Health Conditions

Pancreatitis is a condition caused by the inflammation of the pancreas. This organ is responsible for releasing various enzymes, which are responsible for food digestion. When this release is obstructed, the person can experience constant or severe abdominal pain, as well as fever, nausea, and vomiting.

In the past we talked about the 7 best foods for a Pancreatitis Diet, which include the following:
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Pancreas Problems27 Aug 2010

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While the types of herbs that you can take safely during pregnancy are limited, there are certain kinds that are safe and boost immunity. Echinacea is one of the best germ fighting herbs. It has been studied most thoroughly and has consistently demonstrated its immune system strengthening qualities. It also fights fungal, viral, and bacterial infections. You can find Echinacea in many different forms in various health food stores. The type considered most effective by herbalists is called Echinacea Angustofolia. If you take 2-4ml of the tincture, mixed with a bit of water 3 times a day does not have any adverse effects on women who are pregnant.

If you do not suffer from nausea, you can try to use more highly flavoured spices and herbs when cooking your regular repertoire of dishes. Among these, garlic is the one that has unquestionable immune boosting properties, which have been proven over and over again. Garlic is rich in many compounds, especially a chemical called allicin. It has been used throughout history around the globe to treat a wide range of illnesses, especially viral infections.

For more information, go to:
wvflu.org,
en.wikipedia.org

Flu25 Aug 2010

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Pregnancy can often weaken the immune system, which makes it easier for women to catch a cold or flu. During pregnancy, flu symptoms can last longer and be more severe than for the average person. Most expecting mothers are worried about taking flu medicines at risk of harming the baby, so pregnancy and the flu can form a nasty combination.
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Flu25 Aug 2010

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A new survey suggests that bed bugs are spreading incredibly quickly across the U.S., and almost no region remains unbitten. Exterminator calls for bed bugs across the nation have increased by 57 percent over the last five years, and this year so far by 24 percent alone.

A University of Kentucky entomology professor, Michael Patter, says that these days most cities are having to deal with the big problem of bed bugs. He points out that in a place where there is a high density of people, or a significant movement of people, there will be a breeding place for bed bugs. Increased immigration level, travel, and insecticide resistance are the factors most often pointed to for the bed bug epidemic, although there are experts who blame bans on certain insecticides which have recently been brought in due to environmental concerns.
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Other Viruses24 Aug 2010

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The Cleveland Clinic Research Institute immunologist, Vincant Tuohy, led a vaccine cancer research study to monitor the affects of the cancer vaccine in mice. He says that this vaccine targets a protein in breast tumors. Tuohy and his team believe that this breast cancer vaccine could be used someday to prevent breast cancer, much like a variety of vaccines regularly prevent childhood diseases. Tuohy noted that if the cancer vaccine works in humans in the same way as it works in mice, then breast cancer could be eliminated. The next step for the team of researchers is to conduct cancer trials of the vaccine in humans. However, they note that it could take years for the vaccine to become widely available to the public.

To put it simply, cancer occurs when the body’s own cells start over-developing. In order to develop a vaccine to fight this cell over-growth, it would basically be necessary to destroy healthy tissue in the recipient’s body. For this reason, developing an effective cancer vaccine is difficult, but enormous progress is being made in this field, and an ever increasing array of cancer vaccines look set to become permanent fixtures at clinics around the globe.

For more information, go to:
en.wikipedia.org,
cancer.gov

Cancer Types20 Aug 2010

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Scientists have successfully modified a virus in order to produce a therapeutic vaccine to protect against various cancers. The cancer vaccine was able to elicit a positive response in early human cancer trials, but only a small number of patients were tested.

In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently approved a prostate cancer vaccine, called Provenge. The ideal behind therapeutic cancer vaccines is that cancer patients usually have immune system defects, which is the factor that compromises their ability to adequately respond to malignancy. The cancer vaccine works by activating immune cells, which are the ones that have to kill tumors. These immune cells must be able to survive long enough so they can reach the tumor and then eliminate it.

In another vaccine cancer research study, the cancer vaccine was administered to 28 patients, who had recurrent and advanced forms of colon, lung, pancreatic, appendix, or breast cancer. The vaccine was given to them multiple times over a three-month period. These patients had already failed standard chemotherapy numerous times. As a result, five of the patients demonstrated a response to the vaccine. Two patients had already been in remission, but they stayed in remission. Another two had their cancers stabilize. In one of the patients, who had pancreatic cancer, a liver lesion seemed to have disappeared. The responses were more likely to occur in those patients who had smaller tumors, as well as those who were given higher doses of the cancer vaccine.

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Cancer Types20 Aug 2010

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Harri Hemilä, an Author-Professor, claims that it makes no sense to take vitamin C every single day of your life to reduce the chance of getting a cold or flu. Nevertheless, as we said earlier, the use of vitamin C could be justified if the person has a severe cold or flu, or certain physical stresses. In addition, one study gives strong evidence that a taking large dose of vitamin C when the cold or flu just starts could be of benefit. However, there is more research required to confirm these results.

The recommended dose of vitamin C currently allowed is only 60mg, but a registered British Dietetic Association dietician, Catherine Collens, says that the optimum amount of vitamin C should be 200mg per day, because it has been proven to help our immune system. She said that this amount could be easily obtained by most people just by eating five portions of vegetables and fruit on a daily basis. However, if you eat too much vitamin C, it will not be absorbed into the body, and, thus, will be removed.

Ms Collins said that even though infection-fighting white blood cells have been found to use vitamin C, there is simply not enough evidence to suggest that it also helps prevent colds and flu. She said that it sounds biologically feasible to most people, since vitamin C strengthens the immune system. However, there is not enough proof that vitamin C prevents an illness from occurring.

For more information,
go to: en.wikipedia.org,
nlm.nih.gov

Flu19 Aug 2010

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Whereas in the past doctors advised you to keep your vitamin C levels high in order to ward off colds and flu, new evidence suggests that nowadays this could advice could be almost irrelevant. The benefits of vitamin C are now under question, after scientists have found that taking daily vitamin C supplements do not protect the majority of people from colds and flu.

A review of 30 different studies, which involved a total of 11,350 people, discovered that a 200mg minimum dose of vitamin C every day did almost nothing to help make their colds shorter or less severe. (more…)

Flu19 Aug 2010

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A paper recently published in a journal called Epidemiology and Infection, discusses in detail the benefits of vitamin D, and explores the theory that it is actually a “seasonal stimulus” that no one seems to notice. The paper suggests that changes in vitamin D levels, which occur throughout the year, explain why the influenza virus is seasonal. The periodic changes in vitamin D levels, which occur as we get close to winter, cause predictable and recurrent vitamin D deficiency during this season. This makes the human population much more susceptible to influenza epidemics.

Cases of colds and flu predictably happen mostly after the winter solstice, because that is when there are extremely low levels of vitamin D. Naturally, there are very few cases of colds and flu observed in the months after the summer solstice. It has also been found that the older population, who live in countries where vitamin D consumption is high, such as Norway, have a much lower chance of death in the winter. Russian scientists found that vitamin D-producing UVB lamps reduced colds and flu in schoolchildren and factory workers.

So, the obvious conclusion here is that vitamin D is very important. Physicians must diagnose and treat vitamin D deficiency adequately. It is recommended that the level of vitamin D taken daily should be maintained at 25-hydroxy levels, which is a level normally achieved on a regular summer’s day.

For more information, go to:
en.wikipedia.org,
ods.od.nih.gov

Flu18 Aug 2010

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New research suggests that sunshine may be more than just a cold remedy. A new study has found that people with low vitamin D levels had a higher chance of catching colds and flu than those who have a normal amount in their body. The benefits of vitamin D (also known as the “sunshine vitamin”) were most prominent in people who had asthma or other lung diseases, and those who were susceptible to respiratory infections.

According this week’s Archives of Internal Medicine research, people who had the largest deficiency of vitamin D had a 36 percent greater chance of suffering respiratory infections than those who had normal vitamin D levels. (more…)

Flu18 Aug 2010

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- According to Dr. Gordon Ainsleigh’s estimates, the 17% rise in breast cancer, which was observed from 1991 to 1992 could actually have been caused by the almost obsessive sunscreen use throughout the past decade.

- Certain recent studies have also shown that men who regularly used sunscreens had a higher rate of melanoma. Women who regularly used sunscreens have been found to have a higher basal cell carcinoma rate.

- According to the estimates of Dr. Ainsleigh, 30,000 yearly cancer-related deaths in the U.S. alone could be prevented, if only people subjected themselves to moderate sun
exposure instead of using so much sunscreen.

Clearly the answer is to change the way we do things in summer. We should spend less time under the sun in the heat of the day instead of going out and relying on sunscreen. The false sense of security that sunscreen has produced could be very dangerous to your health..

For more information, go to:
skincancer.org,
medicinenet.com

Cancer Types17 Aug 2010

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As most people are aware, over-exposure to a significant dose of UV radiation results in sunburn. Sunburn increases the risk of getting wrinkles, and, worst of all, skin cancer. It has also been found that lying in the sun and tanning bed use may lead to long-term skin damage, if you do it over several years. So, we just slap on some sunscreen and think that it makes it all OK. But does it really? Let’s look at what your skin really absorbs when you put on some mainstream chemical sunscreen.
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Cancer Types17 Aug 2010

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Seasonal flu trends continue to be a major public health concern every year. Early detection of the spread of the disease is the key to reducing seasonal, as well as pandemic influenza. One of the ways that early detection can be improved is by monitoring and observing remedy-seeking behaviour on online search engines. Millions of users submit queries on the subject around the world each day. A new method is presented by Google to monitor the numbers of search queries to track flu trends in a population. It was found that the frequency of queries is highly correlated to the amount of physician visits where patients exhibit influenza-like symptoms. Thus, it is easy to estimate the level of influenza activity accurately in different regions of the U.S.
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Flu10 Aug 2010

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Various vaccines and drugs have been introduced to fight against swine flu, but most of them have had very limited success. However, homoeopathy doctors say that alternative medicine can help not only prevent swine flu, but even cure it, and all that without side-effects. The Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) recommends homeopathic remedies for swine flu prevention. Experts suggest that a homeopathic substance called arsenicum album may be taken as a preventive measure against flu-like illnesses, and even swine flu.
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Flu9 Aug 2010

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There has been a lot of talk about the flu vaccine and whether it is effective or not. Looking at the issue closer, it becomes apparent that it is not only ineffective, but can in fact be dangerous. Here we would like to share some of the research about the latest flu vaccination, and the by-products and chemicals contained in these supposedly effective and non-harmful flu injections. Let’s look at what the common flu vaccination actually contains:
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Flu5 Aug 2010

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The Flu virus loves it when the temperature around it is somewhere around 90°F, as this is ideal for the virus to grow and multiply fast. However, the virus quickly gets stressed and is much less likely to replicate with such speed when its surroundings suddenly heats up. By drinking lots of hot fluids, you can effectively impair viral replication, and this is the key to helping your body overcome a viral illness. A further advantage of hot drinks to fight colds and flu is that hot fluids have a decongestant effect which can help you to relieve nasal stuffiness.
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Flu29 Jul 2010

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Teenagers who get pregnant are more likely to have premature babies or have smaller size babies than women in their 20s, stated an Irish research team. In England a study of over 50,000 women found that those aged 14 to 17 also have a greater chance of premature births if they had a second child. Teenagers under 17 were 21% more likely to give birth prematurely in the first pregnancy, and 93% more likely in the second one. A link was also found between younger mothers and their babies with low birth weight. The study was conducted over a two-year period, and included all women between the ages of 14 and 29, who had given birth in north-west England. 3,600 of them were between the ages of 14 and 17. Over a third of them were from areas considered to be socially deprived. The study also discovered that teenage mothers are more likely to be underweight.
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Birth Control28 Jul 2010

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Songbirds such as sparrows and thrushes may sing incredibly beautifully, but they are carriers of a wide range of flu viruses. This in itself is not alarming, but as was reported this week by the BioMed Central journal BMC for Infectious Diseases, the flu has mutated in songbirds birds into various forms of the bird flu, all of which could potentially spread to pigs and poultry.
The researchers said that for the time being, the birds carry the less dangerous low-pathogenic bird flu. However, the flu virus swaps genes and can easily mutate into more dangerous forms.
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Flu27 Jul 2010

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Canada appears to know a lot more about flu prevention and flu treatment than the U.S. The statistics speak for themselves. Over the past 4 years Canada had a total of 16 flu-related deaths for their pediatric age group, which includes all those under the age of 18. Included in this are all seasonal cases, as well as those resulting from H1N1. 75 percent of these fatalities had chronic and serious underlying health conditions. So, that’s 16 deaths in total, from a pediatric population of 7.86 million, most of whom (around 60 percent) remained unvaccinated. To compare, during the same span of 4 years, the same U.S. pediatric category had 553 flu-related fatalities. If you break these figures down into children without underlying medical conditions, Canada has an average of only 1 flu-related child death a year, while in the U.S. that average is 35. Moreover, per capita, the U.S. has a shocking 3.2 times death rate of Canada.
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Flu26 Jul 2010

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