Alzheimer's Society + Bupa Research Funding

Alzheimer's Society and Bupa unite to improve lives of people with dementia - Alzheimer's Society

At last! Someone looking to address the serious lack of funding into Altzheimers - let's hope as much as possible goes towards research into preventative measures and protecting the brain rather than just all gobbled up by drug companies looking for a silver bullet that doesn't exist.

Neil Hunt, Chief Executive, Alzheimer's Society said,

'One in three people over 65 will die with dementia, the aim of this partnership with Bupa is to jointly seek new, beneficial initiatives for people with dementia and their carers.'

“Dementia research is seriously under-funded. Much more needs to be invested if we are to see the same advancements in dementia care and treatment as we have seen for cancer. By delaying the onset of dementia by just five years we could halve the number of deaths from the condition, saving 30,000 lives a year, but without progress in research the economic cost of the disease is likely to rise to £27 billion by 2018.”

More information on the £1.5m fund:

The closing date for applications is 28 February 2010. Grants would be awarded in line with guidelines issued by the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC).

The topics that may be considered for funding in the areas of cause, cure, care and prevention include:

• Epidemiology of all forms of dementia
• The causes of dementia and mechanism of disease progression
• The causal relationship between genetics and lifestyle factors predisposing people to dementia
• Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dementia
• Slowing the progress of dementia
• Developing (non-embryonic) stem cell therapies with translational benefits for people with dementia
• Evidence for dietary supplements or complementary therapies as an alternative to drugs
• Improving Quality of life for people with dementia in their own homes or care homes
• How to best train staff in all health sectors, at all levels, in communicating with, understanding the needs of, and caring for people with dementia
• Management of anxiety, agitation and other behavioral symptoms, without the use of antipsychotic drugs
• The impact of acute hospitalization of people with dementia

For details on how to apply go to: www.bupafoundation.co.uk or www.alzheimers.org.uk/research

For more information contact:

Brett Lowther
BUPA Corporate Affairs
Tel: +44 (0)20 7656 2638
Email: lowtherb@bupa.com

Notes:
• One in three people over 65 will die with dementia
• Alzheimer’s Society research shows that 700,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia, more than half have Alzheimer’s disease. In less than 20 years nearly a million people will be living with dementia. This will soar to 1.7 million people by 2051.

Spanish eggs blamed for salmonella restaurant outbreak | BigHospitality.co.uk

Spanish eggs blamed for salmonella restaurant outbreak | BigHospitality.co.uk

Eggs poison 150 - 2 deaths

A batch of Spanish eggs linked to an outbreak of salmonella in a number of restaurants and catering establishments, has sparked the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to warn caterers to cook their eggs properly.

Almost 150 cases of salmonella across England and Wales, including five hospitalisations and two deaths, are being linked to several restaurants and cafes who may have been using eggs sourced from an ‘approved establishment’ in Spain.

Secret to Reduce Hospital Acquired Infections

Health4Media.com -

Yet more evidence that all you need is water to vastly improve the effectiveness of the National Health Service. So many patients are left water tantalisingly out of their reach.

The trouble is that from an operational point of view the last thing they want is bed bound patients going to the toilet regularly, the irony is that the patient could be sent home earlier getting well more quickly if they practiced patient centered medicine more often.

The results of the recent study in an NHS hospital showed:

20% reduction in time spent in hospital

97% reduction in dehydration

100% reduction in hospital acquired infections

"If these results were repeated across the NHS as a whole it would show a £5 Billion saving and a major increase in patient satisfaction with their care in hospital." say the manufacturers of a new contraption that makes water more accessable to patients in hospital.

Mainstream Medicine Catches on to Nutritionists Tools

Probiotics and health - Nutritionists have been using probiotics for many years to great effect (to relieve IBS, and other digestive problems and support the immune system) . Now mainstream medicine are finally catching on to the use of therapeutic strain probiotics as tool to treat patients digestive problems and counter the detrimental effects of anti-biotics.

Now a new scientific review by the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), Probiotics and health – summing up the evidence, draws together complex probiotic research and shows accumulating evidence to support the health benefits of probiotics in some areas. The results of this review are a valuable tool for health professionals which will underpin consistent health advice.

The BNF has examined around 100 original research studies and reviews on probiotics and health. Sian Porter, spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association says: “We welcome BNF’s efforts to bring together the evidence on probiotics and clear the confusion. This review is a useful, up-to-date resource for dietitians to support their evidence based advice on the use of probiotics for different health conditions, to both individuals and the public”.

A complex science
‘Probiotics’ is an extremely complex topic, and this often leads to consumers being exposed to conflicting advice. Dr Elisabeth Weichselbaum, Nutrition Scientist and author of the BNF review says: “Probiotics seem to work in a very strain specific manner - speaking about ‘probiotics’ in general may be as misleading as speaking about ‘pills’ and their effects on health. If a certain strain has been found to affect a certain health outcome, such as IBS, it would be misleading to state that ‘all probiotics’ are effective in relieving IBS symptoms.”

The BNF review shows that each single probiotic strain has to be tested for each single health outcome. To be effective, probiotics need to influence the balance of the human gut microflora. Probiotics must be able to survive their passage through the gastro-intestinal tract, be taken regularly, and in the right dose. Dr Weichselbaum adds: “Scientists are also now becoming increasingly aware that it is important to test whether the food or drink in which probiotics are given is an effective vehicle for delivering health benefits.”

Promise for irritable bowel syndrome
Between 3-25% of the population complains of the uncomfortable symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), so it is no wonder that sufferers are interested in whether probiotics can help. Professor Glenn Gibson, Professor of Food Microbiology at the University of Reading, is optimistic: “The science shows promising results for the use of probiotics in IBS. The studies have looked at many different strains of bacteria but we need more studies to find out which strains are most effective, and to make sure any benefits found are not the result of a placebo effect.”

Established benefits for diarrhoea
The potential for probiotics to help in the prevention and treatment of diarrhoea has been widely studied.

Antibiotic-associated diarrhoea
Dr Weichselbaum says: “The prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea has a good science-base for some probiotic strains. Two strains called S. boulardii and L. rhamnosus GG have been shown to cut the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea by more than a half.”

Dr Mary Hickson, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust adds: “Certain strains of bacteria have good evidence to show they prevent antibiotic associated diarrhoea and Clostridium difficile diarrhoea. Providing products containing these strains to hospital patients may help to reduce these detrimental side effects and so reduce healthcare costs”.

Buy Probiotics

World Diabetes Day 14th November

A cure for Diabetes?

Take 6 people and reverse their diabetes just through Diet?

We live in a crazy world where many people consider Nutritionists to be like witch doctors - our faith in modern medicine is all consuming but "the facts", "the truth" doesn't add up to optimum health.

Drugs are killing people.

Processed food is killing people.

If you really want to get well then try this approach, if it doesn't work what have you got to lose? You'll still be on the drugs. You'll still be ill.

If it does work, with the supervision of your doctor you can gradually wean yourself off any drugs that you don't need any more.

Childrens Health and Nutrition Findings

From the Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday

Experts agree that what children eat from birth to five years old matters even more than their diet later on in childhood. But many little ones are not getting the nutrition they need to support their rapid growth and development. Nutritional problems are common among this age group, including iron deficiency anaemia and deficiencies of vitamin A, D, B6, folate, calcium and zinc; constipation is widespread, as are dental caries.

Almost a quarter of UK pre-school children are overweight or obese, with about ten per cent underweight, according to paediatric dietician Judy More, writing in the Journal of Family Health Care.

Poor diet also has a marked effect on education. The ‘Children of the 90s’ longitudinal study by the Institute of Education at the University of Bristol, which is following more than 14,000 families with babies born between April 1991 and December 1992, showed that children who ate a diet of ‘junk’ food (high in fat and sugar, eg, crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks, highly processed food, and takeaways) at the age of three made poorer progress than average at school between the ages of six and ten.

This year, a survey of 1,000 parents by the Infant and Toddler Forum found nearly a third of under-threes eat at least one takeaway a week, and 19 per cent are given takeaways or adult ready meals every day. A staggering 20 per cent of babies aged nine to 12 months were given a takeaway once a week.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1225227/Health-notes-The-ABC-healthier-children.html#ixzz0WHxY6zTG

Before It's too late - Events, London

Family Fun Day Ethical Health &amp Sustainability Croydon South London London events gigs nightlife

Are you really stupid enough to miss this - one day only - Fairfield Halls Nov 1st - ethical cinema, HealthZone, Kids Space, Cookery demos

Our future is at stake - our future health, our future planet, our children's future - time is running out. What's your excuse for standing by and doing nothing?

The Age Of Stupid


at the eco veggie fayre

Insurance Compaines Decieve America

The White House - Blog Post - Weekly Address: Taking the Insurance Companies on Down the Stretch

President Obama has the Health Insurance companies in his sights and he is taking them on head on . He doesn't mince his words in his latest address and he has the backing of big business who are realising that the American insurance companies will cost businesses commercial viability if insurance giants keep screwing everyone with their doubling premiums and gross profits and bonuses.

Obama accuses insurance companies of trying to kill reform at any cost risking unleashing havoc on the American economy as premiums double again over the next 10 years. President Obama reveals Health Insurers and their agents as deceptive, dishonest, misleading the American people, willfully ignoring the truth, having asked researchers to cook the evidence, creating smoke screens' producing bogus phony studies and bending the truth in their cynical political games.

At present there is no incentive for true 'health care' the profits are all in 'sick care'.

Obama seems committed to changing that.

True health insurance lies in the hands of nutritionists. It's by far the most cost effective investment for healthier living. The choice is yours invest in future sickness insurance or invest in optimal health assurance.

See Nutritionists London

Fish Don't Protect Against Heart Attacks

Fish Don't Protect Against Heart Attacks: Study
Intake of very long chain n-3 fatty acids from fis...[Eur J Heart Fail. 2009] - PubMed Result

In this study the author's claim no protection against heart attacks from eating fish. (Full text)

In a previous study it's claimed fish do have a protective effect on Atrial fibrillation although it differentiates between tuna, broiled or baked fish and fried fish or 'fish burgers'.

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/110/4/368?etoc

It seems thus the key to confusion is the fat not the fish. As with studies on Flax oil, if it's pure and encapsulated it provides degrees of success - baked in muffins with fat and sugar it appears impotent.

It is logical that the high levels of saturated fats in fish, with any essential fats left to oxidise, laced with potential toxins from polluted oceans and unhealthy fats introduced through cooking may undermine any theraputic benefit of the EPA and DHA in fish.

The solution to balancing long chain essential fatty acid levels in the body which are undisputedly needed for the intergity of every cell membrane is perhaps best addressed by sustainably grown, unpolluted new strains of algae that can provide both pure EPA and DHA for theraputic use.

New plant oils such as Echium found to be far more effectively converted in the body into EPA than flax oil may also prove to be invaluable as the oceanic ecosystems are gradually destroyed by overfishing.

Echium Oil - Algae Oil - Fish Free Omega 3

Warning - Swine Flu H1N1 Vaccine Is Not Safe

Warning - Swine Flu H1N1 Vaccine Is Not Safe

More claims from health professionals that mercury laden flu vaccines are unsafe.

Red meat again linked to cancer risk: Study

Red meat again linked to cancer risk: Study

Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers from the National Cancer Institute report that high intake of red meat may increase the risk of prostate cancer by 12 per cent.

Furthermore, red meat may increase the risk of advanced prostate cancer by 30 per cent, wrote the researchers, led by Dr Rashmi Sinha from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.

The study adds to an ever increasing list of bad news for red and processed meat, following a previous study from the NCI that reported high intakes of red and processed meats may raise the risk of lung and colorectal cancer by up to 20 per cent.

The World Cancer Research Fund published a report in 2007 that directly linked diet to cancer, with alcohol and red and processed meats posing particular risks.

Earlier this year, the same authors published similar findings from a study with half a million people, noting that that increased consumption of red and processed meat may have a modestly increased risk of death from all causes and also from cancer or heart disease (Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol 169, pp. 562-571).

Vitamin B12 Deficiencies in Meat Eaters

A typical criticism of vegetarian diets (usually from health professionals without practical hands-on experience in nutrition practice) is that vegetarians and vegans lack sufficient vitamin B12.

However in a recent study of diabetes ( a disease linked to meat and animal fat based diets) it seems that B12 deficiency in modern diets is of general concern.

Yvonne Bishop-Weston a leading UK Nutritionist says "In UK clinic I rarely find vegetarians with significant B12 and Iron deficiencies, they tend to be more aware of failings in our modern diets. More often than not meat eaters are lulled into a false sense of security that the Standard American Diet (SAD diet) of Meat, cheese and processed carbohydrates stripped of nutrients and fibre provides them with all the vitamins and minerals that they need"

We know the general population is short on iron it's seems they are likely to be low on Vitamin B12 too.

The prevalence of vitamin B(12) deficiency in pati...[J Am Board Fam Med. 2009 Sep-Oct] - PubMed Result: "Our results found a 22% prevalence of metabolically confirmed B(12) deficiency in the primary care type 2 diabetic population. Although further research needs to be performed to determine the clinical implications of our findings, B(12) deficiency should be considered in type 2 diabetic patients, especially those taking metformin. Furthermore, a daily multivitamin may protect against B(12) deficiency."

A seperate Swedish study showed that good quality B12 supplement taken sublingually (under the tongue) is as effective as injections. A regular sublingual Vitamin B12 supplement may be good health insurance for us all. Go to your Doctor and ask for a homocysteine blood test which is the most reliable way to date of testing for vitamin B12 deficiency

World Vegan Day - Vegan News

Welcome to Peace One Day: Peace One Day – 21 September 2009

Peace One Day: Peace One Day – 21 September 2009

Cannabinoids: potential anticancer agents.

Cannabinoids: potential anticancer agents. [Nat Rev Cancer. 2003] - PubMed Result

Key studies suggesting that active ingredients in some varieties of hemp may successfully inhibit the growth of cancerous growths has been universally ignored and buried by the media.

It's claimed hemp does this by modulating key cell-signalling pathways, thereby inducing direct growth arrest and death of tumor cells, as well as by inhibiting the growth of blood vessels that supply the tumor.

The Guzman study is very important according to Dr. Ethan Russo , a neurologist and world authority on medical cannabis:"Cancer occurs because cells become immortalized; they fail to heed normal signals to turn off growth. A normal function of remodelling in the body requires that cells die on cue. This is called apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

That process fails to work in tumors. THC promotes its reappearance so that gliomas, leukemias, melanomas and other cell types will in fact heed the signals, stop dividing, and die."

"But, that is not all," explains Dr. Russo: "The other way that tumors grow is by ensuring that they are nourished: they send out signals to promote angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels. Cannabinoids turn off these signals as well. It is truly incredible, and elegant."

The potential of Hemp as a treatment for cancer was proven in research dating back to 1974. Researchers at the Medical College of Virginia, who had been funded by the National Institutes of Health to find evidence that marijuana damages the immune system, found instead that THC slowed the growth of three kinds of cancer - lung and breast cancer, and a virus-induced leukemia.

A large scale human study by the Natural Health Industry is called for to investigate these findings

Kate Moss Spotty Fashion

Worse for wear Kate Moss at Men of the Year awards | Mail Online

Croydon Girl Kate Moss seems to have come out in sympathy with her home town, the unhealthiest borough in London. Wearing this party seasons latest face it looks like she could do with the same advice dished out to Croydon Councilors today - have a 5 a day day!

Nutrition London