Cabernet Sauvignon and the 99-Percent Brain

This New Year’s Eve, would you like a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon to prevent Alzheimer’s disease? Several months ago I suggested that this might be a good practice to stop the ravages of this disease. But was it questionable advice?

Researchers at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital spiked the drinking water of several female mice with Cabernet Sauvignon for seven months. Another group was given just water. Both groups were then placed in a maze. They discovered that the Cabernet Sauvignon mice found their way out of the maze quicker than teetotaler mice. I couldn’t resist sending this news to wine lovers.

Now another study shows I’d better take another look at the effects of alcohol on the brain. Carol Ann Paul, a researcher at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass., reported to the American Academy of Neurology in Boston that a small amount of alcohol is good for the heart, but it decreases total brain volume.

Paul and her associates analyzed MRI brain scans on 1,839 patients ages 34 to 88. They were classified in categories as non-drinkers, former drinkers, low drinkers (one to seven drinks per week), moderate drinkers (eight to 14 drinks per week) and high drinkers (more than 14 drinks per week).

The result? Researchers found that the more alcohol people consume on a regular basis, the smaller their brain volume. Paul reports that brain volume decreased 0.25 percent for every increase in the drinking categories. This meant that for heavy drinkers who consumed 14 or more drinks a week, brain volume decreased 1.6 percent.

Brain shrinkage was greater in female than in male drinkers. And the largest change was in women in their 70s who were still heavy drinkers. This is not a surprise since women’s bodies react differently to alcohol. They absorb it faster. It’s for this reason that women are advised to drink less alcohol than men.

Dr. James Garbutt, professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, says, “This study corroborates a building story about the detrimental effects of alcohol on the brain.”

This was hardly the news I wanted to hear, particularly on New Year’s Eve. Since I qualify as being a moderate drinker, I’m more than casually interested in this report. In fact, according to this study I’ve lost about 1 percent of my brain’s volume. This sounds like a small amount, but we also know that as we age we lose brain volume, so the loss starts to add up over the years.

But what effect has a loss of 1 percent of brain volume have on one’s intelligence? Neither Dr. Garbutt nor Carol Paul provides the answer to this question. So it leaves moderate drinkers in a bit of a quandary. Do you gamble on the Cabernet Sauvignon mice test that you’re smarter than teetotalers? Or do you agree with Carol Paul and worry about being left with a 99-percent brain?

For me, it’s an easy decision. I’m still going to enjoy a cocktail at the end of the day and on New Year’s Eve a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. There are over 20 world studies that show moderate drinkers live longer than teetotalers or excessive drinkers.

Alcohol oils the blood, increases good cholesterol, and dilates arteries, making a fatal blood clot less likely. Let’s also not forget the calming effect of alcohol after the turmoil of the day. Besides, the more I see of pharmaceutical prescriptions and their complications, the more I’m convinced that the therapeutic effects of alcohol in moderation are hard to beat.

But I’ll continue to drink alcohol just as porcupines make love: very, very carefully. The last thing I need while writing this column is a decrease in the size of my brain. In fact, this column may provide ready ammunition to those who believe I’m already afflicted with cerebral atrophy. Due to past columns questioning the value of mammography and fluoridation of water, there are many who proclaim me a fraud or who urge editors to “Fire the idiot!”

So on this New Year’s Eve, my thanks to editors who haven’t done so yet. And to all readers, I wish the best for 2009.

Dr. Gifford-Jones is a medical journalist with a private medical practice in Toronto.
Dr. Gifford-Jones’s Web site

Last Updated
Dec 28, 2008

Stem Cell Medicine - Are there more possibilities for umbilical cord blood?

During the past few years, in many clinics stem cell treatment has become almost routine. Umbilical cord blood cells are harvested and used to grow new cells for the treatment and possible repair of many organ diseases.

“Umbilical cord blood is a valuable stem cell source. It must be harvested immediately after birth and be specifically stored to be of use in the treatment of an illness,” said Dr. Susanne Engel-Hoemke, the press contact for the Nabelschnurblutbank [Umbilical Cord Blood Bank] Stellacure, in Germany’s Hamburg-Eppendorf.

Epoch Times (ET): Many people are under the impression that stem cell treatment in Germany is controversial and not wholly sanctioned. What is really happening?

Dr. Engel-Hoemke (Dr. EH): Discussions about the controversial topic abound. There is a difference between stem cells from adults and those from embryos. The negative opinions are related to the embryonic cells that are created a few days after conception—when the first cell divisions occur. Basic research is done with those cells. We do not use those for therapeutic applications. But German stem cell laws have enabled us to conduct a certain amount of [treatment] research with these cells. Ethical constraints forbid the use of bone marrow and umbilical cord blood on human beings.

ET: Which treatments make use of stem cell therapy today?

Dr. EH: Bone marrow stem cells have been utilized since the 1950s. For the most part, they are primarily used for diseases of the lymph nodes and tumors like bone cancer, and for eye and kidney tumors following chemotherapy. The treatments serve to generate new blood.

Umbilical cord blood, harvested immediately after birth, is also increasingly being used. To date, approximately 100 children have received their own umbilical cord blood as a remedy for brain injuries following birth, to combat type 1 diabetes, and for specific bone marrow illnesses. That does not sound like a large number, but the children whose parents had stored umbilical cord blood are still quite young and fortunately do not have [other] debilitating illnesses.

ET: What lies ahead for future stem cell applications?

Dr. EH: Uses in the practice of regenerative medicine are of particular interest. At stake here is the chance to regenerate destroyed organs and tissue. One’s own cells are preferred, because they largely prevent rejection symptoms. I am talking here of heart attack, stroke, illnesses of the nervous system, type 1 diabetes, and even liver diseases. For example, we have successfully treated several children who suffered from type 1 diabetes. Stem cells prevent further cell destruction in the pancreas. Concurrently, researchers are busy growing new pancreatic cells from fresh cells to aid in the regeneration of the organ.

ET: Since when has Nabelschnurblutbank Stellacure in Hamburg offered their services?

Dr. EH: We became licensed in mid-2006 to harvest and store umbilical cord blood and have offered our services since January 2007. Storage is with the blood bank DRK Baden-Wuerttemberg-Hessen in Frankfurt. Between the two there is great cooperation. We rely on decades-old records and the experience of the blood bank and thus offer parents a high-quality cell product. We also utilize the expansion of the public umbilical cord bank in Mannheim, which the DRK has managed since 1996.

ET: What do you tell expectant parents when they become your clients?

Dr. EH: The chance to store their children’s own stem cells is a treatment option for possible conditions that occur later in life. One has insured a treatment option for the growing child, but hopes at the same time this step will not be necessary. The contract lasts for 21 years, after which the adult child can decide if the umbilical cord ought to be stored further. I am convinced that by then it is a given [to continue storage].

ET: Thank you very much, Dr. Engel-Hoemke!


Last Updated
Nov 24, 2008

Peppermint Oil for IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a condition characterized by symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, bloating, gas, and altered bowel habits. In conventional medicine, there is no real consensus on what causes IBS.

IBS could be termed a “diagnosis of exclusion.” In other words, it’s the diagnosis that individuals end up with when tests have revealed there’s no conventional explanation for the symptoms (such as inflammatory bowel disease).
Underlying Causes of IBS

My experience in practice has led me to believe that IBS usually does have one or more specific underlying causes—it’s just that these tend not to be tested for or are not recognized by conventional medicine. I find the top two causes of this condition are food sensitivity and an imbalance in the organisms that inhabit the gut.

Despite conventional medicine’s generally poor understanding of IBS, certain strategies do exist for its treatment. For example, some health professionals will advise that individuals with IBS increase their intake of fiber. In practice, I’ve found that this makes many patients worse.

One potential explanation for this concerns wheat, which is, in my experience, a common triggering factor in IBS. And when individuals are advised to consume more fiber, they almost inevitably opt for more in the way of high-fiber breakfast cereals and breads that are based on wheat.
IBS Treatments

Fiber as a treatment for IBS has been studied, and a review of the available evidence has been published in the British Medical Journal this week [1]. There are two main sorts of fiber that have been studied in this context: bran (usually from wheat) and ispaghul (derived from plantain).

Bran was not found to bring a statistically significant reduction in the risk of persistent IBS symptoms, though ispaghul (also known as psyllium) did. Ispaghul was found to reduce the risk of persistent symptoms by 22 percent.

This review also looked at other strategies for IBS, including drugs that reduce spasm in the gut wall known as “anti-spasmodic.” Twelve agents were assessed, of which only five brought statistically significant improvements in symptoms.

Curiously, some drugs licensed for use for IBS (mebeverine, for example) did not seem to have any good evidence for them. Only two agents (otilonium and hyoscine, or scopolamine) showed, according to the authors, “consistent evidence of benefit.” Of these two, the one with the best evidence appears to be hyoscine.
Peppermint Oil

One final treatment assessed by the review was peppermint oil. This folksy remedy turned out to be better than placebo, reducing risk of persistent symptoms by more than half (57 percent).

Another way the effectiveness of a treatment can be assessed is to measure the “number needed to treat” (NNT—the number of individuals that need to be treated for one to get benefit). This review found the following NNTs for the treatments they assessed:

NNT for fiber: 11

NNT for antispasmodics: 5

NNT for peppermint oil: 2.5

Of these three main approaches for IBS, peppermint oil looks like the standout winner.

My preference is still to attempt to elucidate the true underlying cause of someone’s IBS symptoms rather than merely treating the symptoms. That said, peppermint oil represents a generally safe and effective option for those looking for some symptomatic relief from IBS.

References:

1. Ford AC, et al. Effect of fiber, antispasmodics, and peppermint in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. British Medical Journal 2008; 337;a2313

Dr. John Briffa is a London-based physician and author with an interest in nutrition and natural medicine. Dr. Briffa's Web site


Last Updated
Dec 11, 2008

Happiness Is Contagious - Reuters

WASHINGTON—Happiness is contagious, researchers reported last week.
The same team that demonstrated obesity and smoking spread in networks have shown that the more happy people you know, the more likely you are yourself to be happy.

And getting connected to happy people improves a person’s own happiness, they reported in the British Medical Journal.

“What we are dealing with is an emotional stampede,” Nicholas Christakis, a professor of medical sociology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said in a telephone interview.

Christakis and James Fowler, a political scientist at the University of California, San Diego, have been using data from 4,700 children of volunteers in the Framingham Heart Study, a giant health study begun in Framingham, Massachusetts, in 1948.

They have been analyzing a trove of facts from tracking sheets dating back to 1971, following births, marriages, death, and divorces. Volunteers also listed contact information for their closest friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

They assessed happiness using a simple, four-question test.

“People are asked how often during the past week, one, I enjoyed life, two, I was happy, three, I felt hopeful about the future, and four, I felt that I was just as good as other people,” Fowler said.

The 60 percent of people who scored highly on all four questions were rated as happy, while the rest were designated unhappy.
Connections Equal Happiness

People with the most social connection—friends, spouses, neighbors, relatives—were also the happiest, the data showed. “Each additional happy person makes you happier,” Christakis said.
“Imagine that I am connected to you and you are connected to others and others are connected to still others. It is this fabric of humanity, like an American patch quilt.”

Each person sits on a different-colored patch. “Imagine that these patches are happy and unhappy patches. Your happiness depends on what is going on in the patch around you,” Christakis said.

“It is not just happy people connecting with happy people, which they do. Above and beyond, there is this contagious process going on.”

And happiness is more contagious than unhappiness, they discovered.

“If a social contact is happy, it increases the likelihood that you are happy by 15 percent,” Fowler said. “A friend of a friend, or the friend of a spouse or a sibling, if they are happy, increases your chances by 10 percent,” he added.

A happy third-degree friend—the friend or a friend of a friend—increases a person’s chances of being happy by 6 percent.

“But every extra unhappy friend increases the likelihood that you’ll be unhappy by 7 percent,” Fowler said.

The finding is interesting, but it is useful, too, Fowler said.

“Among other benefits, happiness has been shown to have an important effect on reduced mortality, pain reduction, and improved cardiac function. So better understanding of how happiness spreads can help us learn how to promote a healthier society,” he said.

The study also fits in with other data that suggested—in 1984—that having $5,000 extra increased a person’s chances of becoming happier by about 2 percent.

“A happy friend is worth about $20,000,” Christakis said.

His team also is examining the spread of depression, loneliness, and drinking behavior.

Last Updated
Dec 12, 2008

Don’t Fire Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes

What do people fear the most? It’s often said that giving a speech tops the list. But a recent survey shows that it’s losing one’s sight. Today, with an aging population, an increasing number of people face the ultimate fear—a condition called age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that destroys vision and can even lead to blindness.

“Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” was a command once given to British soldiers. But if these soldiers had AMD, they wouldn’t have fired a single shot. AMD destroys the macula, a tiny spot in the retina responsible for central vision.

AMD is the leading cause of blindness for those over 50 years of age and affects more people than cataracts and glaucoma combined. It affects close to 300,000 Canadians, more Canadians than those who have breast cancer, prostate cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease combined. Close to 30,000 will develop this condition in 2009, and by age 75, one in three North Americans has early signs of AMD.

The effects of vision loss are devastating because it robs patients of their independence. The decline in everyday functioning due to vision loss may lead to depression and to anxiety and despondence in a caregiver, often a family member.

There are two types of macular degeneration. The common dry type of AMD affects 90 percent of patients. Vision is decreased due to the appearance of small yellow deposits that cause thinning and dryness of the macula, a tiny spot that allows you to look someone straight in the eye.

The wet type, the most serious, strikes 10 percent of those with this disease. In this case abnormal blood vessels grow under the macula. This growth pushes the macula from its normal position, distorting and eventually destroying central vision.

Without central vision, we cannot recognize faces, see fine detail, or drive a car. In the early stages of wet AMD, patients may not notice any significant difference in their vision, particularly if only one eye is affected. But eventually straight lines appear wavy or crooked, decreasing central vision, making the central spot become blurry.

Patients may also complain of decreased color vision, increased sensitivity to light, or a dark spot in the center of the vision surrounded by a distorted image. Or there can be a combination of all these troubles.

The diagnosis of wet AMD can mean severe central vision loss and possibly even blindness in a matter of weeks or months.

We can’t control aging, but we can decrease the risk of developing AMD. For instance, make sure that your diet is rich in lutein, a powerful antioxidant that helps to protect the eye from visible and ultraviolet light. Lutein is found in fruits and dark leafy vegetables. The recommended daily allowance of lutein is 6 milligrams.

There is no known cause for AMD. The strongest risk factor is age. And there’s an increased chance if there’s a family history of this disease or there has been an excessive exposure to sunlight, smoking, a diet low in antioxidants, or if you’re a woman.

High doses of vitamins A, C, E, and zinc also help to prevent macular degeneration and reduce the risk of further vision loss for those already diagnosed with this disease.

Medical consumers need to recognize the signs of AMD early enough to seek treatment before AMD severely compromises their ability to function independently. So if you start to see that your straight vision is becoming abnormal, be sure to consult your doctor.

Dr. Gifford-Jones is a medical journalist with a private medical practice in Toronto.
Dr. Gifford-Jones’s Web site

Last Updated
Dec 1, 2008

A Site for Sore Eyes - Improve eyesight naturally by the Bates method

Most people are aware that TV, regular computer use, lack of natural sunlight and lack of exercise—in fact so many aspects of modern life can be detrimental to our eyesight. Most people also think that—short of laser surgery—they will just have to bow to the inevitable: that our eyesight will get worse and worse with time. Fortunately, this is not the case.

The Bates Method

In the late 1800s in the United States, Dr. William Bates, a respected eye surgeon, became disillusioned with his profession. If glasses aid our vision, then why are people continually prescribed stronger and stronger glasses? He was convinced that there must be a better way to deal with our eyes—and the Bates method was born. Bates is a holistic approach to seeing, integrating mind, body, and spirit. The Bates philosophy is that we have a tremendous capacity to heal ourselves, and that vision is not entirely physical—it’s also mental. According to Bates, eye defects are caused by eyestrain. Here are a couple of quick tips for relaxing the eyes.
Palming

When you’ve been on the computer all day, you haven’t had enough sleep, and you feel an ache starting to build up behind the eyes, what do you do? Well, palming is one of the best things that you could do. Take glasses off. If you can, remove contacts. Rub your palms together vigorously, to warm them up a little and cup them over your closed eyes. You shouldn’t be putting any pressure on the eyeballs, but the idea is to cut out any chinks of light. If you’re sitting down, with your elbows on the desk in front of you, prop them up with a few books if you have to, but make sure you’re not slouching, as that will restrict the blood flow. Palming is intensely relaxing. The combination of warmth and complete darkness is more relaxing to your eyes than sleep. For palming to work you need to relax, physically and mentally. If you think of it as a chore, it won’t benefit you. Think of it, instead, as a holiday for the eyes. Palming is so beneficial that you should try to fit as much in as you can—lying down in bed the last thing at night or first thing in the morning if you can’t find any other time.
Swaying or Swinging

Mothers who rock their babies to sleep know instinctively that the swaying motion is very relaxing. Bates uses this in a very precise and disciplined way to relax the eyes and nervous system.

For this exercise, you need to be standing in front of a window. Place your feet a little more than shoulder distance apart. Look out to the distance, straight ahead without staring. Staring differs greatly from healthy looking. When you stare you don’t blink, and blinking gives your mind a momentary rest. Look out directly in front, focusing on a particular building or object; sway your body and weight from one foot to the other. Do it in slow, fluid movements without jerking. Be sure to keep both feet flat on the floor. Do this for a few minutes, observing how the building opposite seems to be swaying with you. Observe colors, shapes, and sizes. Then close your eyes and continue swaying in the same rhythm. Focus on the scene in your mind’s eye. Observe that the building is now whooshing past you, in the opposite direction. You may find that your eyes start to water or stream—this is a good sign.

For more information about the Bates method, and to find out what you can do to improve your eyesight naturally see the Web site is www.seeing.org.

For details of the British Natural Eyesight Conference on October 24–26, 2008, in Hemel Hempstead, which will feature guest speakers from around the world and give guests the chance to find out about interesting NVI techniques See www.bnec.org.uk

Mastoor Khan is a freelance writer with an interest in preventive health issues.

Last Updated
Oct 22, 2008

Eating Fish Thwarts Brain Damage - Reuters Health

NEW YORK—Older adults who regularly eat fish may have a lower risk of subtle brain damage that contributes to stroke and dementia—as long as the fish isn’t fried—researchers reported recently.

In a study that followed 3,660 adults age 65 and older, Finnish researchers found that those who ate more fish were less likely to show certain “silent” brain infarcts—tiny areas of tissue that have died because of an insufficient blood supply—on an MRI scan.

The tissue damage is considered silent, or “subclinical” because it causes no obvious symptoms and can only be detected through brain scans. It can, however, raise a person’s longer-term risk of having a stroke or developing dementia.

Among older adults in the current study, those who said they ate tuna and other baked or broiled fish at least three times per week were one-quarter less likely than those who rarely ate fish to have subclinical brain infarcts at the study’s start.

Fish eaters also tended to be less likely to develop new infarcts over the next five years.

No such benefits were linked to consumption of fried fish, however, the researchers report in the journal Neurology.

While the study cannot conclusively point to the reason for the brain benefits, it’s likely that omega-3 fatty acids—healthy fats found mainly in oily fish—play a key role, according to Dr. Jyrki K. Virtanen and colleagues at the University of Kuopio.

When the researchers estimated study participants’ intake of two major omega-3 fatty acids—EPA and DHA—they found a link between higher intake and lower risk of silent brain infarcts.

In addition, the researchers note, the lack of a protective effect from fried fish may stem from the fact that foods like fish burgers and fish sticks are typically made from fish low in omega-3.

Overall, the findings add to evidence that fish rich in omega-3 fats—like salmon, mackerel and albacore tuna—may have “important health benefits,” the researchers write.

“Previous findings have shown that fish and fish oil can help prevent stroke, but this is one of the only studies that looks at fish’s effect on silent brain infarcts in healthy, older people,” Virtanen said in a written statement.

“More research is needed as to why these types of fish may have protective effects, but the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA would seem to have a major role.” Virtanen added.

Silent brain infarcts can raise a person’s risk of both stroke and cognitive decline. It’s estimated that about 20 percent of adults age 65 and up who are free of silent infarcts will develop at least one within five years.

The American Heart Association recommends that all adults strive to eat at least two fish meals per week, preferably fatty fish, for the sake of their cardiovascular health.

Source: Neurology, August 5, 2008

Last Updated
Aug 17, 2008

Garlic Can Reduce Blood Pressure By Dr. John Briffa

Garlic is an oft-touted natural remedy, particularly regarding affairs of the heart. Regular garlic consumption has been said to improve cardiovascular health. In the past, one way it was believed to improve health was its ability to reduce blood pressure.

A previous review found seven trials in which the effects of garlic (powder) were compared with placebo: Three showed a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (the higher blood pressure value), while four showed a significant reduction in diastolic blood pressure (the lower blood pressure value). Overall, the results indicated that garlic had genuine blood-pressure-lowering potential [1].

Since this review was published, other evidence has come to light. Recently, scientists brought the state of the science on this topic up to date with a meta-analysis, which combined the results of eleven relevant studies [2].

The results demonstrated the following: overall, a statistically significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (an average reduction of 4.6) and overall, no statistically significant reduction in diastolic blood pressure. [Blood pressure is measured in mmHg.]

The authors of this study also went on to separate out the data from individuals in studies who were deemed to have high blood pressure (blood pressure of 140/90 or higher).

In this group, the results showed a statistically significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (an average reduction of 8.4) and a statistically significant reduction in diastolic blood pressure (an average reduction of 7.3).

The authors point out that if the overall effect of garlic on blood pressure seen in the review was applied to the population as a whole, risk of cardiovascular disease and death from cardiovascular disease would be expected to fall by 8 percent to 20 percent. Perhaps it should be borne in mind that garlic might possibly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by other mechanisms as well, notably an anti-coagulant effect (garlic is a blood-thinner, like aspirin).

The dosages of garlic used in the studies on blood pressure were 600 mg to 900 mg. One of garlic’s main active ingredients is believed to be allicin. The dosages used in the studies would translate to a daily allicin dose of 3.6 mg to 5.4 mg. One single fresh clove of garlic contains 5 mg to 9 mg of allicin. For maximum effect, the garlic should be raw (uncooked).

References:

[1.] Silagy CA, et al. A meta-analysis of the effect of garlic on blood pressure.
Journal of Hypertension. 1994 Apr; 12(4): 463–8.

[2.] Ried K, et al. Effect of garlic on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders 2008, 8:13 [Epub 16th June]

Dr. John Briffa is a London-based doctor and author with an interest in nutrition and natural medicine. Dr. Briffa's Web site

Last Updated
Oct 23, 2008