Health News: Inhaled cannabis shown effective for diabetic neuropathy pain ♦ Prawn solution to spread of deadly disease ♦ Lack of knowledge on animal disease leaves humans at risk

Prawn solution to spread of deadly disease identified A deadly disease may have met its match: a bug-eyed, pint-sized crustacean. The river prawn, a natural predator of parasite-carrying snails, proves effective at curbing the spread of schistosomiasis in West Africa.

Lack of knowledge on animal disease leaves humans at risk Researchers have painted the most detailed picture to date of major infectious diseases shared between wildlife and livestock, and found a huge gap in knowledge about diseases which could spread to humans.

Inhaled cannabis shown effective for diabetic neuropathy pain Inhaled cannabis reduces diabetic neuropathy and the analgesic effect is dose-dependent, new research suggests. Researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind study evaluating 16 subjects to assess the efficacy and tolerability of inhaled cannabis for treating pain caused by diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Researchers beat untreatable eczema with arthritis drug Researchers have successfully treated patients with moderate to severe eczema using a rheumatoid arthritis drug recently shown to reverse two other disfiguring skin conditions, vitiligo and alopecia areata. The study is evidence of a potential new era in eczema treatment, they report.

Most chronic pain patients use alternative therapies, but many don't tell their doctors More than half of chronic pain patients in a managed care setting reported using chiropractic care or acupuncture or both, but many of these patients didn't discuss this care with their primary care providers. These study results suggest that better care coordination is needed among patients and physicians