Professor emeritus of biochemistry and biomedical sciences, Anthony Norman is an internationally recognised expert on vitamin D. He says that there is insufficient Vitamin D intake for over half the people of Western Europe and North America.

Professor Norman described his fears about vitamin D lack, saying, “Elsewhere, it is worse. Given that two-thirds of the people are vitamin D-insufficient or deficient. It is clear that merely eating vitamin D-rich foods is not adequate to solve the problem for most adults.”

Vitamin intake is measured in ‘IUs’ (international units) and the daily recommendation fro vitamin D is 200 for people up to 50 years old, 400 for those between 51 and 70, and 600 for those over 70.

Norman wants to up those recommendations considerably. He said: “There is a wide consensus among scientists that the relative daily intake of vitamin D should be increased to 2,000 to 4,000 IU for most adults.”
Norman described how it could be done, saying “A 2000 IU daily intake can be achieved by a combination of sunshine, food, supplements, and possibly even limited tanning exposure.”

There are some very pressing reasons why an increase in the dosage of vitamin D would be beneficial to health, or at least getting the majority of people up to the current RDA. Norman revealed that “Several studies have reported substantial reductions in incidence of breast cancer, colon cancer and type 1 diabetes in association with adequate intake of vitamin D, the positive effect generally occurring within five years of initiation of adequate vitamin D intake.

What is especially interesting in the study is that the rise in purchases of alternative medicines also includes categories that are not so well known such as Indian ayurvedic medicine.The U.S. has also experienced a rise in sales to the tune of $639 million but at a lower percentage rate of 10%. As some sources were not included in the figures they could be higher still.
The reasons for the growth in spending on alternative medicines according to the study group Mintel, is that governments and the people have greater acceptance of alternative treatments and medicines than only a few years ago. Acupuncture is even available via the National Health for example.

Another reason is that in many cases alternative medicines or treatments are less expensive, particularly in the U.S. than seeing a doctor and getting a prescription. From a study paper conducted by the Associated Press it was stated that, “climbing sales of herbal medicines have paralleled the tanking economy.”

One more reason is that with an increasing number of people having mood disorders but not wanting to depend on potentially harmful psychiatric drugs, they are looking to homeopathy treatments like St John’s Wort which is being used to help relieve depression. In 2008 in the UK 1.5 million people bought this remedy.

In December the U.S. National Institutes of Health released the results of their study which revealed that 18% of American study respondents said they had use nonvitamin, nonmineral products for their health care, with 25% foregoing or delaying conventional medical treatment due to the cost.

Self-employed bookkeeper, Cathy Birleffi said “The doctors are so much higher [in cost]; the insurance isn’t paying as much.” She and her husband now look to herbal remedies to treat their health problems.

The “terminal decline” as one parisher put it, is set to be reversed with the help of £400,000 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Village SOS scheme. The money is to be used to re-establish Myddfai as a centre for herbal remedies and other branded goods
From medieval times, the village was renown across Europe as a source of potions, oils and unguents all derived from herbal plants. Prince Charles who owns a holiday home in the area is bound to approve of the venture.

Project leader is Jo Gideon, who sees the project as a “lifeline” for the Carmarthenshire village. She said, “The absence of any amenities has meant it is in danger of terminal decline as younger generations are forced to leave to find employment.” She also voiced her concerns that the traditions and knowledge that had been passed down could be lost.

The legend of the village is that a lady rose from the lake, married a local man and had 3 sons. Before returning to the lake, she imparted her knowledge about the medicinal properties of herbs and plants to her eldest son. The son and his following generations were the physicians of Myddfai who were renowned across Europe. The son certainly existed, but the lady of the lake is not so certain.

Local hill farmer, Lewis Jones, shared his thoughts about the village: “It has been known for centuries for its physicians. We want life here again.” The money is to be spent on building a hall and café and the refurbishment of an adjacent old building in which the herbal Myddfai treatments will be sold.

Reducing stress levels enabled the immune system to remain strong and resulted in Improvements in the quality of the women’s lives. The women who were part of the support group that helped them deal with stress lived on average 6 months longer than those that did not.

From Ohio State University, Columbus psychology professor Barbara Andersen said, “If you have someone who can provide effective, research-supported ways to reduce your stress, not only will that affect your mental health. It will likely affect your symptoms and your recovery.”

The 227 women who volunteered for the study were newly diagnosed with Stage II or III breast cancer. Some of the women received therapy to enable them to understand their stress, cope with it, stick to the cancer treatment prescribed to them and develop an over all better emotional state. The other women received a psychological assessment.

What was unusual about the results was that the therapy enhanced the women’s survival rates which had not been known before in other studies.

Andersen further explained the details of the study, saying: “It was far more than the popular notion of support groups of patients in a room talking about their troubles,” adding that “Certain patients talked about things that were stressful to them, but they also learned really effective ways to cope with that stress.”

Previous parts of the study showed that 45% of women who had attended the support group had less likelihood of their breast cancer returning after 11 years of follow ups.
The enhanced survival rates revealed in this last phase of the study were above and beyond any drug treatment improvements.

From Washington University in St. Louis, Sarah Gehlert stated that “An intervention that increased survival would be incredibly valuable. It represents a new tool for improving the lives of women with breast cancer.” She had no connection with the study.

This simple herb performs a double act. By reducing the inflammation that results from prostaglandin E2 and leukotrienes and similar chemicals, it is able to reduce the painful symptoms associated with migraine headaches. Secondly it acts as a natural beta blocker thus maintaining proper blood flow to the brain. Spasmodic capillary action and blood pressure are then controlled which in turn aids in preventing a migraine from coming on.

A study was conducted by the Department of Neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in which 245 people participated. 68% of them found their migraine symptom reduce by 50% as a result of taking butterbur.

Experts are recommending that people who want to buy butterbur should only purchase the products that are labelled as ‘PA-Free’ which means that the toxic chemicals naturally found in butterbur that could be harmful, have been processed out.

It is also recommended that butterbur should not be taken with other conventional medicines or other herbs that may be taken to ward off migraines as there is a possibility of interactions between the medicines. Additionally if the person is allergic to marigolds, ragweed, daisies and chrysanthemums, butterbur should not be taken.

Other important vitamins and minerals contained in seaweed are potassium and iodine and it is the sole plant that is a source of vitamin B12. The most recent studies on seaweed revealed that its bioactive substances aid in reducing blood pressure and cholesterol, plus its ability to deal with free radicals that are the cause of cancer.

The American Association for Cancer Research has recently published their initial research that revealed how extracts of seaweed was able to inhibit cancer cell growth that would otherwise lead to lymphoma. They were interested to know the connection between seaweed and cancer reduction on account of the Japanese who eat more seaweed per capita than any other nation and have low cancer rates in their women.

The University of Newcastle conducted research that showed how seaweed fibres (alginates) were responsible for reducing the absorption of fat by the body and could thus be considered a viable weightloss ingredient.

From Newcastle University, research associate in human nutrition, Dr Iain Brownlee said: “We’ve found that by adding these natural fibres to food products, up to 75 per cent of the fat we consume could simply pass through the body – so in theory it could be used to fight obesity. Alginates could be used in place of the fat that gives food its flavour. In tests, people have actually preferred bread with small levels of alginate in it – so it’s not something you have to force yourself to eat.

Stress is recognised as the biggest killer in modern society.
It can be argues that stress is what allows your body to be susceptible to diseases such as cancer and arthritis, immune system problems and many physical disorders.
It will also effect you mentally and cause you problems in how you conduct your life with respect to relationships and general decisions and choices that you have to make.

It can make you tired, irritable, depressed, nervous, hyper, hungry, overweight, underweight, lethargic, controlling, indecisive, tearful, have bad skin, bad hair, bad nails, ……

It can make you snappy and cause you to hurt those that you love and care for.

Stress can ruin your life.

People suffer stress for a multitude of reasons, life is stressful, there is no way around that, but you can help minimise your stress levels and learn to minimise the detrimental effects that stress has on you, your body and your family.

I can help you do this. I work as problem solver and stress management consultant. I can help you identify the reasons that you feel stressed, work out how to stop them, or work with you to help you control the effect that it has on your life.

I work as a nutritionist, personal trainer and sports massage therapist so can physically help to to counteract the bad effects that stress my have had on you such as comfort eating, nutrition deficiencies, over or under your optimum weight or fitness level or muscular tensions.

They base their conclusions on the data revealing that most people get the majority of their nutrients from only a few fruits and vegetables and that there are better choices available. They said there was a rich source of disease preventing phytonutrients from watercress, kale and raspberries.

The researchers explained, saying that for beta carotene most people ate carrots, for beta-cryptoxanthin most people got it from oranges, for lutein/zeaxanthin it was spinach and for ellagic acid it was strawberries. They then described which vegetables offered a greater source of these nutrients.

Sweet potatoes provide double the amount of beta carotene than carrots, papaya provides 15 times more beta-cryptoxanthin compared to oranges and kale possesses three times more lutein/zeaxanthin compared to spinach. Also raspberries contain three times more ellagic acid compared to strawberries.

Keith Randolph, the leader of the study said, “This data highlights the importance of not only the quantity but also the significant impact the quality and variety of the fruits and vegetables you eat can have on your health.”

The British Nutrition Foundation however, cautioned about depending on just a few select food types to enhance health and said there was not really any “superfood”.

From the British Nutrition Foundation Dr Emma Williams said: “They are right that some foods are richer sources of phytonutrients. But at the end of the day, to be healthy you need to make sure you have a varied and balanced diet,” adding that “No one food can give you everything you need.”

The study was presented at the Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, California.

Personally I think that messages like this can deter people form eating enough fruit and veg and it should be stressed that any fruit or veg is better than none!!

The study involved 9 elderly people whose average age was 76, all recruited by study leader Dr Krikorian. They were administered a daily dose of wild Blueberry juice, the amount depending on their body weight. The average was about half a litre per day. The control group were a demographically matched and were given a placebo to drink.

Researcher Donal O’Mathuna said about the value of Blueberries that, “Because blueberries are high in antioxidants, which have beneficial health effects, they are being examined in many research projects,” adding that Blueberries are a nutritious and safe food… adding blueberries to a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is warranted.”
Dr Jeremy Spencer, who conducted the study at the University of Reading in 2008 into the effect of Blueberries, discovered that anthocyanins existing in blueberries were responsible for triggering the section of the brain that is concerned with learning and memory.

He said, “Scientists have known of the potential health benefits of diets rich in fresh fruits for a long time. Our research provides scientific evidence to show that blueberries are good for you and supports the idea that a diet-based approach could potentially be used to increase memory capacity. We will be taking these findings to the next level by investigating the effects of diets rich in flavonoids on individuals suffering from cognitive impairment and possibly Alzheimer’s disease.”

The study entitled ‘Blueberry Supplementation Improves Memory in Older Adults‘was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The best thing about blueberries is that generally even avid fruit haters like them- you can bake them in muffins, mix in ice cream and milkshakes to get the fussiest of eaters to enjoy them. An all round super fruit!!

Although most people are aware that meditation improves the cognitive aspects of the self, people are also aware that it takes considerable discipline and time commitment in order to reap those benefits. This understandably puts them off. This new study reveals how benefits are being derived with only a short amount of time in meditation.

The research psychologists conducting the study found that the study participants who were trained for just 20 minutes a day over four days gained significant progress in their critical cognitive skills as well as in comparison to the control group.

From Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Fadel Zeidan, said “In the behavioural test results, what we are seeing is something that is somewhat comparable to results that have been documented after far more extensive training.”

He also added that “The profound improvements that we found after just 4 days of meditation training are really surprising,” and “It goes to show that the mind is, in fact, easily changeable and highly influenced, especially by meditation.”

The study involved 69 student volunteers who were split into two groups. They all underwent a variety of tests to determine their state of memory, visual attention, mood, attention processing, and vigilance. People in both the groups scored equally well on all measures prior to the start of the experiment. For the ‘mood’ test both groups improved equally too, but when it came to the cognitive tests, the meditation group improved significantly upon the other one. In fact for one test, they were 10 times better.

The meditation was a kind of ‘mindfulness training’ based on the “Shamatha skills” of the Buddhist meditation tradition. All the sessions were facilitated by a trained instructor.

The study paper described the meditation process: “Participants were instructed to relax, with their eyes closed, and to simply focus on the flow of their breath occurring at the tip of their nose. If a random thought arose, they were told to passively notice and acknowledge the thought and to simply let ‘it’ go, by bringing the attention back to the sensations of the breath.” As the training progressed it built on from this foundation to focus on specific cognitive abilities.

The paper entitled “Mindfulness Meditation Improves Cognition: Evidence of Brief Mental Training” was published in the Consciousness and Cognition journal.

Aplomba works on these princibles also and is very effective at allowing one to work through problems in a relaxed state.