VIDEOS:
- Neil Oliver New Year Message ‘…is this really how we want to live? (12:35)
- You are NOT allowed to talk about this – Katie Hopkins (10:20)
- ED DOWD: COVID AND THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL COLLAPSE: A TALE OF CATASTROPHES AND COVER-UPS (10:00)
- MEP Clare Daly – speech from 14 Dec 2022 (1:12)
Lemongrass tea can prevent memory decline
University of Ibadan (Nigeria), December 22, 2022
Nigerian researchers tested the ability of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) to protect memory from the effects of amnesia. In a scopolamine-induced amnesia model, mice treated with a water-based extract of lemongrass demonstrated better memories than their untreated kin. The University of Ibadan supported this research effort. The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Herbs, Spices & Medicinal Plants. The experimental groups took doses of either 25, 50, or 100 milligrams per kilogram (ml/kg) of lemongrass extract, while the control group received 10 milliliters of a saline solution. The treatment was given every day for a total of seven days. In the interaction studies, these treatments were administered 30 minutes before the animals were given amnesia-inducing scopolamine. Half an hour after the seventh and final treatment, the mice performed Y-maze and object recognition tests.
At the end of the trial period, the animals were sacrificed. Brain tissue samples were taken for analysis of malondialdehyde and glutathione levels as well as acetylcholinesterase activity.
Animals treated with lemongrass extract displayed better memories during both tests. The herbal treatment also reduced the effects of scopolamine-induced amnesia on the mice. Scopolamine was shown to cause oxidative stress and increases the levels of acetylcholinesterase. The lemongrass extract was able to reduce the memory-damaging effect of the former and lower the amounts of the latter. The researchers recommended the use of lemongrass as a plant-based therapy for patients who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other diseases that involve declining memories.
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Good hydration linked to healthy aging
NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, December 30, 2022
Adults who stay well-hydrated appear to be healthier, develop fewer chronic conditions, such as heart and lung disease, and live longer than those who may not get sufficient fluids, according to a National Institutes of Health study published in eBioMedicine. Using health data gathered from 11,255 adults over a 30-year period, researchers analyzed links between serum sodium levels—which go up when fluid intake goes down—and various indicators of health. They found that adults with serum sodium levels at the higher end of a normal range were more likely to develop chronic conditions and show signs of advanced biological aging than those with serum sodium levels in the medium ranges. Adults with higher levels were also more likely to die at a younger age.”The results suggest that proper hydration may slow down aging and prolong a disease-free life,” said Natalia Dmitrieva, Ph.D., a study author and researcher in the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of NIH.For this latest analysis, researchers assessed information study participants shared during five medical visits—the first two when they were in their 50s, and the last when they were between ages 70-90. To allow for a fair comparison between how hydration correlated with health outcomes, researchers excluded adults who had high levels of serum sodium at baseline check-ins or with underlying conditions, like obesity, that could affect serum sodium levels. They then evaluated how serum sodium levels correlated with biological aging, which was assessed through 15 health markers. This included factors, such as systolic blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, which provided insight about how well each person’s cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, renal, and immune system was functioning. They also adjusted for factors, like age, race, biological sex, smoking status, and hypertension.
They found that adults with higher levels of normal serum sodium—with normal ranges falling between 135-146 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L)—were more likely to show signs of faster biological aging. This was based on indictors like metabolic and cardiovascular health, lung function, and inflammation. For example, adults with serum sodium levels above 142 mEq/L had a 10-15% associated increased odds of being biologically older than their chronological age compared to ranges between 137-142 mEq/L, while levels above 144 mEq/L correlated with a 50% increase. Likewise, levels of 144.5-146 mEq/L were associated with a 21% increased risk of premature death compared to ranges between 137-142 mEq/L. Similarly, adults with serum sodium levels above 142 mEq/L had up to a 64% increased associated risk for developing chronic diseases like heart failure, stroke, atrial fibrillation and peripheral artery disease, as well as chronic lung disease, diabetes, and dementia. Conversely, adults with serum sodium levels between 138-140 mEq/L had the lowest risk of developing chronic disease. The findings don’t prove a causal effect, the researchers noted. Randomized, controlled trials are necessary to determine if optimal hydration can promote healthy aging, prevent disease, and lead to a longer life. However, the associations can still inform clinical practice and guide personal health behavior.”People whose serum sodium is 142 mEq/L or higher would benefit from evaluation of their fluid intake,” Dmitrieva said. She noted that most people can safely increase their fluid intake to meet recommended levels, which can be done with water as well as other fluids, like juices, or vegetables and fruits with a high water content. The National Academies of Medicine, for example, suggest that most women consume around 6-9 cups (1.5-2.2 liters) of fluids daily and for men, 8-12 cups (2-3 liters).
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Ginger Found to Inhibit Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Kaohsiung Medical University (Taiwan), December 26, 2022
Medical researchers from a Taiwanese Medical School have determined that fresh ginger is an effective treatment against human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The researchers, from the College of Medicine at Kaohsiung Medical University, tested fresh ginger and dried ginger (Zingiber officinale) against RSV-infected human liver and lung cells. The researchers found that the fresh ginger inhibited the attachment of the VIRUS on to the cells and also stimulated the INF-beta secretions that help counteract viral infections among the cells of the mucosal membranes. The inhibition of the virus occurred more readily amongst the alveolar (lung) cells – illustrating the potential for the ginger to inhibit infections of the lungs. Notably the researchers found that dried ginger did not have this effectiveness upon the virus as the fresh ginger had. This of course indicates that some of the ANTIVIRAL constituents of fresh ginger are lost during drying process. Other research on ginger has determined that fresh ginger contains upwards of 477 different constituents. This of course includes many polyphenols and flavonoids that have shown anti-viral properties – many of which are also heat sensitive. Another study – from the UK – found that ginger’s sesquiterpenes actively inhibited rhinovirus – known to cause the common cold. Of these, they found beta-sesquiphellandrene to be the most ACTIVE against the rhinovirus IB. Human respiratory syncytial VIRUS is one of the most common contagious VIRUS INFECTIONS that occur in children. Symptoms include fever, stuffy nose wheezing and runny nose. Many RSV illnesses are confused with the common cold. However a bout of RSV will typically last for longer, and will typically include wheezing. In younger children this can turn fatal.
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Perfectionists are more likely to burn out, extensive study suggests
University of New South Wales, December 30, 2022
People with perfectionist traits are more susceptible to burnout, according to new research, and it is not just work-related stress that is the cause. An expert in mental health and mood disorders has been studying the phenomenon of burnout closely for several years. The study highlights some of the warning signs of burnout and suggests that people who tend to be perfectionists are more likely to veer into burnout due to their own ‘unrelenting standards’. What is burnout? With the worries accompanying pandemic lockdowns, the pressures of inflation and other life stressors, many people are feeling at the end of their tether. For some people, the cumulative effect of these prolonged periods of stress can result in burnout. Unlike normal tiredness, the experts suggest burnout symptoms include constant exhaustion, emotional numbness and confusion at home or in the workplace. Burnout is widespread among high achievers in the workplace – but is becoming increasingly more prevalent in personal lives. Professor Parker said: “Most people think that burnout is a work problem. Actually, we found that stress experienced at work or at home can set the wheels of burnout in motion. “Our analyses indicated that burnout may also develop as a result of predisposing personality traits, especially perfectionism.
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Stress Speeds Up Vision Loss By Causing Eye Cells To Die Faster, Study Shows
University of California Irvine School of Medicine, January 2, 2022
Constant stress can make your eyesight worse over time, reports a recent mouse study. The new research finds that repeated stress ages cells in the eyes, causing them to die off sooner. All cells age, and the ones in your eye are no exception. But the mass aging and death of retinal ganglion cells in the eye are a major risk factor for glaucoma. With people living longer, current estimates of aging populations suggest the number of people with glaucoma will increase to over 110 million by 2040. Stress, such as intraocular pressure elevation in the eye, forces retinal tissue to go through epigenetic and transcriptional changes similar to those from natural aging. In young retinal tissue, the study authors showed that repeated stress forced the eye tissue to accelerate its aging process. The findings could open up new avenues to target and preserve cellular function in people with glaucoma. “Our work emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and prevention as well as age-specific management of age-related diseases, including glaucoma,” says study author Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk, an assistant professor of Phsiology & Biophysics and Ophthalmology and the faculty of the Center for Translational Vision Research at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, in a statement.. “The epigenetic changes we observed suggest that changes on the chromatin level are acquired in an accumulative way, following several instances of stress. This provides us with a window of opportunity for the prevention of vision loss, if and when the disease is recognized early.”Intraocular pressure in the eye has a circadian rhythm that oscillates between 12-21 mmHg range in healthy individuals. It is highest in nearly two-thirds of individuals at night. Because there is a wide range in intraocular pressure, a single measurement is not enough to predict disease progression in people with glaucoma. Long-term fluctuations to intraocular pressure is considered a strong predictor for glaucoma progression. The study findings takes this prediction one step further. They suggest it’s not only fluctuations but the impact of repetitive and mild fluctuations that accelerates aging of retinal tissue. “Our work shows that even moderate hydrostatic [intraocular pressure] elevation results in retinal ganglion cell loss and corresponding visual defects when performed on aged animals,” explains Skowronska-Krawczyk.
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Supplement Recently Discovered To Help PTSD Better Than SSRIs
University of South Carolina, December 23, 2022
A new study coming out of the University of South Carolina shows extremely promising results for a new treatment for PTSD and substance abuse. Although the new treatment is being misbranded as a pharmaceutical intervention – the substance being used is actually quite natural and has been known to many in the natural health world as a very beneficial supplement for quite some time. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) when combined with group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) was demonstrated in the study to be more effective than CBT alone as well as more effective than FDA-approved SSRIs at treated PTSD cravings and depression. Veterans in the group treated with NAC showed a 46% reduction in PTSD symptoms. A placebo group showed a 25% reduction. The percentage scale was measured by the clinical administered PTSD scale (CAPS) – a scale in which the threshold score is 50. As a group, the NAC-treated veterans were below diagnostic level for PTSD at the end of treatment,” said Back. “For PTSD, these are some of the best outcomes we have seen in the literature for medication.” Craving and depression were also reduced in the NAC-treated group. The amount of craving was reduced by 81% and the frequency of craving by 71% in the NAC group, compared with 32% and 29% in the placebo group. “Craving is a key component of substance use in relapse,” said Back. “If you have a medication that can really reduce craving, that will go a long way to helping people stay clean and sober.” Depression, gauged using the Beck Depression Inventory, was reduced 48% in the NAC group vs. 15% in the placebo group.