Genetic Shapes Of Us

"It's not my fault" that "I'm big boned," "it runs in my family." We remember hearing this from all of our larger than us friends. We didn't believe it then but the current news gives us cause for pause. Not just because we were so insensitively wrong but hopeful because its consistent with our there's got to be another way other than exercising. We admit we need to not be idle and that activity is good.

"‘Apple and pear shapes: partly down to genes - Understanding biology through finding genes is just a first step in a long journey towards treatment, but it is a vital one. As efforts to tackle obesity through changes in lifestyle or by different treatment options have proved extremely challenging, the potential to alter patterns of fat distribution may offer an alternative for future drug discovery,' says Dr Cecilia Lindgren of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford University, senior researcher on the waist-to-hip ratio study and who was involved in both papers." - University of Oxford (Media)

"Extremely challenging" is a nice way of saying raging failure in the effort of getting us smaller. It reminds us of the old Steve Martin joke about "getting small." In it instead of taking drugs to expand your mind or alter your consciousness you'd take a pill to become physically smaller. That would be the real fun! What would not be real fun is that the solution is looking toward a chemically traditional solution rather than what we would like.

"‘These two studies are the beginning of new insights into to biology of obesity and body shape, which in turn may lead to more targeted approaches to obesity prevention and potentially to the development of new drugs. But we should not forget that, while the genetic contribution to obesity is substantial, a large part of obesity susceptibility remains down to our lifestyle.’" - University of Oxford (Media)

What they've found isn't all there is and that the solution even if yours, and we're not saying that you're fat, gene issue isn't among the ones found there are more to be discovered. Its not all your fault but its not all your lot either. Large sibling can have smaller siblings and share the similar genetic strains. There is hope and you should never feel hopeless. Once a drug solution is found a natural alternative has to be just around the corner.

"The studies were carried out by the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium, an international collaboration of more than 400 scientists from 280 research institutions with support from many funding agencies worldwide. The papers, Meta-analysis identifies 13" new loci associated with waist-hip ratio and reveals sexual dimorphism in the genetic basis of fat distribution and Association analyses of 249 796 individuals reveal 18 new loci associated with body mass index, are published today in Nature Genetics." - Medical Research Council (MRC)

Is it a medical fact? No not yet but it is a medical certainty. The hope it offers is to those who have struggled with their weight but have not given up regardless of their results. It's not all your fault and it is largely where you live, who were your parents, what you eat and what you do (employment). There are things we can do to reduce those risks and we should and teach our next generations as well.

Cause and Effect

Genetics isn't the final word for medicine and medical breakthroughs. It is one of the many futures available to us and to our tomorrows. The Medical Research Council (MRC) is on the right path is our opinion and we support most of what they seek to do. We say most and not all. The MRC seeks to do research is several areas:

"New strategy advocates joint approach to ageing research challenges - Researchers need to find ways to help people live healthier, more independent lives as they age, not just to improve individual quality of life, but to ease the economic strain of an increasingly older population. " - Medical Research Council (MRC)

We're not so much concerned about the economic strain of social security because we're on the other side of the debate. We see an older population as a contributing factor and under utilized societal resource. Rather than an economic strain we see them as economic resource more asset than strain.

"Genetic cause for migraine found - A genetic defect that is a key cause of migraines has been identified by researchers funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC). The new study offers researchers new hope for finding better treatments for the common form of migraine. Scientists at the MRC Functional Genomics Unit based at the University of Oxford and colleagues in Canada have identified a specific gene called TRESK found in a family suffering from migraines. This gene was found to be directly attributable as a cause and could be a significant result for the one in five (5) women and one in ten men worldwide who suffer from migraines. " - Medical Research Council (MRC)

When MRC makes these kind of discoveries we're more than happy with them. We agree with the Medical Research Council though their concern is primarily with the United Kingdom (UK). "Ageing is inevitable, but it is not uniform. It is influenced by a variety of factors including genetics and socioeconomic circumstances and average life expectancy varies ..." Specifically there are difference between the UK and the USA but we would argue not significant genetic differences. Therefore the solutions found there or anywhere would not be significant.

Arthritis Gold Pepper

Arthritis is back in the news and we immediately went to available treatments for this affliction especially since when combined with obesity is a larger problem for everyone. Gnarled bones and appendages does not make exercise either desirable nor comfortable. The more pain you have the less likely you are to move the body to reduce the pain. Your first desire is to simply reduce the pain.

We looked closer into turmeric treatment for arthritis and discovered that our suggestion to add the spice to your food, while it couldn't hurt, doesn't offer enough relief though it is a good, in our minds, way of thinking "brown." The research in 2006 found:

"Efficacy and mechanism of action of turmeric supplements in the treatment of experimental arthritis - ...before turmeric supplements can be recommended for medicinal use, clinical trials are clearly needed to verify/determine whether treatment with adequate doses of well-characterized turmeric extracts can indeed prevent/suppress disease flares in RA patients, as well as to explore any potential benefits of turmeric dietary supplements in the prevention or treatment of more common forms of arthritis in the general population." - Arthritis & Rheumatism (November 2006)

The researchers tested administering the turmeric in rats with injections. When you add piperine to curcumin and feed them to rats or human volunteers the amount that was absorped was greatly increased. It seems that piperine has an affect of making the effects much more effective. Called "bioavailability" adding spices can add life to your living. Spices are the key to life:

"Black pepper and its pungent principle-piperine: a review of diverse physiological effects - Piperine has been documented to enhance the bioavailability of a number of therapeutic drugs as well as phytochemicals by this very property. Piperine's bioavailability enhancing property is also partly attributed to increased absorption as a result of its effect on the ultrastructure of intestinal brush border. Although initially there were a few controversial reports regarding its safety as a food additive, such evidence has been questionable, and later studies have established the safety of black pepper or its active principle, piperine, in several animal studies. Piperine, while it is non-genotoxic, has in fact been found to possess anti-mutagenic and anti-tumor influences." - Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (2007)

We're going to be adding black pepper, curcumin, turmeric allspice blends to all of our meals. While it isn't the "Big 10" doing the research and indeed few institutions of high learning in the US are doing the studies either. Most of this we can understand as very few school can afford to provide the necessary funding when there isn't a payoff to the institution in funding. Since above mentioned study is India based and a major source of the turmeric or curcumin for the country and possibly for the institution. We'll take the benefits where we can. Now what should we call this concoction of ours? We're thinking gold pepper!

"Vitamin D, curcumin may help clear amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer's - UCLA scientists and colleagues from UC Riverside and the Human BioMolecular Research Institute have found that a form of vitamin D, together with a chemical found in turmeric spice called curcumin, may help stimulate the immune system to clear the brain of amyloid beta, which forms the plaques considered the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease." - UCLA Newsroom (July 2009)

Add vitamin D supplement to make everything work better. Take a vitamin D pill just before we add the "gold pepper" to our meals and we're protected or better off than we were before the day began. We're healthier and stronger than we would be without it. It's not exercise but its a good start. Making everything work more effectively seems so efficient.

Take 2 Aspirins & Exercise

This is not the story we wanted to write. If it says that exercise is good for you and you need to exercise then who really needs to read that again and again. Besides the information isn't recent its kind of old. It's being repeated by the Caregiver's Home Companion and called to our attention. We don't care to know what we already know. The good news is it doesn't take much exercise and there is a way to super-size the effects of the exercise. We just don't like the way to make the exercise more effective.

"Elderly Restore Muscle with Painkillers while Exercising - Elderly men and women who lift weights for exercise experience a substantial increase in their muscle mass when they take the daily recommended dose of ibuprofen or acetaminophen, according to Ball State University researchers." - Caregiver's Home Companion (June 2008)

We went to the source to verify the information and we include the report and the research directly from Ball State University (BSU) website after we found the information presented at the Experimental Biology 2008 conference in San Diego. The techno babble is what we look for before we find the plain English. There the researchers said:

"This study examined the influence of chronic consumption of ibuprofen or acetaminophen during 12 weeks of knee-extensor resistance training in the elderly. Thirty-six (36) individuals were randomly assigned to one of three groups and consumed the drugs in double-blind placebo-controlled fashion... These results suggest that chronic consumption of ibuprofen or acetaminophen during resistance training induces intramuscular changes that enhance the metabolic response to resistance exercise, which promotes additional muscle hypertrophy and strength gains during resistance training in the elderly." - The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (2008) 

At the BSU website we found what it all meant. Our concern was what was meant by the term chronic consumption. We take the occasional low dose of aspirin for daily health the same as we go for the dark chocolate each evening as a health regiment. We recommend that all the time. Science says its good for you so that's good enough for us. We find all we can that says we can do something other than sweat and grunt.

 "Combining pain relievers with weight training may increase muscle strength, mass - Thirty-six men and women, between age 60 and 78 years, were randomly assigned to daily dosages of either brand versions of ibuprofen, acetaminophen or a placebo. The dosages were identical to those recommended by the manufacturers and were selected to most closely mimic what chronic users of these medicines were likely to be taking. Subjects participated in three months of weight training that included 15- to 20-minute sessions three (3) times a week in the Human Performance Laboratory." - Ball State University NewsCenter (April 2008)

 If you're going to exercise you can increase the benefits of your workout but taking either aspirin or acetaminophen. That's the good news. We're including the story because we were told to and because we discovered that tumeric is considered "Asian aspirin." Which makes us speculate that adding the spice to your daily diet prior to exercising with offer the same or comparable results as well. We admit that this is speculation based on the results. We also can't ignore the size of the study it's not a large group studied.

"Exercise but not Diet Induced Weight Loss Decreases Skeletal Muscle Inflammatory Gene Expression in Frail Obese Elderly - Many obese elderly persons have impaired physical function due to increased body fat relative to strength. We evaluated 12 weeks of exercise (aerobic and resistance, E) or 12 weeks of weight loss (WL) on skeletal muscle... ...exercise in frail obese elderly individuals had a beneficial effect on markers of muscle anabolism and inflammation while weight loss had no effect." - The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (2008) 

The above information from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO is included simply because it was found at the same FASEB conference attended and presented by Ball State University. Did you know that David Letterman graduated from BSU? We don't know Mr. Letterman beyond viewing him on his late night program but we thought about that bit of trivia when we started doing this story.

Exercise works better than anything else including eating the right among of food. You have to do what works and doing the most effective way to exercise. It's not quite an exercise pill but it's a way of doing less and getting more from what you do.

Arizona Spice - Asian Aspirin

Arizona is not the most beloved state in the union and while you might disagree with their politics or you might not. When the University of Arizona Health Science Center found a way to double a person's chances of survival that wasn't the story as much as how ineffective traditional CPR is. We give credit where credit is due. If the research shows it then either find fault in the research or proclaim it what it is. We proclaim it what it is.

This independent authority released two startling pieces of information. One on improving CPR with CCCPR and the other on the value and effectiveness of tumeric on stroke and for stroke patients. Since heart attacks and stroke are pretty high up on our list of most popular ways to die we're paying attention.

"The spice that flavors curries may have double benefits for stroke patients. Leslie Ritter, PhD, RN, FAAN, a professor in the UA Colleges of Nursing and Medicine, explains ischemic stroke and why turmeric may be protective." - The Arizona Health Sciences Center (AHSC)

We love natural solutions to medical conditions. We absolutely love them. Not just because they tend to be cheaper, safer, have higher survival rates, more effective - OK none of that might be true but we live and hope.

"Arizona Health Sciences Center researchers are discovering that turmeric, a cousin of the ginger plant and a spice used in cooking, is effective against some inflammatory diseases. UA College of Medicine Associate Professor Janet Funk, MD, discusses the spice and takes a look at turmeric supplements." - The Arizona Health Sciences Center (AHSC)

It's only because University of Arizona reached the conclusion that they did that we didn't challenge their finding. We like the videos very much. However, facts are facts and as much as we love what they had to say and the way that they say it we must admit this. We haven't seen the data that got them to reach their conclusions. The first (1st) video shows us the what and the second (2nd) video shows us the how much. It seems like a dangerous way to self medicate and we certainly don't ever recommend that you do that.

"Medical Breakthroughs - UCLA researchers have isolated an ingredient in curcumin that may help the immune system clear amyloid beta that forms the plaques found in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Curcumin is a natural substance found in the tumeric root that is frequently used in Indian curries. " - University of California at Los Angeles (2007)

Tumeric has a research history of showing promise and even if you're suspicious of anything Arizona you'll at least be happy to learning that UCLA found some value in in the same spice even if its for a possible other symptom. A symptom that's near and dear to our hearts and all things PearlieMae.

""We hope that vitamin D3 and curcumin, both naturally occurring nutrients, may offer new preventive and treatment possibilities for Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Milan Fiala, study author and a researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System." - UCLA (July 2009)

We couldn't find the specific research in the July issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease but UCLA says it's there. We just couldn't find the specifics. We do, like UCLA, hope that the "naturally occurring nutrients" offer new treatments as well. We'll keep watching and keep reporting what we find to you.

We're Not Doctors But We're Here To Help You

While other editors got it right the editors at TIME magazine didn't quite get it right. We felt that if you can walk away from any health advice then that's good advice. In this case its not what you can do for yourself its what you can do for someone else. This Sunday this editor's wife observed someone who passed out in church. Her concern was that the person was no longer with us and that enough wasn't done to aid them. The news articles and research indicates that something is always better than nothing.

"The Case Against Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation - The study measured survival by hospital discharge: 13% heart patients who received chest-only compressions were discharged from the hospital, compared with 7.8% of those who received conventional CPR. Of those who received no resuscitation whatsoever, only 5.2% left the hospital, showing that whether you do mouth-to-mouth or not, doing something is better than doing nothing." - TIME (Healthland)

When you go to the source of the most current research even they don't give the source of their information though we're certain that it's just a matter of math. You know the kind from your school days where A is to B as B is to C. For instance Arizona Health Science Center said:

"Every three (3) days, more Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest than the number who died in the 9-11 attacks. " - The Arizona Health Sciences Center (AHSC) 

That's not what the headline would indicate in the TIME article. We've got some experience, as should anyone with a loved one, with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. What we learned and were told is that we should first do no harm and we're taught how and when giving aid - to do no harm. We were told that the first few minutes were crucial to the individuals survival.

"You can lessen this recurring loss by learning this hands-only CPR method that doubles a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest. Watch physician researchers Gordon A. Ewy, MD, and Karl Kern, MD, demonstrate the easy, life-saving method that they developed at the University of Arizona College of Medicine." - The Arizona Health Sciences Center (AHSC) 

Change is a good thing but if you're unwilling to take a chance on this non-mouth to mouth method you can always become certified by the American Red Cross who still teaches the old fashion cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) just like we did. However we're going to make the switch. Better is better to us and it's less to remember, not as intimate nor as personal.

"Prepare for Emergencies with American Red Cross First Aid, CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Courses - American Red Cross first aid, CPR and AED programs are designed to give you the confidence to respond in an emergency situation with skills that can save a life. Additional training in bloodborne pathogens, oxygen administration and injury prevention can be added to CPR and first aid training to prepare you to prevent and respond to life-threatening emergencies." - American Red Cross (Taking A Class) 

There are a lot of statistics given about the risk of heart disease or heart attacks without sufficient indication of what specific research, by whom and what was used to get these numbers. If we're certain of one thing its that things change.

"Less than eight percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive." - American Heart Association (AHA) 

What's true today, if you make a change those same things, won't be true tomorrow. If you've not made any changes then yes what was true yesterday can be true today. To be honest, even if you make changes what was true yesterday can still be true today. If you make a change then its not unusual to see a change reflected but nothing is guaranteed.

"Heart Attack Risk Assessment - It's essential that you measure your risk of heart disease and make a plan for how to prevent it in the near future. Use this tool to help you assess your risk of having a heart attack or dying from coronary heart disease in the next 10 years. It will also check to see if you may have metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that greatly increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease, including stroke and diabetes. This Risk Assessment can be use by people age 20 or older who do not already have heart disease or diabetes." - American Heart Association (AHA) 

This tool might not change anything for you but like Continuous Chest Compression CPR - when you're in need sometimes a little can mean a lot. It can save a life and if you see a situation we hope you'll have the proper instructions. At the very least you'll view what you can - and do no harm.

The parishioner survived, did not suffer a stroke or heart attack but tests are still being performed. His condition is stable.

Preventing Breast Cancer

We're very concerned about this topic because of how it affected us through our families and the women in our lives and on our staff. PearlieMae's death was a result of her fear of breast cancer. The cancer spread from there to her back and into the bone . This being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month we thought we should contribute to its success. PearlieMae might have wanted it that way though we know she would shudder knowing we've revealed her "Big C" condition.

"The Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study, a large, population-based cohort study of 5042 female breast cancer survivors in China. Women aged 20 to 75 years with diagnoses between March 2002 and April 2006 were recruited and followed up through June 2009. Information on cancer diagnosis and treatment, lifestyle exposures after cancer diagnosis, and disease progression was collected at approximately 6 months after cancer diagnosis and was reassessed at 3 follow-up interviews conducted at 18, 36, and 60 months after diagnosis. Annual record linkage with the Shanghai Vital Statistics Registry database was carried out to obtain survival information for participants who were lost to follow-up. Medical charts were reviewed to verify disease and treatment information." - Journal of the American Medical Association (December 9, 2009)

We're believers in soy products yet we're not certain that removing the other nutritional factors from the above equation makes it a wonder drug. Genetically Asian women suffer less from breast cancer than European and women of African descent. The results aren't new in 1998 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition drew a connection between soy and breast cancer. It's worth noting during this "Pink Month" because its use might be prevented.

"The following may reduce breast cancer risk: kelp; forsteronia refracta compound; oleic acid in olive oil restricted calories; apple, Danggui Longhui Wan ( chinese medicine); moderate exercise; turmeric, fish oil, weight loss, omega-3 fatty acids, cabbage and sauerkraut; Artemisinin; vitamin D, soy, garlic, grape juice, whole wheat, pro-vitamin E, low-protein diet, doing home work, high dietary fiber, broccoli, breastfeeding, grapes, green tea and mushroom, vitamin c, and sun exposure. Those factors that may boost risk are: high GI diet, alcohol, adipose fat, Bisphenol A; cleaning chemicals, hormone therapy, french fries, omega 6 fatty acid linoleic acid found in corn and soybean oil; mamograms, dietary fat, red meat and processed meat, barbecued meat, grapefruit, western diet, aluminum salts, radiation, iron, antibiotics, calcium, living in a large, metropolitan area, and acrylamide." - Food Consumer (Pink Tips)

Missing from that list is the desire to seek care until its too late. Both men and women suffer from that same condition of fear if our personal experience is any indication of having cancer and seeking immediate medical treatment. We don't want to know, believing ignorance is bliss and that we can't die if we don't know for sure. How's that for research. We believe that nothing "boost risk" more than fear and trepidation whether you're male or female.

"Although not all experts are convinced that it's safe to begin advising women to add soy to their diet, they agree that there is no need to avoid soy altogether. "What I've been telling my patients right now is that soy as part of a healthy balanced diet is safe. But I would avoid trying to eat a totally soy-based diet or taking a soy supplement. You have to be careful in not extrapolating beyond the study," says Dr. Richard Lee, medical director of the Integrative Medicine Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston." - Time (December 2009) 

We'd have to agree. The nutritional solution isn't a one (1) item choice. Variety seems to be what all the experts agree upon. The Pink Tips given offer a variety of items that together might be the super fuel that would be a preventative against breast cancer. Though finding a lump and leaving it rather than calling attention to it to your physician is a mistake that can cost you your life and your family much pain and suffering. Unfortunately we have too much experience with the latter than we care to admit or ever care to see repeated.