Don't miss any of Bottom Line's Daily Health News. Add our address,
dailyhealthnews@news.bottomlinepublishing.com,
to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here.
August 11, 2011  In This Issue... - Exciting New Club Just for Diabetics!
- A Great Trip -- Can Magic Mushrooms Deliver Peace at the End of Life?
- Why NSAIDs Are Making Your Arthritis Worse
- Mind Over Milkshakes
- Delicious 'Wonder Drug' for High Blood Pressure Praised by Harvard Researchers
Exciting New Club Just for Diabetics! Join America's Diabetic Savings Club to receive outstanding money-saving opportunities and free gifts like a diabetic bracelet! - Free giveaways and special promotions for members only
- A glucose meter upgrade to the latest FDA approved meter technology
- Prescription delivery service for all your medications; comes with free shipping and a free pair of diabetic socks.
- Free Hearing Test -- diabetics are about twice as likely to have hearing loss, so we have arranged for a free annual hearing test for all of our members
- Dentist Referral -- about one-third of diabetics have severe gum disease which can result in tooth loss, so we have a dentist referral program to help you find a qualified dentist in your area
- Upgrade to a paid membership and get 24 hour access to nurses and physicians for only $1.00 for the first month
- And more great stuff!
For a free membership just call 888-290-8513 or click here to read more www.diabeticsavingsclub.com
A Great Trip -- Can Magic Mushrooms Deliver Peace at the End of Life? Not that I’m an advocate of taking a pill to solve life’s problems... but a drug that could help dying people arrive at a place of serenity and acceptance so they truly enjoy their last months and are able to say their good-byes and leave loved ones feeling peaceful, too? Now that could be an incredible gift for mankind... most especially for those whose lives are being cruelly cut short by, say, a disease that causes pain and suffering. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University -- along with others at New York University and University of California, Los Angeles -- are making great progress with a drug that can be used to help produce intense, mystical insights that almost always create a spiritually uplifting, transcendent experience and put seriously ill patients at ease about facing their mortality. Sounds Like... ? If you’re thinking this sounds something like what used to be called "dropping acid," you’re not far off. The drug is called psilocybin and yes, it is the active agent in "magic mushrooms," and it produces effects quite similar to those of LSD, mescaline and ayahuasca. I had a fascinating conversation about it with the lead author of a new study on the effectiveness of the drug. Roland R. Griffiths, PhD, a psychopharmacologist at Johns Hopkins, has spent the last decade studying how psilocybin might be put to good use not only for end-of-life care but also for those who are deeply distressed over a cancer diagnosis. A longtime practitioner of meditation, Dr. Griffiths told me that having experienced something akin to transcendence through his personal meditation practice, he wondered if there might be a medically safe way to induce such experiences therapeutically. Before we go any further, it’s important to note that we’re not talking about recreational use of this (or any) potent drug. It is being explored in scientific clinical trials in which the drug is administered under carefully controlled and medically supervised conditions, Dr. Griffiths said. The doses administered are precise, and volunteers are supervised by trained professionals who provide reassurance and guidance if negative side effects (such as anxiety, panic or paranoia) arise. And this can sometimes happen. Equally important, people with a history of schizophrenia (their own or a family member’s) are screened out, because in rare cases psilocybin may trigger a psychosis. A New Vision of the End of Life All that said, in Dr. Griffiths’s view, psilocybin has the potential to literally transform our culture’s approach to death and dying. "I am convinced," he told me, "that there is an important, replicable phenomenon here that is remarkable -- and it has important implications on many levels." He isn’t the first to study psilocybin scientifically -- in fact, earlier research demonstrated that psilocybin can predictably lead to certain types of insights, which Dr. Griffiths characterized as "transcendent and spiritual, leading to the recognition that all people and things are interconnected." Explaining that the insights and their meaning vary from person to person, he said that some patients are able to see their experience of life as more sacred and meaningful... others understand their life experiences as part of a larger story and feel a sense of continuity with what will happen after they’re gone. "In some instances," he said, "a person might say that though he or she doesn’t know what happens at death, he now has a sense of a larger picture and a feeling that all of life is beautiful and working just as it should." Getting It Right This latest study, published June 15 in the online medical journal Psychopharmacology, explored the effects of several different doses of psilocybin on healthy adults. Dr. Griffiths said that about 75% of the study volunteers had what qualified as a "complete mystical experience." A full year later, 94% of the study participants recalled their psilocybin sessions as among the top five most spiritually significant experiences of their lives or even the topmost. And very significantly, the effects of psilocybin were shown to be "predictable and dose-related," in screened participants, Dr. Griffiths said. The effects got more positive as the dose was increased until participants reached the highest dose studied -- 30 mg/70 kg body weight. At that dose, there was a sharp rise in negative side effects, including extreme fear and delusions. The study also showed that the best effects occurred when participants received lower psilocybin doses before the higher doses. These participants were more likely to have long-lasting positive changes in attitudes and behavior -- such as improved relationships with family and others, increased physical and psychological self-care, and increased devotion to spiritual practice. Interestingly, Dr. Griffiths told me that there is some evidence that use of psilocybin in the form of mushrooms dates back as far as 7000 BC. But, he said, the most reliable evidence traces it back to the time when the Spanish explorers conquered Mexico, adding that mushrooms were used by other South American cultures and by Native Americans for sacramental and religious purposes. He said that natural forms of psilocybin-like drugs, from mushrooms, peyote cactus and ayahuasca, have been used in a structured manner by many different cultures. LSD, on the other hand, is man-made and "notorious, perhaps iconic in representing what can go wrong when these substances are used irresponsibly." If you or someone in the circle of people you care about is struggling with a potentially life-threatening cancer diagnosis, you may be interested to know that Dr. Griffiths’s team is actively recruiting volunteers for a national study on the use of psilocybin to ease distress in this specific situation. You can learn more about this clinical trial at www.Cancer-Insight.org. Source(s):
Roland R. Griffiths, PhD, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore.
Why NSAIDs Are Making Your Arthritis Worse When Joe first went to see Dr. Mark Stengler, he could barely walk. His pain was deeply etched into every line on his face. Poor Joe was only 55 years old. But for years, he had suffered from arthritis that was only getting more painful and debilitating. He feared he wouldn’t be able to walk much longer. Joe’s doctors had prescribed painkillers such as NSAIDs and aspirin to ease his agony. But Dr. Stengler worried they were making matters worse. When he told Joe these medications could actually cause his joint cartilage to deteriorate faster, Joe replied, "Great! Why didn’t the other doctors tell me this?" Dr. Mark Stengler has successfully treated hundreds of cases of knee and hip arthritis like Joe’s. So he knew exactly what would do the trick... Read more...
Mind Over Milkshakes Imagine drinking a sensible fruit-and-protein-powder smoothie. Now stop a minute, clear your mind, and imagine you’re drinking a luscious milkshake made with premium ice cream -- you know, something really rich and creamy. Which one would make you feel fuller? I know what your answer is (same as mine when I did this thought experiment). But the real (and surprising) answer is, the shake that makes you feel fuller in real life depends on what you think you’re drinking, not on what you actually are drinking. And that suggests an intriguing way that we can all use psychology to sidestep overeating. In a clever study exploring the mind’s ability to control how the body responds to food, Yale University doctoral candidate Alia J. Crum gave an identical 380-calorie milkshake to two groups of people, telling one group it was an indulgent 620-calorie shake... and the other that it was a sensible 140-calorie shake. It was the same drink, but it brought wildly different results in the two groups, not only mentally, but also physically. When researchers took blood samples from each participant and measured his/her level of ghrelin, the body’s "hunger hormone" (the lower the level, the less hungry you feel), they found lower levels in the "high-fat shake" group -- as low, in fact, as if they actually had consumed the high-fat drink -- than in the "low-fat shake" group. And remember, they were all drinking the same shake! "Mind Over Milkshakes," as the study was dubbed, was published online recently in Health Psychology. What does this tell us? In short, Crum said, it tells us that the gut can be tricked into feeling full or feeling unsatisfied depending on what people believe they’re eating. Crum was not surprised by the fact that the mind-set produced physiological effects -- it’s well-known that emotions affect us physically -- but she had expected the exact opposite of what happened. "Originally we assumed that thinking the shake was 'sensible' would be better for the body. Instead, we found that thinking the shake was 'indulgent' was better," because it left people more satisfied. Can we trick our brains into thinking a food is indulgent when we know it’s not? Yes, Crum said, as long as we redefine what indulgence means -- and infuse a celebratory feel to traditional, minor excesses, such as allowing ourselves a small side order of French fries, one slice of pizza and even an occasional full-fat milkshake. Taking extra time for a leisurely meal is an indulgence, Crum notes, as is focusing on tasty ingredients in healthy foods. Even a salad can be turned into something indulgent, Crum said, if we make a point of seeing the cheese, nuts, croutons or specially made dressing as part of a real treat. "I don’t think we have to trick the mind into thinking food is higher or lower in calories," Crum told me. "Instead of focusing on how much we are eating, we should focus on stopping and appreciating the food, allowing ourselves to have the sense that whatever we eat is something special and more than enough." We all know the old adage "mind over matter," and yet we seldom marshal the determination to do what we know we can do -- and that is to realize the power we have to make changes. Just say to yourself, mind over milkshake... take the time to really enjoy everything you eat or drink... and see what happens. Source(s):
Alia J. Crum, doctoral candidate, department of psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Delicious 'Wonder Drug' for High Blood Pressure Praised by Harvard Researchers According to recent estimates, nearly one in three American adults has high blood pressure. But for the Kuna Indians living on a group of islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama, hypertension doesn't even exist. In fact, after age 60, the average blood pressure for Kuna Indian islanders is a perfect 110/70. So what makes these folks practically "immune" to hypertension -- and lets them enjoy much lower death rates from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and cancer? Harvard researchers were stunned to discover it's because they drink about five cups of cocoa each day. That's right, cocoa! Learn more...
Be well, 
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News
You received this free E-letter because you have requested it. You are on the mailing list as healthwellness82@gmail.com. Or... a friend forwarded it to you. Click here to easily subscribe. You can easily unsubscribe by clicking here. To change your e-mail address click here To update your e-mail preferences click here
Important: Help your friends live more healthfully -- forward this E-letter to them. Better: Send it to many friends and your whole family. This is a free e-mail service of BottomLineSecrets.com and Boardroom Inc. Need to contact us?
http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/cust_service/contact.html Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Boulevard
Stamford, CT 06901-3246
ATTN: Web Team Privacy Policy:
BottomLineSecrets.com Web Site Privacy Policy Required Disclaimer: The information provided herein should not be construed as a health-care diagnosis, treatment regimen or any other prescribed health-care advice or instruction. The information is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. The publisher does not advise or recommend to its readers treatment or action with regard to matters relating to their health or well-being other than to suggest that readers consult appropriate health-care professionals in such matters. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication. The information and opinions provided herein are believed to be accurate and sound at the time of publication, based on the best judgment available to the authors. However, readers who rely on information in this publication to replace the advice of health-care professionals, or who fail to consult with health-care professionals, assume all risks of such conduct. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. Bottom Line's Daily Health News is a registered trademark of Boardroom, Inc. Copyright (c) 2011 by Boardroom Inc. |
No comments:
Post a Comment