Natural Remedy for prostate cancer

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco have found that men recently diagnosed with localised prostate cancer (meaning it has not started to spread) can slow down the disease by taking BRISK WALKS (note the emphasis) as they also found that just strolling does not help. So can brisk walks be a natural remedy for localized prostate cancer?

Some possibility of how that works - it had been suggested that perhaps brisk walks affect prostate cancer progression by changing blood levels of some proteins that have been shown to encourage cancer growth.

Now for some disclaimers:

1. It is possible that their results may just be because those who participate in brisk walking may be just living a healthier lifestyle such as not smoking, healthy diet, etc. rather than a direct connection and further studies may be needed

2. Those who have not previously exercise regularly should first consult their doctors before setting out to do rigorous exercises.

Whatever it is, this is another confirmation that exercise is the best medicine and I am going to restart my regular brisk walking although I have not yet been diagnosed with prostate cancer plus for for other studies that showed screening for prostate cancer need not necessarily have a higher survival rate.

Music best medicine - help ventilator patients

Soothing music

A study involving more than 200 intensive care patients needing assisted breathing by ventilators by experts at Cochrane Library showed that music could be better than drugs to calm patients during forced ventilation.

Doctors choice of tempo by doctors in most trials was classical music for easy listening.

However, lead researcher Joke Bradt of Drexel University in Philadelphia, US recommend medical personnel providing music to patients to consult with a music therapist to understand what type of music may be best for a particular patient.

Natural Remedy for insomnia or How to fall asleep easily

The title of this post could just be as well be SLEEP IS THE BEST MEDICINE: adequate sleep is essential for our good health and wellbeing.

I used to have a problem. If ever I need to sleep badly, I will be anxious about whether I can fall asleep and then I become more anxious and therefore even more difficult to fall asleep.

Want to know a way to easily fall asleep without sleeping pills? Simple. Just tell yourself that if tonight I cannot sleep, it will be easier for me to fall asleep tomorrow for then you will be naturally tired and sleepy. And if tomorrow you still can't sleep, tell yourself that the next day it will be even easier. If it so happen you can't sleep the first day, the second day, the third day and so on, there will come a time that even if you don't want to sleep, you can be sure you will fall asleep whether you like it or not. So with that kind of knowledge that you will be able to sleep eventually, will you then be anxious about it? And if you aren't anxious, then don't you think it should be not a problem to fall asleep?

That my friend is my natural remedy for insomnia. Previously, sometimes it could be difficult for me to fall asleep. Not anymore.

Another tip: Supposed you have a number of problems not solved yet and you do not yet know the solution. You are anxious about something. This kind of situation will make it hard for you to sleep for you will then be anxious. Just imagine you have a bag. Imagine you put all your concerns and worries and put them all into the bag and close it. Tell yourself you will not worry about them for the time being. Tell yourself when you awake or when you are ready, then only open the bag and think about the solutions etc.

Now free of worries and anxiety do you think you would be able to fall asleep very easily? So friends, these 2 are my natural remedies for insomnia and so far it had been working very well not only for me, but also for my son when he said he don't know if he can sleep one night. I gave him my natural remedy and within minutes, he was asleep.

Exercise best medicine Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease, also known as the "long goodbye", is a progressive brain disorder which prograssively destroys a victim's memory and ability to reason, make decisions, learn, communicate and carry out basic everyday activities. An Alzheimer's victim may change in personality and behaviour plus suffer from hallucinations and delusions. Life expectancy is shortened. Victims eventually become bedridden and reuires round the clock care until death. There is no known cure for Alzhermer's.

• Improve mood
• Improve sleep (People with Alzheimer's often have sleep disturbances such as becoming agitated at bedtime, wander at night or sleep fitfully)
• Reduce likelihood of constipation
• Maintain good motor skills
• Improves strength, coordination and balance and thus reduce risks of falls and injuries (Alzheimer's patients are at higher risks of falls and fractures)
• Reduce rate of disease-associated mental decline
• Improve memory
• Reduce likelihood of wandering away from home and getting lost, swearing and acting aggressively
• Improve communication and social skills

1. Mayo Clinic 2005: Walking 20 minutes 3 times a week can boost mood, decrease falls, reduce wandering, delay nursing home placement in people with Alzheimer's
2. University of Washington, Seattle, US study, 2003: Exercise lessens depression and provides improved physical functioning in Alzheimer's patients
3. Karolinska Institute, Sweden study, Lancet Neurology, October 2005: 20-30 minutes of exercise which is enough to cause breathlessness and sweating, 2 times a week, reduces risk of getting Alzheimer's by 60% and other types of dementia by 50%; and is especially beneficial for people with the gene apoe4, a known risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease
4. University of Washington study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, cited in a BBC News article 17.1.2006: Regular 15-minute walk 3 times a week reduces risk of dementia and Alzheimer's even after the age of 65 and even frailer people. The more frail a person, the more exercise likely to help them
5. University of California study, Journal of Neuroscience, 27 April 2005: Long term physical activities enhances the learning ability of mice and decreases the level of plaque-forming beta-amyloid protein fragments - a hallmark characteristic of Alzheimer's disease - in their brains
6. Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences, March 13 2001: In a study of 193 people belived to have Alzheimer's disease, researchers found that people who participated in fewer leisure activities between the ages of 20 and 60 were 3.85 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's

Opera best medicine for the heart

Photo of Luciano Pavarotti (Opera) courtesy of Pirlouiiiit

This another of the best medicine series. In this case it is the right kind of music is good medicine for the heart.

Dr. Luciano Bernardi led a team of researchers from Pavia University, Italy, in a study of the effects of five random tracks of classical music on 24 healthy volunteer subjects by monitoring how their body respond to the music. The music include selections from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Nessun Dorma, an aria from Puccini's Turandot, Bach's cantata Number 169, Nabucco: Va Pensiero and Libiamo ne'lieti calici from La Traviata.

The researchers found that musical crescendo (gradual volume increase) stimulated the body which caused narrowing of blood vessels under the skin, increased blood pressure and heart rate and increased respiratory rates. On the other hand, diminuendos (gradual volume decreases) caused the opposite, that is, relaxation which led to slowed heart rate and lowered blood pressure. Operatic music which alternates from fast to slow was found to be the best for the heart and blood circulation.

Source: BBC News: Opera 'is music for the heart'

Videos of classical music

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

Music therapy restores vision

A majority of stroke victims loses the ability to track objects in their visual field on the side opposite to the part of the brain damaged by the stroke. This condition is known as VISUAL NEGLECT and the cause of this visual impairment is damage to those areas of the brain responsible for the integration of vision, attention and action, not the actual area of the brain responsible for sight itself.

UK researchers led by Dr. David Soto from Imperial College London in a study on 3 patients with visual neglect found that all 3 could identify colored shapes and red lights in the impaired side of vision when they are listening to music they liked. The researchers believe that listening to pleasant music give rise to positive emotions which help efficiency in signaling in the brain. Here is another case of music being the best medicine

Music Best Medicine heart health

Music is the best medicine. Listening to your favorite music for more than 30 minutes a day and improve your cardiovascular (heart) health. According to a study researchers at Maryland University Center for Preventive Cardiology on a group of non-smoking men and women, the blood vessels in their upper arm expanded 26% when they listened to music they like. So do listen to your favorite music everyday for cardiovascular (heart) health.

To start off, why not try listening to my favorite singer and song - Teresa Teng (Deng Lijun):



If you prefer this sweet song in English, listen to Juliana Jones singing "I'm still loving you:



More at healthy music at Songs Lyrics Video

Sleep best medicine - hardened arteries

If you don't want to suffer the fate of hardened (calcified) arteries which also lead to cardiovascular diseases (hypertension of high blood pressure), do not skimp on restful sleep. According to a study led by Dr. Diane Lauderdale of the University of Chicago, getting enough sleep is important for good cardiovascular health. In the study, the researchers subjected to 2 CT scans to access the built-up of calcium in the arteries five years apart. In the first CT scan, none of the subjects had any calcification in their arteries, but the picture changed 5 years later with 61 of them showing calcification in their arteries. Calcification was least among those who regularly sleep more than 7 hours and greatest for those who sleep less than 5 hours nightly.

Possible explanation - high blood pressure increases calcification and blood pressure is lowered during sleep. So less sleep may lead to more hours of high blood pressure and therefore calcification, while the reversed is true for more sleep.

Another possible explanation may be stress hormones like cortisol which is related to decreased sleep and increased calcification.

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7796922.stm

Exercise best medicine memory dementia

Here is another confirmation that exercise is the best medicine. A study conducted by a University of Melbourne team on the impact of physical activity on volunteers of more than 50 years old on memory problems showed that there is improvement in cognitive function for those who complete three 50-minute sessions a week of moderate physical activity, such as walking, for 24 week as compared to those who did not exercise.

Happiness is the best medicine

A happy person is a healthy person. One way to be happy is to make others happy. The easiest way the make others happy is to smile. Try the smile starter:

Smiling is infectious, you can catch it like the flu

When someone smile at me today, I start smiling too

I pass around the corner, and someone saw my grin

When he smile, I realized, I had passed it to him

I thought about the smile, then I realized its worth

A single smile just like mine, could travel the earth

So if you feel a smile begin, don't leave it undetected

Let's start an epidemic quick, and get the whole world infected.