Natural remedy depression - Mediterranean style diet?

Researchers from the University of Las Palmas and University of Navarra reported in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) that those who eat the Mediterranean diet (plenty of vegetables, fruits and cereals, little red meat) may have less likelihood of developing depression.

The study involved 10,094 healthy adults over a period of 4 years who completed questionnaires which showed that participants who strongly adhere to MDP (Mediterranean Dietary Pattern) were 30% less likely to develop depression. While admitting that further studies are needed, Dr. Cecila D'Felice, a clinical psychologist claimed that there is increasing evidences of the importance of diet in treating depression, with a diet high in olive oil enhancing the amount of serotonin, which is how most anti-depression works (increase serotonin).

Serotonin

Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter found extensively in the gastrointestinal tract of animals, some synthesized in serotonegic neurons, found also in fungi and plants including fruits and vegetables.

Source: Wikipedia: Serotonin

Worms: Natural remedy for asthma and other allergies?

Want a natural remedy for asthma or other allergies like eczema? If UK and Vietnamese researchers are to be believed, getting yourself infected with parasitic worms like the hookworms may reduce incidences of allergies (Note: further studies needed).

In a research funded by the charity body Asthma UK, researchers gave Vietnamese children treatment to clear their bodies of worms and found that subsequently the children experienced an increase in dust mite allergy. Further indications of the relationship between parasitic worm infection and low incidence of allergies can be found in general low rates of asthma and other allergies in Vietnam where hookworm and other parasitic worms infection is endemic. Rates of asthma and other allergies are higher in other parts of the world which practiced better hygiene and thus have lower incidence of infection by parasitic worms.

The researchers reasoned that worms an human have coexisted and co-evolved over the millions of years and worms have evolved ways to dampen down its host immune responses to its presence in order to prolong the worms survival within humans with the welcomed effect of reducing allergies in human from immune responses. The converse now is true when parasitic worms are eliminated from inside human with resulting higher incidence of allergic responses in human.

Photo of hookworms courtesy of Wikipedia.

How get children eat vegetables

Eating plenty of vegetables is very healthy providing the body with plenty of free radicals fighting antioxidants, minerals, vitamins plus fibers. If you want your children to get this healthy habit of eating lots of vegetables, involve them in actually growing the vegetables yourself. Children will have a great motivation to eat the vegetables they cultivate themself.

Natural remedy for brain injury alcohol?

A research team from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, studied 38,000 head trauma patients and found that head trauma patients who had drunk alcohol before suffering head injuries seemed less likely to die. They suspect that given the right dose, alcohol stop secondary brain injury (cascade of swelling, inflammation and further destruction of brain cells.

The amount of alcohol consumed seemed important with too little having no effect and too much causing the loss of the beneficial effect, based on animal studies.

Please note that those findings do not imply that one should drink alcohol before driving as alcohol affects reaction time and increases chance of accident. Also, patients with significant levels of alcohol in the blood tend to have medical complications.

The study does suggest the possibility of administering alcohol to brain trauma patients but before that become reality, more researchs need to be done.

Brain trauma at Amazon

ED (Erectile dysfunction)

Content of this post has been transferred to Good Health Information.

Men's Health at Amazon

Reproduction at Amazon

Erectile dysfunction at Amazon

Frequent showers may cause lung diseases?

Photo of man in shower courtesy of Ville Miettinen

Taking a shower, especially those with plastic shower head, may cause lung diseases according to findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science by researchers led by Professor Norman Pace titled Opportunistic pathogens enriched in showerhead biofilms. The findings that a biofilm containing Mycobacterium avium may grow and cling to the inside of shower head, especially plastic shower head.

This finding may explain why there is an increase in lung infections in this era where more people take showers rather than baths. As water spurt from shower heads, tiny water droplets containing the bacteria get suspended in the air and inhaled deep into the lungs, causing lung diseases. While rarely a problem for healthy people, those with weakened immune systems such as the elderly, pregnant women or those weakened by other diseases may get their lungs infected with M. avium and fall sick.

In addition to M. avium, showers may also spread a type of pneumonia called Legionnaires' disease which is caused by a bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Mycobacterium avium

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is a group of genetically related bacteria belonging to the genus Mycobacterium. It includes Mycobacterium avium subspecies avium (MAA), Mycobacterium avium subspecies hominis (MAH), and Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP).
Historically, MAC has also included Mycobacterium avium intracellulare (MAI) – a distinct species of bacteria.

Source: Wikipedia: Mycobacterium avium complex

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common bacterium which can cause disease in animals and humans. It is found in soil, water, skin flora and most man-made environments throughout the world. It thrives not only in normal atmospheres, but also with little oxygen, and has thus colonised many natural and artificial environments. It uses a wide range of organic material for food; in animals, the versatility enables the organism to infect damaged tissues or people with reduced immunity. The symptoms of such infections are generalised inflammation and sepsis. If such colonisations occur in critical body organs such as the lungs, the urinary tract, and kidneys, the results can be fatal.[1] Because it thrives on moist surfaces, this bacterium is also found on and in medical equipment including catheters, causing cross infections in hospitals and clinics. It is implicated in hot-tub rash.

Source: Wikipedia: Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Legionnaires' disease

Legionellosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Legionella.[1][2] Over 90% of legionellosis cases are caused by Legionella pneumophila, a ubiquitous aquatic organism that thrives in temperatures between 25 and 45 °C (77 and 113 °F), with an optimum around 35 °C (95 °F).[3]
Legionellosis takes two distinct forms:

Legionnaires' disease, also known as "Legion Fever" (archaic), is the more severe form of the infection and produces pneumonia.

Pontiac fever is caused by the same bacterium, but produces a milder respiratory illness without pneumonia which resembles acute influenza.

Source: Wikipedia: Legionellosis

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common bacterium which can cause disease in animals and humans. It is found in soil, water, skin flora and most man-made environments throughout the world. It thrives not only in normal atmospheres, but also with little oxygen, and has thus colonised many natural and artificial environments. It uses a wide range of organic material for food; in animals, the versatility enables the organism to infect damaged tissues or people with reduced immunity. The symptoms of such infections are generalised inflammation and sepsis. If such colonisations occur in critical body organs such as the lungs, the urinary tract, and kidneys, the results can be fatal.[1] Because it thrives on moist surfaces, this bacterium is also found on and in medical equipment including catheters, causing cross infections in hospitals and clinics. It is implicated in hot-tub rash.

Natural remedy soluble fibre IBS

IBS: Irritable bowel syndrome

IBS which is also called spastic colon is a gastrointestinal disorder where those unfortunate enough to suffer it will experience chronic abdominal pain, discomfort and bloating for which there is no cure.

Soluble fiber for IBS

A report in the British Medical Journal of a study by Dutch scientists indicated that pysllium, a natural soluble vegetable fibre, should be used as treatment of choice for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The researchers tested 3 treatments on 275 patients, 10gm of either pysllium, bran or rice flour twice (used as a placebo) a day for 12 weeks and found that those taking psyllium had symptom severity reduced by 90 points, while those on bran reduced by 58 points and 49 points for the placebo.

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