Did You Know?

Green Tea may Help Explain "Asian Paradox"

Reuters:  Mon Jun 12, 2:34 PM ET

 While smoking is a well-known cause of heart disease and lung cancer, the rates of these diseases have remained inexplicably low in Asian countries where smoking is common. But researchers say there is growing evidence that green tea is one piece of the puzzle.

Writing in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Yale University researchers detail the body of evidence linking green tea to better heart health and a lower risk of cancer.

Source:  Journal of the American College of Surgeons, May 2006.

Acupressure Relieves Low Back Pain

Acupressure has proved more effective than conventional therapy in relieving lower back pain, according to a Taiwanese study published by the British Medical Journal.  Almost 90 percent of patients in the study found their disability was reduced by acupressure.  

Source:  Reuters: Health News, February 17th, 2006  

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Antibiotics May Boost Infant Asthma Risk, Study Suggests

Children who are exposed to even one course of antibiotics during their first year of life may be at increased risk for developing childhood asthma. Canadian researchers report.

Exposure to a single course of antibiotics appeared to double the asthma risk, their study found. And, the risk seems to grow for every additional course of antibiotics taken within the first year of life, the report found.  

Source:  HealthDay News, March 13, 2006

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Heavy Antibiotic Use in Childhood May Raise Risk of Lymphoma

New research suggests that using antibiotics more than 10 times during childhood increases the likelihood of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), a cancer that affects the lymphatic system.

Source:  American Journal of Epidemiology, November 15, 2005

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Still the Mind, Calm the Rheumatoid Arthritis

Utilizing meditation to reduce stress has shown promise in alleviating some symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis patients, according to research presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, California.

At the end of a six month observation period, there was a 33 percent reduction in psychological distress, and 11 percent decrease in rheumatoid arthritis disease activity and a 46 percent decrease in erythrocyte sedimentation rate (indicating less inflammation) in the MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction) group compared to the control group, all of which were statistically significant.

Source: American College of Rheumatology (ACR), November 13, 2005

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Osteoarthritis of the Knees

A study conducted over an 18-month period determined that there is a significant association between weight loss and reduction in compressive knee-joint loads,.  In fact, the force reduction was 4-times greater than actual weight reduction.  In other words, their findings indicated that , for every 1 pound of weight lost, there is a 4-pound reduction in the load on the knee for each step taken during daily activities.  "The accumulated reduction in knee loads for a 1-pound weight loss would be more than 4,800 pounds per mile walked," notes Stephen Messier, Ph.D., the leading author of the study.  For people losing just 10 pounds, each knee would be subjected to 48,000 pound less in compression load per miles walked.

Source:  Press Release, American College of Rheumatology, July 2005

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Ulcerative Colitis

Researchers from the University of Bologna in Italy and the University of North Carolina found that ulcerative colitis was improved in the majority of patients taking a probiotic mixture of eight bacteria for six weeks.

In this clinical trial, 77 percent of those treated with a probiotic bacteria mixture experienced relief of their mild to moderate ulcerative colitis.  Of the 34 patients treated, 26 demonstrated improvement in their condition, with most of those experiencing a complete remission. Only three patients found their condition worsened after the treatment.

Source: American Journal of Gastroenterology, July 2005

What are Probiotics?
Probiotics are preparations of living microbial cells that, when ingested, are thought to positively influence the composition of microbes in the gut, and improve the health of the intestine. (www.mercola.com)

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Bad Breath

Research shows that brushing teeth reduces mouth odor by 25%, tongue cleaning reduces mouth odor by 75% and cleaning the tongue and brushing the teeth combined reduce mouth odor by 85%.  Studies have shown that scraping rather than brushing is the most effective and comfortable method of cleaning the tongue.  Similar to cleaning your carpet, scraping a coating off the surface is a more effective cleaning method than brushing it off, which actually pushes the bacteria below the surface where it can grow and root more easily.

Information adapted from Oolitt® brochure.

Note: Probiotics and tongue scrapers are carried by many health food stores. 

This page reflects recent studies and reports which we feel would be of interest to our clients.  It  is intended to inform, not prescribe, and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice and care of a qualified health professional.

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Last modified: June 13, 2006