Healthy Me - At Home and Away: Renal failure

Showing posts with label Renal failure. Show all posts

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Kidney problems and our genes

And it has always been said that it was due to not eating veggies and fruits...?
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Study links Chinese kidney problems to genes

WASHINGTON: Variants of a gene contribute to the high risk of kidney disease among diabetics of Chinese descent compared with Caucasians, a study said on Wednesday.

Asians tend to have a higher likelihood of kidney failure, a major cause of death among diabetics. Diabetes rates have been soaring in China as rising prosperity changes lifestyles.

Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers linked renal disease risk to variants of the gene PRKCB1 among people of Chinese origin in Hong Kong.

The study, led by Ronald C.W. Ma of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, looked primarily at 1,172 diabetics recruited between 1995 and 1998 when they showed no signs of kidney problems.

After 7.9 years on average, 90 patients - or 7.7 percent of the total - developed chronic kidney disease.

A DNA analysis showed that patients who had four common variants of PRKCB1 were six times more likely to suffer kidney disease than those with only one or no variant of the same gene, the study said.

The findings "suggest that genetic variation in the PRKCBl gene is an important determinant for the risk of developing (diabetic kidney disease) in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes," the authors wrote.

Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, is the incapability to use insulin, the hormone produced in the pancreas that regulates sugar in the bloodstream.

A study in March found that China is faced with a diabetes epidemic, with one in 10 percent of adults suffering from the disease due to increasingly unhealthy diets, a lack of exercise and high rates of smoking.

- AFP/de

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Study links Chinese kidney problems to genes
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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

it was China-ware then, it is China-works now

Eight Simple Qigong Exercises For Health - The Eight (8) Pieces of Brocade (YMAA) DVD

I can't imagine how things are getting discovered these days. Culture-wise, we are told that the Chinese were the first in manufacturing paper, gunpowder, and many other things, but due to their 'closed' culture, these were never known by other cultures in the outside world.

Well, some good, and some bad points to it. But that isn't the point at all.

Exercise is always a good thing, just don't overdo it. Add to it exercises that focuses on strengthening certain areas and points in your body, now how about that? I've heard it said before, it is holistic exercise.

Read on...
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Study shows Chinese exercises help fight against diabetes

PARIS - The dance-like exercise tai chi, practised by tens of millions of people in China and around the world, can help curb symptoms of type 2 diabetes, say a pair of studies released on Tuesday.

In separate experiments conducted in Australia and Taiwan, diabetes patients who performed tai chi for a few hours a week over a three-month period showed significant health improvement compared to control groups.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body fails to produce or process enough insulin, which play a critical role in converting glucose into energy.

The disease, which afflicts some 250 million worldwide, can cause blindness, kidney failure, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Other forms of moderate exercise have been shown to help keep the disease in check, the researchers point out.

Gaiam Restorative Exercise For Foot Pain Kit With Katy Santiago

But 'these Chinese exercises may be easier to learn than gym-based exercises and do not require any complicated or expensive equipment,' conclude the University of Queensland team, led by Wendy Brown.

The worldwide diabetes epidemic is directly linked to a sedentary lifestyle and obesity, but heart-pounding exertion is not necessarily good either, say the studies, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Strenuous physical activity depresses the immune system response, they say, while moderate exercise seems to have the opposite effect.

Developed in China and dating back at least to the 13th century, tai chi combines elements of martial arts and meditation.

The First Step to Active Health for Seniors

Experiments in Taiwan led by Kuender Yang assessed the impact of a 12-week programme of tai chi exercises on T-helper cells among 30 patients with Type 2 diabetes and 30 healthy people of the same age.

T cells are a key component of the body's immune system, producing powerful chemicals, including interleukins, that are critical to a healthy response against invaders. At the end of the programme, levels of glycated haemoglobin excess sugar carried by red blood cells fell significantly in the diabetic patients.

Levels of interleukin-12, which boosts the immune response, doubled while T cell activity, a sign of health, also significantly increased.

Tai chi may prompt a fall in blood glucose levels, or improve blood glucose metabolism, which in turn sparks a drop in the inflammatory response, the researchers conjecture.

In the Australian study, a 12-week programme of tai chi and qigong another Chinese exercise that emphasises breathing technique prompted a significant improvement in blood glucose levels and 'metabolic syndrome' in 11 middle-aged and older adults.

The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms, including high blood pressure, blood glucose, associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The 13 participants exercised for up to 1.5 hours, up to three times a week, and were also encouraged to practice the exercises at home.

At the end of the 12 weeks, they had lost an average of three kilos in weight and their waist size had dropped by an average of almost three centimetres.

Blood pressure also fell significantly, and by more than would have been expected from the weight loss alone, said the authors.

T'ai Chi Exercise for Lifelong Health and Well-Being

Participants said they slept better, had more energy, felt less pain and had fewer food cravings while on the programme. - AFP/ar

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Study shows Chinese exercises help fight against diabetes
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

HOAX: Asparagus for Cancer

Today I received in the e-mail a health tips item, and it was about the health benefits of asparagus, specifically, the health benefits of 'asparagus as a cancer cure'. I read through quickly, and the facts and stories presented got the better of me.

I went further.

I checked through the web on additional information about 'asparagus curing cancer', and whether there are contrary, or supplementary, information. And sure enough, I did find both.

As it turned out, the e-mail is a hoax, and while there are truths contained in it, the danger is that there are also lies, or fabricated info stated. The e-mail is below, for your information.

Here are the debunking points that will render this e-mail a hoax, a fallacy, and while the arguments seem plausible, be wary when receiving e-mails such as this.

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Richard R. Vensal, D.D.S., is an unknown guy. His name doesn't appear anywhere else, except in this hoax e-mail, or variations of it. Nobody knows whether he really is a cancer or nutrition expert, or if he holds any qualification at all.
The periodical in which this article was said to have been published, Cancer News Journal, is no longer existing. And while it did, it apparently devoted itself to "alternative" cancer therapies.
There are no peer-reviewed medical studies proving that eating asparagus alone prevents or cures cancer. Although asparagus has nutritional benefits, such as glutathione, protein (three amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid and glycine), vitamin D, folic acid, the amount you get from eating asparagus is not sufficient to combat cancer alone. You still get the benefit, so eat your asparagus!
There are many other foods that offer the same, if not more, benefits, so why focus on asparagus alone? There is benefit with variety, and more so, the taste is improved, not to mention the synergized effect of a diet high in fiber, fruits and vegetables and low in fats and nitrates (salts), all of which will have maximum effect in combating cancer. Medical experts will usually recommend variations so as to conform to a balanced diet.
Finally, while it may help, dietary measures cannot replace a proper medical diagnosis and treatment of a disease, especially cancer.

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On the other hand, find here some materials stating the health benefits of asparagus:
http://www.elements4health.com/asparagus.html

http://www.biomedexperts.com/Abstract.bme/14720273/Diversity_of_asparagus_allergy_clinical_and_immunological_features

http://home.howstuffworks.com/asparagus3.htm

http://lucinda_ball.blogspot.com/2005/06/asparagus-fights-cancer.html

http://www.allbusiness.com/manufacturing/food-manufacturing/628466-1.html

http://www.dietobio.com/aliments/en/asparagus.html

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If you receive e-mails, and are not sure that it is correct, and you want it verified, you can submit it to this website:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/internet/a/submissions.htm?nl=1
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ASPARAGUS FOR CANCER

Three types of asparagus on a shop display, with white asparagus at the back and green asparagus in the middle. The plant at the front is Ornithogalum pyrenaicum, is commonly called wild asparagus

Several years ago, I had a man seeking asparagus for a friend who had cancer. He gave me a photocopied copy of an article, entitled, `Asparagus for cancer ' printed in Cancer News Journal, December 1979.

I will share it here, just as it was shared with me: 'I am a biochemist, and have specialized in the relation of diet to health for over 5 years.

Several years ago, I learned of the discovery of Richard R. Vensal, D.D.S. that asparagus might cure cancer. Since then, I have worked with him on his project. We have accumulated a number of favourable case histories.

Here are a few examples:

Case No. 1

A man with an almost hopeless case of Hodgkin's disease (cancer of the lymph glands) who was completely incapacitated. Within 1 year of starting the asparagus therapy, his doctors were unable to detect any signs of cancer, and he was back on a schedule of strenuous exercise.

Case No. 2
A successful businessman 68 years old who suffered from cancer of the bladder for 16 years. After years of medical treatments, including radiation without improvement, he went on asparagus. Within 3 months, examinations revealed that his bladder tumor had disappeared and that his kidneys were normal.

Case No. 3
A man who had lung cancer. On March 5th 1971, he was put on the operating table where they found lung cancer so widely spread that it was inoperable. The surgeon sewed him up and declared his case hopeless. On April 5th he heard about the asparagus therapy and immediately started taking it. By August, x-ray pictures revealed that all signs of the cancer had disappeared. He is back at his regular business routine.

Case No. 4
A woman who was troubled for a number of years with skin cancer. She finally developed different skin cancers which were diagnosed by asking specialist as advanced. Within 3 months after starting on asparagus, her skin specialist said that her skin looked fine and no more skin lesions. This woman reported that the asparagus therapy also cured her kidney disease, which started in 1949. She had over 10 operations for kidney stones, and was receiving government disability payments for an inoperable, terminal, kidney condition. She attributes the cure of this kidney trouble entirely to the asparagus.

I was not surprised at this result, as `The elements of Material Medica', edited in 1854 by a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania , stated that asparagus was used as a popular remedy for kidney stones. He even referred to experiments, in 1739, on the power of asparagus in dissolving stones.

We would have other case histories but the medical establishment has interfered with our obtaining some of the records. I am therefore appealing to readers to spread this good 20news and help us to gather a large number of case histories that will overwhelm the medical skeptics about this unbelievably simple and natural remedy. For the treatment, asparagus should be cooked before using, and therefore canned asparagus is just as good as fresh.

I have corresponded with the two leading canners of asparagus, Giant and Stokely, and I am satisfied that these brands contain no pesticides or preservatives.

PROCEDURE:
1) Place the cooked asparagus in a blender and liquefy t make a puree, and store in the refrigerator.
2) Give the patient 4 full tablespoons twice daily, morning and evening.

Patients usually show some improvement in from 2-4 weeks. It can be diluted with water and used as a cold or hot drink. This suggested dosage is based on present experience, but certainly larger amounts can do no harm and may be needed in some cases.

As a biochemist I am convinced of the old saying that `what cures can prevent'. Based on this theory, my wife and I have been using asparagus puree as a beverage with our meals. We take 2 tablespoons diluted in water to suit our taste with breakfast and with dinner. I take mine hot and my wife prefers hers cold.

For years we have made it a practice to have blood surveys taken as part of our regular checkups.

The last blood survey, taken=2 0by a medical doctor who specializes in the nutritional approach to health, showed substantial improvements in all categories over the last one, and we can attribute these improvements to nothing but the asparagus drink...

As a biochemist, I have made an extensive study of all aspects of cancer, and all of the proposed cures. As a result, I am convinced that asparagus fits in better with the latest theories about cancer. Asparagus contains a good supply of protein called histones, which are believed to be active in controlling cell growth. For that reason, I believe asparagus can be said to contain a substance that I call cell growth normalizer. That accounts for its action on cancer and in acting as a general body tonic. In any event, regardless of theory, asparagus used as we suggest, is a harmless substance.

The FDA cannot prevent you from using it and it may do you much good. It has been reported by the US National Cancer Institute, that asparagus is the highest tested food containing glutathione, which is considered one of the body's most potent anticarcinogens and antioxidants.

Please spread the news...

...the most unselfish act one can ever do is paying forward all the kindness one has received even to the most undeserved person
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Again, don't forget that this is a hoax, half-truths and half-lies mixed together.

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This is no hoax: Body repair the natural way