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Helping you make better health choices ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | AUSTRALIA/NZ facebook.com/wddtyaunz Seeing the light Healingage-relatedeye disease p.40 The top cancer screening tests The best ways to catch disease early p.72 The end of psychiatry? Poor diagnoses and ineffective treatments p.26 Hunger games Intermittent fasting offers relief from depression and other mental disorders p.48 PLUS Healing the whole person in cancer treatment • Non-drug solutions for PCOS • AU/NZ $8.99 INC Detoxing from industrial pollution • Tips for longevity from the world’s oldest people • GST The best food ratios to turn what you eat into powerful medicine • Beyond germ theory – how your body ‘makes’ microbes • The best gluten-free flours • Reversing multiple sclerosis • Herbs to cool down high cortisol levels • Natural ways to slim your pet

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M Editors showing that once women any years Lynne McTaggart and Bryan Hubbard stopped taking HRT, their rate of ago, I read an article in Esquire by decline in brain volume remained Nora Ephron entitled“Dealing COMMENT similar to the placebo group.3 with the, uh, Problem,”about the earlydaysof thefeminine-hygiene CRAZYLADIES Or the Women’s Health spray business. Ephron was Initiativestudyof morethan investigating how Alberto-Culver reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and As Dr Roberta Diaz Briton, a 16,000 women, which ended managed to convince women, statins. neuroscientist at the University of three years early because the as a rival company had done in Arizona, stated in a forthcoming HRT-treated women had more its advertising, that her“trickiest Iwasremindedof allthisthe UK documentary,“Menopause heart conditions, more strokes, deodorant problem isn’t under her other day reading a headline in is like a renovation project on the more blood clots and 24 percent pretty little arms.” the Daily Telegraph:“Menopause brain, a restructuring, a rewiring more breast cancer than those not ‘reshapes the brain,’ researchers . . . the idea that we can just suck taking the hormone.4 What interested me the most find, and HRT should be it up is actually deleterious to about the piece was marketing prescribed earlier.”This was women’s long-term health.” I’m not in any way minimising strategy: create the demand followed by a subtitle that read: the trouble many women have for the problem to sell the “Academics say hormone Dr Briton says that delaying during menopause. But I know solution.And back in the 1970s, replacement therapy should be treatment for a year after periods of manynaturalandeffective promoting their invented seen as a‘protective’ measure for cease, the standard practice by therapiestouseinsteadof HRT solutionasfeminist,partof the perimenopausal women to halt general practitioners in the UK, that do not cause heart attacks, then-sexual revolution. ‘rewiring’of thebrain.” could be dangerous because the strokes or cancer. “brain has already changed and Tell women they are smelly and This story has breathlessly it’s no longer going to respond to So what we’re really talking unattractive—that they’ve got an, arrivedinthewakeof theUK estrogen therapy.” about here is a temporary upset uh,‘problem’ so unmentionable making hormone replacement during a major transition in a that you have to sell it with therapy an over-the-counter Written almost as an woman’s life, which can cause euphemisms—and you can drug, and journalists proclaiming afterthought in the Telegraph many troubling symptoms like make a killing. it a feminist right. article is the study’s conclusion: mood swings, hot flashes and someof thosechangestothebrain brain fog, much as women talk And Alberto-Culver (and What followed was a huge run about“baby brain”when they many other companies following become new mothers and are them) did just that: $40 million “What we’re really making that transition. way back in 1973, which equates talking about here is a to $259 million today, on their temporary upset during I take exception to the idea market share alone. Today, a major transition in a that women after 50 will suffer the global market in feminine woman’s life” long-term cognitive decline hygiene sprays is projected to unlessgivenHRT. Arecent grow to $54.52 billion in 2028. on the drugs to the point where resolved after menopause—as reviewof alltheexistingstudies drugstores have now run out of did cognitive performance, about whether HRT can prevent Thishaslongbeenaployof the stocks, and the UK government “suggesting adaptive dementia concluded that there pharmaceutical industry. The was forced to begin emergency compensatory processes.”1 Those are“strong discrepancies” drug industry sold the world on rationing and set up a special women who went on to get between individual studies, with the idea that depression resulted HRT Task Force to staunch the Alzheimer’s were only the ones the most recent trials showing“no from too little serotonin and flowof HRTthroughtheblack genetically predisposed to it. beneficial effects.”5 heart attacks from too much market. cholesterol floating around in They also failed to mention The late Barbara Marx the body, clogging up arteries, TheDailyTelegraph story an earlier four-year randomized Hubbard liked to say that she was blowing up hearts. concerned a year-old study studyof menopausalwomen inthemidstof a‘regenepause’in claiming that a sharp decline showing that increasing her 80s. Margaret Meade spoke Both situations were complete in estrogen, as occurs during ventricular volume with of thepost-menopausal“zest”of falsehoods, an invented cause of menopause, has a significant HRT not only did not affect women. I certainly wrote my most a problem, with a solution to be impact on the brain, reducing cognitive function but might be important books at the time I was concocted in the laboratory.And gray matter and changing blood dangerous.2 supposed to be dolally. immediately, the drug companies flow. set about deftly seeding both ideas Or the WHIMS-MRI studies But then, maybe we are all just into the public consciousness crazy old ladies. and got rich in the process, with their hot-out-of-the-laboratory Lynne McTaggart new drugs: selective serotonin REFERENCES 1 SciRep,2021;11:10867 2 Neurology,2016;87:887–96 3 Neurology,2014;82:427–34 4 JAMA,2002;288:321–33 5 FrontAgingNeurosci,2022;14: 831807 WHATDOCTORSDON’TTELLYOU | EMAIL US:[email protected] | EMAIL UK: [email protected] | WEB: WWW.WDDTY.COM FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 3





6 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 CONTENTSAUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022 40 Seeing clearly now Maculardegenerationandglaucoma wereoncethoughttobeirreversible,but newlight-basedtherapieshavechanged thegame 48 Hunger games Intermittentfastingoffersrelieffrom depressionandothermentaldisorders 60 Beyond the‘air germ’theory The “germ theory” of infection is not the settled science some believe it to be. Terrain theory, which underpins today’s ecological medicine, takes in the bigger picture 66 The best gluten-free flours Gluten-freerecipesleavenothingtobe desiredwhenyouchoosetherightflour. JamesColquhounandLaurentineten Boschofferdeliciousalternatives 72 The top cancer screening tests DrLeighErinConnealyliststhemost powerfulteststocatchcancerearly anddeterminethebestpersonalized treatmentoptions FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

UPFRONT 36 76 Living within 300 meters 10 Liveto100andbeyond Healingcancer (984 feet) of holistically green space Liveneargreenspacetoreduce Tipsforlongevityfromtheworld’s reduces air strokerisk;artificialsweeteners oldestpeople OurnewCancerDoctorcolumnist pollutants that linkedtobreastcancer;Brush LeighErinConnealysharesfromher have been yourteethtopreventhighblood FAMILYHEALTH toolkitofpowerfulsolutions linked to stroke pressure;owningapetkeepsyou and heart mentallysharp 80 82 disease COVID-19NEWS Puppyfat Thelastword Page 11 17/25 Obesityisalltoocommoninpets. Scienceisdiscoveringthat Your views are HolisticvetRohiniSathishsharesher somethingofussurvivesdeath, important to us. Naturalimmunitytwiceaseffective toptipstohelpyourcatordogslim LynneMcTaggartreports;Bryan Please contact us at: asvaccine;broccolibetterthan down Hubbardbringsnewsfromthe WHATDOCTORS drugstofightCovi;Neemoilas DepartmentoftheBlindingly DON’TTELLYOU effectiveasdrugs;vaccineside-effect REGULARS Obvious rate10timeshigherthanofficial PO BOX 230 figures 7 DOUBLE BAY NSW 1360 AUSTRALIA NEWSFOCUS Readers’letters TELEPHONE: 26 39 +61293631464 EMAIL: The end of psychiatry The Politics of Health [email protected] WEB: Psychiatrycannolongeragreeon Quenchingthefire FACEBOOK.COM/ howmentaldisordersoriginate, WDDTYAUNZ howtotreatthemorevenifthey 54 exist,saysBryanHubbard Subscriptions (AU S only): TheHormoneDoctor (02)82276486 30 One-size-fits-allPCOStreatment More die of heartbreak doesn’twork,saysDrShawn Tassone Forgetcholesterol—stressisthe maincauseofheartdisease 56 EVERYPICTURE TheEcoDoctor 34 Multiplesclerosiscanbereversed throughdietandlifestylechanges, Who’stopbanana? saysDrJennyGoodman;DrJenny Goodmandescribeshowshe Green,yelloworbrown,thebanana detoxedamotherandchild hashealthbenefitsateverystageof fromindustrialpollution ripeness; FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 7

EDITORIAL PANEL EDITORIAL PANEL Published under exclusive license What Doctors Don’t Tell You is supported by some of the world’s leading pioneers in nutritional, in Australia and New Zealand by: environmental and alternative medicine. Each is an authority in his or her field; many have broken Nuclear Media new ground and inspired new practices in medicine. PO Box 230 Dr Damien Downing, a specialist in allergy, Dr Harald Gaier is a UK-registered osteopath, Double Bay NSW 1360 environment and nutrition, is current president homeopath, acupuncturist, naturopath and Australia of the British Society for Ecological Medicine, on the medical herbalist. Former director of medical editorial board of Orthomolecular Medicine News research at The Hale Clinic and a committee +612 9363 1464 Service, Chief Medical Advisor of cancer charity member of the Prince of Wales’ Foundation Yes to Life (www.yestolife.org.uk), and author for Integrated Health, Dr Gaier has authored Editors of numerous books including The Vitamin Cure Lynne McTaggart & Bryan numerous scientific papers and Hubbard for Allergies. The Encyclopedia of Homeopathy. Managing Editor Joanna Evans Dr Michel Odent, a French-trained surgeon and Dr Jonathan Wright, medical director of the Design obstetrician, is a pioneer of the natural birth Tahoma Clinic in Washington, pioneered Jimmy Egerton Production Editor movement, emphasizing home and water birth. nutritional medicine in the US. A board member of Emilie Croisier Founder of the Primal Health Research Centre in the American Preventive Medical Association and Assistant designer the UK, he has written some 50 scientific papers the International College of Advanced Longevity Anya Hubbard Contributors and 11 books. Medicine, he has published 11 books. Celeste McGovern Cate Montana Dr Sarah Myhill has worked in the UK National Janet Balaskas, who named and inspired the Dr Jenny Goodman Health Service and private practice since 1981. Active Birth Movement in the 1970s, helped Joanna Evans Honorary Secretary of the British Society for revolutionize maternity practices worldwide. Dr Shawn Tassone Ecological Medicine for 17 years, she is a frequent Dr Leigh Erin Connealy lecturer and author of Sustainable Medicine Janet is the founder and director of the Justin Ballis and Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Active Birth Centre in North London and author Rohini Sathish of nine books including Active Birth, Preparing for Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalitis. Birth with Yoga and Easy Exercises for Pregnancy. International licensing Bruce Sawford +44 (0)1280 Craig Sams is the co-founder of Whole Earth Foods Sally Bunday is founder of the The Hyperactive 860185 and founder and president of Green & Blacks Children’s Support Group, the first organization Advertising Organic Chocolate, as well as director of to draw attention to the role of diet and nutrition, [email protected] particularly food additives and essential fatty Print subscriptions Soil Association Certification, executive chairman acid deficiencies, in childhood behavior problems. (Australia only) of Carbon Gold Ltd., a carbon sequestration CRM Australia The charity has helped thousands of families (02) 8227-6486 business, and a trustee of the Slow Food Trust UK. in its more than 30-year history. He has authored four books, including [email protected] The Little Food Book. FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ subscribe.wddty.com.au LIABILITY STATEMENT While every care is taken in preparing this material, the publishers cannot accept any responsibility for any damage or harm caused by any treatment, advice or information contained in this publication. You should consult a qualified practitioner before undertaking any treatment. © WDDTY News Ltd. 2022 / © WDDTY Publishing Inc. ISSN 1352-1241 This magazine is published under license from WDDTY News Limited a company incorporated and registered in the UK. All rights in the licensed material belong to WDDTY News and may not be reproduced whether in whole or in part without its prior written consent. The name ‘What Doctors Don’t Tell You’ is the property of WDDTY News Limited. 8 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022

HAVE Fluoride failings have added to the vast cocktail of have been taken out of the average substances and environmental staffer’s hands.Oh yes,and staff SYOAUYR I was very pleased to see the hazards that we are exposed to, not morale is at an all-time low. article on fluoride (WDDTY leastof whicharemanufactured GET IN TOUCH: Shareyourviewson AU/NZ Jun/Jul 2022).However, chemical-filled foodstuffs and the This dire story could be WhatDoctorsDon’tTellYou AU/NZ I was surprised to see no electrical networks surrounding extended in many ways,but viaemailorFacebook. distinction made between:1) our entire planet, yet not a hair has allopathic healthcare has Address: WhatDoctorsDon’tTellYou, naturally occurring fluoride,2) been turned to looking at any of certainly not increased its POBox230,DoubleBayNSW1360 pharmaceutical-grade fluoride, this. Rather we are told evidently a capacity to choose alternative Australia and 3) hexafluorosilicic acid,an “virus”is infectious one day . . . not or complementary approaches Email: [email protected] industrial waste product from the the next. or even increase its genuine Facebook: www.facebook.com/ pollution-scrubbing operations scientific approach to each future wddtyaunz of the phosphate fertilizer Many naturopathic tenets are public healthcare threat.Again, industry,which is contaminated never considered in any area of this is from conversations with with heavy metals.It is this latter “healthcare”let alone in public many NHS workers as well as form the government wants to healthcare.Astounding actually, other scientists. add to our drinking water. because nurses to this day in many cases learn privately about So why did we not let our It was disappointing that a lot of them after they leave the “public healthcare”—by which nomentionwasmadeof the profession.Florence Nightingale I mean the whole approach to current campaign in the UK run would be turning in her grave at encouraging better health for the by UKFFFA (now the Fluoride- the whole process of the highway public—why did we not let our Free Alliance UK) or the past robbery of healthcare that is approach evolve?Would that not campaigns from NPWA and claimed by vaccine delivery. have been money better spent Doug Cross, whose efforts over the than on useless PPE and more, years have stopped fluoridation in But I do know the clout of that is now stuck in cupboards manypartsof theUK. pharmaceutical companies and and rooms doing nothing? the voice of their propaganda over Our current postcard campaign the last 200 years.I was reminded KeithBelmontND,DO,viaemail (www.ukfffa.org.uk) has now about propaganda recently when reached over 60,000 people in looking at the history of the battle Magnesium matters England and Wales; many thanks against Big Tobacco. to WDDTY UK for putting it out I was interested in the variety of with its March edition. It was once believed and compounds in which magnesium advertised consistently by can be purchased, and their various SianWinstanley,viaemail cigarette manufacturers how absorbabilities (WDDTY UK beneficial smoking was to health. issue October 2021). I have tried a Let healthcare evolve Smoking will never stop,but the numberof them,orcombinations position officially is now smoking of twoorthreeof thosementioned, The whole country has shown kills.We need to see that as a but never found one that relieved an inability to shift perspective lesson in our evolution. meof nightcramps.ThenI throughout what has been sold read an article that suggested as a“pandemic”in the last couple Coal was once considered a magnesium was most easily of years. wonderful fuel,and we found out absorbed transdermally, rubbing it caused issues,and we evolved or magnesium oil or magnesium As a naturopath I can remember are trying to.What then have we lotion on the legs. I found the my tutor telling me,“You need learned or evolved into in the last sensationof theoildisagreeable, to know at the outset there are few years? but the lotion has been wonderful. I noproofsorbodiesof evidence now use it morning and night, and to suggest respiratory or other I am told daily by health have had no more cramps—except conditions are infectious at all. In practitioners of many kinds that when I forget! fact, the scientists even suggesting they did not in fact feel the system vaccines on their deathbeds said of healthcare has been pressed I have been a grateful recipient they had been wrong on their basic beyond its ability in the last few of yourmagazinesinceyoustarted premises that gave rise to the idea.” years.“If the bureaucrats got out what seems aeons ago. It was a of the way and the propaganda requirement when we learned to Four years of study and 50 years went away,then we could do a lot help people with dyslexia at the of experience now tell me that better”is a continual response! Institute for Neuro-Physiological has not changed.Books come Psychology in Chester, with Peter out frequently pointing out that What has our government Blythe,amanof rarecourage, doctors in fact not only“do not done with healthcare? Let’s see ... insight and understanding tell us things”but they also“do increased top bureaucrats and when dyslexia was not generally not ask real scientific questions put compulsory vaccination into recognised. by questioning their basic contracts so that free choice and assumptions ...ever!” professional assessment of need AnnaMcCosh,viaemail During this pandemic we FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 9

UPFRONT Spiritual people are less Drink depressed plenty of If you have a spiritual or religious belief, you water are much less likely to suffer from toavoid depression and anxiety. heartfailure And having these beliefs is especially important if you’ve Drinking plenty of water every day could lower your suffered from heart disease. People chances of heart failure—and it’s especially important if recovering from heart failure are more you’re over the age of 65. likely to suffer a sense of hopelessness and isolation—but having a belief in something Women should be drinking up to two liters (3.5 pints) of liquids, bigger can help get them through those difficult and men up to 3 liters (five pints), every day to reduce the risk of times. heart problems and heart failure. Researchers from Duke University Hospital reviewed 47 studies that had explored the level of spiritual beliefs Staying hydrated is an overlooked way to keep the heart in heart patients. Those who had spiritual beliefs had healthy, and research has found a link between dehydration and a better quality of life and reduced their chances of cardiac fibrosis, a hardening of the heart muscles. being readmitted to the hospital. Spirituality can help people find meaning and Researchers from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute purpose in life, the researchers say, and it can be in the US wanted to find out if the connection could still be found different from having a religious belief. in larger groups, and so tracked the heart health and hydration levels of about 11,800 people; of these, 1,366 (11.5 percent) JACCHeartFail,2022;10(4):217–26 developed heart failure over the 25 years of the study. Scrambled eggs and The researchers were able to assess how well the participants salmon make the best were staying hydrated by measuring their levels of serum sodium, vitamin D top-up which increases as the body’s fluid levels fall. Serum sodium levels breakfast were a predictor of heart failure and ventricular hypertrophy, an enlargement and thickening of the heart. A breakfast of scrambled eggs and salmon is a great way to top up your vitamin D levels if you live in the sun-starved northern hemisphere. People with serum sodium levels on the high end of the normal range at middle age were 39 percent more likely to develop heart Fatty fish—which also includes trout and mackerel—is one of the richest failure, and in a separate analysis of nearly 5,000 70- to 90-year- dietary sources of the vital vitamin, and egg yolks are another good source, and olds at the end of the study period, those with high-normal sodium at middle age had double the risk of hypertrophy and had so combining the two for breakfast is one of the best ways a 54 percent increased risk of heart failure compared to those to start the day, says Signe Svanfeldt, a nutritionist with with low-normal sodium levels. the nutrition app, Lifesum. People who don’t eat fish can instead eat EurHeartJ,2022Mar29;ehac138 mushrooms. Although they don’t have the same vitamin D levels as oily fish, mushrooms are about the HEALTH FACT best source among vegan options, which includes fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. Dieters who took a supplement of the Lifesumapp adaptogenic herb rhodiola lost more than twice as much weight as those who didn't take the herb (page27) 10 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

UPFRONT Live near green space to People who live close reduce stroke risk to green space are Where you live matters almost as much as how you live when it comes to reducing your risk of 16% a stroke. less likely to suffer an ischemic stroke People who live close to some green space are 16 percent less likely to suffer an ischemic stroke, the most common type that happens when A purpose in a blood clot blocks an artery in the life reduces brain. Living within 300 meters (984 feet) of green space reduces air pollutants that dementia risk have been linked to stroke and heart disease, say researchers from the Hospital de Mar Medical Research Having a purpose in life can reduce your Institute in Spain. chances of developing dementia. The biggest threat comes from pollutants from car exhaust, even if levels are Finding a higher purpose or meaning within safety limits set by the World in life lowers your risk by 19 percent, Health Organization (WHO) and the say researchers from University College European Union. “The danger is still London. present, and many more measures need to be taken,” said Carla But just having a positive outlook on Avellaneda, one of the researchers. life isn’t enough on its own to protect against dementia and cognitive decline. EnvironInt,2022;161:107147 The researchers took another look at eight studies that tracked the mental health of around 62,250 older adults. AgeingResRev,2022;77:101594 Eat an avocado, reduce your heart risk Eating an avocado several times a week is good for your heart. People who eat two or more avocados every week are 16 percent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD), and they also reduce their chances of coronary heart disease by 21 percent compared to those who never ate the fruit. And those who replace margarine and processed meats with avocado see an even bigger benefit, say researchers from the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School. They tracked the diets and health of more than 109,000 Americans for 30 years, during which time more than 14,000 of the participants developed CVD. Avocados are some of the healthiest fruits, containing polyunsaturated fatty acids and heart-healthy phytonutrients and other compounds. The most common variety—the Hass avocado—contains around 136 g of oleic acid (omega-9), compared with 42 g in a serving of almonds and 26 g in two tablespoons of olive oil. JAmHeartAssoc,2022;11(7):e024014 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 11

UPFRONT Healthy living means you live longer— and without Alzheimer’s People who follow a healthy up mental challenges in later life, a half years, compared to four lifestyle—such as eating a moderate exercise for around years for someone following a less Mediterranean diet and moderately 20 minutes a day, light drinking, healthy life. Men who followed four exercising most days—can add up following a Mediterranean diet or more of the lifestyle choices could to six years to their life expectancy and not smoking—and the way expect to live up to six years longer and will spend fewer years suffering they influenced the longevity than those who followed one or from Alzheimer’s. and cognitive abilities of the none of them. Again, the years they participants. would suffer from Alzheimer’s was The impact of a healthy lifestyle nearly half that of those with on our longevity and cognitive Women who followed four of unhealthier lifestyles decline has been underscored the five healthy choices at age 65 and would amount by the Chicago Health and Aging could expect to live another 24 to just over a Project, which has been tracking years—three years more than a year of their the lives of 2,449 men and women woman who followed just one or lives. aged 65 and older. fewer of the options—and would experience Alzheimer’s or dementia BMJ,2022;377: The researchers identified five for an average of about two and e068390 healthy lifestyle choices—taking Active oldies still the beat the youngsters Use it or lose it: people who were But they need to have been of Copenhagen. They tested the and those who were elderly and physically active throughout their active to “recreational levels,” muscles of three groups of 48 adults, lifelong exercisers had the healthiest lives still had better muscles when say researchers, and regularly including 15 who were young and muscles, based on blood samples they were elderly than young people participated in ball games, racket inactive, 16 who were 68 years taken from the legs. The average age who didn’t exercise. sports, swimming, cycling or running. old and older and were lifelong of the elderly participants was 73. exercisers, and 15 who were also Even after they reach the age Those who are active throughout elderly, but sedentary. JPhysiol,2022;600(8):1969–89 of 68, lifelong exercisers can still their adult life maintain healthy outperform sedentary younger muscle tissue into old age, say The three groups were put people in resistance tests. researchers from the University through heavy resistance exercises, 12 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

UPFRONT NEAR-DEATHEXPERIENCESAREREAL Near-death experiences (NDEs) are not hallucinations of a dying brain—they are likely to be real, and suggest some part of us survives death, a new study has concluded. People who have an NDE before they are revived report similar experiences that share common themes, and are nothing like a hallucination or illusion, say a panel of researchers from the US and UK. An NDE follows a narrative arc that includes the separation of the body and a heightened sense of consciousness before traveling to a destination where there is a meaningful review of the life and finally being taken to a place that feels like “home.” EEG brain scans note high gamma activity and electrical spikes of the dying or dead patient that suggest heightened states of consciousness when the reverse would be expected. The evidence shows that physiological and cognitive processes don’t end with death, and studies have been unable to disprove the NDEs of resuscitated patients, the researchers say. Their views form the basis of a position paper on the study of death and NDEs that has brought together academics from various disciplines—including critical care, the neurosciences and psychiatry—based at some of the world’s most prestigious institutions, including Harvard, New York University and King’s College London. AnnNYAcadSci,2022;doi:10.1111/nyas.14740 Cranberries Don’t eat fish? Walnuts are a are so good healthy substitute for the heart Great news for vegetarians: walnuts and flaxseeds are the ‘new fish.’ They Eating cranberries every day is good for your heart—and you could deliver high levels of omega-3 fatty acids to keep your heart healthy. start seeing a difference within a month. They contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the plant variety of the nutrient, The fruit improves the health of your arteries and enhances blood which has a similar health benefit to the heart, reducing the risk of flow, say researchers from King’s College London. cardiovascular disease by 10 percent and of fatal heart attack by 20 percent. People who eat half a cup (100 g/3.55 oz) of cranberries every The ALAs are a great substitute for people who won’t eat fatty fish—such day have improved heart and blood flow function, according as salmon or herring—because they’re vegetarian or worried about the to flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a sensitive biomarker of level of mercury, say researchers from Penn State. cardiovascular disease risk. Even people who eat fish get a further boost from eating ALAs, they add. The researchers gave 45 men whole cranberry powder, The researchers reviewed previously published studies that had looked at equivalent to 100 g of fresh cranberries, every day for a month, or the impact of ALAs on risk factors such as blood pressure and inflammation. a placebo. FMD tests on those given the cranberry powder showed They discovered that people with higher levels in their blood also had lower “significant improvements” in cardiovascular function just two biomarkers of poor cardiovascular health. hours after drinking it, and the improvements continued until the Daily consumption of ALAs should be around 1.1 grams for a woman and end of the study. 1.6 g for a man, which equates to around a half-ounce of walnuts a day. They say the polyphenols in the cranberry powder are responsible AdvNutr,2022Feb16;nmac016 for the improved heart and artery function. Cranberries also contain proanthocyanidins, some of them unique to the fruit, which are ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 13 another class of compounds known to be good for the heart. FoodFunct,2022;13(7):3812–24 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ



UPFRONT Tax Big Pharma to pay for independent research A special tax should be levied on drug companies to pay for independent research. It’s the only way to make evidence-based medicine a reality, say Jon Jureidiini and Leemon B McHenry, coauthors of the book, The Illusion of Evidence-Based Medicine: Exposing the Crisis of Credibility in Clinical Research (Adelaide: Wakefield Press, 2020). The idea that medicine is a science, based on independent and unbiased research, is an illusion, they write in an op-ed piece for the BMJ medical journal. Instead, a drug company funds the research into its own drug and recruits academics who give prestige to the study, but have never read it. “Scientific progress is thwarted by the ownership of data and knowledge because industry suppresses negative trial results, fails to report adverse events, and does not share raw data with the academic research community. “Patients die because of the adverse impact of commercial interests on the research agencies, universities, and regulators,” they write. To break the vicious circle of money and influence, they propose a three-step approach: independent or government funding of regulators who currently rely on funds from the pharmaceutical industry, impose a special tax on drug companies that funds independent research, and all data used to produce drug trials is made public and accessible to other researchers. BMJ,2022;376:o702 Threecupsofcoffeeaday After 130 years, couldhelpyoulivelonger researchers agree Drinking two to three cups of coffee It’s not only a preventative, but osteopathy every day could help you live longer. coffee is also safe for people who can ease pain already have a heart problem. People Coffee lowers your risk of with atrial fibrillation who drink coffee It’s been practiced for around premature death and could every day are 20 percent less likely to 130 years—and it’s finally been protect you from developing heart die from heart disease than non- acknowledged that osteopathy disease, suffering from heart drinkers—even though coffee seems can help ease muscle pain. failure or experiencing heart to get the heart racing. rhythm problems—known as atrial A review has concluded there is fibrillation—by up to 15 percent. “Regular coffee drinking is safe “promising evidence” the therapy can help relieve acute and chronic low and could be part of a healthy diet for back pain, neck pain and general pain. It’s not a massive risk reduction, people with heart disease,” said Peter and other lifestyle factors could be Kistler, one of the researchers. Researchers from the School of Osteopathy in Turin discovered that responsible. Coffee drinkers may 55 trials into osteopathy, which had involved around 3,740 participants, also be more likely to exercise or eat Although people associate coffee demonstrated its effectiveness in treating musculoskeletal pain. a healthier diet, and researchers with caffeine, it contains more than from Alfred Hospital in Australia 100 biologically active compounds The studies had tested the therapy against placebo, physiotherapy and acknowledge they couldn’t establish that reduce oxidative stress and other interventions, such as exercise, painkillers, rest or using heat or ice. In whether participants were eating diets inflammation, boost metabolism, almost all of them, osteopathy was found to be more effective. that were healthy for the heart. stop the gut from absorbing fats and block receptors that can cause But there wasn’t compelling evidence that osteopathy could ease IBS The researchers performed three abnormal heart rhythms. (irritable bowel syndrome) or migraines. separate analyses to assess the impact of coffee on health using data from AmericanCollegeofCardiology71stannualscientific Despite the many years the therapy has been practiced, the researchers the UK BioBank database, which session,April3,2022 said the evidence for its effectiveness had been unreliable or contradictory. included over 500,000 people who were tracked for at least 10 years. BMJOpen,2022;12(4):e053468 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 15

UPFRONT Artificial sweeteners Half of women increase breast cancer risk will have one false-positive Artificial sweeteners are supposed to be safer alternatives to sugar—but they increase the risk of mammogram breast cancer, new research has discovered. Half of all women who have regular mammogram They raise the chances of breast cancer and cancers associated with obesity—including colon, checkups will at some stage be told they have breast uterine and gallbladder cancer—by as much as 25 percent. cancer when they don’t. Not surprisingly, the risk was greatest in those consuming the largest amounts of the Any woman who has an annual mammogram sweeteners, especially aspartame and acesulfame-K, say researchers at INSERM (National Institute runs a 50 percent risk of at least one false-positive for Health and Medical Research) in France. reading if she is screened every year for 10 years, a new study has discovered. They tracked more than 102,000 adults for their use of sweeteners and the number of cancer cases, and even after controlling for all the other factors that could account for the cancers, the Researchers from the University of California at researchers said there was a definite link. Davis School of Medicine and elsewhere discovered the new 3D tomosynthesis mammograms are The researchers say that sweeteners are not safe alternatives in food or drinks, almost as unreliable as the older 2D technology. They and food agencies around the world need to consider other options. analyzed data from around 3 million mammogram results and found that half of the 903,000 women PLOSMedicine,2022;19(3):e1003950 screened would have been given at least one false- positive result during 10 years of screening. The older Pregnant women still 2D technology was producing a 56 percent false- given drug that causes positive rate. birth defects Not surprisingly, the rate of false-positives drops in An epilepsy drug that has caused at least women who are screened less frequently. 20,000 deformities in newborns is still being prescribed to pregnant women in the UK. Around 11 percent of the women given a false- positive result went on to have a biopsy. A false- New guidelines introduced in 2018 positive can be devastating for any woman who thinks prohibited the use of sodium valproate for she has breast cancer when she doesn’t. It causes a lot women “of childbearing potential,” and of unnecessary anxiety and worry for the woman, and yet at least 247 pregnant women have been extra costs for the hospital, says Diana Miglioretti, one prescribed the drug since then. of the researchers. A newspaper investigation has discovered that doctors have been ignoring the guidelines, issued by It’s important that doctors understand the very real the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency chances of a false reading and reassure patients that (MHRA) after a review had discovered that at least 20,000 children could have been born with they may not have cancer. deformities over the prior 40 years because their mothers had taken the drug. JAMANetwOpen,2022;5:e222440 The investigation found that women were not being told the risks, and some drugs were being sold in plain packaging without any warnings. TheSundayTimes,“Ascandalworsethanthalidomide,”April16,2022 16 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

UPFRONT COVID-19NEWS giving mice 30 milligrams per kilogram of body weight of sulforaphane before being infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus reduced the amount of the virus in the lungs by 17 Natural percent. It also reduced injury immunity t to the lungs by 29 percent, compared to the infected wice as mice that weren’t given the compound effective as a Broccoli Covid vaccine could combat Covid 10,000 vaccinated people (0.06 percent) being as well as a drug hospitalized. Being vaccinated and having natural immunity gives the best protection of all, with just 1 in Broccoli could prove to be as effective as a drug 10,000 of these people (0.01 percent) ending against a Covid-19 infection. up in a hospital, say researchers from the Mayo A compound found in the vegetable—and in Clinic. other cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, They tracked 106,349 people who had tested kale and Brussels sprouts—makes a Covid Natural immunity positive for Covid, 69 of whom needed hospital infection milder. after a Covid-19 infection gives you double the care for their infection. The compound, a phytochemical known as protection of getting vaccinated, a major new The researchers concluded that vaccination is sulforaphane, halves the ability of the SARS- study has discovered. the best way to prevent severe Covid infection, CoV-2 virus to replicate in the body, and it’s as Just three in 10,000 people (0.03 percent) hospitalization and death—a strange conclusion effective as the antiviral drug remdesivir, which who have natural immunity, but haven’t been as their own data shows that natural immunity is is given to Covid patients to reduce the number vaccinated, need hospital care if they have twice as protective. of days of hospital treatment. another Covid infection. The protection offered by ClinInfectDis,2022Mar5;ciac186 Using sulforaphane with the drug is even a Covid vaccine is only half as good, with 6 in every more effective, say researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Eczema cases increase They have tested the effectiveness of sulforaphane in laboratory tests and mouse fourfold after Covid trials. They gave the mice 30 milligrams per kilogram of body weight before infecting Covid restrictions may have led to a massive increase in cases of them with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and eczema in the past year. Rates of the skin condition have risen discovered that the phytochemical by 400 percent, and today nearly half of all Britons have the reduced the amount of the virus—the problem. viral load—in the lungs by 17 percent. It also reduced injury to the lungs by Many of the new sufferers blame Covid-related stress 29 percent, compared to the infected and anxiety for their eczema, while others say that excessive mice that weren’t given sulforaphane. handwashing caused theirs to flare up. The phytochemical also reduced Official figures put the rate of eczema at inflammation in the lungs, and helped around 10 percent of the population—but control the immune system response, a new survey, carried out by the Skin Life the “cytokine storm” that can make Covid Sciences Foundation, puts the rate four times lethal. higher. Researchers interviewed 1,000 people and Sulforaphane is a promising therapy discovered that eczema was now a problem for 44 that is less expensive and safer than percent of them. vaccines and other drugs that can have dangerous—and sometimes lethal—side Of those, 66 percent suffering from eczema, dermatitis effects, the researchers say. It could also prove or psoriasis blamed their condition on stress and anxiety, to be a more effective treatment against new many citing the Covid pandemic as the cause. A further 72 Covid variants. percent said that excessive handwashing—recommended by The phytochemical additionally has cancer- health advisers to lessen Covid’s spread—had caused their skin fighting qualities, as earlier Johns Hopkins problem to flare up and worsen. studies have demonstrated. Other triggers for eczema include allergens, perfumes, chemicals, CommunBiol,2022;5(1):242 cold weather and some fabrics. SkinLifeSciencesFoundation;www.slsf.uk FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 17

UPFRONT Herbalteasreduce PMSsymptoms Brush your teeth to prevent high blood Herbal teas don’t only taste nice—they also have important health pressure benefits, especially if you’re a woman. Researchers have put three herbal teas through their paces to Keep your teeth and gums healthy. Inflamed gums and poor discover they help women sleep better after they’ve given birth; teeth—known as periodontal disease—can increase the risk of reduce premenstrual syndrome (PMS) pains, stress and anxiety; high blood pressure (hypertension) by around 16 percent. and help with metabolic control, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Men with osteoarthritis also had reduced pain after Researchers have identified 10 bacteria in dental plaque that drinking the tea. can cause blood pressure levels to rise. Although it’s a process that can happen in both sexes, the study focused on 1,215 Researcher Gill Jenkins reviewed nine studies that had tested the postmenopausal women with an average age of 63. health benefits of German camomile tea, rosehip and spearmint infusions. Camomile was the most effective, helping women sleep Researchers from the University of Buffalo tracked the better after they had given birth; it also eased symptoms of PMS women for 10 years, and around a third of them developed and reduced menstrual pain, stress and anxiety. In another study, hypertension. Ten types of oral bacteria were common in all the which included men and women, the tea improved metabolism, women who developed hypertension, the researchers found. including glucose and insulin control. Hypertension has been called the silent killer. According to the Rosehip also eased menstrual pain, and spearmint tea improved American Heart Association, nearly half of American adults have hormonal control. Spearmint helped both sexes manage pain and the problem, and most don’t know it. stiffness from osteoarthritis. But keeping your teeth and gums healthy is one way to reduce The study was sponsored by the Tea Advisory Panel. the odds. JNursWomen’sHealth,2022;6:178.DOI:10.29011/2577-1450.100078 JAmHeartAssoc,2022Mar2;e021930 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ HEALTH FACT Stress in the workplace is linked to a 1.3-fold higher risk of heart disease (seepage20) 18 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022

UPFRONT Mix up the Pregnant women protein to lower who meditate have hypertension risk healthier babies Getting your protein from plenty of Women who practice mindfulness meditation when they’re different sources could keep your blood pregnant are more likely to have healthier babies with better pressure levels in check. stress responses. Proving that variety really is the It’s already known that women who are stressed or anxious spice of life, those whose protein during their pregnancy are more likely to have a child with intake comes from up to eight different health problems—and the reverse is equally the case, say sources are also 66 percent less likely to researchers from the University of California at San Francisco. suffer from high blood pressure compared to others who depend on just a few sources. They studied 135 women who were experiencing high levels of stress in their lives, and those who participated in The healthiest take their protein from whole grains, refined an eight-week mindful meditation course also helped their grains, processed and unprocessed red meat, poultry, fish, eggs babies cope better with stress. An ability to bounce back and legumes such and peas and beans, say researchers from from stressful situations also impacts health later in life, the Nanfang Hospital in China. researchers said. They analyzed the diets of nearly 12,000 people with an average The flight-or-fight response in the babies whose mothers had age of 41, and during the 18 years of the study, 35 percent of them taken part in the mindfulness program was more acute when developed hypertension (high blood pressure). Most of them were they were being ignored, but it also lowered quickly when the dependent on just one or two sources for their protein, but the risk parent started to pay attention again, and the response was started to fall as the number of protein sources rose. healthier than in those whose mothers didn’t participate in The American Heart Association recommends people eat meditation. healthy sources of protein, such as from plants, “A strong reaction and quick recovery are healthy because seafood, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, and we want our bodies to be ready for action when something is lean cuts of unprocessed meat and poultry. One wrong, then go back to normal easily,” said Nicki Bush, one of or two servings, equivalent to 5.5 ounces, every day is sufficient to the researchers. get all the protein we need, the association states. PsychosomMed,2022;doi:10.1097/PSY.0000000000001066 Hypertension,2022;doi: 10.1161/Hypertension AHA.121.18222 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 19

Household chores lower your heart attack risk You may resent doing the dishes, but simple household chores could be helping you live longer. People who are active around the house for four hours every day are 62 percent less likely to suffer a fatal heart attack, and they have a 43 percent lower risk of heart disease compared to someone who is less active. Most things you do around the home count, from simple housework to gardening or cooking—even taking a shower or getting dressed in the morning. The important thing is that the activities when you’re on your feet add up to four hours every day. This can be every bit as beneficial as more strenuous activity such as running or brisk walking, say researchers from the University of California at San Diego. They measured the daily activity levels of 5,416 healthy women between the ages of 63 and 97 and discovered those who were doing household chores every day were less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease or stroke. The health benefits seem to kick in after four hours of simple activity, and those who were on their feet for just half that time didn’t reduce their heart risk. Research has usually focused on more obvious exercise, such as jogging or cycling, but household chores can be just as good for the heart. JAmHeartAssoc,2022;11(5):e023433 Petownersstaymentally sharperforlonger Having a pet can keep our has found. The benefits were Using periodic cognitive tests, mental faculties sharp as we greatest in those who had a dog the researchers discovered that get older. It can also reduce our or cat for at least five years. the pet owners recorded higher blood pressure and stress levels. scores over the six years of the Researchers from the study, and the scores were Pet owners experience slower University of Michigan tracked higher still in those who were cognitive decline after they the health and mental long-time pet owners. reach the age of 65, a new study capabilities of 1,369 people with an average age of 65. Around The researchers think that a half owned a pet, and a third of pet reduces stress levels, and the pet owners had had a pet for this can have a direct impact on more than five years. our cognitive abilities, such as memory and problem- solving. A pet also increases physical activity —a dog needs to have a few walks a day, for instance—and this, too, can improve cognitive abilities. The reduced stress levels also lower the owner’s blood pressure. AmericanAcademyofNeurology74thannual meeting 20 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

UPFRONT UKAUTHORISESUSEOFBEE-KILLINGPESTICIDE The UK is allowing the use of a banned pesticide that can kill the bee population. Neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been banned across the EU, are being allowed to be used, on an emergency basis, on sugar beet crops in the UK. The pesticides damage the nervous systems and navigational abilities of bees and can also harm aquatic life. They were banned in most EU countries, including the UK, in 2018. Thiamethoxam will be used on sugar beets this year because of the potential risk of yellow virus, which can damage crops. It’s estimated up to 70 percent of the country’s sugar beet harvest could be destroyed if action isn’t taken, a government department has announced. BBC,March2,2022;www.bbc.co.uk/science-environment-60579670 10,000 steps a day? Green That’s only if you’re hospitals under 60 relax the patient Do you really need to walk 10,000 steps a day to stay healthy? It all depends on your age: if you’re over 60, Hospitals can be intimidating walking 8,000 steps will probably be enough, and only places, especially when you’re younger people should be aiming for the 10,000-step already stressed. But adding plants target. in soulless corridors and having big windows that look out on greenery The 10,000 step guideline has become an urban relax the patient, researchers have myth that came about because it was the name of a found—and these design changes Japanese pedometer—but there is more marketing could be incorporated into the than science behind it. hospitals of the future. So researchers from the University of Massachusetts Even existing hospitals could Amherst decided to find out just how many steps we bring in a few plants to relax the should be walking every day. They reviewed 15 studies patient, say researchers from West that had tracked more than 50,000 people to assess Virginia University. They tested the impact of steps on their health and longevity. different models of hospital settings on small groups, and the green, The age of the people seemed to be a key back-to-nature designs helped ease determinant; those who were 60 and older didn’t get mood. Those who felt angry or any additional health benefits from walking more than confused by endless corridors were 8,000 steps a day, although younger people did reduce “significantly relieved.” their risk of premature death by walking up to the 10,000 mark. It has been estimated that, on average, patients go through The risk of premature death fell by up to 53 percent seven steps—such as asking in both age groups if they met their daily targets. for directions or checking for signage—before they arrive at the But the speed of walking didn’t seem to matter correct unit within the hospital. too much; it was just the steps walked that promoted But adding some greenery at key health and longevity, the researchers found. junctures can help the patient arrive at his or her destination in a “The major takeaway is there’s a lot of evidence slightly less frazzled state. suggesting that moving even a little more is beneficial, particularly for those doing very little activity,” said These ‘hospital in a park’ design Amanda Paluch, one of the researchers. ideas are already being adopted by some hospitals in Europe, the LancetPublicHealth,2022;7(3):e219–28 researchers say, but very few in the US have yet taken up these ideas. HealthEnvironResDesignJ,2022; 19375867211067539 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 21



UPFRONT Specialdiets Vaping canhityour increases gum walletas disease risk wellasyour waistline Vaping may not be such a safe alternative to cigarettes after all. Going on a special weight-loss diet can cost up to $600 a week. E-cigarettes increase the risk of gum disease, and this can eventually cause tooth loss, say researchers at New Special supplements, low-carb York University. replacements and high-protein substitutes all eat into your They change the microbiome—the community wallet, say researchers from the of bacteria—in the mouth and make gum disease University of South Australia. more possible. But they change it in unique ways that They assessed the costs of seven encourage the growth of certain types of bacteria. meal plans—including low-carb and keto diets—and discovered the extra weekly shop The researchers assessed the gum health of 84 varied from $345 to $625 AUD (about $250–460 people, who either were smokers of cigarettes or USD). Following a healthy Mediterranean diet, and its emphasis on fresh vegetables and e-cigarettes or were non-smokers. The cigarette smokers fruit, oils and nuts, would be just as effective and cost considerably less, the researchers had the most severe gum disease after six months, but said. the problem was still bad in vapers, and their gums were “There tends to be a misconception that consuming a healthy diet is too expensive, the weakest of all the groups, suggesting they were at when it really is not,” said Karen Murphy, one of the researchers. greatest risk of tooth loss. Around two-thirds of Australians are overweight, and many turn to special diets to help them shed the pounds. But the special products the diets demand are expensive, mBio,2022;13(1):e0007522 and can make up around 13 percent of disposable income, the researchers estimate. BMCPublicHealth,2022;22(1):23 Baby formula manufacturers face class-action suit A class-action suit is manufacturers—Abbott and studies have revealed that being prepared against Mead Johnson—suspected babies who were fed the manufacturers of two baby their products could cause cow’s milk formulas are formulas that are given to the disease, but did little to more likely than breastfed preterm babies. inform the public. babies to develop NEC. The formulas are The formulas, Abbott’s One study, published being blamed for cases of Similac and Read’s Enfamil, by The Lancet in 1990, necrotizing enterocolitis were specifically created discovered that preterm (NEC), an intestinal disease for premature babies. But babies fed one of the that can cause formulas were between six inflammation and 10 times more likely to and can develop NEC than babies sometimes be who were only breastfed. fatal. In 2015, a study Top Class found that babies Actions, a group with a very low of journalists birth weight had who report on half the risk of class-action NEC if they were suits in the breastfed. US, claims the www.topclassactions. com FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 23

UPFRONT Pessimistic teenagers are Car candidates for exhaust heart disease fumes lower IQ Teenagers who are optimistic and have a positive outlook levels by are less likely to suffer from heart disease when they’re older. around three It’s a new risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and points schoolchildren and teenagers should be taught coping techniques and resilience to lessen their chances of developing the problem later, Leaded gas from car exhaust has reduced the say researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia. IQ level of the average American by around They made the discovery after profiling the mental outlook of 20,000 three points adolescents when they were 15 years old and checked on their health every few years after that. Collectively, the fumes have robbed 170 Understanding that our outlook when we are adolescents is a risk factor for heart million American adults of around 824 disease gives doctors a new insight that could help them identify those most at risk and so million IQ points, roughly three per person, teach them techniques to see the world in a more positive light. researchers from Duke University have It’s just the first step in a new branch of medicine and more work needs to be done, the estimated. researchers say. Any American born before 1996—when Benchmarking,2021;doi:10.1108/BIJ-06-2021-0369 lead was banned from gasoline—could be affected and may show signs of faster brain WhyMS aging. Those who were children in the 1960s sufferers and ‘70s are at special risk because lead in the shouldavoid environment was at peak levels during those milk decades. People with multiple sclerosis (MS) should People born in the mid to late 1960s could stop drinking milk. be the worst affected and may have lost up to six IQ points. Milk—plus other dairy products such as yogurt and cheese—can make the symptoms There’s no safe level of exposure to lead. It’s worse, say researchers from the University of a neurotoxin that can erode brain cells, and Bonn in Germany. children are at special risk of impaired brain development and lower cognitive ability, the Even for people without the condition, cow’s researchers say. milk can mimic the devastating effects of MS, causing neurological damage by attacking ProcNatlAcadSciUSA,2022;119(11):e2118631119 myelin, the insulating layer around nerve fibers. With multiple sclerosis, the body’s immune 24 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 system destroys the myelin sheath, and in experiments on laboratory mice, the researchers discovered that casein, a protein in cow’s milk, had the same effects. The researchers think that in breaking down the casein, the immune system also destroys myelin. To check if similar effects would be seen in people, the researchers injected casein antibodies into human brain tissue. The antibodies accumulated in cells responsible for myelin production. The immune response appears to focus on B-type white blood cells, and other researchers have noted a strong reaction to casein in MS sufferers. It’s thought they may have developed an allergic reaction to the protein when they were younger. Although the researchers can’t be sure that casein affects all MS sufferers, they discovered it certainly makes symptoms worse in those who are allergic to milk. ProcNatlAcadSciUSA,2022;119(10):e2117034119 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

COVID-19NEWS Covid vaccine UPFRONT side-effect rate Ivermectin does help you 10 times higher ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 25 survive a Covid infection than official figures suggest It’s been the go-to Covid remedy among conspiracy theorists—but a new study suggests that ivermectin, a drug to treat gut parasites in The true rate of side-effects and deaths people and animals, really can help you survive an infection. from a Covid-19 vaccine could be 10 times higher than official figures suggest, a major Researchers from the University of Miami compared its effectiveness German insurer has claimed. against the antiviral remdesivir in 41,608 Covid patients and found there were around 5 percent fewer deaths among those given ivermectin. Germany’s health agency recorded around 245,000 serious reactions to the Not surprisingly, the study results quickly attracted criticism. For one, vaccine last year, but health insurer BBK the researchers weren’t comparing like for like; people given remdesivir ProVita says the real figure is closer to three are usually suffering a worse Covid infection and are probably million. hospitalized, whereas those given ivermectin were more likely to be outpatients and were also younger, critics said. BBK paid out for around 400,000 doctor visits to policyholders to treat vaccine The Miami researchers recognized the differences in the two groups. side-effects in 2021, and “extrapolated to Those given ivermectin were, on average, around 52 years old, while the total population, this figure would be those on remdesivir had an three million,” said BBK director Andreas average age of 62. As to the Schofbeck. severity of their infection, around 1 percent of the Like most drug reaction reporting ivermectin group was on systems, Germany’s is passive and requires a ventilator—suggesting the patient or doctor to lodge a case. they were in an intensive Doctors have to make a submission in care unit—while around their own free time, and this is an unpaid 2 percent on remdesivir and time-consuming activity, which is a needed mechanical deterrent to reporting. ventilation. BBK has sent its projections to Germany’s Even if these differences leading health authorities and describes are factored back in, it still them as “a strong alarm signal” to the true suggests ivermectin is as dangers of the Covid vaccines. effective as a leading Covid treatment, and yet it doesn’t Other countries are seeing similar rates have FDA approval and very of under-reporting. An Israeli survey found few doctors are using it. that the real rate of vaccine side-effects was even thousands of times higher than official IntJInfectDis,2022;116:S40 figures have suggested. TheDailySceptic,Feb24,2022;\"Vaccineside-effectsupto10 timeshigherthanofficialfigures,insurancecompanyboard memberreveals.\" dailysceptic.org Neem oil treats Covid as effectively as any drug Neem oil is a natural antiviral that can combat Covid and its variants, a new study has found. The oil is a safe remedy that can treat and reduce the spread of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and variants that cause Covid-19. Neem oil, an extract from the bark of the neem tree, has previously been used to treat malaria, stomach and intestinal ulcers and skin diseases. Now scientists from the University of Colorado School of Medicine have discovered that it can also combat the Covid virus and reduce severe symptoms. They tested it on virus samples taken from human lung cells, and it was as effective as any drug on the market, the researchers said. Neem also reduced viral spread and replication after infection. Other researchers in India have also tested neem oils on animals, with similar results. Virology,2022;569:13–28 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

News Focus enshrined in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), The end of the psychiatrist’s reference bible.It first psychiatry? appeared in 1952 with a listing of around 106 discrete mental disorders,and the Psychiatry can no longer agree on mental disorders, latest edition—DSM-5,published in how they originate or how to treat them. It isn’t even 2013—has identified 370. sure they exist This sudden explosion of mental Psychiatry has hit a dead-end.The reducing hospitalizations,or improving disorders has been fueled both by the pharmaceutical industry has recovery for the tens of millions of people American insurance industry,which has walked away from the specialty who have mental illness.” felt more comfortable paying out on the and hasn’t produced a new drug in more treatment of definable conditions with than a decade,while psychiatrists can’t If the origins of mental illness are an end point,and by the drug industry, agree on the origins and diagnosis of vague,so too is the diagnosis.In an which could develop chemical agents so-called mental health problems such equally despairing pronouncement, to treat a specific problem.A former as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, Robin Murray,former dean of the DSM editor,Robert Spitzer,proclaimed let alone how to treat them.As a result, London Institute of Psychiatry,said: that the industry was“delighted”with the once-discredited electroconvulsive “I expect to see the end of the concept the widening expanse of mental health therapy (ECT) is making a comeback of schizophrenia soon.Already the problems. and is becoming the go-to therapy for evidence that it is a discrete entity rather many psychiatrists. than just the severe end of psychosis has But this proliferation hasn’t sat well been fatally undermined ...and the term with everyone in the profession.Allen After using brutal therapies such schizophrenia will be confined to history, Frances at Duke University School as lobotomy,and‘chemical cosh’ like dropsy.” of Medicine said:“DSM-5 will turn antipsychotics,tranquilizers and SSRI temper tantrums into a mental disorder. (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) In other words,mental disorders all Normal grief will become Major antidepressants,the profession has had fall somewhere on a common spectrum, Depressive Disorder; the everyday to admit it doesn’t have any long-lasting with mild anxiety,for instance,being at forgetting characteristic of old age will answers to the growing epidemic of one end and bipolar at the other. now be misdiagnosed,creating a huge mental illness. false-positive population of people. AsAndrew Scull at the University of Many millions of people with normal Even the cherished belief that mental California at San Diego tersely points grief, gluttony, distractibility, worries, illness is genetic has been abandoned. out in his new book Desperate Remedies: reactions to stress,the temper tantrums Thomas Insel,the outgoing director Psychiatry’s Turbulent Quest to Cure of childhood,the forgetting of old age of the National Institute of Mental Mental Illness (Belknap Press,2022):“We and behavioral addictions will soon be Health (NIMH),confessed:“I spent 13 can scarcely hope to find the cause of mislabeled as psychiatrically sick.” years at NIMH really pushing on the something if that something simply does neuroscience and genetics of mental not exist.” The mental disorders deemed disorders,and when I look back on that appropriate for inclusion in the DSM are I realize that while I think I succeeded We’re all crazy now agreed upon by a panel of editors,many in getting lots of really cool papers It’s a complete about-face from the of whom have ties to the drug industry. published by cool scientists at fairly large traditional practice of classifying mental cost—I think $20 billion—I don’t think disorders into separate and unconnected As one former editor told James Davies we moved the needle in reducing suicide, illnesses,each with its own set of of Roehampton University,the author of symptoms.It’s an approach that has been Sedated: How Modern Capitalism Created our Mental Health Crisis (Atlantic Books, 26 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 2022):“There was very little systematic research guiding the creation of the DSM, and much of the research that existed was really a hodgepodge—scattered, inconsistent and ambiguous.I think the majority of us recognized that the amount of good,solid science upon which we were making our decisions was pretty modest.” This uncertainty is borne out in practice.The DSM lists 10 possible symptoms of depression; a patient will need to demonstrate five of them to be diagnosed with the condition,and presumably handed a prescription for an antidepressant—but that means the FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

NEWS FOCUS After using brutal therapies such as lobotomy, and ‘chemical cosh’ antipsychotics, tranquilizers and antidepressants, the profession has had to admit it doesn’t have any long-lasting answers to the growing epidemic of mental illness FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 27

NEWS FOCUS next patient could display the five other Around 12 percent of adult The true effectiveness could be lower still. symptoms,and also be diagnosed as Americans are taking an Around 94 percent of published studies depressed. antidepressant. But despite into antidepressants are positive—the their widespread use, the drugs perform better than placebo—but Drugs? We love ‘em drugs help just 51 percent the US drug regulator,the Food and Drug Not surprisingly,treatments are just of patients Administration (FDA),puts the total at as elusive.Scull accepts that some just 51 percent of studies,which suggests treatments work for some of the people inquiry into psychiatry’s links to the drug negative studies never see the light of day. some of the time,but rock-solid evidence industry in 2007 and discovered that a that psychiatric drugs produce long- leading psychiatrist,Joseph Biederman Despite the ongoing popularity of the lasting benefits isn’t there.Instead,their at Harvard and a colleague,had together drugs,the industry has lost its appetite for widespread use is more a reflection of been paid a total of $4 million to research treating mental disorders.GlaxoSmithKline the cozy relationship that has existed ‘mental disorders’such asADHD by has closed its psychiatric laboratories, between the drug industry and the drug companies that were producing AstraZeneca has stopped all research on leaders of psychiatry and academics. drugs to treat the condition.1 psychopharmacology,and Pfizer has dramatically cut its research budgets. The opioid scandal is the latest example Despite these cozy relationships, of a system without independent checks doctors and psychiatrists still“follow Perhaps they saw the writing on the wall, and balances,and these scandals resonate the science”and prescribe a range of Scull surmises,and as the effectiveness of down the years.GlaxoSmithKline was drugs to treat mental disorders.The the drugs is slowly exposed,so the drug fined $3 billion in 2012 for criminal fraud statistics bear out this activity: around companies are turning to more lucrative, over the marketing of its antidepressant 12 percent of adultAmericans are taking and less researched,fields. Paxil,and just a year later Johnson an antidepressant.But despite their & Johnson was fined $2.2 billion for widespread use,the drugs help just 51 Whether drugs are taken or not,the concealing the harmful effects of its percent of patients,a major review of the vast majority of cases of depression antipsychotic Risperdal. evidence revealed.2 resolve themselves in time,says Scull.In one study,depressed patients who were Senator Chuck Grassley,chair of the given a placebo still reported an 8.3-point Senate finance committee,started an improvement in their symptoms,according to a standard measure of depression,while THE HISTORY OF PSYCHIATRY 1870s: 1820s: 1890s: 1909: 1930s: The creation of nerve tonics, which The establishment included strychnine, morphine, Psychiatrists Sigmund Freud visits Shock therapy to of asylums for the used ‘sexual the US to lecture on induce an epileptic- ‘kind and gentle’ cocaine and lithium surgery’ on psychoanalysis, and the like seizure in the treatment of the salts. ‘Rest cures,’ female patients role of suppressed schizophrenic patient ‘insane’ hydrotherapy and to remove their sexual desires in is introduced. ovaries and rid the unconscious. Eventually, powerful electrotherapy them of their He was awarded drugs are replaced by joined the litany insanity an honorary electrical shocks, or of therapies doctorate, his first ECT (electroconvulsive available to the and last academic therapy) psychiatrist recognition 1920s: 1800s1850s 1900s 1950s Barbiturates are used for the first time 1860s: 1874: 1900s: as a ‘cure’ for schizophrenia. Insulin ‘shock therapy’ is also used to treat the The American Civil War The Kellogg brothers create The birth of germ theory condition. It was used until the 1950s, gives birth to ‘nerve health sanatoriums, based on when it was finally accepted it did specialists’ to treat fundamentalist Christianity, a and the idea that bacteria nothing to help the patient traumatized soldiers. vegetarian diet, and abstinence Mental disorders were from sex and alcohol. The original were a major cause of FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ no longer only thought to be inherited or the buildings were destroyed mental disorders result of syphilis in a fire in 1902, 28 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 although a sugary version of the healthy breakfast survived to become Kellogg’s Corn Flakes

NEWS FOCUS those taking a drug reported scores that 80 percent if the patient doesn’t have pressures,of people trapped in meaningless were only 1.8 points higher. further ECT treatments. work or holding down several jobs just to keep their mountain of debt at bay. Other studies have demonstrated Back to the beginning the effectiveness of an antidepressant Modern psychiatry has been practiced The idea goes right back to the earliest over a placebo has narrowed over the for more than a century,and yet it feels days of psychiatry,when a weakness of years,and today stands at just 3 points. as though the profession has gone right mind and an inability to deal with life’s If the unpublished studies were factored back to the start.It can’t find therapies pressures were,along with syphilis, in,any difference could disappear,the that have long-lasting effects—in recent “degeneracy”and inherited characteristics, researchers say.3 years,there’s been an 11 percent increase among the causes of insanity. in people committing suicide while With the drugs at their disposal not receiving psychiatric care—and the The recent lockdowns during the working,psychiatrists are turning back profession can’t pinpoint the origins Covid-19 pandemic are expected to create to ECT,a discredited technology that of mental disease.It can’t even agree on an epidemic of their own—of mental was the primary treatment of psychotic whether these supposed diseases even disorders.Scientists are predicting a torrent patients in the 1940s and‘50s.Memory exist at all. of new cases,brought on by months of loss was common,and some patients in stress,social isolation and living in fear of a the throes of electroconvulsion broke As if to underline the possibility,James deadly virus. femurs and even spines. Davies believes that the epidemic of mental disorders is the result of social Sadly,those who will need help and Although it appears to be a retrograde support will find a psychiatric profession at step,Scull says that today broken bones In recent years, there’s odds with itself,and less confident than at almost never happen,and most patients been an 11 percent increase any time in its history to have a meaningful benefit to some extent and aren’t in people committing response. reporting a loss of memory. suicide while receiving psychiatric care BryanHubbard But even the keenest advocates of ECT admit that any improvements are REFERENCES short-lived.Around half of patients who are also taking antipsychotics relapse in a 1 BMJ,2008;336:1327 year,and the figure shoots up to around 2 CurrPsychiatryRev,2010;6(1):1–10 3 CNSNeurosciTher,2010;16(4):217–26 1940s: 1950s: 1968: 1979: 2007: Introduction of MAOIs (monoamine the second edition of DSM-3 is Senator Chuck Grassley frontal lobotomy oxidase inhibitors) the DSM is published, published, launches an inquiry surgery, which and tricyclic and psychiatry starts to which marks into the relationship involved inserting antidepressants are diagnose specific mental the split from between psychiatry an ice pick through launched health problems psychoanalysis and the drug industry the eye sockets to and the sever the frontal 1954: inclusion of 2013: lobes new conditions The birth of such as post- Johnson & Johnson psychopharmacology traumatic stress is fined $2.2 billion with the launch of disorder (PTSD) for concealing the the drug Thorazine harmful effects of (chlorpromazine) to treat a its antipsychotic range of mental disorders Risperdal. 2000s 1940s-50s: 1952: 1988: 2012: 2013: ECT becomes the The publication of the first The launch of GlaxoSmithKline is fined DSM-5 is published, Diagnostic and Statistical a new type of standard treatment Manual (DSM), which for antidepressant, $3 billion for criminal listing 370 different the first time classified the SSRIs for schizophrenia different mental disorders (selective fraud over the marketing mental health and their symptoms serotonin and psychoses reuptake of its antidepressant Paxil problems 1950s: inhibitors) such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil Freudian psychoanalysis becomes the dominant therapy, along with other ‘talking therapies,’ such as CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), that it spawned FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 29

News Focus It’s not a new idea.English physician William Heberden noted in the 1700s More die of that“angina is increased by a disturbance heartbreak of the mind,”while a newspaper correspondent wrote in the London Forget cholesterol—stress is the main cause of heart disease, as new Times in 1872 that the rise in heart evidence is starting to demonstrate disease deaths was the result of“great mental strain and hurried excitement.” Ken Wilkinson had no fears about afterward,according to researchers who Even this year,a headline in the New York his routine heart checkup.The evaluated the heart health of 126,000 Times suggested that“stress may be your levels of fatty acid lipids in his parents who had lost a child.1 heart’s worst enemy.”3 blood were normal,and his cholesterol readings were textbook perfect.Not The death of a child is one of the most The low-fat myth surprising,really,for a man who ate tofu stressful things we can experience, Most cardiologists don’t agree. instead of beef and who always went for but other stresses can also cause Instead,they hold to the diet-heart the healthiest options.He even ran the 15 cardiovascular disease (CVD).People hypothesis,which maintains that miles to the clinic. who are socially isolated are 1.5 times saturated fat in our diet raises our levels more likely to suffer from heart disease, of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) But when he got there,the cardiologist while those who suffer stress at work cholesterol,commonly called the‘bad’ urged him to have emergency surgery. have a 1.3-fold higher risk.Stress,anger cholesterol,which clogs our arteries His arteries were badly blocked,and and depression can all trigger CVD, (atherosclerosis),restricts the flow of he was in imminent danger of a life- heart attack and stroke,say researchers at blood to the heart and eventually causes a threatening heart attack. University College London.2 heart attack or stroke. It didn’t make sense,at least not People who are The theory launched the multi- according to the prevailing theory socially isolated are billion-dollar cholesterol-lowering that heart disease is caused by eating 1.5 times more likely statins industry and the rise of low- fatty foods.Although Ken’s diet was to suffer from heart fat foods and drinks,but with scant exemplary,his cardiologist didn’t disease, while those supportive evidence.As one review put know he was grieving the death of his who suffer stress at it:“Dietary recommendations were young son—and it seems his grief was work have a 1.3-fold introduced for 220 million US and damaging his arteries and heart. higher risk 56 million UK citizens by 1983 in the absence of supporting evidence from Ken’s experience isn’t unique.Parents’ randomized controlled trials.”4 risk of a sudden heart attack is three times higher than normal in the weeks To come to this conclusion,researchers after the death of their child,and the from RCSI University of Medicine and risk remains 20 percent greater for years Health Sciences in Dublin analyzed 21 studies to discover the impact that statins 30 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 had on reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke and death.In other words,when your levels of LDL cholesterol fall,does your risk of developing heart disease also diminish? Many of the studies they reviewed had used relative risk as the measure of the drugs’effectiveness,with several showing they reduced the risk of heart attack by 29 percent—but relative risk is a statistical sleight of hand routinely used by drug researchers. If,for example,there’s an absolute risk that two people out of every hundred will develop heart disease,a drug that reduces the risk by 50 percent means that just one person in a hundred will have the problem.“Fifty percent”is a headline figure,but,in fact,the drug is helping just 1 percent of people. When the Irish researchers applied the absolute risk measure across the studies, FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

NEWS FOCUS HOW TO AVOID Supplements HEART DISEASE: AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW
Chondroitin sulfate
Glucosamine If a low-fat diet isn’t going
Hyaluronan to reduce your risk of heart
L-arginine disease, what should you
L-citrulline be doing?
Coenzyme Q10
Magnesium
Vitamin C Lifestyle Diet
Increase your time
Eat vegetables (beets, garlic, in the sun leafy greens)
Exercise
Eat fruits (citrus, watermelon)
Stay hydrated
Eat nuts and seeds
Join a club, become
Eat dark chocolate more social
Drink a glass of red wine
Eat organ meat such as liver Mental wellbeing
Relax
Meditate every day
Smile, and count your blessings FromTheClotThickensbyDrMalcolmKendrick(ColumbusPublishing,2021) ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 31 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

NEWS FOCUS the benefits disappeared.From the drug HOW ‘RELATIVE RISK’ WORKS sudden heart attack—yet whose arteries helping 29 percent of people,its absolute were clear—Mesquita concluded that a risk benefit was just 1.3 percent.5 heart attack originates in the heart,and not from blocked arteries. These results have a deeper significance and suggest that LDL He had also noticed that cholesterol isn’t a cause of heart disease; anticoagulants,which clear plaque although statins were lowering levels, from blocked arteries,weren’t reversing they weren’t having any impact on the unstable angina pectoris—severe chest rates of heart attacks. pain—which is usually the stage before a heart attack.Instead,cardiotonic Stressing about it if a drug claims drugs—such as digoxin and digitoxin— Despite the lack of solid evidence,the to cut the risk had been used for years to successfully diet-cholesterol theory just won’t go by 50% it makes treat angina pectoris and heart attack by away—but,then,neither does the Many attention-grabbing headlines headlines!but making the heart itself more efficient and idea that stress causes CVD.But,first, improving its ability to pump blood. what do we mean by stress? Essentially, 1%use relative risk calculations to make itisonly stress is any situation in which we According to Mesquita,the hardening feel we are no longer in control,or we an effect seem larger than it really helping of the arteries (atherosclerosis),central feel overwhelmed.It can be caused to the dietary cholesterol theory,happens by problems at work,in a marriage, is. For example, if the risk of a heart when the heart starts to fail and cannot financial problems,by the death of a attack is two percent, and a new drug lowers that risk to push enough blood through the arteries child or loved one,and even by trauma one percent, this means the drug is actually preventing a to keep them pliant. that happened when you were a child,as heart attack in one in 100 people. However, the relative Andrew Steptoe at University College risk reduction is a massive 50 percent—and this is the Instead,artery health has little London has suggested.2 number you’ll see used by drug companies. to do with heart disease.Part of the heart can be weakened by all the usual Even the sudden stress from natural THE STRESS IS KILLING YOU suspects,such as smoking,high blood disasters can increase the rate of heart pressure (hypertension) and diabetes, attacks.In 1994,the rate leaped five-fold In The PURE study, because they trigger the release of stress on the day there was a major earthquake which tracked hormones,such as adrenaline.Sudden in California,while the rate of heart the health of stress can be the final blow to a part of the disease doubled inAthens immediately more than 115,000 heart that has already been weakened. following the 1981 earthquake. people for 10 years, those who It’s not cholesterol Office staff faced with a“high-pressure suffered the Heart disease is still a mystery.Even deadline at work”were six times more highest levels of though statin drugs recently reached $1 likely to suffer a heart attack in the first 24 stress were trillion in sales worldwide and low-fat hours after the deadline had passed.6 foods aren’t far behind,CVD is still our 22% major killer.Evidence that saturated Major studies have confirmed these fats don’t raise levels of LDL cholesterol findings.The INTERHEART study, more likely to continues to mount,although processed which monitors around 25,000 people, develop CVD foods may have a part to play. has found that stress at work increases the risk of a heart attack,and those most Stress in its many forms looks more like at risk faced continual stress.7 the key culprit,as we’ve intuitively felt all along,but even then,stress is subjective. The PURE study,which tracked the What one person can handle with ease health of more than 115,000 people, will make another a quivering wreck. concluded that those who suffered high levels of stress over most of the 10 years Despite these reservations,more of the trial were 22 percent more likely to die from a broken heart than from develop CVD.8 cholesterol. Heartbreaking A broken heart even has a medical Bryan Hubbard Dying from a broken heart may be name—takotsubo cardiomyopathy— the stuff of romantic fiction,but and is a sudden weakening of the heart REFERENCES cardiologists have found it actually muscle,invariably triggered by acute happens.People who have suffered stress,including physical exertion. 1 PLoSMed,2021;18(9):e1003790;AnnuRevPublic intense psychological distress—such as a Health,2013;34:337–54 death,a violent attack or major financial Brazilian cardiologist Quintiliano H loss—show sudden damage to the de Mesquita took things a stage further 2 NewYorkTimes,Jan3,2022 heart that mimics an actual heart attack, with his myogenic theory. After treating 3 OpenHeart,2015;2(1):e000196JAMAInternMed, usually one to five days after the event.9 thousands of patients who had suffered a 2022;doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.0134 4 JEpidemiolCommunityHealth,2005;59:23–30 5 Lancet,2004;364(9438):953–62 6 JAMANetwOpen,2021;4(12):e2138920 7 JAmCollCardiol,2018;72(16):1955–71 32 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ



EVERY PICTURE... Who’s Go bananas— top the different banana? phases of the banana It’s not a joke fruit—the banana Green/unripe and its health packs quite a health punch, especially when it’s still green and Characteristics: benefits unripe Low in sugar It’s time we got straight about the humble (typical glycemic banana.Far from being something of a joke,it’s a fruit with skin in the game,whose health-giving index score of qualities rank almost on par with the revered avocado. 30) and high in It can control blood sugar levels—which makes resistant starch, it an ideal choice for those with diabetes—and is an ideal choice if you suffer from gut problems. which doesn’t By the time it has reached the final stages of its life, when it is almost entirely brown,it has developed break down into cancer-fighting qualities. sugars. Much depends on its stage of ripeness,and most agree that the ubiquitous yellow banana Good for: is already past its health-giving peak.Green bananas can help treat ulcers,infections,diabetes, Diabetics, as it diarrhea,colitis and blood pressure,one group of researchers says.1 controls blood Of these many benefits,green bananas are sugar levels. especially effective for gastrointestinal problems, say other researchers who reviewed 18 studies on Great for the fruit.2 gut health But it’s not just the flesh of the banana that’s good for us; there’s goodness in its peel,too. and feeds Researchers who reviewed the evidence have concluded that the peel is rich in antioxidants, the ‘good’ and especially vitaminA.The nutrients can help heal wounds and could potentially help in the bacteria treatment of Parkinson’s,the researchers say.3 in the So,whether you eat the banana or just the peel, it looks as though you’re not going to slip up. microbiome. REFERENCES The unripe 1 Pril(MakedonAkadNaukUmetOdd banana MedNauki),2017;38(2):147–151 also eases 2 Nutrients,2019;11:1222 3 JEthnopharmacol,2015;160:149–63 diarrhea and 34 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 constipation, and can help with gut-related diseases such as intestinal cancers. But beware: the high levels of resistant starch in the unripe banana also make it harder to digest, which may counter any beneficial effects if you have digestive issues. Top tip: Boil the unripe banana to increase levels of resistant starch—and levels go even higher if you chill the banana in the fridge before eating. FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

Yellow/ripe EVERY PICTURE... Characteristics: Higher in sugar and in Brown/beyond overripe vitamin A and C antioxidants Characteristics: Now almost entirely sugar with very little Good for: A quick energy top-up. The best starch content, it’s still a healthier choice as a sweetener option if you want to protect your sight or are Good for: Sweetening food and can make excellent, looking for something to add to a cancer- healthy ice cream. By this stage, the beyond-overripe fighting diet. The ripe banana is also a strong banana has started to ferment and has started to turn to immune booster. alcohol. Top tip: The ripe banana has already lost Top tip: Still rich in potassium, vitamin B6 and folate, the some of its nutritional value but has reached beyond-overripe banana is a healthy natural sweetener for its peak as an immune booster. those with a sweet tooth. FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ Yellow with brown spots/ Overripe Characteristics: At this stage, its starch is converting to sugars; the sugar level of the ripe banana has increased four-fold in the ripening process. Good for: It’s the cancer-fighting banana. In its overripe stage, it contains high levels of TNF (tumor necrosis factor), which, as its name suggests, kills abnormal cells such as cancerous ones. It’s also the top banana for fueling our white blood cells, which fight infection. Top tip: The greater the banana’s ripeness, the greater its immune-boosting qualities. ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 35

EVERY PICTURE... How to live to 100, and beyond (according to those who’ve done it) The world’s oldest people POSITIVITY revealthesecretsof theirlongevity So,you want to blow out 100 candles on your birthday cake Saturnino and—if you’re a Brit—get a congratulatory message from the Garcia Queen.But how do you reach the age of 100,and beyond? (112) As you’d expect,scientists have plenty of theories about how you can reach a super old age,from eating a healthy diet to regular exercise Waldramina and the like. But what do the world’s oldest think are the secrets of Reyes their longevity? (104) The world’s oldest person,Jeanne Calment,reckoned you need to pack in smoking by the time you’re 120 if you want to live a long life. She did,and she lived for two more years,dying in 1997.Her other longevity secrets are to include some olive oil,port and chocolate in your daily diet.She never had to endure the 9 to 5 grind,as she was wealthy enough never to need to work.Instead,she filled her days with tennis,cycling and swimming. The oldest person still alive today is Kane Tanaka,who lives in Japan.She’s 119,and she’s now in a nursing home,still enjoying puzzles and board games.She drinks very unhealthy carbonated drinks,but also enjoys some chocolate every day.She believes the key to longevity is keeping an active mind through study and solving mathematical problems. Spanish shoemaker Saturnino Garcia, who died in January at the ripeageof 112,alsohada‘mindovermatter’theoryof longevity, crediting his positive outlook for his long, happy life. The oldest man was Jiroemon Kimura,who died in 2013 at the age of 116.He credited his longevity to eating small,light meals,staying active and being engaged in the world. And the oldest couple—with a combined age of 214—was Julio Cesar Mora Tapia andWaldramina Maclovia Quinteros Reyes,who were married for 79 years.Julio was 110 when he died in 2020 from dementia,andWaldramina is still living in Ecuador and has reached the grand old age of 104.Their secrets to a long life were family unity, mutual respect,honest work and having a proper education. After reading through their“secrets,”you might conclude that we’re all still none the wiser! 36 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

EVERY PICTURE... CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL MENTAL ACTIVITY Jeanne TheresearchwascarriedoutbyCBDsupplierEden’sGate(edensgate.co.uk) Calment SOCIAL CONTACTS (122) FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ Kane Tanaka (119) Jiroemon Kimura (116) Julio Tapia (110) ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 37



C Dr Shawn Tassone The Hormone Doctor OPINION ortisol is made in the adrenal glands, just above QUENCHINGTHEFIRE compound, rosavin, which your kidneys. Cortisol is the stimulates an enzyme called body’s primary stress hormone, If you’re on permanent fight-or-flight with too much cortisol, hormone-sensitive lipase that meaning that it’s released Dr Shawn Tassone has the answer can break down fat stores.In one in response to threatening study,people on a restricted- situations. It also signals the liver Ginseng adaptogen that can help users calorie diet who added a daily to increase glucose production Among the most popular cope with stress and offset the dose of rhodiola saw more than to prepare the body for physical adaptogens is Asian ginseng, physiological effects of excess twice the weight loss of those activity and prevents the release touted for its power to support cortisol,ashwagandha has also who did not take the adaptogen, of certainsubstancesinthebody physical stamina and the been shown to improve sleep and also had a significant that cause inflammation. immune system in addition to and cognitive function along decrease in body fat.7 slowing the aging process and with reducing inflammation. Although cortisol is absolutely alleviating some respiratory and Mushrooms essential for life, excessive cardiovascular symptoms.2 Astragalus For me, medicinal mushrooms, amounts can give rise to Long used in Chinese medicine including reishi, shiitake, difficulties including increased Ginseng is thought to help as an immune booster, this herb maitake, turkey tail stress and generalized anxiety, diminish anxiety and relieve is known for its ability to help and agarikon, are troubled sleep, suppressed symptomsof depression,too. protect against the physical and among the most immunity, abdominal weight Some studies indicate the herb psychologicaleffectsof stress. underappreciated gain, headaches, body aches also helps minimize hot flashes in Astragalus may also minimize sources of and gastrointestinal upset. High menopause.3 potential cortisol levels can also suppress theimpactof excesscortisol adaptogenic support. thyroid function. Just make sure you are by limiting its ability to bind taking the right type of to cell receptors. I recommend Together, these symptoms ginseng. “Red ginseng”and mycologist Paul can result in persistent fatigue, “white ginseng”both refer Astragalus is known for its Stamets’s Host particularly when elevated to preparations of Asian antiviral,anti-inflammatory, Defense Series, available cortisol levels have gone ginseng.“Panax ginseng” antibacterial and antioxidant in liquid, capsule and spray unchecked for an extended refers toAmerican ginseng, properties, and it can also supplements, which combines periodof time. and“Siberian ginseng”refers help lower blood pressure.5 the supportive enzymes, to another adaptogenic herb antioxidants,polysaccharides The supplements that can called eleuthero,which is not Rhodiola (Golden Root) and prebiotics found in yield the most benefits for actually related to ginseng at all. Nativetothearcticareasof Asia mushrooms. this condition are known as and Eastern Europe, rhodiola has adaptogens—plants and plant- As with any supplement, while been found to directly decrease For women with excessive based substances known for the most expensive option is the cortisol cortisol, I also recommend their ability to help support the not always the best, make sure response to CordyChi capsules, a blend of adrenal system and the body’s any product you take contains awakening cordyceps and reishi mushrooms ability to manage stress,fend off the ingredients you’re looking stress.6 Ithas designed to help promote a fatigue and counter the normal for—andfew,if any,others.For been shown healthy response to stress as well effects of aging.Adaptogens take ginseng and other adaptogens, to help restore as support the immune system. their name from their ability to I recommend Nature’s Way and normalpatternsof eatingand help the body“adapt”to its ever- Designs for Health brands. sleeping in addition to reducing REFERENCES changing environment. fatigue and oxidative stress (the Ashwagandha body’s inability to counteract the 1 Adaptogens:HerbsforStrength,Stamina,and Adaptogens are silent helpers, Ashwagandha has been used harmfuleffectsof freeradicals). StressRelief(Rochester,VT:HealingArtsPress building up in your system for centuries inAyurvedic [InnerTraditions],2007) over time and working in the Rhodiola can also help burn background to protect your medicine for its immune belly fat.The herb contains a 2 AmFamPhysician,2003;68(8):1539–42 organs from the destructive system-boosting 3 NationalCenterforComplementaryand impactof excesscortisol.Usedfor effects.4 An all-around centuries in traditional Chinese IntegrativeHealth,“AsianGinseng,”Sep2016, and Ayurvedic medicine, nccih.nih.gov adaptogens have increased in 4 JEthnopharmacol,2011;137(1):231–5 popularity in the West over the 5 IntegrCancerTher,2003;2(3):247–67 past few decades.1 6 PlantaMed,2009;75(2):105–12 7 NewSecretsofEffectiveNaturalStressand WeightManagementUsingRhodiolarosea andRhododendroncaucasicum(Sheffield, MA:SafeGoodsPublishing,1999) DrShawnTassoneisadouble-board- certifiedphysicianinobstetrics/ gynecologyandintegrative medicineandauthorofThe HormoneBalanceBible(HayHouse, 2021). 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SPECIAL REPORT S EE ING CLEARL Y AGAIN 40 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

SPECIAL REPORT Celeste McGovern investigates the promising new light therapies that could put the most common age-related eye disorders in reverse It’s the little things that are noticeable nerves are injured,the damage to the eyes and to the when you begin to lose eyesight, patient’s vision is irreversible. Dame Judi Dench has revealed.The 007 star known for her role as M, While mainstream technologies and drugs are James Bond’s steely no-nonsense struggling to address the symptoms of eye disease, boss,says that she’s missed reading however,new light therapies in trials in Canada,Europe the newspaper and doing the and the US in recent years are addressing eye diseases at crossword since she was diagnosed their root cause of oxidative damage and inflammation, with macular degeneration in 2012. and the treatments are not just slowing an inevitable She doesn’t read her scripts progression but halting the disease at the cellular level anymore,but has friends read the and improving eye function. lines to her to memorize,and she finds it most frustrating to not be Macular degeneration treatment able to see the face of a person she’s dining with in the In macular degeneration,which is believed to have evening.But the most“appalling”moment dealing with a hereditary component (Dench’s mother had the her condition—what she calls the“most traumatic condition as well),there is no conventional cure. moment of her life”—came in 2017 when she was Doctors inject drugs directly into the eye (once a month forced to give up her driver’s license. for at least three years) to stop tiny blood vessels from growing beneath the eye.It’s a painful procedure,as one “I just know I’ll kill somebody if I get behind the might imagine,and not without risks,including injury wheel of a car now,”the 87-year-old British star told or infection to the eye. Radio News. Sometimes lasers are used to seal up leaks in the blood The thought that she may lose her vision entirely vessels beneath the macula (a part of the retina) in the is obviously daunting.“I don’t want to say.I can see wet form of macular degeneration or to burn away some enough ...You adapt to it.So I ignore it altogether,” blood vessels altogether if they are disrupting vision. Dench said. In laser therapy for dry macular degeneration, She is one of 600,000 people in the UK“adapting”to doctors direct a tiny laser beam to destroy drusen (small macular degeneration,the leading cause of blindness fatty deposits) sitting beneath the eye,but as a Cochrane in the developed world,according to the US Centers for review of this treatment found,while it can help to Disease Control and Prevention.Globally it affects 196 eliminate drusen,it won’t halt vision loss.2 million people,and glaucoma,another leading cause of blindness,affects another 60 million.By 2040,those Glaucoma treatment numbers are expected to grow to 288 million and 110 In glaucoma,the optic nerve becomes damaged,and million people worldwide,respectively.1 if left untreated,this can lead to vision loss.Often the damage happens silently without noticeable symptoms, Both macular degeneration and glaucoma are which is one reason to have regular eye exams to detect progressive neurodegenerative eye diseases that high intraocular pressure (IOP) early for treatment. gradually erode vision,although they operate in very different ways and affect different regions of the eye. For decades,glaucoma has been treated by lowering Doctors describe them both as age-related and say that, the IOP to prevent the condition from worsening— although the processes may be slowed,once the eye even though the condition is also known to occur in the NEWLIGHTTHERAPIESARENOTJUSTSLOWINGANINEVITABLEPROGRESSIONBUTHALTINGTHE DISEASEATTHECELLULARLEVELANDIMPROVINGEYEFUNCTION FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 41

SPECIAL REPORT FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ Microbes and eye health The concept of a “gut–brain axis,” which describes how microbes in the gut impact the function of neurons and the brain to affect mood and mental health, is now well established. You may also have heard of the “gut-skin axis,” which describes how microbes in the gut impact the health of skin and can be related to various dermatological diseases. Now, researchers are also talking about the “gut–retina” or “gut–eye axis” and researching how the health of the eye can be strongly influenced by the microbes in the intestine.1 Abnormalities in the ecosystem of microbes living in the gut are now associated with several eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, and are all attributable to an alteration of the immune system and to underlying inflammation. For example, the bacterium Lactobacillus paracasei KW3110 has gained experimental interest for its protective effects on blue-light-induced damage to human retina cells. For clinical studies, 62 healthy Japanese volunteers aged 35 to 45 years who had experienced eye fatigue were randomized into two groups and given a placebo or L. paracasei KW3110- containing supplements for eight weeks. The probiotic supplement suppressed cell death, and the people who received the treatment reported reduced eye fatigue.2 A follow-up study looked at the effect of L. paracasei KW3110 intake over six months on age-related inflammation and altered gut microbiota in physiologically aged mice. The results showed the lactobacilli had anti-inflammatory effects highlighted by a significant reduction of inflammatory molecules called cytokines and chemokines (IL-17, KV and IL-13) in treated mice compared to controls.3 Another experiment demonstrated the ability of L. paracasei to suppress inflammation in the photoreceptor cells of mice with light-induced retinopathy. The authors concluded that more research is needed, but L. paracasei may have a preventative effect against degenerative retinal diseases.4 REFERENCES 1 FrontMicrobiol,2021;12:726792 2 Nutrients,2018;10(8):1058 3 Aging,2018;10:2723–40 4 Nutrients,2018;10(12):1991 42 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022

SPECIAL REPORT absence of high IOP,and high IOP can exist without LiGHT clinical trial: Laser therapy improves glaucoma outcomes glaucoma as well. Three years after laser treatment, no patients had had glaucoma surgery, compared to 11 of 622 eyes in the eyedrop-treatment group, and they were Still,the mainstay of treatment has been prescription also significantly less likely to need eyedrops or cataract surgery eyedrops,including prostaglandins and Rho kinase inhibitor,which increase aqueous fluid drainage LASER DROPS from the eye; beta-blockers and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors,which slow the production of fluid in the eye 0 11 to reduce eye pressure; or combinations of these drugs. The researchers randomly assigned glaucoma All these pharmaceuticals have side-effects,from patients to one of two groups—one that received red and itchy or burning eyes,changes in eye color and initial treatment of high IOP with laser therapy blurred vision to fatigue,loss of libido,depression and (using eyedrops later,if needed) and one treated with heart rhythm or blood pressure complications.With standard prescription eyedrops to lower IOP—and long-term use,they’re known to be toxic to the surface compared the effect of the different therapies on of the eye,too,leading to dry eye and other conditions.3 patients’quality of life. Light therapy The study,published in The Lancet in 2019, An alternative that has recently edged its way into reported that for the first three years of therapy, mainstream medical practice is laser therapy,which,in quality of life in both groups was similar.However, various forms,has been used to reduce eye pressure for three-quarters of patients initially treated with laser 25 years.Nevertheless,many doctors have been more did not need any eyedrops to lower their eye pressure comfortable with a first-line drug approach. for three years. Light therapy applies laser energy to a mesh of Patients who were initially treated with laser tissue in the eye called the trabecular meshwork, were also less likely to require surgery for cataracts where aqueous fluid naturally drains.The laser ignites (blurring of the eye lens),and none needed to a chemical and biological change in the tissue that undergo surgery for glaucoma in the first three triggers drainage of fluid through the meshwork and years.Among those patients treated with eyedrops, out of the eye,lowering the IOP. surgery was required for 11 eyes (out of 622 eyes). What’s more,the laser approach was safer,with fewer “I explain it to patients by saying we provide a side-effects than the eyedrops or surgery,and it was light therapy to the eye,”says ophthalmologist Savak cheaper, too. Teymoorian with the Harvard EyeAssociates.“It is just like getting a tan in your eye; your body absorbs New guidelines the light energy,and as a reaction,your body cleans the The LiGHT trial triggered a paradigm shift in natural drainage system of the eye first.Your body does glaucoma treatment.For some doctors,old habits the work,but you just need a signal first.” die hard,and many were still inclined to choose drugs over laser as the first treatment option,trying the light Argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT) was the first only if the drops didn’t work. laser procedure to be used in glaucoma.It employs a heat laser,which could cause scarring.ALT has mostly The UK National Institute for Health and Care been replaced with a gentler procedure called selective Excellence (NICE) decided to push the lasers this year. laser trabeculoplasty (SLT),which is sometimes called Citing the LiGHT study results,NICE announced “cold”laser therapy because it produces less heat. changes to its guidelines in January 2022,making SLT therapy the primary intervention for open-angle The patient receives anesthetic drops in each eye, glaucoma (the most common type of glaucoma) over then rests their chin on a support so they are looking eye drops.6 directly into the device,which the glaucoma specialist positions directly on the front surface of the eye. “It’s unusual for a trial such as the LiGHT study to have such a profound impact,and fantastic that NICE This fires the laser into the eyes,blasting the have considered our results to be so robust that trabecular meshwork of each eye,one at a time.The patient only hears a clicking sound and sees a yellow- ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 43 green flash of light.The procedure is done in usually under five minutes per eye—less than a quarter of an hour in all.4 Seeing the LiGHT SLT is painless to undergo,causes less scarring than ALT and is successful in about 78 percent of cases at one-year follow-up,according to British researchers conducting the Laser in Glaucoma and Ocular Hypertension (LiGHT) trial,a comprehensive randomized control trial centered at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.5 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

SPECIAL REPORT they have relied on them for a major shift in guidelines,” Viagra may these medications were develop a retinal vascular Ophthalmology Consultant and Chief Investigator Gus lead to 158 percent more likely occlusion—a blood clot Gazzard from Moorfields Eye Hospital said. blindness to have a serious retinal in the retina, which can detachment, which lead to dark spots or Other practice guidelines,including those from the Researchers from the occurs when fluid builds “floaters” in the field of AmericanAcademy of Ophthalmology’s Preferred University of British up behind the back of vision and loss of vision. Practice Pattern and the European Glaucoma Society, Columbia in Canada the eye and causes the also recently changed their guidelines as a result of the have found that men sudden appearance of The researchers LiGHT study and now recommend SLT as a first-line who regularly take spots and flashes of light speculated that ED drugs therapy instead of drugs. erectile dysfunction (ED) in the field of vision. could be causing a loss pills including Viagra of blood flow to the eyes Brighter outcome may be at increased Retinal detachment is a while shunting it to the SLT lowers internal eye pressure by an average of risk of sudden vision medical emergency that genitals. 30 percent,according to the Glaucoma Research loss and other visual could lead to blindness if Foundation,and its effects can last from one to five years disturbances.1 left untreated. The insurance claim and in some cases even longer.A common side-effect is records were from 2006 transient inflammation,although in 5 percent of cases, The researchers The men using to 2020 to see which IOP can rise rather than drop. looked at insurance prescriptions for ones went on to develop claim records of 213,033 impotence were 102 eye conditions. None of “Rarely,the pressure in the eye rises to a very high men using pills for ED percent more likely to the men had suffered pressure and does not come down,”according to the including 123,347 men suffer from ischemic optic eye problems in the year Moorfields Eye Hospital patient information resources. taking Pfizer’s Viagra, neuropathy—restricted before they became This is a“very unusual occurrence,”and glaucoma 78,609 on Cialis, 6,604 blood flow to the optic regular users of the surgery is required in that case.4 taking Levitra and 4,473 nerve, which can lead medication. on Spedra to see which to loss of central vision. Other complications can also occur,and some can men went on to develop And they were 44 REFERENCES be serious,including burns and iritis (swelling around eye disorders. percent more likely to the iris,the colored part of the eye around the pupil), 1 JAMAOphthalmol,2022Apr7; but risks are generally less than from glaucoma drugs or The study, published e220663 surgery to drain the eye of aqueous fluid.7 in April in JAMA Ophthalmology, found Although SLT can be repeated,it’s not certain how that men using any of often or effective this is.According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation,some doctors opt to treat only Micropulse laser trabeculoplasty (MLT) or half of the eye’s mesh network on the first go,then micropulse diode laser trabeculoplasty (MDLT) and treat the second half later if the effectiveness of the first intense pulsed light (IPL) are beginning to attract intervention wanes (this is not considered a repeat attention as even safer laser eye therapies with the same treatment) to prolong the benefits of the therapy. effectiveness as SLT orALT. Next-generation light therapies MLT and IPL reduce the amount of potentially Just as SLT is becoming the frontline therapy for damaging heat energy delivered to eye tissues by pulsing glaucoma,more refined laser therapies are being the energy in small bursts,allowing cooling in between. investigated.Direct selective laser therapy (DSLT) is Studies show the treatment has similar potential an adaption of SLT,but without the lens that sits on the benefits to other laser therapies with fewer side-effects, eye.It’s even simpler and quicker compared to standard and the hope is that it will further improve on SLT.9 SLT,and trials are underway in seven countries, including the US and in the UK at Moorfields Eye Low-level light therapy Hospital in London.8 A promising tool to treat eye disorders,as well as many more medical conditions,is low-level light therapy. “IT’SUNUSUALFORATRIALSUCHAS Low-level light in the far-red to near-infrared range of THELIGHTSTUDYTOHAVESUCHAPROFOUND the spectrum (~600-1000 nm),used therapeutically, IMPACT,ANDFANTASTICTHATNICEHAVE is called photobiomodulation.As a therapy,it has CONSIDEREDOURRESULTSTOBESOROBUST” gained worldwide attention in recent years for its promise to treat a wide range of diseases,including 44 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ

SPECIAL REPORT ITTURNSOUTTHAT drusen volume decreased,and central drusen thickness PHOTOBIOMODULATIONDIRECTLYCOUNTERS was significantly reduced,with no pain or side-effects.13 THEPROCESSESTHATUNDERLIEAGE-RELATED MACULARDEGENERATIONANDOTHEREYE Similarly,the 2019 pilot LIGHTSITE I study by DISEASES,INCLUDINGGLAUCOMAANDDRYEYE Canadian,Swiss andAmerican researchers evaluated DISEASE light therapy in 46 eyes of people in the early stages of dry age-related macular degeneration,who received neurodegenerative eye diseases,by restoring function at 670-nm red light in nine treatment installments.Visual the cellular level. acuity increased by up to four letters,then declined to baseline six months after treatment,suggesting Red to near-infrared light is cold light without any some level of consistent therapy would be required to potential for harm from heat.It’s believed that it works maintain the benefits.14 by hitting photoreceptive cells in the body that convert light energy to chemical energy,which is a catalyst for Further studies (LIGHTSITE II and LIGHTSITE cell function,repair and healing.Unlike conventional III) were launched after these groundbreaking results. high-energy laser light,near-infrared light does not The LIGHTSITE II trial was carried out in the UK, have the destructive effects that can come from heating Germany,France,Spain and Italy. As Ben Burton,an tissue,such as coagulating or vaporizing. honorary professor at the University of EastAnglia who led the study in the UK,reported to the EURETINA Low-level light therapy restores functions of damaged 2021Virtual Congress,a total of 44 patients (53 eyes; mitochondria by upregulating factors like cytochrome 17 men,27 women; mean age,74.1 years) with dry age- c oxidase.“Eyes and neurons rely on cytochrome c related macular degeneration were enrolled. oxidase to generate energy for metabolic process,” according to a recent review paper on the subject. The treated patients were given three rounds of photobiomodulation therapy from LumiThera Inc. “NIR [near-infrared] light can penetrate these weekly over three to four weeks. Each painless treatment tissues and assist recoveries of neurons in methanol lasted for four to five minutes per eye. intoxication,optic nerve trauma and neuropathy,retinal injuries and pigmentosa,and macular degeneration.”10 Low-level light receive low-level light gland function. therapy for dry therapy (LLLT) using “Such efficacy, in It turns out that photobiomodulation—which eyes 590-nm and then 830- increases mitochondrial function,reduces oxidative nm wavelengths of light addition to the well- damage and dampens inflammation—directly Up to a third of people directed at their eyes, tolerated profile of counters the processes that underlie age-related are affected at some and 18 who received LLLT,” the researchers macular degeneration and other eye diseases,including point by dry eye a placebo treatment. concluded, “makes glaucoma and dry eye disease. syndrome, which, just Neither the patients nor it a potentially useful as the name says, leaves the investigators knew treatment option for dry A 2021 review looked at several recent studies that the eyes low on tear who was receiving the eye in clinical practice.”1 found low-level light therapy improved outcomes in fluid, causing a gritty therapy or the sham. patients with macular degeneration,including one feeling and blurred or REFERENCES study in which 348 eyes at various stages of macular distorted vision and can Those who received degeneration were treated with blasts of 670-nm red lead to inflammation the LLLT at a dose of 1 SciRep,2022;12(1):3575 light,resulting in measurably improved visual acuity and damage to the eye about 60 J/cm2 per and color vision.11 surface. treatment session saw improvements in signs In the Toronto and Oak Ridge Photobiomodulation Researchers in Korea and symptoms of dry Study for DryAge-Related Macular Degeneration decided to experiment eye, the researchers (TORPA trial),visual acuity and contrast sensitivity with low-level light from the improved immediately and up to 12 months after therapy (LLLT), which has Department of treatment in patients older than 50 with macular been used successfully Ophthalmology, degeneration,with all 18 eyes tested showing for wound healing, skin Dankook improvement.12 rejuvenation, pain and University to treat inflammatory Hospital A larger follow-up study expanded to 42 eyes and disorders including eye concluded. using multiple wavelengths of low-level light also disorders, as a treatment found a significant improvement in visual acuity and for dry eye syndrome. Their study, contrast sensitivity immediately and three months after published in completion of the three-week treatment.Additionally, They split 38 people March in Nature diagnosed with the Scientific Reports, condition into two reported that groups, 20 assigned to LLLT can stimulate tear FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 45



SPECIAL REPORT Nine months out, the treated patients had sustained LOOKINGATADEEPREDLIGHT improvementsinvisualacuity,gaininganaverageof 4 FORAFEWMINUTESEVERYMORNING letters versus 0.5 letters in the sham group.“The patients CANHELPIMPROVEEYESIGHT, had sustained BCVA improvement at 9 months . . . More ESPECIALLYIFIT’SSTARTINGTOFAIL than33percentof thelight-treatedeyesgained5lettersat 9 months . . . PMD treatment also was associated with no significant drusen growth at 9 months in contrast to the sham group.”The researchers noted no safety concerns.15 LIGHTSITE III is an ongoing trial being conducted at multiple centers in the United States.“Early results from the LIGHTSITE III trial are indeed very encouraging,” said Diana Do,a professor of ophthalmology and member of the Retina Division at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University,which is one of the clinical sites for LIGHTSITE III.16 Red light prevention therapy REFERENCES Nutrition plays an essential role in eye health, While low-level light therapies are making big but slow of course.In a study published in 2016,Harvard steps in the clinical trial world,there are still practical 1 Ophthalmology,2014;121(11): researchers analyzed the diets of more than 100,000 ways to employ the new technology at the grassroots 2081–90 men and women in two long-term studies and found level immediately,with preventative potential against that those who ate the most leafy greens cut their risk of eye disease. 2 CochraneDatabaseSystRev, developing glaucoma by 20 to 30 percent.19 2009;(3):CD006537 A recent study found that looking at a deep red light The National Eye Institute sponsored two large-scale for a few minutes every morning can help improve 3 GraefesArchClinExpOphthalmol, studies—Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) eyesight,especially if it’s starting to fail. 2021;259(5):1243–51 andAREDS2—to investigate the effects of nutritional supplements on macular degeneration.Subjects were Researchers at the Institute of Ophthalmology at 4 ManchesterRoyalEyeHospital, given the following supplements: University College London tested light therapy on 20 “InformationforPatients:Selective • 500 milligrams (mg) vitamin C volunteers,aged between 34 and 70,who used a 670- LaserTrabeculoplasty.”Sep,2021 • 400 international units (IU) vitamin E nm red light LED flashlight for three minutes every •15 mg beta carotene morning between 8 and 9 a.m. 5 BrJOphthalmol,2018;102(5): • 2 mg copper 593–8 • 80 mg zinc They found that,on average,there was a major improvement in the participants’color vision— 6 UKNationalInstituteforHealth Researchers reported that the vitamins and minerals improving color contrast by as much as 20 percent— andCareExcellence,“Glaucoma: cut the five-year risk of macular degeneration hours after the light exposure,and for some,the effect DiagnosisandManagement.” progressing from intermediate-level disease to lasted an entire week. Jan2022 advanced stages by 25 percent and decreased the risk of vision loss by 19 percent.In theAREDS2 study,subjects It helps support the retina,which ages faster than 7 ClinOphthalmol,2016;10:137–43 were given 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin as any other organ in the body and starts to lose its antioxidants instead of 15 mg of beta carotene,but the photoreceptor abilities by the time we reach 40. 8 BrJOphthalmol,2021; results were the same.20 bjophthalmol-2021-319379 But looking into a long wavelength (670 nanometer) It’s also recently been shown that niacin (also known red light for three minutes every day when we first wake 9 Vision(Basel),2022;6(1):8 as vitamin B3) can affect eye health.In a study published up can slow down the aging process. in the journal Nutrients in 2018,researchers looked 10 IntJMedSci,2021;18(1):109–19 at the diets of 6,000 men and women over age 40 and It’s an inexpensive way to improve our vision,the calculated their niacin intake.Those with the highest researchers say,and it can be achieved by using a simple 11 ClinOphthalmol,2021;15: niacin intake—24 mg a day—were 64 percent less at risk 8mW/cm2 flashlight that transmits a long wavelength 3709–20 of developing glaucoma compared to those who had a light.Flashlights and LED bulbs at that wavelength are lower average daily niacin intake of 21 mg.21 available from online retailers likeAmazon and eBay. 12 InvestigOphthalmolVisSci,2012; 53(14):2049 Diet can directly influence nutritional status,but However,it’s important to do the exercise first thing in one way it does this is by profoundly influencing the morning; there was no sight improvement in those 13 ActaOphthalmol,2017;95(4): the microbiota in the intestines.22 Shining a light who did the sessions in the afternoon.17 e270–7 on abdomens to vitalize bacteria that heal the gut and influence health,including eye health,is on the Photobiomics and nutrition 14 Retina,2020;40(8):1471–82 horizon.23 While research into the role of microbiota in modulating eye health is rapidly growing,it’s likely to 15 ModernRetina,“LIGHTSITEII: eventually overlap with light therapy,too.Photobiomics Photobiomodulationanovel is an emerging field of research where light therapy therapyfordryAMD.”Sep12,2021 has been applied directly to the abdomens of mice and humans to alter the intestinal microbiome in a way that 16 LumiThera,“LumiThera is beneficial to health.The therapy is used along with AnnouncesUSLIGHTSITEIII nutrition to impact the gut microbiota.18 ClinicalTrialMeetsPrimary EfficacyEndpointinImproving VisioninDryAge-RelatedMacular DegenerationSubjects.”Mar 23,2022 17 SciRep,2021;11:22872 18 PhotobiomodulPhotomedLaser Surg,2019;37(11):681–93 19 JAMAOphthalmol,2016;134(3): 294–303 20 USNationalEyeInstitute,“AREDS/ AREDS2ClinicalTrials.”Nov19, 2020 21 Nutrients,2018;10(4):387 22 BMJ,2018;361:k2179 23 ChiropracticEconomics, “Photobiomics:Alooktothefuture ofcombinedlaserandnutrition therapy.”Oct5,2021 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 47

While much of the focus of intermittent fasting has been on its physical health benefits, time- restricted eating may also offer relief from depression. Justin Ballis investigates

SPECIAL REPORT switching,when fasting triggers the body to move from sourcing its energy from glucose,which is stored in the liver,to ketones, which are stored in fat. “Ketone bodies are not just fuel used during periods of fasting,” Itsoundslikea the authors write.“They are potent signaling molecules with major effects on cell and organ functions.Ketone bodies regulate the expression and activity of many proteins and molecules that are known to influence health formoftorture. andaging.”3 Animal studies reveal that levels of brain- derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) begin to surge as soon as 12 hours after a fast begins.4 Consumingnothing This molecule is vital to the survival,growth and maintenance of neurons in key brain circuits involved in emotional and cognitive function.5 butatleastalitreof wateraday Brain imaging studies have consistently for 25 to 30 days. shown a reduction in the size of brain regions that regulate mood and cognition in depressed patients,including the prefrontal cortex (which modulates cognitive control) and the hippocampus (responsible for learning But behind the Iron Curtain in the 1950s,psychiatrist Dr and memory).Furthermore,postmortem studies report fewer Yuri Nikolayev was treating patients at a Moscow sanatorium synapses in these areas.6 with a radical form of fasting that was hailed byAmerican Autopsies of suicide victims also found only about half the orthomolecular psychiatrist DrAllan Cott as an“unparalleled levels of BDNF in certain key brain regions compared to the achievement”in restoring schizophrenics to full function.1 control group.7 What first surprised Nikolayev was that his mentally ill This is where fasting-induced BDNF production may play patients suffering depression,phobias and obsessive syndromes a crucial role in mediating the symptoms of depression by also showed improvements in physical conditions such as promoting synaptic plasticity,a process that enables learning and hypertension,arthritis,asthma and eczema.Smokers quit their memory through changes in the connections between individual addiction,and even alcoholics became near-teetotalers. neurons and neuronal networks. “Fasting not only has an impact on mental illness,but also the “We know in animals that intermittent fasting increases BDNF entire personality,”said DrValeri Gurvich,a psychiatrist at the levels and that it has an anti-anxiety effect,and often depression Moscow Psychiatric Institute who worked under Nikolayev for and anxiety go hand in hand,”says Mattson. 18 years.2 “In particular,chronic anxiety is often a precursor to clinical The finding suggested that improvements in systemic health depression.So the available data are consistent with the possibility naturally flow through to the alleviation of mood disorders, that intermittent fasting could help people mitigate or protect whether or not mental illness is the primary target of treatment. them against anxiety and depression.” Seven decades later,what we now know about the neurochemistry of the brain is shedding light on why Nikolayev’s An outdated paradigm? work was so successful,and how less radical forms of this The theory of mood disorders as primarily based on a chemical therapy—such as intermittent fasting—can improve depression imbalance in the brain is being supplanted by a more holistic through metabolic detoxification. understanding of the many factors that influence depression and Intermittent fasting includes hours or days of no or minimal cognition. food consumption without deprivation of “Chemical imbalance is sort of last-century essential nutrients.The most common versions thinking.It’s much more complicated than that,” are alternate-day fasting,5:2 fasting (fasting two days each week) and daily time-restricted INTERMITTENTFASTING DrJosephCoyle,aprofessorof neuroscience INCREASESBDNFLEVELSAND atHarvardMedicalSchool,toldNational fasting,such as only eating during six- or eight- Public Radio as far back as 2012.“It’s really an hour windows (see page 37). HASANANTI-ANXIETYEFFECT, outmodedwayofthinking.” A review of research into intermittent fasting ANDOFTENDEPRESSIONAND Inalandmarkmeta-analysisofclinical published in The New England Journal of ANXIETYGOHANDINHAND trialdatasubmittedtotheUSFoodandDrug Medicine in 2020,coauthored by professor of Administration (FDA) for the licensing of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University Dr new-generation antidepressants,no significant Mark Mattson,noted that weight loss was not difference was found between the effects of the the main driver of the health benefits shown drugs and the placebo effect except among the by clinical studies.Instead,it is metabolic severely depressed. FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 | WDDTY 49

SPECIAL REPORT However,the study found that the severely depressed The gut-brain axis had become less responsive to the placebo,rather than more responsive to the drugs.8 Cynthia Thurlow likes to remind her patients that digestion British psychiatrists Mark Horowitz and Michael begins in the brain, in the way people think about their food Wilcock write in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin before they have even taken a bite. Conversely, 95 percent that in the UK,one in six adults was prescribed an of the mood-regulating neurotransmitter serotonin, which antidepressant between 2019 and 2020.9 is targeted by conventional anti-depressant drugs, is “Much of the evidence of their efficacy comes from produced in the gut. short-term placebo-controlled trials,”they write, It is a reversal in the way we have been taught to think “which tend not to include outcomes that are of greatest about food and mood. relevance to patients,such as social functioning or The gut microbiome—the range of microorganisms in quality of life,but rather restrict outcomes narrowly to the gut, including bacteria, fungi and viruses—plays a major symptom measures.” role in the bidirectional communication between the gut and A 2022 paper on the relationship between the gut the brain. and major depressive disorder argued that depression Researchers in Finland recently found a link between a specific treatment tends to fail when it is exclusively focused on a gut microbe, Morganella, and depression. This is further evidence chemical cause. that people with mental health conditions often have very “[I]t is becoming more evident that the rising different microbes in their gut.1  prevalence of depression,especially in developed Alterations in the composition of gut countries,is linked to changes in dietary and sleep microbiota are implicated in causing leaky patterns derived from high levels of stress,”the authors gut (an increased permeability of the gut write.10 FASTINGREDUCES barrier), activating systemic inflammation, Various forms of fasting INFLAMMATION,A KNOWNRISKFACTOR affecting the efficacy of serotonin may be one way of resetting FORDEPRESSION,AND the physiology impacted by IMPROVESCHRONIC and changing levels of brain-derived stress and supporting the INFLAMMATORY neuroplasticity required to neurotrophic factor (BDNF).2 move out of the negative fixed states of mind that However, a Chinese study last year characterize depression. found that intermittent fasting enriched In 2019,researchers from the gut composition of diabetic mice and pointed to several other potential benefits, including increased microbial diversity, reduced inflammation and the Icahn School of Medicine increased production of short-chain fatty DISEASESat Mount Sinai reported that acids, which inhibit the growth of bad fasting reduces inflammation, bacteria.3 a known biological marker When it is time to break the fast, and risk factor for depression, the Mediterranean diet, abundant and improves chronic inflammatory diseases.11 in plant-based ingredients, fiber and Reduced levels of inflammation may also help enhance omega-3 fatty acids, has been found BDNF expression.12 to establish a diverse microbiome “The bad kinds of stress are things that you’re associated with protection against constantly ruminating about,something that you depression. Aromatic spices and don’t have direct control over,and you can’t really do herbs such as oregano, rosemary anything to mitigate it,”Mattson says.“Stress where and thyme common to that diet the [hormone] cortisol levels stay up chronically has are also good for gut microbiota.4 negative effects on neurons in the brain and reduces A Harvard study of over 80,000 BDNF levels.” nurses found that a diet high in French researchers published the first quantitative flavonoids is associated with analysis of how well fasting interventions alleviated lower risk for depression, stress,anxiety and depressive symptoms in late especially among older 2021.After analyzing 11 studies with a total of 1,436 women.5 participants,they found that fasting groups had lower Two clinical anxiety,depression and body mass index without an trials also found increase in fatigue.13 that high- REFERENCES flavonoid fruit and “When they’ve done studies with a prolonged amount vegetable intake led to significant improvements 1 NatGenet,2022;54(2):134–42 2 Heliyon,2020;6(6):e04097 of fasting,you’ll get a reduction in depression and 3 NatCommun,2020;11(1):855 anxiety,”says Cynthia Thurlow,a nurse practitioner, in cognitive performance and increases in serum 4 Nutrients,2021;13:6995. 5 AmJClinNutr,2016;104(3): functional nutritionist and author of Intermittent BDNF levels.6  704–14 Fasting Transformation (Avery,2022).Patients self- 6 NutrHealthyAging, 2016;4(1): 81–93 report improvements and often need less medication. 50 WDDTY | ISSUE 19 | AUG/SEP 2022 FACEBOOK.COM/WDDTYAUNZ