Click here to view some mind-bending illusions.  These are good to go through as they both exercise your brain and help you to remember that perception can be changed with effort!

Mothers-to-be can decrease their child's risk of asthma by simply taking fish oil.  In 1990 researchers gave one group of expecting mothers 2.7 grams of omega-3's from fish oil, and gave another group olive oil.  They began giving the oils when the mothers were at 30 weeks duration.  The children were then followed until they were 16 in 2006.  At that time, the rate of asthma was 63% less in the children of the mothers who took fish oil, and the rate of allergic asthma was 87% less!

Most American are deficient in omega-3's.  These beneficial fats form a large part of the structure of our brains and nervous system, benefit out cardiovascular system, our immune system, and are a potent anti-inflammatory.  It is crucial that we supply these necessary cellular component to children in the womb--fully 60% of the dry weight of an infant's brain should be omega-3 fat!  Read more on omega's in this Article, read more on developing a healthy immune system here.  Buy omega-3's for adults here, and for children here.

Read the study here.

One of the biggest lies in modern psychiatry is that depressed people have Prozac deficiency syndrome.  Despite physicial exam findings that can discover specific deficiencies/excesses in the brain and specific urine tests that can effectively evaluate neurotransmitter levels, the mainstays of modern psychiatry remain non-targeted antidepressant drugs.  The New York Times recently broke a story showing that as often as studies showing a benefit from antidepressants are published, studies showing that they don't work are suppressed (read the article here).

I always recommend having a neurotransmitter test done (I use a lab called NeuroScience) to pinpoint brain deficiencies and excesses in individuals with depression.  An excellent physcial exam can also reveal relevant therapeutic strategies, whether they include lifestyle changes, psychotherapy, exercise, supplements, or somatic therapies like chiropractic care. 

Two supplements are gaining attention in the treatment of depression that I would like to mention here; creatine monohydrate and whey protein.  For those of you who have worked on becoming no-neck muscle heads, these will be familiar, as they are mainstays in the world of fitness. 

Athletes use creatine monohydrate to re-energize muscle cells during workouts.  What new research shows is that that creatine does the same thing in your brain!  The study involved giving 3-5 grams of creatine monohydrate to people with "treatment resistant" depression for 4 weeks.  Astoundingly, all the patients improved significantly!  If this were a drug trial it would of headlined on every newspaper and television show in the world.  Since creatine is a cheap, non-patentable supplement, the research was only seen by people who read the journal Bipolar Disorders (you can read the study here).  One warning; the researchers gave the creatine to 2 people with bipolar disorder and they both developed hypomania/mania--people with bipolar should not use creatine.

Next, Whey protein has shown some promise in normalizing neurotransmitter levels in the brain.  Disturbances in these chemical balances is associated with depression.  One study (read it here) looked at serotonin levels and cognitive ability (memory, in this case) among people taking whey protein.  They found increases in serotonin and improvements in memory.  Another study again found increases in serotonin with use of a protein in whey protein, as well as better sleep, and "improved behavior patterns" in people who has poor sleep prior to supplementation  (see the study here).  Whey protein is a complete protein that both supplies the brain with precursors needed to create neurotransmitters, and increases the body's production of glutathione--your most potent antioxidant and detoxifier (see the whey protein page).   I offer an excellent whey protein product in my store--click here to view it.

Last, don't forget about omega-3's--you can read more about them in the treatment of depression in a separate article--click here.

A new study demonstrates powerful benefits of strength training in cancer patients after chemotherapy.  The authors of the study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, concluded "High-intensity resistance training has persistent effects on muscle strength, cardiopulmonary function, quality of life, and fatigue. Rehabilitation programmes for patients treated with chemotherapy with a curative intention should include high-intensity resistance training in their programme."

Just having a diagnosis of cancer can prove both psychologically challenging and tiring.  Chemotherapy itself, while sometimes necessary, is toxic to the body.  This study demonstrates that high intensity strength training helps to rebuild the body after the trials of chemotherapy.  I believe that this happens for three reasons; most obviously, strength training builds muscle--that alone is associated with a higher quality of life.  Less obviously, the demands of strength training require your body to create more energy--that process requires your cells to produce more mitochondria.  Mitochondria not only supply your muscles with more energy, but also your nervous system and immune system.  Third, strength training produces lasting hormonal changes including higher levels of human growth hormone (HGH).  You've probably read about HGH's role in antiaging medicine.  The most healthful way to increase HGH is not going down a back alley and buying it off a guy named "Bubba" or going to a Beverly Hills antiaging specialist and paying thousands of dollars for a therapy that will probably shorten your life---the best way is to push heavy iron hard!

If you read that last paragraph again I hope that you'll agree that its not only cancer survivors that should be lifting weights--it's everyone!

Link to the research. 

Chronic low back pain presents an incredible treatment challenge for doctors.  A recent study evaluated outcomes in 2 different means of treatment for chronic low back pain; chiropractic care and treatment at a pain clinic.  Chiropractic care produced better results for both pain and disability, in other words, the patients being treated by chiropractors had significantly less pain and greater function than patients being treated through the pain clinic. 

There are two important concepts to keep in mind with this study;

1) Chiropractic is probably the safest treatment modality available for people with low back pain.  Contrast this to a consistent profile of side-effects that goes along with drug-treatment at a pain clinic, and,

2) Chiropractic care offers long-lasting relief because it improves the body's function.  Pain-killers for pain are like having a problem with your car and putting in earplugs--you still have the problem, but you become less aware of it.  A hallmark of studies that compare chioropractic to drugs is that chiropractic patients maintain their benefits, whereas people using medication loose their benefits within hours of discontinuing there meds--whether researchers are looking at headache, low back pain, or neck pain, this holds true.

Read more about chiropractic studies on my chiropractic page--its what makes sense!

 Read the study here.
 

I've written in the past about the traditional Chinese supplement, Chinese Red Yeast Rice.  A new study has shown that this natural remedy decreases the risk of "major coronary events" (ie. heart attacks) by 50%! 

The authors stated that "The decrease in these events found in the present study appears to exceed those reported with statin monotherapy in a similar trial of Western patients enrolled in the Cholesterol and Recurrent Events and other statin trials."  In other words, Chinese Red Yeast Rice works better than the statins.  High dose, purified fish oil (available in my store) also works better than statins.

If you are at risk for heart disease, talk to your holistic doctor about using fish oil and red yeast rice--it could save your life! 

Read about the study here. 

You can read more about Red Yeast Rice in my article on the topic—click here. 

You can read more about fish oil and heart disease here.  

The best scientific studies show that the optimum cesarean rates for mothers and children are somewhere between 5 and 10% for the general population.  Rates above 15% do more harm than good.  Astonishingly, 1 in 3 childbirths in this country are currently cesarean births!  This is a dramatic rise from a rate of 4.5% in 1965.  Why?  An excellent article (to read it click here) outlines the primary reasons:

A new study shows that regular consumption of probiotics can ease seasonal allergies.  Holistic doctors have been prescribing probiotics for allergies for years--this new study lends credence to the practice.  Researchers found that people who regularly consumed a fermented milk product had a decreased immune response to grass pollens that they were previously allergic to.  The following is extracted from an article on yahoo on the study:

"The probiotic strain we tested changed the way the body's immune cells respond to grass pollen," added Kamal Ivory, a researcher who worked on the study. In the study volunteers with a history of seasonal allergies drank a daily milk drink with or without Lactobacillus casei -- a bacteria widely studied for its beneficial properties -- over a five-month period. The researchers took blood samples before the grass pollen season, at its peak and after the end of season. They found that people who had been drinking the probiotic drink had lower levels of an antibody that help produce allergy symptoms.  At the same, these people also had higher levels of a different antibody, called IgG, that may play a protective role against allergic reactions.

These same mechanisms are in part why raw milk is far superior to pasteurized milk--raw milk is full of beneficial bacteria and enzymes, whereas pasteurized milk is sterile.  Other health-giving that are full of beneficial bacteria include kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, and kimchee.  I recommend daily consumption of fermented foods.

Read the study here.

Thyroid disorders are becoming increasingly common for 2 reasons:

1. Diet--soy consumption has been shown in a number of studies to have an adverse effect on thyroid function.  I'll be highlighting some of the research in an article on the thyroid soon.  Soy appears to be most detrimental in people with low levels of iodine--a deficiency becoming more common for reasons outlined below.  If you have thyroid problems cut all soy out of your diet for three months--after that you can begin consuming miso and tempeh, but I recommend avoiding other soy products, including tofu.  Other foods can also adversely affect the thyroid--they are Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, Kohlrabi, Mustard, Rutabaga, and Turnips.  If you have thyroid problems I suggest cutting these vegetables out of your diet completely for 3 months, then having your thyroid tested.  If your thyroid function is better, continue eliminating these foods.  If there is no change eat them in moderation.
2. Environmental pollutants.  Perchlorate and Bisphenol-A are two pollutants that appear to be in every human alive--and they both are known to disrupt thyroid function.  Perchlorate does this by interfering with iodine absorption (a major cause of iodine deficiency), and bisphenol-a does it by inappropriately stimulating estrogen receptors.  In an upcoming article I will provide info on how to avoid these and detox your body—keep an eye out.  In the meantime you can view the environmental pollutants page for more information.