInternational Conference on Natural &Alternative Medicine ConferenceSeptember 25-27, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 7thInternational Conference andExhibition on Traditional Medicine&Alternative MedicineOctober 24-26, 2017 Dubai, UAE; The 2ndEthnomedicineandTraditional Medicine conference(CETM) June 1-3, 2016, Nanjing, China; (AACMAC) 2016-AustralasianAcupuncturetherapyandChinese Medicine Annual Conference20-22 May 2016, Perth, Australia; (ICNM) InternationalCongress onNaturopathicMedicineJuly 1-3, Barcelona, Spain; 10thAustralianHomeopathicMedicine Conference, October 22-23, 2016 Brisbane, Australia;Society the Individual and Medicine,FloridaHerbalConference, February 26-28 2016 Florida, USA,Australian Traditional Medicine Association(ATMS) events,European Herbal conference&Traditional Medicine Practitioners AssociationNational Association,American Medical Association,Australian Natural Therapists Association(ANTA),World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Track 7:Ayurveda

According toAyurvedichypothesis, everything in the universe living or not is connected. Good health is achieved when your body, mind, spirit are in harmony with the universe. A disruption of this harmony can lead to poor health and illness.

Anything that affects your physical, spiritual, or emotional well-being can cause you to be out of balance with the universe. Some things that can cause a disturbance include:

Genetic birth defects

Injuries

Climate and seasonal changes

Emotions

Age

How your body works to keep you healthy and your unique physical and psychological characteristics combine to form your body's constitution, or prakriti. prakriti is believed to stay the same for your entire life. but, how you digest food & eliminate waste can influence it.

Related Conferences:Naturopathic Physicians&Acupuncturists ConferenceJuly 24-26, 2017 Melbourne, Australia;5thInternational Conference andExpo on AcupunctureandOriental Medicine ConferenceIllinois, Chicago, USA;2ndInternational Conference andExpo on Holistic Medicineand Nursing August 14-15, 2017Toronto, Canada;8thInternational Conference on Natural &Alternative Medicine ConferenceSeptember 25-27, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 7thInternational Conference andExhibition on Traditional Medicine&Alternative MedicineOctober 24-26, 2017 Dubai, UAE; The 2ndEthnomedicineandTraditional Medicine conference(CETM) June 1-3, 2016, Nanjing, China; (AACMAC) 2016-AustralasianAcupuncturetherapyandChinese Medicine Annual Conference20-22 May 2016, Perth, Australia; (ICNM) InternationalCongress onNaturopathicMedicineJuly 1-3, Barcelona, Spain; 10thAustralianHomeopathicMedicine Conference, October 22-23, 2016 Brisbane, Australia;Society the Individual and Medicine,FloridaHerbalConference, February 26-28 2016 Florida, USA,Australian Traditional Medicine Association(ATMS) events,European Herbal conference&Traditional Medicine Practitioners AssociationNational Association,American Medical Association,Australian Natural Therapists Association(ANTA),World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Track 8:ArabicMedicineandUnani Medicine

HijamaCuppingby the Muslims is the application of suction cups to the skin to draw out stagnant, congested blood and Vital Force, as well as stagnant or morbid humors. By using different methods of cupping and new trends usually, theHijama cupsare made of glass, but they can also be made of bamboo, bone, horn or metal. The classical method for generating suction in the cup is to use fire to consume the air within it.

Related Conferences:Naturopathic Physicians&Acupuncturists ConferenceJuly 24-26, 2017 Melbourne, Australia;5thInternational Conference andExpo on AcupunctureandOriental Medicine ConferenceIllinois, Chicago, USA;2ndInternational Conference andExpo on Holistic Medicineand Nursing August 14-15, 2017Toronto, Canada;8thInternational Conference on Natural &Alternative Medicine ConferenceSeptember 25-27, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 7thInternational Conference andExhibition on Traditional Medicine&Alternative MedicineOctober 24-26, 2017 Dubai, UAE; The 2ndEthnomedicineandTraditional Medicine conference(CETM) June 1-3, 2016, Nanjing, China; (AACMAC) 2016-AustralasianAcupuncturetherapyandChinese Medicine Annual Conference20-22 May 2016, Perth, Australia; (ICNM) InternationalCongress onNaturopathicMedicineJuly 1-3, Barcelona, Spain; 10thAustralianHomeopathicMedicine Conference, October 22-23, 2016 Brisbane, Australia;Society the Individual and Medicine,FloridaHerbalConference, February 26-28 2016 Florida, USA,Australian Traditional Medicine Association(ATMS) events,European Herbal conference&Traditional Medicine Practitioners AssociationNational Association,American Medical Association,Australian Natural Therapists Association(ANTA),World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Track 9:Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathicmedicines, and treatment are a distinct primary healthcare profession emphasizing prevention, treatment & optimal health care through the use of therapeutic methods and substances that encourage individuals inherent selfhealingplantsprocess. Thepractice of naturopathic medicinesincludesevidence basednaturopathicmedicines, modern and scientific,traditional, naturopathic treatments and practicesand empirical methods.

Related Conferences:Naturopathic Physicians&Acupuncturists ConferenceJuly 24-26, 2017 Melbourne, Australia;5thInternational Conference andExpo on AcupunctureandOriental Medicine ConferenceIllinois, Chicago, USA;2ndInternational Conference andExpo on Holistic Medicineand Nursing August 14-15, 2017Toronto, Canada;8thInternational Conference on Natural &Alternative Medicine ConferenceSeptember 25-27, 2017 Dubai, UAE; 7thInternational Conference andExhibition on Traditional Medicine&Alternative MedicineOctober 24-26, 2017 Dubai, UAE; The 2ndEthnomedicineandTraditional Medicine conference(CETM) June 1-3, 2016, Nanjing, China; (AACMAC) 2016-AustralasianAcupuncturetherapyandChinese Medicine Annual Conference20-22 May 2016, Perth, Australia; (ICNM) InternationalCongress onNaturopathicMedicineJuly 1-3, Barcelona, Spain; 10thAustralianHomeopathicMedicine Conference, October 22-23, 2016 Brisbane, Australia;Society the Individual and Medicine,FloridaHerbalConference, February 26-28 2016 Florida, USA,Australian Traditional Medicine Association(ATMS) events,European Herbal conference&Traditional Medicine Practitioners AssociationNational Association,American Medical Association,Australian Natural Therapists Association(ANTA),World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014 to 2023: The WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 20142023 was developed and launched in response to the WH Assembly resolution on traditional medicine. The strategy aims to support Members States in developing proactive policies and implementing action plans that will strengthen the role traditional medicines plays in keeping populations healthy.

Addressing the challenges, responding to the needs identified by Member States & building on the work done under the World Health Organization traditional medicine strategy: 2002 to 2005, the updated strategy for the period 2014 to 2023 devotes more attention than its predecessor to prioritizing health services and systems, including traditional & complementary medicine products, practices and practitioners.

Importance & Scope: Currently the total global market of Herbal Products & Medicinal Plants is US$ 60 billion with a double digit growth. The diversified use of plant obtained products and its acceptance worldwide made the sector very promising one. As per the World Bank Report 1998, world trade in medicinal plants and related products is expected to be US$ 5 trillion by 2050.

Funding:As attention & public funding for international traditional and herbal medicine researchcollaborations grows, more detailed analysis of ethical matters in this research is warranted. Scant literature has addressed selected issues such as informed consent & independent review associated totraditional and herbal medicine research.6,7 Here we apply a practical, comprehensive & widely accepted ethical framework tointernational traditional and herbal medicine research. We examine in detail difficult questions related to social value, scientific validity and favourable risk benefit ratio. We conclude with implications for upcoming research in this field, focusing on the importance of collaborative partnership.

Funding NIH

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Budget Mechanism $127,930 (Dollars in Thousands)

Major countries of Herbal Market:The largest global markets for medicinal and aromatic plants are Netherlands, China, Italy, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, UK and the USA.

It is estimated that Europe alone annually imports about 400,000 tonnes ofmedicinal plants with an average market valueof US$ 1 billion from Africa and Asia.

Japan:has the highest per capita consumption ofbotanical medicine in the world.Botanical medicine market in Japanin 1996 was estimated at US $ 2.4 billion and sales have grown rapidly in recent years.

China:china's total output of medicinal plantsfrom both cultivated and wild harvested sources is 1.6 million tones. The total value of the finished TCM in 1996 was US$ 3.7 billion. This estimate excludes domestic consumption, the inclusion of which would result in a far higher figure. Overall sale ofbotanical medicine products in Chinain 1995 was estimated at US$ 5 billion.

Studies suggest that approximately 20% of people in theUnited States use herbal supplements, and the amount of money spent on these products exceed $4.2 billion per year.

UK:TheUK imports up to 90% of its medicinal herb requirement. The current total market is 139 million euro.

India:is a major exporter ofraw medicinal and aromatic plantsand processed plant-based drugs. Exports ofcrude drugs & essential oilfrom India in 1994-95 were valued at US$ 66,469 million. Important crude drugs included Plantogo ovata (psyllium), Panax spp. (ginseng), Cassia spp. (senna) and Catheranthus rosesus (rosy periwinkle). Essential oils included santalum album (sandlewood), Mentha arvensis (peppermint) and Cymbopogon flexuosus (lemongrass). Seventy percent of total exports from India are sent to six countries. France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. Other major importers are Bangladesh, Pakistan and Spain.

Why Amsterdam, Netherlands:Herbal/traditional products are quite popular in the Netherlands due to their longstanding presence in the marketplace. Herbal/traditional products are mainly present in cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies. Strong brands such as Anta Flu and Dampo have boosted the popularity of herbal/traditional products in this category. Consumers are tending to seek more natural and established solutions for their health problems. Most herbal/traditional products are based on very old recipes that have been handed down through the generations. Herbal/traditional products tend to be easily accessible and cheaper alternatives to standard pharmaceutical products.

Conference Highlights:

Herbal Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Acupuncture

Traditional Medicine Today: Clinical and Research Issues

Alternative Medicine & Treatment Methods

Ayurveda

Arabic & Unani Medicine

Challenges and Future Directions of Traditional Medicine

Naturopathic Medicine

Major Traditional Medicine Associations and societies around the Globe:

Australian Traditional Medicine Association ATMS

Bringing science and development together through original news and analysis

European Herbal & Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association National Association

American Medical Association

Society the Individual and Medicine

Dimensions of Culture

Native American Legends

Australian Natural Therapists Association ANTA

World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Future Projection:Although approximately 80 percent of people today depend upon herbal medication as a component of their primary healthcare according to the World Health Organization, there is still great concern about the safety and efficacy of herbal use [1]. While herbal medicine can potentially contribute to the advancement of healthcare, many major challenges must be overcome prior to the successful integration of herbal remedies into mainstream medicine. One of the major barriers is the current lack of accurate translations and interpretations of Chinese herbal texts and research by Western scientists. Indeed, for the incorporation of safe and effective herbs into the medical system to become a reality, more researchers and doctors need to be trained in both modern medicine and herbal compendium that has been accumulated since ancient times. Additionally, to establish credibility for herbal use in the modern settings, experience-based claims from Chinese herbal medical doctors must be transformed into evidence-based claims. Finally, the question of how to address the need for both individualizing (the basis of TCM) and standardizing (the basis of modern pharmacology) treatment with herbs must be settled. Once these issues are resolved, the prospect exists for widespread use of herbal medicine as a safe, effective, and affordable form of healthcare .

The number of patients seeking alternate and herbal therapy is growing exponentially. Herbal medicines are the synthesis of therapeutic experiences of generations of practicing physicians of indigenous systems of medicine for over hundreds of years. Herbal medicines are now in great demand in the developing world for primary health care not because they are inexpensive but also for better cultural acceptability, better compatibility with the human body and minimal side effects. However, recent findings indicate that all herbal medicines may not be safe as severe consequences are reported for some herbal drugs. Most herbal products on the market today have not been subjected to drug approval process to demonstrate their safety and effectiveness. Thousand years of traditional use can provide us with valuable guidelines to the selection, preparation and application of herbal formulation. To be accepted as viable alternative to modern medicine, the same vigorous method of scientific and clinical validation must be applied to prove the safety and effectiveness of a therapeutical product. In the present review we attempted to describe the present scenario and project the future of herbal medicine.

Traditional Medicine 2016

The6thInternational Conference and Exhibition on Traditional & Alternative Medicineconference: (Traditional Medicine 2016) was held on September 14- 16, 2016 at the Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This conference brought together an interdisciplinary group of professionals working in the field of Traditional Medicine and Alternative Medicine. The tone of the main conference was set during the opening remarks byPhilippe A Souvestre, NeuroKinetics Health Services, Inc., Canada&Phyllis L MacIntyre, Dickinson University, Canada. Throughout the conference, more than 30 experts in the field shared their knowledge with the 300 attendees of the conference.

The highlights of the meeting were the enlightening keynote lectures from:

Joshua Dunsky, Dunsky Rehabilitation and Spine Center, USA

MeLisa Gantt, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany

Lorne J Hofseth, University of South Carolina, USA

Rebecca Fung, University of East-West Medicine, USA

Philippe A Souvestre, NeuroKinetics Health Services, Inc., Canada

Phyllis L MacIntyre, Dickinson University, Canada

Ahmet Uyar, Yuzuncu Yil University, Turkey

Wen-Long Hu, KCGMH & Chang Gung University College of Medicine

Wendy Wong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Domenico V Delfino,University of Perugia, Italy

Attendee Statistics

The conference was well-attended with 300individuals attending the main conference. The majority of participants came from Europe. Please refer to the chart on the right for a breakdown of main conference attendees by continent. We also welcomed international delegates from China, New Zealand, India and from all across the United States of America.

The conference was highly interprofessional in nature with more than 30 professions represented. Major professional groups included: Traditional Medicine researchers, Practioners, Herbalists, Acupuncturists, Homeopathic Practioners, Professors, Directors, Young researchers

We are also obliged to various delegate experts, company representatives and other eminent personalities who supported the conference by facilitating active discussion forums. We sincerely thank the Organizing Committee Members for their gracious presence, support and assistance towards the success of Traditional Medicine 2016. With the unique feedbacks from the conference, Conference Series LLC would like to announce the commencement of the 7thInternational Conference and Exhibition on Traditional & Alternative Medicine to be held during October 03-06, 2017, in Dubai, UAE.

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Traditional & Alternative Medicine

Alternative Medicine Alone Leads to Lower Cancer Survival – Asbestos.com

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Cancer patients who opt for alternative therapy instead of conventional medicine significantly decrease their chances of survival, according to researchers at Yale School of Medicine.

Although the popularity of alternative medicine continues to grow, a recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found survival rates significantly reduced for those who use it as first-line therapy.

Conventional cancer treatments chemotherapy, surgery and radiation still produce a much better chance of survival.

Mesothelioma was not included in the study, but the findings are relevant to this rare and aggressive cancer as alternative treatment becomes more commonly used.

A person with cancer who choses alternative medicine is 2.5 times more likely to die than somebody who uses proven methods of treatment, Dr. Skyler Johnson, Yale School of Medicine radiation oncologist and lead author of the study, told Asbestos.com. When you choose alternative medicine instead of conventional, it likely will impact survival [in a negative way].

The study looked at survival rates for breast, lung, prostate and colorectal cancers, including 840 patients diagnosed from 2004-2013 who were listed in the National Cancer Database.

It did not include patients who received alternative therapies alongside conventional medicine as many mesothelioma patients do. This is known as complementary therapy.

Alternative medicine refers to any treatment approach outside of mainstream or conventional medicine and is not approved for cancer by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

They can range from body-based therapies such as acupuncture or nerve stimulation to special diets filled with herbs and botanicals. They could be homeopathic, which are derived from natural substances, or mind-body therapies such as yoga or tai chi.

They have become a popular way to avoid the side effects that often come with chemotherapy, radiation or aggressive surgery.

Unfortunately, they dont work very well, according to the team of researchers from Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

Alternative medicine kills cancer patients, surgical oncologist Dr. David Gorski at the Karmanos Cancer Institute wrote for the website Science-Based Medicine, in response to the latest study from Yale. It is basically no different than refusing treatment altogether.

The Yale study examined the records of 280 cancer patients who had chosen alternative medicine and 560 patients who opted for conventional medicine.

Researchers found the five-year mortality rate was 2.5 times greater for the alternative treatment option. When separated by cancer type, breast cancer patients had a five-times greater risk, followed by colon cancer patients (four-times greater) and lung cancer (two-times greater).

There was no greater risk for prostate cancer, which typically grows much slower.

Researchers believe that a cancer patient often will start with alternative medicine, then switch to conventional after the cancer has progressed, a dangerous option that shortens survival time in most cases.

Patients are presenting to us in clinic with more advanced cancers than they would have otherwise, if they had done proven therapy initially instead of alternative therapy, Johnson said. And mesothelioma is one of those where you dont have the luxury with taking time to delay treatment. Survival chances decrease with each day.

Mesothelioma specialists typically rely on surgery, chemotherapy and radiation as conventional medicine.

Researchers at Yale also observed that those who opted for alternative therapy generally were younger, more educated and with higher incomes, a demographic that would suggest a better chance for survival.

They found the opposite was true.

Youd assume that someone who is more educated and has a better understanding of science and medicine, theyd be less likely to make a choice like this, Johnson said. But thats clearly not true, based on this data.

He believes the bad choices often come after a patient hears second-hand success stories with alternative treatments, but without realizing conventional medicine was used in conjunction.

Its important to note that when it comes to alternative cancer therapies, there is just so little known patients are making decisions in the dark, said co-author Dr. Cary Gross. We need to understand more about which treatments are effective and which ones arent.

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Alternative Medicine Alone Leads to Lower Cancer Survival - Asbestos.com

PSA: Alternative Medicine in Place of Cancer Treatment Can Be Deadly – Lifehacker Australia

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Cancer is scary. Chemo and radiation are scary. Herbal medicines and special diets seem friendly and comforting by comparison, but we now have clear evidence that people who use alternative treatments for cancer are more likely to die.

Its one of those duh, but we had to check it out studies: researchers from the Yale School of Medicine followed 281 people who used alternative medicine, without any conventional treatments like surgery or chemo, and compared their survival rates to controls who had the same health status, type of cancer, and other factors. Those controls were far more likely to still be alive after five years than the people who chose to only use alternative medicine. As youd expect, the difference was starkest among people with fast-acting cancers.

The study was observational, so technically it cant 100 percent prove that alternative medicine was responsible for the deaths, but the researchers controlled for just about every plausible factor that might have affected survival. Even NHS Choices, which does very thorough and skeptical breakdowns of research in the news, concludes that this one is pretty clear-cut.

You and I might think skipping real cancer treatment is a terrible idea (we are agreed on that, right?) but theres definitely a market for alternative treatments. Most people use them as complementary medicine, for example getting acupuncture in hopes that it will tone down the nausea they get from chemo.

But theres a small industry around selling bogus cancer cures to people who cant afford real treatment, or who just believe claims that supplements and the like do a better job. Earlier this year, the FDA sent warning letters to makers of 65 products illegally sold as cancer cures.

The products the FDA identified are the tip of an iceberg: you cant legally sell a supplement by saying it will cure cancer, but theres nothing stopping you from writing an article to argue that a supplement cures cancer. The FDA watches out for anything that crosses the line into fraud, but theyre playing a frustrating game of whack-a-mole. So the stuff is still out there. Take, for example, the people who believe against all odds in the healing power of apricot kernels.

Nor can you cure cancer with homeopathy or naturopathy, although some practitioners will say or strongly imply that they can (as above). Dont buy into these obvious lies. In the awful event that you or somebody you love gets cancer, youre free to consider a second opinionbut make sure its from an actual doctor.

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PSA: Alternative Medicine in Place of Cancer Treatment Can Be Deadly - Lifehacker Australia

Herbalism – Wikipedia

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Herbalism (also herbal medicine or phytotherapy) is the study of botany and use of plants intended for medicinal purposes or for supplementing a diet. Plants have been the basis for medical treatments through much of human history, and such traditional medicine is still widely practiced today. Modern medicine recognizes herbalism as a form of alternative medicine, as the practice of herbalism is not strictly based on evidence gathered using the scientific method. Modern medicine makes use of many plant-derived compounds as the basis for evidence-based pharmaceutical drugs. Although phytotherapy may apply modern standards of effectiveness testing to herbs and medicines derived from natural sources, few high-quality clinical trials and standards for purity or dosage exist. The scope of herbal medicine is sometimes extended to include fungal and bee products, as well as minerals, shells and certain animal parts.

As terms referring to medicinal or dietary practices of using botanical products, herbalism, herbal medicine or phytotherapy are used interchangeably in many countries, including Canada,[1] Norway,[2] the United Kingdom,[3] other countries in Europe and South America,[4][5][6] South Africa,[7] and the United States.[8]

General practices include ancient methods of traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. Practitioners of herbalism or phytotherapy are referred to as herbalists or phytotherapists.[1][7] Products used in herbalism may be called herbal medicines, botanicals, natural health products, herbal remedies, herbal supplements, or phytotherapies.[4][5][8][9]

Archaeological evidence indicates that the use of medicinal plants dates back to the Paleolithic age, approximately 60,000 years ago. Written evidence of herbal remedies dates back over 5,000 years, to the Sumerians, who compiled lists of plants. A number of ancient cultures wrote about plants and their medical uses in books called herbals. In ancient Egypt, herbs are mentioned in Egyptian medical papyri, depicted in tomb illustrations, or on rare occasions found in medical jars containing trace amounts of herbs.[10] Among the oldest, lengthiest, and most important medical papyri of ancient Egypt, the Ebers Papyrus dates from about 1550 BC, and covers more than 700 drugs, mainly of plant origin.[11] The earliest known Greek herbals come from Theophrastus of Eresos who in the 4th c. B.C. wrote in Greek Historia Plantarum, from Diocles of Carystus who wrote during the 3rd century B.C, and from Krateuas who wrote in the 1st century B.C. Only a few fragments of these works have survived intact, but from what remains scholars have noted a large amount of overlap with the Egyptian herbals.[12] Seeds likely used for herbalism have been found in archaeological sites of Bronze Age China dating from the Shang Dynasty[13] (c. 1600 BCc. 1046 BC). Over a hundred of the 224 drugs mentioned in the Huangdi Neijing, an early Chinese medical text, are herbs.[14] Herbs also commonly featured in the medicine of ancient India, where the principal treatment for diseases was diet.[15]De Materia Medica, originally written in Greek by Pedanius Dioscorides (c. 40 90 AD) of Anazarbus, Cilicia, a Greek physician, pharmacologist and botanist, is a particularly important example of herbal writing; it dominated for some 1500 years until the 1600s.[16]

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80 percent of the population of some Asian and African countries presently use herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care.[17] Pharmaceuticals are prohibitively expensive for most of the world's population, half of whom lived on less than $2 U.S. per day in 2002.[18] In comparison, herbal medicines can be grown from seed or gathered from nature for little or no cost.

Many of the pharmaceuticals currently available to physicians have a long history of use as herbal remedies, including opium, aspirin, digitalis, and quinine. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 25% of modern drugs used in the United States have been derived from plants.[19] At least 7,000 medical compounds in the modern pharmacopoeia are derived from plants.[20] Among the 120 active compounds currently isolated from the higher plants and widely used in modern medicine today, 80% show a positive correlation between their modern therapeutic use and the traditional use of the plants from which they are derived.[21]

In a 2010 global survey of the most common 1000 plant-derived compounds, only 156 had clinical trials published. Preclinical studies (cell culture and animal studies) were reported for about one-half of the plant products, while 12% of the plants, although available in the Western market, had "no substantial studies" of their properties. Strong evidence was found that 5 were toxic or allergenic, so that their use ought to be discouraged or forbidden. Nine plants with evidence of therapeutic effect included Althaea officinalis, Calendula officinalis, Centella asiatica, Echinacea purpurea, Passiflora incarnata, Punica granatum, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Vaccinium myrtillus, and Valeriana officinalis.[22]

In 2015, the Australian Government's Department of Health published the results of a review of alternative therapies that sought to determine if any were suitable for being covered by health insurance; Herbalism was one of 17 topics evaluated for which no clear evidence of effectiveness was found.[23]

According to Cancer Research UK, "there is currently no strong evidence from studies in people that herbal remedies can treat, prevent or cure cancer".[24]

Establishing guidelines to assess safety and efficacy of herbal products, the European Medicines Agency provides criteria for evaluating and grading the quality of clinical research in preparing monographs about herbal products.[25]

In the United States, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health of the National Institutes of Health funds clinical trials on herbal compounds, provides fact sheets evaluating the safety, potential effectiveness and side effects of many plant sources,[26] and maintains a registry of clinical research conducted on herbal products.[27]

The use of herbal remedies is more prevalent in patients with chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, asthma and end-stage renal disease.[28][29][30] Multiple factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, education and social class are also shown to have association with prevalence of herbal remedies use.[31]

A survey released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health focused on who used complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), what was used, and why it was used. The survey was limited to adults, aged 18 years and over during 2002, living in the United States. According to this survey, herbal therapy, or use of natural products other than vitamins and minerals, was the most commonly used CAM therapy (18.9%) when all use of prayer was excluded.[32][33]

Herbal remedies are very common in Europe. In Germany, herbal medications are dispensed by apothecaries (e.g., Apotheke). Prescription drugs are sold alongside essential oils, herbal extracts, or herbal teas. Herbal remedies are seen by some as a treatment to be preferred to pure medical compounds that have been industrially produced.[34]

In India the herbal remedy is so popular that the government of India has created a separate departmentAYUSHunder the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The National Medicinal Plants Board was also established in 2000 by the Indian government in order to deal with the herbal medical system.[35]

There are many forms in which herbs can be administered, the most common of which is in the form of a liquid that is drunk by the patienteither an herbal tea or a (possibly diluted) plant extract.[36]

Several methods of standardization may be determining the amount of herbs used. One is the ratio of raw materials to solvent. However different specimens of even the same plant species may vary in chemical content. For this reason, thin layer chromatography is sometimes used by growers to assess the content of their products before use. Another method is standardization on a signal chemical.[37]

Herbal teas, or tisanes, are the resultant liquid of extracting herbs into water, though they are made in a few different ways. Infusions are hot water extracts of herbs, such as chamomile or mint, through steeping. Decoctions are the long-term boiled extracts, usually of harder substances like roots or bark. Maceration is the old infusion of plants with high mucilage-content, such as sage, thyme, etc. To make macerates, plants are chopped and added to cold water. They are then left to stand for 7 to 12 hours (depending on herb used). For most macerates 10 hours is used.[38]

Tinctures are alcoholic extracts of herbs, which are generally stronger than herbal teas.[39] Tinctures are usually obtained by combining 100% pure ethanol (or a mixture of 100% ethanol with water) with the herb. A completed tincture has an ethanol percentage of at least 25% (sometimes up to 90%).[38] Herbal wine and elixirs are alcoholic extract of herbs, usually with an ethanol percentage of 1238%.[38]Extracts include liquid extracts, dry extracts, and nebulisates. Liquid extracts are liquids with a lower ethanol percentage than tinctures. They are usually made by vacuum distilling tinctures. Dry extracts are extracts of plant material that are evaporated into a dry mass. They can then be further refined to a capsule or tablet.[38]

The exact composition of an herbal product is influenced by the method of extraction. A tea will be rich in polar components because water is a polar solvent. Oil on the other hand is a non-polar solvent and it will absorb non-polar compounds. Alcohol lies somewhere in between.[36]

Many herbs are applied topically to the skin in a variety of forms. Essential oil extracts can be applied to the skin, usually diluted in a carrier oil. Many essential oils can burn the skin or are simply too high dose used straight; diluting them in olive oil or another food grade oil such as almond oil can allow these to be used safely as a topical. Salves, oils, balms, creams and lotions are other forms of topical delivery mechanisms. Most topical applications are oil extractions of herbs. Taking a food grade oil and soaking herbs in it for anywhere from weeks to months allows certain phytochemicals to be extracted into the oil. This oil can then be made into salves, creams, lotions, or simply used as an oil for topical application. Many massage oils, antibacterial salves, and wound healing compounds are made this way.[40][citation needed]

Inhalation, as in aromatherapy, can be used as a treatment.[41][42][43]

A number of herbs are thought to be likely to cause adverse effects.[45] Furthermore, "adulteration, inappropriate formulation, or lack of understanding of plant and drug interactions have led to adverse reactions that are sometimes life threatening or lethal.[46]" Proper double-blind clinical trials are needed to determine the safety and efficacy of each plant before they can be recommended for medical use.[47] Although many consumers believe that herbal medicines are safe because they are "natural", herbal medicines and synthetic drugs may interact, causing toxicity to the patient. Herbal remedies can also be dangerously contaminated, and herbal medicines without established efficacy, may unknowingly be used to replace medicines that do have corroborated efficacy.[48]

Standardization of purity and dosage is not mandated in the United States, but even products made to the same specification may differ as a result of biochemical variations within a species of plant.[49] Plants have chemical defense mechanisms against predators that can have adverse or lethal effects on humans. Examples of highly toxic herbs include poison hemlock and nightshade.[50] They are not marketed to the public as herbs, because the risks are well known, partly due to a long and colorful history in Europe, associated with "sorcery", "magic" and intrigue.[51] Although not frequent, adverse reactions have been reported for herbs in widespread use.[52] On occasion serious untoward outcomes have been linked to herb consumption. A case of major potassium depletion has been attributed to chronic licorice ingestion.,[53] and consequently professional herbalists avoid the use of licorice where they recognize that this may be a risk. Black cohosh has been implicated in a case of liver failure.[54] Few studies are available on the safety of herbs for pregnant women,[55] and one study found that use of complementary and alternative medicines are associated with a 30% lower ongoing pregnancy and live birth rate during fertility treatment.[56] Examples of herbal treatments with likely cause-effect relationships with adverse events include aconite, which is often a legally restricted herb, ayurvedic remedies, broom, chaparral, Chinese herb mixtures, comfrey, herbs containing certain flavonoids, germander, guar gum, liquorice root, and pennyroyal.[57] Examples of herbs where a high degree of confidence of a risk long term adverse effects can be asserted include ginseng, which is unpopular among herbalists for this reason, the endangered herb goldenseal, milk thistle, senna, against which herbalists generally advise and rarely use, aloe vera juice, buckthorn bark and berry, cascara sagrada bark, saw palmetto, valerian, kava, which is banned in the European Union, St. John's wort, Khat, Betel nut, the restricted herb Ephedra, and Guarana.[46]

There is also concern with respect to the numerous well-established interactions of herbs and drugs.[46] In consultation with a physician, usage of herbal remedies should be clarified, as some herbal remedies have the potential to cause adverse drug interactions when used in combination with various prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, just as a patient should inform a herbalist of their consumption of orthodox prescription and other medication.[citation needed]

For example, dangerously low blood pressure may result from the combination of an herbal remedy that lowers blood pressure together with prescription medicine that has the same effect. Some herbs may amplify the effects of anticoagulants.[58] Certain herbs as well as common fruit interfere with cytochrome P450, an enzyme critical to much drug metabolism.[59]

A 2013 study found that one-third of herbal supplements sampled contained no trace of the herb listed on the label.[49] The study found products adulterated with contaminants or fillers not listed on the label, including potential allergens such as soy, wheat, or black walnut. One bottle labeled as St. John's Wort was found to actually contain Alexandrian senna, a laxative.[49][60]

Researchers at the University of Adelaide found in 2014 that almost 20 per cent of herbal remedies surveyed were not registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration, despite this being a condition for their sale.[61] They also found that nearly 60 per cent of products surveyed had ingredients that did not match what was on the label. Out of 121 products, only 15 had ingredients that matched their TGA listing and packaging.[61]

In 2015, the New York Attorney General issued cease and desist letters to four major U.S. retailers (GNC, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart) who were accused of selling herbal supplements that were mislabeled and potentially dangerous.[62][63] Twenty-four products were tested by DNA barcoding as part of the investigation, with all but five containing DNA that did not match the product labels.

A herbalist is:[64][65][66]

Herbalists must learn many skills, including the wildcrafting or cultivation of herbs, diagnosis and treatment of conditions or dispensing herbal medication, and preparations of herbal medications. Education of herbalists varies considerably in different areas of the world. Lay herbalists and traditional indigenous medicine people generally rely upon apprenticeship and recognition from their communities in lieu of formal schooling.[citation needed]

In some countries formalized training and minimum education standards exist, although these are not necessarily uniform within or between countries. For example, in Australia the currently self-regulated status of the profession (as of April 2008) results in different associations setting different educational standards, and subsequently recognising an educational institution or course of training. The National Herbalists Association of Australia is generally recognised as having the most rigorous professional standard within Australia.[67] In the United Kingdom, the training of medical herbalists is done by state funded Universities. For example, Bachelor of Science degrees in herbal medicine are offered at Universities such as University of East London, Middlesex University, University of Central Lancashire, University of Westminster, University of Lincoln and Napier University in Edinburgh at the present.[40][citation needed]

The World Health Organization (WHO), the specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that is concerned with international public health, published Quality control methods for medicinal plant materials in 1998 in order to support WHO Member States in establishing quality standards and specifications for herbal materials, within the overall context of quality assurance and control of herbal medicines.[68]

In the European Union (EU), herbal medicines are regulated under the Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products.[69]

In the United States, herbal remedies are regulated dietary supplements by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) policy for dietary supplements.[70] Manufacturers of products falling into this category are not required to prove the safety or efficacy of their product so long as they do not make 'medical' claims or imply uses other than as a 'dietary supplement', though the FDA may withdraw a product from sale should it prove harmful.[71][72]

Canadian regulations are described by the Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate which requires an eight-digit Natural Product Number or Homeopathic Medicine Number on the label of licensed herbal medicines or dietary supplements.[9]

Some herbs, such as cannabis and coca, are outright banned in most countries though coca is legal in most of the South American countries where it is grown. The Cannabis plant is used as an herbal medicine, and as such is legal in some parts of the world. Since 2004, the sales of ephedra as a dietary supplement is prohibited in the United States by the FDA,[73] and subject to Schedule III restrictions in the United Kingdom.

Herbalism has been criticized as a potential "minefield" of unreliable product quality, safety hazards, and potential for misleading health advice.[74] Globally, there are no standards across various herbal products to authenticate their contents, safety or efficacy,[49] and there is generally an absence of high-quality scientific research on product composition or effectiveness for anti-disease activity.[74][75]

Unethical practices by some herbalists and manufacturers, which may include false advertising about health benefits on product labels or literature,[74] and contamination or use of fillers during product preparation,[49][76] may erode consumer confidence about services and products.[77][78]

Closely related to herbalism, phytotherapy is the intended medical use of plants and plant extracts for therapeutic purposes.[79][80][81] A possible differentiation with herbalism is that phytotherapy may require constituents in the plant extract be standardized by adhering to a minimum content of one or several active compounds in the therapeutic product.[79]

Modern phytotherapy may use conventional methods to assess herbal drug quality, but more typically relies on modern processes like high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography, ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry or atomic absorption spectroscopy to identify species, measure bacteriological contamination, assess potency, and create Certificates of Analysis for the material.[82]

Phytotherapy is distinct from homeopathy and anthroposophic medicine, and avoids mixing plant and synthetic bioactive substances. Phytotherapy is regarded by some as traditional medicine.[81]

Up to 80% of the population in Africa uses traditional medicine as primary health care.[83]

Native Americans medicinally used about 2,500 of the approximately 20,000 plant species that are native to North America.[84]

Some researchers trained in both western and traditional Chinese medicine have attempted to deconstruct ancient medical texts in the light of modern science. One idea is that the yin-yang balance, at least with regard to herbs, corresponds to the pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant balance. This interpretation is supported by several investigations of the ORAC ratings of various yin and yang herbs.[85][86]

In India, Ayurvedic medicine has quite complex formulas with 30 or more ingredients, including a sizable number of ingredients that have undergone "alchemical processing", chosen to balance "Vata", "Pitta" or "Kapha".[87]

In Ladakh, Lahul-Spiti and Tibet, the Tibetan Medical System is prevalent, also called the 'Amichi Medical System'. Over 337 species of medicinal plants have been documented by C.P. Kala. Those are used by Amchis, the practitioners of this medical system.[88][89]

In Tamil Nadu, Tamils have their own medicinal system now popularly called Siddha medicine. The Siddha system is entirely in the Tamil language. It contains roughly 300,000 verses covering diverse aspects of medicine. This work includes herbal, mineral and metallic compositions used as medicine. Ayurveda is in Sanskrit, but Sanskrit was not generally used as a mother tongue and hence its medicines are mostly taken from Siddha and other local traditions.[90]

In Indonesia, especially among the Javanese, the jamu traditional herbal medicine is an age old tradition preserved for centuries. Jamu is thought to have originated in the Mataram Kingdom era, some 1300 years ago.[91] The bas-reliefs on Borobudur depicts the image of people grinding herbs with stone mortar and pestle, a drink seller, a physician and masseuse treating their clients.[92] All of these scenes might be interpreted as a traditional herbal medicine and health-related treatments in ancient Java. The Madhawapura inscription from Majapahit period mentioned a specific profession of herbs mixer and combiner (herbalist), called Acaraki.[92] The medicine book from Mataram dated from circa 1700 contains 3,000 entries of jamu herbal recipes, while Javanese classical literature Serat Centhini (1814) describes some jamu herbal concoction recipes.[92]

Though highly possible influenced by Indian Ayurveda system, Indonesia is a vast archipelago with numerous indigenous plants not to be found in India, which include plants similar to Australia beyond the Wallace Line. Indonesians might experimented and figure out the medicinal uses of these native herbal plants. Jamu may vary from region to region, and often not written down, especially in remote areas of the country.[93] Although primarily herbal, materials acquired from animals, such as honey, royal jelly, milk and ayam kampung eggs are also often used in jamu.

According to Eisenburg: The Chinese and Western medical models are like two frames of reference in which identical phenomena are studied. Neither frame of reference provides an unobstructed view of health and illness. Each is incomplete and in need of refinement." Specifically, the traditional Chinese medical model could effect change on the recognized and expected phenomena of detachment to patients unique to the clinical relationships between patient and physician of the Western school of medicine.[94]

Four approaches to the use of plants as medicine include:[95]

1. The magical/shamanicAlmost all societies, with the exception of cultures influenced by Western-style industrialization, recognize this kind of use. The practitioner is regarded as endowed with gifts or powers that allow him/her to use herbs in a way that is hidden from the average person, and the herbs are said to affect the spirit or soul of the person.

2. The energeticThis approach includes the major systems of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and Unani. Herbs are regarded as having actions in terms of their energies and affecting the energies of the body. The practitioner may have extensive training, and ideally be sensitive to energy, but need not have supernatural powers.

3. The functional dynamicThis approach was used by early physiomedical practitioners, whose doctrine forms the basis of contemporary practice in the UK. Herbs have a functional action, which is not necessarily linked to a physical compound, although often to a physiological function, but there is no explicit recourse to concepts involving energy.

4. The chemicalModern practitioners called Phytotherapists attempt to explain herb actions in terms of their chemical constituents. It is generally assumed that the specific combination of secondary metabolites in the plant are responsible for the activity claimed or demonstrated, a concept called synergy.

Herbalists tend to use extracts from parts of plants, such as the roots or leaves but not isolate particular phytochemicals.[96] Pharmaceutical medicine prefers single ingredients on the grounds that dosage can be more easily quantified. It is also possible to patent single compounds, and therefore generate income. Herbalists often reject the notion of a single active ingredient, arguing that the different phytochemicals present in many herbs will interact to enhance the therapeutic effects of the herb and dilute toxicity.[82] Furthermore, they argue that a single ingredient may contribute to multiple effects. Herbalists deny that herbal synergism can be duplicated with synthetic chemicals They argue that phytochemical interactions and trace components may alter the drug response in ways that cannot currently be replicated with a combination of a few potentially active ingredients.[97] Pharmaceutical researchers recognize the concept of drug synergism but note that clinical trials may be used to investigate the efficacy of a particular herbal preparation, provided the formulation of that herb is consistent.[98]

In specific cases the claims of synergy[99] and multifunctionality[100] have been supported by science. The open question is how widely both can be generalized. Herbalists would argue that cases of synergy can be widely generalized, on the basis of their interpretation of evolutionary history, not necessarily shared by the pharmaceutical community. Plants are subject to similar selection pressures as humans and therefore they must develop resistance to threats such as radiation, reactive oxygen species and microbial attack in order to survive.[101] Optimal chemical defenses have been selected for and have thus developed over millions of years.[102] Human diseases are multifactorial and may be treated by consuming the chemical defences that they believe to be present in herbs. Bacteria, inflammation, nutrition and reactive oxygen species may all play a role in arterial disease.[103] Herbalists claim a single herb may simultaneously address several of these factors.[104] In short herbalists view their field as the study of a web of relationships rather than a quest for single cause and a single cure for a single condition.

In selecting herbal treatments herbalists may use forms of information that are not applicable to pharmacists. Because herbs can moonlight as vegetables, teas or spices they have a huge consumer base and large-scale epidemiological studies become feasible. Ethnobotanical studies are another source of information.[105] Herbalists contend that historical medical records and herbals are underutilized resources.[106] They favor the use of convergent information in assessing the medical value of plants. An example would be when in-vitro activity is consistent with traditional use.

Indigenous healers often claim to have learned by observing that sick animals change their food preferences to nibble at bitter herbs they would normally reject.[107] Field biologists have provided corroborating evidence based on observation of diverse species, such as chickens, sheep, butterflies, and chimpanzee. The habit[which?] has been shown to be a physical means of purging intestinal parasites. Lowland gorillas take 90%[verification needed] of their diet from the fruits of Aframomum melegueta, a relative of the ginger plant, that is a potent antimicrobial and apparently keeps shigellosis and similar infections at bay.[108] Current research focuses on the possibility that this plants also protects gorillas from fibrosing cardiomyopathy which has a devastating effect on captive animals.[109]

Sick animals tend to forage plants rich in secondary metabolites, such as tannins and alkaloids.[110] Since these phytochemicals often have antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and antihelminthic properties, a plausible case can be made for self-medication by animals in the wild.[108]

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Herbalism - Wikipedia