Archive for February, 2010

Green tea catechins are able to penetrate eye tissue, which may help protect against glaucoma and other eye diseases, according to Hong Kong researchers.

In the introduction to their article published online on January 19, 2010 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Chi Pui Pang of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and associates explain that oxidative stress causes DNA damage and activation of proteolytic enzymes which lead to the tissue damage observed in the development of eye diseases such as cataract and glaucoma. The antioxidant properties of polyphenols contained in green tea make the widely consumed beverage a good candidate for eye protection, yet the delivery of green tea catechins to various areas of the eye had not previously been evaluated.

from Life Extension http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2010/0223_Green-Tea-Could-Help-Combat-Diseases-of-the-Eye.htm?source=eNewsLetter2010Wk9-1&key=Archive

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) estimates that over 100,000 cancers occur in the US every year which are attributed to excess body fat.

The numbers associated with excess body fat are staggering

-       49% of endometrial cancers

-       35% of esophageal cancers

-       28% of pancreatic cancers

-       24% of kidney cancers

-       21% of gallbladder cancers

-       17% of breast cancers

-       9% of colorectal cancers

Laurence Kolonel, MD, PhD, Deputy Director of the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii and AICR/WCRF expert panel member, presented these figures after reviewing evidence for cancer risk.

Excess body fat lowers immune function and increases the oxidative process which can lead to DNA damage

For the complete article go to: http://www.aicr.org/site/News2?abbr=pr_&page=NewsArticle&id=17333&news_iv_ctrl-1102

Magnetoencephalography records the magnetic fields produced by the human brain. These fields are extremely small-nearly a billion-fold smaller than the magnetic fields produced by the earth. With the knowledge, neuroscientists can also use magnets to alter brain function. This method influences the magnetic fields of neurons both at the point of stimulation and at some distance away. For example, one high frequency stimulation (rTMS) is a promising treatment for depression. A low frequency stimulation may help with epilepsy and schizophrenia.

These treatments are in works today and may help overcome some of the diseases which drugs only mask.

from THE NEW BRAIN, Dr. Richard Restak, chap 9

Long-term pain and physical disability worldwide is caused by bone and joint health. Back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and bodily injuries are the conditions which afflict millions of people and create an enormous burden on society. Osteoporosis affects mostly women as the age. It’s a loss of bone mineral from the skeleton. Osteoarthritis is a joint disorder that mainly affects cartilage. Cartilage is the shock absorber and allows the bones to glide over each other. Osteoarthritis affects 34 million people in the US whereas osteoporosis affects 44 million people in the US.

Again supplements can ease the pain and is some cases reverse the disease. Check with your progressive doctor see which supplements will help restore your health. The pain medicine is just that, a pain killer but not a restorer to health.

Dr. John Cannell is the president of The Vitamin D Council, a non-profit group that advocates higher vitamin D intake. Dr. Cannell said adults need to take 5,000 IU a day of vitamin D to put the vast majority of them above the 50 ng/mL level. Also Dr. Cannell reported evidence that 10,000 IU a day of supplemental vitamin D is not toxic.

To say exactly how much vitamin D a person needs requires a blood test. Life Extension members can have that test for $47.00. Check with your doctor for a blood test if you are not a member.

Life Extension, LE Publications, Inc., reveals their study on Life Extension members and their vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D from all sources (sunlight, sun lamps, or supplements) reduces the occurrences of respiratory infections.

Children with the lowest level vitamin D serum levels are 11 times more likely to develop respiratory infection.

Vitamin D in sufficient amounts has been shown to lower the rate of infections including H1N1 and other flues.

How much is enough? Life Extension members who had their blood tested showed that 85.7 percent had less than the optimal levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

Experts initially recommended a blood level of 30 ng/mL of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Recent studies by Life Extension now put the minimum at 50 ng/mL of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

-As we grow older our bodies are less efficient in using vitamin D.

-A startling fact is that 36 percent of the general population has 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels below 20 ng/mL, which may represent the world’s leading cause of unnecessary disease and deaths.

Have you blood checked and find out your level of vitamin D and take supplements to get to the optimal level and you will be healthier and live a fuller life.

A cross-sectional study with 1,205 people found that higher levels of pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP), the active form of vitamin B6, were linked to lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, as well as lower levels of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a marker for oxidative stress, both of which are related to heart disease risk.

CRP is produced in the liver and is a known marker for inflammation. Increased levels of CRP are a good predictor for the onset of both type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease causes almost 50 per cent of deaths in Europe, and is reported to cost the EU economy an estimated €169 billion ($202 billion) per year.

www.nutraingredients.com, February 2, 2010

Omega-3 fish oil may reduce the likelihood of developing psychotic disorders in high-risk people. Twelve weeks of supplementation with fish oil rich in EPA and DHA reduced the risk of the progression to full threshold psychosis by 22.6 percent in a study published in Archives of General Psychiatry. This is the first study of people with risk of psychosis.

Since omega-3 produces changes in cell membranes and lowers inflammation in blood vessels it would only seem normal to help those with psychosis. The study used 1.2 grams of omega-3. Studies for reducing inflammation in the arteries used 4 to 5 grams in their program.

It’s Big Pharma’s worst nightmare.

More than 800,000 doses of the swine flu vaccine have been recalled here in the United States… and millions more are being marked “return to sender” in Europe.

The U.S. recall is especially shameful… because these doses were intended for babies and toddlers. Big Pharma and their federal friends are claiming there was nothing unsafe about them — they were just ineffective.

Being “ineffective” is the least of my concerns. Swine flu vaccines have been linked to all kinds of side effects, from severe allergic reactions to Guillain-Barre Syndrome and even sudden death.

In Canada, some 170,000 doses were recalled when the vaccines led to severe allergic reactions… but that recall came AFTER most of those shots found their way into Canadian shoulders.

So who knows what they REALLY found in the newly recalled batch. Remember… they sent this stuff out with the intention of giving it to BABIES.

Meanwhile, Germany and Spain are trying to return or cancel orders for millions of doses H1N1 vaccines, saying they don’t need them after all. It seems the Europeans aren’t lining up for their shots the way 60 million Americans already have.

The swine flu frenzy may appear to be winding down, but expect a new panic — and a new push — any day now. The feds and Big Pharma alike think they can vaccinate as many people over the next three months as they have over the last three.

-from Daily Dose with William Campbell Douglass, M.D.