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Potential Role for Ginkgo Biloba Extract in the Treatment of Glaucoma
Glaucoma is becoming recognized as a condition for which not only elevated intraocular pressure, but also non-pressure-dependent risk factors are responsible. New avenues of treatment into which investigations are being initiated include agents which could possibly improve blood flow to the eye and neuroprotective drugs. Only calcium channel blockers are presently available for such treatment in glaucoma, and these have not been widely adopted, in contrast to clinical trials involving a number of neuroprotectants in other neurologic disorders.
Ginkgo biloba extract is freely available and has several biological actions which combine to make it a potentially important agent in the treatment of glaucoma: improvement of central and peripheral blood flow, reduction of vasospasm, reduction of serum viscosity, antioxidant activity, platelet activating factor inhibitory activity, inhibition of apoptosis, and inhibition of excitotoxicity. The effect of Ginkgo biloba extract as a potential antiglaucoma therapy deserves intensive scrutiny.
Source: 2000, vol. 54, no2, pp. 221-235 (289 ref.)
Ginkgo Biloba Extract Can Improve Pre-existing Visual Field Damage in Some Individuals with Normal Tension Glaucoma
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial, 27 patients with bilateral visual field damage resulting from normal tension glaucoma received either 120 mg of Ginkgo biloba extract (equivalent to 6 g herb) or placebo.
After Ginkgo biloba treatment, a significant improvement in visual field indices was recorded, but there were no significant changes found in intraocular pressure, blood pressure or heart rate. No ocular or systemic side effects were noted in any patient during the trial. The authors concluded that their results suggest that Ginkgo biloba extract can improve pre-existing visual field damage in some individuals with normal tension glaucoma. However, they observed that the exact explanation for this effect is not currently understood.
For study, go to http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_255/ai_n6211955
Editor's Note: For an excellent eye formula for glaucoma containing gingko biloba along with other nutrients proven to be neuroprotective such as taurine and alpha lipoic acid, we recommend the Optic Nerve formula.
Protecting Your Eyes from the Sun
The sun provides enjoyment, but over-exposure can damage your eyes. The harm comes from ultraviolet (UV) light which can trigger cataracts, macular degeneration, corneal burns, benign growths, solar retinopathy and eye cancer. Sun glasses with UV protection are "sunblock for your eyes" for these problems.
People who have work outdoors, have light eyes (such as blue eyes) and/or are on certain medications such as chlorothiazides, sulfonamides, tetracycline, phenothiazines, psoralens, and allopurinol that increase UV toxicity need to be extra careful.
We recommend that people who spend a lot of time outside wear 100% UVA/UVB wraparound protecting sunglasses. Blue light from the sun can also have a damaging effect on the eyes. The best colored lenses to protect against blue light are amber or brown lenses. We also recommend that these sunglasses are polarized to reduce glare.
Editor's Note: Certain nutrients such as lutein and zeaxanthin are found in the retina and lens of the eyes, and act as a sort of internal pair of sunglasses protecting the eyes from damage, along with being potent antioxidants.
We recommend Clear Focus with lutein, zeaxanthin, bilberry and gingko biloba.
TV Watching May Result in Poor School Performance
Tue May 8, 12:20 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The more TV adolescents watch, the more likely they are to develop attention and learning problems, and to do poorly in school in the long-run, a new study confirms.
The findings "suggest that by encouraging youths to spend less than 3 hours per day watching television, parents, teachers and health care professionals may be able to help reduce the likelihood that at-risk adolescents will develop persistent attention and learning difficulties," Dr. Jeffrey G. Johnson of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City and colleagues write.
To investigate, the researchers followed a community-based sample of 678 mother-child pairs from upstate New York beginning when the children were about 14 years old until they reached age 22.
The amount of TV kids watched when they were 14 was positively linked with having attention problems later, not doing homework, being bored at school, not finishing high school, and "hating school," the researchers found.
The relationship between TV watching and school failure was stronger among kids with higher-than-average verbal intelligence scores, and those whose parents had more than 12 years of education.
When children who watched less than 2 hours of TV at age 14 reduced their TV watching by 1 hour or more, they halved their risk of school failure, the researchers found. But when 14-year-olds who watched fewer than 2 hours added 1 more daily hour of TV, they doubled their risk of academic failure at age 16.
Meta-analysis finds antioxidant supplementation safe during cancer therapy
The January/February and March/April 2007 issues of the journal Alternative Therapies published a two part article by a team at the Simone Protective Cancer Institute in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, which concluded that, contrary to long-held beliefs, antioxidant and other nutritional supplementation during chemotherapy or radiation does not interfere with these treatments.
"A single, front-page interview in The New York Times in 1997, which was not based on published scientific work, and a single research paper involving mice, along with a press release by its author in 1999, led to the erroneous notion that vitamin C interferes with chemotherapy and radiation in humans," the authors write. "This notion soon applied to all antioxidants as physicians, patients, the media, the American Cancer Society, and scores of websites took the same position without reviewing the scientific evidence."
The authors explain that, due to a loss of the homeostasis control mechanism for the uptake of antioxidants, cancer cells accumulate large amounts of the nutrients, while healthy cells do not have this membrane defect. This accumulation decreases the oxidative reactions needed for the generation of the cells' energy. Additionally, the nutrients elicit other effects on cancer cells unrelated to their antioxidant activity.
The authors concluded that "Antioxidant and other nutrient food supplements are safe and can help to enhance cancer patient care."
Editor's Note: This makes a very good case for juicing daily. For those who cannot juice every day and would like to further support their intake of antioxidants, we recommend Nanogreens which is a superb organic green mix.
Nanotechnology Offers Hope for Treating Some Tough Ailments
PR Newswire - 04-23-07
WASHINGTON, April 23, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Imagine a world where damaged organs in your body -- kidneys, liver, heart -- can be stimulated to heal themselves. Envision people tragically paralyzed whose injured spinal cords can be repaired. Think about individuals suffering from the debilitating effects of Parkinson's or Alzheimer's relieved of their symptoms -- completely and permanently.
Dr. Samuel I. Stupp, director of the Institute of BioNanotechnology in Medicine at Northwestern University, is one of a new breed of scientists combining nanotechnology and biology to enable the body to heal itself -- and who are achieving amazing early results. Dr. Stupp's work suggests that nanotechnology can be used to mobilize the body's own healing abilities to repair or regenerate damaged cells.
In a dramatic demonstration of what nanotechnology might achieve in regenerative medicine, paralyzed lab mice with spinal cord injuries have regained the ability to walk using their hind limbs six weeks after a simple injection of a purpose-designed nanomaterial.
Fish oil gives statins a boost
The March 31, 2007 issue of The Lancet published the finding of the Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS) that the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) found in fish oil could be used in addition to statin drugs to provide additional protection against coronary artery disease. The study is the first major long-term interventional trial to evaluate this effect.
Mitsuhiro Yokoyama of Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine and colleagues randomized 18,645 men and women with a total cholesterol of at least 6.5 micromoles per liter to receive 1800 milligrams EPA with a statin drug, or a statin drug only for a five year period during which major coronary events were noted. Serum cholesterol levels were measured at the beginning and conclusion of the trial.
At the end of an average 4.6 years of follow up, LDL cholesterol concentrations had decreased by an average of 25% in both groups. A 19 percent reduction in major coronary events occurred in the group that received EPA compared to those that received a statin only. Unstable angina and nonfatal events were similarly reduced.
"This study shows that EPA, at a dose of 1800 mg per day, is a very promising regimen for prevention of major coronary events, especially since EPA seems to act through several biological mechanisms," the authors conclude. "We need to investigate whether EPA is effective for prevention of major coronary events in hypercholesterolemic patients without or with coronary artery disease in other countries".
Editor's Note: Fish oil continues to show tremendous health benefits. Another recent study finds that fish and omega-3 fatty acids helps maintain mental acuity. Researchers from the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, and Wageningen University found that older men who consumed fish experienced significantly less cognitive decline than men who did not eat fish.
Editor's Note2: For an excellent fish oil supplement, go to the Natural Eye store.
Honey Can Prevent the Need for Amputation for Diabetics
A doctor at the University of Wisconsin who helped about half a dozen of her diabetic patients avoid amputation has launched a controlled trial to promote the widespread use of honey therapy.
The therapy involves squeezing a thick layer of honey onto the wound after dead skin and bacteria have been removed.
The honey kills bacteria because it is acidic and avoids the complication of bacterial resistance found with standard antibiotics, Jennifer Eddy, a professor at the University's School of Medicine and Public Health, told AFP.
"This is a tremendously important issue for world health," Eddy said.
Diabetics typically have poor circulation and decreased ability to fight infection and ulcers can be hard to treat. An amputation is performed every 30 seconds somewhere in the world, Eddy said.
Honey therapy is already used to treat bed sores in New Zealand and as an alternative form of medicine in Europe, but has largely been relegated to history books in the United States.
Cell Phones May be Why Honeybees Are Disappearing
Scientists are having a difficult time explaining the rapid decline of the honeybee population in the United States and Canada, known as colony collapse disorder, that could affect crops depending on these insects for pollination.
Research presented some four years ago speculates the radiation emitted from cellular phones may contribute to the problem.
When cellular phones were placed near hives, the radiation generated by them (900-1,800 MHz) was enough to prevent bees from returning to them, according to a study conducted at Landau University.
Scientists believe the radiation produced by cellular phones may be enough to interfere with the way bees "communicate" with their hives. Cellular phones may create a resonance effect that interferes with the movement patterns bees use as a kind of language.
Read the article at Mercola.com.
Editor's Note: Another theory is that the disappearance of the bees may be due to the introduction on genetically modified food into the environment, or maybe it is a combination of a number of factors including the above.
Lemon-Roasted Beets, Brussel Sprouts and Yams
In this colorful dish, a vegetable medley is roasted in a delicious Mediterranean-style lemon and caper sauce.
Yield: 4 to 6 serving
- 2 cups cubed beets
- 2 cups Brussels sprouts, cut in half
- 2 cups yams, cut in chunks
- 2 cups leeks, cut into 2-inch diagonals
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons capers (rinse if packed in salt)
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Transfer to a large covered baking dish.
2. Bake for 1 hour, or until the beets are tender. Adjust the seasonings, if desired.
3. Serve immediately.
From Leslie Cerier's new cookbook, Going Wild in the Kitchen (2005, Square One Publishers)
Leslie is also available for nutritional consultations.
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