Chili peppers kill prostate cancer

A recent article in the U.S. medical journal Cancer Research reports that capsaicin, the ingredient in hot chili peppers — habanero and jalapeno — that makes them hot, kills up to 80% of prostate cancer cells, and that tumors treated with capsaicin were smaller than those not so treated, the BBC reports.

Said Dr. Soren Lehmann, who led the study: "Capsaicin had a profound anti-proliferative effect on human prostate cancer cells in culture. It also dramatically slowed the development of prostate tumours."

Yet, believe it or not, the "Prostate Cancer Charity" in the UK responded to the news by saying, "...we caution men with prostate cancer in the UK against upping their weekly intake of the hottest known chilis."

Chris Hiley, head of policy and research at The Prostate Cancer Charity, added: "...For now, if men with prostate cancer want to improve their diet they should avoid fatty foods, eat less red and processed meat, increase their fish intake and enjoy a wide and plentiful range of fruit and vegetables every day."

Why? Because there is no "approved drug" made from capsaicin. It's just more proof that the medical profession doesn't want you well. They want you just sick enough that you have to take their overpriced and often dangerous medicines.

Think I'm exaggerating? Here's more from Hiley: ""This is interesting laboratory-based work on cells but we don't yet know how, if at all, it might help men with prostate cancer. Eventually, it may be possible to extract the capsaicin and make it available as a drug treatment. But for now... [insert quote from two paragraphs up].

The industry doesn't want you visiting your local herb shop for a $10 bottle of capsicum / capsaicin / pepper pills, or growing your own hot peppers in your garden. They want you hooked on $200 a month pharmaceuticals.

Prostate Cancer | Hot Pepper | Jalapeno
Habanero | Capsaicin | capsicum

Drug trials critically injure volunteers

Six men are in serious or critical condition today after suffering violent reactions on Monday while taking part in pharmaceutical drug research. They remain in the intensive care unit of Northwick Park Hospital in London, reports the BBC.

Drug-maker TeGenero AG yesterday told family members yesterday that a dog had died in preliminary tests, and today denied that report, says lawyer Ann Alexander, who represents one of the sickened men.

Ms Alexander added: "These are ordinary health people who have been involved in a clinical trial and unfortunately everything seems to have gone wrong. I think the most scary thing for the families... is that they don't know what the outcome is going to be."

TeGenero called the reactions to their drug TBN1412 "shocking developments." The drug is designed to treat rheumatoid arthritis and leukaemia. This is the first time it has been tested on humans.

All six volunteers had to be admitted to intensive care within hours of taking the drug. One patient was described as lifeless, unable to move, and puffed up "like the Elephant Man."

Demonization of kava kava continues

Do-gooders are now blaming unemployment and "lazyness" among aboriginal Australians on the use of the relaxing herb kava kava.

Though tribal leaders say alcohol and hard drugs are much more serious problems among the aborigines, reformers are using buzzwords such as "dangerous" and "dreadful problem" in discussing kava kava.

"The impact of kava on some communities is similar to alcohol and drugs," a government health adviser says. "People feel dispossessed, are unemployed, have a lack of education and look to substances to occupy themselves. It affects our young people mentally and physically."

Is he saying kava is the problem, or that the rampant depression over unemployment and lack of education lead people to use kava as a means of temporary escape? I guess they'd rather people face up to their horrible poverty with a clear mind.

Australia | Aborigines | Herbalism
Societal Problems | Kava | Alcohol Abuse

Red wine prevents tooth loss, gum disease

Drink up!

Wine is good for your teeth and gums, according to research scientists as University Laval in Quebec, Canada.

Red wine contains antioxidants known as polyphenols, which are already known to reduce cholesterol. It is now also believed polyphenols prevent gum disease by reducing inflammation that arises from periodontitis.

Periodontitis is a common cause of tooth loss because it affects the bones as well as the gums, loosening teeth.

Nutrition | Antioxidants | Polyphenols
Periodontitis | Inflammation | Wine

Aspirin-Plavix combination ineffective at preventing heart disease, stroke

A major study has found no benefit, and perhaps harm, from mixing the anti-clotting drug Plavix to aspirin.

Plavix alone has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of a second heart attack, so it was assumed adding asprin to the regimen would further decrease the chance of another heart attack.

A trial involving more than 15,000 high-risk patients showed there was no benefit from the combination, researchers report.

"The absence of a clear benefit, in terms of clinical outcome, coupled with the increased rate of bleeding... argues against the use of dual therapy in this patient population," wrote Dr. Marc Pfeffer of Harvard Medical School and Dr. John Jarcho of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Drugs | Medicine | Heart Disease
Aspirin Therapy | Plavix | Medical Research

Mad Cow found in Alabama

A cow from an Alabama farm that had tested "inconclusive" over the weeked for Mad Cow Disease was today confirmed positive for the illness.

"We received a positive result from a Western Blot Confirmatory test conducted at our USDA laboratories in Ames, Iowa, on samples from an animal that had tested inconclusive on a rapid screening test performed on Friday, March 10," said John Clifford, chief veterinary officer of the U.S. Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Wikipedia says Mad Cow Disease, or Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease of cattle, which infects by a mechanism that surprised biologists on its discovery in late 20th century. The disease is not spread by microbes as are most diseases, but by a protein. People can contract the disease; it is thought to be the cause of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), sometimes called new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD), a human brain-wasting disease.

Transmission can occur when healthy animals consume tainted tissues from others with the disease. In the brain these proteins cause native cellular prion protein to deform into the infectious state which then goes on to deform further prion protein in an exponential cascade. These aggregate to form dense plaque fibers, which lead to the microscopic appearance of "holes" in the brain, degeneration of physical and mental abilities and ultimately death.

Mad Cow Disease | Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease | Alabama | Prion | Brain Disease