Today In Alt Med

Ginkgo Fails Another Study On Alzheimer's

Ginkgo biloba has long been touted as an herbal remedy for better memory, improved cognition and even as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease. But a new study published this morning at the website for the journal The Lancet Neurology says that people who take ginkgo while hoping to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer's are, essentially, wasting their money.

The study, which looked at a specific brand of standardized ginkgo extract, followed more than 2800 elderly French patients for 5 years. Of the patients, 1406 of them took the ginkgo extract while 1414 of them were given a placebo product. All of the patients had sought treatment for memory problems at some point and by the end of the study 61 of the ginkgo takers had been formally diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. That compares to 73 of the placebo users.

About the only good news to come out of this study--at least if you're a believer in ginkgo--is that the extract did seem to be safe. A similar number of patients in both groups died over the course of the study and only a few more of the ginkgo patients had a stroke during that time.

Herbalists believe that ginkgo works, in part, by increasing blood flow to the brain. Unfortunately, recent studies on both elderly and younger patients have not found the increased blood flow to be beneficial. A 2005 study, for example, found that college kids who took the remedy got a short-term boost in memory but after a few weeks the ginkgo stopped working. The students, the researchers speculated, eventually developed a resistance to the herb.

And while some studies on Ginkgo biloba have produced promising results large double-blind studies have generally not.

Corn Refiners' Study Says High Fructose Corn Syrup OK

A new study published this month at the website for Nutritional Journal questions recent research on high fructose corn syrup and says that its data shows no special link between high fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, and obesity. There's just one itty bitty thing you might want to know before you read it, though--this study was funded by the Corn Refiners Association.

For the study researchers put 247 overweight or obese adult volunteers on 1 of 5 hypocaloric meal plans. Each individual was given a specific caloric goal to shoot for and encouraged to aim for a caloric deficit of 500 calories. Then 4 of the groups were also given sweetened 1% milk to figure into their equations. One group consumed 10% of its total calories from high fructose corn syrup while a second group consumed 20% of its calories from the stuff. The third and fourth groups used sucrose instead of high fructose corn syrup.

What the researchers found at the end of 12 weeks is that the folks who took in even 20% of the daily calories in the form of high fructose corn syrup all lost weight and all ended up with healthier cholesterol and triglycerides levels.

These results seem to fly in the face of other research which has long blamed added sugars for America's obesity problem. And some people have even gone so far as to suggest that because of the way high fructose corn syrup is produced it's actually used differently by our bodies. A 2004 piece in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition speculated that high fructose corn syrup doesn't activatethe body's natural food response system. To really simplify the theory . . . your body doesn't get the I've-eaten-so-now-I-feel-satisfied messages that it gets you eat, say, a vegetable or a piece of fruit.

The authors of this study say that that kind of thinking has warped public perception of high fructose corn syrup and caused people to shun what is, ultimately, a healthy source of energy.

Forgiveness Linked To Better Mental Health

A new study set to be published in the Journal of Religion and Health says that the ability to forgive is directly tied to better mental health, especially when it comes to coping with things like traumatic injuries, cancer and stroke.

The study looked at a small number of Buddhists, Catholics, Jews, Muslims and Protestants and found spiritual beliefs "grounded" those individuals and gave them a sense of perspective about where they "fit" into the world. To put it a bit less nicely, this study basically says that religious people are less narcissistic when they get sick or injured and that makes for better mental health.

This study did not, however, find that deeply religious people were any healthier than the casual religious observer. Mental health did not improve, for example, as someone became more active in their particular house of worship.

And according to the results of this study the only spiritual practice that really matters is the ability to forgive. Forgiveness was the only spiritual trait to stand out after the volunteers' various personality traits were figured into the mix.

This study was done by researchers from the University of Missouri. It's available now as an ahead-of-print piece at the website for the Journal of Religion and Health, which is currently hosting another study on spirituality. That one is titled "The Growing Evidence For Demon Possession: What Should Psychiatry's Response Be?"

Both Victims of Brain Eating Amoeba In Neti Pots Had It In Their Tap Water

Remember last year's cases of the so-called brain eating amoeba being "caught" from neti pots? Well, now a new study in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases has taken a closer look at those 2 cases and once again reminds us that do-it-yourself medicine is still medicine and brings some very real risks along with it.

In case you're not familiar with the story . . . last summer a Louisiana man died from Naegleria fowleri infection that doctors ultimately blamed on contaminated tap water the man had used during nasal irrigation with a neti pot. A few months later a woman died the same way and doctors also blamed the amoeba and the woman's tap water.

Why did they focus so quickly on the neti pot? Well, both of these victims were adults who had, as far as anyone in their families could tell, not been swimming or had any other recreational water activities in their recent histories but both had used neti pots in the days leading up to their illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, sent a team to investigate and their findings have just been published as the study in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

What the researchers found was that both victims had the amoeba in their tap water. The parasite was not found, though, in the water treatment plants or in the water lines running to the homes. Exactly how the parasite got into the hot water lines of the 2 homes is still a mystery but scientists say that once it got there it flourished in the hot water system.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Neti pots use salt water and salt kills stuff, right? Well, these researchers thought of that, too, and tested the commercial salt mixtures that are sold for neti pot use. What they found was that those little salt packets couldn't kill the amoeba even after the water was allowed to sit for 4 hours. It certainly isn't going to be effective in a couple of minutes.

So does this mean we should all stop using neti pots? Of course not. But the lead scientist behind this study does recommend that people who use neti pots either buy bottled water that specifically claims to be sterile or use tap water that has been boiled for at least 1 minute. A water filter that can filter out particles smaller than 1 micron should also be effective, he says.

San Francisco Herb & Natural Food Company Sees Products Seized

The absolutely atrocious rodent infestation at the San Francisco Herb & Natural Food Company has resulted in a raid and seizure by the US Food and Drug Administration, the FDA announced today. According to the agency's press release its agents worked with US Marshals to raid the warehouse yesterday. All products not held in glass or metal containers were seized, the statement said.

Although no one has ever reported becoming sick after eating the filthy foods the level of contamination is staggering. "The violations at San Francisco Herb & Natural Food Company, in Fremont, Calif. are widespread and significant," said the FDA's associate commissioner for regulatory affairs, Dara Corrigan. Corrigan went on to characterize the raid as "aggressive" and necessary to protect the health of San Francisco Herb & Natural Food Company's customers.

During their inspection of the warehouse FDA agents say they found dead and live rodents in the food. They also found what appeared to be rodent nests in some of the foods.

This story first came to my attention late last month when Bay area media began reporting that the company's Fremont warehouse had been closed by California health inspectors. On July 24, 2012, the company recalled more than a dozen products for what it called at the time "potential contamination of filth". Shortly thereafter video supposedly shot inside the warehouse and aired on a local TV station showed just how bad the "potential" contamination might be.

The only statement (at least that I can find) that San Francisco Herb & Natural Food Company has issued about any of this came in the form of an undated letter. Reportedly sent to media the day after the recall was announced the statement acknowledged what it called "the mouse problem" and called the situation "unacceptable".

But an apology may not be all it takes to get the company back on track. San Francisco media is now reporting that there's evidence that the people behind San Francisco Herb & Natural Food Company did know how bad the situation was and even had employees sort through the foods to pick out the mouse droppings. The foods were then allegedly put into distribution. If that turns out to be true--the city's local NBC affiliate says it has the evidence to back its claims--the company is in a whole other bit of trouble. Under California law it is illegal to put a contaminated food into the marketplace.

Health Officials Warn The "Diabetic Curious"

Health officials in Tennessee issued a warning yesterday to people the agency calls the "diabetic curious". Using someone else's glucose testing supplies to prick your own finger just to see what it feels like or to test your own blood sugar on their equipment can be dangerous, the agency says. And it's an awfully convenient way to pick up something like hepatitis, too.

“We have concerns about people borrowing someone else’s diabetes testing equipment to see what their own blood sugar levels are,” said Dr. Tim Jones. Jones went on to remind parents to talk to their kids, too, about not sharing medical devices like lancets with others. "Never, ever experiment," is Jones' words to kids.

It's unclear whether anyone in the state has actually contracted hepatitis from using another person's lancet but the potential is certainly there. What is clear is that Tennessee, like pretty much of the rest of the country, is seeing more hepatitis these days. In the past 5 years or so the rate of hepatitis B infection has risen from 2.36 per every 100,000 people to 3. Equally concerning is the jump in hep C cases. It's gone from 0.62 per 100,000 individuals to 1.31.

But the "diabetes curious" aren't the only ones at risk. The Tennessee Department of Health is also concerned about people who self-tattoo. Tattoo studios in Tennessee are, of course, regularly inspected and licensed but a number of people will, for whatever reason, choose to go to a non-licensed and/or untrained tattoo artist. And that could put them at risk for blood-borne infections.

"Don't Give Echinacea To Kids," Says UK Group

The UK's Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency, or MHRA, issued a somewhat contradictory advisory to parents today, telling them not to give kids oral herbal remedies made with Echinacea. The warning covers all kids under the age of 12. Adults and kids older than 12 can keep right on using the herb.

“This is not a serious safety issue," said MHRA's Head of Herbal Policy, Richard Woodfield, "but parents and carers need to be aware that children under 12 could have a low risk of developing allergic reactions, such as rashes from oral Echinacea products."

Most of us here in the US have probably never even heard of this group but the MHRA is actually part of the UK's Department of Health. The agency regulates drugs and medicines intended to treat diagnose, treat or prevent diseases. (The agency also has jurisdiction over medical devices.)

MHRA says that it's issuing the advisory after getting input from the European Herbal Medicinal Products Committee, or HMPC, and the UK Herbal Medicines Advisory Committee, or HMAC. Both of those groups have publicly stated that any benefits to kids under the age of 12 are outweighed by the potential for harm--including the risk of allergic reactions. The risk of allergic reactions is small, the groups agree, but allergic reactions to the herb can be life threatening.

So if it's so dangerous why even allow its use at all? The agency has an answer for that. The risk of side effects in teens and adults is smaller, the agency says, because it's harder to "overdose" a larger child. Teens and adults also get fewer colds, in general, than young kids so they're also less likely to even take the herb in the first place.

There are currently 2 officially recognized pediatric Echinacea-based herbal products for sale in the UK and both brands will be re-stickered to warn parents not to give the remedies to young kids. But that won't do anything about the dozens of unofficial Echinacea products on the market. The MHRA is asking distributors of those products to also re-label but it's hard to tell if that request has any real legal teeth to it.

Woodfield goes on to add that the advisory is intended only to be "cautionary". Echinacea use presents no known risk to kids who've taken it in the past, he soothes.

FaVe Rolls Out New Juice For The Fresh Market

FaVe Logo provided by PRNewswire.

Juice company FaVe announced this morning that it has partnered with The Fresh Market grocery store chain to roll out a new "all natural" juice line. Simply called FaVe, the juice comes in 3 flavors: Strawberry-Banana-Kiwi, Blueberry-Pomegranate-Goji and Orange-Tangerine-Pineapple. All are blends of fruits and vegetables.

FaVe says it employs a "unique patented process" in the production of its juices. And that process reportedly allows the company to increase the vegetable content by as much as 50% while lowering the caloric load of each juice by 60 to 110 calories per serving.

Spokespeople for both companies expressed joy at the new venture. "We are proud to partner with The Fresh Market to bring consumers innovative, delicious, healthier choices for beverages, while increasing vegetable consumption, said FaVe's CMO.

"At The Fresh Market, we look for the highest quality, best-tasting products available," chimes in Mathis Martines. Martines is the grocery coordinator for The Fresh Market. "All-natural FaVe fits that description to a T."

On its website FaVe says that its juices are all-natural and made without preservatives, artificial sweeteners or high-fructose corn syrups. Each 8-ounce glass of the new juice will provide you with the equivalent of 3 servings of fruits and vegetables, FaVe says.

The Fresh Market stores are designed to evoke a feeling of an old-style open-air market. Today The Fresh Market stores are found in 21 states.

Note: This story was inspired by a press release issued by FaVe and is being passed along as a courtesy to our readers. As always, neither Lisa nor anyone else associated with TodayInAltMed received any gifts, free samples or other consideration for this article. 

New York Wants Your O-Negative Blood

Do you live in New York City? Do you have O-negative blood? If you can answer "yes" to both of those questions the New York Blood Center is just flat-out asking you to donate.

O-negative people are called "universal donors" because their blood can be given to anyone. This is especially important in emergency situations were blood typing either isn't possible or would take too long. Unfortunately O-negative is also one of the rarest blood types in the US and often runs low--especially in the summer.

New York Blood Center says it's not experiencing an actual shortage but it is seeing a small spike in demand. The Center says it needs your donations to maintain a 5-day supply. "Overall, our supply of blood is strong, and we're confident of our ability to provide our 200 partner hospitals with whatever they need," says spokesperson Rob Purvis in the Center's official press release. "But we can't do it alone, and that's why we're asking our donors to roll up their sleeves." Purvis adds that donations tend to drop in the summer as people get ready to go on vacation.

And drop they have in certain parts of the country this summer. The American Red Cross says that donations are down 10% across the US.

Americans Are Getting The Message About Walking

Graphic Courtesy CDC.

Well, we're finally getting the message about the health benefits of walking, says the Centers for Disease Control. A new survey says that 62% of us walked at least 10 minutes a day in 2010. And that's up from 56%, which researchers saw in 2005.

And because every silver lining needs a cloud, here's the bad news: It's not enough. To really make a difference in your health you need to exercise 150 minutes a week--or about 2.5 hours--and each exercise session has to last at least 10 minutes. And just strolling around and waving at the neighbors after dinner doesn't count, either. To be beneficial you need to be walking at a certain pace.

Surprisingly, the biggest jumps in the number of people walking came in some of the groups that need it most. Older people are walking more, says the report, as are people with high blood pressure or arthritis. And people in the southern US saw the biggest jump, though they still lag behind other parts of the country overall. Sadly, people with type 2 diabetes--a group that doctors say could definitely benefit from some physical activity--aren't walking.

But there's plenty of blame to go around. This new report found a direct link between how safe people feel while they're out walking and how likely they are to go out again. Cities should pay more attention, say experts, to making sure sidewalks and designated walking trails are well-kept, well-lit and kept that way.