August 2008


Ayurveda is a 5,000 year-old healing tradition rooted in very old Indian culture. This vast body of healing knowledge — from time to time referred to as the "Mother of All Healing" — has lately come to the attention of Western medical researchers seeking novel therapeutic compounds. While screening a number of traditional Vedic formulas scientists discovered that one of the most revered of all Ayurvedic compounds — Triphala — exhibits a number of health benefits, including: * Exhibits antioxidant activity * Lowers cholesterol * Reduce tumors in animals, and * Protects and improve liver function * Normalizes blood pressure * Inhibits HIV A person taking Triphala frequently will feel pure, light and revitalized. Your body metabolism will be regularize and detoxified. A well-liked folk saying in India is, "No mother? Do not be anxious so long as you have Triphala." The basis is that Indian people believe that triphala is capable to care for the inner organs of the body as a mother cares for her child. Each of the three herbal fruits of Triphala takes care of the body by gently promoting internal cleansing of all circumstances of stagnation and excess while at the same time it improves digestion and assimilation. Herbal Actions Triphala is combination of three herbs: Amalaki, Bibhitaki and Haritaki. Amla helps to fix damaged cells on the intestinal wall, and the fruit contains the uppermost natural known source of vitamin C. It is said to have 20 times the vitamin C percent in orange. Bibhitaki acts to take away mucus build-up where bacteria, yeast and parasites can proliferate. The last is Haritaki, which acts as a bowel toner, slightly than a laxative. These three herbs effort in consort to quietly promote internal cleansing of all situations of stagnation and excess, while at the same time, they aid in the digestion and absorption of food. In India, Triphala is measured the supreme and most versatile of all herbal formulations. For centuries, Triphala has been extensively known and used as a standard household health supplement. Triphala is regarded as a significant rasayana in Ayurvedic medicine. Medicinal herbs in the rasayana group are believed to encourage health, immunity, and long life. In many households, it is taken on a daily basis by all family members to help prevent disease and maintain health. Triphala is recommended in Ayurveda for the treatment of a variety of circumstances, and also forms a base for many other herbal formulations. It is measured to be one of the most valued arrangements by practitioners of traditional Ayurvedic medicine. Health Benefits of Triphala • It acts as an antioxidant agent preventing any free radical development in the body. This property of triphala helps it to stop early aging signs like wrinkles and premature graying of hairs. • It is useful in regularizing the normal peristaltic movements that are very vital for correct passage of food from one organ to another. This helps in aiding the digestion of food in good amount of time. • It acts as an appetizer as it helps in appropriate digestion of the food. • It is very successful in stimulating the liver for its functioning to the optimized level. More over it also helps in secretion of the bile juices that are very much necessary for fat metabolism. • It is very much useful in reducing the plaque formation in the arteries thereby reducing the threat of heart associated problems caused due to arteriosclerosis. • It is useful in maintaining the proper secretions of the endocrinal system that are accountable for maintaining the appropriate homeostasis in the body and aiding the correct functioning of all the physiological processes in the body. • It is an outstanding remedy for eyes connected problems and helps in improving the eye vision and strengthens the muscles of the eyes. • Last but not the least, being a mild laxative it helps in evacuating the bowel and therefore is measured as one of the best body detoxifier and facilitates expulsion of toxins out of the body. • Triphala helps in maintaining the correct levels of the cholesterol in the body thereby preventing us from fatal and deadly heart problems. It helps in curbing the creation of low density lipoprotein (LDL). • It is very much successful in suppressing any type of infection or foreign invasion in the blood thereby helpful in preventing any kind of skin associated diseases and other infectious situation in the body. Ayurvedic Treatment of Constipation Constipation may be distinct as uncommon bowel evacuation or decrease frequency of usual bowel movements. If the stools are strangely hard, dry and hard to expel, the patient is said to be constipated. The main causes contain habitual or due to certain diseases. Addiction to tea, coffee and smoking, extreme use of laxatives and purgatives, stress, sluggish peristalsis in old age, change of place of evacuation, lack of work out, erratic and poor diet. Signs and Symptoms These include cracked tongue, loss of appetite, flatulence in abdomen, headache and discomfort, abdominal pain and other complications such as piles and ulcer. Constipation Home Remedies 1) Take 2 tablespoon. Gulkand(confection of rose petals) with milk. One more way is to steep 2 tsp. pulp of purging cassia (amaltas) in water during the night, strain in the sunup and drink mixing to it 1 tablespoon sugar. 2) The powder of mint (pudina), ginger, black pepper and celery seeds taken in the sunup and sunset leave a healing effect. 3) Rose petal jelly is cooperative ayurvedic cure for constipation. To make it mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoon orange juice, two tablespoon clear honey, 400 gram white cane sugar and 150 ml water. Mix up until the sugar dissolves. Mix it to 100 gm white rose petal and heat gently until the petals complete to dissolve. Consent to the mixture to cool stirring regularly, you will have the syrup with transparent pieces of petal floating in it. 4) Ajmoda seeds mixed to one piece Aniseed (saunf) and sugar taken two times daily is a helpful constipation cure.


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Many biochemical reactions in the body depend on oxygen utilization. Supply of oxygen to the tissues depends on many factors like ventilation, diffusion across alveolar-capillary membrane, hemoglobin, cardiac output, and tissue perfusion. Oxygen therapy is required for respiratory failure in many conditions like severe asthma, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, and myocardial infarction, etc. Oxygen therapy is the administration of oxygen as a therapeutic modality. Oxygen therapy benefits the patient by increasing the supply of oxygen to the lungs and thereby increasing the availability of oxygen to the body tissues. Appropriate levels of oxygen are vital to support cell respiration. High blood and tissue levels of oxygen can be helpful or damaging, depending on circumstances. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the use of high levels of oxygen for treatment of specific diseases. High levels of oxygen given to infant's cause's blindness by promoting overgrowth of new blood vessels in the eye obstructing sight. This is Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Administration of high levels of oxygen in patients with severe emphysema and high blood carbon dioxide reduces respiratory drive, which can precipitate respiratory failure and death. Respiratory system The respiratory system is concerned with the delivery of an adequate amount of oxygen to and elimination of a corresponding amount of carbon dioxide from the cells of the body and maintenance of normal acid-base balance in the body. Adequate supply of oxygen and elimination of carbon dioxide from various tissues of the body depends on the optimal functioning of various parts of the respiratory system like chest wall and respiratory muscles, airways and lungs, CNS (including medullary respiratory centres), spinal cord and endocrine system. A disorder in any portion of these systems can lead to respiratory failure. Respiratory failure During respiratory failure, there is an inability to keep the arterial blood gases at normal level. Respiratory failure may be acute or chronic. Acute respiratory failure develops suddenly or slowly if lungs are already diseased; while chronic respiratory failure develops slowly due to underlying lung disease. Respiratory failure may occur even if lungs are normal as in diseases of nervous system, chest wall, or upper airways. Inadequate gas exchange is associated with hypoxaemia with or without hypercarbia. (Type-1 respiratory failure or lung failure), while inadequate ventilation leads to hypoxaemia with hypercarbia (Type-2 or ventilatory failure). Type- 1 respiratory failure occurs when there is disease of peripheral gas exchanging parts of body and type-2 in COPD, bronchial asthma, neuromuscular disease, and chest wall disorders. Management The aims of therapy in respiratory failure are to achieve and maintain adequate gas exchange and reversal of the precipitating process that led to the failure. In type-1 respiratory failure, high concentration of oxygen is given to correct hypoxaemia. At the outset it should be determined whether the hypoxaemia can be relieved by oxygen therapy alone or it needs oxygen and ventilatory intervention. The decision is made on the presence or absence of hypercapnia and of lung disease. In type-2 respiratory failure with previous normal lungs, there is inadequate alveolar ventilation and in these patients ventilatory assistance is needed. In patients with previous lung disease as in acute exacerbation of COPD, controlled oxygen therapy is needed. Mechanical ventilation should be avoided in patients with COPD as the weaning from the ventilator is very difficult. Hypoxia and hypoxaemia Hypoxia is lack of oxygen at the tissue level while hypoxaemia implies a low arterial oxygen tension below the normal expected value (85-100 mmHg). Acute severe bronchial asthma Patients with acute severe asthma or status asthmaticus have severe air ways obstruction and inflammation. They are generally hypoxaemic. Hypoxaemia is corrected by giving oxygen via nasal cannula or face mask at a flow rate of 4-6 L/min to achieve FiO2 of 35-40%. Flow rate may be adjusted to maintain PaO2 of about 80 mmHg or more. The risk of hypercarbia and CO2 narcosis is more in COPD rather than acute severe asthma and in such cases assisted ventilation is required. Administration of sedatives and tranquilizers must be avoided. Sedatives may precipitate the CO2 retention not only in patients with COPD but also in asthma. Severe pneumonia In severe acute viral or bacterial pneumonias, there may be hypoxaemia and respiratory failure. Oxygen is given at a flow rate of 4-6 L/min to achieve PaO2 above 60 mmHg. Bronchial hygiene and treatment with antibiotics and other drugs is meanwhile continued. Interstitial lung disease Patients may have respiratory failure due to fulminant onset or because of intercurrent infection. The lungs are stiff and compliance is low. As these patients need oxygen for prolonged periods, one should wean oxygen to FiO2 of about 40% as early as possible. Some patients may become dysphonic even after mild exertion and such cases benefit from oxygen administration before and after physical activity. Administration Various devices are used for administration of oxygen. 1. The nasal cannula (NC) is a thin tube with two small nozzles that protrude into the patients nostrils. It can only provide oxygen at low flow rates, 2-6 litres per minute (LPM), delivering a concentration of 28-44%. 2. The simple face mask (SFM) is a basic mask used for non-life-threatening conditions but which may progress in time, such as chest pain, dizziness, and minor hemorrhages. It is often set to deliver oxygen between 6-10 LPM. 3. The non-rebreather mask (NRB) is utilized for patients who require high-flow oxygen, but do not require breathing assistance. It has an attached reservoir bag where oxygen fills in between breaths, and a valve that largely prevents the inhalation of room or exhaled air. 4. The bag-valve-mask (BVM) is used for patients in critical condition who are either breathing extremely inefficiently, or not breathing at all. An oxygen reservoir bag is attached to a central cylindrical bag, attached to a valved mask that administers almost 100% concentration oxygen at 8-15 lpm. 5. The anaesthetic machine is a machine used during anesthesia that allows a variable amount of oxygen to be delivered, along with other gases including air, nitrous oxide and inhalational anaesthetics. 6. Aviator type and other specialized tight fitting oxygen masks are used in hyperbaric oxygen chambers and to provide oxygen to carbon monoxide victims. Dangers of oxygen therapy There are three types of risks associated with oxygen use. 1. Physical risks Oxygen being combustible, fire hazard and tank explosion is always there. This is more with high concentration of oxygen, use of pressure chambers, and in smokers. Catheters and masks can cause injury to the nose and mouth. Dry and non-humidified gas can cause dryness and crusting. 2. Functional risks Patients who have lost sensitivity to CO2 and are upon the hypoxic drive are in danger of ventilatory depression as seen in patients of COPD. Hypoventilation can lead to hypercapnia and CO2 narcosis although the risk is small with low flow oxygen therapy. 3. Cytotoxic damage COPD patients on long term oxygen therapy, on autopsy, show proliferative and fibrotic changes in their lungs. In acute conditions, most of the structural damage occurs from high FiO2 as the oxygen can lead to the release of various reactive species which attack the DNA, lipids, and SH-containing proteins. What conditions or diseases can be helped with oxygen therapy? Cancer. Oxygen therapies have great potential in the treatment of cancer. As early as 1931 Dr. Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize in his work of what causes cells to become cancerous. "Cancer has only one prime cause. The prime cause of cancer is the replacement of normal oxygen respiration of body cells by an anaerobic (lacking in oxygen) cell respiration." It is well known that cancer cells thrive under conditions of low oxygen and high acidity. Heart conditions. The heart goes into spasm largely due to lack of oxygen. The better the breathing is the more oxygen exists and less the heart has to work. Bacterial diseases. Ozone is able to destroy many kinds of bacteria. It produces peroxides within the body, which destroys the cell membrane of bacteria but does not affect healthy cells. Scientific experiments have shown that E. coli is completely destroyed after one minute of being exposed to an ozone solution. Similar experiments have shown reduction in staphylococcus, streptococci, and mycobacterium tuberculosis. Because many strains of bacteria have recently been shown to be resistant to antibiotics, oxygen therapy may offer an effective alternative. Viral diseases. Antibiotics are not effective in viral infections but. Oxygen therapies have proved successful. Some of the diseases caused by viruses are flu, mumps, measles, polio, herpes, AIDS, hepatitis. Ozone can destroy the protein coat of the virus cell wall and once inside can disrupt its DNA. Studies have shown ozone to inactivate 97 to 100 percent of the HIV virus. Parasitic infections. Studies of the effective use of ozone and hydrogen peroxide destroying parasites have been very successful. Malaria parasites were killed with even slight concentrations of hydrogen peroxide in animal and laboratory studies. In a study of Giardia lamblia, a parasite that can infest the intestinal tract and cause severe symptoms of diarrhea, nausea, and cramps, patients were given either ozonated water or ozonated oil. The symptom reduction was very a successful 97.5% for each group.


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Medical Research News

Alternative medicine is in the news again with scientists in the U.S. saying they have found high levels of toxic metals in popular herbal medicines sold online.

The scientists at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) ordered Ayurvedic medicines from 25 web sites and tested them for metallic poisons.

The Ayurvedic medicines were manufactured in both the U.S. and India and the researchers found that one fifth of them contained lead, mercury or arsenic.

Ayurveda is an ancient form of medicine that originated in India more than 2,000 years ago and includes herbal medicines, meditation, exercise and dietary guidelines.

It is practiced by millions on the Indian subcontinent by an estimated 80 percent of the population and increasingly in the West.

Ayurvedic remedies are available from South Asian markets, health food stores, and on the Internet and are divided into two major types: herbal only and Rasa Shastra.

Rasa shastra is an ancient practice of deliberately combining herbs with metals, minerals and gems and Ayurvedic experts believe that if Rasa Shastra medicines made with metals such as lead and mercury are properly prepared and administered, they are safe and therapeutic.

An Internet search found 673 Ayurvedic medicines, and 193 products made by 37 different manufacturers, were randomly selected and purchased.

The researchers found that overall, more than 20% of Ayurvedic medicines contained detectable lead, mercury and/or arsenic and American and Indian manufactured products were equally likely to contain toxic metals.

Rasa shastra compared with non-rasa shastra medicines were more than twice as likely to contain metals and had higher concentrations of lead and mercury.

Among products containing metals, 95 percent were sold by U.S. web sites and 75 percent claimed Good Manufacturing Practices or testing for heavy metals but all the products containing metal, exceeded one or more standards for acceptable daily intake of toxic metals.

Lead author Dr. Robert Saper, says the study highlights the need for the way dietary supplements are regulated in the U.S.to be re-examined.

Research by Dr. Saper first revealed that some Ayurvedic medicines produced in South Asia contained potentially harmful levels of toxins in 2004 and he says that herbs and supplements with high levels of lead, mercury, and arsenic should not be available for sale on the Internet or elsewhere.

The researchers say all dietary supplements should undergo mandatory testing for daily dose limits for toxic metals and all manufacturers should demonstrate their compliance through independent third-party testing.

The researchers say medicines which are supposed to cure sickness should not promote another illness due to the presence of toxic materials such as lead.

The research appears in the August 27th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Drug Trials

Protherics PLC today announced the initiation of a phase 2a proof-of-concept study of Prolarix, a targeted prodrug chemotherapy being developed for the treaent of primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma or "HCC"). This follows promising data from a phase 1 study of Prolarix, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, USA on 2 June 2008.

HCC is the sixth most common cause of cancer in the world1 and despite the recent approval of sorafenib (Nexavar?, Onyx/Bayer), a new chemotherapy which is being adopted as the standard of care for HCC, life expectancy remains less than 12 months from diagnosis. Moreover, less than 20% of patients survive beyond one year, and less than 5% survive beyond five years.

The phase 2a proof-of-concept study is designed to evaluate tumour response in addition to safety and tolerability of Prolarix in 14 patients with non-resectable HCC who have not been treated with sorafenib. The study has been initiated at a site in Belgium and additional study sites in East Asia have been identified for inclusion in the study. The results of the study are expected in the second half of 2009.

Andrew Heath, Chief Executive of Protherics commented:"Scientifically acclaimed, Prolarix offers renewed hope for the many patients with primary liver cancer for whom there are very few treaent options. If the results from this study are positive, a licensing partner will be sought for Asia where the incidence of this type of cancer is highest."

1 Parkin DM, Bray F, Ferlay J, Pisani P. Global cancer statistics, 2002 CA Cancer J Clin. 2005;55;74-108

http://www.protherics.com

Medical Research News

Most people would agree that stress increases your risk for illness and this is particularly true for severe long-term stresses, such as caring for a family member with a chronic medical illness. However, we still have a relatively limited understanding of exactly how stress contributes to the risk for illness. In the August 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry, researchers shed new light on one link between stress and illness by describing a mechanism through which stress alters immune function.

In a very promising preliminary study, Miller and colleagues found that the pattern of gene expression differed between caregivers of family members with cancer relative to a matched group of individuals who did not have this type of life stress. They found that among the caregivers, even though they had normal cortisol levels in their blood, the pattern of gene expression in the monocytes, a type of white blood cell involved in the body's immune response, was altered so that they were relatively less responsive to the anti-inflammatory actions of cortisol, but relatively more responsive to pro-inflammatory actions of a transcription factor called nuclear factor-kappa B, or NF-? Gregory Miller, Ph.D., corresponding author, explains more simply that, although "caregivers have similar cortisol levels as controls, their cells seem to be 'hearing' less of this signal. In other words, something goes awry in caregivers' white blood cells so they are not able to 'receive' the signal from cortisol that tells them to shut down inflammation."

Thus, the current findings might help to explain why the caregivers would seem to be in a chronic pro-inflammatory state, a condition of immunologic activation. This activated state could contribute to the risk for a number of medical illnesses, such as depression, heart disease, and diabetes. Dr. Miller remarks that part of the importance of these findings is "because people have traditionally thought that higher cortisol is the reason that stress contributes to disease, but this work shows that, at least in caregivers, it's actually the opposite - there's too little cortisol signal being heard by the cells, rather than too much."

However, many important related questions still remain unanswered, as noted by John H. Krystal, M.D., Editor of Biological Psychiatry and affiliated with both Yale University School of Medicine and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. He comments that in addition to not knowing how stress produces these altered patterns of gene expression in the immune system, "we don't know how to account for the resilience of some stressed people exposed to severe sustained stress or the vulnerability of some people to relatively mild stress." He adds that "the better that we understand the underlying molecular mechanisms that link stress to illness, the more likely we are to make progress in answering these important questions," and this article is certainly a vital step in that direction. adequately to our available treatments."

http://www.elsevier.com/locate/biopsychiat

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