Quiz: What Fragrance Is Perfect for Your Type?

Adapted from What’s Your Dosha, Baby? by Lisa Marie Coffey (Marlowe and Company, 2004).
Here is a great tool to try when you’re feeling unbalanced: first, take the fun quiz to determine your dosha, or life-energy type, then see which fragrances will help you to stay calm and energized, serene and stable. The answers may surprise you, but they are based on a potent combination of ancient Hindu Ayurvedic wisdom and aromatherapy science. Continue Reading >>
Also Visit Our Websites for:
Beauty
Brain Power
Cat Health
Detoxification
Cold & Flu
Dog Health
Female Arousal
Healthy Blood
Heart Care
Immune Support
Joint Care
Lover's Yoga
Male Virility
Mood Support
Natural Healing
PMS Relief
Prostate Care
Sleep Aid
Strength
Weight Loss

Active Social Life Helps Keep Aging Mind Sharp

(HealthDay News) -- People who keep up active social lives as they age may be doing their brain a favor, a new study finds.

Being socially active may increase feelings of self-worth and emotional validation that could end up helping maintain memory, researchers say. Social interaction may also present older minds with new challenges, keeping the brain more agile.

"We assessed social integration by marital status, volunteer activities and frequency of contact with children and neighbors," explained lead researcher Karen Ertel, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston.

Her team found that "people who were most socially integrated had memory decline of less than half the rate compared with those who were the least socially integrated," Ertel said.

The report is published in the May 29 online edition of the American Journal of Public Health.

In the study, Ertel's team collected data on almost 17,000 Americans, 50 and older, who participated in the Health and Retirement Study. To test memory, the researchers had participants memorize a list of 10 words. Over six years, researchers tested recall of the word list to assess any decline in immediate and delayed recall.

Average memory scores declined from 11 in 1998 to 10 in 2004, the researchers reported. People who were more socially engaged at the start of the study had a slower decline in memory, compared with people who were more socially isolated, the researchers found.

According to Ertel, the findings indicate that "social activity may help preserve cognitive functioning in the elderly. In addition, people who are socially active may also have other healthful behaviors, which may be related to cognition and better physical health."

In another study in the same issue of the journal, Finnish researchers reported that elderly people are more likely to be institutionalized following the death of a spouse.

"We found that the risk of entering long-term institutional care was higher among older adults who had lost their spouse than among those living with their spouse," said lead researcher Elina Nihtila, from the department of sociology at the University of Helsinki.

Moreover, the excess risk of institutionalization was highest during the first month after the spouse's death, Nihtila said. "The risk was more than three times among both men and women, and decreased with time from bereavement, stabilizing at approximately 20 percent to 50 percent higher over one to five years," she said.

Fortunately, a large proportion of surviving spouses are likely to recover from partner loss, and feelings of despair and anxiety typically do diminish over time, Nihtila said. This "emotional recovery could explain why the very large excess risk of entering institutional care among those recently bereaved dropped with time from the spouse's death," she said.

The study involved data on almost 141,000 people 65 and older living with a spouse. During five years of follow-up, the risk of being institutionalized rose immediately after the death of a spouse, the researchers found.

There could be various explanations for these findings, Nihtila said, including a "loss of social and instrumental support, in the form of care and help with daily activities such as help in cooking, cleaning, and shopping formerly shared with the deceased spouse."

In addition, grief and spousal loss may cause various symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, fatigue and loss of concentration, Nihtila noted. "Furthermore, grief may cause increased susceptibility to physical diseases that could also increase the need for institutional care," she said.

Home help services targeted to the bereaved immediately after a spouse's death might help ease the strain, Nihtila said.

One expert said the studies highlight the problem of growing social isolation among the elderly.

"There is nothing like being face-to-face with someone," said Colin Milner, CEO of the Vancouver-based International Council on Active Aging. "But I think we are manufacturing that [contact] out of our lifestyle and that will have a long term detrimental effect on the mental health of the population," he said.

More outreach to older people, especially when a spouse dies, will be key, Milner said. "There should be programs when a spouse dies to help them get back into the swing of life," he said.

More information
For more on healthy aging, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When It Comes to Memory, It's All About Location

HealthDay News) -- A new report finds that where protein-destroying machines reside in the brain's nerve cells may help determine how memories are formed, a finding that may play a role in future treatments for Alzheimer's and other brain diseases.

Wake Forest University School of Medicine researchers studying mice discovered that cylinder-shaped proteasomes, which help control protein levels, play different roles in controlling synapse strength depending on where they are in the nerve cells of the hippocampus, an area of the brain linked to memory.

When humans or animals learn and store information in their memory, these connections between cells become stronger or weaker, Ashok Hegde, associate professor of neurolobiology and anatomy at Wake Forest, said in a prepared statement. For example, if people learn to do something better, such as playing softball, the synapses that control hand-eye coordination will become stronger. If they learn to ignore something, such as the barking of a neighbor's dog, then the synapses that control paying attention will become weaker.

The findings were published in the current issue of Learning & Memory.

It is known that the degradation of proteins, which are made by cells to control cell functions, plays an important role in memory function. The team found that proteasomes in the dendrites -- the branched parts of a neuron that conduct electrical stimulation -- limit the connection strength between cells. Proteasomes in the nucleus, which contains the cell's genetic material, help maintain synapse strength for long periods of time.

The researchers are now trying to learn how to block proteasome activity specifically in the dendrites of mice to increase the strength of synapses and of memory. In their ongoing studies, the mice will be analyzed on how well they can learn to navigate a maze.

"If we see a memory enhancement when we block the proteasome in dendrites, we can use this strategy to treat memory loss," Hegde said.

More information
The Alzheimer's Association has more about current treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

Deficit in Brain Function Puts Teens at Risk of Drug Abuse

(HealthDay News) -- Teens at risk of developing a substance abuse disorder have deficits in frontal brain activation, a U.S. study concludes.

The researchers used functional MRI to study brain activity in 25 participants, ages 12 to 19, as they did an eye movement test. The scientists found a link between increased risk for a substance abuse disorder and shortfalls in executive cognitive function (ECF).

"ECF is basically the control center for governing other cognitive processes," corresponding author Rebecca Landes McNamee, assistant research professor of radiology and bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, said in a prepared statement.

"For example, in school, ECF would be engaged in the planning and control process required in answering a question, formulating your response, raising your hand, waiting until you are called upon, and starting your answer. A person with low levels of ECF might blurt out the answer," McNamee said.

"Another example could be interacting with someone on the playground who upsets you. A person with good ECF will think through the actions and consequences of their behavior rather than responding rashly. A person with low levels of ECF may respond with violence."

In this study, the teens did a task that required inhibition of an initial eye movement as well as a voluntary eye realignment to an alternate location. While they did this, fMRI was used to scan activation in different brain regions.

In addition, each adolescent's neurobehavioral disinhibition (ND) -- the ability to control an immediate impulsive response to a given situation -- was assessed, and their drug use/histories were recorded.

"We found that individuals who exhibit a high amount of ND -- that is, do not have a good ability to manage their impulsive responses -- have less brain activity in the frontal cortex, the region of the brain responsible for ECF, during the antisaccade task. In other words, the regions of the brain responsible for these inhibitory processes engaged less energy in individuals with higher ND scores than those with lower ND scores," McNamee said.

One of the key findings of this study, published in the March issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, is that behaviors and actions are directly related to brain functioning.

"Teachers, caregivers, and other individuals should understand that each adolescent matures at a different rate; they do not always respond like adults, because their brains are not at the same level of functioning as an adult," McNamee said. "Responses and behaviors related to a certain situation are less easy for some adolescents to manage than others."

More information
The Nemours Foundation has more about teens and alcohol and drugs.

Fixing Poor Vision Boosts Preschoolers' Test Scores

(HealthDay News) -- Preschoolers with poor vision significantly improved their test scores within six weeks of consistently wearing prescription glasses, a new study shows.

"It has been theorized that when young children have early vision problems that are undiagnosed and uncorrected, their development and performance in school are impacted," Stuart I. Brown, chairman of ophthalmology and director of the Shiley Eye Center University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement. "This study shows that children with vision impairment do perform below the norm in visual-motor coordination tests, and that they catch up quickly once they are given corrective [lenses]."

The study, published in the February issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology, followed 70 children, aged 3 to 5, about half of whom had normal vision, and half were diagnosed with ametropia -- abnormal refractive eye conditions leading to poor vision, such as astigmatism.

The children took two standardized tests that relate directly to future school performance: the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI) and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R).

Before being given glasses, the vision-impaired children scored significantly lower on both tests, demonstrating reduced ability of the brain to coordinate the eyes with the hands, the researchers said.

That changed after the vision-impaired children were provided with prescription glasses and monitored with the assistance of their families over six weeks to ensure that they wore their glasses consistently.

Upon retesting, the VMI scores of the children with vision problems were at the same level as the scores of the children with normal eyesight. The WPPSI-R scores did not show the same dramatic improvement, but the researchers speculated that the test might not be as sensitive to changes in visual-motor integration skills tested by the VMI tool. The researchers are following the children to test whether the WPPSI-R scores change further over time.

"Amazingly, this is the first controlled study of preschool children to show the cognitive disadvantage preschool children have when they are farsighted and/or have astigmatism, as well as to show the benefit of early intervention with glasses," study co-author Barbara Brody, director of the Center for Community Ophthalmology at the Shiley Eye Center, said in a prepared statement.

More information
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality offers a guide to good health for children.

Drug Combo With Antibiotic May Slow MS Progression

(HealthDay News) -- Combining an antibiotic with a medication currently used to treat multiple sclerosis may slow progression of the disease, according to researchers at the Louisiana State Health Sciences Center in Shreveport.

Their study included 15 patients (average age 44.5) with relapsing-remitting MS who'd been taking interferon for at least six months and were experiencing symptoms and developing new brain lesions.

For four months, the patients took 100 milligrams daily of the antibiotic doxycycline in addition to their interferon therapy. During the study, they had monthly neurological examinations, MRI brain scans and blood work.

At the end of the four months, 60 percent of the patients had a more than 25 percent reduction in the number of brain lesions. Patients also had lower disability scores. One patient relapsed.

Side effects were mild and included only the known side effects of the two drugs individually, rather than side effects caused by combining the two medications, the researchers said.

The study, funded by Biogen Idec Inc., was posted online Dec. 10 and will be published in the February 2008 print issue of the Archives of Neurology.

"There is a growing interest in combination therapy in patients with MS to stabilize the clinical course, reduce the rate of clinical relapses and decelerate the progressive course of the underlying pathologic mechanism," the study authors wrote. "Overall, data from this cohort suggest that the treatment combination of oral doxycycline and interferon beta-1a may be safe and effective in some patients with MS; however, further controlled clinical trials are warranted to demonstrate safety and efficacy in a larger patient population."

More information
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about multiple sclerosis.

New Kind of Stem Cells Reverse Sickle Cell Anemia

(HealthDay News) --Scientists have succeeded in using cells virtually identical to embryonic stem cells to "correct" sickle cell anemia in mice.

The breakthrough was made possible by another advance announced barely two weeks ago that scientists had created "induced pluripotent stem" (iPS) cells from human skin cells. These iPS cells are very similar, although not exactly identical, to embryonic stem cells. The process bypasses the need to use embryos, and thus circumvents many of the ethical complications surrounding this type of research.

The first research announcement had left open the question of whether iPS cells could actually be used for therapeutic purposes.

That question has now been at least partially answered by this latest report.

"This study is important as a proof of principle that these iPS cells can be used to correct mutations," said Dr. Jacob Hanna, lead author of the study, which is published in the Dec. 6 online issue of Science Express.

Hanna is a postdoctoral fellow in Rudolf Jaenisch's laboratory at The Whitehead Institute in Boston.

"It's very fascinating that they're using these reprogrammed cells to make hematopoietic cells [which can produce different blood and immune cells] to then treat the genetic defect in these mice," said Paul Sanberg, director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa.

Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, meaning they have the capacity to develop into virtually any cell type in the body. The hope is that such cells may one day yield treatments or cures for diseases such as diabetes, liver failure, spinal injury, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and heart disease.

However, harvesting embryonic stem cells involves destroying a viable embryo, stirring much political debate. In the United States, embryonic stem cell research has been severely limited since August 2001, when President George W. Bush placed limits on federal funding of the field and restricted the number of embryonic stem cell lines that could be used.

Since that time, researchers have been racing to find other sources of viable stem cells -- iPS cells are one outcome of that race.

For this study, Hanna and his colleagues used a process similar to the one revealed two weeks ago, taking skin cells from the tails of mice with sickle cell anemia and using them to produce iPS cells. The researchers then replaced the mutated gene with a healthy gene in the new cells.
Once the iPS cells had differentiated into hematopoietic stem cells, they were reintroduced into the mice, where they began to produce healthy blood cells.

Some 10 percent of the human population, mostly blacks, carry the mutation for sickle cell anemia. The exact mutation is well known, as is the protocol for differentiating embryonic stem cells into precursors of bone marrow adult stem cells, making the condition well-suited to study.

In sickle cell anemia, red blood cells become sickle-shaped and can't move easily through the blood vessels.

Although exciting, the process is still fraught with potential danger.

The procedure to turn skin cells into iPS cells could lead to cancer (although none of the mice in this study showed any evidence of tumors). Also, the healthy genes were introduced into the mice via retroviruses, which can introduce other problems.

"Now the major question in the field is can you make iPSs with a safer method, that don't use retroviruses, because viruses can integrate into the DNA and activate dangerous genes or silence necessary genes," Hanna explained.

"I like the fact that they're saying this is a first step, because they're using retroviruses, and they have to show that this is a safe approach," added Sanberg.

More information
Learn more about stem cells at the International Society for Stem Cell Research.

Mini Strokes: Major Health Threats

(HealthDay News) -- Doctors call them transient ischemic attacks, but they're more commonly known as "mini-strokes."

But make no mistake -- they can be deadly.

What's worse, many people who suffer such an attack rarely seek medical help. Just one in 10 people who experienced symptoms of a transient ischemic attack (TIA) sought the proper emergency care, a recent study published in the journal Stroke found.

Urgent care is critical, because some people who suffer TIAs will have a major stroke as soon as a day or two after the mini-stroke.

"People need urgent medical attention not for the symptoms that have passed but for what might be coming. Many people don't have a TIA before they have a stroke, so, in a sense, it's fortunate to have one. Now you have a chance to intervene," said Dr. Keith Siller, medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke Care Center at New York University Medical Center
.
A transient ischemic attack occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain is temporarily blocked. When this occurs, symptoms come on suddenly and last anywhere from a few minutes to many hours. Symptoms may include:

• Sudden loss of speech or the ability to understand others.
• Rapid onset of weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, especially if it occurs on only one side of the body.
• Sudden loss of, or change in, vision that may occur in one or both eyes.
• Sudden difficulty walking or maintaining balance.

One thing you may not feel with a stroke is pain.

"Pain is not the right thing to look for in stroke," said Dr. Christian Schumacher, a neurologist at the Stern Stroke Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "People expect that like a heart attack, which is often painful, that stroke will cause pain. But stroke symptoms are, in most cases, without pain."

One exception, Siller added, is what's known as a hemorrhagic stroke. In this instance, you would likely experience a sudden, severe, unexplained headache. If you have such a headache or any of the above symptoms, Siller said, you should get to the hospital immediately.

Unfortunately, not many people realize the need for urgent care. In the Stroke study, British researchers surveyed 241 people who had experienced a transient ischemic attack. Just 44.4 percent sought medical care within a few hours of experiencing TIA symptoms, and only 10 percent sought any emergency medical care for their symptoms.

Another 44 percent waited longer than a day after their symptoms to seek care. People who had symptoms that lasted more than one hour -- and those with motor symptoms, such as difficulty walking -- were more likely to seek care. If the TIA symptoms occurred on a weekend, people were more likely to delay seeking treatment.

People "want to wait until they feel better, and most TIAs get better within an hour. If it gets better, people just think, 'Oh, that was weird,' and then they may call their doctor later," Schumacher said.

Or, they may just forget the symptoms altogether, Siller said. "When symptoms are gone, and they feel better, people forget. But, it's a misconception that if it went away, it doesn't mean anything," he said.

"Although TIA is called a mini-stroke; it's like having a real stroke. It's a warning sign for a major disabling stroke," Schumacher said.

Getting to the hospital as soon as possible after TIA or stroke symptoms begin is critical. The reason: Clot-busting drugs that can spare you many of stroke's worst effects -- including paralysis -- have to be administered within several hours after the onset of symptoms to be effective, Siller explained.

"If you wait, we can't do as much to help you," he said.

Siller also recommends discussing your risk factors with your physician. The most common risk factor for stroke is a past history of a stroke or a TIA. People with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and those with heart disease also have an increased risk of stroke, making it even more important for them to act quickly if they have any TIA symptoms.

More information
The American Heart Association has more on transient ischemic attacks.

Vulnerability to Stress Linked to Brain Molecule

(HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified molecular mechanisms in the brain that may explain why some people are less vulnerable to the stress caused by difficult situations.

While the research was done with mice, the findings could eventually lead to better treatments for chronic stress, depression and the post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by troops in Iraq and other battlefields, said study co-author Dr. Eric Nestler, chairman of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

"One important lesson we have shown even in previous papers is that a series of genetically identical animals respond differently to chronic stress," Nestler said. "Thirty to 40 percent seemed to be resilient and did not develop bad symptoms. The clinical implications are that the ability to identify mechanisms of resistance can help provide new and novel approaches to stress."

The key lies in a pair of molecules used by some brain cells to communicate with one another, said Vaishnav Krishnan, lead author of the report and a student in a University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center program that leads to simultaneous M.D. and Ph.D. degrees.

"Under stress, vulnerable mice increase the frequency of nerve activity using the neurotransmitter dopamine," Krishnan said. "That subsequently causes release of a nerve growth factor called brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF]. Resilient mice overcome these changes by increasing the expression of molecules that prevent the release of dopamine."

A neurotransmitter is a molecule that sends signals from one nerve cell to another.

Mice in the experiments were so inbred that they were genetically identical. Then they were put under stress by being placed in the territory of larger, more aggressive mice. Some of the test mice adjusted well to the stress of the situation, while others avoided contact and showed submissive behavior.

The researchers then made detailed studies of two brain regions -- the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), which are part of the brain's reward area that promotes acts that aid in survival. They found that the excess BNDF production in vulnerable mice occurred in the VTA but not the NAcc region. Chemical signals sent by the protein from the VTA to the NAcc made the mice vulnerable to stress. Experimental compounds that blocked those signals turned vulnerable mice into resistant mice.

The findings, published online Oct. 18 in the journal Cell, raise the possibility of "tools to develop things in the brain that encourage resilience, to help people with stress," Nestler said.
"We have always tried to understand the changes in the brain that lead to such things as the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder," Krishnan added. "This study shows we can increase our understanding and development of new therapeutic measures to overcome those changes."

But new therapies might not be easy to develop, Nestler said, since a decrease of dopamine or BDNF activity might be helpful in one part of the brain but harmful in another area.

Dr. Thomas R. Insel, director of the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, which funded the research, said the findings are "part of a large body of work coming out of Dr. Nestler's laboratory trying to understand what this important neurotrophic molecule, BDNF, does."

"What's exciting here is that it is important for resilience, being able to recover from a traumatic event," Insel added. "One of the great values of this work is to help us understand how mammals, including humans, might be able to recover from the traumas inherent in human existence."

More information
Learn more about the role of stress in sickness and health from the American Institute of Stress.

Chest Compressions Key to Revised CPR Guidelines

(HealthDay News) -- Maintaining blood flow to the brain and other vital organs is the key to simplified cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines that emphasize chest compressions over rescue breathing, particularly for heart attack victims.

In fact, the revised recommended ratio is just two breaths per every 30 chest compressions.

That's twice as many compressions as was recommended in the past.

"Just doing chest compressions can make a difference," explained Dr. Shukri David, chief of cardiology at Providence Hospital of St. John's Health System, in Southfield, Mich. "When you compress the chest deep enough, you create a vacuum that pulls in air as you release."

However, David and other experts caution that in the case of drowning victims or people who were deprived of oxygen, rescue breaths are still necessary. Because health experts wanted to make the revised CPR guidelines as simple as possible, and they felt it might be difficult for lay people to differentiate who needed rescue breaths and who didn't, the guidelines include rescue breaths, as well as the rescue breaths-to-chest-compression ratio.

The need for simplified CPR was clear. Little progress had been made in the CPR survival rate over the past decade, according to the American Heart Association. And, it wasn't for lack of CPR opportunities. Four out of five heart attacks occur in the home, according to the American Heart Association, and many are witnessed by family members.

The biggest problem was that standard CPR allowed for too much time without chest compressions. Even health-care professionals, such as nurses or emergency workers, trained to do CPR often weren't providing an adequate number of chest compressions per minute, according to past studies. And, getting enough chest compressions can make the difference in survival. In animal studies, researchers have found that when animals in cardiac arrest receive 80 compressions per minute that 100 percent survive. When that number dropped below 80 compressions per minute, just 10 percent survived, according to a recent editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In a study of CPR given to people in cardiac arrest, the editorial reported that those who received "good" CPR from bystanders had about a 23 percent survival rate compared to less than 6 percent for poor or no CPR.

"The most common reason that many people die is because none of the people nearby knew CPR, and if they knew it, they didn't do it. One of the reasons is that the skill has been too complicated. [The revised] guidelines simplify the instructions and make them easier to remember," Dr. Michael Sayre, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Ohio State University School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.

The revised guidelines, introduced in late 2005, emphasize chest compressions to restore blood flow. Rescuers should push hard and push fast and try to maintain a rate of 100 chest compressions per minute, according to the guidelines. The chest must be allowed to return to its normal position completely after each compression to allow the heart to fill with blood. And, the guidelines remind rescuers that every interruption in compressions stops the blood flow.

The updated guidelines also establish a universal compression-to-breath ratio of 30 compressions to two breaths, and that each breath should last just one second.

These changes are already starting to pay off. "In various studies, a clear improvement in outcomes in the community is becoming apparent," said Dr. Paul Pepe, chief of emergency medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

And, Pepe added, he expects CPR to improve even more with the introduction of faster, easier training of CPR, with more feedback. The American Heart Association has recently introduced its CPR Anytime Personal Training programs that teach CPR at home in less than a half-hour. "This will be a breakthrough in CPR. We will see a lot more lives saved," he said.

Other training programs are also available through the American Red Cross and local community groups.

"If you perform CPR, you can save someone's life. It's simple and easy to do. All you really need to do is put your hands in the middle of the breast bone and push down two inches," David said. "If you do CPR immediately on someone with cardiac arrest, the survival rate goes from 6 percent to 50 percent. This will really make a difference if the population pulls together."

More information
For more on the revised CPR guidelines, visit the American Heart Association.

Study Identifies Drug Target for Parkinson's

(HealthDay News) -- U.S. researchers say they've identified a potential new drug target to treat Parkinson's disease.

In experiments with cells and animals, a team at the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease found that blocking the action of an enzyme called SIRT2 helps protect neurons damaged in Parkinson's disease from the toxic effects of the protein alpha-synuclein, which accumulates in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease.

Blocking SIRT2 may also help in the treatment of other neurodegenerative diseases in which abnormal proteins accumulate in the brain, the researchers said.

Their findings appear online on the Science Express Web site and will be published in an upcoming print issue of the journal Science.

"We have discovered a compelling new therapeutic approach for Parkinson's disease, which we expect will allow our scientists -- as well as those at pharmaceutical and biotech companies -- to pursue innovative new drugs that will treat and perhaps even cure this disorder," study leader Aleksey Kazantsev, director of the institute's Drug Discovery Laboratory, said in a prepared statement.

"Since the same sort of aggregation of misfolded proteins has been reported in Huntington's and Alzheimer's diseases, we plan to test this approach in those conditions as well," Kazantsev said.

More information
We Move has more about Parkinson's disease.

New Eye Condition Striking Young Chinese Americans

(HealthDay News) -- Young and middle-aged Americans of Chinese descent are prone to a new eye syndrome that ophthalmologists are often mistaking for blinding glaucoma, researchers warn.

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, in California, tracked 16 people for seven years and observed more than 100 others. They concluded that there's a new eye syndrome occurring in the young Chinese population in the United States.

Fortunately, this new syndrome may be less likely than typical glaucoma to cause severe vision loss or blindness, the authors said. They published their findings in the March issue of Ophthalmology.

Glaucoma results from damage to the optic nerve, which transmits information from the eye to the brain. It's believed that the optic nerve damage is caused by high eye pressure. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, affecting one in 200 people over the age of 50.

The Stanford researchers said that many young Chinese patients diagnosed with glaucoma have normal eye pressure. They suspect that the optic nerve damage is actually caused by stretching of the eye associated with nearsightedness, which rarely gets worse after age 30, meaning optic nerve damage may slow or stabilize.

This means that doctors need to carefully assess young Chinese patients with suspected glaucoma and not rush into aggressive treatment, such as surgery.

"If they don't appear to be progressing toward blindness right now, they shouldn't be treated as if they have a blinding condition, especially since surgery is associated with significant risks," Dr. Kuldev Singh, professor of ophthalmology, said in a prepared statement.

He noted that other researchers have reported an increase in nearsightedness among people of Chinese ancestry.

Singh and his colleagues are currently surveying young people of Chinese ancestry at Stanford. Their preliminary findings show a high prevalence of optic nerve damage.

"The next step is to learn more about the natural history and genetics of this condition and see whether there are subsets of the population more prone to it," Singh said.

More information
The U.S. National Eye Institute has more about glaucoma.

Groundhogs, Other Hibernators, Could Aid Human Health

(HealthDay News) -- When Punxsutawney Phil popped up to look for his shadow Friday morning, he was not just forecasting how long winter will last.

Biologists now think that Phil and his fellow groundhogs, along with other animals in hibernation, could foreshadow advances in human health.

In fact, hibernators' amazing ability to manipulate their own metabolisms could lead to breakthroughs in improving organ transplant and in fighting such illnesses as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and even Alzheimer's, research shows.

"Remember, our physiology, and even our genetic makeup, isn't that different, in terms of basic bodily functions, [from] these hibernating mammals," said Hannah Carey, a professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"The blueprint, the genes to do these things are there -- we're just not activating the same physiological pathways," said Carey, who is also president-elect of the American Physiological Society.

A wide range of mammals hibernate, from tiny squirrels to the grizzly bear. And hibernation isn't restricted to cold-weather climates: Scientists recently discovered that a Madagascar primate, the fat-tailed lemur, also goes into the hibernating state known as "torpor" during that tropical island's dry season.

"Torpor is a word we use for this state of physiological down-regulation," Carey explained. "Hearts slow down to a few beats per minute, and the animals are breathing only a few breaths per minute. Blood flow is very slowed, and their metabolism is suppressed."

Body temperature during torpor can fall to near-freezing in many hibernating squirrels, Carey added. In fact, the Arctic ground squirrel's hibernating temperature actually drops below freezing.

Close investigation of hibernating states is giving scientists new insight into animal physiology and, as a bonus, human health and disease as well. Some examples:

• Organ transplant. Harvested human organs kept at cold temperatures can only remain viable for a few days at most. So, how do squirrels' livers and intestines stay perfectly healthy at less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks on end? In one study, "we found that [hibernating] squirrels maintain, in a much healthier state, the microcirculation of the liver," Carey said. Insights into just how this happens could increase the viability and number of human organs available for transplant, she said.
• Heart attack. Rousing from weeks of torpor, hibernating mammals flood their near-dormant organs with fresh blood, a process called reperfusion. But doctors know that the speedy reperfusion of hearts after heart attack is, in itself, a major cause of damage to cardiac tissues. "But hibernators, faced with the very same kind of experimental insult, are very well-protected," Carey said. "They seem to have bumped up their defenses." Understanding those natural defenses might lead to better heart attack care, she said.
• Obesity. Gregory Florant, a biology professor at Colorado State University, has been studying the role in hibernation of a fat cell-secreted hormone called leptin. He explained that leptin, along with other biochemical signals, may help typically ravenous animals shut down their appetites as winter approaches. "Likewise, if we can determine what the hierarchy here is for shutting down the appetite, that may allow us to make gains on how to curb people's appetites so they don't eat as much," he said.
• Diabetes. Gearing up for hibernation means packing on weight -- a lot of weight. And hibernation means mammals turn into "the ultimate couch potatoes," Florant said. So, why don't these fattened-up bears, groundhogs and squirrels slip into type 2 diabetes, as humans so easily do? "That's a really interesting health perspective," Florant said. "They never go into frank diabetes, even though they become almost morbidly obese." Unraveling that mystery could lead to new ways to fight diabetes, he added.
• Alzheimer's. Carey pointed to another intriguing phenomenon: As the time mammals spend in torpor increases, vital cell connections begin to weaken within their brains. However, most hibernating mammals actually rouse themselves in their burrows every so often, and this appears to help these neural connections reestablish themselves. "So, people are saying, 'these guys are great models for things like Alzheimer's disease and [brain] lesions such as neurodegeneration,' " Carey said. In essence, hibernating mammals experience real brain damage, "but then they reverse themselves," according to Carey.

Finding out how that happens could further human brain research, she said.
With all of these physiological advantages, Punxsutawney Phil and his mammalian brethren appear to be on to something, the experts said.

"Different animals come up with different ways to cope with environmental stresses," Carey said. "Of course, we use our brains, so we have coats, electric heaters, that kind of thing. But it's really cold here in Wisconsin right now: Sometimes I look out there and think that maybe hibernation is a pretty smart idea."

More information
Find out more about groundhogs and Groundhog Day at Cornell University.

Gene Variant May Predict Heart Disease, Stroke

(HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified a gene variant associated with the early signs of heart disease and stroke in women.
None of the more than 11,000 participants in the 25-year study has yet had heart disease or a stroke, but the signs point toward increased risk, said study author Dr. Edward Lammer, a pediatrician and geneticist at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute in California. The report is published in the February issue of Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

"We found changes in two blood vessel areas," Lammer said. "In the coronary arteries, we found calcification. We also found thickening of the carotid arteries in the neck."

A buildup of calcium makes the coronary arteries less flexible and more vulnerable to damage. Thickening of the carotid arteries, the main blood vessels to the brain, can be a prelude to a stroke.

Those changes have been seen only in women. "We have no idea why," Lammer said, although it's possible that the signs of risk will develop later in men than in women.

Now, the researchers must wait to see whether women in whom the changes have been seen run into cardiovascular trouble.

They haven't so far, probably because they are too young, Lammer said. The study began in 1971 and has followed 11,377 residents of Muscatine, Iowa, since their early teens. The Oakland researchers are working with physicians at the University of Iowa on the study.

Lammer and his colleagues measured about 100 gene variants in the study participants. One of them, designated LTC4S, has been found to be associated with a fourfold increased risk of the early signs of heart disease and stroke, after adjustment for standard risk factors such as smoking, cholesterol and blood pressure levels, Lammer said.

"What's intriguing is that the gene variant we found is involved in regulating the inflammatory response," he said. "A research group from Iceland has reported that two genes in the same pathway are risk factors for stroke. This gene generates leukotrienes, chemicals that mediate the inflammatory response."

The LTC4S gene variant has previously been associated with asthma, "which in essence is an inflammatory reaction," Lammer said. "The hope is that our early results keep the finger pointed at the role of inflammation regulation as very important for atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke."

The fact that the link between the gene variant and the danger signs seen so far is not associated with standard risk factors could make gene testing an important part of early risk assessment for many Americans, Lammer said. "About half the people in the study appear to have this variant," he said.

Lammer and his associates are continuing to follow the people in the study to check on the incidence of heart disease and stroke associated with the gene variant.

"If it is a risk factor that is genetic, we could identify the risk factor very early in life and develop interventions, behavioral changes or medications that ameliorate the risk," he said.

More information
Background information about the genetics of heart disease is provided by the American Heart Association.

New Test May Predict Stroke Risk After 'Mini Stroke'

(HealthDay News) -- Neurologists say they've developed a quick test to assess the risk that someone who suffers a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or "mini stroke," will have a major stroke in the following 48 hours.

The test combines elements of two earlier predictive assessments. Those tests were designed to determine the risk of a stroke within seven and 90 days, respectively.

"We took each of the elements in those tests, combined them into a whole series of new scores, chose the best one, and validated them in new cohorts," said Dr. S. Claiborne Johnston, associate professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, and lead author of a report in the journal The Lancet.

About 240,000 TIAs -- minor blockages in brain arteries -- are diagnosed in the United States each year, and up to 20 percent of them will be followed by a major stroke. It's important to assess the immediate danger, because half of those strokes will occur within the first two days after a TIA, Johnston said.

The new test can be administered in a few minutes, he added. It measures blood pressure, speech impairment, weakness on one side of the body, diabetes and age.

Using the tests on a large number of people who had TIAs showed that 21 percent were at high risk, meaning they had a 1-in-12 chance of having a stroke in the following 48 hours. Another 45 percent were classified as being at moderate risk, with a 4.1 percent chance of a stroke.

"This is the first large-scale study to validate these scores," Johnston said. "We are at a new level where we feel confident that the scores are useful in clinical practice in the Western world."
The test can help determine which patients should be hospitalized and which can safely be sent home, he said.

"We are hoping that neurologists, emergency physicians and primary care doctors will hear about this score and start using it widely," Johnston said. "Currently, it doesn't seem that physicians are making decisions based on risk. They are hospitalizing people whether they are at high risk or not."

Dr. Brett L. Cucchiara, assistant professor of neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, said he currently hospitalizes every patient who suffers a TIA. The reason, he said, is real doubt about the value of all risk-assessment tests.

His view of the new report is that it is "very interesting and suggests that this strategy may be useful." But, Cucchiara added, "we really need to see these kinds of findings replicated by an independent group before they are ready for prime time."

He pointed to a new Portuguese study, about to be published, that seems to have discredited an earlier stroke risk-assessment method.

"In their study, which was much larger, there was no predictive value at all," Cucchiara said. "I'm not sure these tests are proven enough to send patients home from the emergency room."
Another report in the same issue of the journal found that MRI is better than the commonly used CT scan for the detection of acute stroke.

The study of 356 patients, done at the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, found that MRI detected stroke and brain hemorrhages more frequently than CT, and that MRI should be the preferred test, despite its extra cost.

More information
Find out more on the symptoms and dangers of TIAs at the American Heart Association.

Brain Uses Past to Peer Into Future

(HealthDay News) -- Your past may be key to your dreams for the future, new research suggests.

In experiments using high-tech brain imaging, scientists have found that neurological memory centers are highly active whenever people envision upcoming events.

"It shows us that memory is just as important to imagining the future as it is to remembering the past," said lead researcher Karl Szpunar, a graduate student in the department of psychology at Washington University, in St. Louis.

Besides furthering understanding of the brain, the findings might help research into amnesia and depression, Szpunar added.

His team published its findings in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
According to Szpunar, there's been a century of intensive research on how the brain recalls the past but precious little on how it projects into the future -- something only humans are thought able to do. "No one had really looked at how it is that we form these vivid mental images of events that have not yet occurred," he said.

To find out more, Szpunar's team had 21 young adults undergo real-time functional MRI (fMRI), which tracks ongoing activity in the brain. Participants were asked to ponder a variety of personal scenarios, either from the past or the imagined future.

One surprise emerged early. "Until now, people had really thought that thinking about the future is a process that occurs solely in the brain's frontal lobe," Szpunar said. However, the fMRI data showed that a variety of brain areas were activated when subjects daydreamed about the future -- in the cortex's frontal and posterior lobes, in the cerebellum, and elsewhere.
Most important, neurological memory centers leapt into activity whether participants were recalling the past or envisaging their future, the researchers found.

The exact role of memory in the latter case isn't clear, but Szpunar has a theory.
"In order to form these vivid mental images of the future, what we are doing is relying on our memories," he said. "For example, if I am imagining myself at the grocery store, the mental images that I have stored in my head are of the local grocery store -- it's not just coming out of thin air. I'm retrieving it from my memory and using it in this novel way."

One expert said the theory makes sense based on what scientists know about the brain.
"We use what we have already experienced. That's what the brain does," said Paul Sanberg, director of the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, in Tampa. "The brain takes what it has already experienced and uses it as a basis for future thought."

The finding may also explain a curious psychiatric phenomenon, according to Szpunar. "When you talk to amnesiacs, you see right away that they don't remember events from 10 minutes or 10 years ago," he noted.

"But another striking thing is that if you ask them, 'What are you going to do tomorrow?' they can't answer that, either," Szpunar said. "That's probably because imagining the future involves memories. So, if you don't have access to your memories, you won't be able to construct these novel images of the future."

Other types of people -- children under 5, or the clinically depressed, for example -- often have similar troubles projecting into the future, perhaps because of underdevelopment or impairment in certain brain regions, he said.

Surprisingly, the researchers found that brain areas associated with body movement also became activated as people imagined the future.

Again, the exact reason for that activity remains mysterious. But Szpunar theorized that the brain's motor centers physically "act out" these mental depictions of the future, to help make them more real.

Of course, none of this explains how people can imagine themselves in places they've never been -- a first-time trip to an exotic locale, for instance.

"We've actually done a follow-up study on that question," Szpunar said. "What we are finding is that the brain regions people use when they imagine themselves in familiar settings are not used when they imagine themselves in unfamiliar settings," he said. In the latter case, people tend to draw on general knowledge -- for example, images from magazines or television -- rather than from personal memories, he said.

According to Szpunar, the fMRI experiments are showing that the brain is an incredibly efficient machine, recycling memories to form mental storyboards of times yet to come.
"Highlighting this relationship between the past and the future is the most interesting thing about this research," Szpunar said.

More information
There's more on how the brain works at Harvard University.

Lupus Biomarkers Discovered

(HealthDay News) -- People with lupus have certain molecular biomarkers that aren't present in those without the disease, a small, preliminary study has found.

"There are currently no defined biomarkers for lupus," said lead researcher Dr. Nilamadhab Mishra, an assistant professor of rheumatology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, N.C.

But, in their new study, Mishra and his colleagues found that people with lupus have changes in their micro-ribonucleic acids (microRNAs) that aren't found in people who don't have lupus. "We found 40 are differently expressed between lupus patients and controls," he said.

"RNA acts like a mold for proteins," to help determine what the form and function of genes' proteins will be, explained Dr. Joan Merrill, medical director of the Lupus Foundation of America.

Mishra presented the findings on Friday at the American College of Rheumatology meeting, in Washington, D.C.

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can damage the joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, brain, blood and skin, according to the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA). The LFA estimates that about 1.5 million Americans have the disease. It occurs 10 to 15 times more often in women than in men.

The disease can vary greatly in severity from person to person, and even for an individual. Some people with lupus have periods of time when no symptoms are present. Common symptoms include achy joints, frequent fevers, extreme and lasting fatigue, a skin rash and anemia.

There are no definitive diagnostic tests for lupus, and because symptoms can come and go, it often takes months, and possibly years, before a person can be diagnosed, according to LFA.

For the new study, the researchers compared the microRNA from five people with lupus to seven age- and sex-matched people without lupus. The people with lupus were not experiencing symptoms of the disease at the time of the study and were not taking commonly prescribed lupus medications during the study period.

The researchers found 40 microRNAs with a 1.5-fold difference in expression between the people with lupus and the control participants. Six microRNAs had a greater than 3-fold difference in expression.

"We hope we've found a biomarker that can be helpful for diagnosis and to help guide treatment," said Mishra, who added that it might also be possible to develop a new targeted treatment based on this and other research.

Said Merrill: "It looks like lupus patients are making funny RNA even when the disease isn't flaring."

Merrill cautioned that while this "novel research is very good research," it's a preliminary study done on a small group of people, and more work needs to be done.

Mishra said one of the next steps is to see if these microRNA changes are present in other autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, or if they are exclusive to lupus. He also agreed that the current work needed to be replicated in a larger trial.

"What's important is that there's a lot of research going on right now about the many tiny reactions that occur in lupus. Over the next few decades, we may develop medications that are strategic," said Merrill. "We're working on trying to fix a few small interactions between proteins, rather than wallop the whole immune system."

More information

To learn more about lupus, visit the Lupus Foundation of America.

Seven Ways to Make Every Day Feel Like a Holiday

All work and no play may make Jack a very dull boy, but can too much work actually make Jack sick? According to a wide array of research, the answer is a resounding YES.
Take the study published in Psychosomatic Medicine in 2000. Researchers analyzed data from 12,000 men between the ages of 35 and 57 who were prone to heart disease. The thirteen percent who reported skipping their vacations the previous year had a much higher risk of death than those who took their vacations.

In another study published in Occupational Medicine, workers in a medium-sized manufacturing firm reported fewer physical ailments immediately after a vacation, and the results still held five weeks afterwards.

According to Maharishi Ayurveda, these results are not surprising. Maharishi Ayurveda takes the concept of balancing activity and rest seriously, advising us to include adequate rest and rejuvenation in the cycles of each season and as part of every single day. This is essential for preventing ill-health in body, mind and emotions.

Here are seven ways to incorporate more rest and relaxation into your schedule throughout the year.
Stop straining. Since all disease, according to Maharishi Ayurveda, starts with misuse, overuse or lack of use of the mind, body or senses, it's important not to strain. If you feel exhausted at night after work, or if you feel overly anxious or depressed due to work, you are either doing too much or are doing work that is not suitable for you. Take steps to lighten your workload. If it's the nature of the work itself that is causing you strain, you might want to seriously consider making a change.

Don't slight sleep. It's when you're tired that you tend to overwork. When you're rested you can finish the work without strain and still have energy and time left over for the rest of your life. Research shows that workers who get less than six hours of sleep a night are prone to costly accidents, poor concentration and poor performance. Sleep is also important for producing ojas, the biochemical equivalent of bliss.

Without it depression, anxiety and anger increase.

The quality of sleep is just as important as number of hours. If you have trouble sleeping, try going to bed earlier, before 10:00. This usually creates a deeper sleep. Prepare for deep sleep by avoiding TV and computers in the evening. Take Blissful Sleep to aid in falling asleep, or Deep Rest if you wake up tossing and turning in the night.
Spend time in pure enjoyment every day. Everyone needs a little vacation time built into every single day. If you work on the job, and then come home to endless work there, you're setting up a situation for ill-health, unhappiness and fast aging. Your children will appreciate you more if you take time to play a game with them after dinner, or share a favorite hobby.

If you're on the computer all day, try to schedule real events in the evening, such as walking with friends, painting a picture, or playing a musical instrument. Sharing your life with family and friends rejuvenates the mind and heart in a way that nothing else can. One way to boost your capacity for enjoyment is to practice the Transcendental Meditation® program every day. By allowing the mind to bathe itself in the infinite reservoir of bliss and intelligence that is found at the basis of thinking, you begin to infuse bliss into every activity. Over time practitioners find that life itself becomes blissful, and that no activity is a strain. This is true enjoyment--when every moment of life becomes a celebration.

Structure work breaks. Even while you're working, it's actually more productive to take breaks each hour. A 2000 study in the journal Ergonomics suggested that taking frequent work breaks is the only way to prevent neck and shoulder discomfort due to repetitive work on the computer. Another study showed that the only effective way to reduce Repetitive Strain Injury for computer workers was to institute frequent work breaks away from the keyboard. Breaks are also essential for preventing eyestrain. The most effective break you can take is walking outside and breathing fresh air. Stretch and bend if you can, or walk briskly. This will infuse your brain with oxygen and give you a moment to appreciate the beautiful summer weather.

Schedule rest and rejuvenation between the seasons. One important preventive measure offered by Maharishi Ayurveda is to take time to rest and rejuvenate at the end of each season. The purification procedures of Maharishi Panchakarma are designed to gently cleanse the colon, tissues and microchannels of the body of impurities that have built up during the previous season. This gives the body a chance to enter the new season with maximum flexibility and high immune strength. It also prevents imbalances from remaining in the system. By restoring balance each season, disease is prevented from happening.

Even if you can't do Maharishi Panchakarma every season, you can eat lightly for two weeks during the weeks when the seasons are changing. Favor warm soups, dhals, fresh vegetables and whole grains. This will give your digestion a chance to rest and purify toxins. You can also take Elim-Tox or Elim-Tox-O to purify the liver, Genitrac to purify the urinary system, and Herbal Cleanse to purify the large intestine. Together these products give your body the rest and rejuvenation it needs to create only good health in the coming season.

Take regular vacations. Even if you live a balanced lifestyle, with frequent breaks and adequate time for relaxation each day, it's important to give your mind a complete break once or twice a year. This is especially important if your work is taxing. A change of scenery, away from cell phone, beeper and computer, provides a certain deeper type of rest that is essential for mind and body. It's also healthy for families to spend leisure time together, to forge deeper bonds and share happy times together. Vacations don't need to be expensive--you can camp out, stay with relatives, swap homes. Be creative. The main point is to experience a change of pace, get some deep rest, and allow your mind and body to really take a break. Often, taking a break provides new insights, perspectives and creativity once you return.

Boost your bliss power. Feeling happy is a normal state of mind. If you are fatigued, anxious, or depressed, it's time to take steps to remove the underlying cause. For relief from anxiety, try giving yourself a daily abhyanga, or ayurvedic oil massage. Use Relaxation Massage Oil, and then soak in a tub with Relaxing Therapeutic Bath Salts containing Lavender, Bergamot, Rosemary and Peppermint.

Listen to the soothing rhythms of Gandharva Veda music, and after your bath apply Youthful Skin Advanced Lipid Support, an extraordinary moisturizing lotion that contains herbs and oils that replenish and renew not only your skin but your emotions as well. Take Worry Free or Stress Free Mind to treat the underlying cause of anxiety and to build resistance to day-to-day stress. If your emotions are out of kilter and you feel frustrated or angry on a daily basis, try Cooling Pitta Aroma Oil or light aBlissful Heart aroma Candle.

Massage with Cool Sensation Massage Oil, and bathe with Soothing Therapeutic Bath Salts, which contain a mixture of Patchouli, Vetiver and Cypress to cool body, mind and emotions. Take Blissful Joy or Stress-Free Emotions tablets to give a positive lift to your emotional health. Just making a few changes can put you back on track and help build the inner resources that make every day feel like a holiday.

Maharishi Ayurveda Products International, Inc.

Prozac May Protect Against Osteoporosis

(HealthDay News) -- Could a widely used treatment for depression be a remedy for osteoporosis?

Researchers have discovered that the drug Prozac also increases bone mass, at least in adult mice.

"Treating animals for six weeks with Prozac resulted in an increase in trabecular bone mass," said study lead author Ricardo Battaglino, assistant member of the staff in the department of cytokine biology at the Forsyth Institute in Boston. "It was a pretty significant 60 percent increase."

Trabecular bone is one of two main types of bone and makes up most of the spongy interior of the majority of bones.

Although it's way too early to advocate popping Prozac to reverse or stop bone loss, experts say it's a tantalizing lead for future research.

"For several reasons, people need to be cautious because fluoxetine [the generic name for Prozac] has central nervous system effects," said Dr. Grant Mitchell, chief of psychiatry at Northern Westchester Hospital Center in Mount Kisco, N.Y. "But it is interesting that current treatments for bone loss in osteoporosis do not take this approach, so the idea that we could at some point have another approach to reducing bone loss or even rebuilding new bone is actually exciting. Having more options would be great."

The study, which was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, is expected to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry.

Previous research, some of it by the same team, had found that serotonin receptors were commonly expressed on the surface of bone cells. Serotonin receptors govern the entry of serotonin -- a molecule that helps transmit signals between neurons and is implicated in anxiety and depression -- into cells.

Prozac is a member of a group of antidepressants called "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors" (SSRIs) that act on this receptor.

The fact that these receptors populated bone cells "was surprising for us," Battaglino said, "because we were taking bone cells and serotonin, two molecules that apparently didn't have much to do with each other."

The next question was whether Prozac, which has an effect on serotonin, also exerted an influence on bone cells and, ultimately, bone mass.

For this study, laboratory mice were treated with Prozac for six weeks. The investigators were specifically interested in seeing if the drug stimulated new bone formation under normal conditions and if it blocked bone loss caused by inflammation or by loss of estrogen after taking out the ovaries.

Prozac both spurred the formation of new bone under normal conditions and reversed overall bone loss triggered by inflammation.

The drug was administered both systemically (like taking a pill) and locally (directly to the bone), and the effects were observed with both delivery methods, the researchers reported.
"They developed a way to deliver locally to the bone, which makes more sense," Mitchell pointed out. "The idea there would be to avoid the [potential] brain effects."

Oddly, a prior study using Prozac found that the drug actually hindered bone growth. The discrepancy may have been due to the way bone mass or density was measured and also to the fact that it involved children, not adults, Battaglino said.

In the new study, Prozac was not effective in female mice without circulating estrogen (i.e. after their ovaries had been removed). In those cases, Prozac "did not prevent bone loss associated with estrogen deficiency," Mitchell said. "It looks like, to be effective in relation to bone loss, Prozac needs to be in the presence of estrogen." This has implications for women moving into menopause who lose estrogen and have an increased risk of osteoporosis, he said.

The findings need to be replicated and, of course, tried in humans, but, given the number of people taking Prozac, the implications could be enormous.

"Fluoxetine is one of the most widely prescribed psychoactive drugs in this country and most likely the world, and it's been like that for at least 15 or 20 years," Battaglino said. "From the public health point of view, this would be pretty relevant."

The jury is still out on whether other SSRIs -- such as Celexa, Paxil and Zoloft -- might have the same effect on bone, Battaglino added, since similar tests on those drugs haven't yet been performed.

"This could be a class effect for SSRIs," he said. "However, it is known that in addition to blocking the serotonin transporter, Prozac can target other molecules -- for instance, some nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and even some serotonin receptors. So, this effect could be specific for Prozac. The experiments will have to be done to answer the question."

More information
To find out more about bone loss, visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

Ayurveda Heart Haelth Balance

Q: In modern medicine, we think of the heart in its physical sense, pumping gallons of blood each hour. What is the perspective of Ayurveda on the heart?

A: This is an excellent question, because it points directly to the difference between Ayurveda and modern medicine. While modern medicine studies and treats the physical heart, Ayurveda does this but much more. Ayurveda recognizes that there are actually two aspects to the heart: the physical organ that pumps the blood and the emotional aspect that experiences joy, love, and sorrow.

In fact, Ayurveda even goes beyond this to the deeper, more subtle elements. For example, the ayurvedic texts say that prana, the life force, is seated in the heart. One ayurvedic text, the Bhavprakash, describes the heart as a lotus flower with the petals pointing downwards.

At night, when you are sleeping, the petals are closed. During the day, when you are active, the petals are open. The lotus petals are reflective of the essential energy of the heart.

The heart is also the seat of the subtle, life-sustaining substances ojas and soma. Ojas is the material equivalent of immunity and bliss. It circulates throughout the body, giving luster to the skin, clarity to the mind and balance to the emotions. A special kind of ojas, known as the essential ojas, is stored in the heart. Eight drops of essential ojas reside in the heart as long as the person lives.

Soma is the first expression of consciousness itself, the first subtle expression of nature's intelligence in material form. Soma sustains the body, mind and emotions from the side of consciousness, while ojas is a more material expression of soma.

For the health of the heart, then, it is necessary to support the intelligence of nature expressed in soma and ojas, and to support the mental, emotional and physical aspects of the heart.
Q: That's fascinating. Can you tell us something about the doshas that govern the heart?

A: Yes. The main subdoshas that govern the health of the heart are Vyana Vata, which is seated in the heart and governs the beating of the heart and the circulation of blood throughout the body; Sadhaka Pitta, which governs the emotions and their effect on heart functioning; and Avalambaka Kapha, which governs the structure, stability and strength of the heart.

Other subdoshas are also involved in heart health, such as Prana Vata, which governs the mind. When, due to mental stress, Prana Vata is out of balance, it can impact the health of the heart. Udana Vata, which governs the chest and throat area, is also involved in keeping the heart healthy.

Q: What are the factors that can cause an imbalance in the heart?

A: To keep the heart running in a healthy way, all of these subdoshas I just described must be kept in balance. You must also do what is necessary to keep ojas in balance and to nourish the production of ojas in the body.

Also, the life energy, or prana, is maintained by a delicate balance between soma and agni. Agni is the principle of nature that governs the digestive and metabolic functions in the body. Because it involves heat, it is associated with the energy of the sun. You could say that the sun's energy takes the form of agni in the human body.

Soma, on the other hand, is cooling and associated with the cooling, nourishing influence of the moon. In terms of heart health, soma soothes the emotions and mind and builds a strong heart.

When you say that a person has a flowing heart, you are talking about the influence of soma.

There needs to be a balance between these two influences for the heart to be healthy.

Unfortunately, our modern, fast-paced life inevitably tips the scale in favor of agni and diminishes soma. The nourishing, soothing influence of soma is diminished when people are under pressure at work, when they are rushing around, when they don't get enough sleep, when they are overexposed to electromagnetic influences, when they drink impure water, breathe impure air, and when they eat "fast" foods or chemical-laden foods. You could say that modern life causes soma to waste away.

This is seen literally in the doshas. The fast pace of life aggravates both Vata and Pitta dosha. In terms of the heart, Sadhaka Pitta, when out of balance, becomes overheated and literally burns soma. Vyana Vata, when hyperactive, dries soma. Both doshas affect ojas in a similar way. Too much aggravation of Vata and Pitta dosha can dry up Avalambaka Kapha also.

Most serious heart imbalance is caused by mental and emotional stress (in ayurvedic terms Vata and Pitta aggravation). If a person consistently eats the wrong types of fats, or a diet that is too high in fat, the likelihood of an imbalance in heart health and function increases.

So to protect the heart, it's important to understand what kinds of dietary and lifestyle choices cause Vyana Vata and Sadhaka Pitta to become imbalanced and the soma and ojas to be diminished. Once you know what these are, you should avoid those things. You should support the production of soma and ojas in the body with your diet and lifestyle.

Q: So mental and emotional stress are really detrimental to the well-being of the heart. Can you elaborate on that?

A: Yes. Mental and emotional stress build up over time, and they cause adrenaline and other toxic hormones to be overproduced and that can damage the fine fabrics of the heart.

It's true that the buildup of cholesterol and plaque in the arteries, due to eating a diet of improper fatty foods, is a major problem. And certainly a Kapha imbalance, when excessive ama is being produced and clogs the arteries, can contribute to heart damage. This type of simple blockage is caused by Kapha dosha.

But what many people don't realize is that mental stress, or Prana Vata imbalance, can cause the digestive agni to be sometimes high, sometimes low. This variability can also lead to the build-up of ama, and eventually plaque in the arteries. Mental stress also affects Vyana Vata, and if it continues over time it can lead to circulatory problems and cardiovascular imbalance stemming from stress.

And if there is an emotional imbalance, that also can cause weakness in the digestion. When Pitta dosha starts to escalate due to emotional stress, a whole imbalanced enzymatic reaction can take place, causing an over-reactive response along with the build-up of amavisha, a more Pitta-related, reactive kind of toxin in the cardio area. This situation creates blockages in the channels of the heart, and can result in quicker, sharper pain as associated with hyperactive anginic reaction.

Q: What is the Ayurveda perspective on the other Major known risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure?

A: According to Ayurveda, high blood pressure is one symptom of an imbalance in the heart, but the underlying causes could be very different in different people. One person may have a Vyana Vata imbalance, aggravated by a Vata-aggravating diet and lifestyle. Taxing the mind with too much mental work or too much mental stress aggravates Prana Vata as well, and the result of both Vyana and Prana Vata aggravation is Vata-predominant high blood pressure and other Vata-related heart problems.

Other contributing factors might be not getting enough sleep, working late at night, watching TV late at night, constantly dividing the mind by doing two things at once (such as talking on the phone and cooking or driving), constantly rushing from one thing to the next, feeling pressure of time, exercising too much for your body type.

Dietary causes might include eating too many dry, light or raw foods, having an irregular meal time, skipping too many meals, eating while standing up, eating while doing business or talking on the phone, and in general not eating enough.

Q: There must be Pitta-related causes for high blood pressure and heart imbalance then.
A: Yes, Sadhaka Pitta aggravation can cause faster, more reactive changes in the heart area. Sometimes it is related to toxins from food that accumulate in the liver (which is also a seat of Pitta in the body).

When Sadhaka Pitta is aggravated, people lose their capacity to cope with emotional challenges, and then their blood pressure also goes up. Some lifestyle habits that might cause this to happen are going to bed late, watching disturbing movies, and exposing their heart to too much emotional stress. As for diet, eating too many spicy, hot foods such as chilies and jalapeno peppers can aggravate Pitta dosha. Too much of sour foods such as ketchup, mustard, vinegar-based salad dressings or sour oranges, grapes or lemons; and highly salty foods such as chips, cheeses and most processed foods should also be avoided. In general, foods that are not "intelligent"--such as processed foods, non-organic foods grown with chemicals and pesticides--overtax the liver and cause Pitta to go out of balance.

Q: Tell us more about Kapha-related causes for high blood pressure and heart imbalance?
A: If digestion is weak and ama, the waste-product of digestion has been present in the body for a long time, it can spread to the fat tissue and mix with Avalambaka Kapha in the heart region. This kind of ama imbalance blocks the pranavahi srotas, the channels that circulate oxygen throughout the body. This causes high blood pressure also.

In this kind of situation, it's extremely important for the person to examine their diet and switch to healthier fats, such as ghee (clarified butter) and olive oil, in moderation. It is the unhealthy fats, the fats found in red meat and the transfats such as hydrogenated vegetable oil found in almost all packaged foods, that cause this kind of ama /Kapha imbalance.

Sugar in the diet is also an important factor. If the person is eating too much refined sugar in packaged sweets, he or she will need to stop. There are healthier sweeteners you can use if you have Kapha-related high blood pressure or heart imbalance. Honey is actually a sweet that reduces Kapha dosha. It's important not to cook it though, as this releases toxins in an otherwise pure and light food.

Other foods to avoid are hard cheeses, whole milk, and butter. In this situation, it's important to monitor your cholesterol levels.

For this person, it's essential to exercise every day (If you have heart problems, be sure to check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program). You can start with something as simple and gentle as walking for half an hour and then start to build up. The important thing is to do it every day and as vigorously as you can comfortably sustain.

Be sure not to sleep during the day or late in the morning if you have this type of Kapha-related high blood pressure. Sleeping late clogs the channels further, so make a habit of rising before 6:00 a.m. Sitting too much and not having enough mental stimulation can contribute to this imbalance, so try to keep some variety in your diet and stimulation in your life.

In this case, all three factors are causing the high blood pressure, because Vyana Vata is drying the soma and disturbing the production of ojas, and Pitta is trying to burn both the soma and the ojas, and Kapha is blocking the channels. This person should follow the dietary

recommendations to pacify Kapha dosha and open the channels. It is essential that the arteries be clear of ama and blockage, because even if a Kapha-predominant person has more ojas or soma, the soma cannot reach the targeted areas of the heart to give it support as and when needed if the channels are blocked.

Q: So how do you prevent these problems of heart imbalance and high blood pressure?
A: Of course, if you have high blood pressure, you should follow your doctor's advice. But an Ayurvedic physician could also help you to determine which type of doshic imbalance is at the root of your problem. Once you determine whether your blood pressure is due to Vata, Pitta or Kapha imbalance, then it is important to stop practicing those behaviors or eating that diet.
There is a term in Ayurveda for this: nidaan parivarjan. Nidaan means the causal factors, and parivarjan means "to get rid of. So what I am recommending here is to get rid of the causal factors. I think you can see that until you do that, no amount of medicine that you take is going to help.

I've included a chart that gives the dietary and lifestyle choices to avoid and to favor for each type of imbalance. People who have a certain body type or imbalance will need to be more careful to avoid the things that aggravate their body type or imbalance. It's also important to avoid the aggravating factors during certain seasons. For instance, in summer, or Pitta season, when the weather is hot and humid, it's essential to avoid spicy, sour foods and to avoid getting overheated physically, emotionally and mentally. Drink plenty of water; eat sweet, juicy fruits; eat cooling vegetables such as asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, lauki squash, and broccoli -- all of these are ideal for cardiac health. In the hot season, keep in mind that you should always be doing something to rehydrate and cool your mind and emotions, such as eating sweet juicy fruits -- watermelon, for instance.

Chart:
Lifestyle Factors that Aggravate Vyana Vata
Too much mental work
Using the mind for things it is unsuited for
Too much TV, especially at night
Working at night
Staying awake after 10:00 p.m.
Sleep problems
Constantly doing two things at once
Rushing around
Feeling pressured on the job or at home
Cold, dry, windy weather
Dietary Factors that Aggravate Vyana Vata
Eating too much if light, dry and pungent foods
Eating at a different time every day
Eating too fast
Skipping meals
Eating while working or talking on the phone
Eating while standing up
Eating while in the car
Cold foods and drinks
Dietary Factors that Pacify Vyana Vata
Eat more unctuous, freshly cooked, warm foods
Avoid cold foods and drinks
Eat more sweet, sour and salty tastes, in moderate amounts
Eat less astringent, bitter and pungent tastes
Eat home-cooked meals
Avoid leftover, packaged, canned, frozen, processed or fast foods
Eat in a settled, quiet atmosphere
Focus on your food when you eat
Turn off the telephone and TV when you eat
Lifestyle Factors that Pacify Vyana Vata
Spend your evenings relaxing with family and friends
Go to bed before 10:00 p.m.
Turn off your cell phone when driving, cooking or eating
Focus on one activity at a time
Spend time enjoying every day
Reduce your mental work load
Stop doing work that strains your mind
Do mild exercise every day, such as taking a walk or stretching exercises like yoga.
Stay warm and use a humidifier during winter
Ayurvedic Products to Pacify Vyana Vata:
Cardio Support
Worry Free tablets and aroma
Blissful Sleep
Vata Churna (use it to cook with) and Vata Tea

Lifestyle Factors that Aggravate Sadhaka Pitta
Exposing yourself to emotional stress
Pressured situations at work or at home
Overexerting or exercising in the hot sun
Associating with people who are habitually angry or critical
Staying awake after 10:00 at night
Exposure to hot weather
Dietary Factors that Aggravate Sadhaka Pitta
Skipping or delaying meals
Eating too much spicy, salty and sour foods
Eating foods that are made with chemicals, preservatives, or were grown with chemical fertilizers
Eating in a hurry
Eating while distracted
Snacking during the Pitta time of night, between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.
Lifestyle Factors that Pacify Sadhaka Pitta
Avoid emotional confrontations
Associate with people who are loving and uncritical
Go to bed before 10:00 p.m., the Pitta time of night
Plan time to appreciate beauty in your environment
Create a home environment that is pleasing and restful to the senses
Avoid watching TV at night, especially any violent movies or shows
Exercise every day, but avoid exerting in the noonday sun
Choose cooling sports such as swimming
Keep your living environment cool, especially at night
Dietary Factors that Pacify Sadhaka Pitta
Eat more sweet, and moderate amounts of bitter and astringent foods
Eat a cooked sweet, juicy pear for breakfast
Eat sweet, juicy pears as snacks when you feel hungry
Eat organic, fresh foods
Avoid delaying or skipping meals Drink plenty of pure water throughout the day
Avoid ketchup, mustard, salad dressings and other foods made with vinegar
Products to Pacify Sadhaka Pitta
Cardio Support
Blissful Joy tablets (1 tablet a day if taking in conjunction with Cardio Support)
Blissful Heart aroma
Deep Rest
Rose Petal Preserve
Pitta Churna and Pitta Tea

Lifestyle Factors that Aggravate Avalambaka Kapha
Sleeping during the day, after 6:00 a.m.
Not exercising
Lack of mental stimulation
Cool, wet weather
Dietary Factors that Aggravate Avalambaka Kapha
Food that is too rich and high in fat
Food that is too sweet, sour and salty
Cold foods and drinks
Snacking before the previous meal is digested
Eating while standing up
Eating leftovers, packaged foods, processed foods, fast foods
Lifestyle Factors that Pacify Avalambaka Kapha
Wake up early, well before 6:00 a.m.
Exercise for at least 1/2 hour daily
Try new activities in your free time
Stay warm and dry during the rainy season
Dietary Factors that Pacify Avalambaka Kapha
Favor the bitter, astringent and pungent tastes
Eat less of the sweet, sour and salty foods
Avoid heavy desserts. Have a piece of fruit instead.
Eat cooked apples or pears for breakfast
Eat fresh foods cooked with small amounts of ghee or olive oil
Avoid all processed foods as they contain unhealthy fats
Avoid leftovers
Avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils
Eat warm, cooked, light, easily digestible foods
Avoid cold foods and drinks
Products to Pacify Avalambaka Kapha
Elim-Tox-O
Kapha Churna (cook with it) and Kapha Tea
Q: Are there special foods that support the heart?
A: Yes. There are some foods that are especially nourishing to the heart. These include mature pomegranate fruit or juice; asparagus; any sweet, juicy, seasonal fruits; Rose Petal Preserve (especially for pacifying Pitta or Vata-induced heart problems); sweet lassi; avocado; and leafy greens cooked with the Heart Healthy Heart Spice Mixture.
Healthy Heart Spice Mixture
1 part ground turmeric
2 parts ground cumin
3 parts ground coriander
4 parts ground fennel
Mix the spices and store in an airtight jar. When it is time to cook the meal, steam the vegetables. Melt a small amount of ghee in the pan, and add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture per serving. Saute the spices until the flavor is released. Add the vegetables, saute lightly, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately. If you have constipation, be sure to cleanse the bowels by eating fruits, vegetables and grains with fiber, eating a stewed apple or pear with prunes or figs each morning for breakfast. By cleansing the bowel you maintain the digestive fire and enhance digestion and assimilation. This is an excellent breakfast for people with Sadhaka Pitta imbalance, and Prana and Vyana Vata imbalance. Sweet lassi (a drink made by blending 1/4 c. yogurt and 3/4 c. water along with honey) is also good for people with weak digestion.
Q: Should the pomegranate juice be made fresh?
A: Yes, that is better. In that case take the seeds and put them in a juicer. Whether you eat the fresh fruit or the juice, be sure the fruit is mature.
Or, if you cannot get fresh pomegranate, you can purchase an organic juice that is pure juice, without corn syrup. It is not the same as eating fresh pomegranate juice, which is actually a nectar for the heart, but it has value if you can't get the fresh fruit.
Q: What about the use of green tea to help the heart?
A: Research shows that green tea is good for the heart, due to the flavanoids that it contains. Flavanoids act as antioxidants, and one research study showed that men who drank several cups of green tea had significantly lower total serum cholesterol levels than those who drank two or less cups.
However, you should be sure to drink fresh tea, not bottled or iced tea. Black tea also has some good effects, but green tea has less caffeine and therefore is healthier, especially for people with Vata or Pitta constitutions or imbalances who should avoid caffeine. Green tea also is not processed, and therefore is more natural and safe than processed black teas.
Q: Can you talk about the foods you should avoid for heart health? Obviously, eating too much of fatty foods is a bad idea.
A: Fats are actually essential to smooth and lubricate the channels of the heart and brain. But the important thing is to eat good quality of fat--as I mentioned earlier, you'll want to eat ghee and olive oil in moderation and with spices, as these are the healthiest fats. Ghee, the traditional clarified butter recommended by Ayurveda, is healthy because it contains approximately eight percent lower saturated fatty acids than other oils and fats, which makes it more easily digestible. Its rate of absorption is measured at 96%, which makes it the most absorbable of all oils and fats. Ghee increases the potency of certain herbs by carrying the active components to the interior of the cells where they have the most benefit.
These lower saturated fatty acids are the most edible fat and are not found in any other edible oil or fat. It also contains the antioxidants beta-carotene and Vitamin E. One-half to one teaspoonful of ghee in food increases digestive power and also assists in assimilation of food and antioxidants.
Cholesterol in the blood stream, by itself, actually serves many important functions critical for health. It is only when cholesterol is damaged by free radicals that it becomes dangerous to the heart. Pure ghee actually protects the heart from free radical damage, making it a perfect source of essential fatty acids.
Ghee also balances Vata and Pitta, and is thus good for preventing mental and emotional stress on the heart.Of course, if you are on a low-cholesterol diet prescribed by a doctor, you should check with him or her before eating ghee.
Q: Earlier you mentioned that emotional and mental stress are the main factors in creating a heart imbalance. How can we create a healthy heart by improving our emotional health?
A: Yes, this is an important area to discuss because today a lot of cardiac problems are caused by emotional challenges.
Besides practicing the Transcendental Meditation program to help lower blood pressure, reverse arterial blockage and enhance resistance to all kinds of stress, it's important to follow the Pitta-pacifying dietary and lifestyle guidelines mentioned earlier to increase ojas, which supports bliss, contentment, vitality and longevity. Eating plenty of sweet juicy fruits is important for emotional health. Start the day with a stewed pear for breakfast, and you can even carry a pear with you to eat whenever you start to feel frustrated, angry, or upset.
In addition, it's important to actively seek the positive in life. While ojas creates bliss and emotional balance, there are also behaviors, called Behavioral Rasayanas, that cultivate ojas in the body. Some Behavioral Rasayanas include practicing Transcendental Meditation; staying in the company of wise people; keeping a regular routine and pure diet; getting enough sleep; eschewing alcohol, cigarettes and drugs; cultivating a calm attitude; adhering to the teachings of your religion; and speaking the truth. Each day offers opportunities to enjoy--it is up to you to seek out the activities and people that bring you true happiness and contentment. This is essential for the health of your heart; it's essential for your life.
Q: You've effectively made the point that a person must first change whatever lifestyle or dietary mistakes are causing the problem, otherwise no herb or medicine will work. Assuming that that is being done, what kind of herbal supplements does Ayurveda offer?
A: I'm glad you asked that. We now have a new formula for cardiac health, called Cardio Support. Cardio Support contains three stellar herbs for supporting the heart. The principal herb Arjuna is renowned in Ayurveda for its ability to pacify Sadhaka Pitta, and thus balance the emotions, and to nourish the physical heart as well.
Ashwagandha helps enhance natural resistance to stress and promotes better sleep. Guggul, the third herb, has been shown to help balance cholesterol by purifying the fat tissues.
This Cardio Support formula is especially designed with the modern American lifestyle in mind, to support the heart amidst the challenges of modern life. It protects the life force by enhancing both ojas and agni in the heart, and by enhancing the level of soma. It is particularly targeted to protect the heart against the pressured lifestyle, the impurities in the food, and the electromagnetic overexposure that most people experience in America today.
This formula is excellent for long-term Sadhaka Pitta imbalances, which in turn affect the life-energy of the heart. It also balances the effects of electromagnetic energy from the environment, and helps balance Vyana Vata and Prana Vata. It is designed to help the average person support the heart physically and emotionally.
Q: Can you tell us something about these herbs and their traditional uses?
A: Certainly. Arjuna is a divine herb that has a fascinating history. The herb is named after Arjuna, the archer-hero of the Bhagavad Gita, which is part of the larger epic called the Mahabharata. At the start of the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna, the most fully developed and respected man of his age, is faced with a terrible dilemma: whether to fight on the side of good, even if that meant fighting against his own cousins and his beloved teacher. This emotional strain completely immobilizes him, and it is only after Lord Krishna reveals the nature of the eternal, imperishable reality of life that Arjuna is able to recover his emotional strength, to "take heart," so to speak, to save the world from destruction.
Legend has it that Lord Brahma, the Creator, witnessed Arjuna's emotional dilemma, and reasoned, "If this could happen to the great Arjuna, what of the lesser mortals who find themselves unable to cope with emotional strain?" Thus was born the powerful herb Arjuna, which, it is said, can live for several hundred years in ideal conditions.
Arjuna is a great restorative and soothes both the emotional and the physical heart. It calms Sadhaka Pitta and slows down the release of toxic hormones. It is a divine plant that has the special ability to balance all three doshas--Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
It is ideal for the heart because its prabhava (its ultimate action) is to support the heart. This type of heart-supporting herb is known as hridya in Ayurveda, and Arjuna is the foremost hridya herb. Its virya, or energy is cooling and sweet, which supports soma and pacifies Sadhaka Pitta.
At the same time, Arjuna's qualities (gunas) are light and dry, which helps to clear blockages from the arteries. Now usually if an herb has qualities of light and dry it is also pungent, like chilies. But this divine plant has exactly the right combination of qualities to make it the most supportive to the heart--its light and dry qualities help it to clear the blockages caused by Avalambaka Kapha imbalance, but at the same time it is cooling and balancing to Sadhaka Pitta and enhances soma.
This is ideal for modern life, because today so many people are under stress and eating Pitta aggravating food, which diminishes soma and ojas. At the same time they are eating harmful fats, which creates the additional risk factor of ama and clogging of the arteries. All of these factors combined put the heart at great peril. But Arjuna is exactly designed by nature to keep Kapha in balance while also supporting soma production and Sadhaka Pitta balance.
There is one caveat about taking Arjuna. It should never be taken alone as a tablet, because its light and dry qualities make it aggravating to Vata. It needs, instead, to be combined with other herbs that pacify Vata, such as Guggul. This shows the importance of combining herbs in the right proportions, as they are combined in Ayurvedic formulas, in order to avoid negative side effects.
But when Arjuna is taken in Cardio Support with other herbs to balance its effects and to enhance absorption, it enhances fat metabolization, rids the body of toxins and supports the cardiac muscle. By nurturing the cardiac muscle, it provides good flow and rhythm to the pumping muscles and supports the entire cardiac system with its specific hridya effect. It supports and nourishes the heart physically and emotionally. It gives more strength to the heart so people can tolerate emotional challenges. These are the traditional benefits of Arjuna as mentioned in the Ayurvedic texts.
Other herbs in Cardio Support that support the actions of Arjuna in pacifying Sadhaka Pitta are Cabbage Rose, Licorice, Shatavari, Mica Bhasma, Indian Tinospora, Corallium rubrum and Sugar Cane.

Q: That's quite amazing. Can you tell us if modern research has validated these ancient benefits of Arjuna?

A: It's very interesting that modern research has validated the effects of this potent herb. In one research study, Arjuna was given one group of patients, the antioxidant Vitamin E was given another group, and another group received placebo pills.

The results showed that Arjuna had comparable antioxidant action as Vitamin E, but at the same time significantly decreased total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. A study showed that Arjuna caused 50% reduction in anginal episodes in patients with stable angina pectoris. The herb had an insignificant effect on patients with unstable angina pectoris.

Q: What are some of the other major herbs in Cardio Support?
A: Ashwagandha helps balance Vyana Vata. Ashwagandha also balances Prana Vata, helping promote happiness in the face of mental or emotional stress. It nourishes the mind-body connection and helps coordinate the mind and sense, which is essential for a good quality of sleep. It also increases the quality and quantity of ojas, the master coordinator of all the actions of mind and body. It helps pure consciousness to "slide" into the physiology. As with all herbs, Ashwagandha should not be taken alone but should be combined with cooling herbs such as licorice to balance its heating effects and protect the heart. Cardio Support does include licorice to balance this heating effect. Other herbs contained in Cardio Support that help balance Vyana Vata are Boerhavia, Mica Bhasma, Licorice, Holy Basil, and Malabar Nut Tree.
Guggul, the third most important herb in Cardio Support, also helps balance Vyana Vata. Its main action, though, is to support Avalambaka Kapha. It is famous for lowering cholesterol and protecting against cardiovascular disease. It rids the channels of ama and purifies the fat tissue. This is, of course, very necessary for keeping the heart healthy.
Some of the modern research studies on Guggul are very interesting. One study published in Cardiovascular Drug Therapy in 1994 showed that in patients with hypercholesterolemia who were fed a diet enriched with fruits and vegetables, the administration of Guggul significantly reduced total cholesterol levels by 11.7%, LDL by 12.5%, triglycerides by 12%, and total cholesterol/high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratio by 11.1%. The placebo group, who ate the same diet but received no Guggul, showed no change. The researchers concluded that the combined effect of diet and guggul at 36 weeks was as great as the reported lipid-lowering effect of modern drugs.Finally, both ojas and soma are supported by special herbs in the Cardio Health formula. Shilajit, Zinc Bhasma, Mica Bhasma and Licorice promote ojas; and the combination of Shatavari, Holy Basil, Corallium rubrum, Indian Tinospora and Sacred Lotus promotes soma.
Q: Who should take Cardio Support?
A: That's a good question. Cardio Support can certainly be taken by someone who already has an imbalance in the heart, as long as your doctor approves. It is also excellent as a preventive for people who have a history of heart problems in their family. Sometimes people just feel uneasy in the heart, but when they have the doctor check it with tests, nothing shows up. In that case no medication would be prescribed, but you could still take this product to help strengthen the heart.
Sometimes an individual is living a high-stress life, with emotional or mental strain, and the person knows it is bad for the heart. But they don't feel they can change. In this case it would be good to protect the heart with Cardio Support.
Q: What are some other products that Ayurveda offers for heart health?
A: In addition to taking Cardio Support, if someone has an Avalambaka Kapha imbalance and has accumulated ama in the fat tissue, it's important to take Elim-Tox-O to help remove it.
If someone is experiencing a lot of emotional upsets, Blissful Joy is recommended to help further pacify Sadhaka Pitta. Blissful Joy is really the best product for emotional heart health and to help create healthier relationships. Blissful Joy also has the heart-supporting herb Arjuna, combined with other herbs that also target Sadhaka Pitta. The rose is very soothing for emotions so anyone with a Sadhaka Pitta imbalance should also take Rose Petal Preserve.
To explain the difference between the two products: Blissful Joy focuses only on the emotional aspect of the heart. Cardio Support also support the emotional heart, but it goes beyond the emotions to also support the deeper, life giving energy of soma. It supports the structure of the heart, protects also from day-to-day mental stress, and gives life-giving strength to the heart. If you have emotional stress on the heart, it would be wise to take both products together.
For day-to-day mental stress, it's best to take Worry Free along with Cardio Support to help balance Prana Vata and create more resilience to stress in daily living. It's very necessary for cardiac health that one's heart and mind work together in a very coordinated way. So if an individual has both problems--imbalance in mind and emotions-- they should take both Blissful Joy and Worry Free. They should also add Elim-Tox-O if ama is present in the fat tissue.
If you are having problems with sleep, choose Blissful Sleep or Deep Rest depending on the kind of sleep problems you are experiencing. Blissful Sleep is for people who have overactive minds and have trouble falling asleep (usually caused by a Vata imbalance), Deep Rest is for people who wake up feeling energetic between two and four a.m. (usually caused by a Pitta imbalance).
Q: Is there any modern research that supports the Ayurveda perspective on cardio health?
A: That's a good question, because there is quite a bit of research on Ayurveda approaches and the health of the heart.
First of all, the Transcendental Meditation program alone is extremely effective in keeping the heart healthy. Research conducted at the NIH-affiliated Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention at University of Management, which has been published in the National Heart Association Journals Hypertension and Stroke, shows that high blood pressure and atherosclerosis can be lowered or reduced dramatically through the Transcendental Meditation program.
Secondly, there is impressive research on the effects of Amrit Kalash on cardiac health. Amrit has been found to be the most effective scavenger of free radicals, the oxidizing rogue molecules that cause oxidized LDL cholesterol and plaques to build up in the artery walls. Research shows that Amrit Kalash strongly protects low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from free radical attack. One clinical study at Ohio State University showed that Amrit Kalash increased resistance to oxidation of LDL in hyperlipidemic patients.
Q: Thank you. That was very enlightening. Do you have anything you'd like to add?
A: The heart is the home of the vital life force in the body. The enemies of the healthy heart all work silently: you don't see the effects of mental and emotional stress tearing at the fibers of your heart. You don't see the arteries clogging up with ama. And by the time you do become aware of it, much damage has already been done. So it's very important that you always take care of your heart, emotionally and physically. Try to always maintain your heart in peak condition, to enjoy a long and happy life.
REFERENCESResearch on Arjuna and Its Effects on Cardiovascular Health
Gupta R, Singhal S, Goyle A, Sharma VN., "Antioxidant and hypocholesterolaemic effects of Terminalia arjuna tree-bark powder: a randomized placebo-controlled trial," J Assoc Physicians India, 2001 Feb;49:231-5
Dwivedi S, Agarwal MP, "Antianginal and cardioprotective effects of Terminalia arjuna, an indigenous drug, in coronary artery disease,"
Research on Guggul and Its Effects on Cardiovascular Health
Singh RB, Niaz MA, Ghosh S., "Hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of Commiphora mukul as an adjunct to dietary therapy in patients with hypercholesterolemia,"Cardiovasc Drugs Ther 1994 Aug;8(4):659-64.
Nityanand S, Srivastava JS, Asthana OP. Clinical trials with gugulipid, a new hypolipidaemic agent," J Assoc Physicians India, 1989 May;37(5):323-8.
Research on the Transcendental Meditation Technique and Cardiovascular Health
R.H. Schneider, M.D., et al., "A Randomized Controlled Trial of Stress Reduction for Hypertension in Older African Americans," Hypertension, vol. 26 (1995), pp. 820-827.
A. Castillo-Richmond, M.D., et al, "Effects of Stress Reduction on Cartoid Atherosclerosis in Hypertensive African Americans," Stroke, vol. 31 (2000), pp. 568-573.
C.N. Alexander et al., "A Trial of Stress Reduction for Hypertension in Older African Americans (Part II): Gender and Risk Subgroup Analysis, "Hypertension, vol. 28 (1996), pp. 228-237.
R.H. Schneider, M.D. et al., "Lower Lipid Peroxide Levels in Practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation Program," Psychosomatic Medicine, vol. 60 (1998), pp. 38-41.
Research on Amrit Kalash and Its Effects on Cardiovascular Health
H.M. Sharma et al., "Inhibition of Human Low-Density Lipoprotein Oxidation in Vitro by Amrit Kalash and Coffee Substitute," Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, vol. 43 (1992), pp. 1175-1182.
Sundaram V, Hanna AN, Lubow G, Falko J, Sharma HM, "Increased resistance of human LDL to oxidation in hyperlipidemic patients supplemented with oral herbal mixture MAK-4," 1995, Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 9 (3): A141 (abstract).
S.C. Bondy, et al., "Antioxidant Properties of Two Ayurvedic Herbal Preparations (MAK-4 and MAK-5)," Biochemical Archives, vol. 10 (1994), pp. 25-31.
H.M. Sharma et al., "Amrit Kalash Prevents Human Platelet Aggregation," Clinca and Terapia Cardiovascolare, vol. 8, no. 3 (1989), pp. 227-230.
A.N. Hanna et al., "Effect of Herbal Mixtures MAK-4 and MAK -5 on Susceptibility of Human LDL to Oxidation," Complementary Medicine International, vol. 3, no. 3 (May/June 1996), pp. 28-36.
Dwivedi C, Sharma HM, Dobrowski S, Engineer FN 1991, "Inhibitory effects of Maharshi-4 and Maharishi-5 on microsomoal lipid peroxidation," Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 39: 649-652.
Sharma HM, Hanna AN, Kauffman EM, Newman HAI, "Inhibition of human low-density lipoprotein oxidation in vitro by Ayurvedaa herbal mixtures," Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 43: 1175-1182.
Research on Green Tea and Cardiovascular Health
Kono S, Shinchi K, Ikeda N, Yanai F, Imanishi K. Green tea consumption and serum lipid profiles: a cross-sectional study in northern Kyushu, Japan," Prev Med 1992 Jul;21(4):526-31.