Vitamin D Prevents

Back in the "gold pepper" story we suggested, based on our experiences, that we all use Vitamin D in combination to make the effects more efficient. Today we found what we thought was the story concerning the effectiveness of Vitamin D in the prevention of breast cancer. The story wasn't from a well-known or respected news source, though we thought it was. We found the story but the research seemed to say something different and we got so excited we didn't know what to do:

"Serum Vitamin D and Cancer Mortality in the NHANES III Study (1988-2006) - Vitamin D has been hypothesized to protect against cancer. We followed 16,819 participants in NHANES III from 1988 through 2006, expanding upon an earlier NHANES III study (1988-2000). Using Cox proportional hazard regression models, we examined risk related to baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) for total cancer mortality, in both sexes, and by racial/ethnic groups, as well as for site-specific cancers. Because serum was collected in the south in cooler months and the north in warmer months, we examined associations by collection season ("summer/higher latitude" and "winter/lower latitude"). We identified 884 cancer deaths during 225,212 person-years." - Cancer Research (OnlineFirst)

That's all we can afford, the free abstract, so we don't know the best part that works, for instance, how much worked or needed. The information that we would need to speculate might be in the parts of the research to which we didn't have access. We don't need to access the full research and we will admit that we sometimes miss crucial information that won't be found in the abstract. Which is why we often go to the source institution to find their plain English press releases on their research that often isn't in either the headlines or the story.

“Vitamin D Status Is Not Associated With Risk for Less Common Cancers - We did not see lower cancer risk in persons with high vitamin D blood concentrations compared to normal concentrations for any of these cancers,” said Demetrius Albanes, M.D., NCI, one of the study investigators. “And, at the other end of the vitamin D spectrum, we did not see higher cancer risk for participants with low levels.” - National Cancer Institute (News)

Its hard to ignore a thirty-three (33) year study even if it is from a US government agency. We don't generally question the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the US National Institutes of Health. We don't also take their word at face value. We question. We doubt. We check and we verify. Consider it checked, doubted and verified.

"Researchers and clinicians have looked to the possibility that vitamin D might be used for cancer prevention. Some evidence indicates that higher levels of vitamin D are associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer, though the evidence is inconsistent. Through the Vitamin D Pooling Project, researchers had access to a geographically and demographically diverse group of men and women, including participants from the United States, Finland, and China." - National Cancer Institute (News)

That's the doubting part that we talked about. The US found one results and the Chinese found another with a more diverse albeit smaller group. We think the difference is in the amount of Vitamin D used to achieve a different result than in America. We aren't scientists and we didn't have access to the full US results but we speculate that since the US minimums are substantially different than levels recommended by US doctors and even Canadian doctors that matters. It is speculation. We also admit that. We're not ready to dismiss the power of Vitamin D which is and has been shown to be effective.

"There appear to be many health benefits associated with adequate intake of vitamin D, including suggestive evidence with colorectal and breast cancers. While the available data are promising, we need to learn a lot more about vitamin D and its potential health effects. We plan continued study of this remarkable nutrient, which will help resolve the many remaining questions." - Nurses' Health Study Newsletter (2008)

Not our opinion but the opinions reached by those with more information and education that all of us combined. We know. This is for those who say the news says one thing one day and another thing the next - you just don't know what to believe. We say you can and you should know what to believe. The news can't give you the nuances that you need to be able to discern your beliefs. We says its in the math. Number of years, number of participants and amounts given thats the math you need to know to firm up your beliefs. If you want to be in the know.

"Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation to prevent seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren - This study suggests that vitamin D3 supplementation during the winter may reduce the incidence of influenza A, especially in specific subgroups of schoolchildren." - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (March 2010)

That's the power of vitamin D just in time for those with grandchildren or children, if you're so blessed, flu season and fears that the vaccine could harm them. We say don't be afraid and that your fears are largely unfounded - but we will admit what's true for the majority isn't true for everyone. You have to do what's right for you and your situation. Vitamin D seems to be, if you're not overly supplementing yourself and family now, the answer to vaccine fears.

The amounts given to the children exceed what the government says is the safe high limit for the vitamin. Though the amount given the children didn't exceed the government limits plus the "safe upper limit." While vitamin D can be toxic what the government considers recommended levels aren't the same amounts that professionals recommend.

"Can vitamin D be harmful? - Signs of toxicity include nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, weakness, and weight loss. And by raising blood levels of calcium, too much vitamin D can cause confusion, disorientation, and problems with heart rhythm. Excess vitamin D can also damage the kidneys. The safe upper limit for vitamin D is 1,000 IU/day for infants and 2,000 IU for children and adults. Vitamin D toxicity almost always occurs from overuse of supplements. Excessive sun exposure doesn't cause vitamin D poisoning because the body limits the amount of this vitamin it produces." - National Institutes of Health (Consumer Fact Sheet)

We're not comfortable recommending exceeding levels beyond what the researchers used in their research. We are curious as to their intentions of the researchers in exceeding the levels in trying to achieve their findings. Again since we can't afford to access the entire study we can't speculate as to what their motivations might have been. We can speculate that researchers don't expect government recommended levels to contribute to our overall health. That's what we'd like to see researched.

"Osteoporosis guide to help treat brittle bones - Take 400 to 1,000 IUs of vitamin D per day for those aged less than 50, and 800 to 2,000 IUs daily for those 50 and older." - CBCNews (Oct 12, 2010)

We weren't comfortable recommending exceeding the US government's levels but the Canadian government feels comfortable doing so for those older than 50. The research shows that illnesses and age can be a time where we get comfortable with what we eat which probably doesn't include a wide variety of fresh foods nor much sunlight all of which decreases our vitamin D levels. When we made our prior suggestions it was without full knowledge of the current research though there was plenty of prior studies that made the suggestion more than likely.

"A recent review article published by Loyola's nursing school researchers concluded that adequate intake of vitamin D may prevent or delay the onset of diabetes and reduce complications for those who have already been diagnosed." -  Loyola University Health System (Newswire)

When we buy vitamin D we go for the cheapest price rather than for any concern for its form. Until the most recent research we bought by the International Unit rather than whether its natural or synthetic. We didn't even realize until we made a recent purchase of the supplement that it was available in two (2) forms. When we sought information from the purchaser we discovered conflicting information than that available from our government.

"Vitamin D is found in supplements (and fortified foods) in two different forms: D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol). Both increase vitamin D in the blood, but the D3 form may do it better and keep levels raised for a longer time. Many supplements now provide vitamin D3 instead of D2." - National Institutes of Health (Consumer Fact Sheet)

What excited us even further was that the vitamin was good at reducing children's chances of contracting the flu. We'd like to speculate that what would work with children would also work with teens and seniors. That isn't quite what the study says. The indication is that prior use might even work against you in the protection department.

"Vitamin D better than vaccines at preventing flu, report claims - Altogether 354 children took part in the trial, which took place during the winter of 2008-09, before the swine flu epidemic. Vitamin D was found to protect against influenza A, which caused last year's epidemic, but not against the less common influenza B." - The Sunday Times (March 15, 2010)

The same way we suggested adding Vitamin D to "gold pepper" to make its health effect work efficient and effective when it comes to the maximum amount of Vitamin D protection combining D with calcium has a more profound and health effect as well. We know you're going to tell us the headline that calcium use can hurt you but if you read the specifics you'll discover the following:

"Calcium pills may raise heart attack risk - A recent study suggested a link between calcium and heart attacks, so researchers from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, reviewed 11 studies of people taking calcium, without also taking vitamin D, which included almost 12,000 people." - CDCNews (July 30, 2010)

That's true that calcium is bad for your heart if you don't take it in combination. Would we speculate that you should add calcium to "gold pepper" and vitamin D? No, not just yet. We need more research to make us take that step. After all we aren't doctors and review the news on health and not the science as much as what's behind the science. Even if we were doctors its doubtful that we'd still be likely to make or take the step of making that speculation. We've been concerned about reactions from combinations and regardless of the source of the supplements they're still chemicals. Reactions are still a major concern.

Boils and Troubles

We got a call today from a family member who'd been hospitalized and asked if we could do a story on their condition. As always we research the illness by finding the most recent studies and in the "blogosphere" there's a blog for everything. Unfortunately there isn't much science or medicine behind the suggestions or treatments. What we did like is the personal "points of views" addressing their own issues.

"Boils are often caused by poor hygiene or diseases and conditions that cause a weakened immune system or a low resistance to infection. A boil can also be a complication of folliculitis. Symptoms of a boil include swelling or a reddened lump that develops in the skin. The swelling eventually emerges to the skin's surface and comes to a head of pus. In some cases a boil can lead to potentially serious complications, such as septicemia." - Wrong Diagnosis (Boils)

The problem is that people are nasty and need to be better at taking care of themselves. Really that's the problem? Suppose you're not physically able to take care of yourself. Suppose you have a health issue that makes it either painful or impossible for you to take care of yourself. Or suppose you're old or just dependent upon someone else for your personal care for some reason.

"Hospitalizations of the elderly for bloodstream infections rose sharply in the early to mid-1990s - Elderly people are at particular risk of developing septicemia (bloodstream infection) and dying from it. Unfortunately, during the 1990s, there was a substantial, unexplained increase in the rate of elderly men and women in this country who were hospitalized for septicemia, according to William B. Baine, M.D., of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Dr. Baine and his colleagues William Yu, M.A., and James P. Summe, M.S., used Medicare claims data for hospital discharges from 1991 through 1998 to study nearly 76,000 hospitalizations for septicemia or bacteremia in patients aged 65 or older." - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (Health Care for the Elderly)

When the problem happens in an institution other than a nursing facility, say maybe like a hospital is the problem that a hospital is nasty? This major problem in 2005 is still with us some five (5) years later especially in this age of budgetary restraints. While the bodies haven't been counted in our region (we'll start counting next week). The trend has been spotted in other cash strapped areas (California).

"The number of Americans treated in hospitals for septicemia—potentially deadly bacterial infection of the blood stream also known as blood poisoning—increased from 666,000 cases in 1993 to over 1 million cases in 2003, according to the Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality." - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ News and Numbers)

We understand the "blame the victim" mentality that exist in science research. We don't support it but we do understand it. For example when skin diseases were starting to be discovered in greater and more deadly numbers among young athletes know for their skills as well as their strict hygienic requirements. The matter had to be addressed and the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) who issued this statement in the Journal of Athletic Training:

"National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Skin Diseases - The nature of athletics exposes the skin of its participants to a wide variety of stresses. Trauma, environmental factors, and infectious agents act together to continually attack the integrity of the skin. Combined with the close quarters shared by athletes and generally poor hygiene practices, it is not difficult to see why skin infections cause considerable disruption to individual and team activities." - Journal of Athletic Training (July/August 2010)

The problem is that athletes don't clean themselves well enough according to the National Athletic Trainers' Association. Ignoring the facts that the athletics use what's available to them. Fortunately CBS News and no other news outlet was fooled. They all saw the report differently than the NATA.

"Don't Let Germy Gyms Get You Sick - Gyms Are Crawling With Germs, Experts Say, but There Are Things You Can Do to Keep Them From Making You Ill - A recent paper on skin diseases published by the National Athletic Trainers' Association says it's imperative that you wipe down those machines and mats if you want to guard against infection. The report covers everything from the towels to use and when to shower." CBS News (August 2010)

Some people even suggest that its another reason to avoid going to the gym altogether. Which is something we can agree with because it means not working out or paying for the privilege of paying for it. We think of our gym membership as preventative health care. Now as we consider looking for ways to cut our personal budget we'll consider eliminating our membership - all in the interest of saying money, you understand? We're doing it to fiscally responsible.

"Folliculitis is often caused by an infection that occurs after shaving, waxing, tweezing and other types of hair removal methods. Folliculitis can also be caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which may be growing in hot tubs that are not properly maintained. Making a diagnosis of folliculitis begins with taking a thorough medical history, including symptoms, and completing a physical examination. Folliculitis can generally be diagnosed based on symptoms, history of hair removal or hot tub use, and a physical exam." - Wrong Diagnosis (Introduction)

So you can wash those hands and feet as much as you'd like and as often as you'd like the facts are the facts. Soap isn't as good as anti-bacterials and communal towels (paper or cloth) are better than electric hand-dryers. You know the kind found only in institutions those kind of electric hand dryers.

We speculate that the problem is one that many men here suffer from. We have favorite clothing that we should have long discarded. The clothes while comfortable have become breeding grounds for bacteria and germs. We need to discard items long before they become "comfortable" our athletic clothing, socks and shoes, especially shower slides or sandle thongs. Again its just speculation based on the causes CBS and others have other suggestions that might work as well.

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.