Janet E. Joy – författare

The medical use of marijuana is surrounded by a cloud of social, political, and religious controversy, which obscures the facts that should be considered in the debate.

This book summarizes what we know about marijuana from evidence-based medicine—the harm it may do and the relief it may bring to patients. The book helps the reader understand not only what science has to say about medical marijuana but also the logic behind the scientific conclusions.

Marijuana and Medicine addresses the science base and the therapeutic effects of marijuana use for medical conditions such as glaucoma and multiple sclerosis. It covers marijuana''s mechanism of action, acute and chronic effects on health and behavior, potential adverse effects, efficacy of different delivery systems, analysis of the data about marijuana as a gateway drug, and the prospects for developing cannabinoid drugs. The book evaluates how well marijuana meets accepted standards for medicine and considers the conclusions of other blue-ribbon panels.

Full of useful facts, this volume will be important to anyone interested in informed debate about the medical use of marijuana: advocates and opponents as well as policymakers, regulators, and health care providers.

Spinal Cord Injury examines the future directions for research with thegoal to accelerate the development of cures for spinal cord injuries. Whilemany of the recommendations are framed within the context of the specificneeds articulated by the New York Spinal Cord Injury Research Board,the Institute of Medicine''s panel of experts looked very broadly at researchpriorities relating to future directions for the field in general and make recommendationsto strengthen and coordinate the existing infrastructure.Funders at federal and state agencies, academic organizations, pharmaceuticaland device companies, and non-profit organizations will all find thisbook to be an essential resource as they examine their opportunities.

The outlook for women with breast cancer has improved in recent years.Due to the combination of improved treatments and the benefits of mammographyscreening, breast cancer mortality has decreased steadily since1989. Yet breast cancer remains a major problem, second only to lungcancer as a leading cause of death from cancer for women. To date, nomeans to prevent breast cancer has been discovered and experience hasshown that treatments are most effective when a cancer is detected early,before it has spread to other tissues. These two facts suggest that the mosteffective way to continue reducing the death toll from breast cancer isimproved early detection and diagnosis.

Building on the 2001 report Mammography and Beyond, this new booknot only examines ways to improve implementation and use of new andcurrent breast cancer detection technologies but also evaluates the need todevelop tools that identify women who would benefit most from earlydetection screening. Saving Women''s Lives: Strategies for Improving BreastCancer Detection and Diagnosis encourages more research that integratesthe development, validation, and analysis of the types of technologies inclinical practice that promote improved risk identification techniques. Inthis way, methods and technologies that improve detection and diagnosiscan be more effectively developed and implemented.

To explore whether soccer playing puts youths at risk for lasting brain damage, the Institute of Medicine brought together experts in head injury, sports medicine, pediatrics, and bioengineering. In a workshop entitled "Youth Soccer: Neuropsychological Consequences of Head Impact in Sports," that was held in Washington D.C. on October 12, 2001, these experts presented the scientific evidence for long-term consequences of head injury from youth sports, especially soccer, possible approaches to reduce the risks, and policy issues raised by the subject. Some of the findings presented by the speakers raised concerns, such as the high concussion rate of high school soccer players, the frequent persistence of impaired brain functions even after other symptoms of a concussion disappear, and the need for a better understanding of when it is safe for players to resume playing after they have had a concussion. But other findings were reassuring, such as studies that suggest that with the type of soccer balls used in the United States, heading is not likely to cause brain injury in youths, nor is playing soccer likely to cause permanent brain damage.

This is a summary of the reports from these experts in the field, and the lively discussions that followed them. Topics covered include: causes of head injuries in soccer; how to detect a concussion; the biology of concussion; studies of soccer and football players; the role of protective headgear; and policy implications, such as how to decide when a concussed player should be allowed to return to the playing field.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and often disabling disease of the nervous system, affecting about 1 million people worldwide. Even though it has been known for over a hundred years, no cause or cure has yet been discovered—but now there is hope. New therapies have been shown to slow the disease progress in some patients, and the pace of discoveries about the cellular machinery of the brain and spinal cord has accelerated.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of multiple sclerosis today, as researchers seek to understand its processes, develop therapies that will slow or halt the disease and perhaps repair damage, offer relief for specific symptoms, and improve the abilities of MS patients to function in their daily lives.

The panel reviews existing knowledge and identifies key research questions, focusing on:

The committee also discusses ways to build and financially support the MS research enterprise, including a look at challenges inherent in designing clinical trials. This book will be important to MS researchers, research funders, health care advocates for MS research and treatment, and interested patients and their families.

Multiple Sclerosis: Current Status and Strategies for the Future identifies promising areas of multiple sclerosis (MS) research based on a strategic analysis of the current state of knowledge. The report was written by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on MS Research Strategies, and on April 2001, the Committee held a workshop to advance research recommended by the report. The specific goals of the workshop were to disseminate information about the report, foster collaboration, and serve as a launch pad for implementation of the report''s recommendations.Summary of a Workshop on Research in Multiple Sclerosis, April5-6,2001 presents the reports from each breakout group and summarizes the plenary session discussion. This workshop summary contains particular viewpoints attributed to individual participants or to groups of participants (including breakout groups), but does not contain statements about what "the workshop" or "all its participants" concluded.

To explore whether soccer playing puts youths at risk for lasting brain damage, the Institute of Medicine brought together experts in head injury, sports medicine, pediatrics, and bioengineering. In a workshop entitled "Youth Soccer: Neuropsychological Consequences of Head Impact in Sports," that was held in Washington D.C. on October 12, 2001, these experts presented the scientific evidence for long-term consequences of head injury from youth sports, especially soccer, possible approaches to reduce the risks, and policy issues raised by the subject. Some of the findings presented by the speakers raised concerns, such as the high concussion rate of high school soccer players, the frequent persistence of impaired brain functions even after other symptoms of a concussion disappear, and the need for a better understanding of when it is safe for players to resume playing after they have had a concussion. But other findings were reassuring, such as studies that suggest that with the type of soccer balls used in the United States, heading is not likely to cause brain injury in youths, nor is playing soccer likely to cause permanent brain damage.

This is a summary of the reports from these experts in the field, and the lively discussions that followed them. Topics covered include: causes of head injuries in soccer; how to detect a concussion; the biology of concussion; studies of soccer and football players; the role of protective headgear; and policy implications, such as how to decide when a concussed player should be allowed to return to the playing field.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and often disabling disease of the nervous system, affecting about 1 million people worldwide. Even though it has been known for over a hundred years, no cause or cure has yet been discovered—but now there is hope. New therapies have been shown to slow the disease progress in some patients, and the pace of discoveries about the cellular machinery of the brain and spinal cord has accelerated.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of multiple sclerosis today, as researchers seek to understand its processes, develop therapies that will slow or halt the disease and perhaps repair damage, offer relief for specific symptoms, and improve the abilities of MS patients to function in their daily lives.

The panel reviews existing knowledge and identifies key research questions, focusing on:

The committee also discusses ways to build and financially support the MS research enterprise, including a look at challenges inherent in designing clinical trials. This book will be important to MS researchers, research funders, health care advocates for MS research and treatment, and interested patients and their families.

The medical use of marijuana is surrounded by a cloud of social, political, and religious controversy, which obscures the facts that should be considered in the debate.

This book summarizes what we know about marijuana from evidence-based medicine—the harm it may do and the relief it may bring to patients. The book helps the reader understand not only what science has to say about medical marijuana but also the logic behind the scientific conclusions.

Marijuana and Medicine addresses the science base and the therapeutic effects of marijuana use for medical conditions such as glaucoma and multiple sclerosis. It covers marijuana''s mechanism of action, acute and chronic effects on health and behavior, potential adverse effects, efficacy of different delivery systems, analysis of the data about marijuana as a gateway drug, and the prospects for developing cannabinoid drugs. The book evaluates how well marijuana meets accepted standards for medicine and considers the conclusions of other blue-ribbon panels.

Full of useful facts, this volume will be important to anyone interested in informed debate about the medical use of marijuana: advocates and opponents as well as policymakers, regulators, and health care providers.

The outlook for women with breast cancer has improved in recent years.Due to the combination of improved treatments and the benefits of mammographyscreening, breast cancer mortality has decreased steadily since1989. Yet breast cancer remains a major problem, second only to lungcancer as a leading cause of death from cancer for women. To date, nomeans to prevent breast cancer has been discovered and experience hasshown that treatments are most effective when a cancer is detected early,before it has spread to other tissues. These two facts suggest that the mosteffective way to continue reducing the death toll from breast cancer isimproved early detection and diagnosis.

Building on the 2001 report Mammography and Beyond, this new booknot only examines ways to improve implementation and use of new andcurrent breast cancer detection technologies but also evaluates the need todevelop tools that identify women who would benefit most from earlydetection screening. Saving Women''s Lives: Strategies for Improving BreastCancer Detection and Diagnosis encourages more research that integratesthe development, validation, and analysis of the types of technologies inclinical practice that promote improved risk identification techniques. Inthis way, methods and technologies that improve detection and diagnosiscan be more effectively developed and implemented.

Spinal Cord Injury examines the future directions for research with thegoal to accelerate the development of cures for spinal cord injuries. Whilemany of the recommendations are framed within the context of the specificneeds articulated by the New York Spinal Cord Injury Research Board,the Institute of Medicine''s panel of experts looked very broadly at researchpriorities relating to future directions for the field in general and make recommendationsto strengthen and coordinate the existing infrastructure.Funders at federal and state agencies, academic organizations, pharmaceuticaland device companies, and non-profit organizations will all find thisbook to be an essential resource as they examine their opportunities.

Multiple Sclerosis: Current Status and Strategies for the Future identifies promising areas of multiple sclerosis (MS) research based on a strategic analysis of the current state of knowledge. The report was written by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on MS Research Strategies, and on April 2001, the Committee held a workshop to advance research recommended by the report. The specific goals of the workshop were to disseminate information about the report, foster collaboration, and serve as a launch pad for implementation of the report''s recommendations.Summary of a Workshop on Research in Multiple Sclerosis, April5-6,2001 presents the reports from each breakout group and summarizes the plenary session discussion. This workshop summary contains particular viewpoints attributed to individual participants or to groups of participants (including breakout groups), but does not contain statements about what "the workshop" or "all its participants" concluded.