What Parents Should Know About Possible Birth Defects From Anticonvulsants

The FDA released a MedWatch Safety Alert in December 2009 which notified health care professionals and patients about the increased risk of major birth defects in babies exposed to valproate sodium (a sodium salt of valproic acid) during pregnancy, which included the following recommendation: "women who are planning a pregnancy or who become pregnant while taking valproate should contact their health care professionals immediately." Drugs containing valproic acid compounds include brand names such as Depakote, Depakote ER, Depakene, Depacon, divalproex sodium, Depakote CP and Stavzor
Valproic acid is a chemical compound found in various anticonvulsant medications. Physicians prescribe these drugs for people with seizure disorders, epilepsy, the manic phase of bipolar disorders and migraine headaches. Since its approval by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1967, valproic acid and the brand name drug Depakote have proven to be effective in these patients.
However, once a prescription drug is approved, the FDA, independent laboratories and others continue to study its use and any side effects that patients may experience. Over time, additional studies have revealed a potential connection between anticonvulsant drugs taken by pregnant women and a number of serious birth injuries including spina bifida, cleft palate, craniofacial defects, cardiovascular malformations and neural tube birth defects.
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A Common Reason For Travel Clinic Visits: Beaver Fever or Giardia Infection

Remaining healthy on long journeys can be very difficult. Hidden in lush foliage there are viruses borne by insects, and emerging from a hotel's faucet is bacteria that can lay you up for weeks. One of most common illnesses that traveler's come down with while on vacation is called giardia. To help you once infected by this debilitating sickness-or to help you remain illness free while overseas-contact a travel clinic.

What is Giardia & How is it Spread?
Giardia is a microscopic parasite that is common in both animals (including cats and dogs) and humans. Giardia causes giardiasis, which is sometimes referred to as Beaver Fever. It is a diarrheal disease and is common overseas and in the United States.

Once the parasite is ingested it lives in the intestines and is passed to the next person (or animal) through feces. When outside the body the disease can last for months, making it difficult to eradicate. It is easily passed on from one host to another.

By visiting a travel clinic you can learn all the ways in which giardia is spread. These include:

? Ingesting under cooked food that contains the organism

? Touching things like bathroom door handles

? A visit to a farm or anywhere animals reside

? Swallowing drinking water or using ice cubes made from infected water

? Swallowing miniscule amounts of infected lake water or pool water.

? Social contact with someone who is infected

? Traveling to countries where giardia infection is common. These countries/geographical areas include Mexico, Central America, South America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere on the globe including all of Europe and North America. It would seem the spindly hand of giardia infection creeps across the entire world.

Symptoms typically begin one to three weeks after infection occurs and can last for longer than six weeks. Receiving treatment from a certified travel clinic can shorten this cycle. It is time to visit a travel clinic if you begin suffering from any of the following symptoms:
? Diarrhea
? Stomach and/or abdominal cramps
? Nausea
? Dehydration
? Excessive gas
? Greasy-type stool that tends to float

A stool sample is typically collected for analysis. There are several very effective prescription drugs that can be used for giardia treatment. The fact is that tons of people who travel acquire this parasite. Diarrhea is awful when it lasts a day or two-six weeks or more is downright torturous.

If preparing a journey overseas, it is highly recommended that you visit a travel clinic. Depending on where you are traveling to vaccinations may be required for entry. This is certainly true of the yellow fever vaccination. Many countries will only grant entry with a certificate proving a recent yellow fever inoculation.

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The Unique Challenges Facing Medical Marijuana Sellers and Users

Like any other business, the owners of medical marijuana dispensaries face many challenges getting their businesses off the ground. Unlike more traditional establishments, these entrepreneurs often deal with greater difficulties getting needed business services and handling negative public opinion.

In the ultimate case of NIMBY - not in my back yard - purveyors of medical marijuana dispensaries find it difficult to get leases in more affluent areas and find themselves relegated to less desirable locations, increasing their likelihood of facing break-ins and robberies. People want medical marijuana to be available to card carrying patients, but they don't want to have the stores in their neighborhoods.

Break-Ins Can Occur Anywhere

In two recent incidents the motivation remained the same - obtaining marijuana. A dispensary in Colorado Springs has had its dumpster stolen several times in recent days. Thieves used bolt cutters to open the trash receptacle hoping to find marijuana debris. Trash has been left on neighboring trails and in parks.

In Langley, BC a man who grew medical marijuana legally at his home opened his door to help two men claiming to have car trouble. They pushed him into his home, brandished a knife and gun, tied him up and blindfolded him, and then proceeded to rob the home and cut down his marijuana plants. They left, stealing both his vehicles.

Legitimate Business Services Would Help Entrepreneurs

While there isn't much that banks or merchant account providers could do for domestic growers, for dispensaries, obtaining the same scale of business services available to other companies would help reduce the attraction of such storefronts to burglars and petty thieves. Aside from the attraction of marijuana on the premises, it is often the availability of so much untraceable cash that makes MMJ dispensaries so appealing.

Owners have found that when they are able to process transactions by credit card, clients prefer to pay that way. With little cash on hand, vulnerability of a location decreases dramatically.

The problems behind getting such services lay in the fact that while some state governments have legalized the sale of medical marijuana to card carrying individuals, the federal government hasn't accepted marijuana as a state issue. On the federal level pot remains illegal, and banks are dependent upon the FDIC to insure their account holders, and are required to follow numerous federal regulations.

What Does the Future Hold?

There is really no way to anticipate how the fight to fully legalize marijuana will go. Some cities which already approved the sale of MMJ are trying to backtrack; others are striving to improve service and availability. The best example of such a situation historically is the re-legalization of alcohol after prohibition. Crimes surrounding the sale decreased dramatically.

Considering the potential tax base, it isn't hard to see why both the federal and state governments would be interested in completely legalizing MMJ. For business owners, that would signal the availability of all needed business services, a very welcome change.

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