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August 10, 2007 Dear Readers: Marc Micozzi, M.D., a new contributor to our newsletter, enables kSero to include a broader range of health news. All of us at kSero evaluate a wide range of health news and its validity before including it in an article. We base our opinions on research and our experience. Today's media bombards all of us with information, much of which is designed to influence our purchasing |
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decisions. Our writers "separate the wheat from the chaff" to bring you credible information you can depend on.
Wishing you the best health and brain fitness! --Susan Hardwicke, Ph.D. Editor |
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By Marc S. Micozzi, MD, Ph.D.
Chemicals in turmeric, a spice used as ingredient in curry, may be useful in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The research team studied curcuminoids, oils found in turmeric In preliminary tests done in the lab, this chemical helped rid the blood of a key component in Alzheimer's brain plaque. According to the researchers it may eventually become possible to give Alzheimer's patients infusions of the chemical in turmeric to stimulate the immune system to remove the brain plaque component.
In test tubes they mixed the curry compound, with Alzheimer's brain plaque protein (amyloid beta), using blood from people with and without Alzheimer's disease. One of the results of Alzheimer's is that it becomes difficult for immune system cells to remove amyloid beta. Turmeric helped overcome that problem in the lab tests. The immune system cells in Alzheimer's patients' blood were better at destroying the brain plaque protein when turmeric was present.
At this point, it is not known whether eating a lot of curry or taking turmeric in a pill form could have the same (or any) effect, but it is possible that blood infusions of the curcuminoids could achieve effective blood levels. It hasn't been tested clinically yet, but it does raise new possibilities for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
By Susan Hardwicke, Ph.D.
This month marks the 5-year anniversary of my initial cancer surgery and the beginning of a long journey that I regard as into and out of a pit. I use that term because of the ravaging effects of "chemo" on my mental and physical functioning; at the time, I had to regard it as a necessary evil. Consequently, I refer to myself as a cancer AND a chemotherapy survivor. In 2002, information for oncology patients did not cover the risk of impaired memory, thinking, or speaking. Fortunately that has changed somewhat due to increased awareness of this treatment side effect.
For years, pharmaceutical companies maintained that chemotherapy did not cross the blood-brain barrier (the body's natural protection against foreign substances). Recent knowledge about the brain's capacity to change throughout life, known as neuroplasticity, helped bring the true nature of chemo's effects to light. Since chemotherapy is designed to kill rapidly growing cells more or less indiscriminately, it stands to reason that brain cells would be affected. I can assure you, from personal experience, that is true.
The good news is that many patients begin to recover cognitive functions shortly after chemo is stopped. I used exercise (which stimulates the growth of new cells in the brain), as well as a regimen of vitamins, other supplements, diet, and training to recover about 98% of my original capability.
Cardiac surgery, which frequently involves stopping the heart for an extended period, can also cause at least temporary impairment of mental functioning. While very little is known about the side effect known as "pump head," it's likely that the surgery results in either brain cell death or the blocking of transmission between the cells. Patients undergoing cardiac surgery would be well advised to have pre- and post-measures of memory and processing speed, so that they can achieve better mental fitness rapidly after surgery.
Note: useful supplements include folic acid, a Mental Clarity complex, alpha lipoic acid, lecithin, and RNA (an ingredient in the Fuser Energy Micro-bar). We offer these in our Center and can help measure how well supplements are working for you. Our online store will be "open" soon. If you need assistance or supplements now, call (804) 360-5976.
Many scientific advances start with serendipity. Scientists at Wale Forest University have made a surprising discovery - an obesity drug can kill cancer cells. The researchers are now using the findings to develop more effective cancer drugs.
This study, published in the online version of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology is the first to report that the drug oralist, Xenical® or Alli® interacts and binds with a protein found in tumor cells causing cell death.
The project started when Steven Kridel, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Cancer Biology, analyzed prostate cancer cells to see which enzymes were expressed at high levels in the hope of developing treatments that would inhibit those enzymes and stop tumor growth. What they found according to Kridel is that, "a protein known as fatty acid synthase is expressed at high levels in prostate tumor cells, and is fairly absent in normal cells...This makes an exciting treatment target because theoretically you don't have to worry about harming nearby healthy tissue."
While oralist has killed cancer cells in the lab, it can't be used as a cancer treatment, because in humans, it is designed to act only in the digestive tract. So the goal said W. Todd Lowther, Ph.D., another researcher on the project is to "develop an orlistat-like drug that can get into the bloodstream and go to the site of a tumor."
They are working with a dozen possibilities to find the one that works best. The drug will be tested on animals, and later cancer patients.
While what there working on is a cancer treatment, as fatty acid synthase is also found in fat cells, it's possible that, "You might have the same drug for treating a cancer patient as an obese patient," said Lowther.
Women who have BRCA breast cancer genetic mutations are just as likely to survive as other women who get breast cancer, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are more likely to get breast cancer. It was also widely believed that those with hereditary breast cancer from BRCA1 mutations had worse outcomes. This new study, tracked two groups of women with breast cancer in Israel, one with the inherited BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, and the other without. The researchers found no significant difference in death rates between the two groups.
Between 5 and 10 percent of all breast cancers are hereditary and are more likely to occur with women from certain ethnic backgrounds like people of Ashkenazi (central or eastern European) Jewish heritage [one reason why the study was done in Israel].
Using the Israeli National Cancer Registry, the researchers were able to compare two large groups of BRCA carriers and non-carriers with breast cancer. They tested the DNA from stored tumor specimens from patients treated in Israel between 1987- 1998, and then reviewed the medical records from women whose specimens were collected. The mutation was found in about 10% of the women who were of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. The ten year survival rates between women who had the mutation and those who did not were similar.
This news should prove reassuring for women who carry the BRCA mutations and worry about breast cancer survival.
For more information
Attention, parents! It's really NOT OK for your teens to get high, and marijuana is not a harmless alternative to alcohol. I don't know a single parent who has encouraged the use of marijuana, but many excuse their child's adolescent habit as a phase they will "grow out of" or believe that the substance is not harmful. I've been following research on this topic for more than 20 years, and have never concluded that cannabis (marijuana) use is safe. After reading this latest evidence, I became even more convinced of the need for parents and educators to redouble their efforts in curbing marijuana use.
Stanley Zammit, Ph.D., of Cardiff University in Wales, and colleagues conducted a thorough review of long-term studies, and found that regular use of marijuana increases the risk of severe psychological illness by about 40 percent. Evidence also suggested an increased risk for depression. Dr. Zammit stated, "We looked at the quality of the studies quite rigorously and feel the evidence is strong enough to warrant advising everyone, particularly young people, that the use of cannabis does potentially have some health risks, especially if they are using it on a regular basis."
According to the authors, marijuana is the most commonly used illegal substance in the U.S. and the U.K, with 20% of young people reporting that they use the drug at least once a week or have ingested a large amount on 100 or more occasions. For more information.
Note: At the kSero Center, we measure brain wave activity and use neurofeedback as a primary means of improving performance. Our EEG system has successfully identified clients who are at greater risk for marijuana use-- that is, there is a brain wave profile that indicates a susceptibility for addiction. Neurofeedback is a potential prevention strategy for those who are not yet regular users.
Sincerely,
Susan Hardwicke, Ph.D.
Director
kSero Centers for the Mind
©kSero Corporation Inc. 2007