Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Proven: Echinacea Can Prevent and Protect Against Colds
Proven: Echinacea Can Prevent and Protect Against Colds
by Elizabeth Renter
November 3rd, 2012 | Updated 11/03/2012 at 2:22 am
November 3rd, 2012 | Updated 11/03/2012 at 2:22 am
In another case of science proving what we already know, researchers recently revealed that the herbal remedy Echinacea can protect against colds. According to The Daily Mail, this was the largest clinical study ever on the herb, and it ended with some positive news—that the herbal remedy (taken for ages to reduce the effects of colds and illness) does, in fact, work.Duration of Colds Dropped by 26% from Echinacea
Echinacea is native to the United States and comes from the Eastern Purple Coneflower.
Study subjects took three doses of the herb extract for four months and had a lower incidence of colds. Also, the average duration of colds dropped 26%, meaning that for those who did get sick, the illness moved on more quickly.
Unfortunately, the study used a very specific brand of Echinacea, called Echinaforce, and the maker of said supplement funded the study. This disappointing fact could lead supporters of mainstream (re: not herbal) medicine to discredit any of the promising findings of the study.
However, in addition to decreasing the longevity of colds and reducing their occurrence, researchers also found the herb to cut the number of recurrent colds in people with weakened immune systems by a whopping 60 percent.
It’s believed this herb works to combat viruses, meaning it could work on other illnesses as well. For the 750 study subjects, the herb also combated the flu—reducing the total number of days suffered from 850 to 672. Also, recurring infections fell from 100 episodes in 43 patients to 65 episodes in 28 patients, a reduction of 59 percent.
Similarly, a doctor of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) in New Mexico recommended Echinacea for cold and flu prevention. Though he says the common mistake is to take it after coming down with a cold or flu because Echinacea is not as effective as a remedy rather than for flu prevention.
Echinacea has long been used to treat the symptoms of a cold and to shorten the duration. While daily supplementation might be a lot to ask, having high quality Echinacea tea or the herb itself on hand is a good idea during cold season. When you start to see people around you passing the bug, bolster your body’s defenses by consuming the herb throughout the day. And if you feel a cold coming on, start an Echinacea regimen right away.
For other helpful tips on how to prevent a cold, click the link. And in addition to knowing which measures to take for protection, it’s also good to know which foods to AVOID while battling a cold or flu.
Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/proven-echinacea-can-prevent-and-protect-against-colds/#ixzz2C7MxCWiE
Quit Smoking by Age 30, Reduce Risk of Early Death by 97%
Quit Smoking by Age 30, Reduce Risk of Early Death by 97%
by Lisa Garber
November 4th, 2012 | Updated 11/04/2012 at 2:44 am
November 4th, 2012 | Updated 11/04/2012 at 2:44 am
According to a University of Oxford study involving over a million women, quitting smoking by age 30 can significantly help the once-smoker avoid an early death. Those who quit by 40 can cut the risk by 90 percent.
The Million Women Study
The Million Women Study examined 1.3 million women in the UK, all between the ages of 50 to 65 between 1996 and 2001. All participants were categorized as current smokers (20 percent), former smokers (28 percent), or non-smokers (52 percent). Other health factors such as medical conditions, lifestyle, and social factors were taken into consideration.
Just three years after the survey, smokers were three times as likely to die over the next nine years as non-smokers. The UK’s National Health Service provided information on causes of death of any participants. Two-thirds of smoking participants died from smoking-related diseases like lung cancer, chronic lung disease, heart disease, and stroke.
The intensity and frequency of smoking also affected participants’ health. Just 1 cigarette a day doubled the risk of death. Quitting smoking by ages 30 and 40, however, slashed risk of disease and death by a shocking 97 and 90 percent.
The findings are in the same vein as those published in a recent edition of the journal Cancer. Reuters reports that:
Among smokers with stage 1 or 2 lung cancer, for instance, 72 percent survived at least two years, compared to 93 percent of the never-smokers and 76 percent of people who’d kicked the habit a year or more before diagnosis.
Additionally, among those with stage 4 lung cancer, 15 percent of smokers survived two years, 20 percent of former smokers did, and 40 percent of never-smokers survived. In older patients, former smokers who quit more than a year before their diagnosis were 30 percent less likely to die from stage 4 cancer than current smokers.
Read here on the immediate and long-term benefits of quitting smoking.
Current Research and Trying to Quit
The UK researchers attribute much of their findings to the processes and legacy of Sir Richard Doll, a forerunner in epidemiology who linked smoking to lung cancer. Much of what we know today about the effects of smoking is thanks to Doll. His methods—which the Oxford researchers adopted—involved randomized trials and large epidemiological studies.
If you’re one of the many people worldwide trying to break the habit, try adjusting your diet to make the process easier and quicker. These foods can help you feel fuller longer, decrease nicotine dependence, and can even worsen the taste of tobacco – ultimately helping you to quit smoking naturally.
Additional Sources:
Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/quit-smoking-by-age-30-avoid-early-death/#ixzz2C7JiniHt
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
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