Herbal Remedies and Complementary Therapies in the News

Zinc supplements 'can triple the survival chances of young children with pneumonia'

2012-02-10T19:02:00.002Z

Zinc supplements can triple the survival chances of young children with pneumonia who are deficient in the mineral, a study has found.
Taking zinc had a dramatic effect on death rates - even though it did not shorten the time severely ill children took to recover. The metal is found in shellfish, meat, egg yolks and seeds and supports a wide range of functions in the body and is vital to the immune system.
However, many people are deficient in the mineral, both in rich and poor countries. The new research, involving young children aged six months to five years, was conducted in Uganda where zinc deficiency is rife. Scientists studied 352 children with severe pneumonia who were all being treated with antibiotics.

Source - Daily Mail

Can yoga classes kill you?

2012-02-10T18:59:00.002Z

Downward dog for back pain, sun salutations for an energy boost - yoga has become the workout for a healthy mind and body, and is the exercise of choice for endless celebrities including Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. But is the ancient art form as healthy as we’d like to think?
On yesterday’s Today programme on Radio 4, New York Times science writer William Broad, the author of a controversial new book, The Science Of Yoga: The Risks And Rewards, asked whether yoga - when taught incorrectly - might actually have the potential to kill.
During his research Broad - who himself practised yoga for many years before getting injured doing it in 2007 - uncovered endless documented examples of injuries to backs and limbs such as strains, broken bones and trapped sciatic nerves. He also found to his ‘horror’ that while some poses were low risk others could have extremely serious consequences. These risks, he says, occur as a result of hyper-extension - over-stretching - of the head and neck.

Source - Daily Mail

An hour of tai chi twice a week helps people with Parkinson's disease to walk

2012-02-10T18:55:00.003Z

People with Parkinson's disease often suffer from shaking limbs and stiff muscles, which makes moving increasingly difficult.
Now scientists have found practising an ancient Chinese martial art could help both their balance and ability to walk. A team from the Oregon Research Institute assigned nearly 200 patients twice weekly sessions of 60 minutes each in either tai chi, resistance-training or stretching. Those who did the gentle martial art outperformed the stretching and resistance-training groups in tests of balance and length of stride when walking. Those in the tai chi group also experienced fewer falls than the stretchers, and just as many falls as the resistance-trainers.
'These results are clinically significant because they suggest that tai chi, a low-to-moderate impact exercise, may be used, as an add-on to current physical therapies, to address some of the key clinical problems in Parkinson's disease' said lead author Fuzhong Li.
'The improvements in the balance and gait measures that we demonstrated highlight the potential of tai chi-based movements in rehabilitating patients with these types of problems.'

Source - Daily Mail

How a potato can improve blood supply

2012-02-06T20:39:00.000Z

As temperatures plummeted over the weekend, I – and many others like me – had a tough decision to make: how high shall we turn up the heating? The answer affects not just my bank balance but, more importantly, my health.

I suffer from Raynaud’s phenomenon, in which the small blood vessels in the fingers and toes dramatically contract in response to cold. It’s not just outside temperatures that affect me: just stepping from a warm room into a chilly one can cause my fingers to turn from a healthy pink to an unnatural white and even, in a bad case, a ghastly blue. A few minutes of vigorous arm waving and physical jerks will bring the blood rushing back, but that return of feeling can be eye-wateringly painful.

This is no ordinary response to the cold. Raynaud’s, named after the French medic who first described it, is a debilitating syndrome that is thought to affect as many as 10 million people in the UK; I was diagnosed 10 years ago when I was 33. During an attack, the blood supply to fingers and toes (and sometimes ears and nose) is interrupted, causing not only vivid colour change but also numbness and discomfort. The cause of Raynaud’s is not known, but it may occur spontaneously without any other condition being present (primary Raynaud’s) or, less commonly, be associated with an underlying condition such as scleroderma, an autoimmune disorder affecting the skin (secondary Raynaud’s).

Source - Telegraph

Can sugar really be toxic? Sadly, yes

2012-02-06T20:35:00.003Z

By the time you have finished reading this sentence, one person in the world will have died from type 2 diabetes. Two more will have been newly diagnosed with it. Yet it is a condition that rarely excites or interests the public. It has a slow, insidious progression that is interlinked with obesity, and as a result this disease is considered an abstract, boring and largely self-inflicted condition. While it’s a killer, it’s not a killer in the dramatic and attention-grabbing way that other conditions such as cancer and infectious diseases can be. But given the huge personal and economic impact it has, we should be taking type 2 diabetes much more seriously.

According to a startling commentary in the journal Nature, by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, sugar poses such a health risk – contributing to around 35 million deaths globally each year – that it should now be considered a potentially toxic substance like alcohol and tobacco. Its link with the onset of diabetes is such that punitive regulations, such as a tax on all foods and drinks that contain ''added’’ sugar, are now warranted, the researchers say. They also recommend banning sales in or near schools, as well as placing age limits on the sale of such products.

Source - Telegraph

Green tea helps elderly stay more agile

2012-02-06T20:23:00.001Z

Elderly people who regularly drink green tea may stay more agile and independent than their peers as they age, according to a Japanese study.
Green tea is known to contain antioxidant chemicals that may help ward off the cell damage that can lead to disease. So researchers have been studying drink's effect on everything from cholesterol to the risk of certain cancers - with mixed results.
For this new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers decided to examine the question of whether green tea drinkers have a lower risk of frailty and disability as they grow older.
Yasutake Tomata of the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine and his colleagues followed nearly 14,000 adults aged 65 or older for three years. They found those who drank the most green tea were the least likely to develop 'functional disability', or problems with daily activities and basic needs, such as dressing or bathing.

Source - Daily Mail

Stinging Nettle is effective in treating BPH, arthritis, and aids post-partum mothers

2012-02-03T21:08:00.000Z

Many people can relate to the experience of brushing up against a stinging nettle plant in a pasture or meadow. The unforgettable chemical burn creates mean welts which can sting for a week. However, stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) has such healing capabilities that many of the newer green super-food manufacturers add it to their compounds. Nettle is high in vitamin A and C, and is chock full of minerals, especially calcium and iron. Research indicates that nettle is beneficial for benign prostate hyperplasia, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis. Midwives love stinging nettle as a pregnancy herb.

Stinging nettle heals benign prostatic hyperplasia in vitro

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or enlarged prostate, affects many older men. It is not cancer, but physicians sometimes recommend pharmaceuticals or surgery. Nettle has been clinically proven to reduce inflammation associated with enlarged prostates. Scientists used stinging nettle root extract in vitro in a 2007 clinical study. Researchers observed anti-inflammatory activity, a reduction in cell growth, and antiviral properties. They concluded that stinging nettle looks very promising for healing BPH. However, before nettles could be recommended as a part of mainstream medical protocol, more studies would have to be conducted.

Source - Natural news

Top 5 best herbs for treating the flu

2012-02-03T20:53:00.001Z

There are no known cures for the common flu but there are many natural flu remedies that are highly effective at easing flu symptoms and reducing the duration of the illness. Certain herbs have been used as natural flu remedies for generations and can provide both protection from the flu and relief of symptoms. Here are the top five anti-flu herbs to keep around.

Echinacea

Results of archeological digs indicate that Native Americans may have used echinacea (echinacea purpurea) for more than 400 years to treat infections, snake bites and wounds, as well as a general "cure-all."

Scientific research has shown that the herb can keep immune systems healthy and strong, protecting it from common pathogens like the influenza virus. Research shows that echinacea extract works against an enzyme called hyaluronidase that destroys the body's defenses against diseases. Studies also suggest that echinacea may be helpful in not only destroying viruses like certain strains of influenza but slowing tumor growth.

Source - Natural news

Omega-3 foods essential to treat nerve damage after traumatic injury

2012-02-03T20:50:00.000Z

People that have suffered a traumatic injury face an uphill battle as they attempt to regain their health and fight the risk of depression as a long term consequence of the event. British researchers from Queen Mary at the University of London have published the result of a study in the Journal of Neuroscience that explains how omega-3 fatty acids play a significant role in preventing and protecting nerves from injury. The research focused on peripheral nerve cells which transmit signals between the brain and the spinal cord to the rest of the body. Omega-3 fats from food sources including sardines, salmon, walnuts and flax seeds provide for decreased cell death from injury and may offer significant protection against future damage.

Current research indicates that our nerves do have a limited capacity to regenerate, but recovery is severely limited depending on the extent of the injury. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for the body's normal growth and development and have been well researched for their health benefits, largely focused on brain and heart health. The body is unable to manufacture its own Omega-3 fat supply, so it is necessary to obtain sufficient intake from foods such as oily fish, nuts and seeds or through supplementation.

Source - Natural news

Maple syrup compounds help fight diabetes, cancer

2012-02-03T20:45:00.000Z

Put down the corn syrup-laden Aunt Jemima and reach for some 100 percent pure maple syrup. New research recently presented at the 241st annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, Calif., highlights the amazing health benefits of maple syrup, including its ability to help treat diabetes and prevent the onset of cancer.

Navindra Seeram and her colleagues from the University of Rhode Island last year discovered that maple syrup contains 20 unique health-promoting compounds, 13 of which have never before been identified in maple syrup. And according to a release from United Press International, five of the compounds identified have never been previously identified in nature at all.

Source - Natural News

Why I'm off for some vitamin D

2012-02-03T20:38:00.000Z

Vitamin D is in the news again, and while the experts squabble over it, I'm off to buy myself some supplements. The chief medical officer for England has told GPs like me to advise those at risk to take supplements. And since half the adult population of the UK is lacking vitamin D in the winter months and deficiency is being linked to a growing list of health problems, I can't see a good reason not to take a small multivitamin a day – at least until the sun comes out. I'll stick to the recommended daily amount as you can have too much of a good thing, even vitamins.
Vitamin D is essential for bone growth and health, and deficiency can cause rickets in the young and a condition called chondromalacia in adults. You wouldn't think rickets still existed in the UK but it probably never went away and is increasingly recognised as a cause of fractures in susceptible children.

Source - Guardian

Complementary medicine courses in universities

2012-02-03T20:34:00.000Z

What would you think if your child went off to university to be taught that amethyst crystals “emit high yin energy”? Or that cancer can be cured by squirting coffee up the fundament? What if they were told in a lecture that the heart is not, as medical science has believed for centuries, a pump for circulating blood around the body but instead “the governor of our rational thought and behaviour”? Well, you’d probably want your tuition fees back for a start.

For more than a decade, “facts” such as these have been peddled by more than a dozen fully accredited, state-funded British universities: the above examples come from the University of Westminster and Edinburgh Napier University. Indeed, since the mid-1990s, such ideas have been presented and taught as if they were real medicine.

The teaching of “complementary” (that is, non-evidence-based) medicine is something about which scientists and rationalist campaign groups have been raising havoc for years. It may seem harmless and even a welcome alternative to traditional perspectives. But teaching people that homoeopathy is evidence-based when it isn’t, and encouraging students to distrust the scientific method, not only runs counter to reason, but can be dangerous.

Source - Telegraph

Cancer 'slowed by cooked tomatoes'

2012-02-03T20:29:00.002Z

Dr Mridula Chopra and colleagues at the University of Portsmouth tested the effect of the nutrient lycopene on the simple mechanism through which cancer cells hijack a body's healthy blood supply to grow and spread.

They found that lycopene, which is what gives tomatoes their red colour, intercepts cancer's ability to make the connections it needs to attach to a healthy blood supply. The researchers, from the university's School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, are now calling for tests to check if the same reaction occurs in the human body.

Director of the research Dr Chopra said: ''This simple chemical reaction was shown to occur at lycopene concentrations that can easily be achieved by eating processed tomatoes.''

Lycopene is present in all red fruits and vegetables, but its concentrations are highest in tomatoes and it becomes more readily available and biologically active when it comes from processed tomatoes with a small amount of cooking oil added.

Source - Telegraph

Experts warn herbal remedy butterbur can cause liver damage

2012-02-03T20:26:00.000Z

Most of us see herbal remedies as a safe way to medicate, with few side effects.
But if they contain an unlicensed ingredient called butterbur, they could cause serious liver damage or even organ failure, experts have warned.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has urged British herbal shops to remove products containing butterbur - also called Petasites hybridus - from their shelves.
Butterbur is normally used to treat migraines, but it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which studies have shown can cause serious liver damage and organ failure. Currently, no products containing the ingredient have been sanctioned for use in Britain under the Traditional Herbal Registration Scheme. Several other European countries have also banned it.
However, the MHRA said products containing butterbur are currently being marketed in the UK. And while no adverse reactions to it have been reported here, cases of liver toxicity have been reported elsewhere in Europe.

Source - Daily Mail

Sugar 'is toxic

2012-02-03T12:01:00.000Z

Sugar is a poison and its sale should be as tightly regulated as cigarettes and alcohol, scientists say.
They warn that sugary foods and drinks are responsible for illnesses including obesity, heart disease, cancer and liver problems. And they claim it contributes to 35million deaths a year worldwide and is so dangerous it should be controlled through taxation and legislation.
In an article entitled The Toxic TruthAbout Sugar, published in the journal Nature, the scientists add: ‘A little is not a problem but a lot kills – slowly.’ The U.S. authors warn obesity is now abigger problem than malnourishment across the world, and that sugar notonly makes people fat but also changes the body’s metabolism, raises blood pressure, throws hormones off balance and harms the liver.
The damage done mirrors the effects ofdrinking too much alcohol – which the scientists point out is made fromdistilling sugar.

Source - Daily Mail

Silver bullet for cancer

2012-02-03T11:53:00.000Z

Silver can kill some cancers as effectively as chemotherapy and with potentially fewer side effects, new research claims.
Scientists say that old wives tales about the precious metal being a ‘silver bullet’ to beat the Big C could be true.
The metal already has a wide range of medicinal uses and is a common antiseptic, antibiotic and means of purifying water in the third world. And British researchers now say that silver compounds are as effective at killing certain cancer cells as a leading chemotherapy drug, but with potentially far fewer side-effects.
They compared it to Cisplatin, currently used to treat a wide variety of cancers, but known to have harsh side effects including nausea, vomiting and even kidney damage.
Silver is used already in everyday products such as deodorant with no known side-effects, and could make for a potentially cheaper alternative to platinum-based Cisplatin.

Source - Daily Mail

Drinking lots of tea could cut your heart disease risk, study says

2012-01-30T14:33:00.000Z

Heart disease rates could be reduced by 10% if everyone took to drinking large amounts of tea, a study has suggested.
Researchers found sipping eight cups of black tea a day lowered blood pressure. They estimated that in the general population this would result in a 10% reduction in high blood pressure prevalence and a 7% to 10% reduction in the risk of heart disease.
A group of 95 men and women aged 35 to 75 were given three cups of powdered black tea solids each day for six months, or a flavour-matched non-tea “placebo” drink. Each tea drink contained 429 milligrams of polyphenols, plant chemicals that are said to have health benefits.
A regular cup of black leaf tea contains up to 150mg of polyphenols, so the total dose consumed by the volunteers was equivalent to 8.58 cups of tea a day. Participants had normal to high blood pressure readings at the start of the study.

Source - Mirror

Funding of alternative treatments questioned

2012-01-25T12:30:00.002Z

Thanks to a $374,000 taxpayer-funded grant, scientists now know that inhaling lemon and lavender scents doesn't do a lot for our ability to heal a wound. For $666,000 in federal research money, we can be certain that distant prayer cannot heal AIDS. Americans also paid $406,000 to learn that squirting brewed coffee into someone's intestines doesn't help treat pancreatic cancer and $1.25 million to discover that massage makes people with advanced cancer feel better.

These and other dubious investigations were funded by the government's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. NCCAM, a small, little-known branch of the National Institutes of Health, was launched a dozen years ago to study alternative treatments that are used by the public but are not accepted by mainstream medicine.

Since its birth, the center has spent $1.4 billion, most of it on research. Millions of those dollars have been used to fund studies with questionable grounding in science, according to a review of hundreds of NCCAM grants and other documents reviewed by the Chicago Tribune.

Source - Los Angeles Times

The end of illness?

2012-01-25T12:22:00.000Z

Take statins if you’re over 50, and baby Aspirin, too. Drop the vitamin supplements like they were a lit cigarette. Junk the juicer. If the vegetables at the supermarket aren’t today-fresh, opt for fresh frozen. Wear sensible shoes. Eat lunch and go to bed at the same time every day. Get your flu shot. Move around a lot, even when you aren’t exercising. Digitize your medical records, family history and genetic profile, and store this information on a USB stick. Carry it with you always. Share it, anonymously, with the world.
Think of yourself as a system: cancer is not something the body gets and health is not something it has—both are states, dynamic processes really, that the body undergoes. And your system is not the same as anyone else’s: the daily glass of red wine that does wonders for your friend may be killing you. Take note of the specific, unchanging details of your system. Is your ring finger longer than your index finger? That ups the risk of prostate cancer for a man, and of osteoarthritis for a woman. (No one knows quite why, but the marker is well-established.) Keep an eye on your more changeable fine points. Check your nails: yellowish hue bad (go for a diabetes check); white crescent at the base good (iron levels are sufficient). Check your ankles: indentation marks from your socks or loss of hair could mean circulatory problems and increased risk of blood clot.

Do all these things, which essentially add up to two commandments—cut down on daily sources of life-threatening inflammation and take an active part in your own health care—and you stand a very good chance of living to see the end of illness.

Source - Macleans

How yoga can help fight ageing aches

2012-01-25T12:10:00.000Z

Yoga has never been so fashionable, its benefits as a stress-buster and body toner advocated by celebrities from Madonna to Ricky Martin. And while it suits all ages – pre-schoolers are stretching and twisting on the mat, thanks in part to the BBC children’s series Waybuloo – it is especially good for older people.

In fact, Fenella Lindsell, a consultant on the CBeebies show and co-founder of the children’s yoga company Yoga Bugs (www.yogabugs.com), says her classes for the elderly are the highlight of her week.

Eight years ago, Lindsell, 48, began subsidised yoga sessions for older adults to increase their mobility and help reduce the aches and pains of ageing, following a request from her local GP’s surgery in Balham Park, south London.
At first, the classes attracted a slow stream of men and women. But now the three weekly sessions of gentle “Hatha flow” yoga – focusing on breath work, postures and relaxation – are packed.

The physical and emotional benefits appear remarkable. Judy Campbell, 70, has Sjogren Syndrome (an auto-immune disorder affecting her joints) and inflammatory lung disease. She believes that the yoga she has learnt in Lindsell’s class for the past eight years has strengthened her muscles and improved joint mobility, while the breathing techniques have increased her lung capacity and helped with tiredness and pain toleration. The classes calm her, too; they are “the most positive part of my week”, she says.

Source - Telegraph

Complementary medicine - does it work?

2012-01-25T12:01:00.002Z

“Quackish” degree courses, such as aromatherapy, reflexology and acupuncture, are being scrapped at many universities. Homoeopathy has been dropped altogether, due to declining student applications and campaigns by scientists against non-evidence based forms of medicine.

While many taxpayers will be pleased their money is no longer being spent teaching students the benefits of yin energy or any other subject for which there is no clinical evidence, the Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) insists the course closures are “very disappointing”.

“A significant number of people find complementary health therapies to be very helpful; it would be a shame if there were no trained practitioners to treat them,” says Maggy Wallace, chair of the CNHC. “It’s arrogant not to accept an individual’s opinion as evidence that a certain treatment has benefited them.”

In many respects I agree with her. Like almost all complementary health patients, I found my way to alternative therapies when prescription drugs had failed to work; in my case, several courses of antibiotics for a kidney infection.

Source - Telegraph

Dark chocolate isn't so healthy for you after all

2012-01-25T11:52:00.000Z

Chocoholics pounce on studies showing dark chocolate is good for your heart and contains procyanidins, which help to lower blood pressure.
But while dark chocolate is better than milk and white chocolate due to the antioxidants it contains, it’s also higher in calories and saturated fat.
For example, a 40g serving (4-7 squares) of chocolate that’s 85 per cent cocoa has 227 calories and 12g saturated fat (60 per cent of your daily limit), but the same amount of Dairy Milk has 210 calories and 7g saturated fat (37 per cent of your daily limit).
Get it right: Stick to no more than a square or two daily and tuck into Red Delicious apples as well.
One of these has the same amount of procyanidins as about 47g of dark chocolate. And you’ll save more than 150 calories.

Source - Daily Mail

Pomegranate seed oil 'no better than a placebo' at easing hot flushes

2012-01-25T11:49:00.000Z

Pomegranate seed oil is a popular alternative remedy for women seeking relief from menopausal symptoms.
It was thought that because it is rich in plant compounds called phytoestrogens, these would mimic estrogen in the body. However, the first clinical trial of the treatment has found that women taking the supplement twice a day for 12 weeks got no more relief than women taking a placebo pill containing sunflower oil.
'Like many herbal remedies, there's no clear evidence that it is effective at reducing menopause symptoms,' said Dr Silvina Levis, from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida.
Previous research has found that soy supplements and red clover extract, which also contain phytoestrogens, are not effective at reducing menopause symptoms like mood swings and hot flushes.
As many as 85 per cent of menopausal women experience the symptom many times a day - a sensation of heat, often accompanied by sweating, rapid heartbeat and anxiety, according to past studies.

Source - Daily Mail

Could magic mushrooms help the fight against depression?

2012-01-25T08:59:00.002Z

Magic mushrooms could one day be prescribed for depression after Professor David Nutt, the controversial sacked government drugs advisor, claimed research on healthy volunteers proved what a mistake it was to abandon therapeutic psychedelic drugs more than 50 years ago.

The first clinical trial into magic mushroom therapy could start by the end of the year after two small studies suggested the active chemical, psilocybin, had a profound affect on key regions of the brain.
Professor Nutt's team, at Imperial College London, hope to test the hallucinogen on depressed patients who have not benefited from antidepressants or behavioural therapy.
Psilocybin would be infused into their bloodstreams before a psychotherapy session, tailored to elicit positive memories. If funding is approved by the Medical Research Council it would represent a major step towards mainstream rehabilitation for such drugs since LSD was banned in 1966.

Source - Independent

Experts review vitamin D advice

2012-01-25T08:55:00.000Z

The chief medical officer for England, Dame Sally Davies, is to contact medical staff about concerns young children and some adults are not getting enough vitamin D.

Government guidelines recommend some groups, including the under-fives, should take a daily supplement. However, recent research found that many parents and health professionals were unaware of the advice.
There has been an increase in childhood rickets over the past 15 years.
According to Dr Benjamin Jacobs, from the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, links to heart disease and some cancers are also being investigated.The consultant paediatrician told BBC Breakfast that the hospital saw about one severe case a month of rickets - softening of bones through lack of vitamin D in childhood.

Source - BBC

Fried food 'fine for heart' if cooked with olive oil

2012-01-25T08:50:00.001Z

Eating fried food may not be bad for the heart, as long as you use olive or sunflower oil to make it, experts say.

They found no heightened risk of heart disease or premature death linked to food that had been cooked in this way.
But the investigators stress that their findings, from studying the typical Spanish diet in which these "healthy" oils are found in abundance, do not apply to lard or other cooking oils. So traditional fry ups should not be the order of the day, bmj.com reports.
Fat-laden
When food is fried it becomes more calorific because the food absorbs the fat of the oils. And experts know that eating lots of fat-laden food can raise blood pressure and cause high cholesterol, which are risk factors for heart disease. For the study, the researchers at the Autonomous University of Madrid surveyed 40,757 adults about their diet.

Source - BBC

Chomping on carrots and celery ‘could ward off colon cancer’

2012-01-23T20:00:00.002Z

Celery is known for its dietary properties, and carrots apparently help you to see in the dark... but they could also both hold the key to slowing the growth of colon cancer, researchers say.
They have found that luteolin - a flavanoid, or antioxidant, found in fruit and vegetables - can block cell signal pathways vital for the cancer's growth. Luteolin can also be found in olive oil, green peppers, thyme, chamomile tea, peppermint and rosemary. However, more research is needed to find how the compound could be developed into an effective anti-cancer agent.
Previous lab tests have revealed luteolin's antioxidant and anti-cancer properties, although further tests were less certain. But new research, published in BMC Gastroenterology, shows that the compound inhibits cell signalling pathways IGF and PI3K - both 'important for the growth of cancer in colon cancer cells'.

Source - Daily Mail

Nutrition therapists condemned as 'quacks'

2012-01-17T14:37:00.001Z

Nutrition therapists have been condemned as quacks and accused of putting the health of the sick – including those suffering from breast cancer – at risk.
An industry has grown up based on the concept that ‘food doctor’ nutritionists can cure patients’ ills and allergies through diet.
However at least some of the practitioners, who charge up to £80 for a consultation, are providing advice that could harm health, a study by the consumer watchdog Which? found.
The group sent undercover researchers to pose as patients with a range of problems and visit 15 so-called nutritional therapists. Which? said: ‘They found shocking examples of advice which could have put patients with real health problems at risk.’
All but one of the 15 offered either potentially dangerous or misleading advice. Six of the consultations were rated as ‘dangerous fails’ in terms of misinformation and bad advice. A further eight were rated as ‘fails’, and just one a ‘borderline pass’.

Source - Daily Mail

Daily dose of rosehip extract could help cut heart disease

2012-01-17T14:32:00.001Z

A daily dose of the herbal remedy rose hip could cut the risk of heart disease, new research shows.
Obese patients who consumed a drink made with rose hip powder every day for just six weeks saw their blood pressure and cholesterol levels drop significantly. The tiny berries, which sprout at the end of the rose-blooming season, have been used for centuries as a folk remedy for conditions like arthritis. They are packed with vitamin C and are thought to have powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
One study in 2007 showed patients with sore joints who took a rose hip capsule every day experienced a 40 per cent drop in pain levels and a 25 per cent improvement in mobility.
In the latest research, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists at Lund University in Sweden recruited 31 obese men and women to see if a daily concoction made with rose hip powder would reduce their risks of developing type two diabetes and heart disease.

Source - Daily Mail

More vitamin D a day could keep glasses away

2012-01-17T14:28:00.000Z

Boosting vitamin D intake could help to prevent age-related diseases, in particular loss of vision and blindness, a study said.

Middle-aged mice treated with the vitamin for six weeks had lower levels of a toxic protein linked to age-related macular degeneration, heart disease and Alzheimer's, it was reported in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. AMD is the leading cause of blindness among people over 50 in the developed world.
Lower levels of amyloid beta in the mice's eyes and blood vessels led to significant improvement in their vision. Vitamin D treatment also reduced numbers of cells called macrophages, which play a vital role in the immune system and can also trigger inflammation.

Source - Independent

Processed meat 'linked to pancreatic cancer'

2012-01-14T18:47:00.002Z

A link between eating processed meat, such as bacon or sausages, and pancreatic cancer has been suggested by researchers in Sweden.

They said eating an extra 50g of processed meat, approximately one sausage, every day would increase a person's risk by 19%. But the chance of developing the rare cancer remains low. The World Cancer Research Fund suggested the link may be down to obesity.
Eating red and processed meat has already been linked to bowel cancer. As a result the UK government recommended in 2011 that people eat no more than 70g a day.
Prof Susanna Larsson, who conducted the study at the Karolinska Institute, told the BBC that links to other cancers were "quite controversial". She added: "It is known that eating meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer, it's not so much known about other cancers."
The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, analysed data from 11 trials and 6,643 patients with pancreatic cancer.

Source - BBC

Health secrets of walnuts

2012-01-12T14:58:00.001Z

The festive season may be over, but there is at least one Christmas treat worth making a habit of eating throughout the year – walnuts. Scientists have discovered they are the healthiest nuts to eat as they are loaded with antioxidants.
Snacking on as few as seven a day could help ward off disease and lower cholesterol, they claim. Walnuts contain very high levels of polyphenol, an anti-oxidant which can protect the body from molecules which damage tissue.
Walnuts contained the most polyphenol out of a list of nine commonly eaten types of nuts, tests revealed. Brazil nuts and pistachios were close behind, and cashews and hazelnuts had slightly lower levels of antioxidants.

Source - Daily Mail

Traditional Chinese medicine 'makes fertility treatments more effective'

2012-01-10T17:17:00.003Z

Traditional Chinese medicine has long been used to ease pain and treat disease.
Now researchers have found it can also boost fertility if used in combination with fertility treatments.
A team led by Dr Shahar Levi-Ari from Tel Aviv University compared the success rates of couples using intrauterine insemination (IUI) both with and without Chinese herbal and acupuncture therapies. IUI involves a laboratory procedure to separate fast moving sperm from more sluggish sperm.
The fast moving sperm are then placed into the woman’s womb close to the time of ovulation when the egg is released from the ovary in the middle of the monthly cycle.
The results, which have been published in the Journal of Integrative Medicine, show a significant increase in fertility when the therapies are administered side-by-side.
When combining IUI with traditional treatments, 65.5 per cent of the test group were able to conceive, compared with 39.4 per cent of the control group, who received no herbal or acupuncture therapy.

Source - Daily Mail

Vitamin B and folic acid 'boosts memory in pensioners'

2012-01-10T17:11:00.000Z

Older adults who want a sharper recall should take note - a study has found taking vitamin B12 and folic acid for two years improves both short and long-term memory.
The benefits were modest but encouraging, said study author Janine Walker, a researcher at Australian National University.
'(Vitamins) may have an important role in promoting healthy ageing and mental wellbeing, as well as sustaining good cognitive functioning for longer on a community-wide scale,' Ms Walker said in an email.
The researchers asked more than 700 people aged 60 to 74 years to take a daily dose of folic acid and vitamin B12, or placebo pills that resembled the vitamins.

Source - Daily Mail

For Neck Pain, Chiropractic and Exercise Are Better Than Drugs

2012-01-05T12:11:00.000Z

Seeing a chiropractor or engaging in light exercise relieves neck pain more effectively than relying on pain medication, new research shows.
The new study is one of the few head-to-head comparisons of various treatments for neck pain, a problem that affects three quarters of Americans at some point in their lives but has no proven, first-line treatment. While many people seek out spinal manipulation by chiropractors, the evidence supporting its usefulness has been limited at best.
But the new research, published in The Annals of Internal Medicine found that chiropractic care or simple exercises done at home were better at reducing pain than taking medications like aspirin, ibuprofen or narcotics.
“These changes were diminished over time, but they were still present,” said Dr. Gert Bronfort, an author of the study and research professor at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Minnesota. “Even a year later, there were differences between the spinal manipulation and medication groups.”

Source - New York Times

Fish oil may hold key to leukaemia cure

2012-01-03T20:00:00.000Z

A compound produced from fish oil that appears to target leukemia stem cells could lead to a cure for the disease, according to Penn State researchers.
The statement follows research where mice with leukemia-causing cells who were treated with the fish oil component were completely cured of the disease - with no relapse.
The compound - named delta-12-protaglandin J3, or D12-PGJ3 - targeted and killed the stem cells of chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML. It is produced from an Omega-3 fatty acid found in fish and fish oil.
Sandeep Prabhu, associate professor of immunology and molecular toxicology in the Department of Veterinary and Medical Sciences at Penn State said: 'Research in the past on fatty acids has shown the health benefits of fatty acids on cardiovascular system and brain development, particularly in infants.
'But we have shown that some metabolites of Omega-3 have the ability to selectively kill the leukemia-causing stem cells in mice.'

Source - Daily Mail

Detoxing in January is futile, says liver charity

2012-01-01T18:18:00.000Z

Giving up alcohol or going on a detox for one month is pointless, especially after the excesses of the festive season, says a liver charity.

Instead, the British Liver Trust says drinkers should make a decision to stay off alcohol for a few days every week throughout the whole year. Experts agree that a short period of complete abstinence will not improve liver health. A longer-term attitude to alcohol is more desirable, the charity said.
Andrew Langford, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said that people tend to believe the hype about rejuvenating their liver by detoxing in January.
"People think they're virtuous with their health by embarking on a liver detox each January with the belief that they are cleansing their liver of excess following the festive break.

Source - BBC

Alzheimer's: Diet 'can stop brain shrinking'

2011-12-30T12:59:00.002Z

A diet rich in vitamins and fish may protect the brain from ageing while junk food has the opposite effect, research suggests.

Elderly people with high blood levels of vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids had less brain shrinkage and better mental performance, a Neurology study found.
Trans fats found in fast foods were linked to lower scores in tests and more shrinkage typical of Alzheimer's.
A UK medical charity has called for more work into diet and dementia risk.
The best current advice is to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, not smoke, take regular exercise and keep blood pressure and cholesterol in check, said Alzheimer's Research UK.

Source - BBC

Cantaloupes and concussions

2011-12-26T13:05:00.001Z

Hard to believe just a year ago we thought mammograms were good for us, cantaloupes could not be bad and concussions were just the human cost of doing business in hockey. Change is the name of the game in health: Cellphones are bad, then they’re not, then they are. While health debates continue on a number of fronts, here are my picks of the top stories of 2011.
*Mammography: More harm than good. Canadian guidelines released a few months ago from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care suggest against routine mammography for women of average risk who are aged 40 to 49 and extending time between screens for older women. The reason? Potential harm from over-diagnosis and unnecessary treatment. A British study suggested the same, while in the U.S., radiologists backed routine mammograms. A few weeks ago, a Dutch study weighed in noting mammograms cut the risk of breast cancer death by half. The debate, while tops in health news, is confusing and unhelpful.
*Tainted cantaloupes. Until this summer, cantaloupes were a favourite healthy food. But the tainted ones from a U.S. grower set a record as the deadliest food outbreak in over a decade with 30 deaths. Traffic on consumer websites was heavy as we ramped up our awareness of listeria and other food-borne illnesses. Recently, an alert about the dangers of E. coli in raw cookie dough -- a study published in the Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases found 94% of participants who consumed it got sick.
*Cellphones and brain cancer. The World Health Organization has opened the “yes they do/no they don’t” debate once more with its announcement in May that cellphone radiation may cause cancer. While a series of Swedish studies showed a connection, the WHO announcement was based on a review by 31 scientists from 14 countries. Risk is highest in children and adolescents. Teach your kids to text!

Source - Macleans

Just a spoonful of malt extract could banish winter sniffles

2011-12-26T12:54:00.000Z

Aah! That delectable smell of malt extract: all sugar and yeast and… umm, fish livers.

As I hold the tablespoonful of sweet, treacly gloop in front of me, it takes me back to my happy childhood: my mother standing before her three small daughters, bottle of Radio Malt (as it was branded) in one hand, large spoon in the other, cajoling us into swallowing the magic elixir, which was supposed to ward off colds and winter illness while building up our weakling bodies. But it hasn’t been widely seen for decades.

The gloop is a product of the brewing industry, derived from barley grains. Malt extract is packed full of sugars and some nutrients, including vitamin A and riboflavin. Though now mainly used in flavoured drinks and confectionery, after the war it was popular as a cheap dietary supplement for a generation of undernourished children who needed a high carbohydrate feed as well as more vitamins. Back then, its rich, sweet flavour was often combined with unpalatable but nutritious cod liver oil which, with high vitamin D levels, could protect against rickets. Small wonder that in The House at Pooh Corner, Kanga gave Roo and Tigger malt extract as a “strengthening medicine”.

Source - Telegraph

Acupuncture really can reduce stress levelst

2011-12-22T10:13:00.000Z

Acupuncture really does reduce stress levels, say scientists.
In the first study of its kind, a team found the ancient Chinese therapy reduces levels of a protein linked to chronic stress. Although the research was carried out on rats, researchers say it might help explain the sense of well-being many people receive from the therapy. If their findings are replicated in human studies, it could offer a proven treatment for stress.
The U.S. study tested the effect of acupuncture on blood levels of the protein neuropeptide Y (NPY), which is secreted by the sympathetic nervous system in humans.
This system is involved in the ‘flight or fight’ response to acute stress, resulting in constriction of blood flow to all parts of the body except to the heart, lungs and brain (the organs most needed to react to danger).
Chronic stress, however, can cause elevated blood pressure and cardiac disease.

Source - Daily Mail

Mediterranean diet helps you live longer

2011-12-22T10:09:00.002Z

Ever since the 1950s, studies have found a Mediterranean diet, packed with vegetables, fish and olive oil, can improve health.
Now a study from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden suggests even older people who stick to the diet can increase their life expectancy by upto three years. Scientists studied thousands of 70-year-olds in the Gothenburg region over 40 years as part of their 'H70' study.
They found those who eat a Mediterranean diet have a 20 per cent higher chance of living longer than those who consume a diet heavy in animal-based products such as meat and milk.

'This means in practice that older people who eat a Mediterranean diet live an estimated two to three years longer than those who don’t', says Gianluca Tognon, from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.
The diet traditionally favoured by natives of countries such as Greece, Spain and Italy is high in unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants. It includes plenty of vegetables, olive oil, fruit, nuts, fish and whole grains and is low in meat and alcohol.

Source - Daily Mail

Horseback physio gives new poise to disabled

2011-12-20T17:54:00.000Z

On a chilly winter’s afternoon in the Essex countryside, eight-year-old Esha Ilyas sits astride her beloved horse Blaze, but not in the usual fashion: she is facing the cob’s hindquarters as he is led around the paddock, with her arms stretched high above her head.

Minutes later, without saddle or stirrups, she is holding other equally unorthodox positions: sitting sideways, with arms held out in front; lying flat on the horse’s back; sitting up straight with arms outstretched. It’s as unnerving as watching acrobats at the circus. In fact Esha is having hippotherapy, a little known treatment for profoundly disabled children which appears to be having some stunning results.

Half an hour later, with help, she dismounts, grinning broadly. “I feel fine after that,” she says.

Watching her on Blaze, it’s hard to believe that Esha has cerebral palsy, diagnosed when she was 18 months old. The condition, usually caused by brain injury during pregnancy or birth, means that some of her muscles – particularly those in her legs – are excessively tight, which prevents the full range of movement; while weakness in other muscles that normally maintain posture means she has had problems holding herself upright.

Source - Telegraph

Maggots clean wounds faster than surgeons

2011-12-20T17:49:00.000Z

Maggots may trump scalpels when it comes to cleaning large wounds that won't heal easily, such as those seen in diabetics, according to French researchers.
To allow such wounds to heal, doctors usually remove infected or dead tissue with scalpels or enzymes, a process they call debridement. But that method is time-consuming and doesn't always work. Studies have suggested maggots might be helpful, potentially offering antibacterial and healing benefits in addition to keeping the wound clean - although not all researchers are convinced insects are the way to go.
The new study was carried out in patients with so-called venous ulcers on their legs. During a two-week hospital stay, they were randomly assigned to either maggot therapy or traditional wound cleaning with a scalpel, with just over 50 patients in each group. Both groups of patients were blindfolded so they wouldn't know which treatment they received.
The sterile creepy-crawlies, of the species Lucilia sericata, came in little bags that were placed over the wounds twice a week. Maggots secrete substances into the wounds that liquefy dead tissue and then they ingest the material to further degrade it in their guts.
There was no difference in pain or crawling sensations between the two groups, according to Dr Anne Dompmartin of Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Caen and colleagues. Their findings appear in the Archives of Dermatology.

Source - Daily Mail

Tai chi 'can help prevent falls'

2011-12-17T13:00:00.002Z

Elderly people whose eyesight is failing can improve their balance and avoid dangerous falls by practising tai chi, according to a study.
Experts say the gentle martial art builds strength and also improves balance control, reducing the chances of life-threatening falls among old people with poor eyesight.
Researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University set up a four-month programme for 40 people aged over 70 living in care homes. The volunteers had three 90-minute tai chi sessions a week. Each session was designed to help volunteers practise shifting their weight gradually, rotate their heads and torsos and become more aware of their limbs, thus improving their co-ordination.

Source - Daiy Mail

Irregular movement

2011-12-15T19:29:00.001Z

They might not be able to save the continent’s economy, but the men of Brussels are finding ways to keep busy. For example, they have decided that since the laxative effect of prunes cannot be proved beyond doubt, they cannot be promoted as an aid to regularity. This has angered Sir Graham Watson, a Liberal Democrat MEP, so much that he has challenged the relevant European Commissioner to a prune-eating contest – hoping, perhaps, that gut feeling will trump scientific dogma.

Far be it for us to contradict the European Food Safety Authority – the same body that recently ruled that water did not prevent dehydration – but prunes deserve a break. They have already suffered the indignity of being rebranded as “dried plums”; refusing to ratify their medicinal benefits is an insult too far. No wonder Sir Graham is in a stew.

Source - Telegraph

The great detox deception

2011-12-13T16:44:00.000Z

Gulping pints of maple syrup mixed with chilli peppers, having enemas, being sucked by leeches or getting wrapped in cling film until your body overheats...
All of these so called ‘detoxes’ are undertaken every year by millions of women in the pursuit of good health and beauty. The treatments promise to cure a range of vague ailments, such as tiredness, headaches, bloating, back pain and skin problems, by cleansing your body’s blood and organs of a welter of accumulated ‘toxic’ chemicals.
Now a leading British expert has issued a festive warning for anyone hoping to purge themselves of so-called toxins after an indulgent Christmas break: detoxing simply does not work, says David Bender, a professor of nutritional biochemistry at University College London. At best, it is pointless — and at worst, highly dangerous.
The professor also points out, in this month’s edition of the British Society of Biology’s journal, The Biologist, that we have an excellent system for getting rid of potentially harmful substances — it is called the human body.

Source - Daily Mail

It Could Be Old Age, or It Could Be Low B12

2011-12-10T21:16:00.001Z

Ilsa Katz was 85 when her daughter, Vivian Atkins, first noticed that her mother was becoming increasingly confused.
“She couldn’t remember names, where she’d been or what she’d done that day,” Ms. Atkins recalled in an interview. “Initially, I was not too worried. I thought it was part of normal ageing. But over time, the confusion and memory problems became more severe and more frequent.”
Her mother couldn’t remember the names of close relatives or what day it was. She thought she was going to work or needed to go downtown, which she never did. And she was often agitated.
A workup at a memory clinic resulted in a diagnosis of early Alzheimer’s disease, and Ms. Katz was prescribed Aricept, which Ms. Atkins said seemed to make matters worse. But the clinic also tested Ms. Katz’s blood level of vitamin B12. It was well below normal, and her doctor thought that could be contributing to her symptoms. Weekly B12 injections were begun. “Soon afterward, she became less agitated, less confused and her memory was much better,” said Ms. Atkins. “I felt I had my mother back, and she feels a lot better, too.”
Now 87, Ms. Katz still lives alone in Manhattan and feels well enough to refuse outside assistance.

Source - New York Times

Middle-aged women warned against buying unlicensed herbal menopause treatment

2011-12-10T21:07:00.001Z

People are being warned against buying a potentially dangerous herbal product for treating symptoms of the menopause.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a safety notice over FSC (Food Supplement Company) Black Cohosh 1000mg capsules.
The MHRA said the pills - an unlicensed herbal remedy - contain 50 times the approved dose for treating menopausal symptoms and do not have the necessary authorisation as a medicine.
It has asked the manufacturer to remove the product from the market after experts also found it carried poor labelling relating to safety information and side effects. The pills can currently be bought in health food shops and online.
According to MHRA figures, 50 reports of suspected adverse reactions linked to various unlicensed black cohosh products have been received since 1998. They have included some people suffering jaundice, liver problems and hepatitis.

Source - Daily Mail

Acupuncture offers an alternative, gentle form of medicine

2011-12-06T18:53:00.001Z

The room is darkened, and flute music plays softly. Then I barely feel the first stick.
Acupuncture needles are very tiny, just the thickness of a few hairs — not at all the vast implement some people think of when they envision acupuncture.
By the third stick, I feel an overwhelming desire to close my eyes. A fourth stick, and I am left alone — just me, the needles and the low hum of Southland Drive traffic outside. Fifteen minutes later, my eyes open and the perpetual knot between my shoulders has untangled.
Before this very minor acupuncture experience, Kathleen Fluhart read the pulses corresponding to various organs and body systems on each arm. She read the pulses before and after the treatment by gently pressing various points around the wrist and lower arm.
For those undergoing a full acupuncture treatment, the experience might involve several treatments with the one-use, variable-size needles — one size for digestive problems, say, one for pain and one "seasonal" treatment, which is a sort of tune-up for all body systems that Fluhart recommends that patients receive five times a year.

Source - Kentucky.com

Young women 'could reduce their heart disease risk by 90 per cent by eating fish once a week'

2011-12-06T18:11:00.001Z

Young women who regularly eat oily fish are less prone to heart disease say scientists.
A groundbreaking study has found that a fish-rich diet could cut the risk of heart attack and stroke by 90 per cent.
Traditionally findings have highlighted the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, found in salmon, mackerel and sardines for men. However it is now believed because of gender differences fish oil might be even more beneficial for women of a child-bearing age, boosting blood pressure, cardiac and blood vessel function.
Lead researcher Dr Marin Strom, from the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen said: 'Our study shows that for younger women, eating fish is very important for overall health.'

Source - Daily Mail

Could a simple pill costing 30p a day be the answer to getting pregnant?

2011-12-03T21:38:00.001Z

A 30p multi-vitamin pill could more than double a woman’s chance of having a baby, according to a study.
It found that 60 per cent of those taking the supplements while undergoing IVF became pregnant compared to just a quarter who did not take them. Researchers say the pills contain nutrients that may boost fertility such as vitamins A, C and E, zinc and selenium, that are often absent from our diets.
The study carried out at University College London involved 56 women aged 18 to 40, who had all tried unsuccessfully to fall pregnant using IVF for at least a year. Half were given a multi-nutrient pill to take every day and the other half given folic acid pills to take daily.
The micronutrient pill also contained folic acid which prevents birth defects and has also been shown to help boost fertility.

Source - Daily Mail

A puzzle a day really can keep dementia away

2011-12-01T12:06:00.001Z

Just two hours a day spent keeping the mind and body busy is as effective at warding off dementia as drug treatment, research reveals.
Simple activities such as gardening, doing crosswords or sudoku, making snacks and singing helps keep the brain healthy, and even slow the course of dementia in sufferers already diagnosed with the condition. It confirms longstanding theories that keeping the brain active helps keep it healthy.
Researchers in Bavaria trialled a two-hour therapy session, called MAKS, in nursing homes for six days a week for a year. Sessions began with a 10-minute 'spiritual' introduction, in which the 98 participants discussed topics such as 'happiness', or sang a song or hymn.

Source - Daily Mail

Little pill, big trouble

2011-11-30T10:40:00.001Z

Over and over again, the doctor told her she was being silly. But Gemma knew there was something wrong. She’d fall asleep on the sofa and couldn’t be woken. She’d see strange shapes and colours. She was having difficulties remembering things in the office. And yet every time she saw the doctor, he would say the same thing: you’re just a young girl, panicking.

Eventually, they found tumours on her brain, and they grew and spread. They tried chemotherapy. She felt sick. She gained four stone in four weeks. Her hair fell out over one weekend. She had to lift her eyelids with her finger to see. She had a wheelchair, a stick. Her bowels stopped moving. Her sight was so bad she couldn’t watch television or read. So she just lay there.

Then, in October 1995, the oncologist visited her hospital bed. “These are your options,” he said. “You can stay here, you can go to a hospice or you can go home.” Gemma was groggy; confused. She thought, well, let me think: sick people go to hospital, dying people go to a hospice, fit people go home.

“I’ll take home.” “Well,” said the doctor. “You’ve got those little pills and you’ve got Him up there. Make sure you have a happy Christmas.” It took Gemma a while to realise that this was her doctor’s way of telling her the cancer was, in fact, terminal.

Despite her dark prognosis, she carried on taking the “little pills” her oncologist had mentioned with a gently patronising smile. They’d been given to her by a homeopath recommended by her sister-in-law – she went out of politeness, really. But the more she took, the better she felt. At Christmas, her eyelids opened up. Her sight returned. A year later, she saw her oncologist. He wrote in his notes: “Gemma has made a remarkable recovery. Her case will remain a mystery.” But it wasn’t a mystery to Gemma, who has been telling me her story in the front room of her modest Sutton Coldfield house over the past hour. Gemma Hoefkens believes those little homeopathic pills had not only saved her life but changed it. She’s now a practising homeopathist who claims not to have been to the doctor for years.

Source - Telegraph

Why fish is good for your brain

2011-11-30T10:33:00.001Z

Eating oily fish such as salmon and trout can significantly improve your memory say scientists.
A new study found that a fatty acid found in fish and seafood can boost memory function by 15 per cent. Scientists are now highlighting the importance of a fish-rich diet for maintaining optimal brain health and preventing the onset of dementia.
Over a six month period 176 healthy adults were given supplements containing DHA - an Omega-3 fatty acid found in foods such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout, prawns and mussels. During this time memory and cognitive function were assessed and compared to a placebo group. After treatment, memory, working memory and speed of working memory all showed significant improvements.
It is believed that DHA could be key in preventing Alzheimer's disease, one of the most common forms of dementia, characterised by a decline in mental abilities, such as memory and reasoning and often associated with increasing age.
Lead researcher Professor Welma Stonehouse of Massey University in New Zealand said: 'This is the first robust study to show that a DHA-richsupplement can improve some aspects of memory functioning in young healthy adults.'

Source - Independent

Scientists question if wi-fi laptops can damage sperm

2011-11-30T10:26:00.001Z

Scientists are questioning if using wi-fi on a laptop to roam the internet could harm a man's fertility, after lab work suggested ejaculated sperm were significantly damaged after only four hours of exposure.

The benchside tests showed sperm were less able to swim and had changes in the genetic code that they carry.
Experts stress this does not mean the same would occur in a real-life setting and say men should not worry unduly. But they are recommending more studies.
The preliminary research, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, looked at semen samples from 29 healthy donors. Each donor sample was separated out into two pots. One of these pots was then stored for four hours next to a laptop that was wirelessly connected to the internet. The other was stored under identical conditions, minus the laptop.
The scientists, from Argentina and the US, suspect that the effect seen is unrelated to the heat kicked out by a laptop, although heat can damage sperm.

Source - BBC

Probiotic drinks that tame irritable bowels

2011-11-29T08:47:00.001Z

For the first time in three years, Lynette McMeekin is looking forward to her staff Christmas party.
Previously, the nurse from Newcastle has declined the invitation — bloating and pain caused by her irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) made the idea of socialising unthinkable.
‘It left me feeling so bloated and exhausted that all I could manage was to go to work, do the odd bit of shopping and come home,’ says Lynette, 53, who has an adult son. ‘And I was so bloated that when I was at work I often felt embarrassed even walking across the ward.’
Around one in five people in Britain are affected by IBS, thought to be caused by a sensitive gut. But Lynette’s symptoms were eased by a new drink containing ‘friendly’ bacteria, suggested to her by a colleague.
‘My attitude was “Not another probiotic!”, but I decided to give it a go,’ says Lynette. After a few months the bloating and discomfort have gone. The drink she tried has just been the subject of a large British trial — one of the first to show convincingly that probiotics can make a difference to health.

Source - Daily Mail

Dreaming 'eases painful memories’

2011-11-24T10:38:00.001Z

Scientists have used scans to shed more light on how the brain deals with the memory of unpleasant or traumatic events during sleep.

The University of California, Berkeley team showed emotional images to volunteers, then scanned them several hours later as they saw them again.
Those allowed to sleep in between showed less activity in the areas of the brain linked to emotion. Instead, the part of the brain linked to rational thought was more active.
The study, published in the journal Current Biology, said it showed the links between dreams and memory.
Most people have to deal with traumatic events at some point in their lives, and, for some, these can produce post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), leaving them emotionally disturbed long after the event itself.

Source - BBC

Meditation really is good for the brain

2011-11-22T13:40:00.001Z

Meditation could help temper the symptoms of ADHD and Alzheimer's scientists say.
A groundbreaking study has revealed that the ancient relaxation technique can switch off areas of the brain associated with a range of psychiatric disorders.
It is now hoped that the findings will shed light on how neurological diseases work and prompt the development of effective treatment.
Past research has shown meditation, which has become increasingly popular over recent years, has helped people quit smoking, cope with cancer, and even prevent psoriasis.
But scientists at Yale University now believe it can help people to stay focused and boost happiness, slowing down the onset of dementia.
Lead researcher Judson Brewer said: 'Meditation's ability to help people stay in the moment has been part of philosophical and contemplative practices for thousands of years. Conversely, the hallmarks of many forms of mental illness is a preoccupation with one's own thoughts, a condition meditation seems to affect.'

Source - Daily Mail

Training your brain to be happy... the key to a longer life

2011-11-22T13:38:00.001Z

Is there a person on the planet who doesn’t want to be happy? Probably not. After all, happiness makes life more pleasant. And studies show that contented humans live longer than miserable ones, and are less inclined to turn to crime and much more likely to form relationships.
Happiness is a hot topic. Various governments, including our own, are bent on measuring it. This is because they’ve woken up to scientific claims that happy adults are more productive – and are therefore good for the economy.
But isn’t it unnatural to be happy all the time? As one of my depressed clients recently asked: ‘Aren’t I entitled to be sad if I want to be?’
Of course, in her case her illness meant that, at first, she was very resistant to treatment – psychotherapy takes hard work and some tough self-examination. But it did make me think: should we just accept unhappiness as a natural state of being?
The answer is no. True happiness is not about being perpetually chirpy. But neither does it have much to do with the momentary ecstasy we might feel when our team scores a goal, or we make an impulse buy of some lovely shoes.
It’s about a deeper sense of contentment and, and about valuing ourselves, and others. It’s also about looking for positives in situations, and feeling confident that we have the resilience to deal with life’s reverses. And this, I believe, is achievable for all.

Source - Daily Mail

Antibiotics can't cure colds – but a placebo may

2011-11-21T09:14:00.001Z

The news that doctors are under pressure to prescribe antibiotics for colds and flu offers a tremendous opportunity to make complementary medicine work for us all. The Health Protection Agency has just released a survey showing that antibiotics are overprescribed because the public believes they will cure colds and flu.
The problem with antibiotics for colds and flu is not just that they don't work. If that were all, they would be only a waste of money. But the long-term danger is that they will spread antibiotic resistance, which really would kill very large numbers of people. The spread of organisms like MSRA in inadequately cleaned hospitals could lead us back to the state that prevailed for most of history, where a hospital was where you went to die, not to get well. A European report reckons that antibiotic resistance could soon cost €1.5bn to combat.
The view we have today that medicine works the way that magic ought to is pretty new. The expectation that doctors will cure us has only really taken root in the last 50 years, and although it is often wonderfully well-justified, it brings its own problems. A huge amount of any GP's time is taken up with people who are unhappy and perhaps unwell, but for whom no medicine exists.

Source - Guardian

An apple or a few vitamin pills a day?

2011-11-21T09:05:00.001Z

Every day I do something that, among my medical colleagues, would raise a few eyebrows. I bet lots of you do it, too. Each morning, I take a fistful of supplements. It started off innocently enough – a multivitamin while I was recovering from flu a few years ago. More recently, I noticed a funny creaking sound in the vicinity of my knees. Imagining my future life in a wheelchair (despite the reassurance of a rheumatologist friend), I started on the cod liver oil capsules. After that, it was the slippery slope to ginseng, then vitamin B complex, and garlic. And, of course, where would I be without my echinacea? In bed, nursing a life-threatening cold, no doubt.

The scientific evidence would suggest that as I eat a (fairly) balanced diet and I’m not infirm, pregnant or alcoholic, there is absolutely no need for me to take any form of nutritional supplement. Countless studies have shown that they make absolutely no difference, except to your wallet.

In addition, there is evidence emerging that excessive quantities of supplements can, in fact, do harm. Last week, we were told that high levels of vitamin D – which many post-menopausal women take with calcium to fend off osteoporosis – may increase the risk of a heart condition, atrial fibrillation, by two‑and-a-half times. This got me thinking about the nation’s penchant for pill-popping. That we need vitamins and minerals is not in dispute. That we need them from a bottle is what scientists would challenge.

Source - Telegraph

Honey: The 'bee penicillin' that could even beat MRSA

2011-11-21T08:59:00.001Z

It is often hailed as a natural, healthy sweetener – but in most cases, honey bought from supermarkets today is simply sugar syrup with no nutritional value at all. To reap the true benefits of what was dubbed ‘the food of the gods’ by the Ancient Greeks, you have to look for the raw variety.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Perfectly clear honey has usually undergone a process of ultrafiltration and pasteurisation, which involves heating and passing it through a fine mesh, to ensure it remains runny at any temperature. This strips away many of the unique chemicals and compounds that make it a nutritious and healing health food.
There is no law that requires a beekeeper or factory to specify whether the honey is raw. Non-EU honeys are often treated with the antibiotic chloramphenicol, a substance that can be dangerous to pregnant mothers. Chinese honey was banned from being imported to EU member countries in 2002 for precisely this reason.

Source - Daily Mail

Sea salt health claims 'flawed'

2011-11-17T09:45:00.001Z

Rock and sea salt is no different to ordinary table salt, despite claims it is natural and more healthy, say consumer groups.

Research for Which? and Consensus Action on Salt and Health found no difference in chemical content between regular salt and costly gourmet brands. Manufacturers dispute the report saying it does not give the full picture.
Most UK adults eat too much salt, far above the recommended guideline of about a teaspoon a day. Eating a diet high in salt is linked with high blood pressure, a risk factor for stroke, heart failure and heart disease.
The research analysed the chemical content of several gourmet brands of sea and rock salt, and compared this with ordinary table salt.

Source - BBC

Mirror trick could ease arthritis

2011-11-15T10:00:00.001Z

A simple trick makes it appear as if the sufferer's arthritic joints has been replaced by healthier ones, causing the brain to believe it is less stiff and painful.

The technique, which has also been used to help amputees overcome "phantom limb" pain, could help millions of sufferers relieve the symptoms of arthritis without the need for more drugs.

In a small study, researchers from the University of California in San Diego helped eight patients reduce their pain by an average of one-and-a-half points on a ten-point scale after just a minute of treatment.

The results, announced at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington DC, have not been peer-reviewed but could provide a simple alternative to steroids or painkillers. Treating a patient with arthritis in their right hand, the researchers asked them to place it on a table and blocked it from view using an upright mirror.

Source - Telegraph

How magnets can help the body fight off prostate cancer

2011-11-09T14:51:00.000Z

A prostate cancer treatment that uses a magnetic force to help the body's own cells kill tumours is being developed by scientists.

They say it would be particularly effective for the most advanced forms of the disease for which there are few drugs available.

Unlike chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the treatment can kill cancerous cells without harming healthy tissue – which is what causes side effects such as extreme tiredness, nausea and hair loss.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men. There are around 37,000 new cases a year and 10,700 deaths. But there are few treatments for patients in the most advanced stages and the currently available drugs will only extend life for a few extra months.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield are developing a treatment that uses magnetic particles to help the body's white blood cells kill tumours.

Source - Daily Mail

Parkinson's disease symptoms 'can be improved by teaching patients to regulate their brains'

2011-11-09T14:45:00.002Z

Patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease may be able to improve their symptoms by learning to regulate their brains, a study suggests.
A group of five patients were able to increase their motor speed by monitoring magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of their own brain activity as they carried out a finger-tapping task. After a time, they had learned to alter activity in specific parts of the brain affected by Parkinson's. Similar biofeedback techniques have previously been used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and combat chronic pain.
Study leader Professor David Linden, from the University of Cardiff, said: 'This is the first time that this neurofeedback technique has been used with patients with Parkinson's disease.
'Self-regulation of brain activity in humans based on real-time feedback is emerging as a powerful technique. In this study, we assessed whether patients with Parkinson's disease are able to alter their brain activity to improve their motor function. We found that the five patients who received neurofeedback were able to increase activity in brain networks important for movements and that this intervention resulted in an overall improvement in motor speed - in this case, finger tapping.'

Source - Daily Mail

Q&A: Edzard Ernst on alternative medicine

2011-11-05T10:16:00.000Z

Steve Jobs’ tragic death may have added a new urgency to Edzard Ernst’s work. In October 2003, when Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he turned not to conventional medicine but acupuncture, macrobiotic diets, and visits to a spiritualist, delaying surgery some doctors suspect could have saved his life. About ten years before that diagnosis, Ernst—an award-winning, U.K.-based physician—began establishing an evidence base for alternative therapies. Since then, Ernst has become the world’s first professor of complementary medicine at Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, England, founded two academic journals on the topic (Perfusion and Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies), and published more than 1,000 papers and over 40 books (including the recent Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial).
So far, only five per cent of the alternative therapies Ernst turned his critical gaze to have shown curative powers beyond those of a placebo. The demise of Apple’s founder, then, seems a fitting occasion to reflect on the powerful allure that alternative medicine holds—even for the geniuses among us. “My first thought was, ‘How tragic,’ and the second, ‘When will we learn the lesson?’” said Ernst. “People—even if they are smart—are all too easily misled to do the most stupid things, particularly with the promotion of alternative medicine being as viciously effective as it is.”

Source - Macleans

Yoga may work better for lower back pain than conventional treatments

2011-11-05T09:59:00.002Z

Doing yoga is a more effective way for people with lower back pain to become more mobile than the treatments currently offered by GPs, according to new research.
The study found that back pain sufferers recorded greater improvements in everyday physical tasks such as walking, bending down and getting dressed if they did weekly yoga sessions. Participants who had practised yoga reported enhanced function compared with those receiving standard care, even nine months after the yoga classes had finished.
Previous, smaller studies have suggested yoga could be beneficial to back pain sufferers. However, these have often involved just one teacher and have not included long-term follow-up.
Back pain is estimated to affect 80% of adults at some point in their lives, and one in five people visits their GP in any given year because of it. The condition, defined as chronic if it lasts longer than six weeks, is the second most common cause of long-term disability after arthritis and second only to stress as a cause of absence from work. It costs the NHS around £1bn per year and the annual cost to the economy has been estimated at £20bn.
Existing treatment options include painkillers, spinal manipulation, acupuncture, exercise classes and cognitive behavioural therapy.

Source - Guardian

One glass of wine a day increases risk of breast cancer:

2011-11-05T09:51:00.002Z

A new study conducted by researchers at Harvard University has found that women who drink just four small glasses of wine a week increase their risk of developing breast cancer by 15 per cent.

In Britain women are recommended to drink no more than 14 units or two small glasses of wine a day with some alcohol free days each week. Experts said the new study confirmed the link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer as it is thought up to one fifth of cases are caused by drinking to excess. There are almost 50,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in Britain each year.

Women who drank up to four units a day were 50 per cent more likely to develop breast cancer than those who did not drink at all, it was found.
Moderate drinking has been found to protect against heart disease and doctors warned women who may consider abstaining from alcohol in light of the findings that they may miss out on these benefits.
The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association was based on 106,000 nurses in America who were followed up from 1980 until 2008.

Source - Telegraph

Cancer-risk of well-cooked meat

2011-11-05T09:45:00.003Z

It may give you pause for thought before you burn your sausages to a crisp on the barbeque.
Scientists have found that the carcinogenic risk of eating well-cooked meat may be more than twice than previously thought. It was known that frying or grilling food can cause carcinogenic food 'mutagens' on the surface.
But previous research has relied on using mice as models, basing the expected effect on humans on the effects on the rodents.
Scientists at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health found that humans have certain enzymes called sulfotransferases (sult) in many part of their bodies. However, mice only have them in their livers.

Source - Daily Mail

Handful of nuts a day can help beat belly fat

2011-11-05T09:42:00.001Z

A handful of nuts a day can keep hunger at bay and beat belly fat, according to scientists.
This is the first time a link between eating nuts and higher levels of serotonin - a substance that decreases appetite, boosts happiness and improves heart health - has been detected.
Researchers from the University of Barcelona say that it only took one ounce of raw and unpeeled walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts a day to produce the positive health effects.
It is hoped the findings, published in the Journal of Proteome Research, will benefit patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) which is characterised by excess abdominal fat, high blood sugar and high blood pressure.
Dietary changes along with the regular consumption of nuts, which contain healthy fats and antioxidants, may help patients shed excess weight, decreasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
The team led by Cristina Andris-Lacueva in collaboration with the Human Nutrition Unit of the Rovira i Virgili University said: 'An increased excretion of serotonin metabolites was associated for the first time with nut consumption.'

Source - Daily Mail

Sitting around can increase risk of breast and colon cancer

2011-11-05T09:21:00.000Z

Sitting around can increase your risk of cancer, say scientists.
A major study, presented at the at the American Institute for Cancer Research annual conference, has revealed a strong connection between inactivity and unregulated cell growth.
Researchers say that 92,000 cases a year of breast and colon cancer can be attributed to lack of exercise and are now urging people to get fit, interdepersing every hour of sitting with one to two minutes of activity.
Lead researcher Christine Friedenreich, of Alberta Health Services Cancer Care in Canada, presented findings from a new paper, published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, on physical activity and cancer risk.

An assessment of post-menopausal women confirmed that taking brisk daily walks helps to reduce several keybiological indicators of cancer risk, including sex hormone levels, insulin resistance, inflammation and body fatness.

Source - Daily Mail

Children with low levels of zinc may be at higher risk of autism

2011-11-05T09:14:00.004Z

Children who are low in zinc may be at higher risk of autism.
A study found that large numbers of children with autism and related conditions such as Asperger’s syndrome were deficient in the mineral, which is found in meat, bread and dairy products. The researchers said their finding provided hope for the treatment and prevention of autism.
But British experts say it is impossibleto draw any firm conclusions from the study – and people should not rush out to stock up on zinc supplements.
Autism and related conditions affect more than one in 100 British children – ten times more than just 30 years ago – but the condition is still little understood.
In the latest study, researchers in Tokyo measured levels of zinc in the hair of almost 2,000 children with autism and related conditions.

Source - Daily Mail

10 ways to avoid catching a cold

2011-10-29T10:53:00.001+01:00

We all feel that first sneeze or tickle at the back of the throat that signals the beginning of the cold season. But is there actually anything we can do to prevent ourselves from getting one? Adults average three to four sniffle bouts a year, with children picking up double this number. Yet scientists are no closer to that elusive goal: a cure for the common cold.
According to Professor Ron Eccles of Cardiff University’s Common Cold Centre, the sheer number of different viruses is the main reason why we keep catching them year after year. But there is a glimmer of hope.

“We’re at a stage now where there’s a huge amount known about these viruses and how they work. We hope that by continuing to increase this knowledge we’ll have a breakthrough,” says Prof Eccles.
The good news is that all this research has taught us how colds spread. Here are 10 simple ways to significantly improve your odds of avoiding the scourge of winter...
1 Go green
The Babraham Institute in Cambridge found that eating plenty of leafy green veg can boost your immune system.
It turns out that cruciferous vegetables – from pak choi to broccoli – contain food chemicals that help ensure white blood cells function at peak performance to fight off infections.
Try: Stir-frying broccoli with a little soy sauce and ginger for a fabulous flu-fighting side dish.

Source - Daily Mirror

Do supplements increase risk of death?

2011-10-29T10:41:00.000+01:00

Contrary to the headlines, this recent paper, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, analysed the risk of mortality of those taking various supplements versus non-users and found that supplement takers had a reduced risk of death. To quote the study “self-reported use of vitamin B complex; vitamins C, D, and E; and calcium had significantly lower risk of total mortality compared with non-use; copper was associated with higher risk.” They found statistically significant health benefits for many supplements, with calcium being the strongest positive, and copper being the strongest negative.
When they looked at the pattern of risk over the three decades they reported that, for many nutrients the mortality risk was less in supplement takers and further reduced the longer people had been taking the supplements. This was true for multivitamins, magnesium, selenium, vitamin D, vitamin E. Vitamin C and B vitamins were associated with reduced risk in each of the three survey points.
The most negative association was seen with iron, with increasing mortality risk the longer a person had taken it. Copper went from a negative in the first survey point, to a positive result in the last.
They also found that “compared with nonusers, supplement users had a lower prevalence of diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, and smoking status”. Generally, they were a bit more physically active and less likely to be on HRT.

Source - Patrick Holford

Probiotic yoghurts DO work

2011-10-29T08:54:00.002+01:00

After wolfing down a pizza you may want to finish with a probiotic yoghurt, after researchers found they help the body to break down carbohydrates.
Scientists from Washington University School of Medicine wanted to look at what impact, if any, live bacteria in popular yoghurts have on digestion. They performed studies on mice as well as identical female twins using a yoghurt that had five strains of live bacteria.
The team found eating the yoghurt twice a day for seven weeks did not alter the mix of microbes in the intestines of the women or the mice. However, when they took a closer look at the mice they found there were significant changes in some of the bacterial enzymes involved in metabolising carbohydrates.
Many of the key changes noted in the highly controlled laboratory environment were also found in the seven pairs of twins.

Source - Daily Mail

Don't swallow everything: Alternative medicine

2011-10-26T15:58:00.001+01:00

Why is homeopathy "utter nonsense"? What about ear candling? And does ginger really help prevent motion sickness?
Chemistry professor and author Joe Schwarcz, PhD, answers these questions and more in his latest books.
Schwarcz, director of McGill University's office for science and society, is on a mission to demystify science for students and public alike. Through his bestselling books, a weekly column for The Montreal Gazette, radio shows, university lectures and public talks -- including one given Wednesday night in Calgary addressing the public's rising fear of chemicals -- Schwarcz explores the science that surrounds us in our daily lives.
His forthcoming book, Dr. Joe's Health Lab (Doubleday Canada, Nov. 6, $22.95) focuses on health, nutrition and medicine.
Schwarcz, who's been fascinated by chemistry ever since seeing a magician perform at a childhood birthday party, used to write up science quizzes for his school buddies. He continues to share his love of science with people, selecting items he finds interesting.
"The main theme in all my books is separating sense from nonsense and providing interesting information. It's entertainment for the mind, as well as feeding the mind. I try to make it compact, because in these days people have been conditioned to sound bites, which is why I make them punchy and to the point."

Source - Montreal Gazette

Dolphin therapy is a scam

2011-10-26T15:51:00.000+01:00

I've lost track how many times my disabled daughter has been offered a swim with a dolphin. While disabled people struggle to get a hoist or a few hours' home help, numerous charities will fly them to Florida to experience the miraculous feeling of frolicking in the water with a friend of Flipper. According to organisations that sell such snake oil, "dolphin therapy" alleviates a wide range of disabilities, from increasing the attention span of a child with attention deficit disorder to curing paralysis. Dolphin Tale is the latest vehicle to peddle this propaganda. This family film is about the remarkable, restorative powers a dolphin called Winter brings to troubled and disabled youngsters.
Two great myths buoy up this linking of a marine mammal with a person with an impairment. There's the myth that dolphins share human characteristics; in the film, the dolphin Winter conducts lively conversations with people in squeak language. And there's the myth that all disabled people need to be whole again is a good dose of inspiration – even from an animal.

Source - Guardian

Parents face inquiry for treating son with alternative medicine

2011-10-26T15:43:00.003+01:00

Luca Monsellato was taken to hospital with a high fever and cold symptoms but failed to respond to emergency medical treatment and died.

His parents, Marcello and Giovanna Pantaleo, told doctors they had been treating his apparent three-week cold with fennel tea – a popular homeopathic remedy for coughs – in an attempt to keep his fever under control. They eventually took him to hospital when his condition worsened. Staff at the hospital described Luca as looking "pale, thin and breathless".

Mr Monsellato, 52, of the southern Italian town of Tricase, close to Lecce, has been a doctor of alternative medicine for more than 20 years. He is honorary president of Italy's Homeopathic Sinergy Association and an expert on acupuncture.

He told staff at the hospital how his son had been suffering from the effects of a cold for three weeks and they had given him fennel tea instead of other medical treatment.

Source - Telegraph

Fish could cut risk of dementia

2011-10-26T15:36:00.001+01:00

Eating fish may boost blood flow to the brain which could stave off dementia in later life, researchers have discovered.
The health benefits of a diet rich in omega-3, a fatty acid found in oily fish, have long been suspected, and the findings of two studies into its effects on young people suggest that it can improve reaction times in 18-35 year olds as well as reducing levels of mental fatigue after they perform tough tasks.
Although the results suggest that, contrary to popular belief, taking omega-3 or fish oil supplements may not have an impact on the mental performance of young adults, the researchers at Northumbria University say the increased blood flow to the brain it caused could be important for older people.

Source - Daily Mail

Yoga may not give you a mental lift

2011-10-26T15:33:00.002+01:00

It is supposed to be a thorough workout for both body and soul.
But researchers claim doing yoga has no additional mental benefits when compared with regular stretching. The largest study of its kind found those who do the Indian stretching with a bad back would alleviate the physical symptoms – but that was it.
The researchers were unable to detect any improvement in mental welfare that they could specifically put down to the exercise.
Yoga has become one of the most popular ways to stay in shape thanks to endorsement from hundreds of celebrities including Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Those who follow it claim it gives them a spiritual cleansing that can be traced back to its roots in ancient India. However the study found that overall, yoga was only as effective at relieving back pain as normal stretching.

Source - Daily Mail

Fish oil supplements 'can slow growth of prostate cancer cells in just four weeks'

2011-10-26T15:30:00.003+01:00

A low-fat diet with fish oil supplements can slow down the growth of prostate cancer, research has shown.
Scientists in the U.S. made the discovery after testing prostate tissue samples taken from men with the disease. They found that just four to six weeks on the diet was enough to reduce the growth of cancer cells.
The same effect was not seen in men who remained on a regular Western diet with no fish oil supplements.
Study leader Professor William Aronson, from the University of California at Los Angeles, said: 'The finding that the low-fat, fish oil diet reduced the number of rapidly dividing cells in the prostate cancer tissue is important because the rate at which the cells are dividing can be predictive of future cancer progression. The lower the rate of proliferation, the lesser the chances that the cancer will spread outside the prostate, where it is much harder to treat.'
The findings appear in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
The scientists tested blood samples before and after the diet commenced, and examined tissue from surgically removed prostate glands.

Source - Daily Mail

Chronic Back Pain

2011-10-25T10:51:00.002+01:00

Weekly yoga classes eased pain and improved functioning in some people with chronic lower back pain -- but the yoga sessions weren't any better than regular stretching classes, according to a new study.

Researchers found that participants in both types of classes had better functioning and fewer symptoms after three months than back patients who were only given a book with advice on preventing and managing pain.

Source - Reuters

'Superfood' myths

2011-10-21T11:54:00.001+01:00

One in ten people believe that 'superfoods' can prevent cancer despite their being no medical evidence, health experts have revealed.
The term 'superfood' has no scientific definition but it is often bandied around and applied to foods with a specific health benefit giving the public a false expectation of the benefits.
The new research, commissioned by Bupa, has revealed that 11 per cent of Britons think it can prevent cancer and many believe that there are more health benefits to 'superfoods' than eating a balanced diet.
Christina Merryfield, Lead Dietician at Bupa's Cromwell Hospital, said: 'The term 'superfood' is misleading as there is no clear definition and many of the supposed health claims are vague or not fully substantiated.
'Some so-called 'superfoods' like pomegranate juice and almonds can be good for you as part of a balanced diet, but giving them such a heroic sounding name confuses the public and can cause worse diet choices as people mistakenly believe they can 'undo' the damage caused by unhealthyfoods.

Source - Daily Mail

Mobile phone brain cancer link rejected

2011-10-21T10:09:00.000+01:00

Further research has been published suggesting there is no link between mobile phones and brain cancer.

The risk mobiles present has been much debated over the past 20 years as use of the phones has soared.
The latest study led by the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Denmark looked at more than 350,000 people with mobile phones over an 18-year period.
Researchers concluded users were at no greater risk than anyone else of developing brain cancer.
The findings, published on the British Medical Journal website, come after a series of studies have come to similar conclusions.

Source - BBC

Prayer can cure, churches tell those with HIV

2011-10-19T11:36:00.002+01:00

Seriously ill patients suffering from conditions including cancer and HIV are being encouraged by some Evangelical Christian churches to depend on prayers rather than pills.

Worshippers in London, Manchester and Glasgow have stopped taking life-saving drugs after being persuaded about the healing powers of God, according to research by the African Health Policy Network (AHPN).

A BBC London investigation yesterday revealed that at least three women with HIV have died after they stopped taking medication on the advice of their pastors.

Francis Kaikumba, chief executive of AHPN, said a family member committed suicide last year after being convinced by a church he did not suffer from a mental health problem. The man's mental health deteriorated after he stopped taking his medicine after taking guidance from the pastor.

Mr Kaikumba said: "This is a national concern... It is about spiritual healing being the preferred option for every condition and in some cases people being told that medication will damage the affects of the prayers. We have found very vulnerable people in London, Glasgow and Manchester being offered one-stop solutions to very complex issues such as diabetes, TB [Tuberculosis], cancer, as well as housing and immigration problems. This is not just a trend in the UK, it is happening on a much wider scale in Africa."

Source -Independent

How a bowl of soup can help boost your bones.

2011-10-18T08:40:00.000+01:00

Warming winter soups are packed with nutrients and, if you choose wisely, can be a tasty way of helping your body meet different needs...

REDUCING CHOLESTEROL: LENTIL

Lentils are packed with soluble fibre, which studies have shown can help bring down levels of artery-clogging cholesterol. It binds to cholesterol in the gut, reducing its absorption into the bloodstream.

WEIGHT LOSS: MINESTRONE

As a clear soup, it’s always going to be lower in calories than a creamy one. Also, the chunky vegetables slow down stomach emptying, so you feel fuller longer (unlike pureed vegetables in other soups), and the pasta pieces turn it into a proper meal that satisfies hunger.

BOOSTING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM: CARROT AND CORIANDER

You'll get your entire daily requirement of vitamin A and more from a bowl of this soup. And that’s important for your immune defences, because this vitamin maintains the mucous surfaces of respiratory passages — keeping out the infection-causing bugs.

Source - Daily Mail

Warning over fish pedicures

2011-10-18T08:36:00.001+01:00

People with weak immune systems or underlying medical conditions are at risk of infection from fish pedicures, the Health Protection Agency has warned.

The beauty treatment sees customers place their feet in tanks of water containing tiny Garra rufa fish which nibble on dead skin. While the pampering carries a "very low" risk for healthy clients, those with conditions including diabetes and psoriasis have now been advised against it.

The pedicures - which are popular in Asia - have been banned in some US states, including Florida, Texas, New Hampshire and Washington amid fears that infections could spread through open wounds.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) today issued new guidance after a panel found fish tank water contained a number of micro-organisms and that infections could be transmitted either from fish to person (during the nibbling process), water to person (from the bacteria which can multiply in water), or person to person (via water, surrounding surfaces and the fish).

Source - Independent

Cheers to a pint of bone builder

2011-10-17T08:22:00.001+01:00

Older women could guard against osteoporosis in later life by drinking a pint of beer a day.
A new study has shown that ale is an ideal source of dietary silicon, which is crucial in the formation of new bone. Bone is continuously being lost and reformed and silicon is vital for helping to renew it.
Although silicon is contained in some plants and beans, one of the richest and most easily absorbed sources is beer, as it is an ingredient of the malt used in the brewing process. Several previous studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between the amount of silicon in a person’s diet and their bone mineral density.
In the new study, Professor Jonathan Powell, head of nutrition research at Cambridge University, studied the effects of beer on bone formation and found that ethanol – which is also present in alcohol – helps to prevent bone loss and silicon encourages the growth of new bone.
‘Silicon combines with the hormone oestrogen to produce a beneficial effect and as women age, their oestrogen levels fall, and so, as they get older, it is important for women to take in a good daily amount of silicon,’ says Prof Powell.

Source - Daily Mail

Ginger could reduce bowel cancer risk

2011-10-12T08:56:00.000+01:00

Fifteen volunteers given two grams of ginger root supplement daily for 28 days showed reduced signs of colon inflammation - a condition that has been linked to bowel cancer - compared to 15 given a placebo.

The researchers, from the University of Michigan Medical School in the US, consequently suggested that ginger could be used as a bowel cancer prevention agent.

Suzanna Rick, a naturopathic doctor, said: "Interest in this is only going to increase as people look for ways to prevent cancer that are nontoxic, and improve their quality of life in a cost-effective."

The study is published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Bowel cancer claims 16,000 lives a year in Britain, more than either breast or prostate cancer.

Source - Telegraph

Eating chocolate may reduce risk of strokes in women

2011-10-12T08:51:00.001+01:00

A sweet tooth isn't necessarily bad for your health - at least not when it comes to chocolate, researchers say.
A study of more than 33,000 Swedish women found that the more chocolate women said they ate, the lower their later risk of stroke. The results add to a growing body of evidence linking cocoa consumption to heart health.
Research leader Susanna Larsson from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, said previous studies had linked flavonoids in chocolate with a drop in high blood pressure - a risk factor for strokes. However, she said the latest study did not give people a free pass to gorge on chocolate as it had not yet been proven whether this theoretical benefit translates into real-life benefits.
'Given the observational design of the study, findings from this study cannot prove that it's chocolate that lowers the risk of stroke,' Dr Larsson said.
While she believes chocolate may boost health, she also warned that eating too much of it could be counterproductive.

Source - Daily Mail

High doses of vitamin E 'can significantly increase risk of prostate cancer'

2011-10-12T08:48:00.000+01:00

High doses of vitamin E can significantly increase the risk of men developing prostate cancer, says a major study.
The chances of developing the disease rose by 17 per cent, even years after men stopped taking the vitamin, claim researchers. The latest warning over potential harm caused by vitamin supplements follows a study which found women taking multivitamins and other supplements have an increased risk of dying.
The new findings come from a U.S. trial which was attempting to confirm earlier reports that extra vitamin E and the mineral selenium could help prevent prostate cancer.
Instead the researchers discovered the opposite - more cases of prostate cancer among men taking 400 international units (IU) of vitamin E a day than placebo, or dummy capsules. This is the equivalent of 363mg a day – the measurement used in Britain – which is 30 times more than the recommended daily amount.
Lead researcher Dr Eric Klein, of the Cleveland Clinic in Chicago, said millions of older Americans take supplements containing vitamin E, many of them at the megadose levels of the study.

Source - Daily Mail

Vitamins linked with higher death risk in older women

2011-10-12T08:39:00.000+01:00

When it comes to vitamins, it appears you could have too much of a good thing, say researchers who report a link between their use and higher death rates among older women.

Experts have suspected for some time that supplements may only be beneficial if a person is deficient in a nutrient. And excess may even harm, as the study in Archives of Internal Medicine finds.
All of the women, in their 50s and 60s, were generally well nourished yet many had decided to take supplements. Multivitamins, folic acid, vitamin B6, magnesium, zinc, copper and iron in particular appeared to increase mortality risk. The researchers believe consumers are buying supplements with no evidence that they will provide any benefit.

Source - BBC

Why 'fruit sugar' is one of the most damaging ingredients in our food

2011-10-05T15:46:00.000+01:00

Sweet, cheap and natural — fructose sounds like the ideal ‘healthy’ sweetener.
However, the sugar, which is found naturally in fruit but is now added to many processed foods, may hide a range of deadly secrets.
Scientists are discovering that fructose appears to be linked to serious modern epidemics such as cancers, heart disease, hypertension, kidney damage and even dementia.
The latest fears were raised last week by research that found people who consume lots of fructose by drinking fruit juice have an increased risk of rectal cancer.
Theresearch, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, suggests that the high content of fructose in processed fruit juice may be the trigger.

Source - Daily Mail

Rainbow coloured carrots and super broccoli that's healthier and sweeter

2011-10-05T15:39:00.000+01:00

The healthiest foods aren’t usually the ones that tempt our tastebuds or turn our heads.

But two new additions to the supermarket shelves could be about to prove that theory wrong.

A healthier and sweeter variety of broccoli goes on sale today – alongside eye-catching crunchy carrots in colours such as purple, yellow and amber.
The super-broccoli is packed with a plant chemical credited with warding off cancer and heart problems, and is said to taste better than other varieties.
The Beneforté broccoli contains up to three times as much glucoraphanin – a compound which, when broken down within the body, is thought to provide protection against prostate and other cancers and improve heart health. What’s more, raising levels of the plantchemical reduces broccoli’s sharp flavour, making the vegetable taste less bitter.

Source - Daily Mail

Green tea can slow down weight gain

2011-10-05T15:29:00.001+01:00

Drinking green tea may help you stop piling on the pounds by limiting how much fat is absorbed by the body, scientists say.
Researchers found a compound in the herbal drink slowed down weight gain in a study on mice. Crucially the mice were already obese at the start of the study from Penn State university.
Research author Joshua Lambert, said: 'Our results suggest that if you supplement with EGCG or green tea you gain weight more slowly.' The researchers, who released their findings in the online version of Obesity, fed two groups of mice a high-fat diet.

Source - Daily Mail

A pinch of reality about salt

2011-10-03T10:59:00.001+01:00

The Canadian government is in an all-out war on salt.
According to Health Canada, about half of us are consuming more than double the recommended daily dose, and it plans to rectify that by altering the food supply. The problem, say critics, is that the response could do more harm than good.
There’s no question high-salt diets can affect blood pressure, but several studies suggest this outcome, generally speaking, is dwarfed by other health benefits. In fact, the government’s position, critics charge, is based on out-of-date data, and ignores the most recent studies. Worse, Ottawa’s salt offensive could cause serious health concerns, including heart disease, low birth rates, kidney disease, or an early death.
“[Canada’s] limits are not based on science,” explains Michael Alderman, a physician and epidemiologist at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine and editor of the American Journal of Hypertension. “Folks that eat the least amount of salt have the worst outcomes. They die.”

Source - Macleans

Eat yourself happy with foods to beat depression

2011-10-03T10:51:00.002+01:00

More of us are now taking anti-depressants than ever before and women are almost twice as likely to feel depressed than men.
The researchers – from a German university – blame some of it on the stresses of modern life. “Women in particular are having to juggle family and work more than ever before,” explains Professor Cary Cooper, a stress expert from Lancaster University. “Then there’s the economy and an uncertain job climate to contend with.”

Studies show that the start of autumn and winter can lead to a lower mood, too, with cases of seasonal affective disorder (SAD – where a lack of sun and daylight lower levels of ‘happy’ hormones) increasing at this time of year. But the good news is you can eat yourself happier by making sure certain foods are part of your daily diet.
“What we eat has a huge impact on our mood,” says James Duigan, trainer to Elle Macpherson and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. “What we eat can help lift our mood and raise levels of feel-good hormones. However, the wrong food can do the opposite and raise stress levels.” Here’s what to do to stay happy.

Source - Mirror

How mulberries have as much iron as a sirloin steak

2011-10-03T10:45:00.000+01:00

A wet, warm autumn means a bumper crop of nuts and berries, packed with nutrients. ANNABEL VENNING speaks to Sarah Wilson, specialist dietician at London’s Princess Grace Hospital, about their health benefits.

MULBERRIES TO BOOST THE BLOOD
These fruits, right, are very rich in iron, vital for maintaining a healthy count of red blood cells and preventing anaemia – a rare feature among berries. They contain 1.85mg per 100g, 23 per cent of the recommended daily intake, on a par with sirloin beef.
They are also a good source of Vitamin C and have high levels of resveratrol, an antioxidant also found in red wine that is thought to ‘clean up’ pollutants in the body. Studies on rats found that resveratrol was effective against tumours of the skin, breast, lung and prostate.

ROSEHIPS FOR COUGHS AND COLDS
Rosehip syrup is the traditional remedy for the common cold because of the high Vitamin C content of the berries, about 1,000 times higher than oranges or lemons. They are also rich in Vitamins A, D and E, calcium, iron and fatty acids. ‘Studies have shown that rosehip powder was effective in reducing the pain from osteoarthritis,’ says Wilson.

Source - Daily Mail