Protective Properties of Green Tea Uncovered

Photo by iStockphoto, Katarzyna Krawiec

Regularly drinking green tea could protect the brain against developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, according to latest research by scientists at Newcastle University.

The study, published in the academic journal Phytomedicine, also suggests this ancient Chinese remedy could play a vital role in protecting the body against cancer.

Led by Dr Ed Okello, the Newcastle team wanted to know if the protective properties of green tea -- which have previously been shown to be present in the undigested, freshly brewed form of the drink -- were still active once the tea had been digested.

Digestion is a vital process which provides our bodies with the nutrients we need to survive. But, says Dr Okello, it also means that just because the food we put into our mouths is generally accepted to contain health-boosting properties, we can't assume these compounds will ever be absorbed by the body.

"What was really exciting about this study was that we found when green tea is digested by enzymes in the gut, the resulting chemicals are actually more effective against key triggers of Alzheimer's development than the undigested form of the tea," explains Dr Okello, based in the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development at Newcastle University.

10 Life-Threatening Mistakes You Might Make With Your Doctor

by Lissa Rankin, M.D.

What Mistakes Do YOU Make At Your Doctor’s Office?

With our health care system as broken as it is it’s easy for patients – myself included – to fall into the role of victim and blame others when things don’t go our way. But are you doing what you can to optimize the kind of health care you’re getting? As both a physician and a patient, I’ve been on both sides of the exam table, and I’ve learned, from personal experience and from my patients, that the best way to get premium health care is to accept responsibility for your health, behave like a respectful but empowered patient, partner with your health care provider, and be brave enough to play devil’s advocate.

Unfortunately, the stereotype of doctor-as-God has permeated much of our culture, and when many patients get sick, they hand their bodies over to the doctor and wash their hands of the whole messy business of the human body. But let me tell you something.  Nobody knows your body better than you

In order to ensure that you’re doing what you can to advocate for the health of your body and those you love, let’s review the 10 mistakes that can cost you your life, so you can learn the tricks for getting the best health care possible.

Bagaimana postur bungkuk (kyphosis) mempengaruhi kehidupan Anda sehari-hari?

by Tony Setiobudi in Ankylosing Spondylitis, Back pain, Kyphosis, Neck pain, Osteoporosis, Scoliosis and kyphosis, Spine surgery

"...Postur bungkuk dapat menyebabkan nyeri di otot dari leher ke betis dan kesulitan berjalan. Dengan penanganan yang benar postur bungkuk dapat dicegah, dihambat dan ditegakkan..."

Gambar diambil dari: Little H. et al. Am J. Med 1976;60:279-285

Postur kyphosis juga dikenal sebagai postur bungkuk. Kondisi medis yang dapat menyebabkan postur bungkuk adalah proses degeneratif pada tulang belakang, ankylosing spondylitis, patah tulang, tumor dan infeksi di tulang belakang. Postur bungkuk terjadi secara perlahan-lahan. Postur kita ketika duduk, slouching dan membungkuk adalah postur yang menyebabkan kyphosis. Selain merupakan masalah kosmetik, postur bungkuk menyebabkan nyeri otot dan membatasi aktivitas sehari-hari.

Masalah yang terkait dengan postur bungkuk adalah kepala menonjol ke depan, ketegangan pada otot dada, ekstensor tulang belakang yang lemah, ketegangan pada leher, pinggul dan lutut yang tertekuk saat berdiri. Oleh karena itu orang dengan postur bungkuk mengeluh nyeri di leher, dada, punggung bawah, pantat, paha dan betis. Pasien dengan postur bungkuk yang parah mungkin mengalami kesulitan berjalan dan membutuhkan tongkat atau walking frame.

Women With Breast Cancer Who Consume Soy Food Have Lower Risk of Cancer Recurrence

Although there is a concern regarding the safety of soy food consumption among breast cancer survivors, researchers have found that women in China who had breast cancer and a higher intake of soy food had an associated lower risk of death and breast cancer recurrence, according to a study in the December 9 issue of JAMA.

"Soy foods are rich in isoflavones, a major group of phytoestrogens that have been hypothesized to reduce the risk of breast cancer. However, the estrogen-like effect of isoflavones and the potential interaction between isoflavones and tamoxifen have led to concern about soy food consumption among breast cancer patients," the authors write.

Xiao Ou Shu, M.D., Ph.D., of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn., and colleagues examined the association between soy isoflavone intake with breast cancer recurrence and survival. The researchers analyzed data from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study, a large, population-based study of 5,042 female breast cancer survivors in China. Women ages 20 to 75 years with diagnoses of breast cancer between March 2002 and April 2006 were recruited and followed up through June 2009. Information on cancer diagnosis and treatment, lifestyle exposures after cancer diagnosis, and disease progression was collected at approximately 6 months after cancer diagnosis and was reassessed at three follow-up interviews conducted at 18, 36, and 60 months after diagnosis. A Shanghai Vital Statistics Registry database was used to obtain survival information for participants who were lost to follow-up.

How to Thrive Under Stress

The year 1975 holds a lofty place in the annals of stress research. That was when the Federal government decided to deregulate the telephone business, which at the time was a monopoly held by AT&T. Recognizing the opportunity to observe the effects of mass stress, Salvatore Maddi, a professor of psychology at UC Irvine, began a 12-year project to track the fate of 450 managers at a Chicago subsidiary. What he found upended basic ideas about human psychology and paved the way for a whole new perspective on stress.

When the breakup took place in 1981, half of the company’s employees were laid off. For two-thirds of them, the transition was traumatic. Many were unable to cope. They died of heart attacks and of strokes, engaged in violence, got divorced, and had mental health issues. But the other third didn’t fall apart. Their lives actually improved. Their health got better, their careers soared, and their relationships blossomed. The finding was revolutionary. “The general idea at the time was that you should stay away from stress because it can kill you,” Maddi recalls. “But it turned out that some people thrive on it.” What made these people different? Sifting through his data, Maddi discerned a trend.

The Human Body From Head To Toe

photo by hang in there

by Alex Lickerman, M.D

Astounding facts about the human body you never knew

One of the reasons I was drawn to medicine is that I've always been fascinated by the workings of the human body on all its levels. Truly, nothing in nature stands as its equal—flaws and all (and there are a few). So I thought today I'd share just a few of the fascinating facts about the way the human body works that many people don't know. 

Music Therapy for Health and Wellness

Music has been studied as an integrative therapy for many conditions.

by Catherine Ulbricht, Pharm.D. 

Source : anneahira.com

Being a pharmacist, you may think I would always suggest a bottle of something for what ails you. However, first and foremost, I believe in the “do no harm” motto when it comes to healthcare. To me, that means to first try the least invasive route to feeling your best as possible, like a stress-preventing measure, special diet, or exercise program before popping a “magic pill.” Lifestyle changes can help prevent adverse effects and interactions associated with some drugs, herbs, and supplements. It may be a cost-effective and comparatively safe addition to your health and wellness regimen. “Do no harm” to your pocketbook as well.For most people, music is an important part of daily life. Some rely on music to get them through the morning commute, while others turn up a favorite playlist to stay pumped during a workout. Many folks even have the stereo on when they’re cooking a meal, taking a shower, or folding the laundry.

Music is often linked to mood. A certain song can make us feel happy, sad, energetic, or relaxed. Because music can have such an impact on a person’s mindset and well-being, it should come as no surprise that music therapy has been studied for use in managing numerous medical conditions. 

Operasi Caesar Kedua

by Indrawan Ekomurtomo,SpOG

Source : republika.co.id

Banyak orang bertanya-tanya terutama kaum Ibu, dapatkah melahirkan secara normal pada kehamilan kedua bila pada kelahiran pertama dilakukan secara caesar..? Banyak pendapat yang diutarakan kaum awam dalam menjawab pertanyaan tersebut. Namun, ada baiknya bila Kita menyimak pendapat dari ahlinya. Berikut ini adalah tulisan dari dr Indrawan Ekomurtomo,SpOG dalam mensikapi permasalahan di atas. 

Don’t Be Intimidated in the Doctor’s Office: Six Strategies

Learn how not to be intimidated in the doctor’s office

by Toni Bernhard, J.D. in Turning Straw Into Gold

Source : psychologytoday.com

If you’ve read How to Be Sick or my post, “The Stigma of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,” you’ll know that I’ve had my share of unsuccessful experiences with doctors, including being intimidated by them. Yes, this former law professor can allow herself to get intimidated by doctors! But after twelve years of chronic illness, I’m happy to report that I’m doing better in this uncomfortable setting. Here are six strategies to help minimize the odds you’ll be intimidated and to help ensure you make the most of the short time allotted to you with the doctor.

New Antioxidants Are 100 Times More Effective Than Vitamin E

L-ascorbic-acid-3D-balls. Source: en.wikipedia.org

An international team of chemists has developed a new family of antioxidants that are up to 100 times more effective than Vitamin E. "Vitamin E is nature's antioxidant and people have been trying to improve upon it for more than 20 years with only marginal success. We have taken a very big step in the right direction," says Ned A. Porter, the Stevenson Chair of Chemistry at Vanderbilt. He supervised the development, which was published in the European journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. The university has a patent pending on the new compounds.

Antioxidants are molecules that can counteract the damaging effects of oxygen in tissues and other materials. So far, the new antioxidants have been tested "in vitro" in the test tube. But studies with biological molecules, such as cholesterol, suggest that the new compounds have properties that could make them suitable for dietary supplements. Shortly, Vanderbilt researchers expect to begin the lengthy process of determining how effective the new the compounds are in living animals and whether they have any harmful side effects.

Lower Your Cholesterol

Source: www.123rf.com

It is important to recognize that even though cholesterol gets a lot of attention, it is not necessarily the most important (or even an especially significant) factor in preventing heart disease. Other factors, such as nutritional support and optimizing thyroid function (in women) and testosterone levels (in men) may also decrease the risk of heart attack.

Although the cholesterol-lowering medications in use today can be lifesaving in those who have already had a heart attack or have angina, they only decrease heart attack deaths by 1.4% in those without a previous heart attack (called "primary prevention"), and they are not without risks. Some of these include muscle pain, liver inflammation, and depletion of the nutrient coenzyme Q10. This nutritional deficiency can then contribute to fatigue and congestive heart failure, and I believe that anybody on Mevacor related cholesterol-lowering medications (most are) should take 200 mg a day of coenzyme Q10.

To put it in perspective, cholesterol medications lower the risk of heart attack death by less than 2%, while owning a cat is associated with a 30% lower risk of heart attack death, and having high vs. low normal thyroid function is associated (in women) with a 69% lower risk of dying of a heart attack.

Studies on Statin Use and Fracture Risk Show Mixed Results

A review of previous studies suggests a possible benefit of statin drugs for reducing the risk of bone fracture in older women, although further research is needed to examine this question, according to an article in the January 26 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

According to the article, statins are widely used to treat high cholesterol, but little information is available about the effects of statins on bone. Some retrospective studies have found that statin use is associated with a reduced risk for fracture, and other studies suggest that bone mass is higher in people taking statin medications.

Douglas C. Bauer, M.D., from the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues investigated whether statin use is associated with a reduced risk for bone fracture. The researchers analyzed combined data on statin use and fracture rates from four large prospective studies of older women (the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures, the Fracture Intervention Trial, the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study, and the Rotterdam Study). They also summarized the results of eight observational studies and two clinical trials (found by searching English-language medical literature through January 2002) that reported statin use and documented fractures.

Extract Of Broccoli Sprouts May Protect Against Bladder Cancer

Source : naturalhealth365.com

A concentrated extract of freeze dried broccoli sprouts cut development of bladder tumors in an animal model by more than half, according to a report in the March 1 issue of Cancer Research. This finding reinforces human epidemiologic studies that have suggested that eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli is associated with reduced risk for bladder cancer, according to the study's senior investigator, Yuesheng Zhang, MD, PhD, professor of oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. "Although this is an animal study, it provides potent evidence that eating vegetables is beneficial in bladder cancer prevention," he said.

"Go Toward the Light": The Science of Near-Death Experiences

Source :chakra fahrizal182.blogspot.com

Modern medicine has proven so adept at saving victims of cardiac arrest that a good number of people are walking around today who at one time or another were considered clinically dead. While this is a good thing in and of itself, it has the side benefit of having generated numerous reports of the shadowy psychological condition that people experience when they’re close to “the other side.” So consistent are these reports — combining the sensation of floating, seeing oneself from an outside perspective, and moving through a tunnel towards light — that they have earned an official moniker, “Near Death Experiences,” or NDEs.

Soy Isoflavones Not a Risk for Breast Cancer Survivors

Source : wellbody.net

Soy food consumption did not increase the risk of cancer recurrence or death among survivors of breast cancer, according to the results of a study presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held April 2-6.

Researchers investigated the association between soy food intake and breast cancer outcomes among survivors, using data from a multi-institution collaborative study, the After Breast Cancer Pooling Project.

"There has been widespread concern about the safety of soy food for women with breast cancer," said lead researcher Xiao Ou Shu, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine at Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "Soy foods contain large amounts of isoflavones that are known to bind to estrogen receptors and have both estrogen-like and anti-estrogenic effects. There are concerns that isoflavones may increase the risk of cancer recurrence among breast cancer patients because they have low estrogen levels due to cancer treatment. We're particularly concerned that isoflavones may compromise the effect of tamoxifen on breast cancer treatment because both tamoxifen and isoflavones bind to estrogen receptors."

KOPI

Minum kopi ternyata punya manfaat yang besar. Sebab, minum kopi dapat mengurangi risiko terjangkit diabetes. "Konsumsi kopi, empat sampai lima cangkir sehari, dapat menurunkan kemungkinan terkena diabetes tipe 2 dibandingkan dengan mereka yang minum kadang-kadang atau tidak sama sekali,"

Sebuah studi terbaru menunjukkan bahwa penurunan risiko diabetes ini bisa mencapai sekitar 30 persen. Penurunan signifikan ini akibat konsumsi rutin kopi berkafein ataupun bebas kafein.

Studi ini juga dilakukan oleh peneliti Eropa dari ahli kanker dan Gizi (EPIC). Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa kopi tidak meningkatkan risiko penyakit jantung atau kanker. Dari penelitian, setidaknya didiagnosis ada 1.432 kasus diabetes tipe 2, sebanyak 394 serangan jantung, 310 kasus strok dan 1.801 kasus kanker. Sehingga, terbukti sebanyak 20-30 persen dengan minum kopi dapat mencegah diabetes tipe 2.

More Evidence That Spicing Up Broccoli Boosts Its Cancer-Fighting Power

source : bingcookingsecrets.com

Teaming fresh broccoli with a spicy food that contains the enzyme myrosinase significantly enhances each food's individual cancer-fighting power and ensures that absorption takes place in the upper part of the digestive system where you'll get the maximum health benefit, suggests a new University of Illinois study.

"To get this effect, spice up your broccoli with broccoli sprouts, mustard, horseradish, or wasabi. The spicier, the better; that means it's being effective," said Elizabeth Jeffery, a U of I professor of nutrition. In the study, when fresh broccoli sprouts were eaten with broccoli powder, the scientists were able to measure bioactive compounds in the blood 30 minutes later. When these peaked at three hours, they were much higher when the foods were eaten together than when either was eaten alone. Urine samples corroborated the blood results, said Jenna Cramer, lead author of the study.

Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer Nearly Doubles The Risk of Rectal Cancer

www.medicaltourismco.com

Men who undergo radiation for prostate cancer have nearly double the risk of developing rectal cancer when compared to men who opt to have surgery to treat prostate cancer, according to a study published today in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Gastroenterology. Men who receive radiation for prostate cancer have a 70 percent higher risk of developing rectal cancer than those who underwent surgery, a risk similar to that posed by having a family history of the disease. 

"Men who have had prostate radiation should be aggressively monitored for rectal cancer starting five years after treatment," said Nancy Baxter, MD, PhD, lead study author with the University of Minnesota Cancer Center. "This is the first time rectal cancer risk associated with prostate radiation has been quantified, and these findings may also have implications for patients treated with radiation for other pelvic cancers." 

Olive Leaves / Extract For Diabetes And Weight Loss

By J E Block M.D., PhD,FACP

Eating carbohydrates raises your blood sugar; and you probably know you need to avoid them.  But that’s not quite as easy as it sounds, is it? What if there was an easy, natural way to decrease the effect of carbohydrates on your blood sugar? A way that would let you eat a few carbohydrates without suffering the consequences – would you be interested? 

A study from Israel, the land of olive trees, has found that the leaves from olive trees contain several biologically active compounds that have the ability to lower blood sugar. The researchers took 79 men and women with type-2 diabetes, and divided them into two groups. For 14 weeks, one group took just one 500 mg tablet of olive leaf extract each day, while the others took a placebo. Guess what? The patients treated with olive leaf extract had significantly lower A1c levels, indicating that their body was controlling their blood sugar much better than the placebo group. This was without any changes in their diets. They also had lower fasting insulin levels when they woke up in the morning. Now to me, this is even more interesting. 

New Strategy May Be Valid Alternative To Traditional Antibiotics

www.scilogs.com

Certainly there is strength in numbers, but only if those numbers can effectively communicate with one another. Now, a new study finds that administration of a novel small molecule which effectively disrupts a key bacterial communication process protects an animal host from infection. The research, published in the July 31st issue of the journal Molecular Cell, may lead to more effective treatments for bacterial infection that won't encourage growth of treatment resistant bacteria.

Bacteria use a process called "quorum sensing" to communicate information about population density and to synchronously engage in group behaviors that promote bacterial pathogenesis. "Quorum sensing allows bacteria to collectively carry out tasks that would be unsuccessful if carried out by an individual bacterium acting alone," explains senior study author Dr. Bonnie L. Bassler from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University.