Contents:
- Energy Healing Research
- Relaxation Facilitates Healing
- Diet Helps Arthritis Patients
- Thrombocytopenia and Lupus
- Beer Alters Blood Clotting
- Bringing the Genome to You
Energy Healing Research
Several new research programs sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine will explore the mind-body connection in healing. A pilot study at the California Pacific Medical Center suggested that it is possible to measure biological properties of cultured human cells in response to healing intentionality. Also, the University of Arizona’s new Center for Frontier Medicine in Biofield Science will offer doctor training and research opportunities to understand the connection between biofield therapies like qi gong on cellular function.
Ions Noetic Science Review Dec.2002-Feb.-2003 pp. 36 – 38
Relaxation Facilitates Healing
Patients involved in fibromyalgia research at the University of Louisville and psoriasis research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School Stress Reduction Clinic responded to treatment faster when they learned relaxation techniques such as meditation. (Note: fibromyalgia and psoriasis are autoimmune diseases)
Shape.com March 2003. pp. 103
Diet Helps Arthritis Patients
Rheumatoid arthritis patients reduced their pain and inflammation in 12 weeks after switching from a western diet to a traditional Mediterranean diet, according to Ume University’s Dr. L. Hagfors and his associates. The diet called for a high consumption of fruit, vegetables, cereals, legumes, olive or canola oil, and green or black tea instead of wine. C reactive protein levels and thrombocyte counts were also decreased by this diet. (Note: Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease)
“Mediterranean Diet Suppresses Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis” Reuters Health Information. Feb 19, 2003.
Thrombocytopenia and Lupus
Thrombocytopenia in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients may indicate a severe familial form of the disease, report researchers at the University of Oklahoma. The associated genetic risk factors therefore need to be identified. Thrombocytopenia was associated with nephritis, serositis, neuropsychiatric involvement, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, anti-double-stranded DNA, and anti-phospholipid antibody.
“Thrombocytopenia identifies a severe familial phenotype of systemic lupus erythematosus and reveals genetic linkages at 1q22 and 11p13” Acofield, Bruner, Kelly, Kilpatrick, Bacino, Nath and Harley, Blood 1 February 2003 Vol. 101, No. 3 pg. 992
See: http://www.bloodjournal.org
Beer Alters Blood Clotting
Drinking a beer a day alters the structure of fibrinogen, a blood protein involved in blood clotting, report researchers at Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem. When the subject’s blood was analyzed ten percent of their fibrinogen disappeared and much of the remaining fibrinogen underwent changes that compromise the blood clotting process. The group suggests that some of the fibrinogen effect may be traced to polyphenols, pigmented antioxidant compounds in beer, green and black tea, red wine, and grape juice .
“Why beer may deter blood clots”, Science News, March 8, 2003, Vol 163, P. 157.
See: http://www.sciencenews.org
Bringing the Genome to You
Nobel Laureate James Watson, National Human Genome Research Institute Director Francis Collis and others will share their insights in a free program at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC on April 15, 2003 from 9AM to 1PM. A limited number of scholarships are available to defray travel and/or lodging costs for members of the public who otherwise could not attend.
See www.genome.gov/About/April2003. For a scholarship application call 301-402-0955.
