Clipmarks | kmcolo's Health collection

Neurology and Aesthetics: A realization through migraine

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:20:23 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

I have had migraines for most of my life; the first attack I remember occurred when I was 3 or 4 years old. I was playing in the garden when a brilliant, shimmering light appeared to my left — dazzlingly bright, almost as bright as the sun. It expanded, becoming an enormous shimmering semicircle stretching from the ground to the sky, with sharp zigzagging borders and brilliant blue and orange colors.

I started to wonder whether what I had taken to be a personal experience and resonance might in fact be part of a larger whole, whether certain basic forms of geometric art, going back for tens of thousands of years, might also reflect the external expression of universal experiences. Migraine-like patterns, so to speak, are seen not only in Islamic art, but in classical and medieval motifs, in Zapotec architecture, in the bark paintings of Aboriginal artists in Australia, in Acoma pottery, in Swazi basketry — in virtually every culture.

Tags: art, health, neuroscience, migraine, patterns

Review: "The Red Wine Diet"

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:42:12 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: groups.google.com

In his new book "The Red Wine Diet". UK researcher Roger Corder makes an
interesting case for a diet high in procyanidins, one of the phenols found
in red wine, and in chocolate, apples, cinnamon and other plant sources.

Corder makes a
convincing case that wine procyanidins are the solution to the "French
Paradox" rather than resveratrol,

Corder rates wine by * to ***** in order of their procyanidin content, with
the highest ratings going to tannic and acidic wines such as the tannat
based wines of the Madiran region of France

Corder also rates various foods in terms of a medium 4 oz glass of high
procyanidin wine (~60 mg). For instance:

2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder (non alkali processed)
1 Tsp cinnamon powder
1 apple, especially tart ones like granny smith
1/2 cup raspberries
1.5 oz walnuts

Note that the USDA estimates the typical USA
consumption of procyanidins as less than 50 mg

Tags: health, diet, red wine, procyanidins, books, book review

Health: Procyanidins

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:38:02 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo
clipper's remarks: Wine and chocolate, wine and chocolate! Oh, and apples and cranberry juice too.

Clip Source: jn.nutrition.org

Procyanidins are a subclass of flavonoids found in commonlyconsumed foods that have attracted increasing attention dueto their potential health benefits.

On average, chocolate and apples containedthe largest procyanidin content per serving (164.7 and 147.1mg, respectively) compared with red wine and cranberry juice(22.0 and 31.9 mg, respectively).

However, the procyanidin contentvaried greatly between apple samples (12.3–252.4 mg/serving)with the highest amounts on average observed for the Red Delicious(207.7 mg/serving) and Granny Smith (183.3 mg/serving) varietiesand the lowest amounts in the Golden Delicious (92.5 mg/serving)and McIntosh (105.0 mg/serving) varieties.

In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that commonlyconsumed foods and beverages, including chocolate, apples, cranberryjuice and wine, contain substantial amounts of procyanidins.

Tags: health, wine, chocolate, diet, procyanidins

Tropical Diseases Heading North

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:50:27 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: www.mcclatchydc.com

WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials are warning that a sometimes-deadly tropical disease that's spread by mosquitoes is re-emerging worldwide and could gain a foothold in the U.S. one day.

Dengue, a flu-like illness that infects 50 million to 100 million people a year, has been growing more prevalent and severe as it moves from tropical regions into more temperate areas such as Puerto Rico, where it's now endemic, and along the U.S. border with Mexico.

Expanded migration of a mosquito that transmits the disease, increased urbanization, and rising temperatures and rainfall — possibly caused by global warming — have helped fuel an alarming global resurgence of the disease. This increases the likelihood that it could strike even harder in the U.S.

Tags: disease, health, climate change, global warming

Sunscreen: Health Effects

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:12:40 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo
clipper's remarks: Little (and disputed) evidence of negative effects of absorbed sunscreens. Might lead to feminization of bodily hormone mixture but this is not verified in other study.

Don't worry about sunscreens preventing vitamin D production.

Clip Source: www.sciencedirect.com

90% of all requisite vitamin D is formed within the skin through the action of ultraviolet radiation. Several studies have suggested a connection between vitamin D deficiency and over a dozen forms of cancer (eg, colon, breast, prostate)^[114]^and ^[115] and recently also for malignant melanoma.¹¹⁶

There are also concerns about the endocrine effect of ultraviolet filters. Five chemicals—benzophenone-3, homosalate, 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor, octyl-methoxycinnamate, and octyl-dimethyl-PABA—increased breast cancer cell proliferation in vitro,⁸⁶ whereas butyl-methoxydibenzoylmethane was inactive.

Further data indicated that the ultraviolet filters benzophenone-3 and homosalate possess antiandrogenic activity in vitro ¹²² in addition to oestrogenic activity.

Questions have been raised about the methodological grounds used.

Furthermore, a study on 32 people

applied to their whole body daily for 5 days did show uptake in the body but no effects on reproductive hormone levels.

Tags: health, sunscreen, science, hormones, endocrine

Sunscreen: Photostability of Avobenzone

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:22:35 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo
clipper's remarks: Avobenzone helps to block UV-A light, but does so as long as octinoxate is not in the sunscreen mix. Check your labels. (Other UV-A blacker, Zinc Oxide).

Clip Source: www.sciencedirect.com

Exposure of skin to the UVA portion of sun's ultraviolet spectrum (320–400 nm) is strongly linked with immunesuppression and premature skin aging. Short UVA wavelengths also contribute significantly to sunburn risk. Avobenzone is the most effective UVA sunscreen active used today in sunscreen products with broad-spectrum protection.

Results show that losses in avobenzone ranged from as high as 90% in non-photostable products to less than 10% in photostable products. The most non-photostable products contained octinoxate

The degradation of both octinoxate and avobenzone caused significant decreases in absorbance profiles of about 25% in the UVB and 45% in the UVA regions. In contrast, all photostable products were octinoxate-free and exhibited relatively minor changes in absorbance profiles

Tags: health, sunscreen, science

Potential AIDS breakthrough

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:23:54 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo
clipper's remarks: This work used siRNA, or short interfering RNA to block the production of human proteins that the HIV uses in its propagation.

Clip Source: select.nytimes.com

Using a new type of genetic screen, researchers at Harvard Medical School have identified 273 proteins that the AIDS virus needs to survive in human cells, opening up new potential targets for drugs.

“This is just terrific work,” said Dr. Robert C. Gallo, director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland and a co-discoverer of the virus. “I think it’s destined to be one of the top papers in this field for the decade.”

This is hypothesis-generating, not hypothesis-solving. It creates a lot of work

Tags: health, medicine, aids, hiv, science, rna, sirna

Good Calories, Bad Calories?

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:08:53 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: www.sciencefriday.com

How much do we really know about how our bodies react to the food we eat? Conventional medical wisdom says that eating foods high in cholesterol is bad for you, and has links to the development of heart disease. In a new book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories," science writer Gary Taubes suggests that perhaps the emphasis on dietary fat and cholesterol is misplaced, and other factors, such as carbohydrate consumption, should be targeted instead.

Join Ira in this segment for a conversation with Taubes about his book, and how it fits into the nutritional big picture. Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

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Tags: book, health, diet, podcast, science friday

Flu: One shot deal

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:22:07 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo
clipper's remarks: An attempt to find a flu shot that will protect for a lifetime is having some success. This shot <strike>will</strike> would protect not only against the annual flu but also against the pandemic flu varieties such as bird flu.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

A single jab that could give lifelong protection against all types of flu has produced promising results in human trials.

The vaccine, made by Acambis, should protect against all strains of influenza A - the cause of pandemics.

Currently, winter flu jabs have to be regularly redesigned because the flu virus keeps changing.

The new vaccine would overcome this and could be stockpiled in advance of a bird flu outbreak, say experts.

Professor Ian Jones, a University of Reading virologist, said the jab could end the scramble to produce a new winter jab each year.

But he said it would still be some years before it was widely available for patients.

Tags: flu, health, h5n1, bird flu

Good news for wine drinking mice

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 20:50:49 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo
clipper's remarks: And maybe for wine drinking people but certainly for wine makers and sellers!

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Substance in Red Wine Extends Life of Mice

Can you have your cake and eat it? Is there a free lunch after all, red wine included? Researchers at the Harvard Medical School and the National Institute of Aging report that a natural substance found in red wine, known as resveratrol, offsets the bad effects of a high-calorie diet in mice and significantly extends their lifespan.

Tags: health, diet, wine, science

Bird Flu: Main transmission commercial poultry

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 12:32:46 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: www.sciencemag.org

Science 9 June 2006:
Vol. 312. no. 5779, p. 1451
DOI: 10.1126/science.312.5779.1451

News of the Week

AVIAN INFLUENZA:
Wild Birds Only Partly to Blame in Spreading H5N1

Dennis Normile

Last week, after poring over the latest surveillance data, a group meeting in Rome reached a consensus: Wild birds play a role in the avian influenza virus's huge geographic jumps, they said in a statement at the end of the meeting, but the main means of transmission is the commercial poultry trade. (Read more.)

Tags: bird flu, h5n1, health

Chronic fatigue syndrome: Stress + Genes

Sun, 23 Apr 2006 13:19:42 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Genetics and Stress Are Found Linked to Fatigue Disorder

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By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: April 21, 2006

ATLANTA, April 20 — Chronic fatigue syndrome appears to result from something in people's genetic makeup that reduces their ability to deal with physical and psychological stress, researchers reported Thursday.

The research offers some of the first credible scientific evidence that genetics combined with stress can bring on chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition so hard to diagnose and so poorly understood that some people question whether it is even real.

Researchers said the findings could help lead to better means of diagnosing and treating chronic fatigue syndrome and predicting who is likely to develop the disorder, which is characterized by extreme, persistent exhaustion.

"The results are groundbreaking," said Dr. William Reeves of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Dr. Reeves said the study demonstrated that people with chronic fatigue syndrome were unable to deal with everyday challenges and adversity, including injuries, illnesses, divorce and stressful jobs.

The disease control agency estimates that more than one million Americans have the condition, with women suffering at four times the rate of men.

The research is described in a collection of 14 articles published in this month's issue of Pharmacogenomics, a scientific journal.

The researchers found that chronic fatigue patients had high levels of hormone secretions, blood pressure and other bodily responses to stress.

Moreover, certain genetic sequence variations showed up consistently in chronic fatigue patients.

Next Article in Health (5 of 19) »

Tags: health, chronic fatigue, genetics

Platinum Found in Women With Breast Implants

Sun, 16 Apr 2006 19:38:11 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Platinum Found in Women With Breast Implants

Researchers have found a new reason for possible concern about the safety of silicone gel breast implants: high and potentially hazardous levels of the metal platinum in some women who had silicone implants in their bodies for many years.

With the Food and Drug Administration poised to allow silicone implants back on the market for unrestricted sale, two researchers reported this week in a journal of the American Chemical Society that they found high levels of platinum salts in the urine, hair and breast milk of 16 women with silicone gel implants.

The platinum, they concluded, was in a form that made it a potential source of severe allergic or toxic reactions. Their findings were immediately challenged by chemists associated with implant makers and are at odds with the longtime conclusions of the FDA, which has determined that the platinum used to make silicone gel implants is inactive and unable to cause harm.

Tags: health, breast implants, silicone gel, silicone implants

AAP: Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 03:03:11 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo
clipper's remarks: " Keep in mind that pictures or displays of car safety seats in stores may not show them being used the right way."

Clip Source: www.aap.org

Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families
2005

(For other essential Parent Resources information please click here.)

(For bulk packs of 50 of the Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families - 2005 please click here.)

Each year hundreds of young children are killed in car crashes and thousands more are injured seriously enough to go to the emergency room. Using car safety seats and seat belts correctly is the best way to prevent this from happening to your child. This information explains how.

Which car safety seat is the best?

Important safety rules

Tags: baby, safety

Chocolate Linked to Lower Blood Pressure

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 03:36:49 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo
clipper's remarks: Yum!

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Chocolate Linked to Lower Blood Pressure

CHICAGO -- Leave it to the Dutch to help demonstrate the health benefits of chocolate. A study of older men in The Netherlands, known for its luscious chocolate, indicated those who ate the equivalent of one-third of a chocolate bar every day had lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of death.

Tags: health

Clipmarks | kmcolo's Health collection

Neurology and Aesthetics: A realization through migraine

Review: "The Red Wine Diet"

Health: Procyanidins

Tropical Diseases Heading North

Sunscreen: Health Effects

Sunscreen: Photostability of Avobenzone

Potential AIDS breakthrough

Good Calories, Bad Calories?

Listen:

Tools:

Flu: One shot deal

Good news for wine drinking mice

Bird Flu: Main transmission commercial poultry

News of the Week

AVIAN INFLUENZA:Wild Birds Only Partly to Blame in Spreading H5N1

Chronic fatigue syndrome: Stress + Genes

Genetics and Stress Are Found Linked to Fatigue Disorder

Platinum Found in Women With Breast Implants

Platinum Found in Women With Breast Implants

AAP: Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families

Chocolate Linked to Lower Blood Pressure

Chocolate Linked to Lower Blood Pressure

AVIAN INFLUENZA:
Wild Birds Only Partly to Blame in Spreading H5N1