Juggling makes health sense

I wrote recently about how multi-tasking is actually less efficient than focusing on one thing, and I was delighted to learn of a different form of ‘juggling’ that can improve your health.

If you have any oranges handy, you might want to start using them to learn to juggle as an Oxford University study has shown that it leads to changes in the white matter of the brain. These are the bundles of long nerve fibres that conduct electrical signals between nerve cells and connect different parts of the brain together. What this means in practice is that there is improved connectivity in parts of the brain involved in making the movements necessary to catch the balls.

We tend to think of the brain as being static, or even beginning to degenerate, once we reach adulthood but this research shows that its structure is ripe for change and can condition its own wiring system to operate more efficiently.

You may not want to juggle, but what this shows is the importance in adults of learning a new task or skill. The volunteers in the study had never juggled before and they were given weekly training sessions and asked to practice 30 minutes every day. After six weeks of training changes were seen in the white matter in regions of the brain which are involved in reaching and grasping in the periphery of vision, so that seems to make a lot of sense.

Ability varied, but after the training they all could juggle three balls for at least two cascades and some could juggle five balls and perform other tricks. As someone who never managed to juggle more than two bean bags, and that in slow motion, I am impressed so head out and find a new hobby that shines up that white matter to a glowing halo, and it could be as simple as going for a walk or doing a crossword rather than juggling the family finances!

Emu oil for aches and pains

As someone who has just taken up line dancing again to keep the old joints moving, and discovering I am neither as fit or as agile as I imagined, I was interested in trying an Australian supplement that has been mentioned to me before. Emu oil is not new; generally it is used as a muscle, joint and skin rub, to relieve aches and pains but now you can get it in a more convenient capsule form. Emu oil has become registered as a therapeutic anti-inflammatory in Australia where it is widely used.

The Emu is an important creature in Aboriginal culture and they have been using the oil for over forty thousand years. Sceptical sophisticates want more proof than anecdotal evidence, though why is a mystery to me because if something works that proves it doesn’t it? But to reassure you, a recent study on people, rather than those poor benighted lab rats, has shown that emu oil can help reduce pain when taken orally, as well as when applied topically. Previous studies have shown that emu oil can be as effective as Ibuprofen but with no known side effects, certainly an advantage over the gastric problems such as nausea, indigestion, heartburn, constipation, diarrhoea and increased risk of heart attack s that are linked to ibuprofen.

I have been taking Golden Emu oil capsules for four weeks and have definitely seen a benefit, so I will be continuing. If you prefer rubbing in the oil, like major athletes do apparently, then you carry on. You should be able to find both oil and capsules in your local health store, but if you have any difficulty then visit the website at www.shopforhealth.co.uk

New help for cancer hair loss

A few years ago I met an exceptional young woman who after a career as a leading London hairdresser gave it up to start a charity helping those who lose their hair through cancer treatment. Jasmin Julia Gupta’s work was recognised when she was invited to meet The Prime minister and her philosophy for founding the site makes it clear why:

…“When a 43 year old looks you in the eye and says “I feel terribly guilty because I have cancer and I’m more worried about losing my hair than having treatment”, you suddenly realize that the information you can offer is potentially life changing advice. To share the knowledge that I am so fortunate to have gained, means that I can give something back to the customers and hair industry that I love so much.”

Help available:

When you experience illness and treatment, as well as changes to your hair, having to deal with it all can be overwhelming. That’s why Jasmin started the “Cancer Hair Care” to offer guidance on hair care issues I was very happy to be able to help with some editorial/writing input on the website and there is access to great, detailed, information that is free and not available anywhere else in one place like this.

Hair loss, scalp care, wigs and headscarves can all seem a mystery but with some caring advice, ideas for new looks, support with how you feel and practical advice – you will discover that looking good is not something you need to give up on because you have suffered hair loss. As well as expert advice, there are the stories from patients sharing their wisdom and experiences by talking about their cancer and hair loss. These are they are truly amazing, inspirational and often funny and poignant.

As well as the website, Jasmin has set up a “Hair Care Support Unit” at her local hospital and provides free head scarves with her “Twice as Nice project”. An important part of the work is fundraising for a number of hair care projects and providing education to hairdressers and health workers who are in daily contact with cancer patients.

If you know someone who is dealing with hair loss, then as well as the information on the site, you might want to point them towards The Caring Hair for a beautiful range of products including headscarves, for specialised hair care needs. Their slogan is ‘compassion that won’t compromise on style and fashion’ and they are experts in specialist hair care and hair loss and feature organic, fairtrade and natural products. I can personally vouch for their organic shampoo and conditioner range! They also have an award winning green and ethical policy and every penny of their profit goes back into funding the Cancer Hair Care charity.

To find out more you can call Monday to Friday 9-5 or telephone 01438 488082, but for me the first port of call would be the website at www.cancerhaircare.com

Home births as safe as hospital delivery

Women who give birth at home do not have any higher rate of complications or death than women who give birth in a hospital. This research was carried out in the Netherlands where one-third of women choose to give birth at home, due to a government encouragement of the policy.

Because the Netherlands has one of the highest rates in Europe of infant death during or just after birth, some researchers have suggested that home births might be unsafe, but when researchers examined data from 530,000 births attended by midwives, they found no difference in the risk of mother or infant death between home births and hospital births.

The study looked only at low-risk women, defined as those going into labour with no known complications, and did not include hospital births attended by a doctor rather than a midwife.

The researchers found that a full one-third of women who began their birth at home eventually had to be transferred to a hospital but in such cases neither the mother nor infant was at any higher risk of dying than in any of the other births in the study.

Roses all the way

Once the weather starts to cool we notice a difference in our skin as it starts to lose some of its natural oils. If you want to avoid that, and enjoy the lovely summer scent of roses, then you might want to try a natural body cream which combines extract of rose oil with hydrating sweet almond, and apricot kernel oils, and natural botanical blackberry. This not only nourishes but also has special antibacterial and antiseptic properties, all of which help protect and promote healthy skin acne and scar tissue. Winter is the time when skin conditions such as dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis get more aggravated and Grandma’s Vine Heavenly Feast Body Cream will help bolster moisture levels to restore, revitalise, and rejuvenate dry, taut, sore, and itchy skin.

You will find it in health shops, or from the website at www.lifeplan.co.uk.

World Osteoporosis day

October 20th is the day to raise awareness of this potentially lethal condition and 2009 is the second year of a two year campaign which called on government health officials to recognize osteoporosis as a health priority

Osteoporotic fractures are a major cause of suffering, disability and death in the older population and their costs to our healthcare services exceed those of many other major chronic diseases. Between twelve to twenty percent of people die within one year following a hip fracture and it is estimated that 80% of those who are at high risk of osteoporosis, and have suffered at least one fracture, have neither been identified nor treated for the disease.

This means that you have to take responsibility here and if you feel you are at risk to have a bone scan done or take nutritional advice and support. For free comprehensive information on osteoporosis I recommend the booklet that Dame Dr Shirley Bond and I wrote and you can get a copy by clicking this link: progesterone

Top 5 ways to keep your energy up

There are times when, no matter how fit you are, you fall prey to persistent mild fatigue or a chronic lack of energy. Everyday stresses and a busy lifestyle can lead to you paying less attention to the simple factors that will help keep your energy levels high. Moderate exercise and incorporating rest periods into your day will help and so will following these basic tips for a natural energy boost:

1. Variety is the spice of life so make sure you eat a wide variety of organic fresh fruit and vegetables to get the best range of their natural protective vitamin and mineral content

2. Small is beautiful so give up those large meals because they trigger the body to release more insulin, resulting in low blood sugar levels and a fatigue-inducing slump. Eat more frequently, just less of it and include healthy snacks – see point 4.

3. Water, water may be everywhere but most people just don’t drink enough of it. Dehydration is a common cause of fatigue so keep your liquid intake up with herbal teas, juices and water right through the day.

4. Snacking for energy means choosing healthy things that contain some protein, carbohydrates, and beneficial fats or select whole foods that are low in fat. Good options include unsalted nuts and seeds, dried fruit and bananas, crudités, yogurt, vegetable sticks, and whole grain bread or crackers to keep your energy up by stabilising your blood sugar levels.

5. Fibre slows the release of insulin and helps maintain a steady supply of energy. Good sources are beans and pulses such as kidney beans, chickpeas, and lentils.

Dinosaurs killed by pigeons?

Well no, not really, but a study by a team of U.S. and Australian researchers has shown that T.rex’s relatives suffered from the potentially life-threatening disease trichomonosis, which is still carried by pigeons today.

Some of the world’s most famous T.rex specimens have holes in the lower jaw, which is a classic symptom of trichomonosis and they occur in exactly the same place as in modern birds with trichomonosis.

Trichomonosis is carried mainly by pigeons these days, but they are generally immune to the disease. Birds of prey are particularly susceptible to trichomonosis if they eat infected pigeons, and I wonder if that is why pigeon pie is no longer a fashionable menu item, except perhaps in Hector Blumenthal’s kitchens?

Natural help for pain

I have known Patrick Holford for many years, and his nutritional advice is always sound and on target. I thought you would be interested in his thoughts on treating pain naturally, particularly the importance of healing the gut, easily damaged by painkillers, with a combination of digestive enzymes, probiotics and glutamine, and identifying and eliminating food allergies.

His top six natural pain killers are these:

1. Turmeric

Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, works as well as anti-inflammatory drugs, but without the side effects. Like NSAIDs, it blocks the formation of the pro-inflammatory prostaglandins (PGE2), as well as leukotrienes. It has been used for its medicinal properties in Ayurveda for hundreds of years and there is no evidence of any downsides, even in high doses of 8g a day.

2. Olives

Olive extract decreases levels of pro-inflammatory substances and reduces levels of two inflammatory messengers called TNF-alpha and interleukin-8. In one study with mice, the extract reduced TNF-alpha levels by 95% and some of the newest pain-killing drugs work by reducing TNF-alpha.

3. Extract of hops

An extract from hops, called isooxygene, is anti-inflammatory and one of the most effective natural painkillers of all. Not only is it almost as effective as ibuprofen, but it also doesn’t have the gut-related side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs. This is because ibuprofen also inhibits COX-1 (the so called ‘good’ COX, because it produces prostacyclin, which protects the gut lining), whereas the hop extract does not.

4. Quercitin

Many plant foods contain flavonoid compounds, which are known to inhibit inflammation. One of the most potent is quercitin and just one red onion, or a cup of berries, or three servings of greens provides about 10mg of quercitin. Other good sources include red wine, tea, grapefruit, broccoli, squash, red grapes, cranberries and citrus fruits. This is one reason why vegetarian diets have proven highly effective in reducing pain and inflammation. However, taking fifty times this amount, 500mg a day, quercitin becomes a potent anti-inflammatory inhibiting the production of the pro-inflammatory prostaglandins (type 2) and also inhibiting the release of histamine, which is involved in inflammatory reactions.

5. Glucosamine

Glucosamine is proven to slow progression of osteoarthritis of the knee and good quality evidence shows it works as well as ibuprofen but with less side-effects. Although there is evidence that chondroitin works, the research does not show that it works better than glucosamine. Most of the research has been done using glucosamine sulphate, but the most absorbable form is glucosamine hydrochloride. Promising results are reported for pain relief and relief from arthritis in people taking daily supplements supplying 1 to 3g of one of the most effective sources of sulphur, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM). A combination of both glucosamine and MSM is particularly effective.

6. Omega 3

There’s no question about the benefits of upping your intake of omega 3s. A meta-analysis of 17 randomized, controlled trials assessing the pain relieving effects of omega-3 PUFAs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or joint pain found that supplementation with EPA rich Omega 3 fats for 3-4 months reduces patient reported joint pain intensity, minutes of morning stiffness, number of painful and/or tender joints and NSAID consumption.

Putting it all together

The real magic comes when you take all these together. In practical terms this means both eating more of all these foods on a daily basis and supplementing 2 EPA rich omega 3 fish oil capsules, aiming for 1,000mg of EPA a day and combination supplements of these other natural remedies.

You need at least 1 gram of glucosamine to make a difference and almost as much MSM. With the right combination formula containing most of the above you’ll probably need 2 a day to maintain freedom from pain, 4 a day if you are in pain and 6 a day for acute pain.

If you’d like to know more details about the exact doses, and the research, read the new edition of Patrick Holford’s book, Say No to Arthritis, which I have personally recommended to many sufferers for its effectiveness. For news of his talks, workshops and other books visit his website at www.patrickholford.com

Why champagne tickles your fancy

A team of researchers has found that Champagne’s bursting bubbles not only tickle the nose, they create a mist that wafts the aroma to the drinker. Not surprisingly this has been done at the University of Reims, Champagne-Ardenne in France. They used high-resolution mass spectrometry to study the chemicals in Champagne and sparkling wines and in the bubbles and the mist they produce.

They discovered that some of the chemicals that impart the special toasty, fruity aromas to the wine are captured by the bubbles and brought to the surface in higher concentrations than in the wine itself. It’s rather like how the bursting of bubbles at the sea surface imparts that special oceanic scent to the nearby air. With champagne, the bubbles drag chemicals along their way through the liquid to the surface and finally burst and eject aerosol droplets into the atmosphere.

So does that mean champagne smells better than it tastes? The lead scientists were tempted to reach that conclusion, but as they are scientists, not experts in the science of smell and taste, they declined to commit themselves so I will do it for them. In my experience, it tastes just as good as it smells – in fact often better!

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