Today's drugs, effective as they may be, can cause more harm than good to the body. One potent example would be the common painkiller, often taken by individuals suffering from migraines or any other type of pain that needs immediate relief. It's effective, yes, but the drug itself also wreaks havoc on its way out - specifically on the liver and kidneys. Momentary pain relief for liver and kidney complications in the future? Nothing doing.

There is, however, a 'miracle' drug of sorts that provides relief more effectively, and, more importantly, without the liver and kidney damage. No, it's not some space-age wonder pill with super-secret ginseng root extract - it's actually Cannabis Sativa, more commonly known as Marijuana.

We've heard all the stories before, of cannabis usage frying your brain or reducing you to the all-too-common 'stoner' stereotype. Dr. Phillip Leveque - physician, toxicologist and WWII infantryman - believes that marijuana is actually more beneficial than we give it credit for, and that all the bad rap that it's been getting is merely false propaganda and misinformation.

A retired professor of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Dr. Leveque didn't believe that marijuana actually had any medical benefits, until he started seeing patients that have been given prescriptions of the infamous five-leafed green. They all reported of marijuana actually doing what their previous prescriptions could never have done - that was, to give them significant relief from their symptoms.

And these weren't just any patients with migraines or backaches, either. These were hardened Vietnam veterans trying to cope with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) battle stress through use of heavy painkillers, antidepressants and even alcohol, all of which have drastic detrimental effects on the human body. Marijuana, on the other hand, was able to provide relief, without coming back to haunt the user (besides the social stigma of using marijuana, that is).

Immediate relief without the side effects? It's hard not to be impressed with the little plant that could, and it's to note that not only Dr. Leveque has love for it. In fact, Dr. Tod Mikuriya, a member of the doctor-staffed "The Journal of Cannabis in Clinical Practice", has found that marijuana provides relief for about 200 specific diseases. And with more than 300,000 legal marijuana patients in California alone that's receiving all the good without the bad, it might be time to give it a second opinion.

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT) has announced that according to research that they conducted along with their collaborators, hemangioblast precursor cells derived from human embryonic stem (hES) cells can be used to achieve vascular repair.

"The ability to repair vascular damage using these cells could have a profound impact on a large number of diseases that are major human afflictions," said Robert Lanza, M.D., Vice President of Research & Scientific Development at ACT, and senior author of the study.

"Our results suggest the possibility of using nature's early cellular developmental components to restore vascularization and function in patients with vascular disease. An injection of these cells may be able to prevent a patient from having a leg amputated or from dying after a heart attack."

Researchers have also found that when injected into animals that had damaged retinas due to diabetes or lack of adequate blood flow, the cells homed to the injury and showed "robust reparative function" of the entire damaged vasculature within 24 to 48 hours.

Maria Grant, M.D., Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Florida, said that the cells were able to "generate functional blood vessels in the presence of severe tissue injury, as well as in chronic disease states."

While the cells in the study were tested on animals, researchers believe that the potential benefits for people who have vascular disease is huge.

A new toxin discovered by scientists at the University of Utah could very well help end many of the mental problems people face in this day and age. Perhaps more importantly for readers who don't have to worry about Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease, the new toxin may also help treat depression once fully developed.

The toxin comes from a species of snail in the Pacific called the Conus omaria. This toxin, now known as alpha conotoxin Om1A (oh-em-one-ay), is known for its ability to grab onto nicotine receptors in the brain, the same receptors that are affected every time you smoke. Because of this, the toxin would be especially helpful in treating mental diseases that work by affecting those parts of the brain.

Unlike nicotine, however, Om1A can hit different kinds of nicotinic receptors. For instance, Parkinson's disease means a decrease in dopamine levels, so a variant of the toxin to latch onto the receptors associated with dopamine release could be made. The same idea goes for the receptors that affect Alzheimer's and clinical depression.

Of course, the development of an actual drug is still far away, since using pure toxin wouldn't probably be a good idea. About 10 to 20 years is the current scientific estimate, so it may just be in time for you if you happen to develop Alzheimer's disease. Let's hope we can remember to get some when the time comes.