Anti-aging-developments November - 2012

age-well.org > Anti-aging Discoveries > Anti-aging-developments - November 2012

If you have already suffered a stroke or if you are worried because family members have been prone to strokes and you think it might be an inherited weakness, you might want to take a supplement in order to increase magnesium levels. For every 100 mg increased consumption on a daily basis, the risk of ischemic stroke decreases by nine percent. Ischemic stroke is one of the most common types of stroke, caused by a blockage in one of the blood vessels which supply blood to the brain.A blood test exists which can monitor magnesium levels in your blood. Ask your doctor.

(Source: Dr. Marilyn Glenville Newsletter, Am J Clin Nutr 2012;95:362–6)

According to a review in The Open Respiratory Medicine Journal, taking zinc could decrease the length of a common cold by up to 42%.

The role of zinc is supporting the human body ranges from helping increase fertility through fostering growth and development to boosting the immune function.

(Source: Dr. Mariyn Glenille newsletter; The Open Respiratory Medicine Journal, 2011;5:51-8.)

Diabetes: A Call to Action is the name of a conference which will take place on 23rd April 2013t at the Harrogate International Centre.

It aims to raise awareness about the challenge that diabetes presents to both the nation and to the lives of individuals? It also aims to discuss ways to ensure that those living with diabetes lead happy, healthy and active lives.

There are 2.5 million people in the UK living with diabetes which costs over £9.8bn (10% of the overall budget of the national health service).

Confirmed Speakers Include

Professor Mike Kelly, Director, Centre for Public Health Excellence, NICE

Dr Moira Harrison, Principal Lecturer in Diabetes, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton

Dr Shahrad Taheri, Senior Lecturer in Medicine, Diabetes and Endocrinology, University of Birmingham

At Diabetes: A Call for Action, the key concerns surrounding diabetes will be addressed and discussed. The audience will hear from a line-up of expert speakers and have the opportunity to debate as to which policies and strategies should be recommended to government and how to apply in healthcare and beyond. Delegates will learn of examples of best practice and stories of success which can benefit their own organisations and most importantly their patients.

To register or get further information contact: Daniel Snape, Marketing Executive, dsnape@p-s-event.co.ukPS Events, City Wharf, New Bailey St, Manchester, M3 5ERTel: +44 (0)161 831 7111, Fax: +44 (0)161 832 7396

Garlic is extremely good for health, with many known restorative properties, ncluding being good for reducin blood pressure. Recently a new meta-analysis of several other studies has found that a garlic supplement can lower cholesterol levels!

The analysis was published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. It contained data from 26 controlled trials comparing garlic supplements were compared with placebo in people with high fat (lipid) levels in the blood.

Researchers found that:

Cholesterol and triglyceride levels decreased in the control group taking garlic.Greater reductions were seen when garlic was taken for longer than 12 weeks.Garlic powder and aged garlic extract had better results in lowering cholesterolGarlic oil had better results decreasing the levels of triglyceride in the blood.

(Sources; Dr. Marilyn Glenville Newsletter, J Sci Food Agric 2012;doi:10.1002/jsfa.5557)

Thermography is a heat-imaging screening technique that is used to detect breast tumors using a high resolution camera that converts the reading of the temperature in the breast into an infrared heat image that can be viewed from a computer. Using this method, the technician can change the position of the woman in order to place her breasts at the correct angle so that her particular breast contour can be read most effectively, without using either radiation or painful breast compression. A skilled professional can then use these images to detect if a tumor is present ad these will be red or orange, whereas healthy tissue shows up as blue, green or yellow.

Proponents of the technology say it is more effective at detecting tumors than conventional methods. However, many health professionals disagree. The American Cancer Society says thermography is unreliable, “since it can miss some cancers and can give a high false positive rate.” However, many anti-cancer programs recommend regular mammographies, which have been criticized for exactly the same reasons, and additionally cause pain and use radiation, which itself is seen by some as possibly increasing the risk of developing the problem it is used to prevent.

Obviously, more research is needed but present reports sound promising with ongoing clinical trials at the University of Southern California comparing it to tissue biopsies for effective cancer diagnosis.

(Doctors, NBC TV; Research Report from the Michigan Institute of Thermography - Thermography versus Mammography November 2012).  

Click here for a list of qualified Thermography Centres.  

The above video is about using ice therapy for the ablation of benign tumors, but this technology is now the subject of trials for the removal of small malignant tumors.

In Israel a new procedure has been developed to kill cancer tumors in their early stages. The company that is marketing the new procedure, which is called “IceSense3”, is IceCure Medical.

The procedure uses ultrasound imaging to insert a fine needle into the tumor and inject liquid nitrogen into its center, using extreme cold to destroy the tumor. The procedure takes a maximum of 15 minutes and only requires a local anesthetic. It is cost effective and non-invasive. The main drawback is that it can only be used on small tumors which are detected early and, for the present, it is not clear if it will prevent the cancer from spreading, because metastases can occur before the tumor is detected. However, initials trials of this method are very positive.

The procedure was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration approval in December 2010 and has since been has been changing the way American doctors remove fibro-adenoma tumors (benign breast lumps), although the procedure iis not yet widely available.

Dr. Eisuke Fukuma, chairman of the Breast Center at Kameda Medical Center in Kamogawa City, Japan, is using the procedure in clinical trials to destroy small malignant tumors as well. Dr. Fukuma previously used a cryoablation device to destroy fibro-adenomas, with a 100 percent success rate and no recurrences. Similar trials are scheduled in the US, where the device is sold through a subsidiary in Cleveland.

According to Israel 21c, an Israeli Website, the product has also been awarded the CE Mark of approval, although, it is not yet being used in Europe.

This non-invasive, non-expensive treatment, which takes only eight minutes, will hopefully replace traditonal methods of treating breast cancer, especially now that newer technology that can detrect tumors earlier is becoming available (see other reports on this page).

Hopefully activists working for non-invasive methods of detecting and treating breast cancer will lobby successfully for these new technologies to become more widely available.

Sources:

1. Dr. J. Rowen's Second Opinion Newsletter, October 19th, 2012

2. IceSense3 Cryoablation Procedure

3. Cancer Defeated Website

4. israel 21c Website

5. You Tube

A new technology called Elastography is being used by ultrasound technicians to spot malignant tumors. This new method is very accurate meaning that there will be less false positives and therefore unnecessary biopsies. As biopsies are expensive, and can be responsible for the spread of cancerous cells, they are better avoided. Additionally, this procedure will mean that results can be given immediately, instead of the patient having to worry about results for up to two weeks.

Elastography is a one step up from traditional ultrasound because it actually takes two ultrasound images and combines them. The first image uses ultrasound techniques to create a fuzzy image of what's inside your body. Then, if a tumor is suspected, the second stage pushes on the breast with the emitter to compress the breast while the sound waves go through it. Both healthy tissue and benign tumors depress easily but malignant tumors are less elastic and don’t depress as they can be from five to 100 times stiffer than a benign tumor. These two images combined give a more thorough result than a basic sonogram.

A study of elastography in 2006 showed that this technology could tell the difference between benign and malignant tumors with almost a hundred percent success rate. The procedure is low cost and it eliminates the cost of a follow-up consultation as the results can be given to the patient straight away, with the added advantage for the patient of not having to worry for a further amount of time.

Elastography has the potential for diagnosing prostate cancer and some other diseases, such as cirrhosis of the liver, where the diseased tissue hardens and can therefore be detected with this technique.

(Sources: How Stuff Works Website)

In September, the FDA officially approved use of ABUS — the Automated Breast Ultrasound System - for women with dense breast tissue who are more likely to develop breast cancer and less likely to have this detected early with conventional methods.

Mammograms are useless for detecting tumors in women with this type of tissue and yet most women are subjected to this painful procedure regardless, before being given an ultrasound, and this year after year even though the patient and the doctors know that this is a procedure which is useless and dangerous.

Mammograms miss up to 15 percent of cancerous tumors in even women with normal breast tissue. The new method means no painful breast compression, no radiation exposure, and a more thorough exam which can detect cancer earlier.

ABUS doubles the rate of early detection in women with dense breast tissue and triples the rate for all other women, especially for cancers smaller than 20mm, increasing survival rates to more than 95 percent.

(Sources: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Website (USA))

World COPD Day was celebrated this year on 14th November. The day is the focus of a global effort to expand understanding of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and advocate for better care for patients. This is a worldwide even coordinated by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). It is an occasion when health care professionals and patient groups throughout the world take part in different events aimed at raising awareness about the disease.

The World Health Organization has predicted that COPD will become the leading cause of death worldwide by 2030. Already, in 2004, 64 million people had the illness.

Risk factors are tobacco smoking, indoor and outdoor air pollution, and exposure to occupational dusts and chemicals.

Including more calcium in your diet or taking calcium supplements might reduce the risk of digestive cancers according to a report in Marilyn Glenville's latest newsletter. Women who have a higher than average calcium intake could reduce the risk of colorectal and other cancers of the digestive system quite dramatically according to the seven year review of a clinical database by the US National Cancer Institute. Researchers believe these findings may also apply, less significantly to males.

Calcium appears to offer women protection from all types of cancer and this increased the more calcium they take, whereas the protection only applies to digestive cancers in men, particularly cancer of the colon.

(Source: Dr. Marilyn Glenville; McCullough ML, Robertson AS, Rodriguez C, et al. Calcium, vitamin D, dairy products, and risk of colorectal cancer in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort (United States). Cancer Causes and Control 2003; 14(1):1–12.)

A recent study published in the British Medical Journal confirms that the use of sunbeds increases the risk of skin cancer. In fact the newest research in the field has shown that, besides increasing the risk of melanoma, the most serious of skin cancers, sunbed use also raises the risk of developing squamous cell cancer by 67% and basal cell carcinoma by 29%, compared to non-users. Non-melanoma skin cancers affect millions of people worldwide warn researchers and using indoor tanning machines increases the risks. Sunbed use before the age of 25 is particularly dangerous.

The latest study in the field was led by Professor Eleni Linos from the University of California in San Francisco where twelve studies involving more than nine thousand cases of non-melanoma skin cancer were analyzed, concluding that 8.2% of squamous cell skin cancers and 3.7 per cent of all basal cell carcinoma in the United States were caused by using tanning machines.

The study was published on the British Medical Journal website. It warns that says there is a ‘critical’ period in early life when the damage is initiated but emphasized that increased exposure leads to increased risk of developing skin cancer years later.

(Source: Dr. Marilyn Glenville Newsletter, British Medical Journal (BMJ 2012;345:e5909))

Mary Treacy is the founder and contributing editor of age-well.org. She has over thirty years of experience working with non-profit, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), mainly business associations. Mary's work experience is mainly in the field of communication management, journalism and editing and she is an experienced writer in many sectors including co-operatives, agriculture, housing, insurance, banking, commmerce, women's issues and health. You can find her on Google + and Twitter.

Top of Anti-aging-developments- November 2012
Home to Age-well.org