Immune Support for Cancer Patients
Larch stimulates
Natural Killer cell effectiveness
(otherwise known as cytotoxicity).
NK cells play a major role in the rejection of
tumors and cells infected by viruses.
Interestingly,
tumor metastasis is more common in the liver
than other organ sites, probably due to an
excess of tumor receptor sites in the liver.
Animal studies have demonstrated larch’s ability
to inhibit or block these tumor receptor sites,
thus reducing rogue cell colonization of the
liver and also increasing patient survival
times.
Larch, Natural Killer Cells & Chronic Disease
Many of
you scientifically-minded members
know that many chronic diseases--including
chronic fatigue syndrome, viral hepatitis,
HIV/AIDS, and autoimmune diseases such as
multiple sclerosis--are
characterized by decreased NK cell
activity.
What most folks don't know is that larch
stimulates healthy NK cell activity and has even
been positively associated with recovery in
cases of chronic fatigue syndrome.
In a
2-year study, NK cells were assessed in patients
with the relapsing /remitting type of Multiple
Sclerosis.
The study concluded that disease severity was
indeed correlated with lower NK cell activity.
Other studies have noted the same lowered NK
cell activity in hepatitis B & C patients.
So,
larch's ability to stimulate NK cells is of
interest to a whole lot of folks who will
never be able to spell "arabinogalactan."
Tee hee. ^..^
Anti-Bacterial Immune Support, Too
Larch has also shown a positive effect on
decreasing recurrent middle ear infections.
Tess is way interested in this particular
benefit, as she used to scratch at her ears like
a flea-infested Golden Retriever after having
trouble with her sinuses (it doesn't help that
Salt Lake City has some of the worst air in the
country in the winter time due to inversions).
Anyway, back to the research. Studies have
shown that larch can enhance immune response to
bacterial infection by stimulating
phagocytosis or
bacterial opsonization.
Larch's
antibacterial benefits also fight
icky infections by
gram negative organisms such as E.
coli and Klebsiella species bacteria (these
critters are the second most-likely to cause
urinary tract infections).
Reports show a decrease in occurrence and
severity of middle ear infections in tots
supplemented preventatively with larch.
Cindy's Blog: Iodine Deficiency, Delaying Dementia & How Tea
Eliminates Mercury
Since her return from
the Hippocrates Health Institute, Cindy has been blogging on all her great learning:
Iodine
Deficiency More Common Than Most Think
Turns out iodine deficiency may have been a
big part of Cindy's dry eye problem. Co-op
friend Mike Ciell, R. Ph. explained to her that
because iodine is displaced by chlorine, sitting
in chlorinated pools and whirlpools and drinking
chlorinated water all can cause iodine
deficiencies, which are far more widespread and
under-recognized than most people recognize.
Since Cindy began supplementing with Lugol's
iodine, her eyes have moistened up considerably
and her skin is softer, too! Lots of folks have
commented and have wanted to know her newest
secret for skin.
Felines don't have to worry so much about
soft skin, it's all about the fur, but I
digress.
More on Iodine Deficiency...
Dementia Held at Bay with Social Activity & Calm
New research published in
Neurology
indicates that people who are
more socially active
and those who are more calm
and relaxed are
both 50% less likely to suffer from dementia.
This is good news. Even antisocial nerds have a shot at
keeping dementia at bay by practicing age-old relaxation
techniques. Those of y'all who are extroverted, social, and
relaxed, well, your gray matter may have a lot of protection
against any little bad habits.
More on Dementia Held at Bay with Social Activity & Calm...
Tea Reduces Mercury Absorption, Probiotics Support Weight Loss, Etc.
Cindy was recently cleaning up in and around
her desk (for an otherwise tidy person, her desk
gets out of control at times). Cindy put
together a smattering of health articles
she had squirreled away, including:
-
"Watch
the Mercury Drop"
was reported in Men's Health with the
article advising sushi bar regulars to drink
green or black tea along with their
mercury-laden raw fish to drastically reduce
mercury absorption.
-
"Even
a Blind Man Can See"
was reported in the Washington Post; the
article is about neuroscientists who
theorized that a completely blind man was
sensing the world through his eyes based on
successfully navigating a hallway filled
with with obstructions such as chairs and
boxes.
-
"A
Small Glass of Wine Could Delay Dementia"
was published in The Daily Telegraph; the
article is about a study of almost 6,000
people between the ages of 70 and 82.
-
"Probiotics
Benefit Gastric Bypass Surgery Patients"
was presented at the Digestive Disease Week
in 2008, with the Stanford University study
showing that bypass patients lost more
weight when taking probiotics than those who
did not.
More on Mercury, Probiotics & Wine news bytes...
Vitamin D Deficiency & Dementia, etc.
It's hard to look at nutritional science without seeing a
slew of new articles on the value of vitamin D and how
deficiencies contribute to aging, autoimmune diseases,
osteroporosis/osteopenia, cancer, and just about every other
disease.
Like this one: A new large-scale senior population study has
found that a lack of vitamin D in the elderly could be
linked to cognitive impairment. The study, conducted on
almost 2,000 adults over the age of 65, is the first of its
scale to identify this relationship, and prompted
researchers to suggest vitamin D supplementation as a
possible means of reducing the risk of dementia.
More on
Vitamin D Deficiency & Dementia...
