Ex-Cavs coach Blatt reveals multiple sclerosis battle

PIRAEUS, Greece -- Olympiakos basketball coach David Blatt revealed on Monday that he had been diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).

"Sometimes life throws things at you that really have no explanation or rhyme or reason. Those are moments that upon recognising you have to make choices that test your true character," the 60-year-old Israeli American said in a letter to the team.

Blatt said he was diagnosed with PPMS a few months ago by the Olympiakos medical team.

"The first thing I did was to go back to my basketball coaching methodology of solving and overcoming difficulties," he said.

The former coach of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers said he had begun a specific exercise regime to combat the condition.

"I am a coach and my job is to lead and teach and inspire a lot of people," he added.

"Not being as agile or active doesn’t affect my ability to do those things. I am fortunate. I have great doctors trainers physical therapists and management that accept by disabilities and help me overcome."

The former coach of Israel and Russia national teams said he will ask his players and staff at Olympiakos "to be the best version of themselves, I must ask and even demand from myself to do the same."

Olympiakos have said that Blatt will once again lead the team on the last leg of his two-year contract in the EuroLeague, the 12th season he has been on the continental circuit.

The club will play in the A2 second division in the Greek Basketball League after being demoted last season for failing to show up for playoff contests against rival Panathinaikos.

Blatt has won six national championships and seven domestic cups, winning the EuroLeague title with Dynamo St. Petersburg in 2005.

He also led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA finals in 2015 and the Russian national team to the Euro Basketball crown in 2007 and the bronze medals at Euro 2011 and the 2012 Olympic Games.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Advocates pitch benefits of medical marijuana

MANILA -- Advocates of medical marijuana on Tuesday attempted to convince lawmakers of the positive use of the illegal plant in the field of medicine.

Various experts attended the hearing of the House Committee on Health to convince lawmakers to pass House Bill 4477, or the "Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Act,'' which was filed by Isabela 1st District Representative Rodolfo Albano III and has 69 co-authors.

The advocates, including a foreign doctor who shared his expertise through a video message, explained the medical significance of cannabis or marijuana.

They insisted that cannabis is a unique drug that has vast potential for treatment.

Marijuana is the only known plant that produces large amounts of a class of chemicals known as cannabinoids, which is naturally produced by the human body.

The cannabinoid system, only discovered roughly two decades ago, is responsible for the regulation and protection of the the body. Cannabis has been used to manage pain, fight inflammation, battle depression, and regulate appetite and sleep, among others.

It has been proven as an effective treatment against serious ailments like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), epilepsy, Parkinson's Disease, and Multiple Sclerosis.

Albano clarified that HB 4477 only seeks to legalize marijuana strictly for medical use only. The bill seeks to regulate the use of cannabis for treatment and medication of patients with debilitating medical conditions.

If enacted, a Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority under the Department of Health will be established to regulate the medical use of marijuana.

Qualified patients will be given identification cards that will protect them from criminal liability for the use of medical cannabis.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com