Learn About Craniosacral Therapy

Most things that we do throughout the day affect the intricate nervous systems in the body.

Because by design the nerves and sensitive tissues that run throughout our systems are delicate, they are prone to both short and long-term damage, which can lead to bodily and balances.

Craniosacral Therapy is a special variety of make contact with treatment which is developed to directly stimulate the sensitive nervous tissues in the spinal cord, as well as the connective tissues that surround the mass of the human brain all without the require for any variety of invasive surgery.

Actually, Craniosacral Therapy is just as gentle as most other types of alternative medicine, and because it involves direct make contact with between the practitioner and also the patient applying their hands, it may give many from the exact same sensations that a typical massage will.

You’ll leave feeling a good deal much more relaxed than you did when you got there.

To fully obtain a grasp of how this sort of therapy works, it is important to understand how the major elements from the nervous system are connected to one another. Obviously, basic anatomy tells us that the spine is connected on the base with the brain. What several folks may not know is that the whole spinal column performs the “tree trunk” in the body’s connective nerve tissue is surrounded by a distinctive form of spinal fluid.

In very much the exact same way blood does, the spinal fluid flows and washes more than the several parts from the brain and upper spine. You’ll be able to think of it as having a pulse of its own, and Craniosacral Treatment is intended to utilize direct get in touch with with the patient’s back to stimulate the flow of this critical substance.

By holding the patient’s limbs in certain, diligently chosen positions while simultaneously running their hand gently up the length in the spinal column, fresh spinal fluid is allowed to more easily circulate, and come into contact with brain matter.

The most immediate effect that most people notice when they have a Craniosacral therapy procedure done to them can be a renewed feeling of alertness. Although it is impossible to really view it taking place, the fresh fluid washing over the brain causes it to wake up, and fools it into thinking that you have just sat up out of bed after a full night of rest.

Within the long-term, a recipient of this natural therapy treatment can expect to experience a loosening of tight joints related towards neck and back, which means that they could see several relief if they’ve been experiencing lots of pain with these areas inside past.

The philosophical aspects of Craniosacral therapy are based on the principles of motion. By encouraging the motion of vital fluids that act as lubricants, practitioners are able to promote an incredible level of flexibility and freedom of motion.

It’s a completely painless way of allowing yourself to feel years younger, and all that’s needed is always that you open your mind on the possibility that an “alternative” medical treatment still has the potential to help you with your issues.

Research, Statistics and Who Paid Who?

I felt I really had to return to a topic that I had hoped was a very dead and buried and that is the controversial question of whether research can any longer be trusted. You may have seen a report in the Independent newspaper which stated that more than 90 percent of researchers who have published studies favourable to the controversial diabetes drug Avandia had a financial stake in the issue.

My first question when I an sent studies — as I frequently am– is to find out two questions: first how many participants and second who has funded the research. This latest revelation comes from a study conducted by researchers from the Mayo Clinic, one of the few research organizations in the United States that does not accept corporate funding.

Sales of GlaxoSmithKline’s bestselling drug Avandia plunged in 2007, after evidence emerged linking the drug to an increased risk of heart attack and death. These reports sparked a debate over the drug’s safety that continues to this day. In an analysis of more than 200 studies, articles, editorials and letters published in scientific journals since 2007, Mayo Clinic researchers have concluded that financial conflict of interest continues to play a major role in that debate.

If someone is expressing a positive view of a product you are entitled to ask if they are gaining any benefit from it — and no, I do not receive any payment or benefits on any of the products I mention in healthy news other than accepting a sample for trial purposes so I can report back from practical experience and not just rely on other people’s evidence.

What has emerged is that 87 percent of all authors who expressed positive views about Avandia had financial ties to GlaxoSmithKline, while another 7 percent had ties to other pharmaceutical companies involved with diabetes. Not surprisingly, among authors with financial conflicts of interest, only 30 percent “expressed unfavorable views” of the drug and authors who were critical of Avandia were “largely free of identifiable conflicts of interest,” the researchers said.

Sadly, this does not mean that they were all squeaky clean either as of the 29 authors who recommended the drug Actos as a safer alternative to Avandia, 25 had ties to that drug’s maker, Eli Lilly.

I think we have to accept that there is a large amount of financial and self interest going on in medical research, and if that is disclosed I can live with it. What I find more disturbing is that this research uncovered that while 47 percent of all authors surveyed had a financial stake in the diabetes drug debate, 23 percent failed to disclose these links. Most of these authors merely remained silent about their conflicts of interest, while three actually lied and said they had none.

Could it be time for some legislation, as we allegedly have with our MPs, to declare a conflict of interest so the least we are warned and can make up our own minds as to their impartiality? I would like to think so, but don’t hold your breath.

Summer Weight Loss Needed or Help For A Healthy Prostate?

As this unprecedented summer weather continues, even I have been forced into shorts but warmer weather means that fewer layers provide less opportunity to disguise those extra pounds around the stomach and thighs.

CLA is a handy abbreviation for a not very snappy substance otherwise known as Conjugated Linolenic Acid. This is a fatty acid not produced by our bodies, but found in our food – in fact it is present in some of the very foods we should be avoiding when trying to lose weight; such as cream, and red meat, both of which are high in saturated fat.

CLA is so beneficial for effective weight loss because research has shown this fatty acid is extremely effective at helping our bodies maintain a healthy lean-to-fat ratio. What it does is to inhibit the enzyme that breaks down fat, which usually allows our body to absorb it, and then also increases the enzyme that breaks down stored fat; both of which result in a reduction in body fat.

Supplementing with CLA on a daily basis – and as part of a calorie controlled diet – helps reduce body fat, maintain a healthy lean-to-fat ratio, improve muscle tone, and maintain weight loss. Increasing evidence supports the extensive health benefits of Conjugated Linolenic Acid (CLA), including its ability to lower cholesterol levels, and maintain a healthy heart, and immune system. Specifically it can help those who are overweight, as it reduces hunger pangs, and increases feelings of fullness’ which can help to control appetite.

As an added benefit for non–dieters, research also proves that CLA also plays a role in preventing certain cancers, and for men, helps maintain a healthy prostate.

No supplement on its own will help you lose weight, but if you combine it with a good diet and exercise it can certainly support and speed up the process. to reach for that delicious, but fattening, ice cream. A good source is Lifeplan’s CLA which is derived from safflower oils, which are very similar to sunflower oils, as the 500mg capsules contain no refined sugar, salt, starch, lactose, gluten, or yeast. They also use CLA Tonalin®, the highest quality and leading brand of CLA available, which is supported by extensive research and clinical studies.

You should find it in independent health food stores, and if not then you can get it online at www.lifeplan.co.uk.

Butter or Margarine – Do You Really Know Which is Healthier?

With over 30 years of health writing behind me, I have never wavered in my allegiance to butter. Certainly on taste grounds, but also in terms of health because a little butter for me is far preferable to a lot of other substances. We need a certain amount of fat in our diet to help our body absorb fat soluble vitamins and butter helps with this as well as increasing the absorption of many other nutrients from our food.

Is margarine better than butter is a question that I am frequently asked, and I know there are a lot of other butter lovers out there, so let me help you decide if you are really having the healthiest option.

The main reason that most people abandon butter is because of its high levels of saturated fat and certainly margarine is lower in saturated fat, but not by a massive amount. Further, it carries its own hazards mainly because its high levels of trans fats pack a double whammy for heart disease by raising levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and lowering levels of HDL (good cholesterol). A recent Harvard Medical Study found that over eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% compared to the same amount of butter.

Despite extensive advertising, again according to Harvard Medical School, there never was any good evidence that using margarine instead of butter cut the chances of having a heart attack or developing heart disease. So the switch to margarine became a move to a product that offered just as much danger but without the benefit of tasting good. The good news is, if you have already switched and happy with the taste, that some of the newer margarines are low in saturated fat, high in unsaturated fat, and free of trans fats so they are fine as long as you don’t use too much as they are still rich in calories.

If you want to have a healthy heart, then avoid margarine and use butter sparingly. Personally, I have adopted the French habit of not using butter at all on bread if I am adding something to it like cheese or honey, and reserving it for essentials like baked potatoes and crumpets where the taste makes a real difference.

There are however a couple of healthy options that you might want to add to your diet to supplement butter and these are olive oil and other vegetable oil–based spreads, which contain beneficial mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Again, our continental neighbours — this time in Italy — have a good habit of dipping their bread in olive oil rather than buttering it and that has definite healthy heart benefits.

As I am tirelessly fond of saying, ‘a little of what you fancy does you good’ so if butter falls into that category you can eat it with a clear conscience — just don’t overdo it.

Bee venom found to be medically useful – could this save them from extinction?

There has been much concern recently about the plight of the poor bumble bee as their numbers have declined so drastically the feared impact on the environment and our plant life is said to be truly serious.

However, there does not appear to have been any real concerted action to do something about it but now a new development which shows how bee venom could be effective in treating certain conditions — and therefore somebody could make some money out of it — might possibly just be the saving of them.

A collaboration between the University of Bristol and the University of Liege in Belgium believes that a toxin extracted from honey bee venom could potentially be used in the treatment of muscular dystrophy, depression and dementia.

Apamin, a natural peptide toxin found in bee venom, is known for its ability to block a type of ion channel that enables a high-speed and selective flow of potassium ions out of nerves. What the researchers have discovered is that the blocking of these channels in the brain causes nerves to become hyperexcitable and that this produces improved learning that has implications for the treatment of dementia and depression. In addition, injection of apamin improves the symptoms experienced by sufferers of myotonic muscular dystrophy (MD).

Professor Neil Marrion, from the University of Bristol’s Physiology & Pharmacology department, said: “Drug design depends on knowing the target. Our findings have provided a new approach to designing a therapeutic agent that could help with the treatment of a number of conditions.”

If you want to get ahead of the research, then can I suggest you start your own regime by using an organic high factor honey such as Manuka 15 or 30 and treat yourself to a spoonful of so every day as it has many health benefits — unless of course you are a diabetic in which case you might just have to hold on and wait for the bees to produce enough venom!

On a different note… A family business who is doing something to help bees thrive is EssexBees.co.uk. They sell honey and other bee products. But they are offering you the chance to have your own hives in the garden for nothing! And you get to keep some of the honey – They just keep most of it as your payment to them. If you’re interested and live in South East Essex check them out.

For More info on Honey Bees – visit Essex Bees

The fragrant way to a good night’s sleep

I am not a fan of sleeping pills, except in extreme need and for short term use as their side effects can outweigh the benefits.

There are many natural ways to help sleep from herbal concoctions to specially designed light systems, but now there is an entirely fragrant way that apparently can soothe, relieve anxiety and promote sleep with the same mechanism of action and strength as the commonly prescribed barbiturates.

Just what is this miracle worker? It is the aroma of jasmine from Gardenia jasminoides and has been researched by Düsseldorf  University where they have discovered that the two fragrances Vertacetal-coeur (VC) and the chemical variation (PI24513) have the same molecular structure as barbiturates.

Who said you can’t make money out of nature? Well it appears that these researchers will as they have been granted a patent for their discovery, as they reported in the current online issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Sedatives, sleeping pills and relaxants are the most frequently prescribed psychotropic drugs and strange as it may seem the difference between calming and hypnotic effect depends solely on the dosage, not on the drug itself. Benzodiazepines, which are now among the world’s most widely prescribed drugs, are given to help relax the body so that it can drift naturally of sleep. Unfortunately, they are not only potentially addictive, but can also cause serious side effects including depression, dizziness, hypotension, muscle weakness and impaired coordination.

The researchers carried out a large screening study in which they tested hundreds of fragrances but it was just the two mentioned that proved to be effective. Of course this is something that serious aromatherapy student have known for many years but it is good to see science catching up and acknowledging that fragrances have a definite, measurable effect on the body. We absorb fragrance throughout skin and through the air breathed in, and the scent molecules go from the lungs into the blood and then transmitted from there to the brain.

The researchers concluded that their results can also be seen as evidence of a scientific basis for aromatherapy, so all you fans of aromatherapy massage have been vindicated — as if you needed it. So rather than the traditional lavender or camomile that you may have been using to ease yourself into sleep you could now try adding the rather more exotic fragrance of jasmine.

How Brassicas Can Help IBS

Inflammatory Bowel Disease is becoming more common with an increasing number of people visiting their doctor for help with the various symptoms that can produce.

There are a number of self-help measures that can help alleviate some of the distressing effects of IBS, particularly learning to manage stress. Keeping an eye on the diet is also important in order to avoid things that can cause a flare up but now it seems that every day vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli could play an important role in alleviating signs of ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel condition.

This new research is the work of a South Dakota State University scientist, associate professor Moul Dey of their Department of Health and Nutritional Sciences, and she has shown that an extract made from a food plant in the Brassica family was effective and the research will continue to test for its potential use against colon cancer. This disease is highly preventable, yet colon cancer has one of the highest death rates among all cancers due to typical late diagnosis.

There is an established link between ulcerative colitis and colon cancer and people who have this condition are at significantly higher risk to have colon cancer. Dey and her team will carry out research over the next two and a half years and she is certainly interested in plant medicine as so far she has screened nearly 3,000 plant extracts for potential anti-inflammatory activity so far.

A plant-derived compound called Phenethylisothiocyanate is what has been shown to have potential anti-inflammatory activities and is found in the Brassica family which includes cabbage, cauliflower, watercress and broccoli. Even more reason for your five a day to include at least a couple of these valuable ‘green’s’.

High blood pressure? Eat more beetroot – or chocolate – or garlic!

Before you succumb to medication for high blood pressure there are a number of things you can try to bring it down naturally. The two best-known, and most frequently recommended are to lose weight and take more exercise. Now we can add a third element and that is the humble beetroot, which according to research from Queen Mary University of London can indeed lower your blood pressure.

It seems that the reason it can do this is down to the nitrate content of beetroot juice, according to the study, published online in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension. Their study found that blood pressure was lowered within 24 hours in people who took nitrate tablets, and people who drank beetroot juice.

Cardiovascular disease (including stroke and heart attacks) now ranks as the world’s biggest killer and those seeking a natural approach to lowering blood pressure just need to get out their juicer. The nitrate found in beetroot juice is beneficial because it increases the levels of the gas nitric oxide in the circulation.

Whether the volunteers in the study were given inorganic nitrate capsules or beetroot juice when their blood pressure responses were compared they were found to be equally effective in lowering blood pressure. This clearly demonstrates that it is the nitrate content of beetroot juice that underlies its potential to reduce blood pressure.

If you’re not a particular fan of beetroot, then take heart from because the study found that only a small amount of juice is needed — just 250ml — to have this effect, and that the higher the blood pressure at the start of the study the greater the decrease caused by the nitrate.

In fact if you prefer you might want to pay attention to some new research which shows that just a small amount of chocolate a day can help in reducing high blood pressure in individuals suffering from hypertension. Naturally, it has to be a good quality dark chocolate containing 70% cocoa as that is rich in flavanols, which open up your blood vessels to help the blood flow more freely and so causing the pressure to drop.

Dr. Karin Ried from the University of Adelaide, Australia carried out the study and is also the one that in 2008 conducted a study which found that garlic extract has a significant beneficial effect for high blood pressure sufferers. In Brighton, where I live, there is a chocolate shop which has all kinds of wonderful combination, chilli chocolate being just one of them, but I don’t think I’ve seen a garlic one yet. Perhaps I could suggest a beetroot and garlic combo so you could get all those blood pressure lowering ingredients in one delicious bar!

How olive oil protects against breast cancer

One of the main reasons for the benefits ascribed to the Mediterranean diet is the key ingredient of olive oil.  As well is helping protect against heart disease, and add flavour to food, it now seems that it also plays a key role in protecting against breast cancer.

It is no surprise in that the majority of research into the benefits of olive oil have come from those countries that produce it, and this is no exception.  Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in Spain have spent over twenty years working to determine the effects fats have on breast cancer, and in particular the effects of virgin olive oil.   Now they have discovered a key mechanism by which virgin olive oil, in contrast to other vegetable oils, protects the body.  They have managed to decode a complete cascade of signals within breast tumour cells activated by virgin olive oil, and came to the conclusion that the benefits includes a decrease in the activity of the oncogene p21Ras – which spurs uncontrolled cell proliferation and stimulates the growth of tumours.  Other benefits include changes in protein signalling pathways, stimulation of tumour cell death and prevention of DNA damage

Any research into this area is important, as breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in Western countries.   The link between a diet rich in fats and the incidence of cancer has already been established, but some types of fats can play a protective role against the development of these tumours.

In addition, olive oil suppresses the activity of some proteins, such as the AKT, essential for the survival of cells since they prevent apoptosis, the cell’s “suicide” programme. Between proliferation and apoptosis in tumour cells, these effects tip the balance towards cell death, thereby slowing the growth of tumours.

If you want to increase your protection against breast cancer, then your diet needs to include virgin olive oil – used cold, not in cooking – as this is associated with low incidences of specific types of cancer, including breast cancer.  It also has a protective role against coronary diseases and other health problems.

Help with the small print on medicine bottles

Reluctant though we often are to admit it, there is no doubt that as we get older — and no matter what the strength of our glasses — the very small print that is used on medicine bottles can be a real struggle to read. If this is you, then help is at hand with a wonderful new device that is actually a portable magnifier specifically designed for reading text on the smallest of surfaces.

It has been developed and designed by The Daylight Vision Company to be used not only at home but also when you are travelling as it weighs just 39 grams. This ingenious magnifier comes equipped with bright “Daylight in the palm of your hand” LED’s to illuminate even the most challenging small print. Being small, it folds easily so you can slip it into your pocket or handbag and comes with batteries included which last for hours.

So if you are looking to make sure you safely take the correct dose, at the correct time, then this could be a great boon. It will certainly reduce eye strain and at a recommended price of only£14.99 is a small investment that could prove worth its weight in gold.

You can’t find it locally, then either visit the website to order online at www.daylightcompany.com or call 020 8964 1200.

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