Fish Oil Ingredient Doesn’t Slow Alzheimer’s

TUESDAY, November 2 (Health.com) — An essential nutrient found in fish oil does not appear to slow the mental decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study is merely the latest to cast doubt on the mental benefits of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which until recently was considered a promising way to minimize the risk and damage of dementia. (The other main ingredient found in fish oil, eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, is not believed to play a significant role in brain health.)

DHA or fish-oil supplements aren’t likely to cause any harm to Alzheimer’s patients, but they aren’t likely to do any good either, says Steven H. Ferris, PhD, the director of the Aging and Dementia Research Center at New York University.
Fish oil “seems to be healthy in general, and maybe for other things it’s helpful, but it doesn’t benefit cognitive function in a person with Alzheimer’s,” says Ferris, who was not involved in the study.

Research on DHA has been inconclusive and sometimes conflicting. Several studies that followed large groups of people as they aged have suggested that a diet rich in fish is linked to a reduced risk of dementia and mental decline, but most randomized controlled trials comparing DHA supplements with placebo have found no benefit.

“It’s not the first time something in large epidemiological datasets just didn’t work out clinically,” Ferris says, noting that statin medications, anti-inflammatory drugs, and estrogen therapy have all failed to live up to their initial promise in preventing or treating Alzheimer’s. “Unfortunately, that seems to be the situation here.”

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and was led by Joseph F. Quinn, MD, a neurologist at the Oregon Health and Science University, in Portland.
Dr. Quinn and his colleagues randomly assigned about 400 women and men in their mid-70s with likely Alzheimer’s disease—the disease is very difficult to accurately diagnose—to take 2 grams of DHA or placebo capsules per day. After 18 months, the average mental decline in the DHA and placebo groups was nearly identical, as measured on two separate tests and rating scales.

Despite the disappointing results, the study doesn’t entirely rule out the possibility that DHA may have some benefit if taken earlier in life. A growing body of research suggests that dementia begins decades before any noticeable symptoms surface, and it’s possible that DHA helps prevent or slow those harmful changes.
Treatments such as DHA may be too little too late for people who are already showing signs of Alzheimer’s, according to Kristine Yaffe, MD, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco.

“Effective treatment strategies to prevent progression of [Alzheimer's disease] will likely need to be initiated earlier,” Dr. Yaffe writes in an editorial accompanying the study. (www.health.com)

5 Ways to Excuse-Proof Your Workout

By Tina Haupert

It happens every year: Once the summer ends, I struggle to follow a consistent workout plan. The weather gets colder, the days get shorter, and the last thing I want to do is leave my warm, cozy bed to bundle up for an early-morning 3-mile run or a group exercise class at the gym. Most of the time I realize that I just need a little extra motivation, so I try to “excuse-proof” my workout with these ideas.

Excuse: I can’t get motivated in the morning
Morning workouts are not always fun, especially in the dead of winter. Still, they are a necessary evil when it comes to keeping myself on track. Exercising first thing in the morning guarantees that I get my workout in before my day gets carried away and excuses pop up. When I’m lying in bed debating whether to exercise or not, I count to three in my head and just get up. At first, I commit to doing just 15 minutes of exercise. Once I’m out the door, however, I get into my groove and almost always end up finishing my whole workout.

Excuse: I’m too tired to exercise after work
There’s a difference between being mentally tired and physically tired. Doing something physical actually helps me combat mental fatigue. After a late-day workout, I find that I can focus better! If reminding myself of this post-exercise bonus still doesn’t work, I boost my energy with a snack that’s rich in complex carbs and protein. Sometimes, having a cup of coffee about an hour before my workout helps too. Fueling my body gives me the energy to complete my workout when my motivation wanes in the afternoon.

Excuse: Exercising at home is my only option
Boring! Exercising at home can get repetitive. Still, when I just can’t make it out of the house, a plan of attack always helps get me off of the couch and in the right frame of mind to break a sweat. I create a workout schedule that details each of my workouts. One day I’ll utilize a dance DVD for cardio and on another day a magazine workout for strength training. If I plan it out ahead of time, I’m more likely to stick to it.

Excuse: The thought of 30 minutes on the cardio machine is slow torture
Sometimes, just thinking of going to the gym puts me in a bad mood. However, I’m lucky enough to be able to schedule my cardio sessions at the gym around my favorite TV shows, which gives me something to look forward to. Typically, I make sure to start my session about 10 to 15 minutes before the show starts, so I’m inspired to push my workout through the final minutes. I’m so engrossed in my show by that time that I don’t even notice the extra minutes and the time whizzes by.

Excuse: I don’t have time to exercise
Even scheduling a workout into my day doesn’t help on days when my to-do list gets overwhelming. Instead, I think “outside of the box” and figure out other ways to incorporate exercise into my day. My favorite strategy is to park my car near a shopping plaza or in a neighborhood where I can walk to do all of my errands. I kill two birds with one stone: I complete my errands and get a walking workout in for the day, leaving me feeling stress-free when I get home! (www.weightloss.health.com/photo: collegecandy.com)

Small Habits That Can beautify Stomach Shape

Do not need a big effort to reduce fatty deposits in the abdomen. With little habits changing, you can reduce the volume of fat in the abdomen. Here is a habit that can shrink your stomach, as quoted from health.

Reduce Sugar Consumption
According to Jorge Cruise, author of 'The Belly Fat Cure', reducing the consumption of sugar will keep your insulin levels remained low in the body and also maintain high levels of glucagon. Glucagon is a hormone that helps fight against belly fat.

Chew Food
According to Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of 'The Flexitarian Diet', chewing is the most powerful way to avoid flatulence. Without adequate chewing, the food will not digest properly so that the stomach becomes filled with gas.

Laugh
Expert pilates, Kristin McGee, recommend to laugh for reducing body fat. This is because every time you laugh, you have to tighten your abdominal muscles.

So, no need a difficult thing to reduce the volume of fat in the belly.

Why Rose?

The health benefits of Rose Essential Oil can be attributed to its properties like anti depressant, anti phlogistic, anti septic, anti spasmodic, anti viral, aphrodisiac, astringent, bactericidal, cholagogue, cicatrisant, depurative, emenagogue, haemostatic, hepatic, laxative, nervine, stomachic and uterine.

Rose! No doubt it is the most beautiful flower in the world. The flower with innumerable stories, legends, myths and legacies associated with it. With its varied colors, incomparable fragrance and shapes and sizes, you will find one for every mood and every occasion. One who does not know about any of its medicinal properties, can still tell you of one property for sure, and that is that a beautiful red rose can invoke romantic feelings in even the heart of hardest of rocks. The Essential Oil of Rose is extracted by steam distillation of fresh Damascus Rose (Rosa Damascena, as it is known among botanists) and is composed of hundreds of components, out of which the major contributors are Citronellol, Citral, Carvone, Citronellyl Acetate, Eugenol, Ethanol, Farnesol, Stearpoten, Methyl Eugenol, Nerol, Nonanol, Nonanal, Phenyl Acetaldehyde, Phenylmenthyl Acetate and Phenyl Geraniol. Why Damascus Roses? It is because they are the most fragrant ones and are believed to be the original red roses with strongest aroma and highest oil content.

We know about the emotional and psychological effects of rose. Now let us know the medicinal properties of its essential oils.

• Anti Depressant: Rose Oil boosts self esteem, confidence, hope and mental strength and efficiently fights depression. This can be very helpful to drive away depression from those who are suffering from depression due to any reason. This also relieves anxiety. Being an anti depressant, patients of acute depression or who are undergoing rehabilitation can be given routine and regular doses of this essential oil to bring hope in their lives. This oil is widely used in aromatherapy and invokes positive thoughts, spiritualism and feelings of joy, happiness and hope.
• Anti Phlogistic: It may calm down a patient of high fever by sedating the inflammation caused by fever. It can also be beneficial in other cases of inflammations caused by microbial infection, ingestion of poisonous stuff, indigestion, dehydration etc.
• Anti Septic: This is the most fragrant and perhaps a majestic way (Just imagine treating wounds with Oils of Rose instead of those ordinary anti septic lotions) to treat your wounds and protect them from being septic and catching infections.
• Anti Spasmodic: It efficiently relieves spasm in respiratory system, intestines and muscular spasms in limbs. It also helps cure convulsions, muscle pulls, cramps and spasmodic cholera which are caused due to spasms.
• Anti Viral: Getting a protection from viruses or getting yourself vaccinated against all of them is a tough task, since some of them change their disguise every time they return and make a fool of our immune system, like our old friend who gives you cold and influenza. So what to do? Better use an anti viral which behaves as a shield against any virus that comes. Here is one such shied. The Essential Oil of Rose that protects against viral infections.
• Aphrodisiac: Better I don’t try explaining this property of Rose Oil! Right from Cupid himself to modern day’s high tech lovers, every body knows how roses are indispensable in romance. And so is this Essential Oil of Rose. The very scent of it can arouse you. It boosts up libido and invokes romantic feelings which are essentials for a successful sex.
• Astringent: The astringent property of Rose Oil has many benefits. It strengthens gums, hair roots, tones and lifts skin, contracts muscles, intestines and blood vessels, thereby giving protection from untimely fall of tooth and hair, wrinkles, loss of firmness of intestines and muscles of abdominal area and limbs associated with age, and above all, helps stop flow of blood from wounds and cuts by contracting the blood vessels. This astringent property can also cure certain types of diarrhea.
• Bactericidal: It is a good bactericide. It can be used in treatment of typhoid, diarrhea, cholera, food poisoning and other diseases which are caused by bacteria. Further, it can cure internal bacterial infections like in colon, stomach, intestines and urinary tract as well as external infections on skin, ears, eyes and in wounds.
• Cholagogue: It promotes flow of bile from the gall bladder and helps regulate the acid level in the stomach as well as in the blood, thus keeping you safe from problems like acidity and acidosis. This bile also helps in digestion of food, together with the acids secreted into the stomach.
• Cicatrisant: This property of Rose Essential Oil can be of great interest for those who care a lot about their looks. It makes the scars and after marks of boils, acne and pox etc. on the skin to fade away. This includes fading of stretch marks and surgery marks, fat cracks etc. associated with pregnancy and delivery.
• Depurative: It purifies blood by helping removal and neutralization of toxins from blood. Once your blood is purified and free of toxins, you are protected from nuisances like boils, rashes, ulcers, skin diseases etc.
• Emenagogue: This is yet another beneficial property of Rose Oil. It stimulates the hormone secretions which trigger off menstruations. It is particularly effective on those who are suffering from obstructed and irregular menses. It also eases cramps, treats nausea, fatigue and reduces pains associated with the menstruations and Pose Menopause Syndromes.
• Haemostatic: This property of the Essential Oil of Rose can be very useful for people who are suffering from hemorrhage (bleeding, external or internal) after an injury or surgery. This speeds up clotting or coagulation of blood and stops bleeding and can save life of such patients.
• Hepatic: It simply means it is good for liver’s health. It keeps it strong, functioning properly and protected from infections. It also treats problems like excess flow of bile and acids, ulcers etc.
• Laxative: There cannot be a laxative with a better scent than this and I can bet it, if not for its laxative properties. It can serve as a harmless and effective laxative with a beautiful smell and without any adverse side effect. It actually influences the intestinal and anal muscles to help clear bowels.
• Nervine: It acts as a tonic for the nerves. It gives them strength to bear shocks and protects them from disorders resulting from age, injuries etc. It won’t let your hands tremble or let you go nervous when saying those three magic words to your dream girl for the first time, of course, with a rose in your hand.
• Stomachic: Rose Oil is a stomachic too. It soothes stomach, sedates inflammations in it, helps it function properly and protects it from infections. It also protects it from ulcers which often happen due to over production of acids and their release into the stomach.
• Uterine: This can take care of many feminine problems such as uterine discharges, tumors, bleeding, irregular menses etc. It purifies the uterus too and keeps it functioning properly even in higher ages and can push away the time of menopause.
• Other Benefits: It regulates hormone production and helps balance them. It is one of the best oils which can give you a shining, fresh and youthful skin. Its aroma keeps you charged and feeling happy. It promotes circulation, takes care of heart, reduces blood pressure and helps cure headaches, asthma, dehydration and effect of loo (very hot winds), leucorrhea and certain infections.

Few Words of Caution: It can take away your headache if used in mild concentrations, but its strong aroma can just play the opposite if very high concentration is used. Being an Emenagogue, it should not be used during pregnancy.

This article was contributed by Aparup Mukherjee
Source: www.organicfacts.net

Eye yoga, Solutions for Tired Eyes

Yoga is a contemporary sport that many persons interested. Not only physical healing, yoga was cited as controlling stress.

Interestingly, it turns out to have yoga special training to eye exhausted due to spending long hours in front of the computer. These tired eyes acknowledged by experts would interfere vision. But do not worry, these are several ways to practice yoga for the tired eyes.

1. Take an upright position, leaning back in the chair. Blink the eyes 50 times quickly.

2. Do it every hour and multiply blink up to 100 times.

3. End the eyes practice with closed eyes, sigh deeply.

With this easy way, you only need at least five minutes for eye meditation. Then you are ready to work again and maintained eye health.