If you read my article about the health effects of ginger, you already know that I am an avid fan of sushi. Having grown up in California where sushi is commonplace and fresh fish is caught by the hour, the delicacy consisting of raw fish, rice, spices, and seaweed, is a luxury we often take for granted. While I usually drool over the ginger, fresh fish, and soy-sauce laden rice, science might be telling me to start appreciating the thin black “skin” of seaweed wrapped around them instead.
While many beachgoers and ocean swimmers get tied up or tangled in the slimy legs of seaweed, the term “seaweed” is actually a blanket word for any variety of algae formed in the sea. Algae comes in red, green, or brown and is harvested for a number of commercial uses. Besides being an additive in some products such as toothpaste, paint, or cosmetics, seaweed is also being developed as a weight-loss tool, fertilizer, as a potential biofuel, and it could be the next “superfood” if more uses are found.
In the food spectrum, seaweed is not just used to wrap sushi or cut up into Asian-style soups. Seaweed is known around the globe as a tasty treat and can be made into pasta like spaghetti in Italy or in a type of bread in Scotland.
Seaweed has been found to be a large source of iodine, an element that is necessary for the health and maintenance of the thyroid gland and when left untreated, can lead to discomfort and possibly a goiter. The strength and elasticity found in strips of this sea-faring organism is sometimes used to dress wounds and has also been documented as used in molds for dental work. Seaweed has been used in many studies hoping to find cures or lessening agents within it against diseases like tuberculosis, annoying ailments such as arthritis or tapeworms, even the common influenza has been tested with seaweed. The results of these tests have been relatively inconclusive and no generalizations could be made.
However, most of the studies in recent years that have been done regarding the effects of seaweed, are against cancer. Hoping to find the ability to shrink tumors with algae, many researchers have devoted years to observing the patterns and data surrounding this important compound.
A 2005 study conducted at the Georgia Institute of Technology found a small strain of red algae off the coast of Fiji called Callophycus serratus, that looks promising for a new, natural cure for cancer. With ten new natural compounds from the strain to work with, researchers found that some of the compounds were born antibacterial fighters and have held up in the lab against known diseases that resist antibiotics. It was said that the natural germ-killers were made by the seaweed to ward off predators and disease. Another compound was able to kill tumor cells in the lab by being able to turn on the suicide switch in the individual cells, which scientists call a head start to a new possible line of anticancer drugs. Georgia Tech biochemists insist that they are only in the “test tube level” and many more studies will be conducted.
Four years ago the researchers speculated that if the studies continue to work, that it may take at least a decade for any of these types of drugs to become available to the public. Another downside to these findings is a common one among researchers, the dosage of the drug would have to be incredibly high in order for it to work and it may do more harm than good for the patients. Another Georgia Tech biologist Mark Hay says that curing cancer is easy, but making it easier on the patient is completely different,
“We can cure cancer with a shotgun, so curing cancer is not the problem…. Curing cancer without harming patients is a whole different thing that's very difficult to figure out. Many compounds have been found to have a negative effect on cancer cells, but almost none of them have gone to market because of adverse side effects that make them unusable.”
While it may be awhile before we are able to take seaweed capsules to ward off cancer or those extra few inches around the middle, it looks like seaweed is a great source of nutrition and shouldn’t be shooed away from the table.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Can Seaweed Battle Cancer?
Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Rate Reduced By Nearly Half With Use of Two New Drugs
Cladribine and fingolimod, two new oral drugs, have been shown to decrease the relapse rate in people who suffer from multiple sclerosis. The drugs could become the first treatments for the disease that does not require regular injections or infusions, if they gain approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and frequently disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the condition affects about 400,000 Americans and is the most frequent cause of neurological disability other than trauma in people from ages 20 to 50. Symptoms vary among patients and can range from mild to severe and may cause numbness of the limbs, paralysis and even loss of vision. The progression and severity of the disease are unpredictable.
Relapsing/Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) is one of four recognized forms of MS. However, approximately 85 percent of people presenting with Multiple Sclerosis are first diagnosed with RRMS. This form of MS is characterized by relapses that may last for days, weeks or even months, during which new symptoms can appear and old symptoms may resurface or worsen. These relapses are followed by periods of remission in which the patient fully or partially recovers from the effects that occur during relapse periods. Recovery may be gradual or practically instantaneous.
In the Phase III study of 1,200 patients with the RRMS, approximately 80 percent of MS patients who took the drug cladribine remained relapse-free for two years compared to only 61 percent of those participants given a placebo. Side effects of cladribine were mild and included headaches, colds, flu, and nausea. The patients were followed for almost two years and monitored with the use of MRI scans. The study participants all had been living with MS for an average of six to seven years, and suffered from at least one relapse in the year prior to the study.
During the study, led by Gavin Giovannoni, M.D., of the Barts and London School of Medicine and Dentistry, participants received either four courses of low-dose cladribine tablets, six courses of higher-dose cladribine tablets, or a placebo. According to Giovannoni, this means, “that individuals with MS only have to take tablets for 8 to 20 days a year. That should improve compliance.”
The study participants who received cladribine were found to be 55 to 58 percent less likely to suffer from a relapse within a year than those given a placebo. In addition, the cladribine recipients were 33 percent less likely to experience deterioration in their disabilities, such as increase in the difficulties of walking. Based on MRI scans, participants taking cladribine were also found to have considerably brain and spinal cord lesions that are typical for MS patients.
Cladribine is already licensed and marketed under the name Leustatin for the treatment of leukemia and is believed to work in the fight against MS by suppressing the autoimmune responses thought to cause the disease. Merck Serono plans to apply for FDA approval within months.
In another successful phase III study of over 1,200 patients with RRMS, 80 to 84 percent of MS patients who were given daily dosages of the drug fingolimod remained relapse-free after one year in comparison to only 67 percent of study participants who received Avonex, a typical injectable drug used to treat MS. Participants in this study had been living with MS for an average of seven years, and all had suffered from an average of two relapses within two years prior to the study. Jeffrey Cohen, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic, led the study.
Participants taking fingolimod were found to be 38 to 52 percent less likely to suffer from a relapse within a year and also experienced fewer lesions than participants who received the Avonex injections. The length of the study was insufficient to allow conclusions to be drawn on fingolimod’s effects on disabilities. The most common side effects experienced included, headache, head colds and fatigue. However, eight cases of skin cancer as well as four cases of breast cancer did occur and it remains unclear as to whether or not fingolimod was responsible for these events.
Fingolimod also suppresses the autoimmune responses thought to cause MS. There are two other ongoing studies of fingolimod for which results are expected within a few months. The maker of the drug, Novartis, anticipates application to the FDA for approval by the end of this year.
The phase III studies for both cladribine and fingolimod were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. Because both drugs suppress the autoimmune responses, concerns remain regarding the safety of long-term use, as T cells are necessary for fighting infections, and particularly viral infections. Cladribine damages the ability of the T cells to reproduce and proliferate while fingolimod locks T cells inside the lymph nodes, preventing them from traveling through the bloodstream and into the brain and spinal cord. More studies of both drugs will be required to determine safe measures for their use.
Tincture Tonics?
When watching an older movie, particularly one that is set prior to 1950, oftentimes terms are used that are rare or extinct in modern day life. Such as when characters would faint in a scene, a smaller role would always be advised to procure the “smelling salts” because the ill person had “the vapors.” The word tincture reminds me of this old-timey speak, although I admit that I did not know exactly what one was. Apparently tinctures are still widely used today and relevant in modern alternative medicine for a variety of ailments.
Common in chemistry classes (a course I was never good in), a tincture is a solution that uses alcohol as the main ingredient acting as a solvent to dissolve the solid portion of the solution. A tincture involves the mixing of the leaves, stems, or crushed seeds of a plant/medicinal herb distilled over time in a high percentage of alcohol (usually 40 to 60, but can also be up to 90 percent ethanol alcohol).
To make a healing tincture, herb bits are placed in a small jar and ethanol is poured over them. After letting this mixture stand for several weeks, while stirring occasionally, your tincture is ready for consumption (but should only be consumed in the event of an actual ailment). This process using alcohol helps to keep the herbs lasting for many years past their normal expiration because they are living compounds. It should be noted that tinctures can also be made with vinegar, although this type doesn’t last as long as the alcohol version.
Easily stored and travel-sized, most tinctures are made in small glass or plastic vials—around one ounce in size—perfect for a first aid kit or toiletries bag. Ready to use, these tinctures are easily administered either under the tongue or a few drops mixed into water, juices, or teas.
If you do not have the resources to purchase a high-quality tincture (they can be expensive depending on the uniqueness of the herb being used, time it took the herbalist, and where you find them), it is just as easy to make one yourself. However, make sure you use a recipe so the percentages are just right and use them with caution and as recommended. Favorite alcohol-based tonics that are made as tinctures are formuated with gin, brandy, and vodka, mainly because they are the top 100-proof alcohols available for purchase. Cheap alcohol will make the tincture less effective, so buy the best you can afford (or the best-tasting in your opinion).
Tinctures are generally used for chronic pain conditions like arthritis and ongoing persistent or recurring ailments such as bronchitis, asthma, menopause, migraines, joint and muscle spasms, stomach and bowel problems such as colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, motion sickness, nausea, tremors associated with Parkinson’s disease, and many others.
These tiny potions can be taken as often as a couple of times a day or just a few times a week or monthly as necessary. Always check with your nutritionist or physician before self-medicating or using a tincture as a complement to Western medical treatments and always make sure the herbs being used or mixed are supposed to combine in order to treat your specific condition. If you happen to be on medication, also check with your healthcare provider in case you are unable to use a tincture based on alcohol content or possibly because of the drug interaction with different herbs.
Next time you watch an old movie and someone with tuberculosis needs a tincture in order to get through his or her day, maybe you (as I will) know what exactly that means, even if you don’t venture to your nearest health food store or attempt to make your own alternative tonic.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Corneal diseases
Cornea - a front part of an external fibrous envelope of an eyeball; nonvascular, high-sensitivity, transparent, an optically homogeneous envelope with smooth, a smooth surface. Except for protective and basic function the cornea is the main refracting surface of optical system of an eye.
Diseases of a cornea makes about 25 % of the general number of diseases of eyes, and quite often are the reasons of blindness and lowering of vision.
Diseases of a cornea are rather various. Most often there are inflammatory diseases of a cornea (keratitis), differing greater variety of forms and being one of principal causes of decrease in sight and blindness, and also keratikonus. The Most frequent reasons of keratitis and keratoconjunctivitis are virus and bacterial infections.
Keratikonus - a condition of an eye at which the normal spherical form of a cornea is broken, the cornea is bent. On a surface of an eye the camber similar to a cone that leads to strong easing of sight develops.
Dystrophies and degenerations of a cornea happen primary and secondary. In a basis primary local and general infringements of a metabolism with adjournment in a cornea of products of a pathological exchange lay. Secondary dystrophies develop after transferred keratitis, traumas, burns of eyes.
For the prevention of heavy complications of diseases of a cornea are required: proper diagnostics, duly and active treatment. Various medicinal substances are applied to local treatment in the form of drops, injections. Methods of electrophoresis, phonophoresis, treatment by laser radiation are used also.
For carrying out of purposeful treatment bacterial keratitis definition of sensitivity of microflora to antibiotics by crop of defeat separated from the center is necessary.
Instruction to the patient after change of a cornea
To you the microsurgery of change of a cornea is lead. The thin seam keeping a donor fabric, can long-standing time (about one year) to remain in a cornea. It allows you to start to work with the moderate physical activity earlier. At the same time, it is necessary to remember the periodic medical control over a condition of a seam.
Durable healing of a wound after change of a cornea comes only in 6-10 months after operation. Therefore after an extract from a hospital it is necessary for you to continue the recommended treatment in house conditions. Instilling drops or loading ointments can be made the purest hands before a mirror or in a prone position, as well as by means of relatives, using those receptions with which you have got acquainted in a hospital.
During the first month to sleep it is necessary on a back or on the party opposite to the operated eye. The food can be usual, it is necessary to exclude alcoholic drinks. Surplus of sweets is not desirable. Easy gymnastic exercises without jumps, run and inclinations are useful. During rest and walks during the first year after operation it is necessary to avoid stay on the bright sun. It is impossible to sunbathe. It is possible to use the blacked out glasses. The replaced cornea during several months, and sometimes several years, has the lowered sensitivity. Therefore it is impossible to rub sharply an eye a scarf or a hand, it is necessary to be cautious at washing, to cover the operated eye during a strong wind and to avoid walks in frosty days even on the second or the next years after operation. It will help to save a cornea from damages and freezing injury.
You can watch TV, go to museums, cinema and theatre if it is not connected with difficult and close moving to transport. It is possible to start the usual or limited work in 2-4 months depending on a condition of the operated eye and working conditions. Expansion of the general mode should be carried out one step at a time, however during the first year work with a slope of a head downwards, outdoor games, run, heavy physical work is absolutely counter-indicative. After an output for work do not forget to show to the oculist each 2-3 months within the first year after operation, especially if it is not removed an encircling stitch.
In case of occurrence of reddening and an ache in an eye, and blear-eyedness to you it is necessary for photophobia to see a doctor promptly. Only early the begun treatment can prevent deterioration of vision.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Dystonia and Botox Injections
The first thing you notice about "Joey" is that his head is turned and tipped to one side; his left ear rests on his hunched-up left shoulder. He has to turn his whole upper body to look at you. Joey has torticollis, also known as cervical dystonia, meaning that his neck muscles are in an involuntary spasm that forces his head into its painful, abnormal position.
Can affect any part of the body
Dystonia--those painful muscle spasms--can affect any part of the body including:
- eyelids (blepharospasm)
- face (oromandibular)
- vocal cords (dysphonia)
- arms, legs, or trunk
"Writer's cramp" is dystonia in the hand or arm muscles.
Causes
Dystonia affects people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. Some forms of it can be inherited; researchers have identified more than 10 genes or chromosome locations associated with the disorder. Dystonia may also occur due to birth injury, traumatic injury, toxins (such as manganese), certain medications (such as haloperidol), stroke, or be part of another disorder such as Parkinson's disease. It generally develops gradually, and symptoms can appear at any age.
Diagnosis
There is no specific test for dystonia, so it is usually diagnosed based on the symptoms. Dystonia can come and go, so some people who experience it may have a hard time convincing health care providers that it exists. The spasms may change significantly with different actions. For example, hand dystonia may occur when trying to write but not during other activities.
Treatment
For most people with dystonia, the disorder does not shorten life, but it does cause pain and discomfort, and may interfere with basic activities such as walking, dressing, or eating.
There are a number of medications that can treat dystonia, either alone or in combination. One of the most common treatments is Botox (botulinum toxin) injections (marketed as Vistabel in Europe). Dysport is another brand available in Europe. Another formulation of botulinum toxin used is called Myobloc (U.S.) or Neurobloc (Europe).
Botox injections
Although most people in the U.S. know Botox as a vanity treatment for facial lines, it was originally developed in 1989 as an orphan drug to treat dystonia and muscle spasms. Injection of the drug causes weakness in the targeted muscle, thus relaxing the spasm and relieving dystonia.
Information for this article was taken from:
- Molloy, F. M. (2002). Botulinum toxin (Botox): Dystonia treatment. eMedicine, accessed at http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic585.htm
- Dystonia Medical Research Foundation
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Shigellosis
What Is It?
Shigellosis is an infection of the colon (large intestine) caused by Shigella bacteria. Shigellosis is also called bacillary dysentery because it can cause severe diarrhea. However, the infection often causes only mild symptoms.
Shigella can be found in water polluted with infected sewage. Bacteria commonly enter the body through a contaminated drinking supply. Shigella bacteria also can be found on food that has been rinsed with unclean water, grown in fields contaminated with sewage, or touched by flies that have touched feces. Shigella bacteria can reach the mouth on dirty fingers that have touched items soiled with feces, including dirty diapers, toilets and bathroom fixtures. Outbreaks of shigellosis are most common in areas where sanitation is poor, and in places where people live under confined or crowded conditions. Shigella also can be passed from person to person during anal-oral sex.
Worldwide, an estimated 140 million people develop shigellosis each year, and about 600,000 die. Most of these deaths occur in developing countries among children under age 5. In the United States, only 20,000 cases are reported each year, but the actual number of infections is probably more than 200,000 per year. Shigellosis is more common among children ages 1 to 4. Children of this age are especially at risk because they are starting to use the toilet and often forget to wash their hands. Infants are at the highest risk of becoming seriously ill from a Shigella infection.
Symptoms
Although health experts don't know why, some people take in Shigella bacteria without becoming ill. Others develop only a brief fever, or a brief fever with mild diarrhea that goes away on its own. About 25% of patients, however, develop high fever, abdominal cramping and severe diarrhea that can contain blood, mucus and pus. These people can have 10 to 30 bowel movements each day, along with a persistent urge to have a bowel movement that can lead to rectal prolapse (an abnormal protrusion of the rectum). Rarely, Shigella bacteria can affect other parts of the body far from the digestive tract. When this happens, there can be seizures, confusion or coma, kidney failure, arthritis, rashes or other symptoms.
Diagnosis
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and about the appearance of your bowel movements. He or she will ask if you have recently traveled to developing countries, been in contact with people who have severe diarrhea, or might have been exposed to contaminated pools, lakes or food.
Your doctor will diagnose shigellosis based on a physical examination and the results of laboratory tests. These tests include taking a swab of your rectum or a sample of your stool (feces). If you have signs of dehydration (excessive loss of body water) or significant blood loss, additional blood tests may be necessary.
Expected Duration
In most otherwise healthy people with mild shigellosis, diarrhea goes away on its own within five to seven days. However, in very young children, the elderly or people with chronic illnesses, shigellosis can be severe and can lead to life-threatening dehydration and other complications within a few days.
Prevention
There is no vaccine to protect against shigellosis. To prevent the spread of Shigella bacteria, you should:
- Practice good hygiene, especially frequent handwashing.
- Wash your hands immediately after changing a child's diaper, especially if the child has diarrhea.
- Dispose of soiled diapers in closed-lid garbage cans.
- Swim only in lakes and pools whose water quality is monitored by local health officials.
- When traveling to developing countries, drink only water that has beeb treated or boiled eat only foods that have been cooked thoroughly. Never eat unpeeled fruits, and always peel fruits yourself immediately before eating them.
Treatment
If you have a mild case of shigellosis, you probably won't need treatment because your symptoms will probably go away on their own. Sometimes, doctors may prescribe antibiotics if there are very young or very old members in a household who could get the infection.
If you have a severe case of shigellosis, your doctor will prescribe fluids to treat dehydration and an antibiotic based on how you became infected. For example, if you became infected with shigellosis in the United States, your infection probably will respond to common antibiotics such as ampicillin (Polycillin, Totacillin, Omnipen), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra and other brand names), tetracycline (sold under many brand names), or ciprofloxacin (Cipro). However, if you became infected during travel to a developing country, the infecting strain of Shigella is more likely to be resistant to these common antibiotics, and you may need a newer or less common antibiotic.
The use of antidiarrheal medicines to slow bowel movements is controversial. It can take longer to clear the bacteria from the lower intestine and the illness caused byt he infection could become more severe.
When To Call A Professional
Call your doctor if you develop severe diarrhea, especially if the bowel movements contain blood or mucus. Call your doctor whenever you have a fever and severe diarrhea. Seek immediate attention if you have signs of dehydration, such as very dry mouth and lips, and lightheadedness when you stand, whether or not you are thirsty.
Prognosis
In developed countries, most people with shigellosis recover completely. In underdeveloped countries, the risk of complications, including death, is signifcantly higher.
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Factors and the conditions causing irritation of a dental pulp
The irritation of a pulp of a tooth can arise owing to caries of a teeth, as a result of preparation of a tooth and carious cavities, under influence a filler material, owing to penetration of microorganisms at not tight seal, at an exposure dentin.
Caries of a tooth serves as a principal cause of changes in a pulp and its inflammations. Already at initial damage dentin fibrilloblasts react adjournment secondary and formation of a layer scleroid dentin (adjournment of salts of calcium on walls of dentinal canaliculus) down to full occlusion of dentinal canaliculus. These processes should be considered as display of protective mechanisms of a pulp on action of a cue.
At processing of a caries and destruction of enamel of a bacterium get in dentin, however the inflammation of a dental pulp does not arise. It is established, that first signs of an inflammation come, when carious the cavity is separated from a pulp by a layer of 1,1 mm [Reeves R., Stanley H. R., 1996], i.e. the pulp practically is not infected up to an instant of penetration of microorganisms in secondary dentin [Massler, Pawlak J., 1977].
Preparation of a cavity without use of a water spray leads to its damage. Thus probability of damage of the in direct proportion area of preparation and depth of damage. Thus, preparation of a tooth under vinirs or artificial crownwork without due cooling serves a serious risk factor for a pulp.
Filler materials. There are the numerous data specifying irritating influence various of filler materials. From cements the most expressed adverse action renders silicate though specify, that it is shown at formation of a clearance between edge of enamel and dentin as microorganisms nestle close in dentin [Brannstrom, 1979].
Composites also are considered as irritating materials. First of all, toxicity of composites of the first generation was marked. Materials let out now as specify numerous supervision, render insignificant influence on a pulp.
During many years use of bondings was studied at sealing. It is proved, that improvement of a compounding bondings has allowed to achieve favorable reaction of a pulp to used composites.
Regional permeability as considers a number of researchers, is a principal cause of irritation of a pulp after sealing. The leading part thus belongs to microorganisms. With the purpose of the prevention of the specified changes in a pulp it is recommended to spend padding fabrics of a tooth and use bonding systems.
The exposure of dentin can occur after loss of a seal, as a result of deleting fabrics, at erosion, etc., that is accompanied by sensitivity action of irritating factors. Sensitivity can arise also at an exposure cervical dentin because canaliculus of dentin become opened.
The sheeting (direct) provides:
1) clarification of a surface of a pulp;
2) drying of a cavity;
3) imposing on the naked pulp of medical paste;
4) a seal from zinc oxide eugenic acid cement;
5) imposing of a constant seal.
Most widely used materials for protection of a pulp contain all calcium hydroxide. As a result of it above a site of an exposure it is postponed secondary dentin, forming the dentin bridge. Consider, that formation of a barrier occurs not due to the calcium containing in a material, closing a pulp.
