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Is Zinc Really Good for a Cold?

A review of the medical research on zinc shows that when it is taken within one day of the first symptoms, it can cut down the time you have a cold by about 24 hours. It also greatly reduces the severity of symptoms.

The authors of the review did not make any suggestions as to what type of zinc product to buy. They also did not suggest an optimal dose or formulation, stating that more research was needed before such a recommendation could be made.

Zinc supplements also have downsides — they can cause nausea and a bad taste in the mouth, and they may interfere with your body’s uptake of other key minerals.

According to the New York Times:

“Zinc experts say that many over-the-counter zinc products may not be as effective as those studied by researchers because commercial lozenges and syrups often are made with different formulations of zinc and various flavors and binders that can alter the effectiveness of the treatment.”

Colds are transmitted only by droplets, such as from sneezing, that come from a person who’s infected. These droplets can, however, remain on surfaces for some time. Colds normally last about seven days.

Cold medicines are not recommended for children under 4, and no cold medicines are cures — they only relieve symptoms. Washing your hands is still the number one recommended way to keep yourself free of colds.

Resources:
New York Times February 15, 2011
CNN February 16, 2011
The Cochrane Collaboration Reviews: Zinc

Posted By Dr. Mercola | March 03 2011

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How Scientific Is Modern Medicine Really?

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Doctors today commonly assert that they practice “scientific medicine,” and patients think that the medical treatments they receive are “scientifically proven.” However, this ideal is a dream, not reality, and a clever and profitable marketing ruse, not fact.

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John Ioannidis is one of the world’s most important experts on the credibility of medical research. He and his team of researchers have repeatedly shown that many of the conclusions biomedical researchers arrive at in their published studies are exaggerated or flat-out wrong.

However, these studies are what doctors use to prescribe drugs or recommend surgery. Ioannidis asserts that as much as 90 percent of the published medical information relied on by doctors is flawed or incorrect.

The Atlantic reports:
“His work has been widely accepted by the medical community … Yet for all his influence, he worries that the field of medical research is so pervasively flawed, and so riddled with conflicts of interest, that it might be chronically resistant to change — or even to publicly admitting that there’s a problem.”

Further, it is commonly believed that modern medical treatments, including drugs, are “scientifically proven.” In reality, this is a “profitable marketing ruse,” according to a Huffington Post article by Dana Ullman. He reports:

“The British Medical Journal‘s “Clinical Evidence” analyzed common medical treatments to evaluate which are supported by sufficient reliable evidence (BMJ, 2007). They reviewed approximately 2,500 treatments and found:

•13 percent were found to be beneficial
•23 percent were likely to be beneficial
•Eight percent were as likely to be harmful as beneficial
•Six percent were unlikely to be beneficial
•Four percent were likely to be harmful or ineffective.
•46 percent were unknown whether they were efficacious or harmful”

Resources:
The Atlantic November 2010

The Huffington Post April 20, 2010

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Study Finds That Exercise can Override ‘Fat Genes’

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New research reveals why you can no longer use the excuse that your “genes” are making you fat …

Just because someone has the genes does not mean that they will become overweight or obese, “Lifestyle such as physical activity can modify the effect.”

Researchers took a look at 12 genetic variants known to increase the risk of obesity, and then tracked the physical activity levels of more than 20,000 people. They determined that physical activity can reduce the genetic tendency toward obesity by 40 percent.

Even being active just 30 minutes a day proved to be a good start in reducing the effects of the genes.

USA Today reports:
U.S. experts say the study adds to the data on the importance of exercise for weight control. ‘This is more evidence that behavior can modify genetic predisposition,’ says Tim Church, director of preventive medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.”

Source: USA Today August 31, 2010

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Wheat,Rye & Barley Triggers Gut Disease

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The precise cause of the immune reaction that leads to coeliac disease has been discovered.

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Foods like cake are off-limit to coeliacs

Three key substances in the gluten found in wheat, rye and barley trigger the digestive condition, UK and Australian researchers say.

This gives a potential new target for developing treatments and even a vaccine, they believe.

Coeliac disease is caused by an intolerance to gluten found in foods like bread, pasta and biscuits.

It is thought to affect around 1 in every 100 people in the UK, particularly women.

The link between gluten and coeliac disease was first established 60 years ago but scientists have struggled to pinpoint the precise component in gluten that triggers it.

The research, published in the journal, Science Translational Medicine, studied 200 patients with coeliac disease attending clinics in Oxford and Melbourne.

The volunteers were asked to eat bread, rye muffins or boiled barley. Six days later they had blood samples taken to measure their immune response to thousands of different gluten fragments, or peptides.

The tests identified 90 peptides that caused some level of immune reaction, but three were found to be particularly toxic.

Professor Bob Anderson, head of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia, said: “These three components account for the majority of the immune response to gluten that is observed in people with coeliac disease.”

Coeliac disease can be managed with a gluten-free diet but this is often a challenge for patients. Nearly half still have damage to their intestines five years after starting a gluten-free diet.

Professor Anderson said one potential new therapy is already being developed, using immunotherapy to expose people with coeliac disease to tiny amounts of the three toxic peptides.

Early results of the trial are expected in the next few months.

Sarah Sleet, Chief Executive of the charity Coeliac UK, said the new finding could potentially help lead to a vaccine against coeliac disease but far more research was needed.

She said: “It’s an important piece of the jigsaw but a lot of further work remains so nobody should be expecting a practical solution in their surgery within the next 10 years.”

The symptoms of coeliac disease vary from person to person and can range from very mild to severe.

Possible symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, recurrent stomach pain, tiredness, headaches, weight loss and mouth ulcers.

Some symptoms may be mistaken as irritable bowel syndrome or wheat intolerance.

COELIAC DISEASE
*Continue reading the main story Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease
*Gluten found in wheat, barley and rye triggers an immune reaction in people with coeliac disease
*This damages the lining of the small intestine
*Other parts of the body may be affected
Source: Coeliac UK

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Coeliac bone loss link uncovered

Hotel Babylon star on coeliac disease

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Algae May Harbour SARS Cure

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A protein from algae might help in treating Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) infections, suggests a new study.

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Researchers from University of Iowa have found that mice treated with the protein, Griffithsin (GRFT), had a 100 percent survival rate after exposure to the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV), as compared to a 30 percent survival for untreated mice.

GRFT is believed to exert its anti-viral effects by altering the shape of the sugar molecules that line the virus‘ envelope, allowing it to attach to and invade human cells, where it takes over the cells’ reproductive machinery to replicate itself.

Without that crucial ability, the virus is unable to cause disease.

“While preliminary, these results are very exciting and indicate a possible therapeutic approach to future SARS or other coronaviral outbreaks,” said Christine Wohlford-Lenane, senior research assistant at the department of pediatrics University of Iowa and the lead author of the study.

GRFT not only stop the virus from replicating, but also prevented secondary outcomes, such as weight loss, that are associated with infection.

“We are planning future studies to investigate prophylaxis, versus treatment interventions with GRFT, in the SARS mouse model in collaboration with Barry O’Keefe at the National Cancer Institute,” she said.

“In addition, we want to learn whether mice protected from SARS by GRFT develop protective immunity against future infection,” she added.

The research was presented at the American Thoracic Society‘s 105th International Conference in San Diego.

Source: The Times Of India

 
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