Light treatment clears psoriasis as it boosts vitamin D levels

(NaturalNews) According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) about 7.5 million Americans suffer from the chronic, autoimmune skin disease called psoriasis that causes irritated, flaky and thick patches of red skin; some forms of psoriasis are also associated with joint pain. Most medical treatment for the often painful and quality-of-life robbing disease center around controlling symptoms with medications like cortisone. But now research just published in the August issue of the Archives of Dermatology indicates there’s a non-drug way to clear and maybe cure the disease naturally — exposure to vitamin D boosting UV-B light. Comprising the “tanning rays” from the sun that are blocked by sunscreen and long feared for supposedly causing wrinkles and “age spots”, UV-B light, it turns out, actually promotes health by increasing levels of vitamin D. Now a team of scientists from St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, have found that treatment with narrow-band UV-B rays greatly increases serum levels of vitamin D in the wintertime. And they’ve shown how adequate exposure to UV-B light therapy can clear psoriasis. In fact, the new finding is powerful evidence that a lack of the “sunshine” vitamin is involved in the development and worsening of this skin condition. The researchers studied 30 consecutive patients with psoriasis who were treated with narrow-band UV-B light three times per week between October 2008 and February 2009. The research subjects’ psoriasis cleared and their serum vitamin D levels (which were measured before the study, after four weeks of treatment and after the treatment was finished) were compared with those of 30 control patients who also had psoriasis but did not have any UV-B therapy. The researchers also assessed the severity of the patients’ psoriasis symptoms and their skin disease-related quality of life before and after treatment. The results showed that levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, which is considered the most accurate measurement of vitamin D levels in the body, had increased significantly among individuals receiving UV-B therapy — rising from about 23 nanograms per milliliter to 59 nanograms per milliliter at the end of treatment. However, there was no change in the control group. “At the end of the study, all patients in the treatment group were vitamin D sufficient, but 75 percent of the control group had vitamin D insufficiency,” the authors wrote in their paper. What’s more, the control group’s skin condition didn’t improve at all. And in the group treated with UV-B light exposure, their psoriasis severity scores decreased dramatically — from 7.1 at the beginning of the study to only 0.5 after light therapy. For more information: http://www.naturalnews.com/Vitamin_D.html www.psoriasis.org

Stomach bacteria need vitamin to establish infection, research finds

Scientists have determined that Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium that causes peptic ulcers and some forms of stomach cancer, requires the vitamin B6 to establish and maintain chronic infection, according to new research. This finding, along with the identification of the enzyme the microbe requires to utilize the vitamin, could lead to the development of an entirely new class of antibiotics.

Scientists say salmonella helps immune system to destroy cancer cells

(NaturalNews) Scientists from Italy and the U.S. claim to have found a new therapeutic way to assist the body in defending against and killing cancer cells — salmonella bacteria. Based on initial tests in mice and human cancer cells, the team observed that small doses of salmonella actually trigger the immune system to better find and hunt down cancer cells in order to kill them. “We did experiments first in mice and then in cancer cells and immune cells from human patients, and found that the salmonella was doing exactly the same job,” explained Maria Rescigno from the European Institute of Oncology in Milan. The team explained that the type of salmonella they used was a special form that does not actually cause the disease to infect the body. On the contrary, the bacterial fragments seemed only to help increase immune system levels of connexin 43, the unique protein that assists cells in communicating with each other in order to defend against foreign invaders. Typically, the human body is able to fight off cancer cells during their early stages of their development. But as they spread throughout the body and multiply, the body is eventually unable to keep up with making enough connexin 43 to fight them all, which results in the cancer taking over the body. The scientists hope that their discovery will lead to the development of new immunotherapy drugs for cancer patients. Editor’s Note: NaturalNews is strongly against the use of all forms of animal testing. We fully support implementation of humane medical experimentation that promotes the health and well-being of all living creatures. Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67A40Q20100811

Guess where your fluoride comes from? China!

(NaturalNews) Much of the fluoride added to municipal water supplies across the United States is imported from China, and is contaminated with heavy metals, according to a warning by Bernard Miltenberger, president of the Pure Water Committee of Western Maryland. In a letter published in the Cumberland Times-News , Miltenberger notes that he first became aware of the issue in an engineering report for the city of Boulder, Colo. The report noted that the fluoridation chemicals used for the city’s water had been evaluated, and were found to contain lead levels of 40 milligrams per bag and arsenic levels of 50 milligrams per bag. The bags were being imported from China under no regulatory monitoring of acid or salt content. Miltenberger then visited the Frostburg Water Filtration Plant in Maryland and noticed that the fluoride bags were not labeled with any importation information. He contacted the plant’s chemical supplier, Univar USA, and was then referred to Sovay fluorides. Sovay informed him that the fluoride had been manufactured by Shanghai Minthchem Development in China. “This type of trade from a country with a track record of lead paint on toys to antifreeze in cough syrup medicine is completely unacceptable,” Miltenberger writes. Heavy metal contamination is only the latest concern to emerge over the practice of water fluoridation, which has been controversial since its inception. Fluoride is a well-known toxic chemical, as Miltenberger notes: “The material safety data sheets from Solvay fluorides show that a teaspoon amount of five grams of sodium fluoride can be fatal to an average size man of 70kg. … chronic toxicity by oral route may cause skeletal and dental fluorosis, thyroid, testes, kidney, liver, ambiguous carcinogenic and mutagenic effects, fetotoxic and fertility effects.” Miltenberger also notes that fluoride toothpaste contains a warning that anyone who consumes more than a pea-size amount should contact a poison control center at once. This amount of toothpaste contains as much fluoride as just eight ounces of fluoridated water. A prescription-strength fluoride supplement marketed by Colgate warns that children under the age of six should not consume doses regularly added to municipal water. Sources for this story include: http://www2.fluoridealert.org/Alert/United-States/Maryland/Chinese-fluoride-is-a-homeland-security-matter.

Eating well-done meat doubles your risk of developing bladder cancer

(NaturalNews) You may want to think twice about cooking that meat well-done, according to a new study out of the University of Texas. Researchers there have found that charring meat by frying, barbecuing or otherwise heavily cooking it can lead to the formation of cancer-causing chemicals in the meat. The study explains that people who eat well-done meat double their risk of developing bladder cancer when compared to people who eat meat on the rarer end of the spectrum. This is due primarily to the heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that form when meat is cooked at very high heat. Researchers found that three different HCA chemicals form during high-heat cooking that, collectively, raise a person’s cancer risk by more than 250 percent. And in people who are genetically predisposed to developing the disease from the meat, the risk jumps nearly 500 percent. The U.S. National Cancer Institute has identified a total of 17 different HCAs that contribute to causing cancer, and prior research has already established that these char-induced chemicals increase pancreatic cancer risk. But now it appears that they contribute to bladder cancer as well. The study sheds further light on the direct correlation between the foods we eat and our overall level of health. “This research reinforces the relationship between diet and cancer,” explained Professor Xifeng Wu, lead author of the study, to the American Association for Cancer Research. The study team made very clear in its report that meat itself is not necessarily the culprit in increasing cancer risk, but rather the intense cooking methods by which it is prepared. And it is not just charred red meat – chicken, pork and even fish cooked heavily may also form cancer-causing HCAs. Researchers did point out, however, that eating red and processed meat can increase one’s risk of developing bowel cancer. But no distinction was made between grass-fed and grain-fed meat and whether or not animal husbandry methods play a role in the health factors of meat, so it is best to investigate this matter for yourself. According to the U.K. Food Standards Agency, keeping meat away from direct flames when barbecuing or grilling it will help to reduce the development of HCAs and lower one’s risk of developing cancer. Slow-cooking meat is another way to inhibit HCS formation. Sources for this story include: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8629358.stm

Learn how to eliminate cancer on the next NaturalNews Talk Hour

(NaturalNews) The NaturalNews Talk Hour presents Cancer, Fraud and the FDA – Part 3 of its series, “American Heroes – Cancer Experts Speak Out” – with our special guests Stanislaw Burzynski, MD, Ph.D. and Eric Merola, Director of Burzynski – the movie . This show will reveal the untold truth about cancer, the cancer industry, and a revolutionary way to eliminate cancer from the body. “The thing that bugs me is that the people think the FDA is protecting them. It isn’t. What the FDA is doing and what the public thinks its doing are as different as night and day.” – Herbert Ley Jr., M.D. (former Commissioner of the FDA) On the next NaturalNews Talk Hour – our first guest, Eric Merola, Director of “Burzynski – the movie” will reveal the shocking (true) story of a medical doctor and Ph.D. (biochemist) named Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski who won the largest, and possibly the most convoluted and intriguing legal battle against the Food and Drug Administration in American history. Get show details, watch our exclusive movie review including crowd reaction of the film. One man is really outspoken! Our show begins this Thursday evening at 6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern, and registration is FREE. Simply enter your email address in the registration form on the right column of this page and you’ll receive call-in details for the show. Cancer is Serious Business According to Newsweek writer Sharon Begley, “Cancer is on track to kill 565,650 people in the United States this year – more than 1,500 a day, equivalent to three jumbo jets crashing and killing everyone aboard 365 days a year.” Yet, our government-run health agencies like, the National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society tell us a cure is “just around the corner”. Not everyone agrees. “Everyone should know that most cancer research is largely a fraud, and that the major cancer research organizations are derelict in their duties to the people who support them.” – Linus Pauling – 2-Time Nobel Prize Winner In 1971, Richard Nixon signed the “National Cancer Act” and we started the War on Cancer . Clearly, this war is a failure, western (conventional) medicine has let us down and it’s time for a change. This week’s guest: Stanislaw Burzynski, MD and Eric Merola, Film Director Stanislaw Burzynski, MD and Eric Merola – “Cancer, Fraud and the FDA” – Thu. Aug. 12th Get show details, watch our exclusive movie review including crowd reaction of the film. One man is really outspoken! Dr. Burzynski is an internationally recognized physician and biochemist-researcher who pioneered the development and use of biologically active peptides in diagnosing, preventing and treating cancer. In 1967, at the young age of 24, Dr. Burzynski graduated from the Medical Academy in Lublin, Poland, with a M.D. degree with distinction, finishing first in his class of 250. During the same year he identified naturally occurring peptides in the human body which he concluded control cancer growth. He found that there is a marked deficiency of these peptides in cancer patients. Help Save Lives! Tell your family and friends about this show. There is scientific proof – cancer can be eliminated. Register now using the email form in the right column, and you will be emailed show details. Don’t miss out – Register Now!

Junk food-addicted rats chose to starve themselves rather than eat healthy food

(NaturalNews) A diet including unlimited amounts of junk food can cause rats to become so addicted to the unhealthy diet that they will starve themselves rather than go back to eating healthy food, researchers have discovered. In a series of studies conducted over the course of three years and published in the journal Nature Neuroscience , Scripps Florida scientists Paul Johnson and Paul Kenny have shown that rats’ response to unlimited junk food closely parallels well-known patterns of drug addiction — even down to the changes in brain chemistry. “What we have are these core features of addiction, and these animals are hitting each one of these features,” Kenny said. In their first study, the researchers fed rats on either a balanced diet or on the same diet plus unlimited access to junk foods purchased at a local supermarket, including processed meats and cakes. Within a short time period, the rats on the junk food diet began to eat compulsively and quickly became overweight. “They’re taking in twice the amount of calories as the control rats,” Kenny said. The researchers hypothesized that the rats were eating compulsively because, like drug addicts, they had become desensitized to smaller amounts and needed more and more for the same rush of pleasure. Many recreational drugs work by directly stimulating the brain’s pleasure centers, particularly the dopamine receptor known as D2. Overstimulation of this receptor causes the body to start producing less dopamine, leading the addict to compensate by taking more of the drug. Since dopamine can also be released by pleasurable activities such as food or sex, Kenny and Johnson speculated that food addiction could develop in the same way. To test whether the rats had, in fact, become habituated to dopamine, the researchers took the rats from the first experiment and hooked their brains up to a device that would directly stimulate their D2 receptors when they ran on a wheel. Rats eating a junk food diet ran on the wheel significantly longer than rats fed a normal diet, suggesting that their receptors had indeed become desensitized. This “profound” desensitization occurred after just five days on a junk food diet. “They’re not experiencing rewards the way they should,” Kenny said. “When you experience that, one way of feeling better is to go back to the junk food.” “They lose control. This is the hallmark of addiction.” In another test of their addiction hypothesis, the researchers used a virus to block the D2 receptors in healthy rats. All those rats soon became compulsive eaters. “This is the most complete evidence to date that suggests obesity and drug addiction have common neurobiological underpinnings,” Johnson said. Having established that the junk food rats had become addicted, Johnson and Kenny wanted to know how far this addiction would push them. So they took both junk-food addicted rats and rats that had not previously been exposed to such food, and exposed them to electrical shocks whenever they ate junk. Rats that had just been introduced to junk food quickly stopped eating it, while the addicted rats ignored the discomfort and kept eating. Perhaps the most shocking finding came when the researchers took away the addicted rats’ access to junk food and started feeding them only healthy rat chow again — the same diets the rats had eaten as pups. When junk food was no longer available, the rats simply refused to eat for two weeks. “They actually voluntarily starved themselves,” Kenny said. “It’s almost as if you break these things, it’s very, very hard to go back to the way things were before. Their dietary preferences are dramatically shifted.” The research strongly suggests that many modern humans also suffer from junk food addictions. Kenny notes, however, that unlike the rats, all humans with access to junk food do not become obese. He attributes this difference to the influence of health knowledge and social pressure in moderating people’s natural eating habits. “The rats don’t suffer from the same social pressures that we do,” he said. The idea of junk food addiction is not a new one, and the dopamine-junk food connection was actually put forward by former FDA Commissioner David Kessler in his best-selling book, The End of Overeating . “Certainly, we see this addictive pattern in humans,” nutritionist Sandy Livingston said. “They know they shouldn’t overeat, but they do it anyway.” Livingston expressed hope that better knowledge about the biochemical side of food addiction might result in lessened guilt and judgment surrounding obesity. “A lot of people blame themselves — ‘Why don’t I have any willpower?’” she said. “Food can be highly addictive,” said author and nutritional supplement producer Jordan Rubin. “When people describe overeating and weight loss as a battle, this is why.” He called for more research into which individual components of junk food, such as MSG, might be behind its addictive effects. Obesity researcher Ralph DiLeone of Yale University noted that more research is needed into the long-term effects of such addiction, even if an animal later switches its diet and loses weight. “They might be a normal weight, but how they respond to food in the future may be permanently altered,” he said. Suggesting yet another area for future research, Kenny has expressed hope that better biochemical understanding of food addiction might someday enable the development of a drug or vaccine as a treatment for compulsive eating. Johnson and Kenny’s research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Bank of America and The Margaret Q. Landenberger Research Foundation. Sources for this story include: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/health/scripps-florida-addicted-rats-starved-themselves-rather-than-470310.html; http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/48605/title/Junk_food_turns_rats_into_addicts.

How to Reverse Cancer Naturally on the next NaturalNews Talk Hour

(NaturalNews) The NaturalNews Talk Hour continues its series, “American Heroes – Cancer Experts Speak Out” – a 5-week series of shows that reveals the untold truth about cancer, the cancer industry, and highly-successful (natural) cancer treatment options. Our next show, “Reversing Cancer , A Natural Approach” with our special guest, Nicholas Gonzalez, MD will remove your fears about cancer and inspire you to take control of your own health. Learn how to successfully reverse cancer with all-natural treatments. Click Here for our exclusive (video) interview of Nicholas Gonzalez, MD. Dr. Gonzalez was featured in Knockout , the best-selling book by Suzanne Somers. “What a great show , thank you. I LOVED IT!!!” , Faye L. Our show begins this Thursday evening at 6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern, and registration is FREE. Simply enter your email address in the registration form on the right column of this page and you’ll receive call-in details for the show. Amazing Results Suzanne Somers says, “Dr. Nick Gonzalez is one of the incredible doctors I had the privilege to interview in Knockout . His approach to treating cancer is to build up the body nutritionally to detoxify and replace missing enzymes. He has had incredible results , and has had to face unbelievable scrutiny from big business, big Pharma, and the media who are threatened that his “natural” treatment could have these astounding results without the use of harsh drugs.” Dr. John Paul Jones, former Vice President, Research and Development, for one of the largest healthcare companies in the world, has said, “I interviewed some of Dr. Gonzalez’s patients, saw their files, spent many hours with Dr. Gonzalez, and studied his many lectures. I also consulted with my wife, a researcher in oncology and hematology. She became so impressed that, despite no illness, she went on Dr. Gonzalez’s program, as did I, and many others.” Pierre Guesry, MD, former Medical Director of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France and vice president of research for the Nestle Company, the world’s largest food company, said “I told Dr. Gonzalez that I did not believe in his therapy…I then reviewed Dr. Gonzalez’s patient records for persons with very severe cancer whose diagnosis was confirmed by reputable hospitals and universities. I, myself, looked at the x rays, biopsies, and test results to be sure the cases were legitimate. This involved dozens of cases, far too many to suggest coincidental results. To my surprise, I determined that they were all legitimate.” Click Here for our exclusive (video) interview of Nicholas Gonzalez, MD. Dr. Gonzalez was featured in Knockout , the best-selling book of Suzanne Somers. This week’s guest: Nicholas Gonzalez, MD Nicholas Gonzalez, MD – “Reversing Cancer , A Natural Approach” – Thu. Aug. 5th Dr. Gonzalez graduated from Brown University, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude with a degree in English Literature. He subsequently completed his premedical work as a postgraduate student at Columbia University, and received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in 1983. After his internship, he completed fellowship training in immunology under Robert A. Good, Ph.D., M.D., considered to be the father of modern immunology. Dr. Gonzalez began researching nutritional approaches to cancer treatment while a medical student, and completed an investigation of the enzyme therapy of cancer while an immunology fellow. Tell A Friend! Be sure to tell your family and friends about this show. It could save a life! Register now using the email form in the right column, and you will be emailed show details. Don’t miss out – Register Now!

Up to 95 percent of infants are vitamin D deficient but only 1 percent get vitamin D supplements

(NaturalNews) Two studies published in the journal Pediatrics highlight that although vitamin D deficiency is widespread among infants in the United States, most pediatricians remain unaware of the problem. The first study, conducted by researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that only 5 to 13 percent of breast-fed infants were receiving at least 400 IU of vitamin D per day, the amount currently recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Human breast milk is actually relatively low in vitamin D, probably because during our evolutionary history most babies got plenty of exposure to sunlight. Although formula-fed infants were not included in the study, researchers noted that an infant would need to drink 32 ounces of fortified formula per day to get 400 IU of vitamin D, an amount that is probably unrealistic for young children. The body produces vitamin D when exposed to UV-B radiation from sunlight. The nutrient is essential for the development and maintenance of bones and the immune system, and deficiency can increase the risk of soft or brittle bones, infection, cancer, heart disease and autoimmune disorders. Yet the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants get no direct sunlight at all for the first six months of life, and that they wear protective clothing and sunscreen beyond that age – effectively ruling out the healthiest, most reliable source of this essential nutrient. Making matters worse, according to the CDC study, only 1 to 13 percent of children under the age of one take a vitamin D supplement. A second study in the same issue found a lower (but still high) rate of vitamin D deficiency, with 58 percent of newborns and 36 percent of mothers testing deficient. A full 30 percent of mothers who took prenatal vitamins were still deficient in vitamin D. Although increased sun exposure improved mothers’ vitamin D levels, it did not raise those of their infants. This further suggests that breast milk is a poor source of vitamin D and that infants need to be exposed to sunlight directly in order to synthesize the vitamin for themselves. Sources for this story include: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-03-22-vitamind22_ST_N.htm.

Resveratrol revs up metabolism, promotes weight loss in first ever primate study

(NaturalNews) Resveratrol is a type of phytonutrient known as a polyphenol. Found in the skin of grapes, wine, grape juice, peanuts, and berries, it has often been hailed as a life-extending natural compound. After all, research in mice and lab rats has indicated it can protect those animals from obesity and diabetes and has anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and blood-sugar-lowering effects, too. However, rats and mice are rodents — and their physiology is in many ways different from the primate family that includes apes, monkeys and, most importantly, human beings. But now for the first time a study has shown resveratrol has the ability to rev up metabolism and spark weight loss in primates — and that means the polyphenol might have weight loss and even anti-aging and life-extending benefits in people, too. Fabienne Aujard, from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, France, worked with a team of scientists to document how a diet supplemented with resveratrol impacted the weight, metabolism and energy intake of six mouse lemurs. (Despite their names, mouse lemurs have nothing to do with rodents. Found only on the African island nation of Madagascar, they are mouse-sized primates — the group that includes apes and humans.) The study, which was just published in the BMC Physiology journal, showed that after four weeks of resveratrol supplementation there was a significant decrease in the animals’ food intake along with a reduction in the body-mass gain lemurs normally experience in winter. The response to the resveratrol supplementation also involved significant changes in the animals’ body temperatures. The researchers noted that resveratrol appears to reduce weight by increasing satiety (the feeling of being full) and also by increasing the resting metabolic rate (the amount of energy expended while at rest) — so the animals burned up more calories even when not exercising. “We’ve found that lemurs eating a diet supplemented with the compound (resveratrol) decreased their energy intake by 13 percent and increased their resting metabolic rate by 29 percent,” Dr. Aujard said in a statement to the press. “These results provide novel information on the potential effects of resveratrol on energy metabolism and control of body mass in a primate. The physiological benefits of resveratrol are currently under intensive investigation, with recent work suggesting that it could be a good candidate for the development of obesity therapies.” For more information: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6793/10/11/abstract http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1472-6793-10-11.pdf http://www.naturalnews.com/resveratrol.html

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