Higher Vitamin D Levels May Boost Medicines Used To Treat Osteoporosis.
Shari Roan writing in the Los Angeles Times reported that, according to research presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, “adequate levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream also appear to boost the power of bisphosphonates, medications used to treat osteoporosis.” In their study, “researchers found that having a circulating vitamin D level greater than 33 nanograms per milliliter was linked to a seven times greater likelihood of having a good response to bisphosphonates.”
Alicia Chang writing for the Associated Press reports that in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, “researchers analyzing toxin levels in tens of thousands of toenail clippings and determined that mercury from eating fish does not raise the risk of heart disease or stroke.” Good news for people who eat fish for the heart protective and arthritis protective effects.
Michael Vlessides writing in Pain Medicine News reported that chiropractic manipulation of the spine is effective for treating chronic low back pain according to a meta-analysis published in the Cochrane Database Systemic Review. According to lead author, Dr. Sidney Rubenstein, Spinal manipulation appears to be no better or no worse than that of other existing therapies for chronic low back pain. Thus spinal manipulation should be considered a valid choice for patients who suffer from this condition.
Heavy Coffee Drinkers May Have Reduced Risk For Prostate Cancer
Nicole Ostrow writing in Bloomberg News reported that men who consumed “six or more” cups of regular or decaffeinated coffee also had a “60 percent lower risk of developing deadly metastatic prostate cancer,” and one to three cups “cut the risk of lethal prostate cancer by 30 percent.” The findings suggest “non-caffeine elements in coffee” may provide the benefit. Coffee contains “compounds that can reduce inflammation,” the study authors noted. According to Steven Reinberg in Healthday, lead researcher Kathryn Wilson, PhD, pointed out that coffee is a “major source of antioxidants that might have anti-cancer effects,”
Increasing Milk Intake Will Not Significantly Reduce Risk For Hip Fracture.
Laura Dean writing in Medwire reported that, according to a study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, increasing milk intake will not significantly cut a person’s risk for hip fracture. The study looking at both men and women found no correlation between milk intake and reduced risk for fractures of the hip.
Clinical Trial To Test Worms In Treating Crohn’s Disease.
Mimi Jameson writing in the Orlando Sentinal Reported on a clinical study will be held to study whether Pig whipworms, which are not harmful to humans, can treat Crohn’s disease. Previous research has suggested that “worms have a beneficial effect on multiple sclerosis” as well as allergies. Researchers hypothesize that the parasites will interfere with the “overzealous” immune system that attacks the gut in Crohn’s, thus treating the symptoms.
Anthony Bartram, BBC News Correspondent, writes “a chance discovery by academics in Nottingham has found that a simple optical illusion could unlock a drug-free treatment for arthritis.” The computer-generated mind trick has been tested on a small sample of sufferers and found that in 85 percent of cases, it cut their pain in half. Research is still in the early stages, but initial results suggest the technology, called Mirage, could help patients improve mobility in their hands by reducing the amount of pain they experience.
For the illusion to work patients place their hand inside a box containing a camera, which then projects the image in real-time onto a screen in front of them. The subject then sees their arthritic fingers being apparently stretched and shrunk by someone gently pushing and pulling from the other side of the box. The Mirage mind trick has been developed by The University of Nottingham’s Psychology department. Pam Tegerdine, from Nottingham, volunteered for the first study. She has suffered with osteoarthritis since her 30s and now has constant pain in her hands, feet, and lower back. Physiotherapy and numerous prescription drugs help, but she said the optical-illusion technology was like nothing she had ever experienced. “It was a very weird sensation, but as my finger was being ‘stretched’ it felt more and more comfortable. I just wanted it to stay like that, to keep that image in my head. If this could lead to a drug-free treatment for arthritis then that would be fantastic.” The pain reduction worked only when painful parts of the hand were “manipulated” and for a third of the volunteers it temporarily eliminated the pain altogether.
Green tea supplements, Tai Chi May Improve Bone, Muscle Strength In Postmenopausal Women.
Laura Dean writing in Medwire reported, “Green tea polyphenol (GTP) supplementation combined with Tai Chi (TC) exercise improves bone remodeling and muscle strength in postmenopausal women with osteopenia,” according to research presented at the Experimental Biology meeting. For the study, researchers “evaluated the effect of dietary supplementation with green tea supplements and a TC exercise program (3 times per week) on the bone health of 171 postmenopausal women (mean age 57 years) with osteopenia.” The researchers found “that women who received GTP-only had higher levels of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase versus placebo after 4 weeks, while women who took part in TC had higher BAP levels versus placebo after 12 weeks.” Here is more interesting info on complementary therapies.
New Figures Show About Half Of American Adults Take Dietary Supplements.
Mike Stobbe in the AP reports, “About half of US adults take vitamins and other dietary supplements – a level that’s been holding steady for much of the past decade, new government figures show.” Notably, Regan Bailey, who is a nutritional epidemiologist at the National Institutes of Health, says, “It’s almost like the people who are taking them aren’t the people who need them.”
