Health Care

Dan Carlin

One of the most ridiculous fad diets ever invented is the cookie diet. In essence this diet claims that amino acids baked into cookies can control hunger.


Fad diets are short term diets in which people are to lose a lot of weight, and are popular because of their claims of great weight loss. Fad diets generally include some super food, like the cookie in the cookie diet, with miraculous weight loss properties. These diets rely on slick pitches that make it seem silly not to buy and try the diet.

Sanford Siegel created the cookie diet in 1975 while he was doing research for a nutrition book. To maintain the cookie diet people would eat six cookies a day, plus a regular dinner. People on the diet ate only 800 calories a day. The cookie diet exploded to 24 clinics around the world. In the middle 1980s over 200 doctors were prescribing Dr. Siegel's cookie diet in their own practices. The clever doctor came out with soups and shakes that also contained the amino acids needed to control hunger.

Later Hollywood grabbed the cookie diet. The diet benefited from the media efforts of all the stars who tried it to lose weight. Like the original cookie diet this Hollywood version replaced breakfast and lunch with cookies, then allowed a reasonable dinner. The four cookies allowed on this diet consisted of a combined 600 calories and various vitamins.

If you're thinking of the cookie diet take Donnie Brasco's advice – forget about it. If you want to lose weight, or maintain a healthy eating lifestyle, simply lower the amount of calories you eat from everyday foods and add some exercise. Forget miracle foods even if a star tells you to try them.

Please visit my website to find out more about the cookie and weight loss - you can also download your 3 FREE fat busting reports!

By:Graham Drage

Stem cells are cells found in most, if not all, multi-cellular organisms. They are the building blocks of the body which have the ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and differentiate into a diverse range of specialised cell types such as muscle or nerve cells. Scientists are learning how to 'tweak' stem cells so that they can be used to treat degenerative diseases etc.

When IVF was first announced it was frowned upon but now it is accepted as being a normal and fairly routine procedure. Given enough time to raise awareness of the benefits of stem cell therapy it is anticipated that, like IVF, it will become accepted practice. In fact, cell therapy is currently being used for the treatment of patients with leukaemia so already there is a certain level of public acceptance for this type of treatment.

Patient groups such as the Parkinson's Society are encouraging the use of stem cell therapy by the very nature of the disease itself. It is those people suffering from slowly degenerative diseases who are most likely to push for clinical trials in man. It may be too late to help them but they are keen to help treat subsequent sufferers with the aim of eradicating the disease altogether. In addition, we have an ageing population which is yet another reason why there is a greater demand for research into cell and organ replacement therapies.

The commercial aspect of stem cell therapy should not be overlooked. There are existing treatments which, in the future, could be replaced with stem cell therapy. For example, the current treatment for patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a 4 to 6 weekly injection in the diseased eye at a cost of £1,200 per injection. These injections could be replaced with the use of embryonic stem cells. A procedure which would take 40 minutes and last 2 to 3 years at an approximate cost of £5,000.[1] This one example demonstrates a considerable saving and most importantly, improvement to the patient's quality of life.

Stem cell activities are regulated by different professional bodies within the EU which has resulted in a somewhat fragmented approach with decisions having to be made on a national basis. This is time consuming, inefficient and costly. Currently there are proposals being debated in the European Parliament which, hopefully, will go some way to resolving this. It has taken many years to get to where we are today and it is likely to take at least another decade before we reach any level of true harmonisation.

Europe isn't on its own in having a fragmented approach to stem cell therapies. America's regulations vary considerably from State to State and under the Bush administration federal funding for stem cell medical research has been extremely limited. The new US President, Barack Obama, however, has stated that he will lift the restrictions imposed by President Bush. "I believe that the restrictions that President Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem cell research have handcuffed our scientists and hindered our ability to compete with other nations," he said. As president, Obama says he will guarantee that all research on stem cells is conducted "ethically and with rigorous oversight."[2] Europe is waiting to see what happens with Obama at the helm of the US because it is likely that whatever happens in America will also have an impact on regulations within the EEC.

In the meantime, it is important that we do not lose sight of the fact that the research and development of stem cell therapies has huge potential for human health. It took many years for IVF to become a normal part of our healthcare system. Given enough time to raise public awareness and to harmonise legal and regulatory systems, stem cell therapy will also become accepted treatment. In the transition phase regulatory compliance consultants like GRS continue to monitor and offer advice to organisations at the leading edge of healthcare technology.

[1] Source: Professor P Coffey, The London Project to Cure Blindness: Stemming Vision Loss with Stem Cells

[2] Source: San Francisco Chronicle, 29 November 2008

Greer Deal is the Founder and CEO of Global Regulatory Services Ltd. which has been created to offer regulatory advice and services to a wide range of industry sectors. Her website is www.globalregulatoryservices.com and she can be contacted on +44(0) 1353 774000.

Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_784536_17.html

By: Nathan Wei

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common conditions leading to disability and impaired quality of life in the Western world.

Ironically, while more effective disease-modifying therapies have been developed for rheumatoid arthritis, particularly within the last 10-15 years, rheumatologists still treat osteoarthritis with symptomatic and supportive therapies.

As a result, the inexorable progression of this disease results in the performance of more than half a million joint replacements annually in the United States. While joint replacement surgery has made gigantic strides, it is still a major surgical procedure.

Risk factors for the development of OA include: genetic factors, obesity, joint injury, surgery, and the presence of associated metabolic disease.

It is clear from the research that OA is a disease that involves not only the cartilage- the gristle that caps the end of long bones and cushions the joint, but also the synovium- the tissue lining the joint- as well as the bone that underlies cartilage.

While genetic factors play a significant role in the incidence of osteoarthritis, the damage that occurs is a result of a complex interaction of inflammatory messengers. Among these are cytokines, prostaglandins, nitric oxide, growth factors, and proteases.

These substances, which are produced by chondrocytes (cartilage cells) that are subjected to abnormal forces lead to a situation where there is premature aging and destruction of cartilage substance.

The production of these inflammatory proteins also contributes to inflammation of the synovium and excessive amounts of bone growth.

Present therapies, as issued by guidelines proposed by the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI), are clearly aimed at symptom relief. These treatments include: analgesics, non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), topical agents (“rubs”), and joint injections with either glucocorticoids (“cortisone”), or hylauronic acid lubricants.

Current research has been aimed at finding the triggers that cause inflammation to start and also to identify specific markers that might identify those patients who are at greatest risk for rapid progression of disease. These markers would also be useful in measuring improvement once newer drugs that can slow down disease progression in OA can be discovered.

However, all of these investigations are futile unless and until specific disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADS) – drugs that slow down the rate of cartilage loss- can be developed.

Drugs aimed at inhibiting cytokine and protease function show some promise but it is still too early to tell whether they will have the desired effect. Examples of these drugs include: matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors, drugs that block interleukin 1, bisphosphonates, calcitonin, as well as nutritional supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin.

And it may not be enough to find drugs that simply slow disease progression.

The “holy grail” is still the treatment(s) that will rebuild cartilage. The type of therapy that shows the greatest promise to date is the use of autologous stem cells. These are stem cells harvested from the patient and reintroduced into the affected joint along with a specific matrix to which the stem cells can adhere and grow.

Early results look promising. For more information about stem cell treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee, contact the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland at (301) 694-5800

About the Author
Nathan Wei, MD FACP FACR is a nationally known, board-certified rheumatologist. For more info: Arthritis Treatment and Tendonitis Treatment Tips

By: Dr Karen

A Review of John Kanzius' Thermal Destruction of Cancer Cells by Boomeryearbook.com

What is Thermal Destruction of Cancer Cells? John Kanzius says he uses radio waves in a noninvasive way to heat nanoparticles which can kill cancer. John Kanzius is not a doctor. In fact he holds no degrees at all, not even a college bachelor degree. Who is he? He is a man, like so many, diagnosed with cancer.

Five years ago, John was informed that he has b-cell leukemia. John understood and witnessed first hand the devastation the current cancer treatment wrecked on one's body and spirit; seeing the hopeful smiling faces starting chemo therapy and radiation turn sickly and zombie like as treatment progressed. These difficult, toxic cancer treatment sessions prompted him to invent the use of radio wave frequencies to kill cancer. So, John started working in his garage. Since childhood, John had been fascinated by radio waves. He soon discovered that nanoparticles and other molecules can be heated with radio waves and that cancerous cells are eradicated! In testing he discovered, that cancer cells could be eradicated, without side effects, in an 8 week period of time!

John Kanzius, sans the professional degree, has worked as owner and operator of a radio station and also engineered and managed TV stations. Radio waves were a childhood fascination and a major component of his adult work. Prior to Kanzius' breakthrough, using radio waves to cure cancer had not been an avenue pursued by ANY mainstream researchers. Contrary, researchers have concentrated their efforts on drugs, surgery and other medical cancer treatment interventions. Now, thanks to Kanzius' pioneering work, researchers are finding solutions through the science of physics. When John was queried as to what made him think he could invent a cure for cancer?, he responded, "no one else had done it."

This possible cure gives many people hope but unfortunately, it is quite likely that the inventor himself might succumb to his cancer prior to benefiting from it as a curative cancer treatment. Preparing for such a scenario, John Kanzius has proactively made arrangements for his discovery to be handled by a corporation, and ensured that his hometown in PA could benefit once the FDA gave approval for the Radio Wave Machine's use in killing cancer. It means a lot to his hometown in Erie county. The machine to cure some of the worst cancers, manufactured and then conducted at their local cancer center, will put the small town of Erie PA on the world's map. It's anticipated, that once instituted and approved, that visiting cancer patients will be coming in from all over the world.

Is it a little too early to call it a cure? Maybe? but the medical profession is very hopeful. The FDA has given Kanzius testing phase approval to receive international patients. The county of Erie is excited about the economic growth that will likely be experienced if the treatment is approved. It could mean a 10 billion increase in revenue for the county. A lot of key people and resources are behind Kanzius. Dr. Stephen Curly is a surgical oncologist and does cancer research at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Curly said, "This has the most fascinating potential I've seen in anything in my twenty years of cancer research." Dr. Curly continues to provide fund raising support so the research can continue at it's miracle accelerated pace.

We at Boomer Yearbook will continue to follow John Kanzius's Radio Wave Cancer Killing Machine and update you regularly. We hope you will write in to us and let us know what you think. We'd love to hear from you.

www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit. For www.boomeryearbook.com

www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com