Catherine – Page 88 – News by Nature

3Oct

By CatherineNo Comments

Botanicals

Ohio Banning Sales of Kratom and CBD

At a time when many pain sufferers are turning to natural supplements to relieve their pain, the state of Ohio is moving to ban two of the most popular ones. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy voted Monday to classify kratom as a Schedule I controlled substance alongside heroin, LSD and other dangerous drugs. The move came two months after the board issued an advisory warning that sales of CBD-infused products are illegal under Ohio’s new medical marijuana program. The pharmacy board considers kratom – which come from the leaves of a tree that grows in southeast Asia – a “psychoactive plant” that can cause hallucinations, psychosis, seizures and death. State health officials have identified six recent deaths in Ohio in which kratom "was indicated as the primary cause of death." You can fin...

Diet Affects The Breast Microbiome In Mammals

2Oct

By CatherineNo Comments

Diet, Wellness

Diet Affects The Breast Microbiome In Mammals

Diet influences the composition of microbial populations in the mammary glands of nonhuman primates, researchers report October 2 in the journal Cell Reports. Specifically, a Mediterranean diet increased the abundance of probiotic bacteria previously shown to inhibit tumor growth in animals. Diet has been extensively studied as a lifestyle factor that could influence breast cancer development. Breast cancer risk in women is increased by consumption of a high-fat Western diet full of sweets and processed foods but reduced by a healthy Mediterranean diet consisting of vegetables, fish, and olive oil. Intriguingly, a recent study in humans revealed that malignant breast tumors have a lower abundance of Lactobacillus bacteria compared to benign lesions, suggesting that microbial imbalances ...

Pensioners Warned Not To Mix Statins And Herbal Remedies

25Sep

By CatherineNo Comments

Remedies

Pensioners Warned Not To Mix Statins And Herbal Remedies

More than a million pensioners risk worsening their chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke by taking herbal remedies alongside statins and warfarin, researchers have warned. A new study found older people on the life-saving drugs are often also taking three or more herbal supplements, such as St John’s Wort or ginseng, which can reduce their effect. Published in the British Journal of General Practice, the study surveyed patients at two surgeries and found that one-third of those over 65 were taking both prescribed drugs and herbal remedies. According to the survey, women were around twice as likely to use prescribed medicine alongside a dietary supplement to men, 43.4 percent compared to 22.5. The most commonly used dietary supplements were cod liver oil, glucosamine, m...

Scientists Urge New EU Rules On Gene Editing Crops

20Sep

By CatherineNo Comments

Genetically Modified Foods

Scientists Urge New EU Rules On Gene Editing Crops

The European Commission needs to quickly propose new rules for crops created by modern targeted plant breeding techniques such as Crispr –Cas9 genome editing, or face a withering of Europe’s agricultural research base. The warning comes this week from the German Bioeconomy Council (BEC), a panel of 17 researchers who advise the German government, and is widely echoed by plant researchers around the continent. The moves follow a surprise ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in July, which said that new products created by Crispr and similar techniques that offer a precision tool for editing a plant’s genetic code, must go through the same time-consuming approval process prescribed under 2001 EU legislation for older genetic modification techniques. "In its current form, EU...

Intestines Modify Their Cellular Structure In Response To Diet

20Sep

By CatherineNo Comments

Diet

Intestines Modify Their Cellular Structure In Response To Diet

Body organs such as the intestine and ovaries undergo structural changes in response to dietary nutrients that can have lasting impacts on metabolism, as well as cancer susceptibility, according to Carnegie's Rebecca Obniski, Matthew Sieber, and Allan Spradling. There are three major types of cells in fruit fly (and mammalian) intestines: Stem cells, hormone-producing cells, and nutrient-handling cells. Think of the stem cells as blanks, which are eventually programmed to become either hormone-producing or nutrient-handling cells. The authors discovered that this programming can be influenced by dietary nutrients and that young animals are particularly sensitive to these changes. The effect of cholesterol is to promote the programming of more new, "blank" cells into hormone-producing...

Sore point: Ancient Remedies For Toothache Often Worse Than The Pain

14Sep

By CatherineNo Comments

Remedies

Sore point: Ancient Remedies For Toothache Often Worse Than The Pain

If you found a live frog in your mouth in 19th or 20th century Ireland, it probably wasn’t a kiss attempt gone awry. You were just probably trying to draw out its healing powers to cure a toothache. If that didn’t work, you could try sucking on cloves. Or drinking water from the Holy Well. There was also the option of taking a tooth from a corpse. These cures are among the many found in new research by Dr. Carol Barron of DCU’s school of nursing and human sciences and her research assistant, Tiziana Soverino, published in the Journal of the History of Dentistry. Over 400 of the cures addressed in the folklore were for treatment of an aching tooth. They were categorized into plant and mineral, quasi-medical and magico-religious cures. Other cures were slightly more quotidian tha...

Can Dietary Changes Help With Microscopic Colitis?

10Sep

By CatherineNo Comments

Diet

Can Dietary Changes Help With Microscopic Colitis?

Microscopic colitis is an inflammation of the bowel lining that doctors can only see under a microscope. It is often possible to treat this condition with medication, but dietary and lifestyle changes may also help reduce or prevent symptoms. The symptoms of MC tend to come and go, and diarrhea can last for weeks or months. In some people, the condition may resolve without treatment. The cause of MC is still not clear. Researchers are currently studying the possible connection between diet and MC. There is little evidence to suggest a link between what people eat and the symptoms of MC. Researchers in Sweden published a study in 2016 that followed 135 people with MC over the course of 22 years and monitored their intake of the following: Protein Carbohydrate Sucrose ...

3 Effective Home Remedies To Ease A Sore Throat

3Sep

By CatherineNo Comments

Remedies

3 Effective Home Remedies To Ease A Sore Throat

Due to the change in weather, seasonal allergies or excessive use of air conditioners, a common problem that most people face from time to time is a sore throat. Just like a cold, a sore throat can be frustrating as you deal with the annoying itch and pain in your throat. While there are many medications that one can take to get rid of a sore throat, you can also resort to natural home remedies to ease the condition and build your immunity. 1. Pepper water The fact that black pepper is an incredible ingredient when it comes to fighting cold, cough and flu is not unknown. Thanks to the presence of the essential oil called piperine, which helps in fighting viruses and bacterial infection, and in relieving chest congestion. 2. Ginger, honey and lemon This has got to be one of the ...

Sustainable Nutrition: A New Term for An Old Concern

27Aug

By CatherineNo Comments

Diet

Sustainable Nutrition: A New Term for An Old Concern

Food security is a most basic human need. Historical accounts show that for centuries, human societies around the world have raised concerns about our food supply. This contemplation has driven innovation and we have, quite successfully, adapted to feed and nourish people. With increasing constraints on our planetary boundaries — we’re not getting more land any time soon — and a growing world population, the areas of sustainability and human nutrition have merged into a new conversation: sustainable nutrition. This convergence is more of an evolution than a revolution. Thomas Malthus’ 1798 essay on population growth made a similar warning as contemporary concerns about nutrition and sustainability — demand for food will outpace our ability to produce it. For food insecure populations...

Controversy Over Genetically Modified Organisms

19Aug

By CatherineNo Comments

Genetically Modified Foods

Controversy Over Genetically Modified Organisms

It all began in 2004 when Nigeria signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States government to support genetically modified crops after which a Biosafety Law was enacted in in April 2015. Since then the question has bordered on whether Genetically Modified Foods (GMFs) are good substitutes as claimed by some experts? If the GMFs are indeed a boost to crops, they why all the furor about it with several countries imposing a ban on their production? In attempting to allay the fears about of GMOs, the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB) gave a response in one of its policy briefs, saying that “in real life nothing is absolutely safe but a degree of certainty is assured compared to other conventional breeding procedure. Experts in the health sector...