Latest News: September, 2009 - New Treatments
Tips on Best Ways to Avoid Colds in the Fall/Winter
With the onset of Fall and Winter coming, there is even greater concern of an outbreak of colds due to viruses and bacteria. Below are some tips on helping to avoid getting sick:
- Fight the flu with supplementing with at least vitamin D 1,500 to 2,000 I.U. per day. Some healthcare professionals recommend higher dosages such as 5,000IU - 8,000IU per day. For most people of fair skin, 10 or 15 minutes in noontime summer sun can lead to the production of 10,000 IU (International Units) of Vitamin D.
- Wash your hands regularly. The flu virus can live for up to 72 hours on surfaces. Wash briskly with soap and water for 30 seconds. This is actually one of the simplest yet most effective ways to avoid colds and germs.
- Wipe down equipment you use at the gym. Most gyms have towels and disinfectants by the exercise machines. If you gym does not, make a complaint to the management. Drape a clean towel over shared yoga mats and sauna and locker room benches
- Stay clean at the hospital. If you’re visiting a hospital, wash yourself and your clothes right after. Don’t use bar soap in any hospital bathroom or set your purse on the floor. And researchers recently found that one in three stethoscopes used by emergency-medical-service providers was contaminated with MRSA (a germ highly resistant to antibiotics).
- Don’t share razors, soap, towels, or other personal items.
- If you have to take an antibiotic, make sure to take a probiotic at the same time to build up the healthy bacteria in your gut. Antibiotics kill both “bad” and “good” bacteria in the gut.
Below are supplements you can take to help boost your immune system during the Fall/Winter against colds and flu:
- Colloidal silver is recognized as a powerful, natural antibiotic. Research has shown that it works
by acting as a catalyst, disabling the enzyme that single-celled bacteria, fungi and viruses require for
the metabolism of oxygen. This then suffocates the invading cell while doing no harm to any human enzymes,
resulting in the removal of disease-causing organisms from the body.
- Health Immune Basics is an all-natural nutritional supplement that supports and enhances the body's immune defenses.
This formula contains Wellmune WGP which is a natural gluco polysaccharide derived from the cell walls
of a highly purified, proprietary yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae).
- Children's Chew Immune Health Basics
- Garlic has long been studied as a great herb for helping strengthen the immune system due to its excellent anti-bacterial,
anti-viral and anti-fungal properties.
- Vitamin D3 Liquid,
discussed above, is an superb immune supporting vitamin among with its many other benefits.
- Echinacea/Goldenseal - good immune boosting combination to keep around the house for when you feel the onset of a
cold coming.
- Vitamin C, at 2-4 grams per day prevents inflammation and maintains the body's vigilance against
infection, and is probably the most well known natural cure for the common cold and flu. Vitamin C increases
macrophage activity (one of the cells of immune system), and has an anti-histamine effect which helps
reduce the runny nose. Under stress most animals (except humans) make significant amounts of vitamin C from glucose.
Therefore vitamin C is considered the stress vitamin.
2009 Study: Carnosine Combats Cataracts
In the July 28, 2009 issue of the journal Biochemistry, Italian researchers report that the dipeptide carnosine shows promise not only in preventing cataracts but also in helping to treat the condition. Cataracts, which are characterized by a clouding of the eye's lens, are a major cause of visual impairment among older men and women, and surgery is currently the only effective treatment.
Enrico Rizzarelli of the University of Catania and his colleagues tested the effects of D- and L-carnosine on bovine cultured alpha-crystallin, the major structural protein in the lens of the eye. The cultures were treated with guanidine, a compound that is known to cause cataracts via the formation of alpha-crystallin fibrils. Co-incubation of the cultures with carnosine helped inhibit fibrillation, and the addition of carnosine to pre-existing fibrils was found to almost completely dissolve them.
Editor's Note: See more information on an excellent
carnosine eyedrop for cataracts.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Macular Degeneration Prevention
A number of recent studies indicate that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids could help prevent age-related macular degeneration.
A diet high in omega-3 fatty acids has been found to protect against a variety of diseases including atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Retrospective studies have suggested that diets high in fish oil or omega-3 fatty acids may also contribute to protection against age-related macular degeneration.
A group of researchers led by Dr. Chi-Chao Chan at the National Eye Institute examined the direct effect of omega-3 fatty acids on a mouse model of age-related macular degeneration. A diet with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids resulted in slower lesion progression, with improvement in some lesions. These mice had lower levels of inflammatory molecules and higher levels of anti-inflammatory molecules, which may explain this protective effect.
The researchers suggest that "a diet enriched in EPA and DHA can reduce the progression of retinal lesions in their mouse model of age-related macular degeneration” and that "the results in these mice are in line with the epidemiological studies of age-related macular degeneration risk reduction by long chain n-3 fatty acids." The results "further provide the scientific basis for the application of omega-3 fatty acids and their biologically active derivatives in the prevention and
treatment of age-related macular degeneration."
Journal Reference: Tuo et al. A High Omega-3 Fatty Acid Diet Reduces Retinal Lesions in a Murine Model of Macular Degeneration. American Journal Of Pathology, 2009; DOI:
Editor's Notes: There are now numerous research also shows that omega-3 fatty acids can help preserve vision for those with macular degeneration, and helping protect against the onset of advanced macular degeneration.
See an excellent omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil) supplement.
New Drug-releasing Contact Lenses Deliver Glaucoma Medication
New drug-releasing contact lenses ensure glaucoma patients and others get correct and consistent dosages of medication. This could be a significant improvement on the traditional eyedrops that ophthalmologists prescribe for these patients, from which the eye absorbs as little as 1% of the dose. These findings have been published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (“A Drug-Eluting Contact Lens”), a peer-reviewed journal from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
Editor's Note: See natural ways to help preserve vision for those with glaucoma.
Mini-Strokes May Cause Vision Loss for Those with Normal Tension Glaucoma
A study of people who suffer the mini-strokes called silent cerebral infarcts could help explain the medical mystery of normal-tension glaucoma, Hong Kong ophthalmologists report.
The Hong Kong study of 286 people with normal-tension glaucoma found a high incidence of silent cerebral infarcts among those whose loss of vision progressed more rapidly. The finding is in the July issue of Ophthalmology.
Editor's Note: Although the traditional approach to managing normal tension glaucoma is to lower intraocular pressure with glaucoma medications, the reason for the actual vision loss it still not known. This study may offer some insight into this vision loss.
We have long subscribed to the idea the vision loss for people with normal tension glaucoma is at least partially due to poor circulation to the optic nerve, and that taking nutrients and herbs that help strengthen circulation to the optic nerve and help fortify the optic nerve can help preserve vision.
Such nutrients include gingko biloba, taurine, vitamin B12, alpha lipoic acid, bilberry, lutein, zeaxanthin, grapeseed extract and omega-3 fatty acids.
Beta-Blockers Tied to Higher Cataract Risk
Australian researchers are reporting a possible link between widely used beta-blocker drugs and an increased risk of cataracts.
Beta-blockers are used in pill form to reduce high blood pressure and are also applied to the eye to treat glaucoma, a potentially blinding eye disease. The study found an association between both forms of beta-blocker therapy and accelerated cataract formation and a need for cataract surgery, according to the report published July 23 in the British Journal of Ophthalmology by researchers at the Centre for Vision Research at Westmead Hospital in Sydney.
The study found a 45 percent increased incidence of cataract formation and a 61 percent higher incidence of cataract surgery among people treated with beta-blockers, either for glaucoma or high blood pressure.
"Living cells in the eye lens do not have blood," he said. "Oxygen is delivered by the aqueous humor. The theory is that beta-blockers reduce production of aqueous humor and so reduce delivery of oxygen to the lens, so the lens ages prematurely. This article seems to find further evidence of that."
Editor's Note: See natural approaches to help prevent or help manage cataracts and glaucoma.
Study: Vitamin C and vitamin E supplement users have a lower risk of dying of cancer
An article published online on July 13, 2009 in the American Journal of Epidemiology reported the results of a study conducted by researchers at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center which found that vitamin C and vitamin E supplement users had a lower risk of dying over a five year period than those who did not supplement.
This study evaluated evaluated data from 77,673 participants in the Vitamins and Lifestyle Study of men and women aged 50 to 76.
Little Known Secrets of Bugs & Your DNA
The new kid on the block is Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). Some researchers been looking Bb for a long time as possibly being the
bug that opens the door for all the other infections to enter the system.
Another one is Lyme disease, which has become a buzzword in the alternative medical field.
Microbiologist Gitte Jensen, PhD, had shown that the older you get, the more foreign DNA is attached to your own DNA.
Somewhere along the line, pathogenic microbes invade the host’s DNA and become a permanent part of it. Since you use only
2 percent of your DNA, it may not be a problem. In fact, it may make you who you finally become. It may also cause a
number of symptoms and chronic illness.
For a detailed description and exploration of the above, go to http://tinyurl.com/ltk2zj
Reduced omega-3 and elevated trans-fatty acid levels predict nonfatal heart attack better than established risk factors
Study by South Korean researchers suggest that analysis of red blood cell fatty acid profiles may prove to be a better predictor of risk of heart disease than Framingham risk factors.
Framingham risk scores are calculated from values for the following traditional risk factors: age, gender, smoking status, total cholesterol levels, HDL-cholesterol levels, diabetes history and hypertension history. While an individual’s Framingham score is 70 to 80 percent accurate in predicting coronary heart disease risk, it fails to take into account more recently recognized risk factors that could improve its predictive value.
The omega-3 fatty acid index, which is the sum of red blood cell EPA and DHA, was significantly lower in heart attack patients compared with controls, while total trans-fatty acids were significantly higher. Those whose omega-3 fatty acid index was among the top third of participants had a 92 percent lower risk of heart attack than those whose levels were in the lowest third. For those whose total trans-fatty acids were in the top third, the risk of heart attack was 72.67 percent higher than subjects in the lowest third.
The authors note that omega-3 fatty acids are associated with decreased blood viscosity, and have anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, anti-arrhythmic, lipid lowering and vasodilatory effects. Conversely, trans-fatty acids have been associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
This study was report in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Study: Tanning beds as deadly as arsenic
A new analysis of about 20 studies concludes the risk of skin cancer jumps by 75 percent when people start using tanning beds before age 30. Experts also found that all types of ultraviolet radiation caused worrying mutations in mice, proof the radiation is carcinogenic. Previously, only one type of ultraviolet radiation was thought to be lethal.
The new classification means tanning beds and other sources of ultraviolet radiation are definite causes of cancer, alongside tobacco, the hepatitis B virus and chimney sweeping, among others.
The research was published online in the medical journal Lancet Oncology on Wednesday, by experts at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, the cancer arm of the World Health Organization.
Previous studies found younger people who regularly use tanning beds are eight times more likely to get melanoma than people who have never used them.
Study on Acupuncture and Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) affects an estimated 2 percent of the population. Conventional therapies are limited in the success of treating this complex and unexplained condition. Current treatment is largely comprised of prescribing different medications for the varying symptoms in a trial and error approach. Research shows that as many as 90 percent of people with fibromyalgia have turned to complimentary and alternative medicine to manage their symptoms. Acupuncture, in particular, has become a popular treatment choice and has shown to be an effective treatment for FMS.
A recent study from the Mayo Clinic found acupuncture helpful in treating the fatigue and anxiety commonly experienced by fibromyalgia patients.
Source: Mayo Clinic (2006, June 13). Acupuncture Relieves Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia, Mayo Clinic Study Finds.
Health and Peace
Marc Grossman, O.D., L.Ac.
Michael Edson, MS, L.Ac.
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