Indigenous Substances Used for Medication (1-1-23) What did they smoke in those peace pipes? Well, I know what I smoked in mine. It was a mixture of herbs they called Kanikanic. It was rather harsh and something other than what I would smoke regularly. First People had several pipes for different events. There was a peace pipe, of course, but there was also a war pipe, a thriving crop pipe, one for the health of a pregnant girl, and so on. Pipes were well cared for and usually required a small ceremony before it was lit. Even today, an Indian-made red soapstone pipe is treated with great respect. North American Indian ceremonial pipes might have included a blend of tobacco and natural aromatic plants, such as willow bark, dried sumac, and white sage. Several tobacco species and types of herbs were ceremonially used based on regional differences. Smoke from ceremonial pipe ceremonies is not inhaled, contrary to popular belief. The word “calumet” for “peace pipe” is French in origin, and the French fur traders were also active traders in tobacco up into Canada. Historical documents show hundreds of medicinal plants, including opium, listed on clay tablets, c. 3000 BC, found in the Sumerian civilization. An ancient Egyptian papyrus scroll, c. 1550 BC, depicts over 850 plant medications. Dioscorides, a Greek physician in the Roman army, documented over 1000 prescriptions for treatments utilizing over 600 medicinal herbs in De materia medica, c. 60 AD, which formed the basis of remedies to discomfort and injury for 1500 years. Drug researchers hunt for materials in nature that affect our biology, and the approach has yielded hundreds of helpful products, such as aspirin, digoxin, quinine, and opium. Plant compounds most beneficial are in four major biochemical classes: alkaloids, such as morphine and caffeine; glycosides, sugars, and flavonoids; polyphenols, which help safeguard our body and neutralize free radicals causing cell damage; and terpenes, found in turpentine and other scents. Medicinal plants are commonly used in non-industrialized societies because they are freely available and not expensive, cheaper than current drugs In many countries. There needs to be more control over these traditional treatments, but the World Health Organization (WHO) coordinates a network to encourage safe and rational usage. However, medicinal plants face threats, such as climate change and habitat destruction, and the danger of over-collection to meet market demand. The yearly global export value of all thousands of herbs and plants with medical properties was estimated to be US$60 billion annually, increasing dramatically at 6%. However, the botanical herbal market contains placebo pseudoscience products without scientific research to support their medical claims. A placebo is an inert treatment given in a positive psychosocial context. It produces positive expectations of clinical improvement. Therefore, any procedure boosting patients’ expectations, representing the primary mediator of placebo effects, is acceptable because it can activate the same biochemical pathways and neural networks made credible by hard science. In many countries, regulation of traditional medicine is not encouraged, but the WHO coordinates a network to promote the reliable and rational use of natural products. The botanical herbal marketplace is poorly regulated and contains products with no scientific research to support their medical claims. Herbal medicine does not require approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Medicinal plants face threats, such as climate change and habitat destruction, to meet market demand. People hope against hope for help for their physical and mental health and hangover cures.

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21. Let it be okay for your teen to have a sense of belonging with their peers. This gives an important buffer and helps them deal with the stress they confront.
22. Tune in to the teenager. Be sensitive about providing support, encouragement, love and a nurturing home environment.
23. Develop ties with a pediatrician, or family physician. Let the teen know about this. Tell the teen about how important it is to have medical help for emergencies brought on by drinking and driving.
24. Know and recognize these warning signs of drug (and alcohol) impaired thinking:

• Distraction and shortened span of attention
• Difficulty understanding questions and concepts
• Frequently losing the train of thought in the middle of a sentence or idea
• Getting stuck on one thought and repeating it numerous times
• Appearing generally confused
• Limited ability to apply new learning to different situations
• Difficulty understanding abstract thoughts.

25. Notice and later comment when the teen hasn't been in his bed when he should be.
26. Make the dinner table a pleasant place even if hasn't been for years.
27. Reduce stimuli that trigger emotional or behavioral problems. These triggers can be a difficult classroom setting, the wrong group of friends, availability of drugs and alcohol, or negative interactions with parents (you.) Even if you just try to reduce trigger stimuli, it may help.
28. Develop a trusting and open relationship. If you can’t, won’t or don’t do this, you will be lucky if a counselor is the one to do it and not a scumbag. Lack of a trusting and open relationship is one of major reason why changing things often fails at home.
29. Realize: It's not just your child's problem, it's a family problem, and you should take that ol’ “journey to wellness” together.
30. Let the teen know that you are having a struggle with the decision of whether or not to send him/her away to get help for drug and alcohol use

Ten More Things You Can Do To Help Your Teenager Get Off Weed

11. Know the facts about drug and alcohol use and abuse. Your teen needs you to be knowledgeable; otherwise you are unable to help him or her in this area.
12. Know what drugs are common in your kid’s school. Know what the signs are of use and abuse. Do not stick your head in the sand. Be vigilant, informed and smart. Do you know what 4-20 means?
13. Go to school. Meet teachers, principals, aides, and the school nurse.
14. Encourage teens to have appropriate outlets for emotional tension. Physical activity is effective. Television, videogames—NOT.
15. Give up your weekend. Not all the time, but you may not actually have the freedom that you envisioned when they were little. You need to be attentive to keep them safe, and you need to be around and available.
16. Earn your teenager’s respect by your good, honorable, ethical and respectable behavior.
17. Parents have tremendous influence; don’t underestimate the importance of your behavior, because what you do counts, a lot!
18. What you do every day by providing healthy food, support, and a comforting home, provides the very stress-antidotes your teen needs.
19. Make home a place where kids can re-charge their batteries, feel safe and supported.
20. Help ensure your teenager has other safe adults in whom s/he can confide and go to for advice. And you decide who’s safe

Meditation On the Birth of Children

At dawn tide, I implore the Almighty: “I have been sent a child. He is my beloved guest. I thank Thee for his life. As I am, he also is called by Thy command, and this unites us. He is a person who has appeared to speak of Thee. He is a man—not a future man. He is a man today. Therefore, he is different from other men. I accept him as I accept another man. I accept my child, whom I name in secret in my heart. I protect him in his childhood. I welcome, accept, acknowledge and forgive him. I accept his weaknesses and do not force him with my strength because I love him. I accept him and love him for who he is. For this, I love him and this elevates my own spirit.”

In the evening, I beseech God: “I have been sent a child. She is beloved to me without measure. I thank God for her life. As I have appeared, she also has appeared to mention and to serve Thee. She is a woman—not a future woman. Because of this, she is different from other women. She is a woman today, whom I cherish as a welcomed member of my family. I accept the woman child, and I name her in my secret heart to show that she is united with us. My love shields her. My life defends her. I understand her frailties and gifts, tolerate and forgive her and use my strength to protect her. For whom she is, I accept and love her, and this refreshes and cheers my spirit.”

Teenagers And Blackouts

How do "blackouts" occur? Blackouts are an apparent result of depression of activity in the part of the brain known as the hippocampus. The function of this brain area concerns cognitive learning and memory. It is known to be very sensitive to the effects of central nervous system depressant drugs such as alcohol, opioids, anesthetics, and even some stimulants such as cocaine. The rest of the brain is not as sensitive to such drugs, so that an intoxicated person may appear fine - until the next day when certain events of "the night before" are not remembered.

Can drugs other than alcohol cause "blackouts"? While the alcohol-induced "blackout" is most well known, other drugs can cause it. A blackout is nothing more than a brief period of drug-induced short-term amnesia. Thus, some anesthetics used for surgery cause blackouts, but the term is not used with this therapeutic use of drugs, since short-term amnesia of the surgical event is a desired outcome. Other drugs that cause intense intoxication, such as opioids (powerful analgesics such as morphine), cocaine, LSD, and ecstasy can also cause blackouts

Things You Can Do To Help Your Teen Quit Drugs

1. Ask them about their feelings.
2. Ask them about their friends.
3. Help them structure their time.
4. Let your teenager know what you expect of him.
5. Let your teen know that s/he is loved unconditionally, and s/he won’t want to let you down.
6. Spend time together having fun.
7. Encourage him or her to develop healthy outside interests.
8. Look in the mirror and practice saying “no.” It is a parent’s job to say “no” sometimes.
9. Be plugged in to what’s going on in your teen’s life.
10. Learn how to ask the right (hard) questions to your teen’s friends’ parents.

Marijuana Hell

Marijuana Hell
By Helen Johnston, 2005

You say that pot is just a trip they don’t want you to take.
They don’t want you to have your fun or make a big mistake.

You say that pot is just an herb that’s hated by the fuzz,
“It never hurts me anyway; I’ll quit before it does.”

It’s time to face the truth you fear about the dope you crave.
The green, green grass of home my friend, just covers up your grave.

You think it’s cool and crazy, you sarcastic glass pipe brides,
For you’ll be residue yourself, with low IQ besides.

Get doped up like a faggot, all you drugged out ugly chicks.
Get stoned like drunk slut puppies that use pot to get their kicks.

Go suck the rod that holds the sod you seventh grader sags.
You’ve learned all that you need to learn to emulate scumbags.

You smoke and toke until you choke and laugh till you have fits.
You’ve just begun to do the things to die the screaming s___s.

The ones that tell you hemp is swell most always need a bath.
They flunked themselves right out of school in chemistry and math.

The dope you smoke is all you need, you look like dog with mange.
You haven’t washed your hair in days, just go and beg for change.

When Indians smoked the peace pipe, there was no violation.
Now you can see where pot got them, they faced annihilation.

It won’t be pot that makes you sick and go to jail or worse.
It’s that you missed a normal life and now live in death’s curse.

They’ll let you off at first you know with juvenile probation.
Then every month or two you know they’ll test your urination.

But you won’t quit because you’re slick, it’s even odds they’ll catch you.
But if they do, you’ll moan and cry; they’ll cut you slack I’ll bet you.

They’ll let you off with bootcamp, so just tell your dad goodbye.
You didn’t see your mother’s face with teardrops in her eye.

You broke the laws of Texas and now that was just a start.
You broke the laws of God and man and broke your mother’s heart.

Fire up that clever Philly blunt you’re so sly cause you hide it.
It makes you just a mental runt; your brain declares you fried it.

So go and act like monkeys and get dizzy in the mind.
The urge to be a decent sort will be left far behind.

You start on marijuana, and then sprinkle on some smack,
Some coke or ice or heroin, you’ll never once look back.

You never think you’ll be a fiend, your body you will sell.
You sold your morals down the drain when you joined dopers’ hell.

The legions of the living dead troop onwards to their tomb.
They started with the hempen plant that locked them into doom.

They beg that they could warn you, but you will not hear their cries.
You’re a sick, dumb smoked up sack of stems with ugly bloodshot eyes.

It will take a miracle for you to heed this tale
A miracle is what you need--or find the smokers’ hell.

Helen Johnston is now an out of state alcohol/drug rehab counselor. She was once an inmate in Hale County Jail, under a different name. She had a violent withdrawal seizure while incarcerated, and found serenity through a 12 Step Program. In her correspondence with Sam Parker, MA, LCDC, she wrote that there were no good anti-marijuana poems available in treatment on the same level as “Miss Heroin” or “Ms. Crystal Meth.” Although she is not politically correct or afraid of using bad words, she deeply loves the teenagers of Texas and the USA, and hopes that they can have a miracle.