Dear Health-Conscious Friend,
It can be painful, costly and stressful to be sick. With my family of six, I can certainly attest to that!
Naturally, you want to do all you can to continue feeling your healthy best.
And we at Health Resources share your commitment to healthier living! In this Monday Edition of Health News Weekly, Ill tell you about how some scientists say they can detect diseasesjust by analyzing your breath!
Youll also find out about one of Mother Natures premium nutrients to help clean and protect your liver and kidneys from dangerous toxins.
If youre ready for more tips for healthy living, read on to find all this and MORE!
Laser Beams Analyze Breath for
Diseases Detection!
Your local law enforcement officers may not be the only folks using breath analysis. Researchers say a special laser light can detect molecules
in your breath that may be markers for a number of diseases.
Scientists say this laser techniquecalled optical frequency combcould eventually help doctors screen patients for diseases such as asthma, cancer, kidney failure and diabetes.
This technique can give a broad picture of many different molecules in the breath all at once, lead researcher Jun Ye said in a prepared statement.
Each breath you exhale contains more than a thousand different molecules. Some of these tiny particles may be indicators of disease.
For example, excess levels of methylamine may indicate liver or kidney disease. And the presence of ammonia molecules may point to kidney
failure.
High acetone levels may indicate diabetes, and nitric oxide levels can be used to diagnose asthma.
In this study, Ye and colleagues used the technique to analyze the breath of several volunteers. They exhaled into a space between two mirrors called an optical cavity. The scientists then aimed a pulsed laser light into this cavity. The laser light bounced back and forth between the mirrors before exiting the optical cavity.
During this time, the laser light struck all the molecules in the cavity. The laser light detected a wide range of molecules, the scientists said.
The findings, published in the current issue of Optics Express, suggest this technique may offer a low-cost, quick and noninvasive
method of health screening.
Think Your Way to a Calmer Stomach!
If drugs or special diets have done little to relieve your stomach pain bloating constipation and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (often referred to as IBS)new research has uncovered what may be a thought provoking solution.
Recent studies show that using your own thoughts in a process called cognitive behavioral therapy may help ease symptoms. And they say
hypnosis may help you visualize the pain and imagine it seeping away.
Olafur S. Palsson, a clinical psychologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills Center for Functional GI & Motility Disorders, said research shows a high probability of success in achieving health benefits with either approach.
Palsson said this is true even for patients who havent improved from standard medical care.
According to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, as many as 45 million Americans may have irritable bowel syndrome. A sizeable majoritysome 60 to 65 percent of irritable bowel syndrome sufferersare women.
Although the exact cause of the condition isnt known, symptoms appear to stem from problems in the interaction of the gut, brain and nervous system.
For many patients, cognitive behavioral therapy may be the answer. This treatment encourages you to replace unhealthy beliefs and behaviors
with healthy, positive ones.
But Jeffrey M. Lackner, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Buffalo, State University of New York, and a behavioral medicine
specialist observed, very few facilities around the country specialize in this type of treatment.
Lackner and his colleagues devised a treatment program that irritable bowel syndrome patients could administer themselves. He reported their findings at a large meeting of gastrointestinal (GI) professionals.
Patients who received four weeks of behavioral therapycoupled with at-home relaxation and problem solving exercisesexperienced significant relief from pain and adequate relief from bowel problems.
While more studies are needed, Lackner said the findings suggest traditional and self-administered cognitive behavioral therapy both provide adequate relief from irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.
Hypnosis may be another option. A pair of Swedish studies found that patients who received gut-directed hypnotherapy experienced significant improvement in irritable bowel syndrome symptoms compared with those who did not receive treatment.
Palsson noted that hypnosis treatment has been reported to improve symptoms of the majority of treated irritable bowel syndrome patients in all published studies.
For patients whove tried the diet-and-drug regimen to no avail, Palsson said he would recommend either of these two psychological
treatments.
He said research supports hypnosis as a more reliable treatment for improving gastrointestinal symptoms.
But if a patient wants to cope better with the illness, then cognitive behavioral therapy may be the better treatment option.
Fast Fact
Green Tea: Is It Really Good for You?
Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is not only a powerful herb with antioxidant properties, it also has a proven history of preventing arteriosclerosis and cancer among the Chinese for more than 4,000 years.
Researchers at the University of Murcia in Spain (UMU), Purdue University and the John Innes Center (JIC) in Norwich, England all have reportedly shown that green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which are compounds that prevent cancer cells from
growing.
These special compounds in green tea apparently kill cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. Even the National Cancer Institutes
epidemiological study in 1994 indicated a 60% risk reduction of esophageal cancer in Chinese people.
Green tea does contain caffeine, but at only 30 to 60 mg per cup, it is far less than coffee, which has more than 100 mg per cup. Or even better,
you could take a green tea supplement to get the same benefit.
So why not try adding green tea to your diet. It would make an excellent substitute for coffee, regular tea or even soft drinks!
The Surprising Things Your Hair Reveals!
Residue from the water you drink stays in your hairand may reveal details about where youve been.
According to a HealthDay report, University of Utah scientists were able to determine regions where people livedjust by analyzing water molecules in their hair.
Although the discovery has some implications for medical research, it also could be useful in tracking the history of unidentified bodies. Investigators could also use hair analysis to test the alibis of criminal suspects.
While the approach isnt always accurate, the researchers say its correct about 85 percent of the time.
The big picture is for us to provide a tool for law enforcement, said study author James Ehleringer, a University of Utah biology professor. This
is an attempt to really try to help.
Water, after all, makes up a major chunk of the human body. It comes from not only the liquids that people drink but also the food they eat.
To figure out if they could detect a kind of fingerprint from water, the researchers extracted water molecules from protein in human hair. Then they broke the molecules apart and studied the concentration of heavy and light isotopes. The fingerprints can give scientists a rough idea of where the water came from.
This is because variations in geography cause water to be heavier in some parts of the world than others, Ehleringer said.
According to the researchers, the technology could be used in medical research. And, as a diagnostic tool, breath analysis could also offer clues about an individuals eating habits.
Health E-Hints
A Natural Detox Treatment for Your
Overworked Liver!
Ancient Romans and Greeks often used the herb milk thistle as a remedy for liver problems. Many modern medical practitioners also believe milk thistle is one of the most effective herbs for relieving liver disorders and related problems.
Your liver is like a traffic cop for many activities that occur in your body. For example, it eliminates or neutralizes
toxins in the blood. It also plays a role in controlling infection.
Milk thistle contains a chemical substance called silymarin, which is believed to help:
- Cleanse and detoxify your liver
- Relieve inflammation of liver cells (hepatitis)
- Treat symptoms of a scarred liver (cirrhosis) from excess alcohol consumption
Research shows milk thistle may also help protect your kidneys from damage caused by chemotherapy medications. It can even play a role in protecting your prostate from abnormal cell growth!
For a natural supplement that contains milk thistle, check out
by our friends at True Health.