Caruso Homeopathy Clinic Blog

Resveratrol Keeps You Young

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:24:00 GMT

Resveratrol Keeps You Young
http://healthfieldmedicare.suite101.com/article.cfm/keep-me-young-how-resveratrols-pulling-it-off
Supplements claiming to help people stay young and healthy as long as possible has browsers scouring the internet day after day for the latest research, sifting out what’s believable and what’s not: and for good reason. Studies show that in the next two decades the number of Americans 65 years of age and up will grow from 35 million to 71 million. It's no surprise that scientists, researchers, and even those thirty-somethings noticing their first wrinkle, are searching for an intervention. And in the form of a measly grape-skin, that intervention has finally arrived.
Dr. Joseph Maroon, a neurosurgeon who doubles as a triathlete, father, and author, is a fairly well-known contributor to age-related and epidemiological research. As the team neurosurgeon for the NFL Pittsburg Steelers, he began studying nutritional factors that would improve health and prevent disease. In so doing, he became fascinated with the now widely renowned molecule resveratrol, and its ability to activate what is called the SIRT1 longevity gene.
SIRT1 and Longevity
Found in red grapes and the vines on which they grow, resveratrol has been most often associated with activating the longevity gene, sirtuin 1 (SIRT1). According to research done by Mitchell Knutson and Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, professors in food science and the biology of aging at the University of Florida, SIRT1 increases energy efficiency of cells in the body. The SIRT1 gene needs to be continually reactivated over to increase cellular energy, which means continued ingestion of resveratrol is necessary to continue seeing the benefits.
Obesity
The goal of Dr. Maroon’s research was not only to find a way to live longer, but healthier as well. Studies done by Joseph A. Baur of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine show that mice fed a high fat diet, who were more likely to develop diabetes and a decreased lifespan, lived longer with 22.4mg of resveratrol a day. To get an idea of how feasible this dose is in humans, it takes 20mg of resveratrol to activate the SIRT1 gene, and there’s only .25mg in your average glass of wine. The result of the study found that though the mice became increasingly obese on their high fat diet, the ones on resveratrol lived longer and healthier overall.
Alzheimer’s
In addition, resveratrol also has therapeutic potential in Alzheimer’s disease, an age-related, neurodegenerative disorder that distorts memory. Alzheimer’s disease comes from intracellular degradation in the brain. The most common cause of Alzheimer’s is the build up of a protein fragment between nerve cells called beta-amyloid (Aβ).
What the Litwin-Zucker research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease found was that resveratrol markedly lowered the levels of secretion of the amyloid-β peptide. It doesn’t completely put a stop to its production, but degrades the intracellular structure of Aβ by way of the proteasome, a destroyer of unneeded proteins. In short, resveratrol lowers the level of amyloid peptide build up within cells, which has the potential to significantly decrease the onset of Alzheimer’s.
With over 250 scientific papers published along with 8 books, Dr. Joseph Maroon currently backs the resveratrol supplement Resvitale. His most recent book entitledThe Longevity Factor: How Resveratrol and Red Wine can Activate Genes for a Longerand Healthier Life explores in greater depth the effect supplements have on our genes, and how we can better prepare our bodies to prevent the ravages of old age.

References:
Knutson, D. Michael, Leeuwenburgh, Christiaan. "Resveratrol and novel potent activators of SIRT1: Effects on Aging and Age-related Diseases". Nutrition Reviews Vol. 66(10):591-596. Print.
Marambaud, Philippe, Zhao Haitian, Davies, Peter. "Resveratrol Promotes Clearance of Alzheimer's Disease Amyloid-β Peptides". Journal of Biological Chemistry Vol 280(45): 37377-82. Print.
© 2010 Monique Muro

Read more at Suite101: Keep Me Young: How Resveratrol's Pulling it Off http://healthfieldmedicare.suite101.com/article.cfm/keep-me-young-how-resveratrols-pulling-it-off#ixzz0riConkzh

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Serum Vitamin B Levels and Lung Cancer Risk

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:07:00 GMT

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/303/23/2377

JAMA. 2010;303(23):2377-2385.
Context B vitamins and factors related to 1-carbon metabolism help to maintain DNA integrity and regulate gene expression and may affect cancer risk.
Objective To investigate if 1-carbon metabolism factors are associated with onset of lung cancer.
Design, Setting, and Participants The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) recruited 519 978 participants from 10 countries between 1992 and 2000, of whom 385 747 donated blood. By 2006, 899 lung cancer cases were identified and 1770 control participants were individually matched by country, sex, date of birth, and date of blood collection. Serum levels were measured for 6 factors of 1-carbon metabolism and cotinine.
Main Outcome Measure Odds ratios (ORs) of lung cancer by serum levels of 4 B vitamins (B2, B6, folate [B9], and B12), methionine, and homocysteine.
Results Within the entire EPIC cohort, the age-standardized incidence rates of lung cancer (standardized to the world population, aged 35-79 years) were 6.6, 44.9, and 156.1 per 100 000 person-years among never, former, and current smokers for men, respectively. The corresponding incidence rates for women were 7.1, 23.9, and 100.9 per 100 000 person-years, respectively. After accounting for smoking, a lower risk for lung cancer was seen for elevated serum levels of B6 (fourth vs first quartile OR, 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33-0.60; P for trend <.000001), as well as for serum methionine (fourth vs first quartile OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.39-0.69; P for trend <.000001). Similar and consistent decreases in risk were observed in never, former, and current smokers, indicating that results were not due to confounding by smoking. The magnitude of risk was also constant with increasing length of follow-up, indicating that the associations were not explained by preclinical disease. A lower risk was also seen for serum folate (fourth vs first quartile OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.51-0.90; P for trend = .001), although this was apparent only for former and current smokers. When participants were classified by median levels of serum methionine and B6, having above-median levels of both was associated with a lower lung cancer risk overall (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.31-0.54), as well as separately among never (OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.18-0.72), former (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.34-0.76), and current smokers (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.27-0.65).
Conclusion Serum levels of vitamin B6 and methionine were inversely associated with risk of lung cancer.

Author Affiliations: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France (Drs Johansson, Slimani, Boffetta, Jenab, and Brennan); Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Newcastle, United Kingdom (Dr Relton); Section for Pharmacology, Institute of Medicine, University of Bergen, and Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, Haukeland University Hospital (Dr Ueland), Bergen, Norway; Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, and Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Dr Vollset), Bergen, Norway; Bevital AS, Bergen, Norway (Dr Midttun); Department of Heart Disease, Haukeland University Hospital, and Section for Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, University of Bergen (Dr Nygård) Bergen, Norway; INSERM ERI20 (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale), ERI20, Institut Gustave Roussy, and Paris South University (Drs Clavel-Chapelon, Boutron-Ruault, and Fagherazzi), Villejuif, France; Divisions of Cancer Epidemiology (Dr Kaaks), and Clinical Epidemiology (Dr Rohrmann), German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition, Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany(Dr Boeing and Weikert); National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands (Dr Bueno-de-Mesquita and Ms Ros); Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and HTA, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands (Ms Ros); Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands (Drs van Gils and Peeters); Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom (Dr Peeters); Unit of Nutrition, Environment and Cancer, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO-IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain (Dr Agudo); Public Health Institute of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain (Dr Barricarte); CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain (Drs Barricarte, Navarro, Sánchez, and Larrañaga); Department of Epidemiology, Regional Council of Health and Consumer Affairs, Murcia, Spain (Dr Navarro); Public Health and Participation Directorate, Health and Health Care Services Council, Asturias, Spain (Dr Rodríguez); Andalusian School of Public Health, Granada, Spain (Dr Sánchez); Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa, Basque Government, Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain (Dr Larrañaga); Department of Gerontology, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge (Dr Khaw), and MRC Epidemiology Unit, Strangeways Research Laboratory (Dr Wareham) Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom (Drs Allen and Crowe); Division of Epidemiology, and Public Health and Primary Care, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom (Drs Gallo, Norat, Riboli, and Vineis); MRC/HPA Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom (Dr Vineis); Epidemiology Unit, National Cancer Institute, Milan, Italy (Dr Krogh); Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology Unit, ISPO -Cancer Research and Prevention Institute, Florence, Italy (Dr Masala); Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Federico II University, Naples, Italy (Dr Panico); Center for Cancer Prevention (CPO-Piemonte), and Human Genetic Foundation (HuGeF), Torino, Italy (Dr Sacerdote); Cancer Registry, Azienda Ospedaliera "Civile MP Arezzo," Ragusa, Italy (Dr Tumino); WHO Collaborating Center for Food and Nutrition Policies, Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece (Drs Trichopoulou and Lagiou); Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece (Drs Trichopoulou); Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts (Drs Lagiou and Trichopoulos); Bureau of Epidemiologic Research, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece (Dr Trichopoulos); Departments of Radiation Sciences, Oncology (Dr Rasmuson), Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Nutritional Research (Dr Hallmans), and Nutritional Research (Dr Vineis), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; MRC/HPA Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom, and ISI Foundation, Torino, Italy (Dr Vineis).

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Weekend Proof Your Diet by Sticking with the Right Group of Friends

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:26:00 GMT

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/diet/Make-your-diet-weekend-proof/articleshow/5883542.cms

A weekend feast can easily ruin all the progress that you’ve made watching your diet throughout the week.

But the May issue of Fitness Magazine may just help you to stay on track and avoid cravings.

The CBS lists these tips as under:

Friday
"At happy hour: Alcohol makes you hungry because it lowers your blood sugar, as well as lowering your inhibitions about what you’ll eat. Consider ordering a different drink than you normally would – you’re more likely to order a second round when it’s your favorite drink. Also, avoid getting a pitcher of sangria or margaritas, when you can lose sight of how much you’re drinking if someone is constantly topping off your glass."

"Dinner out: Research shows that women eat similarly when they are together - so you’ll consume less if you try to sit next to light eaters. To avoid being swayed by someone’s order, try to order first and make a healthy choice up front."

Saturday
"Doing chores: When you’re at home and close to the kitchen, eating is a way to fend off boredom and procrastinate. Instead of grazing, make yourself a mini meal - and then take it to another room. Having to walk back to the kitchen will help prevent mindlessly eating."

"At a dinner party: Dinner parties can be challenging for dieters because you don’t have control of the menu and can offend your hosts if you don’t eat. Try to fill up your plate with leafy greens, and if your host is insistent about seconds, suggest taking some home with you instead."

Sunday
"Sunday brunch: A leisurely brunch is filled with rich menu options. Consider sharing a treat with the table to satisfy cravings and order a nutritious entrée. If the group lingers at the table, have your plate removed - ordering more coffee increasing your chances of grazing."

"Sunday night: If you’ve slipped on your diet this weekend, you may feel like throwing in the towel. To increase the chances you’ll keep things under control, try a portioned snack like a piece of dark chocolate or a low-fat ice cream sandwich. Also consider going to bed early - sometimes people eat in response to exhaustion."

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Studies Show Dietary Whole Grains Have Multiple Health Benefits

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:35:00 GMT

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MD
Whole grains in diet can protect an individual from heart diseases say the CSIRO Food Futures National Research Flagship scientists. According to Dr David Topping, the chef research scientist at CSIRO consumption of whole grains in cereal and breads can reduce the risk of several diseases like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, some cancers. Legumes and grains could also prevent asthma, gum disease etc.
He said in a statement this Tuesday, “Published research shows eating two to four serves of wholegrain foods a day can reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 40 per cent - equal to the effect of cholesterol lowering drugs…There's also consistent evidence that a diet rich in wholegrain foods could play a role in weight management, lowering blood pressure, reducing the risk of some cancers, and slowing or even stopping the progression of diabetes.” These diseases he said are the leading killers of the nation and incorporation of whole grains in diet could be “prevention, not cure” and “the preferred option”.
These comments come in the wake of a release of a research report by GoGrains, a food industry body that also found that Australians eat only about half of the daily recommended whole grains. The report also cites the various benefits from whole grains.
Dr. Topping urges the government and legislative bodies to encourage people to incorporate these in their diets. “All of this adds up to a very impressive body of evidence which helps to support our push as nutritionists but also as members of other bodies to encourage the government and health authorities to get them to encourage the population to eat more [grains],” he said.
Head of Go Grains Dr Michele Allan also says that this is an easy way of disease prevention. “You're looking at less medication, less visits to the doctor and also if you've got a calorie-controlled diet and an increase to four-plus serves of grains and legumes a day, you actually reduce weight over a period of time,” she said.
Source: www.news-medical.net

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Vitamin E shows promise in treating liver disease

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:34:00 GMT

Vitamin E shows promise for treating liver disease

By ALICIA CHANG (AP) – 4 hours ago

LOS ANGELES — People with a common, obesity-related liver disease that has no known treatment got a surprising benefit from vitamin E pills, researchers reported Wednesday.

It appears to be the first time that a vitamin supplement has been shown to help treat a major ailment not caused by a nutrient deficiency. However, doctors warned that this does not mean people should automatically take vitamin E since some research suggests it might raise the risk of other problems.

The latest study tested it for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Fat buildup can cause the liver to become inflamed and scarred over time and in severe cases, to fail.

The disease usually develops in people who are middle-aged and overweight or obese. Up to 5 percent of Americans have the most serious form of it, and as many as 20 percent have fat in their livers but no organ damage.

In the study published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, 247 adults with advanced fatty liver disease were randomly assigned to take a high dose of vitamin E (800 international units), the diabetes drug Actos or dummy pills for nearly two years.

The vitamin and drug were tested because earlier research suggested liver cell deterioration and insulin resistance might be involved in the development of the disease.

Biopsies before and after treatment showed that liver function improved in 43 percent of those in the vitamin E group compared with 19 percent in the placebo group.

"In all honesty, I was surprised," said the lead researcher, Dr. Arun Sanyal of Virginia Commonwealth University. "A vitamin has not been previously used to cure a serious disease" that is not caused by a deficiency.

Vitamin deficiency has been blamed for a range of health problems from rickets and osteoporosis from a lack of vitamin D to scurvy from not enough vitamin C.

Study participants on the diabetes drug Actos also improved, but to a lesser degree and with a drawback: gaining 10 pounds on average, which remained even after they stopped taking the drug. Four people who took vitamin E developed diabetes, but the study was too small to determine if the vitamin played any role.

The National Institutes of Health was the study's main sponsor. A U.S. subsidiary of Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceutical provided the drug and California-based supplement maker Pharmavite supplied the vitamin E capsules. Sanyal, the lead researcher, has received consulting fees from Takeda and other drug companies.

Liver expert Dr. Sammy Saab at the University of California, Los Angeles, believes vitamin E could potentially become the initial treatment for advanced cases of the liver problem.

"For patients who are really at risk of progressive liver disease, I think it's worthwhile. For the vast majority who just have fatty liver, I'm not sure it will help them at all," said Saab, who had no role in the study.

Dr. Zobair Younossi, executive director of research at the nonprofit Inova Health System in Virginia, said people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease at the very least should make lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy diet and exercising to shed the pounds.

While vitamin E may help certain people with obesity-related liver disease, "I wouldn't get started on high-dose vitamin E without discussing it first with a doctor," said Younossi, who has no connection to the research.

In recent years, hype over vitamin supplements in treating major diseases has not panned out. A 2008 study found that vitamins C and E pills do not ward off heart disease in men and vitamin E even appeared to raise the risk of bleeding strokes. Another study found the same supplements do not help prevent cancer in men.

On the Net: New England Journal of Medicine: http://www.nejm.org

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Could Modern Diet Raise the Risk of Developing Depression

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:02:00 GMT

Could ‘Modern’ Diet Raise Depression Risk?
• Mental health and Psychiatry news • Apr 28, 2010

A common diet among Australian women has been linked with a reduced risk of depression. It bolsters the argument that diet can influence depression susceptibility. Can an apple a day keep depression away?
Well, maybe, a new study suggests—at least if it’s combined with other fruits, vegetables, beef, lamb, fish, and whole-grain foods. The study was headed by Felice Jacka, Ph.D., a research fellow at the University of Melbourne in Australia, and her colleagues. The results were published in the March American Journal of Psychiatry. The study included more than 1,000 randomly selected Australian women aged 23 to 93. Subjects were evaluated for current major depression with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR and for psychological symptoms with the General Health Questionnaire–12.
Subjects also completed a dietary questionnaire that had been validated for evaluating dietary intake in the Australian population. The questionnaire asked, for example, “Over the last 12 months, on average, how often did you eat pizza?” and a subject had to check off one of 10 answers, from “never” up to “three or more times a day.” Similar questions were posed for 73 other foods and six alcoholic beverages.
The researchers then used a complex statistical procedure called “factor analysis” to analyze subjects’ dietary habits. Simply put, all of the dietary variables recorded on the questionnaire were entered into a statistical package to see how they clumped together. This is a commonly used technique in nutrition research as it reveals how various foods tend to aggregate in people’s diets.
Three common dietary patterns emerged from this analysis. One included vegetables, fruits, beef, lamb, fish, and whole-grain foods, or what the researchers called “a traditional [Australian] diet.” A second included hamburgers, processed meats, pizza, chips, white bread, sugar, and flavored milk drinks, or what the researchers called “a Western diet.” A third encompassed fruits, salads, fish, tofu, beans, nuts, and yogurt; the researchers named it “a modern diet.”
Finally the researchers looked to see whether the pursuit of a traditional diet, Western diet, or modern diet could be linked with a current major depression in their subjects,. Possibly confounding variables such as age, socioeconomic factors, education, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption were considered.
An inverse relationship was found between a traditional diet and the odds of having a current major depression. Subjects who ate such a diet had a one-third lower risk of having major depression than did subjects who did not eat such a diet. Even though the study was of a cross-sectional nature, this finding suggested that eating a traditional Australian diet might prevent depression.
In contrast, no relationship was found between a Western diet and the odds of having current major depression.
However, the modern diet was linked with an increased risk of having major depression. This finding surprised the researchers. They had expected just the opposite—that a modern diet would be linked with a lowered risk of having a major depression. After all, the modern diet, like the traditional diet, included fish, and fish are known to contain omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked with depression prevention.
There are several possible explanations for this unexpected finding, Jacka told Psychiatric News. Since the study was of a cross-sectional nature, it’s possible that some of the subjects who were depressed switched to a modern diet hoping that it would attenuate their depression. Still another possibility is that some foods important for depression prevention besides fish were present in the traditional diet, yet not in the modern one—for example, “vegetables rather than salads, or good-quality red meat as opposed to tofu.”
They will now try to identify those particular foods in the traditional diet that may be capable of reducing the risk for depression. They will also be conducting a prospective study to determine whether eating a traditional diet can truly prevent depression.
The study was funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and Australian Rotary Health.
“Association of Western and Traditional Diets With Depression and Anxiety in Women” is posted at .

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Eating Eggs For Breakfast Cuts Calorie Consumption for the Rest of the Day

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:28:00 GMT

WASHINGTON - Eating eggs for breakfast everyday can reduce hunger and decreases calorie consumption at lunch and throughout the day, according to a new study.

The study found that men who consumed an egg-based breakfast ate significantly fewer calories when offered an unlimited lunch buffet compared to when they ate a carbohydrate-rich bagel breakfast of equal calories.

The study supports previous research which revealed that eating eggs for breakfast as part of a reduced-calorie diet helped overweight dieters lose 65 percent more weight and feel more energetic than dieters who ate a bagel breakfast of equal calories and volume.

“There is a growing body of evidence that supports the importance of high-quality protein in the diet for overall health and in particular the importance of protein at the breakfast meal. We examined two typical American breakfasts, and the participants’ self-reported appetite ratings reveal that a protein-rich breakfast helps keep hunger at bay,” said Dr. Maria Luz Fernandez., study author and professor in the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Connecticut.

“Starting the day with a high-quality protein breakfast like eggs is a great tool to promote long-lasting fullness and reducedcalorie consumption. For only 70 calories, eggs are a compact, nutrient-rich source of high-quality protein, and nearly half of an egg’s protein, along with many other nutrients, is found in the yolk, so I always encourage eating the whole egg,” said Helenbeth Reynolds, registered dietitian and nutrition consultant.

The study has been published in the latest issue of Nutrition Research. (ANI)

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New Research Finds Anti Inflammatory Properties in Tart Cherries

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:48:00 GMT

ANAHEIM, CA, April 27, 2010 -- There's more evidence of tart cherries' powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, according to a new study presented by a team of Michigan researchers today at the Experimental Biology annual meeting. Using a "whole food" approach, researchers found that a cherry-enriched diet not only reduced overall body inflammation, but also reduced inflammation at key sites (belly fat, heart) known to affect heart disease risk in obese, at-risk rats.

At-risk obese rats were fed a cherry-enriched "Western Diet," characterized by high fat and moderate carbohydrate -- in line with the typical American diet -- for 90 days. Cherry-enriched diets, which consisted of whole tart cherry powder as 1 percent of the diet, reduced risk factors for heart disease including cholesterol, body weight, fat mass and known markers of inflammation. While inflammation is a normal process the body uses to fight off infection or injury, according to recent science, a chronic state of inflammation increases the risk for diseases.

"Chronic inflammation is a whole body condition that can affect overall health, especially when it comes to the heart," said study co-author Mitch Seymour, PhD, at the University of Michigan. "This study offers further promise that foods rich in antioxidants, such as cherries, could potentially reduce inflammation and have the potential to lower disease risk."

A second pilot study found similar results in humans. Ten overweight or obese adults drank eight ounces of tart cherry juice daily for four weeks. At the end of the trial, there were significant reductions in several markers of inflammation, in addition to lower levels of triglycerides, another key risk factors for heart disease.

Researchers say both studies are encouraging and will lead to further clinical studies in humans to explore the link between diet, inflammation and lowering disease risk.

The Power of Eating Red

This new study is the latest linking cherries to protection against heart disease and inflammation. Researchers believe it's the anthocyanins powerful antioxidant compounds in cherries ? also responsible for the fruit's bright red color, that link cherries to reduced inflammation, even inflammation related to muscle recovery post-exercise.

Since cherries are available year-round in dried, frozen and juice forms, it's easy and delicious to incorporate them into the daily diet to help manage inflammation, from topping dried cherries in oatmeal to enjoying a post-exercise smoothie of cherry juice and lowfat yogurt.

The study was funded by the Cherry Marketing Institute, which provided an unrestricted grant to the University of Michigan to conduct the research and was not directly involved in the design, conduct or analysis of the project. For more information, and to download the Cherry Nutrition Report, a compilation of more than 65 published studies on the potential health benefits of cherries, visit www.choosecherries.com.

Sources:

Seymour EM, Urcuyo-Llanes D, Bolling SF, Bennink MR. Tart cherry intake reduces plasma and tissue inflammation in obesity-prone rats. FASEB Journal. 2010; 24:335.1.

Martin KR, Burrell L. 100% tart cherry juice reduces pro-inflammatory biomarkers in overweight and obese subjects. FASEB Journal. 2010; 24:724.15.

Martin KR, Bopp J, Neupane S, Vega-Lopez. 100% tart cherry juice reduces plasma triglycerides and CVD risk in overweight and obese subjects. FASEB Journal. 2010; 24:722.14.

Editor's Note: Co-author E. Mitchell Seymour is available for interviews upon request. To coordinate a time to speak with the researcher, please contact Caitlin Solway.

The Cherry Marketing Institute (CMI) is an organization funded by North American tart cherry growers and processors. CMI's mission is to increase the demand for tart cherries through promotion, market expansion, product development and research. For more information on the science supporting the unique health benefits of cherries and for cherry recipes and menu ideas, visit www.choosecherries.com.

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Bad Habits Can Take 12 Years Off Your Life!

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:01:00 GMT

New research has confirmed that bad habits, such as smoking, drinking, eating fatty foods, and not getting enough exercise, can cut 12 years off of your life.

A team of researchers studied 4,886 British adult men and women for two decades. They observed four different habits to find out which subjects smoked tobacco regularly, drank two (for women) or three (for men) alcoholic beverages daily, failed to complete at least two hours of physical activity weekly, and ate fewer than three combined servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

Of those who participated in the study, 314 participated in each of the bad habits. Twenty-nine percent of them (91) died during the study. Conversely, 387 individuals practiced none of the high-risk behaviors, and only eight-percent (32) of them passed away during the 20 year span. All subjects were at least 18 years of age, with 44 being the average age.

"The combined effect of poor health behaviors on mortality was substantial, indicating that modest, but sustained, improvements to diet and lifestyle could have significant public health benefits," lead author Elisabeth Kvaavik of the University of Oslo said, according to the UK newspaper The Daily Mail.

"Developing more efficacious methods by which to promote healthy diets and lifestyles across the population should be an important priority of public health policy," Dr. Kvaavik added.

According to Associated Press (AP) Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner, "The U.S. government generally recommends at least 4 cups of fruits or vegetables daily for adults, depending on age and activity level; and about 2 1/2 hours of exercise weekly… June Stevens, a University of North Carolina public health researcher, said the results are in line with previous studies that examined the combined effects of health-related habits on longevity."

The study was published in Monday's edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

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Evening with Grandmother, Channeling Workshop in Guelph with Lori Wilson

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:40:00 GMT

This is the chance you have been waiting for! Understand the world in broader ways.
Bring your important questions and let this wise spirit-being share her insights.
Friday June 11, 2010 (7- 9 pm)
The Turfgrass Institute
328 Victoria Road South
(Between College Ave. & York Road)
Cost: $ 20.00
-Lori Wilson, author, social worker, radio show host and internationally recognized intuitive, will be sharing an amazing 2-hour evening that demystifies everything you may have learned or heard about intuition, channeling and tapping into higher wisdom. In her 26 years of developing her extraordinary intuitive abilities, Lori and her ancient Shoshone elder spirit guide, Grandmother, have been teaching thousands to channel higher wisdom and achieve inner trust. Lori believes channeling is not a mystical gift, but rather a skill that everyone can harness for better living.

Join Lori and Grandmother for this evening of channeled ancient wisdom where Grandmother will offer a teaching and then answer audience questions of general interest and benefit to all. Throughout the evening, 5 audience names will be drawn to ask personal questions as well. Get curious and see how paying attention to what seems invisible can change your life!

Come Grow with Us & Bring Your Friends!
TO REGISTER, PLEASE RSVP lori@inneraccess101.com or CALL 519-824-6655.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For a list of questions from previous presentations, visit www.meetloriwilson.com!
If you have already received this invitation, we regret the overlap in our two mailing lists.

Hanging Out With Younger Crowds Keeps You Young

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:05:00 GMT

In accordance to an animal research that was released this week, if you are after longevity, you might wish to think about spending additional time with people from the younger generation. The study that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences could as well offer deeper insights into the healing of age-relates illnesses in human beings. Researchers of the University of Iowa examined the behavior of an altered short-living kind of fruit flies, known as Sod flies that were put in a vial along with younger non-mutant flies. Moreover they paired older transformed fruit flies along with younger mutant flies in different vials.

They discovered that the mutant flies that were housed with the younger control flies tended to live doubly as long as the mutants that were raised with other mutants.

Ensuing examinations also demonstrated that the mutants raised with their younger relatives, whose lifetime were longer, had better physical responses and they also tended to survive better to environmental stresses compares to the fruit flies that stayed within the mutant population.

Feeling young

Keeping in line with what the main author of the paper, Professor Chun-Fang Wu found out, interacting socially with members from the younger generation of the species provides physiological advantages in the mutant fruit flies. However, the mechanism of the action stills remains unclear after the experiment.

Wu hypothesizes that the social contact with the younger flies could have assisted the mutant flies make up for the genetic imperfection that makes the insect especially susceptible to oxidative-stress generated aging.

This could have several connotations for human health, as the enzymatic transformation in the insect’s genetic code reflects discrepancies in illnesses like Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

The authors write that the study demonstrate that the lifetime of Sod flies is in fact plastic and can be shaped by social interactions, substantiating the lasting belief that human patients of a particular age-dependent neurological illnesses may be benefited by a conducive social environment.

Source: ABC http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/05/27/2257187.htm

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Coffee Addicts Get No Added Boost From Caffeine

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:53:00 GMT

Caffeine addiction is such a downer that regular coffee drinkers may get no real pick-me-up from their morning cup, according to a British study. Researchers from Bristol University found that drinkers develop a tolerance to both the anxiety-producing and the stimulating effects of caffeine, meaning that it only brings them back to baseline levels of alertness, not above them.
"Although frequent consumers feel alerted by caffeine, especially by their morning tea, coffee, or other caffeine-containing drink, evidence suggests that this is actually merely the reversal of the fatiguing effects of acute caffeine withdrawal," write the scientists, led by Professor Peter Rogers.
The team asked 379 adults - half of them non/low caffeine consumers and the other half medium/high caffeine consumers - to give up caffeine for 16 hours, and then gave them either caffeine or a dummy pill known as a placebo.
Participants rated their levels of anxiety, alertness and headache. The medium/high caffeine consumers who got the placebo reported a decrease in alertness and increased headache, neither of which were reported by those who received caffeine.
But measurements showed that their post-caffeine levels of alertness were actually no higher than the non/low consumers who received a placebo, suggesting caffeine only brings coffee drinkers back up to "normal".
The researchers also found that people who have a genetic predisposition to anxiety do not tend to avoid coffee.
In fact, people in the study with a gene variant associated with anxiety tended to consume slightly larger amounts of coffee than those without it, Rogers writes in a study in the Neuropsychopharmacology journal, published by Nature .
This suggests that a mild increase in anxiety "may be a part of the pleasant buzz caused by caffeine", he says.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/06/03/2917113.htm?site=science&topic=latest

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Study Shows Broccoli Helps Fight Breast Cancer

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:58:00 GMT

THURSDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- Eating broccoli just might have benefits in the fight against breast cancer.

At least in mice, a compound derived from broccoli appears to be able to kill breast cancer stem cells, which help tumors grow, according to a new study. But it's too soon to know if the compound would work in people. And the amount tested is larger than the amount people could consume in their diet.

The compound, known as sulforaphane, "has been studied previously for its effects on cancer, but this study shows that its benefit is in inhibiting the breast cancer stem cells," study co-author Duxin Sun, an associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, said in a university news release.

The researchers administered sulforaphane to mice with breast cancer and monitored the number of cancer stem cells in their tumors. They found that the treated mice had fewer of the cells and that they couldn't generate new tumors. Tests on human breast cancer cells in the laboratory resulted in similar decreases in cancer stem cells, they reported.

"This research suggests a potential new treatment that could be combined with other compounds to target breast cancer stem cells," Dr. Max S. Wicha, an oncology professor and director of the university's Comprehensive Cancer Center, and also a study co-author, said in the news release. "Developing treatments that effectively target the cancer stem cell population is essential for improving outcomes."

The study was published May 1 in Clinical Cancer Research.

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New Research that Vitamin K Protects Against Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:09:00 GMT

A Report from Health a Day:
Non-Hodgkin lymphomas go to the vast organisation of defence complement cancers involving lymphocytes (white red red blood cells). In 2009, according the National Cancer Institute (NCI) about 65,980 Americans were diagnosed with this form of cancer as good as roughly 20,000 died from the disease. But right away scientists during the Mayo Comprehensive Cancer Center in Minnesota consider they’ve found the approach to forestall the outrageous series of these malignancies. The pass is the nutritious found in most leafy, immature vegetables — vitamin K.
For their study, the initial ever to examine vitamin K as good as non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk, the Mayo researchers enrolled 603 patients who were newly diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma as good as 1,007 suited cancer-free investigate subjects who served as controls. The participants answered the food petition about their usual money coming in of over 120 food equipment during the dual years prior to they were diagnosed with cancer or they enrolled in the examine as the part of of the cancer-free carry out group. They were additionally asked about their operate of vitamin as good as vegetable supplements.
The commentary of the study, which were not long ago voiced in Washington, D.C., during the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), showed which the risk of building non-Hodgkin lymphoma was slashed dramatically — by 45 percent — for the examine participants who had the top vitamin K levels compared to participants with the lowest levels of the vitamin. This organisation remained even after the Mayo investigate group investigated factors such as age, sex, education, obesity, smoking, ethanol operate as good as expenditure of dishes with tall amounts of antioxidants.
Vitamin K is the fat-soluble vitamin found in sure plants or shaped by bacterial synthesis. The Mayo examine concerned money coming in of the plant form of vitamin K from diet and/or addition use. The most usual food sources of vitamin K embody root lettuce as good as spinach, with not as big amounts found in alternative vegetables such as onions, bell peppers, asparagus as good as alfalfa sprouts as good as the little fruits, together with strawberries.
Consuming the lot of vitamin K was compared with the reduce risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma either the vitamin came from healthy food sources or from supplements. However, really tall intakes of vitamin K from supplements did not means the serve rebate in risk.
“These formula have been provocative, given they have been the initial work you have finished upon the tie in between vitamin K as good as non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as good as this is the sincerely clever protecting effect,” the study’s lead investigator, cancer epidemiologist James Cerhan, M.D., Ph.D., pronounced in the media statement. “Whether the protecting outcome you celebrated is due to vitamin K intake, or the little alternative dietary or lifestyle exposure, cannot be really assessed in this study. But these commentary supplement to the lot of alternative interpretation which await the diet which includes copiousness of immature shaggy vegetables in sequence to forestall most cancers as good as alternative diseases.”
Well-known as necessary for red red blood clotting (the name of the vitamin is subsequent from the German word “Koagulations”), vitamin K has additionally been found in new years to be critical for alternative functions in the body, together with putting the check upon inflammation as good as controlling dungeon expansion — as good as this competence insist the strong capability to strengthen from non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

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Pesticides Related to ADHD

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:45:00 GMT

By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that exposure to high levels of organophosphate pesticides, commonly found on berries, celery and other produce, could raise the odds for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.

At this point, though, there is no evidence that pesticide exposure can actually cause ADHD, stated the authors of a paper appearing in the June issue of Pediatrics.
Certainly parents and children shouldn't swear off fruits and veggies, said study lead author Maryse Bouchard, an adjunct researcher in the department of environmental and occupational health at the University of Montreal and at Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre. However, "I think it's safe to say that we should as much as possible reduce our exposure to pesticides," she said.
That would meaning going organic, buying at farmers' markets and washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly before consuming them, she said.
"I always encourage my families to embrace healthy lifestyles in general," agreed Dr. Nakia Scott, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and a child psychiatrist with Lone Star Circle of Care. "I think it's much more important that they're eating fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains instead of sodas and fast foods and I'm not saying that they're not going to eat any produce because it might contain pesticides."
Previous research has shown an association between both prenatal and postnatal organophosphate exposure and developmental problems in young children.
But most prior studies have focused on excessive rather than average exposure to organophosphates.
"Organophosphates are one of the most widely used pesticides in agriculture to protect crops and fruits and vegetables," Bouchard noted. "For children, the major source of exposure would be the diet -- fruits and vegetables in particular."
In their study, Bouchard and her colleagues analyzed data on pesticide exposure and ADHD in more than 1,100 American children aged 8 to 15.
Children with higher pesticide levels in their urine were more likely to have ADHD, the team found.
"The analysis showed that the higher the level of exposure [as measured by metabolites in the urine], the higher the odds of having ADHD," Bouchard added.
Just how might pesticides harm brain development? According to the authors, high doses of organophosphates may inhibit acetylcholinesterase, a nervous system enzyme. Lower doses of the pesticide may affect different growth factors and neurotransmitters.
The findings, if replicated, may provide another clue into the causes of ADHD, a condition which affects three to seven percent of school-aged children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"We do have a fair amount of evidence about other causes of ADHD," Scott said. "We know that ADHD is a highly heritable disorder. At least one-third of fathers who have had ADHD in their youth have a child with ADHD."
"There are also prenatal risks such as tobacco exposure and alcohol
exposure," she added. "There's also a possibility that children who are exposed to high levels of lead prior to the age of six may develop ADHD."
More information
There's more on shielding kids from pesticides at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Survey Shows Canadians are Eating More Fruits and Veggies

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:22:00 GMT

Mon May 31, 10:20 AM

SASKATCHEWAN (CBC) - Canadians are consuming more fresh fruits and vegetables and cutting calories, a report by Statistics Canada shows.

Canadians ate a record 40.7 kilograms of fresh vegetables per person in 2009, with cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, sweet potatoes and onions showing the largest percentage increases in annual consumption. That was higher than the annual average of 38.6 kg per person for the previous five years.

On a per capita basis, the Canadian diet also included more fruit, cereals, coffee and fish in 2009 compared with 2008, Statistics Canada reported Thursday. Total daily intake of calories per person fell to 2,358 in 2009, down nearly 156 calories from the peak in 2001 of more than 2,500 calories. "In the past two decades, Canadians have shifted towards a diet which includes more fruits and vegetables, cereal products, and nuts and beans," the report said. During the last 20 years, poultry consumption has increased while appetite for red meat like pork and beef has declined by 5.2 kilograms per person. Canadians are also showing a sweet tooth. After six years of declines, the amount of sugar and syrup in the Canadian diet has risen for two years in a row, reaching nearly 24 kilograms per person. Intake of a Canadian trademark, maple syrup, rose to 0.2 kilograms per person, the highest level since 1984. Dairy consumption fell for a second year in a row, as Canadians consumed 16 kilograms per person, down 3.5 per cent from 2008. Oil and fat consumption, which peaked in 1998, is also steadily declining, falling to 17.9 kilograms per person in 2009 from a peak of 21.4 kilograms per person in 1998. In terms of beverages, Canadians over 15 drank about 99.44 litres of alcoholic beverages per person last year, up 0.2 litres from 2008. Coffee consumption increased 3.6 per cent to 90 litres per person in 2009, an increase of 14 litres per person from 1989.

The report offers a snapshot of food and beverage consumption based on total available supply. A formula is then applied to estimate how much would have been consumed after adjusting for losses in cooking, storage and waste at homes, restaurants and institutions.
The report does not include a breakdown of food consumption by age, geographic location or income bracket.

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Study Shows a Lack of Sleep Linked to An Early Death

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Mon, 31 May 2010 17:40:00 GMT

Lack of sleep linked to early death: study
LONDON (AFP) - People who get less than six hours sleep per night have an increased risk of dying prematurely, researchers said on Wednesday.

Those who slumbered for less than that amount of time were 12 percent more likely to die early, though researchers also found a link between sleeping more than nine hours and premature death.
"If you sleep little, you can develop diabetes, obesity, hypertension and high cholesterol," Francesco Cappuccio, who led research on the subject at Britain's University of Warwick, told AFP.
The study, conducted with the Federico II University in Naples, Italy, aggregated decade-long studies from around the world involving more than 1.3 million people and found "unequivocal evidence of the direct link" between lack of sleep and premature death.
"We think that the relation between little sleep and illness is due to a series of hormonal and metabolical mechanisms," Cappuccio said.
The findings of the study were published in the Sleep journal.
Cappuccio believes the duration of sleep is a public health issue and should be considered as a behavioural risk factor by doctors.
"Society pushes us to sleep less and less," Cappuccio said, adding that about 20 percent of the population in the United States and Britain sleeps less than five hours.
Sleeping less than six hours is "more common amongst full-time workers, suggesting that it may be due to societal pressures for longer working hours and more shift work"
The study also found a link between sleeping more than nine hours per night and premature death, but Cappuccio said oversleeping is more likely to be an effect of illness, rather than a cause.
"Doctors never ask how much one sleeps, but that could be an indicator that something is wrong," said Cappuccio, who heads the Sleep, Health and Society Programme at the University of Warwick.
Research showed no adverse effects for those sleeping between six and eight hours per day.

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A High Fat Ketogenic Diet Helpful For Childhood Seizures

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Fri, 28 May 2010 13:29:00 GMT

Washington, May 18 (ANI): A high-fat ketogenic diet, made up of high-fat foods and few carbohydrates, can help reduce or completely eliminate debilitating seizures in most children with infantile spasms, whose seizures persist despite medication, say researchers.

The Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study has been published online April 30 in the journal Epilepsia.

Infantile spasms, also called West syndrome, is a stubborn form of epilepsy that often does not get better with antiseizure drugs. Because poorly controlled infantile spasms may cause brain damage, the Hopkins team’s findings suggest the diet should be started at the earliest sign that medications aren’t working.

“Stopping or reducing the number of seizures can go a long way toward preserving neurological function, and the ketogenic diet should be our immediate next line of defense inchildren with persistent infantile spasms who don’t improve with medication,” says senior investigator Eric Kossoff, M.D., a pediatric neurologist and director of the ketogenic diet program at HopkinsChildren’s.

The ketogenic diet works by triggering biochemical changes that eliminate seizure-causing short circuits in the brain’s signaling system. It has been used successfully in several forms of epilepsy. (ANI)

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High Levels of Bacteria Found in Bottled Water

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:56:00 GMT

MONTREAL (CBC) - More than 70 per cent of bottled water samples from Canada contain bacterial rates that far exceed recommended limits in the U.S., according to a study presented Tuesday at the general meeting of the American Society of Microbiology in San Diego.

"Heterotrophic bacteria counts in some of the bottles were found to be in revolting figures of 100 times more than the permitted limit," said Sonish Azam, a researcher on the study. Heterotrophic bacteria are a category which includes all bacteria that survive by consuming organic matter.

Montreal-based C-crest Laboratories Inc. conducted the research after a company employee complained of a foul taste and illness after drinking some bottled water.

The U.S. bacterial limit is no more than 500 colony-forming units of bacteria per millimetre of water. The Canadian test samples showed results of more than 50,000 heterotrophic units.

Health Canada hasn't set a safe bacterial limit for bottled water.

Researchers from the lab gathered samples of several major brands of bottled water from Montreal stores and tested the bacterial levels.

They also tested samples of Canadian tap water and found the levels around 170 colony-forming units per millimetre of water well below what was found in the bottled water.

"Despite having the cleanest tap water, a large number of Canadians are switching over to bottled water for their daily hydration requirements," said Azam. "Unsurprisingly, the consumer assumes that since bottled water carries a price tag, it is purer and safer than most tap water."

Azam said the bacteria likely don't cause disease, and the study did not confirm the presence of disease-causing bacteria in the water. Still, she cautioned that the bacteria could pose a risk to vulnerable people such as infants, pregnant women, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

The researchers are calling for limits on the amount of bacteria allowed in Canadian drinking water.

C-crest offers product analysis and consulting services to the drug- and food-manufacturing industries.

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Placebo Effect of Homeopathy No Greater Than Conventional Medicine

Caruso Homeopathy Blog — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:11:00 GMT

Placebo effects in homeopathy no larger than in conventional medicine

Recently a study was published that concluded that placebo effects in homeopathy are no larger than in conventional medicine.

This study, which looked particularly at the placebo effects associated with individualized, classical homeopathic treatments, contradicts the long-held belief that placebo controlled trials in homeopathy are not possible due to the high ‘non-specific effects‘ associated with highly individualized

homeopathic treatment based on an intensive doctor-patient-interaction.

This study has the following implications:

• All schools of homeopathy can be investigated in principle in placebo controlled clinical trials.

• Trials of classical homeopathy can be compared with trials of combination homeopathy in the same indications, because combination homeopathy is similar to the more ‘indication-orientated‘ approach in conventional medicine.

• The available trial data on homeopathy suggests that treatment with combination preparations can be at least as effective as classical homeopathic treatments.

Reference: Nuhn T, Lüdtke R, Geraedts M. Placebo effect sizes in homeopathic compared to conventional drugs – a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Homeopathy 2010; 99(1):76–82.

An abstract of the study is available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20129180

The full length article can be downloaded at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/14754916

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