Health & WellnessS


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Researchers Identify Two Key Pathways in Adaptive Response

Kristen Bole
UCSF News Office
Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:00 UTC
UCSF researchers have identified the two key circuits that control a cell's ability to adapt to changes in its environment, a finding that could have applications ranging from diabetes and autoimmune research to targeted drug development for complex diseases.

The new findings are featured as the cover story in the August 21, 2009 issue of the journal Cell and are available online at http://www.cell.com.

The limited number of circuits that can achieve adaptation represents a fundamental shift in our understanding of this important biological behavior, which previously had been thought to be affected by hundreds of different circuits, according to Chao Tang, PhD, who was co-senior author on the paper with Wendell Lim, PhD.

Both Lim and Tang are faculty members in the UCSF departments of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and of Biochemistry and Biophysics, and are affiliated with the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) at UCSF.
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Study Demonstrates How We Support Our False Beliefs


PhysOrg
Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:00 UTC
In a study published in the most recent issue of the journal Sociological Inquiry, sociologists from four major research institutions focus on one of the most curious aspects of the 2004 presidential election: the strength and resilience of the belief among many Americans that Saddam Hussein was linked to the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Although this belief influenced the 2004 election, they claim it did not result from pro-Bush propaganda, but from an urgent need by many Americans to seek justification for a war already in progress.

The findings may illuminate reasons why some people form false beliefs about the pros and cons of health-care reform or regarding President Obama's citizenship, for example.

The study, "There Must Be a Reason: Osama, Saddam and Inferred Justification" calls such unsubstantiated beliefs "a serious challenge to democratic theory and practice" and considers how and why it was maintained by so many voters for so long in the absence of supporting evidence.
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Hypnosis Leads to Heightened Brain Waves and Levels of Consciousness

Steve G. Jones, M.Ed.
Natural News
Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:00 UTC
Many people are wary of hypnosis because they are not educated on the topic. Hypnosis is a natural state and many people reach this state of consciousness every day without even realizing it. When you drive a car, you are in a light state of hypnosis. You are in control, you have an increased ability to concentrate, and you are operating on autopilot without really realizing it. A great deal of research has been conducted on the hypnotic state and various states of consciousness.

Your brain has four different brain wave states: beta, alpha, theta, and delta. While you are reading this article, you are in the state of beta. You are alert and able to concentrate on this article. The beta state is normal wakening state. Alpha state is a relaxed state. You are able to access creativity and visualization. Theta state is a deeper state of relaxation; this is a common state of hypnosis and meditation. Theta allows you to access memories. You experience theta as you fall asleep and wake up every day. Lastly is delta, which occurs while sleeping. Delta allows your body to heal. You are able to access your subconscious mind during alpha, theta, and delta states and can also reach various depths of hypnosis (Tools for Wellness).
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Magnesium can Help Fight Obesity and Promote Weight Loss

Elizabeth Walling
Natural News
Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:00 UTC
The phrase "overweight and undernourished" has become a popular truth, and magnesium deficiency in overweight individuals is a striking example. It is no coincidence that magnesium deficiency and obesity are both widespread conditions in our society. So as we battle against obesity we must remember to include magnesium as part of our weaponry. It is a vital nutrient in the quest to reach a healthy weight, for several reasons:

Nutrients and Energy

The body requires magnesium to absorb and utilize nutrients. Without it, the body cannot properly use the fats, proteins and carbohydrates we eat every day. When we aren't getting what we need from our diet, the body will crave more food in an effort to obtain those vital nutrients. By activating hundreds of enzymes in the body, magnesium helps you get the most from what you eat, so your body can be satisfied with the amount of food you genuinely need.

Getting the proper nutrients from your food is also an important part of feeling energized. We need magnesium to help us utilize those vital nutrients that provide us with energy. Otherwise we are plagued with fatigue and sluggishness.
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Discover the Powerful Benefits of Garlic

Henri Junttila
Natural News
Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:00 UTC
Eating a clove of garlic might not be the tastiest snack in the world, but it will give you some powerful health benefits. Benefits include managing high cholesterol levels and decreasing the risk of various cancers. Garlic has been used for ages as a folk remedy for several diseases. Science is just now discovering how effective it really is in helping us become and stay healthy.

Supports Cardiovascular System
Over 250 publications have proven that garlic helps our cardiovascular system. It can lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in your blood. Garlic can also inhibit platelet stickiness and increase fibrinolysis, which results in a decreased rate of blood coagulation.

Anti-Microbial Properties
Garlic may work against intestinal parasites because it has antibacterial, anti-fungal and antiviral properties. Garlic is said to have around 1 percent of the power of penicillin against certain bacteria. For example: Candida or yeast infections are successfully inhibited with garlic.
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Top Ten Natural Ways to Remove Heavy Metals

Kirk Patrick
Natural News
Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:00 UTC
Toxic heavy metals such as aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and uranium are pervasive in much of the environment. While it may not be possible to completely avoid exposure there are many safe, organic and affordable products that help detoxify and eliminate these toxins from the body. This article will provide ten such examples.

1) Bentonite (Clay) - Aluminium Phyllosilicate (Montmorillonite)
Bentonite clay is a form of volcanic ash that has the ability to physically remove from the body up to 25 times its weight in impurities through a process called adsorbtion. Bentonite has laxative properties and contains high levels of iron, magnesium and silicon. Available in two forms (sodium and calcium) bentonite clay is used in cement, ceramics, acne medication, facial clay, cat litter and to clarify wine. Higher grades of clay are safe for ingestion while lower grades are for external use only and thus are of questionable benefit.
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Drinking Cola Causes Muscle Weakness, Bone Loss

David Gutierrez
Natural News
Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:00 UTC
People who drink more than two quarts of cola per day may induce severe and possibly fatal potassium deficiency, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Ioannina, Greece, and published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

"We are consuming more soft drinks than ever before, and a number of health issues have already been identified including tooth problems, bone demineralization and the development of metabolic syndrome and diabetes," researcher Moses Elisaf said. "Evidence is increasing to suggest that excessive cola consumption can also lead to hypokalemia, in which the blood potassium levels fall, causing an adverse effect on vital muscle functions."

Researchers reviewed the cases of several patients who had consumed between two and 10 quarts of cola per day, including two pregnant women. One of these, a 21-year-old who drank as much as three quarts per day, was admitted to the hospital for persistent vomiting, fatigue and appetite loss. The other was admitted after drinking seven quarts per day for 10 months and suffering from progressive weakening of her muscles.
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Acetyl L-Carnitine and Alpha-Lipoic Acid may be Fountain of Youth for the Brain

Barbara Minton
Natural News
Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:00 UTC
Throughout human history aging people have yearned for a magic elixir to help them turn back the clock and restore youth. It could be that this dream is about to come true. In a recent landmark study, old lab rats taking a mixture of acetyl L-carnitine and alpha-lipoic acid regained so much of their youth and vigor they "got up to do the Macarena", according to study director Bruce Ames.

The free radical theory of aging

Scientists studying aging have decided that we age because our cells and the DNA that contains our genetic code sustain damage by an onslaught of highly reactive chemical species they refer to a free radicals. These loose cannons in the body are the result of normal metabolic processes, making oxygen a double edged sword. We cannot live without it, but oxygen also generates these damaging chemical species that create havoc with our cells and cause us to age.

A mitochondria is like a tiny furnace contained in each cell in the body. Mitochondria generate energy inside each cell by burning food in the presence of oxygen. This is why cells that are fully oxygenated have a higher level of energy. But again, oxygen can be both friend and foe. This firing process ends up subjecting the mitochondria themselves to high levels of free radical damage. As we age, mitochondria become so damaged by these free radicals that they lose their ability to function efficiently. The result is continually diminishing cellular energy and even more aging. And as our cells lose energy, we become subject to degenerative diseases.
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Life and Death in the Living Brain: Recruitment of New Neurons Slows When Old Brain Cells Kept from Dying


ScienceDaily
Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:00 UTC
Neuron
© University of WashingtonThe arrow points to a newly born neuron that has been added to the song nucleus of an adult song sparrow's brain. The other green cells are mature neurons.
Like clockwork, brain regions in many songbird species expand and shrink seasonally in response to hormones. Now, for the first time, University of Washington neurobiologists have interrupted this natural "annual remodeling" of the brain and have shown that there is a direct link between the death of old neurons and their replacement by newly born ones in a living vertebrate.

The scientists introduced a chemical into one side of sparrow brains in an area that helps control singing behavior to halt apoptosis, a cell suicide program. Twenty days after introduction of the hormones the researchers found that there were 48 percent fewer new neurons than there were in the side of the brain that did not receive the cell suicide inhibitor.

"This is the first demonstration that if you decrease apoptosis you also decrease the number of new brain cells in a live animal. The next step is to understand this process at the molecular level," said Eliot Brenowitz, a UW professor of psychology and biology and co-author of a new study. His co-author is Christopher Thompson, who earned his doctorate at the UW and is now at the Free University of Berlin.

"The seasonal hormonal drop in birds may mimic what is an age-related drop in human hormone levels. Here we have a bird model that is natural and maybe similar genes have a similar function in humans with degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as strokes, which are associated with neuron death."
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Neural Pathway Missing in Tone-Deaf People


ScienceDaily
Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:00 UTC
Nerve fibers that link perception and motor regions of the brain are disconnected in tone-deaf people, according to new research in the August 19 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. Experts estimate that at least 10 percent of the population may be tone deaf - unable to sing in tune. The new finding identifies a particular brain circuit that appears to be absent in these individuals.

"The anomaly suggests that tone-deafness may be a previously undetected neurological syndrome similar to other speech and language disorders, in which connections between perceptual and motor regions are impaired," said Psyche Loui, PhD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, one of the study's authors.
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