~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 27 August, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well summer is over - at least once the bank holiday
is over, it feels that way - and time to take stock
of where we are health wise, and how we can make changes.
Some stories this week that focus on our attitude to
weight, and just our plain old attitude and how it
affects health. I have also included a new section
called 'Health Bites' for a couple of items of interest
that aren't long enough for a full piece, but useful
anyway.
May I wish you the best of good health - AnnA
In this issue:
- PENALTY IN THE PAY PACKET FOR BEING OVERWEIGHT?
- GENES ARE THE REASON FOR MIDDLE AGED SPREAD
- ANOTHER GOOD REASON FOR WOMEN TO BE HAPPY
- WARNING ON FRUIT JUICE AND DRUG INTERACTIONS
- HEALTH BITES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is often said that where the US leads the UK follows,
but a disturbing trend has just hit overweight workers
in the state of Alabama. It sometimes seems that the US
produces more than its share of fanatics in all areas.
I am not a smoker, or in favour of it on health grounds,
but I also believe in the right to choose and reports
of people having cigarettes struck out of their mouths
or being unable to smoke anywhere just don't sit right
with me.
There has been moves to curtail health services for
people who are overweight, and I understand the logic
but the US state of Alabama is taking it to a whole
new level. Alabama already charges workers who smoke
-- and has seen some success in getting them to quit,
but now are turning their attention to overweight
workers. The state currently ranks second in national
obesity rankings partly from a fondness for by deep-
fried Southern food favorites and a high consumption
of sugary drinks and foods.
Currently they get free health insurance as part of
their job, but unless they agree to free health
screenings to show up health problems, and then
adopt measures to improve them, they will have to
pay a $25 monthly insurance fee from their salaries.
If the screenings turn up serious problems with blood
pressure, cholesterol, glucose or obesity, employees
will have a year to see a doctor at no cost, enroll
in a wellness program, or take steps on their own to
improve their health. If they show progress in a
follow-up screening, they won't be charged. But if
they don't, they must pay.
As we already have a free health service, there
isn't the same incentive to adopt such drastic
measures here - but some form of restriction of
service for those who persistently abuse their
bodies through food, alcohol or drugs is not that
unlikely, and is informally in place in some
hospitals already. What do you think?
GENES ARE THE REASON FOR MIDDLE AGED SPREAD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Staying with the theme of unwanted weight, it seems
almost inevitable, middle aged spread is something
we associate with getting older and we either accept
it or take action to prevent it. Often thought of as
being a result of being less active, it now seems that
it is a result of the key appetite control cells in
the human brain degenerating over time. This causes
increased hunger and the potential for putting on
weight, but read on and see how you can slow down
this process.
Dr Zane Andrews, a neuroendocrinologist with Monash
University's Department of Physiology in Australia,
has published his research in Nature magazine which
indicates that what you eat has a great effect on
how much the cells decay. He found that appetite
-suppressing cells are attacked by free radicals
after eating, and that the degeneration is more
significant following meals rich in carbohydrates
and sugars. So a Big Mac with large fries and a
coke - for example - is one of the worst offenders
as a meal loaded with carbohydrates and sugars
attacks the appetite suppressing cells, which in
turn creates a cellular imbalance between our need
to eat and the message to the brain to stop eating.
WHO IS AT RISK?
People in the age group of 25 to 50 are most at risk
because the neurons that tell people in the crucial
age range not to over-eat are being killed-off.
When the stomach is empty, it triggers the ghrelin
hormone that notifies the brain that we are hungry.
When we are full, a set of neurons known as POMC's
(which are produced in the hypothalamus) kick in.
However, free radicals created naturally in the body
attack the POMC neurons and this process causes them
to degenerate overt time, and this in turn affects
our judgement about when our hunger is satisfied.
Dr Andrews believes that the reduction in the
appetite-suppressing cells could be one explanation
for the complex condition of adult-onset obesity.
Our diets have changed radically over the last 30
years as we now do consume far more sugars and
complex carbohydrates than ever before and this
has placed so much strain on our bodies that it's
leading to premature cell deterioration. The answer?
Cut down on carbohydrates and sugars as much as you
can, otherwise that slice of 'Death by Chocolate'
cake might prove all too apt when applied to your
waistline.
ANOTHER GOOD REASON FOR WOMEN TO BE HAPPY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I cast a damper on women's consumption of orange
juice last week, I thought I would redress the balance
by promoting the real health benefits of optimism for
women who want to avoid breast cancer.
A study at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in
Israel has found that women who are happy and
optimistic appear to be less likely to get breast
cancer than their gloomier counterparts. Also,
women who had experienced more than one major
tragedy in their lives, such as the death of a
close family member or a serious illness, were
significantly more likely to have the disease.
The researchers were able to conclude that
experiencing more than one meaningful life event
(severe and/or mild to moderate) is a risk factor
for breast cancer among young women and that
general feelings of happiness and optimism can
play a protective role against the disease.
This points up yet again the importance of the
relationship between happiness and health for all
of us. Indeed, some previous studies have suggested
a link between stressful life events, psychological
distress, and cancer. It is believed by many
therapists that psychological stress may contribute
to an increase in cancer by modifying cell responses
to environmental factors, but it is still unproven.
We already know that an optimistic outlook can
actually increase your lifespan, and now it seems
it can protect you against one of our most feared
diseases.
ADULT SNORERS - IT STARTS IN CHILDHOOD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have ever dug your partner in the ribs, or
tried every brand of ear plugs on the market, it
may help to know that really they can't prevent it.
Actually, it may not help at all, but a new study
has shown that adult snoring may be rooted in early
childhood.
This is based on a study of more than 15,000 adults
ages 25 to 54 in Northern Europe, specifically in
Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Estonia. They
were asked questions about their early life environment,
childhood history and adult medical problems. The
result was that they concluded that there are several
factors in early childhood that are associated with
adult snoring.
So what are the risk factors so you can identify if
your child is going to disturb someone's sleep in later
life? First clue was that adult snorers were more likely
to have been hospitalized for a respiratory infection
before they were two, had recurrent ear infections such
as glue ear or inflammation or have large tonsils that
can compromise the upper airways. On the environment
front, the child was more likely to have grown up in a
large family, or to have been brought up as a baby in
a household with a dog.
Karl Franklin, M.D., Ph.D., who carried out the research,
speculated that these factors may enhance inflammatory
processes and thereby alter upper airway anatomy early
in life, causing an increased susceptibility for adult
snoring.
Typically the habitual snorers in the study (defined
as more than 3 times a week) were more likely to be
male, overweight and had a higher prevalence of asthma
and chronic bronchitis and were smokers. You may not
be able to do anything about their childhood, but
those other factors also contribute so tackling the
weight, smoking and asthma certainly couldn't hurt
and might help to reduce the frequency and volume.
Sadly there is no real cure for snoring, but a good
website for general information on what causes it,
and what can help, can be found at
www.britishsnoring.co.uk/
WARNING ON FRUIT JUICE AND DRUG INTERACTIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry to be still on the fruit juice trail, but news
this week had a real deja-vu quality about it for me.
In the 1980's, I was involved with a naturopath in
the writing of a book called 'The Medicine Chest'
which looked at the relationship and interaction
between foods, vitamins and medicines. One of the
things we flagged up then was how food can affect
your medication. One example of this is the drug
warfarin which interacts with vitamin K, which we
get from food, and from the bacteria in our gut.
Vitamin K is involved in the formation of special
liver proteins, known as coagulation factors, which
reduce the risk of haemorrhage or bleeding. Conversely,
if you are susceptible to blood clotting, warfarin
(because of how it interferes with the formation of
these vitamin-K-dependent factors) may be prescribed
for you. So you can see that if you increase the
amount of vitamin K-rich foods then you can alter
the effect that the warfarin will have in your body.
Such foods include everyday items like spinach,
lettuce, beef, broccoli and soy beans - good foods
in themselves but to be discussed with your doctor
if you are on warfarin.
Now the scientific world seems to have caught up
with the research done by naturopaths over the years,
which has always treated food as 'medicine' and been
much more aware of its effects. Recent research
presented at a US conference has now suggested that
a chemical in grapefruit, orange, and possibly also
apple juice, could stop anti-allergy drugs being
absorbed properly.
Grapefruit juice is already known to interfere
with blood pressure drugs and indeed some medicines
carry a warning that taking them alongside grapefruit
juice could cause an overdose and normally your
pharmacist will point this out to you. However,
the latest finding shows that grapefruit juice had
the reverse effect on fexofenadine, an antihistamine
drug, making it less rather than more potent.
Volunteers took the drug with either a single glass
of grapefruit juice, or just water.
When it was taken with juice, only half the drug
was absorbed, potentially reducing its effectiveness.
The active ingredient of the juice, naringin, appears
to block a mechanism which moves drug molecules out
of the small intestine into the bloodstream and this
substantially decreases the absorption of certain drugs.
The three juices mentioned have also been found to
affect etoposide, a chemotherapy drug, some beta-blocker
drugs used to treat high blood pressure, and cyclosporine,
taken by transplant patients to prevent rejection of
their new organs. Dr David Bailey of the University
of Western Ontario, the study's author, said: "This is
just the tip of the iceberg - I'm sure we'll find more
and more drugs that are affected this way."
As I said, deja-vu and it made me think it might be
time to update 'The Medicine Chest' which went out
of print in the 1990's.
HEALTH BITES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 MEN who drink five or six sweetened soft drinks a
week have a 29% higher chance of developing gout
(a form of arthritis), when compared with men who
have less than one soft drink a month. If a daily
soft drink is on the menu then the risk increases
to 45%, and thirsty chaps who have two or more a
day have a staggering 85% higher risk of developing
gout. The study was reported in the British Medical
Journal and pointed out that gout particularly tends
to affect men over the age of 39 - so if you are past
that birthday it might be time to switch drinks, and
don't switch to low calorie drinks as they use
artificial sweeteners which are known to aggravate gout.
2 CANCER cells can be adversely affected by compounds
in chilli and peppers and show promise for treatment
according to new research at the University of
Pittsburgh. Researchers there have discovered that
capsaicin (the compound that gives chilli peppers
their heat) caused pancreatic cancer cells to die
through a process called apoptosis. Another US study
conducted at the University of California, found that
capsaicin stopped the spread of prostate cancer cells.
We know that many spices such as ginger, are beneficial
in fighting infection and stimulating the immune system,
so for good preventive care put chilli on the menu and
spice up your diet, and your health.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but
do remember I am not a doctor and cannot give you
medical advice, so please always take appropriate
action by consulting your own medical advisor if
you have concerns about any aspect of your health.
Please feel free to pass on any of this information
to your friends, or suggest they sign up for the
newsletter themselves at my website.
Best wishes for a healthier week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 20 August, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We could spend several issues of the newsletter, if
not several lifetimes, discussing what is the
difference between men and women but this week I
offer you just one to ponder on if you - or anyone
you know - wants to increase their fertility, and
a warning note for men on eating too much soy. All
that plus a journey to the Indian subcontinent to
discuss a worry, and a potential boon for anyone
with osteoarthritis. Oh, and a word about your
breakfast drink too.
May I wish you the best of good health - AnnA
In this issue:
- THE FERTILE GENDER DIFFERENCE
- SOY REDUCES SPERM COUNT
- CALL CENTRE MEDICINE
- AYURVEDIC HERB RELIEVES OSTEOARTHRITIS
- OJ - NOT FOR WOMEN?
THE FERTILE GENDER DIFFERENCE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When it comes to planning a family, looking at the
couple's diet is often a first step but this usually
comes down to having a balanced, healthy diet of
lots of fruit and vegetables and with minimum
potential risks such as additives, fats, alcohol
and smoking. However, some preliminary research
from Australia seems to indicate that there may
be a different factor to consider when looking at
fertility and reproductive success.
This research is based on long-term studies on
Australian black field crickets, so no tests on
humans yet, but its finding could be highly relevant.
Lead researcher Rob Brooks and his team have discovered
that the lifespan of both male and female crickets
is maximized on high-carbohydrate, low-protein diets,
and reported this finding in the latest issue of
Current Biology. But the interesting fact to emerge
is that reproductive success differs dramatically
between the sexes when the carbohydrate-protein
balance is changed. Males have the greatest rep-
roductive success with a diet that favours
carbohydrates to protein by eight-to-one. Females
have greatest success when the protein/carbohydrate
ratio is just one-to-one.
More research is clearly needed, but to maximise
fertility in the meantime, the best course is to
follow the anti-inflammatory or wellness diet.
This is based on principles that have been shown
to promote longevity and reproductive health in
both men and women throughout their lives, and if
you would like a copy of it then just email me and
I will be happy to send you it. Just put wellness
diet in the subject line and email to
anna@catalystonline.co.uk
SOY REDUCES SPERM COUNT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With the increased interest in vegetarian and vegan diets
a number of young men are turning to alternative foods such
as soy, but if you are planning a family it might not be
such a good idea. According to a new report in the Journal
of Human Reproduction, consumption of even small amounts of
soy products can lower a man's sperm concentration.
Harvard School of Public Health conducted a study and
found that the men who ate the most soy had sperm counts
far lower than those who reported eating no soy at all.
On average, the soy eaters had 41 million fewer sperm
per milliliter. The study found that the soy eaters
consumed a relatively low amount of 15 soy-based foods
including tofu, soy burgers, soy ice cream, soy energy
bars, and miso soup -- with an average of just one serving
of every other day. Now, this may not be significant
enough to cause fertility problems, but if you are planning
a family then it seems sensible to take every precaution.
The study's lead researcher Jorge Chavarro feels that the
evidence is not strong enough one way or the other to
deter men from eating soy, but it is known that the
isoflavones in soy have long been tied to infertility
in animal studies and it seems reasonable to infer they
could also affect humans.
CALL CENTRE MEDICINE?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many UK firms, particularly utilities, telecom and the
finance industry, went through a period of outsourcing
their customer departments to India where there is a
vast and skilled workforce who the companies' jobs done
cheaper and faster. Many found that it may have saved
money but it hugely increased customer complaints and
a sense of being dislocated from their money and accounts,
and now it looks as if the pharmaceutical industry in
the United States is heading down that same road.
This time the complaints are not about the jobs that
are being outsourced, but about the dangers to the
health and safety of the Indian workers. It's all
about the development of new drugs, because the cost
of bringing a new one to market is, on average, $1
billion. The bulk of that cost is devoted to human
clinical trials -- the most crucial and time-consuming
phase of drug development. Faced with tight regulations
at home and shrinking profits due to expiring drug
patents, western drug makers are looking to expedite
the process by outsourcing safety and efficacy studies
to developing countries, a large proportion of them
to India. An amendment proposed last year by the
technical advisory committee of India's Health
Ministry would further allow drug companies to test
their products widely on patients in India before
they're proved safe at home, which is causing alarm
bells to ring as drug testing can be a dangerous
business for the volunteers.
The UK has had some experience of just how dangerous
that can be in 2006, when six men nearly died in a
safety trial when given an experimental antibody
drug called TGN1412. This was its first human trial,
and the drug caused multiple organ failure in all
six men. Speedy action on the part of the doctors
saved their lives, but the concern is that such
experiments could be potentially devastating in a
country that lacks the medical infrastructure to
care for people harmed by untested drugs. There
are currently some 400 clinical trials underway
in India, where the business is expected to be
worth $1 billion to $1.5 billion by 2010. For
western drug companies, it's a boon: India's vast
pool of qualified, English-speaking doctors and
lower labour costs make clinical trials up to
50% to 60% cheaper and it's not just money the
drug companies are saving.
India also offers a crucial savings on time.
A drug patent lasts 20 years; during the first
seven or eight years of that period, typically,
a new drug is tied up in several rounds of human
clinical trials. That leaves little time for the
drug maker to market and profit from the product.
To speed up trials, pharmaceutical companies need
to recruit large numbers of subjects quickly,
something that is often not possible in western
countries, where most patients have health insurance
or government benefits and are reluctant to sign up.
In India, by contrast, much of the population has
no health insurance, and public health services
can be widely variable. The promise of getting
regular medical attention by enrolling in a trial
is often too valuable to pass up so that many
patients enter into clinical trials because they
have no better option to receiving care.
This is not just a theoretical problem; already,
toxic drugs have posed problems. In 2002, a human
trial in India, along with 31 other countries, of
Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug ragaglitazar had to
be suspended after a trial in mice revealed that
the compound caused urinary bladder tumors. In 2003,
news circulated that researchers from India-based
Sun Pharmaceuticals had given the anticancer drug
letrozole to 430 young women to see if it would
induce ovulation, despite the fact that the drug
is known to be toxic to embryos.
No one wants to deny such a rich source of income
to India, but if clinical trials which will affect
thousands of patients are not properly monitored
and conducted then we could be facing new drugs
marketed with too much haste and not enough control.
What happens in the USA is often what happens in
the UK a short time later, but I hope this is one
trend that does not make it across the Atlantic
unless we get some very strong reassurances about
the need to outsource a vital component of our
healthcare system.
AYURVEDIC HERB RELIEVES OSTEOARTHRITIS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Staying on the Indian subcontinent, it now seems
that an Ayurvedic herb known as the 'Indian Frankincense'
can dramatically improve the symptoms of the most
common form of arthritis -- osteoarthritis. No
surprise to me as I have found all forms of herbal
medicine to be effective, whether English, Chinese
or Ayurvedic, but what is amazing is that treatment
appears to provide relief within just one week.
I discovered this in the journal Arthritis Research
& Therapy where scientists from the University of
California at Davis published their research conclusions
when they tested an extract dubbed AKBA (3-O-acetyl
-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid) from the herb Boswellia
serrata on 70 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.
Boswellia is the gummy resin of the boswellia tree,
which is native to India, and used for centuries by
Ayurvedic doctors as it contains anti-inflammatory
terpenoids called boswellic acids. Boswellia is often
included in arthritis remedies, and has been used for
thousands of years by Ayurvedic practitioners.
The research subjects were suffering from pain,
limited movement, stiffness and other symptoms of
osteoarthritis, which most commonly affects weight-
bearing joints like knees and hips, as well as the
hands, wrists, feet and spine. Symptoms were relieved
in about seven days in this study -- which is the
first to show that an enriched extract of Bowellia
serrata be used as a successful treatment in humans.
The researchers concluded that its anti-inflammatory
properties can be an effective treatment for osteoarthritis
of the knee and was shown to have no major adverse effects
in osteoarthritis patients and so was safe for human
consumption and even for long-term use.
OJ - NOT FOR WOMEN?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is OJ as in juice, not as in Simpson, because
starting the day with a glass of orange juice is
seen as healthy habit, high in vitamin C and good
for you. However, there are some reasons you might
want to switch to another juice in the mornings -
particularly if you are a woman. Recent research
suggests that drinking orange juice frequently may
put women at an increased risk of developing type
two diabetes - a serious and debilitating disease
that becomes progressively more common with age
and obesity.
This is yet another study from the US, the home
of OJ as they refer to their juice, and was done
at Tulane University School of Public Health, in
New Orleans. Over 70,000 women enrolled in the study,
and dietary and medical records were analysed with
these results:
Diabetes risk is LOWERED by 18% if the subjects added
three daily servings of whole fruit because this slows
down the rapid absorption of the natural sugars found
in fruit as the fibres take longer for the stomach to
digest. If you add in just one additional serving of
leafy green vegetables then the risk was LOWERED
AGAIN by 9%
Diabetes risk is INCREASED by 18% if one additional
daily serving of orange juice is taken. This is because
the natural sugars in juice are absorbed too rapidly
in the stomach, causing a surge in blood sugar levels.
Since the research was carried out only on women, it is
not yet known whether men are at the same risk of
getting diabetes if they drink orange juice. BUT,
drinking large quantities of neat juice is not
something to recommend as you are getting a large
sugar load in one hit comes and because it comes
in a liquid form it is absorbed rapidly into the
body. People are not always aware either, that many
types of fruit juices like orange, grapefruit and
grape, contain as much sugar per serving as many fizzy
drinks. That amount of sugar will help you puton weight,
and that is another factor in promoting diabetes.
A couple of suggestions are either to cut your juice
with water about 50/50 or switch to apple juice and
cranberry juices - real juice, with bits and no added
sugar because they have a much better sugar/nutrients
ratio than citrus and grape- based juices.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but
do remember I am not a doctor and cannot give you
medical advice, so please always take appropriate
action by consulting your own medical advisor if
you have concerns about any aspect of your health
please feel free to pass on any of this information
to your friends, or suggest they sign up for the
newsletter themselves at my website.
Best wishes for a healthier week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 13 August, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As a teenager I was hooked on science fiction and my
life today often seems to have warped into reporting
on health developments that even the most farsighted
writers didn't foresee. One such area is stem cell
research, so this week read about the latest developments
and wonder, like me, how far will it go. Still trying
to fit into that swimsuit? An unusual idea for you then,
just stock up on pens and paper, and another summer tip
if you spend time in public swimming pools or showers!
May I wish you the best of good health - AnnA
In this issue:
- STEM CELLS CREATED FOR 10 GENETIC DISORDERS
- WRITE AWAY THE WEIGHT
- MAGNETIC HELP FOR CANCER
- ZAP THAT VERRUCA
STEM CELLS CREATED FOR 10 GENETIC DISORDERS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was reported back in November last year that research
teams in Wisconsin and Japan had reprogrammed skin cells,
and that the cells had behaved like stem cells in a series
of lab tests. This new technique could lead to treatments
for diseases including Parkinson's and more developments
keep coming in.
Just last week, Harvard team of scientists said they had
reprogrammed skin cells from two elderly patients with ALS,
(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) a degenerative motor neuron
disease, and grew the reprogrammed skin cells into nerve
cells.
Now, scientists at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute in the
USA say they have created stems cells for 10 genetic
disorders, which will allow researchers to watch the
diseases develop in a lab dish and watch what goes right,
and wrong. This early step, using a new technique, could
help speed up efforts to find treatmentsfor some of the most
confounding ailments and was reported online Thursday in the
journal Cell.
Dr. George Daley and his colleagues used ordinary skin
cells and bone marrow from people with a variety of diseases,
including Parkinson's, Huntington's and Down syndrome to
produce the stem cells. Like the previous research, this
technique reprogrammed the cells, giving them the
chameleon-like qualities of embryonic stem cells, which
can morph into all kinds of tissue, such as heart, nerve
and brain. As with embryonic stem cells, the hope is to
speed medical research into the degenerative diseases for
which there are currently no good treatments and, more
importantly, no good animal models for the most part in
studying them.
WRITE AWAY THE WEIGHT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those of you who have ever been to one of my talks know
how important I think it is to have a daily writing habit.
Statistically, those who keep a daily journal have better
emotional and mental health and it has become a favourite
tool for self-help in hospitals and support groups. Now it
seems it can also help you to almost double your weight loss.
A recent study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine
reported on a 20 week study of 1,700 overweight or obese
men and women who went through a comprehensive regime weekly
group meetings, recommended daily reduction of 500 calories,
30 or more minutes of daily moderate intensity exercise,
following the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop
Hypertension), and daily journal entries of how much they
ate and how long they exercised. Generally, their average
weight loss was just under a stone, but the more that they
wrote in their journals, the more weight they lost - about
twice as much as those who did not maintain records.
The idea is a simple one: by keeping a simple food diary,
you realistically become more aware of how much you are
eating and that helps you take control of your diet.
It doesn't matter whether you record in a book, or a
computer - just make sure you enter every mouthful from
the one chocolate biscuit to the sensible salad you had
for lunch. Personally, I also think it helps to write a
'mood' section as well to show how your feel after
particular foods or whether a specific mood or habit
jogs you towards unhealthy eating. Whatever method
you choose, just be consistent with it and you will
soon see results.
MAGNETIC HELP FOR CANCER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any fans of the late Tommy Cooper out there? Well, a
new scientific development would certainly have caused
those famous eyebrows to wiggle. Instead of levitating
a human, scientists seem to have found a way to levitate
cancer cells. Magicians never reveal their tricks, but
scientists like to share, so before we cry Abracadabra,
just how is it done?
It's not done with mirrors, but with magnets apparently.
By binding magnetic nanoparticles (very tiny particles
of materials which can occur naturally, or be manufactured,
so that they are smaller than normal - usually sized
between 1 and 100 nanometers) to cancer cells. Researchers
at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the USA took
human ovarian cancer cells and made the cancerous cells
rise to the skin surface by simply passing a magnet over
them.
It may seem like magic, but the trick lies in the
nanoparticles. The particles are ten nanometers or less
in size and have traces of cobalt inside a ball of magnetite.
Those metallic pieces are attached to a protein that only
binds to a specific protein found on the surface of ovarian
cancer cells. The researchers injected the nanoparticles,
which also contained a colored dye, into mice with human
ovarian cancer cells. The nanoparticles circulated though
the mouse's body and attached themselves to the cancer cells.
Then the researchers applied a magnet to the stomach of the
mice and the cells rose and colored the skin of the mice.
The researchers focused on ovarian cancer initially because
of their previous research. However, they note that the
nanoparticles were originally developed to bind to viruses,
and depending on the protein being used, could also bind to
proteins on the surface of other cancer cells, bacteria,
and viruses.
It's not ready to use yet however, as before any potential
therapy can be applied to real human patients, the nanoparticles
will have to pass clinical trials. The Georgia Tech scientists
hope to begin two separate clinical trials within the year
and their method would be to bring the cancer cells to the
nanoparticles. By taking the blood and fluids out of the
body and running them through a machine the nanoparticles
would act like a filter, grabbing hold of any cancer cells
that pass next to them while the healthy fluids pass back
into the body. This way the nanoparticles never enter the
body, decreasing the chances of any adverse reaction.
The research could be used to identify and remove cancer
cells, as well as bacteria and viruses, as in principle
this technique could be applied to any pathogen that is
found in the blood stream according to John McDonald,
coauthor of the paper that appeared in the Journal of
the American Chemical Society.
ZAP THAT VERRUCA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In and out of swimming pools or public showers? An
unfortunateside effect can be the development of a
verruca, and if you don't want to wear jelly shoes -
or it's too late - then you might be interested in a
new product to treat the problem.
The ingredient most favoured for treating a verruca is
salicylic acid, but so far this is not been available in
an over the counter product that you can pop into the
chemist and buy for yourself. The next most favoured
method is to freeze it, also used for warts, and one
enterprising company has introduced a product called
Bazuka Sub-Zero which allows the user to see when the
foam applicator is frozen and direct the treatment
quickly and accurately on to the wart or verruca.
Why is this a breakthrough? Because some freezing
treatment formats are hard to target directly at the
verruca and wart and can cause damage to the surrounding
nerve endings as the freezing treatment hits other skin
areas. This is backed up by research taken from the
data of doctors and chiropodists, who expressed this
concern and said they had seen patients where damage,
especially to nerve endings, had occurred.
It's just one application, and it freezes the wart or
verruca to the core. After 10 days or so, the treated
wart or verruca will fall off revealing new skin that
has formed.
Apparently it is easy to use, allowing the user to
actually see when the applicator is clearly frozen and
ready to apply.
If you want to find it, apparently it is available from
pharmacies, Superdrug and Morrisons supermarkets and
costs £12.95.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do
remember I am not a doctor and cannot give you medical
advice, so please always take appropriate action by
consulting your own medical advisor if you have concerns
about any aspect of your health.
Please feel free to pass on any of this information to
your friends, or suggest they sign up for the newsletter
themselves at my website.
Best wishes for a healthier week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 6 August, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week there are a number of items relating to children;
both keeping them healthy, and keeping them safe from harm.
Plus some advice on diets for those who are looking forward
to their summer holidays!
May I wish you the best of good health - AnnA
In this issue:
- GINSENG SAFE FOR CHILDREN?
- MOBILE PHONES AND CHILDREN
- LOW FAT=LOW WEIGHT LOSS
- ROSE HIPS & ARTHRITIS
GINSENG SAFE FOR CHILDREN?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Previously ginseng has been highly recommended as an immune
system tonic, but mainly suitable for men and post menopausal
women. The Red Army famously uses ginseng to help with stamina
and endurance, but some new research seems to indicate that
it can also be used safely for short term use when treating
children with cold and flu symptoms.
Sunita Vohra, M.D., M.Sc., of the University of Alberta tested
an over-the-counter ginseng supplement and found it was well
tolerated in children without any serious adverse effects if
used just for treating common cold symptoms. As this is a
self-limiting illness the supplementwas only given for a short
period and presumably helped by stimulating the child's own
natural immune defences to be more effective in combating the
cold.
The effects of supplements on children has not much
been studied - nor indeed as I have previously reported have
the effects of drugs such as statins which are currently
being prescribed to them. As it is estimated that 41% to 45%
of children in Canada and the United States use natural health
products, then it seems about time a comprehensive study was
done.
George Rylance, a paediatrician at the Royal Victoria Infirmary,
Newcastle, who helps to produce the British National Formulary
for Children, said that dosages must be tailored for each child,
calculated by weight and age.
The standard adult dose of a ginseng supplement for treating a
cold is three times daily at 600 mg on day one, 400 mg on
day two, and 200 mg on day three. The dosage was adjusted
for children according to weight and their standard dose
26 mg/kg per day on day one, 17 mg/kg/day on day two, and
9 mg/kg/day on day three. Children weighing more than 45 kg
were given the standard adult dose. They received a liquid
form of ginseng which they were given in orange juice - not
sure if they added in any benefit from the vitamin C or not.
The result on safety over a short term was conclusive, it was
fine, and there was some indication that the ginseng was
effective in reducing the duration of the symptoms of the
cold. The maker of the ginseng product used in the study,
CV Technologies, plans to start a larger randomized efficacy
trial in children within the next year, as it seems to be
an effective treatment for upper respiratory tract infection.
MOBILE PHONES AND CHILDREN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There has been plenty of media coverage about the over use of
mobile phones, particularly in adults, and the potential health
hazards. It is the radiation emissions from the phones that
could place users at risk of brain conditions including
Alzheimer's disease, and they have also been linked to cellular
DNA
damage, and children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable.
Nor does the phone have to be switched on to cause a problem:
even
on standby mobile phones (and cordless phones) create a magnetic
field.
It was in 2005 that research by the Irish Doctors Environmental
Association (IDEA) first claimed to have found the first proof
of health problems caused by mobile phones. They estimated that
up to five per cent of the population could be suffering
headaches,
mood swings and hearing problems caused by radiation from
handsets.
At that time too, experts advising the Government warned that
children under eight should not be given mobile phones because
of the potential health risks.
Now news is in from Canada where the Toronto department of
public
health has announced that children under the age of eight should
not use a mobile, or cell, phone only in an emergency and young
teenagers should restrict their use to just 10 minutes a day.
Loren Vanderlinden, a health department supervisor and author of
the report, has said that new studies are starting to suggest
that
long-term mobile phone usage may increase the risk of brain
tumours,
and this goes much further than the more tentative position of
the UK health officials a few years ago when they also warned
parents not to let children use a mobile.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
It may be hard, if not impossible to wean a teenager from
their mobile phone or to restrict the time they are on it.
However, there are some options for reducing the radiation
that can help anyone who has prolonged use of a mobile.
First it might be helpful to know what are the symptoms of
over use:
** "Hot ear" effect / feel your brain is heated up
** Headache Fatigue / tiredness
** Nausea
** General discomfort
** Blurred vision
One of the ways to counteract the radiation is to have a
device attached to the phone to affect how cells
"receive / react" to wave radiations and usually this
is done through some form of magnet. There is a website
that offers Biophone and Bioguard - a unique technology
that they claim is scientifically proven and works with
a number of phones including Nokia, Sony Ericsson,
Motorola, Samsung, and others - so if you want to know
more visit them at http://www.biofona.co.uk and browse
through the site.
LOW FAT=LOW WEIGHT LOSS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was delighted to read last week about some research done
at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel that
shows that if you want to lose weight, forget eating a
low-fat diet. I have never been an advocate of low-fat
diets as they interfere with some of the body's most
essential functions: we need a certain amount of oils
and fats to help us absorb vitamins and nutrients, for
energy, as well as keeping our skin moisturised and supple.
Low-fat foods are believed by many to be helpful in
lowering cholesterol, but this is simply not the case.
Nor will they help you lose weight in a substantial way,
compared to other diets.
According to the report in the New England Journal of
Medicine, the researchers put 322 people who were moderately
obese on one of three weight-losing methods, and monitored
their progress for two years. The clear winner was the Atkins
low-carb diet as being the most effective way to lose weight,
and it is followed closely by a balanced Mediterranean diet.
A low-fat diet came in a poor third, and people who used it
lost around 40 per cent less weight than those who were on
the Atkins regime. The Atkins diet was also the most effective
for lowering the 'bad' HDL cholesterol, which fell by 20 per
cent over the two years.
BUT, and it's a big one, if you are thinking of undertaking
the Atkins diet please be aware that although it can generate
good weight loss quite quickly, it is not recommended for
long term use, and there are very good reasons for this.
It is based on a high intake of fat and protein with virtually
no carbohydrate intake or dairy. It's almost impossible to
follow the Atkin's plan if you're a vegetarian as nuts, seeds,
beans and many vegetables are banned in the early stages.
Unpleasant side effects can also occur, as burning fat results
in the production of substances called ketones as your body
enters a state called ketosis. This can result in bad breath,
tiredness, weakness, dizziness, insomnia and nausea.
Constipation
may also occur as a consequence of avoiding typically high-fibre
foods such as fruit, veg, beans, wholewheat pasta, brown rice,
wholegrain breakfast cereals and jacket potatoes.
When it comes to long-term side effects, many health
professionals are concerned that the Atkins diet may have
serious dangers. While the high intake of fat, particularly
saturates, may increase the risk of heart disease, there
are also concerns that the unbalanced nature of the Atkins
diet may lead to nutritional deficiencies, which cause health
problems in later life. For example, poor intakes of
bone-building
calcium (found in dairy products) may increase the risk of
osteoporosis, while poor intakes of antioxidant nutrients
(found in fruit and veg) have been linked with a host of
health problems ranging from heart disease and cancer to
premature ageing and cataracts. Some experts are also worried
that high intakes of protein may cause kidney problems or
weaken bones.
WHY DO IT?
The main advantage is that people can lose considerable
amounts of weight, really quite quickly and this can be
very motivating. The diet also encourages people to cut
out most processed carbs and alcohol, and thanks to it
allowing plenty of red meat and high-fat butter, cream,
cheese and mayonnaise, it's also the one diet that seems
to be attractive to men.
The concern over fats and heart disease made Atkins,
himself a cardiologist, revise the guidelines for fat
intakes to recommending that no more than 20 percent
of calories should come from saturates. However, this
is still twice as much the recommended amount for a
healthy heart.
As ever, read the facts and make up your own mind.
ROSE HIPS & ARTHRITIS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have mentioned the benefits of rosehips before, and now a
new study shows that it could be a more effective pain-reliever
than standard drugs for people with arthritis, a new study
suggests.
A powder form of the wild variety of rosehip, Rosa canina, is
better at relieving pain among osteoarthritis patients than
paracetamol and the nutritional supplement, glucosamine
according
to researchers from Frederiksberg Hospital in Copenhagen.
All three therapies were tested on a group of 300 patients,
who tested each in turn for three months. Overall, the
patients reported that the rosehip preparation was almost
three times more effective than paracetamol, and 40 per
cent better than glucosamine. Rosehip also didn't come
with the side effects associated with paracetamol,
including constipation and drowsiness. The researchers
concluded that rosehip is so effective because it also
reduces the inflammation in the joints, which is
characteristic of osteoarthritis.
If you want to try it, I did a quick Google search and
came up with two websites for you to look at - though
there are undoubtedly plenty more - and you might also
find it in your local health store. These are what I
came across: www.dennisthechemist.com and
www.JustVitamins.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do remember
I am not a doctor and cannot give you medical advice, so please
always take appropriate action by consulting your own medical
advisor if you have concerns about any aspect of your health.
Please feel free to pass on any of this information to your
friends, or suggest they sign up for the newsletter themselves
at my website.
Best wishes for a healthier week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
|
