Selected plant materials used in migraine therapy

Migraine is a neurovascular disease characterized by idiopathic, throbbing, usually unilateral headache, accompanied by gastrointestinal disturbances and increased sensitivity to stimuli. Symptoms may persist for several days, and their severity prevents the patient from regular activity. According to estimates, about 3.5 million people of all ages suffer from it in Poland. The disease affects children and adults, with the vast majority (about 80%) of adult patients being women. It does not directly threaten life, but it has a destructive impact on the patient's quality of life, social and family functioning, and professional activity. It should be emphasized that the mechanisms causing migraine are not fully understood. Different types of serotonin (especially 5-HT1) receptors play an essential role in the pathophysiology of migraine. The evidence of the role of the CGRP neuropeptide in the pathomechanism of the development of a migraine attack led to the introduction of monoclonal antibodies (anti-CGRP) into the treatment, whose intravenous or oral administration to patients brings a significant improvement in their clinical condition. In addition, patients receive analgesics, antiemetics, and sedatives. A positive effect on the frequency and severity of migraine pain has a normalized lifestyle, properly selected physical activity, as well as diet. Herbal substances support the prevention of migraine attacks and soothe in the event of their occurrence. Recommended for phytotherapy are ergot, butterbur, feverfew and also ginger, administered as tablets, infusions, or tinctures. Another therapeutic option is the use of drugs and dietary supplements made from dried inflorescences of hemp and cannabis. Preparations containing in their composition tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with a content greater than 0.2% are available only on prescription with a duplicate. Inhalations with essential oils of peppermint and lavender help alleviate the symptoms of the disease, mainly from the digestive system. It should be remembered that herbal preparations are not without side effects, and their use in migraine therapy should not be continuous. There are few randomized clinical trials confirming the effectiveness of migraine phytotherapy

Determination of the content of bioelements in an aerosol produced from commercially available mineral waters using a Mini Graduation Tower-2018 device

There are various types of bottled water available, including: spring water and high-, medium- or low-mineralized mineral water. Water with the highest content of mineral salts (>1000 ppm), i.e. medicinal water, has been the most widely used in medicine. One of the most commonly used forms of application of the described water types are e.g. inhalations. It is worth mentioning, however, that the use of these types of water, due to the high content of minerals (barium, chloride, sulphate ions), has the influence on human health. Although a little is known about the limitations of using the external method, and particularly the recently popular aerosol therapy. The popularity of this method of treatment is due to the fact that it can be used at different age groups of patients and in contrary to oral drug dosage, aerosol therapy has faster onset of action and a much greater safety profile of the therapy. It is worth noting that not all producers of medicinal water provide information about the total mineral content of their products. Moreover, producers do not declare if mineral water can be applied in children. The aim of the study was the quantitative analysis of selected metals: sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc in 7 selected medicinal and mineral waters. The newly constructed Mini-Graduation Tower 2018 device was used to generate the aerosol. In most of the tested waters (except for the zinc content in the Słotwinka water), statistically significant changes in the content of the tested ions were demonstrated in relation to the control sample which were mineralizates obtained from catontrol (the filter subject to the 4-time distilled water aerosol). The highest content of divalent and trivalent ions was found in the mineralizate obtained from Zabłocka Mgiełka Solankowa, while the highest content of monovalent cations was found in Franciszek and Helena water. In all samples, the ion content obtained indicates the possibility of using the tested water in aerosol therapy. The obtained results show that the "Minitężnia-2018" device can be used to study aerosols

The history, current state and perspectives of aerosol therapy

Nebulization is a very effective method of drug administration. This technique has been popular since ancient times when inhalation of plants rich in tropane alkaloids with spasmolytic and analgesic effects was widely used. Undoubtedly, the invention of anasthesia in the 19th century had an influence on the development of this technique. It resulted in the search for devices that facilitated anasthesia such as pulveriser or hydronium. From the second half of the 21st century, when the first DPI and MDI inhalers were launched, the constant development of aerosol therapy has been noticed. This is due to the fact that nebulization, compared with other means of medicinal substance application (such as oral and intravenous routes of administration), is safer and it exhibits a positive dose/efficacy ratio connected to the reduction of the dose. It enables drugs administration through the lung and possesses very fast onset action. Therefore, various drugs prescribed in respiratory diseases (such as corticosteroids, -agonists, anticholinergic) are present on the market in a form of an aerosol

Determination of the content of bioelements in an aerosol produced from commercially available mineral waters using a Mini-Graduation Tower-2018 device

There are various types of bottled water available, including: spring water and high-, medium- or low-mineralized mineral water. Water with the highest content of mineral salts (>1000 ppm), i.e. medicinal water, has been the most widely used in medicine. One of the most commonly used forms of application of the described water types are e.g. inhalations. It is worth mentioning, however, that the use of these types of water, due to the high content of minerals (barium, chloride, sulphate ions), has the influence on human health. Although a little is known about the limitations of using the external method, and particularly the recently popular aerosol therapy. The popularity of this method of treatment is due to the fact that it can be used at different age groups of patients and in contrary to oral drug dosage, aerosol therapy has faster onset of action and a much greater safety profile of the therapy. It is worth noting that not all producers of medicinal water provide information about the total mineral content of their products. Moreover, producers do not declare if mineral water can be applied in children. The aim of the study was the quantitative analysis of selected metals: sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc in 7 selected medicinal and mineral waters. The newly constructed Mini-Graduation Tower 2018 device was used to generate the aerosol. In most of the tested waters (except for the zinc content in the Słotwinka water), statistically significant changes in the content of the tested ions were demonstrated in relation to the control sample which were mineralizates obtained from catontrol (the filter subject to the 4-time distilled water aerosol). The highest content of divalent and trivalent ions was found in the mineralizate obtained from Zabłocka Mgiełka Solankowa, while the highest content of monovalent cations was found in Franciszek and Helena water. In all samples, the ion content obtained indicates the possibility of using the tested water in aerosol therapy. The obtained results show that the "Minitężnia-2018" device can be used to study aerosols