The Ghost in Your Genes

May 31, 2008

Biology stands on the brink of a shift in the understanding of inheritance. The discovery of epigenetics – hidden influences upon the genes – could affect every aspect of our lives.

At the heart of this new field is a simple but contentious idea – that genes have a ‘memory’. That the lives of your grandparents – the air they breathed, the food they ate, even the things they saw – can directly affect you, decades later, despite your never experiencing these things yourself. And that what you do in your lifetime could in turn affect your grandchildren.

Read the full article at www.bbc.co.uk

Keywords: epigenetic, gene, genetic, dna, rna

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DNA Is Not Destiny

May 31, 2008

The new science of epigenetics rewrites the rules of disease, heredity, and identity.

Back in 2000, Randy Jirtle, a professor of radiation oncology at Duke University, and his postdoctoral student Robert Waterland designed a groundbreaking genetic experiment that was simplicity itself. They started with pairs of fat yellow mice known to scientists as agouti mice, so called because they carry a particular gene—the agouti gene—that in addition to making the rodents ravenous and yellow renders them prone to cancer and diabetes. Jirtle and Waterland set about to see if they could change the unfortunate genetic legacy of these little creatures.

Typically, when agouti mice breed, most of the offspring are identical to the parents: just as yellow, fat as pincushions, and susceptible to life-shortening disease. The parent mice in Jirtle and Waterland’s experiment, however, produced a majority of offspring that looked altogether different. These young mice were slender and mousy brown. Moreover, they did not display their parents’ susceptibility to cancer and diabetes and lived to a spry old age. The effects of the agouti gene had been virtually erased.

Read the complete article by Ethan Watters…

Source: Discover Magazine http://discovermagazine.com

Keywords: epigenetic, gene, genetic, dna, rna, lipton

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Acupuncture Reduces Pain and Dysfunction in Head and Neck Cancer Patients after Neck Dissection

May 31, 2008

NEW YORK, NY – New data from a randomized, controlled trial found that acupuncture provided significant reductions in pain, dysfunction, and dry mouth in head and neck cancer patients after neck dissection. The study was led by David Pfister, MD, Chief of the Head and Neck Medical Oncology Service, and Barrie Cassileth, PhD, Chief of the Integrative Medicine Service, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Dr. Pfister presented the findings today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology.

“Acupuncture can control a number of distressing symptoms, such as shortness of breath, anxiety and depression, chronic fatigue, pain, neuropathy, and osteoarthritis.” — Barrie Cassileth, PhD, Chief, Integrative Medicine Service, MSKCC

Read the full article…

Source: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC)

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So, What Is ‘Lotus Therapy,’ Anyway?

May 29, 2008

New York Times reporter Ben Carey discusses the use of mindfulness meditation in therapy. In a recent article, he calls it “perhaps the most popular new psychotherapy technique of the past decade.”

Listen at NPR.org…

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Lotus Therapy

May 28, 2008

The New York Times – Health/Research
Mindfulness meditation has become perhaps the most popular new psychotherapy technique of the past decade.

The patient sat with his eyes closed, submerged in the rhythm of his own breathing, and after a while noticed that he was thinking about his troubled relationship with his father. “I was able to be there, present for the pain,” he said, when the meditation session ended. “To just let it be what it was, without thinking it through.”

The therapist nodded.

“Acceptance is what it was,” he continued. “Just letting it be. Not trying to change anything.”

“That’s it,” the therapist said. “That’s it, and that’s big.”

Read the full article by Benedict Carey…

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Study: Meditation Against ADHD

May 27, 2008

A fascinating new study suggests the benefits of mindfulness meditation for adolescents and adults with attention deficits.

Travel back, in your mind’s eye, to a time when you felt a healthy exhaustion after hiking, biking, playing sports.., and let you re-live that moment as vividly as you can.

Read the full article by Alvaro Fernandez …

Keywords: Sharon Begley, David Rabiner, Adhd, ADHD Medication, Adolescents, Attention Deficits, Brain Training, Cognitive Therapy, Meditation, Memory, Neurocognitive

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Can the Mind Shape the Brain?

May 27, 2008

Conventional wisdom holds that the human mind is nothing more than the human brain. This belief derives from materialism. By “materialism” I don’t mean the mania to shop unceasingly at the mall. Rather, I mean the philosophy that material reality is all that there is. Immaterial or spiritual realities are, in this view, simply epiphenomena of the material world.

Read the full article by Dinesh D’Souza …

Books by Dinesh D’Souza include Whats So Great About Christianity and Whats So Great About America

Keywords: Francis Crick, Mario Beauregard, Dinesh D’Souza, Daniel Dennett, ephiphenomenon, neuroscientist, materialism, placebo, nocebo

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Learning How to Reflect (or Not)

May 26, 2008

A variety of meditative practices have been studied by Western researchers for their effects on mental and physical health.

Tai Chi

An active exercise, sometimes called moving meditation, involving extremely slow, continuous movement and extreme concentration. The movements are to balance the vital energy of the body but have no religious significance.

Studies are mixed, some finding it can reduce blood pressure in patients, and others finding no effect. There is some evidence that it can help elderly people improve balance.

Read the full article by Benedict Carey …

Keywords: Tai Chi, Transcendental Meditation, Mindfulness Meditation, Yoga, mantra, moving meditation, blood pressure, improve balance, chronic pain, substance abuse, depression

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Managing stress the key to keeping a healthy mind

May 26, 2008

High stress can damage mental health, which in turn affects the entire human body and plays a role in the development of other health issues.

Experts say managing stress can be a challenge. May is Mental Health Month, and it may be the best time to take control and connect with others to reduce stress and promote overall health. This year’s theme is focused on the important role social connections play in maintaining and protecting mental health and wellness, creating a sense of belonging, self-worth and security.

Read the full article by Debbie Bell of The Daily Record …

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