In This Issue:
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the March 2006 True North Tune-Up. We continue to emphasize "up stream" strategies for health in the areas of nutrition, mind-body, and lifestyle. The studies are from peer-reviewed scientific journals.
To your health,
B. Joseph Semmes, MD
Director of Research, True North
Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine
bjsemmes@truenorthhealthcenter.org
Onions and Garlic help prevent cancer
A study of 10,000 cancer patients and 15,000 healthy “controls” in Europe showed that consumers of high amounts of onions and garlic had lower rates of a number of cancers, especially head and neck cancers but also esophageal, colon, prostate, breast, ovarian and kidney. Garlic was associated with the largest risk reductions. They are members of the allium family of vegetables (they grow from bulbs) which includes leeks, chives and scallions. The second link explains the possible mechanisms where garlic can slow cell proliferation or trigger apoptosis (“cell suicide” which is desirable in cancer).
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Pool exercise is helpful in fibromyalgia
This review of 8 studies over 7 years concludes that aquatic (pool) exercise is effective in reducing discomfort in patients with fibromyalgia at least as much as land-based exercise. The pool exercisers had more improvement in mood and sleep.
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Milk is associated with acne in adolescent girls
Acne may not be as serious a disease as pancreatic cancer, but as a dad with a 13 year-old daughter, I see that it is a significant issue for some of our loved ones. These studies are by Walter Willett, Chief of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and his colleagues. When consumers of less than 1 serving of milk per week are compared to consumers of more than two servings per day, the higher consmers have about a 20% greater incidence of acne. Skim milk, if anything, was more associated with severe teenage acne. Sherbet, cottage cheese, cream cheese and instant breakfast drink were also associated with more acne. The authors suspect hormones fed to cows to increase production, or other bioactive molecules are responsible. It would be nice to know if "organic" milk had the same risk.
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Vitamin D lowers the risk for pancreatic cancers
Willett’s group also examined the association of dietary vitamin D intake and the incidence of pancreatic cancer. Using the more than 120,000 healthcare workers in a long-term observational study they found that those who consumed more than 600IU of Vitamin D in their daily food, cut their risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 40%. Vitamin D is a hormone that is activated by UVB light on the skin and Afro-Americans, elder shut-ins and those of us at northern latitudes are at risk for insufficiency.
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Meditation may protect the brain from cortical thinning with age
Brain MRIs performed on 20 experienced meditators reveal structural differences in the prefrontal cortex and left anterior insula when compared to MRIs of brains from those who do not meditate. The prefrontal cortex, which thins with age was thicker among older experienced meditators.
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Disclaimer:
Information provided in the True North Tune-Up is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The information and links in this e-publication are intended to provide general education on the topics listed, but you should not use the information or links to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare practitioner. True North advises you to always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health practitioner prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
