Day: 10/01/2013

Egyptian princess now known to be the first person in human history with diagnosed coronary artery disease.

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The Egyptian princess Ahmose-Meryet-Amon, who lived in Thebes (Luxor) between 1580 and 1550 BC and who is now known to be first person in human history with diagnosed coronary artery disease, lived on a diet rich in vegetables, fruit and a limited amount of meat from domesticated (but not fattened) animals. Wheat and barley were grown along the banks of the Nile, making bread and beer the dietary staples of this period of ancient Egypt. Tobacco and trans-fats were unknown, and lifestyle was likely to have been active.

Both presentations were based on findings from the Horus study, in which arterial atherosclerosis was investigated in 52 ancient Egyptian mummies. Results have shown that recognisable arteries were present in 44 of the mummies, with an identifiable heart present in 16. Arterial calcification (as a marker of atherosclerosis) was evident at a variety of sites in almost half the mummies scanned, prompting the investigators to note that the condition was common in this group of middle aged or older ancient Egyptians; the 20 mummies with definite atherosclerosis were older (mean 45.years) than those with intact vascular tissue but no atherosclerosis (34.5 years).

Although relatively common at other vascular sites, atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries was evident in only three of the mummies investigated, but was clearly visualised in Princess Ahmose-Meryet-Amon (in whom calcification was present in every vascular bed visualised).

The CT scan image below shows that the princess, who died in her 40s, had atherosclerosis in two of her three main coronary arteries. “Today,” said Dr Gregory S Thomas, director of Nuclear Cardiology Education at the University of California, Irvine, USA, and co-principal investigator of the Horus study, “she would have needed by-pass surgery.”

CT scan shows atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries of Egyptian Mummy

Image: Calcification, seen as white, in the right (RCA) and left coronary arteries (LCA), each indicative of coronary artery disease.

“Overall, it was striking how much atherosclerosis we found,” said Dr Thomas. “We think of atherosclerosis as a disease of modern lifestyle, but it’s clear that it also existed 3500 years ago. Our findings certainly call into question the perception of atherosclerosis as a modern disease.”

If, however, the princess enjoyed a diet deemed to be healthy and pursued a lifestyle probably active, how could this “disease of modern life” affect her so visibly? Dr Thomas and his co-principal investigator Dr Adel Allam of Al Azhar University, Cairo, suggest three possibilities.

First, that there is still some unknown risk factor for cardiovascular disease, or at least a missing link in our understanding of it. Dr Allam noted a likely effect of genetic inheritance, pointing out that much of the human predisposition to atherosclerosis could be secondary to their genes. He similarly raised the possibility that an inflammatory response to the frequent parasitic infections common to ancient Egyptians might predispose to coronary disease – in much the same way that immunocompromised HIV cases seem also predisposed to early coronary disease. Nor can a dietary effect be excluded, despite what we know of life in ancient Egypt. Princess Ahmose-Meryet-Amon was from a noble family, her father, Seqenenre Tao II, the last pharaoh of the 17th Dynasty.

So it’s likely that her diet was not that of the common Egyptian. As a royal, she would have eaten more luxury foods – more meat, butter and cheese. Moreover, foods were preserved in salt, which may also have had an adverse effect.

Despite the suggestion of a genetic, inflammatory or unknown effect, Drs Thomas and Allam were keen not to discount those risk factors for heart disease which we do know about. Indeed, even in the study’s apparent association of atheroma with increasing age, there was a pattern of prevalence consistent with our own epidemiology today. “Recent studies have shown that by not smoking, having a lower blood pressure and a lower cholesterol level, calcification of our arteries is delayed,” said co-investigator Dr Randall C Thompson of the St Luke’s Mid-America Heart Institute in Kansas City, USA. “On the other hand, from what we can tell from this study, humans are predisposed to atherosclerosis, so it behoves us to take the proper measures necessary to delay it as long as we can.”

Most of the Horus study research was performed at the National Museum of Antiquities in Cairo and would not have been possible without the availability of non-invasive CT scanning, the focus of the ICNC congress in Amsterdam. CT scanning and nuclear medicine imaging are the cornerstones of modern quantifiable cardiac disease detection, with safe and reproducible results.

Mid-life stress ‘precedes dementia’

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stressed woman
Mid-life stress may increase a woman’s risk of developing dementia, according to researchers.

In a study of 800 Swedish women, those who had to cope with events such as divorce or bereavement were more likely to get Alzheimer’s decades later.

The more stressful events there were, the higher the dementia risk became, BMJ Open reports.

The study authors say stress hormones may be to blame, triggering harmful alterations in the brain.

Stress hormones can cause a number of changes in the body and affect things such as blood pressure and blood sugar control.

“Start Quote

Current evidence suggest the best ways to reduce the risk of dementia are to eat a balanced diet, take regular exercise, not smoke, and keep blood pressure and cholesterol in check”

Dr Simon Ridley Alzheimer’s Research UK

And they can remain at high levels many years after experiencing a traumatic event, Dr Lena Johansson and colleagues explain.

But they say more work is needed to confirm their findings and ascertain whether the same stress and dementia link might also occur in men.

Stress link

In the study, the women underwent a battery of tests and examinations when they were in either their late 30s, mid-40s or 50s, and then again at regular intervals over the next four decades.

At the start of the study, one in four women said they had experienced at least one stressful event, such as widowhood or unemployment.

A similar proportion had experienced at least two stressful events, while one in five had experienced at least three. The remaining women had either experienced more than this or none.

During follow-up, 425 of the women died and 153 developed dementia.

When the researchers looked back at the women’s history of mid-life stress, they found the link between stress and dementia risk.

Dr Johansson says future studies should look at whether stress management and behavioural therapy might help offset dementia.

Dr Simon Ridley, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said that from this study, it was hard to know whether stress contributed directly to the development of dementia, whether it was purely an indicator of another underlying risk factor in this population of women, or whether the link was due to an entirely different factor.

“We know that the risk factors for dementia are complex and our age, genetics and environment may all play a role. Current evidence suggests the best ways to reduce the risk of dementia are to eat a balanced diet, take regular exercise, not smoke, and keep blood pressure and cholesterol in check.

“If you are feeling stressed or concerned about your health in general, we would recommend you talk this through with your GP.”

Is it safe to drink cocktails with raw egg?

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Who, what, why: Is it safe to drink cocktails with raw egg?

 

 

Pisco sour Pisco sour – a Peruvian cocktail – is made with raw egg white

 

The current craze for cocktails includes many drinks that feature raw egg. Is drinking one dangerous?

 

In drinks like a Pisco Sour, cocktail makers use the white of an egg to give the drink a foamy head. You can also find it in a Pink Lady, Ramos Gin Fizz or Clover Club.

 

But there’s been years of concern over the presence of salmonella bacteria in eggs.

 

Infection causes diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cramps, headache, nausea, vomiting and fever. Young people, the elderly, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems are most susceptible.

 

But the prevalence of salmonella in eggs has fallen considerably on both sides of the Atlantic.

 

Whisky sour with cherry
  • In the UK, virtually all eggs are salmonella-free
  • But vulnerable groups, including the elderly and those with a compromised immune system are advised against it

 

In the UK, Kevin Coles of the British Egg Information Service says there is never a cast-iron guarantee of safety when it comes to raw eggs in food or drink, but that 98.5% of eggs stamped with the industry’s red lion mark are safe.

 

“Any egg can contain salmonella but it is more or less a thing of the past in the UK. Eggs with the red lion mark have all come from chickens vaccinated against salmonella.”

 

Most supermarkets only sell red lion eggs but bars and restaurants can buy eggs from wherever they want – there are no legal requirements. And the Food Standards Agency doesn’t advise against people consuming raw eggs if they so wish.

 

“However for vulnerable groups (including the elderly) we suggest they should avoid consumption of raw/lightly cooked eggs because of the risk of salmonella,” says the agency.

 

Dale Degroff

Many recipes originated from tavern fare in England – flips, nogs and possets”

Dale DeGroff

 

Many cocktail books would offer the same advice regarding raw egg use. And there are plenty of cocktail mixologists who choose not to use them.

 

Alessandro Palazzi, head barman at the Dukes Bar in London, says there is no need to use eggs in cocktails at all. Palazzi avoids them, even with classic concoctions.

 

“Raw eggs were used in the old days to make classics like the whisky sour, but a lot of people don’t use them now, including us. It’s a lazy thing to do – like a chef adding flour to a sauce to make it thicker.”

 

He says a good barman can create classic cocktails without using eggs at all.

 

“The only difference is the longevity of the froth. If you know how to shake a cocktail properly and use the right ingredients you can create the same effect.”

 

In the old days bar staff used more basic ingredients. “They make drinks slimy and too thick. I think some people use them to hide the taste of cheap, bad ingredients.”

 

And he doesn’t approve of the raw egg substitutes that some bars use. “The smell is awful. I tried it only once then threw it away.”

 

Cocktails that contain eggs

Whisky sour with egg

All except egg nog use the whites only

 

But eggs have always been a part of cocktails, argues Dale DeGroff, founder and president of The Museum of the American Cocktail.

 

Many might think that cocktails were an American invention, but DeGroff explains that the roots are in fact in the UK. “Many of those recipes originated from tavern fare in England – flips, nogs and possets.” They’re traditional drinks composed of warm spiced ale, with sugar, spirit and eggs.

 

DeGroff questions the logic of health fears over raw eggs in drinks when they are frequently used in food. “Shall we do away with eggs Benedict because the hollandaise sauce is prepared without cooking? It is a silly controversy created by nanny states.”

 

But it’s impossible to guarantee the safety of any drink containing raw egg.

 

The popular belief that either the alcohol or lemon or lime juice in a cocktail would instantly kill salmonella bacteria is not quite true, argues Dr Paul Wigley, from the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Infection and Global Health.

 

 

“It is much harder to eliminate the risk of salmonella with alcohol because of the high protein content in eggs. You would need a very strong cocktail… and you would need to mix the cocktail and leave it to rest for a very long time.

 

“Lemon and lime juice would be more effective, but you would need to use a lot and leave it to sit for a very long time for there to be any reduction whatsoever. The best way to avoid the risk of salmonella in drinks is not to use raw eggs at all.”

 

That’s a position many risk-averse drinkers will take, whatever the cocktail traditionalists say.

Lightning powers Frankenstein phone.

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Scientists use lightning bolt to charge mobile phone

 

Mobile phone receiving a lightning strike
The lightning bolt was recreated in the lab

Some 200 years after Mary Shelley used lightning to breathe life into Frankenstein’s monster, scientists have copied her idea to power a phone.

The proof-of-concept experiment was conducted at the University of Southampton in collaboration with Nokia.

The mobile firm warned users “not to try this at home”.

Harnessing nature in this way could provide power sources where electricity is in short supply, said experts.

Huge step

Using a transformer, the team recreated a lightning bolt in the lab by passing 200,000 volts across a 30cm (12in) air gap.

“We were amazed to see that the Nokia circuitry somehow stabilised the noisy signal, allowing the battery to be charged,” said Neil Palmer, from the University of Southampton’s high voltage laboratory.

Southampton University lab The proof-of-concept experiment is a step towards harnessing the energy from lightning

“This discovery proves devices can be charged with a current that passes through the air, and is a huge step towards understanding a natural power like lightning and harnessing its energy.”

Lightning is a discharge of static electricity that occurs when there is an imbalance in the electrical charge between a cloud and the earth’s surface.

On average three people die in the UK each year from lightning strikes, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa).

“We obviously aren’t recommending people try this experiment at home, but we are always looking to disrupt and push the boundaries of technology,” said Chris Weber, executive vice-president for sales at Nokia.

Finding new ways to charge mobile phones and extend battery life is one of the number one priorities for the mobile industry.

“It’s certainly a striking idea,” said Ben Wood, of analyst firm CCS Insight.

“Nokia has been among the forerunners of device-charging technology for some time. It’s also very committed to caring for the environment. So it’s perhaps not surprising that the company’s involved in what might appear to be a wacky idea.”

He thinks the concept might be useful in areas without reliable electricity.

“If you live in a remote village in India you might welcome the possibility of a communal device that charges phones.”

Plastic ingredient spied on Titan.

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Cassini probe sees plastic ingredient on Titan moon

 

Titan

 

 

The Cassini probe has detected propene, or propylene, on Saturn’s moon Titan.

 

On Earth, this molecule, which comprises three carbon atoms and six hydrogen atoms, is a constituent of many plastics.

 

It is the first definitive detection of the plastic ingredient on any moon or planet, other than our home world, says the US space agency (Nasa).

 

The discovery, made by Cassini‘s infrared spectrometer, is reported in Astrophysical Journal Letters.

 

“This chemical is all around us in everyday life, strung together in long chains to form a plastic called polypropylene,” said Conor Nixon, a Nasa planetary scientist from the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center. A classic example would be the plastic boxes used to store food in kitchens worldwide.

 

Titan is dominated by hydrocarbons – principally methane, which after nitrogen is the most common component of the atmosphere.

 

Sunlight drives reactions that break apart the methane, allowing the fragments to join up and form even bigger molecules.

 

Other common species seen at the moon as a result are propane, which on Earth is used in portable cooking equipment, and ethane, which is the raw material for another ubiquitous plastic – polyethylene.

 

But the likes of methane, propene, propane and ethane are dwarfed by some truly colossal hydrocarbons that have been detected in Titan’s atmosphere.

 

When the effects of ultraviolet light are combined with the bombardment from particles driven in Saturn’s magnetic field, it becomes possible to cook up some very exotic chemistry.

 

Cassini’s plasma spectrometer has seen evidence for hydrocarbons with an atomic mass thousands of times heavier than a single hydrogen atom.

U.K. Couple Welcomes Rare Identical Triplets.

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A U.K. woman has given birth to identical triplets – the ultra-rare result of a single fertilized egg dividing into three separate embryos.

Karen Gilbert, 32, delivered the girls by C-section two months early on Aug. 2. But after six weeks in intensive care, all three babies, Ffion, Maddison and Paige are home and healthy.

“It’s been crazy,” Gilbert said. “Their personalities are already starting to shine through and I can’t wait to get to know them better.”

“At first they didn’t look real and you could pick them up with one hand. It was a bit of a shock,” said dad Ian Gilbert of his girls, who weighed less than 11 pounds combined at birth. “Now we’ve got them home we are coming to terms with it. They are starting to feel like our own.”

Texas Mom Delivers Quadruplets: Two Sets of Identical Twins

The Gilberts, from Pontypool, U.K., already had a 3-year-old daughter, Faye. They became pregnant with the triplets while honeymooning in New York.

“At first we thought it was one, but at eight weeks I got some really bad pains,” said Karen Gilbert. “We thought it was a miscarriage but it turns out it was three babies fighting for space.”

“It has really taken its toll on Karen,” said Ian Gilbert. “Because they are identical, they all share the same placenta and the same fluid. They all grew and fought so quickly it was practically ripping Karen’s muscles apart.”

Quintuplets Celebrate First Birthday

Being pregnant with multiples raises the risk of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a condition in which blood from fetus transfers to another. Despite the risk, the Gilberts refused to consider selective reduction – a procedure that aborts one or more fetuses in a multifetal pregnancy.

“We were scanned every week to make sure they were growing fine,” Ian Gilbert said.

Karen Gilbert felt pain during her last scan and went into early labor. But the triplets, while still tiny at less than 6 pounds each, are doing well.

“The pregnancy has taken its toll, but now I’m taking my time to recover and get to know my three beautiful girls,” Karen Gilbert said.

Quantum Computers Check Each Other’s Work.

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Image courtesy of Equinox Graphics

Check it twice. Quantum computers rely on these clusters of entangled qubits—units of data that embody many states at once—to achieve superspeedy processing. New research shows one such computer can verify the solutions of another.

Quantum computers can solve problems far too complex for normal computers, at least in theory. That’s why research teams around the globe have strived to build them for decades. But this extraordinary power raises a troubling question: How will we know whether a quantum computer’s results are true if there is no way to check them? The answer, scientists now reveal, is that a simple quantum computer—whose results humans can verify—can in turn check the results of other dramatically more powerful quantum machines.

Quantum computers rely on odd behavior of quantum mechanics in which atoms and other particles can seemingly exist in two or more places at once, or become “entangled” with partners, meaning they can instantaneously influence each other regardless of distance. Whereas classical computers symbolize data as bits—a series of ones and zeroes that they express by flicking switchlike transistors either on or off—quantum computers use quantum bits (qubits) that can essentially be on and off at the same time, or in any on/off combination, such as 32% on and 68% off.

Because each qubit can embody so many different states, quantum computers could compute certain classes of problems dramatically faster than regular computers by running through every combination of possibilities at once. For instance, a quantum computer with 300 qubits could perform more calculations in an instant than there are atoms in the universe.

Currently, all quantum computers involve only a few qubits “and thus can be easily verified by a classical computer, or on a piece of paper,” says quantum physicist Philip Walther of the University of Vienna. But their capabilities could outstrip conventional computers “in the not-so-far future,” he warns, which raises the verification problem.

Scientists have suggested a few ways out of this conundrum that would involve computers with large numbers of qubits or two entangled quantum computers. But these still lie outside the reach of present technology.

Now, quantum physicist Stefanie Barz at the University of Vienna, along with Walther and their colleagues, has a new strategy for verification. It relies on a technique known as blind quantum computing, an idea which they first demonstrated in a 2012 Science paper. A quantum computer receives qubits and completes a task with them, but it remains blind to what the input and output were, and even what computation it performed.

To test a machine’s accuracy, the researchers peppered a computing task with “traps”—short intermediate calculations to which the user knows the result in advance. “In case the quantum computer does not do its job properly, the trap delivers a result that differs from the expected one,” Walther explains. These traps allow the user to recognize when the quantum computer is inaccurate, the researchers report online today in Nature Physics. The results show experimentally that one quantum computer can verify the results of another, and that theoretically any size of quantum computer can verify any other, Walther says.

The existence of undetectable errors will depend on the particular quantum computer and the computation it carries out. Still, the more traps users build into the tasks, the better they can ensure the quantum computer they test is computing accurately. “The test is designed in such a way that the quantum computer cannot distinguish the trap from its normal tasks,” Walther says.

The researchers used a 4-qubit quantum computer as the verifier, but any size will do, and the more qubits the better, Walther notes. The technique is scalable, so it could be used even on computers with hundreds of qubits, he says, and it can be applied to any of the many existing quantum computing platforms.

“Like almost all current quantum computing experiments, this currently has the status of a fun demonstration proof of concept, rather than anything that’s directly useful yet,” says theoretical computer scientist Scott Aaronson at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. But that doesn’t detract from the importance of these demonstrations, he adds. “I’m very happy that they’re done, as they’re necessary first steps if we’re ever going to have useful quantum computers.”

15 Reasons Why You Should Be Independent of the “good” Opinion of Others.

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“Be independent of the good opinion of other people.” ~ Abraham Harold Maslow

We are often flattered by appreciation and hurt by criticism. While it is true that approval boosts our morale and criticism depresses us, quite often an obsessive quest for approval becomes a psychological problem. People almost go in a mode of complete self-negation and keep devising ways to please others.

free-of-criticism

This brings us to the importance of the need to think and act independently of what the people talk or think about us. It should, however, be noted that in our zest for independence we should not lose sight of the legitimate sensitivities of the people around us and also the need to remain with a certain amount of social discipline. Independent thinking does not mean being anarchic. Also we should be open to helpful and constructive criticism.

There are 15 reasons why we should not be obsessed with pleasing people to seek their appreciation.

1. Constant quest for appreciation may become a psychological problem.

Most of us who think that they are not getting the type and amount of approval they expect stop interacting with the people. They become introvert. The problem aggravates further when they try to create an imaginary world where they indulge in some sort of delusive self- talking especially with people whose favourable opinions and views they seek in the actual world, but cannot get.

“You will never gain anyone’s approval by begging for it. When you stand confident in your own worth, respect follows.” ~  Mandy Hale

 2. We are all born unique individuals.

Spiritually speaking, each one of us is born as a unique soul with individual ‘sanskars’ or certain naturally endowed thought patterns. Trying to cramp them to fit into the thinking moulds of others would mean going against the very laws of divinity and nature. If you do not believe in spirituality, still, it cannot be denied that biologically each one of us has unique genes and DNA.  Forcing them to go against their natural course may prove counterproductive.

Nonetheless, independent thinking does not mean ignoring the accumulated wisdom of the ages. It also includes listening attentively to the views of those who love and care for us and balance them with our own specific biological and spiritual needs.

3. Chasing approval from others may distract us from working to achieve our goals.

It dilutes our focus on what we really wish to pursue and may ultimately impede our progress and happiness resulting out of it.

“Do not look for approval except for the consciousness of doing your best.” ~ Andrew Carnegie

4. How many people can you please by seeking their approval?

There are hordes of them and each one has their own tastes, likes and dislikes. In trying to please everyone it is likely you end up displeasing most of them.

“People who want the most approval get the least and people who need approval the least get the most.” ~ Wayne Dyer

5. Independent thinking is essential for personal and social evolution.

What would have happened if Darwin had listened to the opinions of the ‘respected people’ of the society of those days and stopped pursuing his theory of evolution?

6. Truly independent people follow their own heart and soul even at great risks.

Socrates preferred to drink hemlock rather please the people in authority and seek their approval and live like their slave. He lived and died like truly free and fearless man.

7. Constant anxiety to seek approval from others causes tension and depression.

You are always looking sideways to see if someone is looking and risk losing your chosen path.

8. Anxiety about approval or disapproval suppresses creativity.

You need to follow your instincts to live a truly joyous and happy life.

“I too will something make
And joy in the making!
Altho’ tomorrow it seem’
Like the empty words of a dream
Remembered, on waking.” ~ Robert Bridges

9. Hypocrisy and self-deception

Working to always please others is self-defeating hypocrisy and dishonesty. You force yourself to obey others even if you think they are wrong. “It is not doing what you believe is wrong or right but what others believe is right or wrong for you”. In process you do not live for the pleasure of yourself, but for others. You are killing your soul.

10. Seeking approval is like living an imagined life in others’ breath.

Any person can breathe-blow you away like a useless piece of tiny straw.

11. Fear of approval or disapproval dissipates the raw, virginal and primordial instincts and feelings that our spirit is endowed with when we are born.

It kills the purity, simplicity, joy and innocence of our soul.

“The older I get, the less I care about what people think of me. Therefore the older I get, the more I enjoy life.” ~ Unknown

12. Fear of approval and disapproval kills initiative

Ability to take free and fearless initiative is the driving force for the evolution of self and society. It is the basic quality that defines true leadership that is marked by taking bold decisions regardless of what people think of you.

13. You live an artificial rather than a natural life.

If you follow your own instincts you can fly in the soaring heights of the limitless skies. On the other hand, you stay caged like a parrot with your wings clipped, howsoever beautiful and colourful you may look. You become a slave of others rather than being a master of your own free will.

14. Seeking appreciation of others stifles your divine powers of intuition, clairvoyance and foresight.

Most people stifle their innate divine powers of intuition and clairvoyance under the pressure of approval and disapproval of people around them.

15. Fear of disapproval leads to constrained and regimented living.

Quite often you come to grief for following the approval of others rather than your own instinct.

This Garlic Soup Recipe Can Defeat Colds, Flu and Even Norovirus.

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Forget the flu shot. A soup based on more than 50 cloves of garlic, onions, thyme and lemon will destroy almost any virus that enters its path including colds, flu and even norovirus.

As we sneeze and cough our way through these dark months of contagious nasties, garlic is being hailed for its powers to halt viruses in their tracks.

It has gained its reputation as a virus buster thanks to one of its chemical constituents, allicin.

A recent and significant finding from Washington State University shows that garlic is 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics at fighting disease causing bacteria commonly responsible for foodborne illness.

When the garlic is crushed, alliin becomes allicin. Research shows that allicin helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure and also helps prevents blood clots. Garlic can also reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Compounds in this familiar bulb kill many organisms, including bacteria and viruses that cause earaches, flu and colds. Research indicates that garlic is also effective against digestive ailments and diarrhea. What’s more, further studies suggest that this common and familiar herb may help prevent the onset of cancers.

‘This chemical has been known for a long time for its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal powers,’ says Helen Bond, a Derbyshire-based consultant dietitian and spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association.

‘Because of this, people assume it is going to boost their immune systems. Lots of people are simply mashing up garlic, mixing it with olive oil and spreading it on bread.

‘But how or whether it may actually work has still not been proven categorically.’

Indeed, scientists remain divided on garlic’s ability to combat colds and flu. Last March, a major investigation by the respected global research organization, the Cochrane Database, found that increasing your garlic intake during winter can cut the duration of cold symptoms — from five-and-a-half days to four-and-a-half.

But the report, which amalgamated all previous scientific studies on garlic, said it could not draw solid conclusions because there is a lack of large-scale, authoritative research.

The problem is that pharmaceutical companies are not interested in running huge, expensive trials — as they would with promising new drug compounds — because there is nothing in garlic that they can patent, package and sell at a profit.

Modified Garlic Soup Recipe
Serves 4
26 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) organic butter (grass fed)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 cup fresh ginger
2 1/4 cups sliced onions
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
26 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup coconut milk
3 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth
4 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 350F. Place 26 garlic cloves in small glass baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and toss to coat. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic between fingertips to release cloves. Transfer cloves to small bowl.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, thyme, ginger and cayenne powder and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add roasted garlic and 26 raw garlic cloves and cook 3 minutes. Add vegetable broth; cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan; add coconut milk and bring to simmer. Season with sea salt and pepper for flavor.

Squeeze juice of 1 lemon wedge into each bowl and serve.

garlic_cloves3efCan be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

If garlic were found to be a wonder drug, consumers could simply buy it in the supermarket for 30p a bulb or grow their own in the garden.

Nevertheless, garlic has a long and proud tradition as a medicine. The Ancient Egyptians recommended it for 22 ailments. In a papyrus dated 1500BC, the laborers who built the pyramids ate it to increase their stamina and keep them healthy.

The Ancient Greeks advocated garlic for everything from curing infections, and lung and blood disorders to healing insect bites and even treating leprosy.

The Romans fed it to soldiers and sailors to improve their endurance. Dioscorides, the personal physician to Emperor Nero, wrote a five-volume treatise extolling its virtues.

One of the most interesting of the recent findings is that garlic increases the overall antioxidant levels of the body. Scientifically known as Allium sativa, garlic has been famous throughout history for its ability to fight off viruses and bacteria. Louis Pasteur noted in 1858 that bacteria died when they were doused with garlic. From the Middle Ages on, garlic has been used to treat wounds, being ground or sliced and applied directly to wounds to inhibit the spread of infection. The Russians refer to garlic as Russian penicillin.

More recently, researchers have unearthed evidence to show garlic may help us to stay hale and hearty in a number of ways.

Last June, nutrition scientists at the University of Florida found eating garlic can boost the number of T-cells in the bloodstream. These play a vital role in strengthening our immune systems and fighting viruses.

And pharmacologists at the University of California found that allicin — the active ingredient in garlic that contributes to bad breath — is an infection-killer.

Allicin also makes our blood vessels dilate, improving blood flow and helping to tackle cardiovascular problems such as high cholesterol.

An Australian study of 80 patients published last week in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that diets high in garlic may reduce high blood pressure.

In 2007, dentists in Brazil found that gargling with garlic water (made by steeping crushed garlic cloves in warm, but not boiling, water) can kill the germs that cause tooth decay and gum disease.

But they hit a snag: the volunteers refused to continue the experiment, complaining that the garlic gargle made them feel sick. Looking at the garlic soup recipe certainly made me feel queasy. Still, it gave me an excuse to use up my ample supply of garlic.

Though last year’s awful weather caused crop failures on my allotment, I enjoyed a bumper harvest of garlic.

Among its many other virtues, garlic kills slugs and snails. Researchers from the University of Newcastle believe it contains oils that may cripple the nervous systems of these slimy creatures.

There are two schools of thought as to the best way of preparing garlic to make the most of its medicinal qualities.

Argentinian investigators found it releases its allicin-type compounds when you bake the cloves, while scientists at South Carolina Medical University believe peeling garlic and letting it sit uncovered for 15 minutes produces the highest levels of compounds to fight infection.

So you can simply peel half of the garlic cloves and roast the other half with the kitchen door tightly closed (to stop the pong permeating throughout the house).

The heady aroma certainly revs up the appetite and the first spoonful does not disappoint. Delicious as it is, however, one large bowl of home-made soup is a more than ample meal.

As for the soup’s cold-preventing powers, only time will tell. Regular bowlfuls may very well keep me free of winter ailments, thanks to the virus-killing compounds they contain.

Or it could just be that my nuclear-strength garlic breath will keep everyone who is infectious far out of sneezing range for months to come.

John Summerly is nutritionist, herbologist, and homeopathic practitioner. He is a leader in the natural health community and consults athletes, executives and most of all parents of children on the benefits of complementary therapies for health and prevention.

Source: Prevent Disease & realfarmacy.com

23 Seniors Have Died So Far This Year After Receiving Flu Shots.

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Package insert for Fluzone flu vaccine marketed to seniors reveals 23 seniors died during drug trial

The annual marketing campaign pushing people to receive flu vaccinations is in full force. CVS Pharmacies is offering a 20% off shopping pass if you purchase a flu vaccine.

As you can see in the screen shot below, taken from the CVS website, senior citizens over the age of 65 are being targeted to get the “high-dose” flu vaccine.

The FAQ at the CVS website defines the “high-dose” flu vaccine: “Containing four times the amount of antigen (the part of the vaccine that causes the body to produce antibody) in regular flu shots, high-dose flu shots, along with the additional antigen produced, are intended to create a stronger immune response.”

The name of this flu vaccine that is marketed for seniors is called “Fluzone.” You can find it being marketed to seniors at all the major pharmacies in the United States.

Package inserts for flu vaccines show a multitude of side effects, including death, and yet they are marketed the same as over-the-counter drugs with no prescription needed. Why?

Because in the United States vaccines enjoy complete immunity from lawsuits in the market place. If you are injured or die from a vaccine, you or your family cannot sue the manufacturer of the vaccine. This law enacted by Congress, was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011.

Therefore, they are marketed with the same marketing techniques as any other high-profit product. With the baby boomer generation moving into their senior years, today’s seniors are seen as an especially lucrative market.

So financial incentives like discounts on other products, as CVS is doing, is quite common in order to boost vaccine sales.

Walgreens has a different program that especially boosts sales of vaccines:

While vaccine rates in the U.S. among children are close to 90%, rates in other parts of the world (where pharmaceutical companies do not have immunity from the law for adverse effects) are much lower. So, in partnership with Walgreens, a non-profit organization (Shot@Life) buys up the vaccines and sends them to these countries for free (who doesn’t want something for free, especially when you live in a poor country??)

This is a brilliant marketing plan for the pharmaceutical companies, as the U.S. government gives the organization buying the vaccines non-profit status, allowing them to receive tax deductible donations to pay for the vaccines. Walgreens is probably a contributor to the program as a tax write off.

With legal immunity to market dangerous products, don’t expect those doing the marketing and making the profits to warn you of the side effects. You need to find this information yourself, usually from the Internet.

For those pro-vaccine forces that warn people how dangerous it is to get information from the Internet, the information we are about to share is directly from the FDA website (at least at the time of this writing – they have been known to remove items from their website if it gets too much publicity and makes them look bad), and you can look it up yourself.

The high-dose Fluzone vaccine being marketed this flu season to seniors, which has four times the amount of antigens that the regular flu shot has, as well as the non-high dose version, had 23 seniors die during drug trials.

In the section documenting adverse effects, this is what is written:

Within 6 months post-vaccination, 156 (6.1%) Fluzone High-Dose recipients and 93 (7.4%) Fluzone recipients experienced a serious adverse event. No deaths were reported within 28 days post-vaccination. A total of 23 deaths were reported during the period Day 29–180 post-vaccination: (0.6%) among Fluzone High-Dose recipients and 7 (0.6%) among Fluzone 1 recipients. The majority of these participants had a medical history of cardiac, hepatic, neoplastic, renal, and/or respiratory diseases. No deaths were considered to be caused by vaccination.

This statement stating that 23 seniors died, which really should be headline news but is buried in a package insert on the FDA website, begs several questions:

1. By what basis can they conclude that “No deaths were considered to be caused by vaccination”??

2. If, as it is implied, these 23 deaths were all caused by pre-existing conditions, why were there no deaths in the first 28 days? Shouldn’t the deaths, if not attributable to the vaccine but pre-existing conditions, be equally spread out through all time periods?
3. How does the medical history for these 23 seniors compare to the medical history of those who did not die? Were there any significant differences? The range of symptoms given in the package insert can very well cover almost all seniors during the flu season.

Besides death, which is just one “serious adverse event,” there were 226 other “serious” adverse events, for a total of 249 serious adverse events, out of only 3,833 participants.

If this does not constitute a dangerous drug that should probably not even be on the market, then I don’t know what does. And yet, it is sold to unsuspecting seniors and others like candy at these drug stores.

One of these other adverse side effects (besides death) is Guillain-Barré syndrome, which has symptoms similar to polio. If you are brought into an emergency room with the paralyzing effects of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), the first question the doctors will ask you is if you just received the flu shot. Read one story here of how one man went from being able to bench-press 275 pounds to struggling how to walk after receiving last year’s flu shot: Miami Man Contracts Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Nearly Dies After Getting Flu Shot.

The CDC would like you to believe that the risk of GBS from the flu shot is only one out of one million. But if that is the case, why is there a warning on package inserts of flu vaccines, and why is it the first question EMTs ask when dealing with GBS emergencies?

The package insert for Fluzone states: “If Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has occurred within 6 weeks of previous influenza vaccination, the decision to give Fluzone High-Dose should be based on careful consideration of the potential benefits and risks.”

I wonder how many vaccine sales people at these pharmacies give “careful consideration” to this adverse side effect, or any others, before injecting you?

 

Source: undergroundhealth.com