A new study shows that cows align themselves in a North-South orientation when grazing or resting.  The study looked at over 8,000 cows in 308 pastures and found that about two thirds of the cows in any given herd on any continent orientated themselves North-South.  This study is interesting because it shows that mammals can detect and be affected by magnetism. 

Many traditional cultures have orientated religious sites according to the poles of the Earth, and some cultures arrange beds and rooms according to direction.  It may be that these traditions exist for physiologic reasons.  New research is being planned to study the effects of magnetic fields on other mammals.  This new research may shed light on traditional methods of energy healing.

Read commentary on the study at Yahoo news. 

Babies who are breastfed have lower cholesterol as adults, researchers say.  It should be noted that breast milk itself is full of cholesterol.  Infant formulas actually tout themselves as "low cholesterol" as if that were somehow healthier, despite the facts that infants who breastfeed have lower rates of allergy and asthma and less cardiovascular risk. 

We must remember that cholesterol is a necessary part of each of our cells, and that consuming it as an infant is crucial to normal nervous system development.  Additionally, cholesterol that we consume as part of a healthy diet does not adversely affect our health!  Cholesterol is only a problem when our our metabolism spins out of control due to an unhealthy lifestyle and the liver starts to create unhealthy cholesterol ratios.  Please read my Cholesterol Article for more information on the subject.

Read the study. 

Curcumin, an extract from turmeric, has can be used to combat osteoporosis.  Curcumin has been extensively researched for cancer prevention, improving immune function, heart protection, and anti-inflammatroy effects.  A recent study may add bone-health to the list of reaseons to supplement with curcumin.  The study involved removing the ovaries form female rats.  This produces hormonal changes similar to those in post-menopausal women--specifically, estrogen production drops off.  Since estrogen is necessary for bone health, the rats developed osteoporosis.  The researchers then tried supplementing a similar group of rats with curcumin, and their bone density increased!  They concluded "Curcumin produces beneficial changes in bone turnover and increases in bone strength using the ovariectomized mature rat model of postmenopausal osteoporosis."

Please visit my Osteoporosis Page for more information on how to build bone health holistically!  Also note that in my store I have a product that combines the bone building effects of whey protein with curcumin.  I highly recommend it for bone health.

Read the study here. 

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: