An animal study shows that by means of a harmless fluorescent dye placed on the retina of the eye, a follow-up eye exam could help diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurological disorders before the appearance of actual symptoms begin.
This study was recently published in the open-access peer-reviewed journal Cell Death and Disease. Plans are being made for human trials soon.
Psoriasis, a disease that causes red, raised patches of skin, is seen as a systemic
disease linked to arthritis and heart disease, according to Experts at Mayo Clinic
Women’s HealthSource.
This condition is now considered be related to arthritis and cardiovascular disease
and all three may have underlying link, perhaps chronic inflammation.
The patches come and go and may flare in response to triggers — such as infections,
some medications, alcohol, smoking, stress, sunburn, skin irritation or injury.
Methods that can help reduce the psoriasis includes:
- Ultraviolet light slows the rapid growth of skin cells
- A daily bath with added bath oil, or epsom salts, dead Sea salts, or
colloidal oatmeal.
- thick moisturizing cream or ointment, applied several times daily
during cold, dry weather
Editor’s Note: Psoriasis is also a detoxification problem resulting from digestive issues. This results in the body eliminating toxins through the skin (the skin and lungs are our secondary detoxification systems). Avoiding foods that can aggravate psoriasis and strengthening the digestive system such as
taking probiotics and enzymes with meals can help improve the psoriasis.
Studies shows that supplementing with D-Ribose, a naturally occurring pentose carbohydrate, at a dose of 5 g t.i.d. for a total of 280 g., signifanctly reduces symptoms of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Approximately 66% of patients experienced significant improvement while on D-ribose. Categories measured were energy; sleep; mental clarity; pain intensity; and well-being, as well as an improvement in patients’ global assessment.
Ref: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17109576
This week’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (Dec 16) features a report on a long-term, prospective study of elderly, dementia-free individuals led by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine and the Framingham Heart Study focusing on the association between the protein hormone Leptin and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Specifically, people with higher baseline circulating Leptin levels were found to have a significantly reduced incidence of AD and dementia. Individuals in the lowest quartile of gender-specific Leptin levels had an absolute AD risk of 25%, while persons in the highest quartile had only a 6% risk over a 12-year follow-up period (see also Neurotez Inc.).
After years of clinical trials, research clearly shows that stem cell-derived retinal cells can rescue visual function in animals that otherwise would have gone blind.
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. announced that it filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a Phase I/II multicenter study using embryonic stem cell derived retinal cells to treat patients with Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy (SMD).
For nutritional information related to Stargardt’s Disease, go to http://www.naturaleyecare.com/diseases.asp?d_num=23
Avoid trans fats, found largely in commercially prepared baked and fried foods, These fats not only raise “bad” LDL cholesterol, but also lower levels of heart-healthy HDL cholesterol. High trans-fat intake has been linked to coronary heart disease, in which fatty plaques build up in the heart arteries, sometimes leading to a heart attack.
The food industry has been widely replacing trans fats with intersterified fat, another unnatural fat to completely avoid.
The interesterification process hardens fat, similar to the hydrogenation process, but without producing oils that contain trans fats. The end product, like trans fat, is less likely to go rancid and is stable enough to use to fry foods.
However, like hydrogenation which generates unnatural trans fats, interesterification also produces molecules that do not exist in nature.
Studies show that interesterified fat raises your blood glucose and depresses insulin production. These conditions are common precursors to diabetes, and can present an even more immediate danger if you already have the disease (Nutrition & Metabolism 2007, 4:3doi:10.1186/1743-7075-4-3)
Editor’s Note: Stay with healthy fats such as olive oil, and even saturated fats in moderation such as butter or coconut oil.
To round out your healthy fat intake, be sure to eat raw fats, such as those from avocados, raw dairy products, and olive oil, and also take a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fat, or if vegetarian, supplement with Krill oil.
Taking popular cholesterol-lowering statin drugs does not lower the risk of pneumonia, according to a study published the British Medical Journal.
There was some hope that statins could help prevent certain infections. But the study, which involved 65- to 94-year-olds with intact immune systems, found that pneumonia risk was, if anything, slightly higher in people using a statin than in those not using any.
Researchers emphasized that statins work well for what they were designed to do, such as lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Published 16 June 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2137
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b2137
Editor’s Note: New research continues to show that other factors are greater indicators of heart disease and stroke such as C-reactive protein levels and homocysteine levels.
For more information on nutrition and cholesterol, Click Here
Some cases of age-related macular degeneration may arise from a combination of low plasma levels of antioxidants and exposure to blue light from the sun, a multinational European study suggested.
By itself, blue-light exposure had no associations with neovascular or early-stage age-related macular degeneration. However, analysis of blue-light exposure by antioxidant quartile revealed consistent and significant association with neovascular age-related macular degeneration among those in the lowest quartile of vitamin C, vitamin E, zeaxanthin, and dietary zinc (odds ratio of about 1.4 per standard unit deviation increase in blue-light exposure).
Source reference:
Fletcher AE, et al “Sunlight exposure, antioxidants, and age-related macular degeneration” Arch Ophthalmol 2008; 126: 1396-1403.
For more information in macular degeneration and nutrition, Click Here
Xinhua News Agency 12-17-09
Chinese medical specialists announced Thursday they had developed a Chinese herbal medication to treat the A/H1N1 flu.
Seven months of scientific and clinical studies showed the remedy, called “Jin Hua Qing Gan Fang,” was effective in treating A/H1N1 flu patients, said Wang Chen, president of Beijing’s Chaoyang Hospital.
“It can shorten patients’ fever period and improve their respiratory systems. Doctors have found no negative effects on patients who were treated in this way,” he said.
Reported from www.naturaleyecare.com
Study shows supplementing with Gingko Biloba can significantly reduce physical and psychological symptoms due to PMS. Overall severity of symptoms in the Gingko groups was 34.80% before the treatment and reduced to 11.11% after the treatment.
Ozgoli G, Selselei E. Mojab F. Majd H. A randomized placebo-controlled trial of Gingko Biloba L., in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome. J Altern Complement Med. 2009 Aug:15(8):845-51
Reported from www.naturaleyecare.com
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