Cinnamon can combat many diseases

By Thulasi MUTTULINGAM

Sri Lanka is famous for cinnamon. The cinnamon tree was originally endemic to Sri Lanka but has now been successfully transplanted in many other equatorial countries though ‘True Cinnamon’ (Cinnamomum Verum) grown in Sri Lanka is still highly prized as of exceptional quality.

It was known to the Western world from ancient times though its origin was unknown until the 16th century. The Arabs who traded in spices with the Greeks spun many stories about the origin of the wood to highlight its scarcity as it was precious. One reason was that they did not know where the sweet wood came from, moreover, it was brought by cinnamon birds’ from far off lands to build their nests. This was however, dismantled by the Arabs.

It was recorded, even by Aristotle. Pliny, the Elder of the first century however, dismissed these claims as fabrications by the traders to levy of higher charge; he recorded the price of cinnamon as 15 times that of silver. Nevertheless, cinnamon, a very rare spice was considered a gift fit even for monarchs. Emperor Nero of Rome is said to have burnt a year’s supply of the city’s cinnamon at his wife’s pyre in AD 65, in an exceptionally grandiose gesture to show his esteem of her.

Traditional medicines

Cinnamon has long been used in traditional medicines such as Ayurveda as well as in Arab, Greek and Chinese medical systems to treat a variety of ailments. Diverse studies across the world bring to light a multitude of medicinal properties of the Emperor of Spices.

The spice has long been used in Korea and China as a remedy for diabetes. Researchers who investigated the effects of various sweet food preparations on blood sugar levels, discovered that apple pies did not hike up the blood sugar levels to the expected amounts due to the cinnamon content in it. The effect of cinnamon on type II diabetes is now a widely researched phenomenon. It has been accepted by scientists that cinnamon helps bring down blood glucose levels as well as augments the action of insulin.

Cinnamon inhibits the growth of cultured tumour cells in the laboratory and researchers in the United States Department of Agriculture in Maryland have published a study in which they state that cinnamon dramatically reduced the proliferation of all three cancerous cells in their study; two types of leukaemia and one type of lymphoma.

Researchers at the Copenhagen University said that patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.

In addition, various studies on cinnamon have shown anti clotting properties of the blood and antimicrobial functions. It can be used as a preservative of food by inhibiting the growth of bacteria such as salmonella and e-coli and to cure infections caused by yeast or bacteria such as urinary tract infections, vaginal yeast infections and stomach ulcers.

Mouth freshner

It’s used as a mouth freshener and as an agent to fight bad breath and is popular among indigenous medical men in various parts of the world and it is usually an essential item in herbal toothpastes. Research shows that cinnamon kills the bacteria that cause gum disease and tooth decay.

Cinnamon is used in Ayurveda to alleviate sore throat, cough, fever, indigestion, menstrual cramps, nausea, flatulence and diarrhoea. Cinnamon tea (made from boiling a few sticks of cinnamon in water and adding sugar) also soothes stress.

However, it should to be taken in minimal amounts since excess cinnamon could prove toxic to the body. It was also once used to induce abortions and pregnant women are therefore, generally advised to limit the intake of this spice.

A 2008 study in Spain noted that cinnamon oil-treated wrapping paper used to pack bread kept the bread fresh up to 10 days from the time it was packed. An even more interesting study from Taiwan in 2004, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry of the American Chemical Society noted that ‘Cinnamon oil shows promise as a great-smelling, environmentally-friendly pesticide, which could kill mosquito larvae.’

Four components of cinnamon oil showed strong activity against Aegypti, the dengue causing mosquito within 24 hours of testing, according to the researchers.

New brain scan to diagnose autism

by Jane Hughes Health correspondent

A brain scan that detects autism in adults could mean much more straightforward diagnosis of the condition, scientists say.

Experts at King's College London said the scan - tested on 40 people - identified tiny but crucial signs of autism, only detectable by computer.

Current methods of diagnosis can be lengthy and expensive.

The computer scan shows up a distinctive pattern associated with autism

But some experts say further research will be needed before the new technique can be widely used.

Autism Spectrum Disorder affects an estimated 1 in every 100 adults in the UK, most of them men. It varies from mild to very severe, and people with the condition can find the world appears chaotic and hard to understand.

Conventional diagnosis involves a team of experts who analyse behaviour and make a complex series of assessments.

The Medical Research Council study looked at 20 non-autistic adults and 20 adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

They were initially diagnosed using traditional methods, and then given a 15 minute brain MRI scan. The images were reconstructed into 3D and were fed into a computer, which looked for tiny but significant differences.

It could help to alleviate the need for the emotional, time consuming and expensive diagnostic process which ASD patients and families currently have to endure"

The researchers detected autism with over 90% accuracy, the Journal of Neuroscience reports. "What the computer can do very quickly is to see that a patient has autism," said Professor Declan Murphy from the Institute of Psychiatry, who supervised the research, "even though their brain, to the naked eye, looks very normal."

Dr Christine Ecker, who led the study, said she hoped the findings might result in a widely available scan to test for autism.

"It could help to alleviate the need for the emotional, time consuming and expensive diagnostic process which ASD patients and families currently have to endure," she said.

Once a patient has a diagnosis, he or she is able to access help and support with managing the condition.

Joe Powell was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, 14 years ago. Before his diagnosis, he didn't speak at all.

Since then, he says he's made big progress in managing his condition.

His brain scan confirms his ASD. He says seeing his diagnosis charted in black and white made a big difference to him.

"You need to physically see it," he says.

"I know the autism is still there. The progress I've made in managing my condition is real, but it's still there."

The research team is now looking at whether the test would be effective on children.

-BBC News

Breast cancer risk increased by hormone replacement therapy

by Susan Brady

Numerous previous studies have linked hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to an increase in cancers of the breast, ovaries and the lung.

Today, a long-term study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention puts another nail in the coffin of the prescription given to women to combat the symptoms of menopause.

HRT was used widely among menopausal women until the landmark Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was released 2002, following a major study that found the use of HRT could increase the risk for developing breast and ovarian cancer. It was also shown that HRT could increase the likelihood of strokes and other serious conditions. At that time, millions of women immediately discontinued the use of HRT drugs and subsequently breast cancer rates have declined.

The new long term study confirms an analysis in 2009 by JoAnn Manson, a professor at Harvard Medical School, who found that in the initial two years of hormone replacement therapy there was no increase in the number of cases of breast cancer in those patients receiving combination HRT therapy.

However, over five to six years of HRT treatment the groups’ odds increased significantly.

The current study had researchers analyzing health information on 2,857 women who participated in the California Teachers Study. They compared the rate of those developing breast cancer with those taking hormone replacement therapy. When comparing the two groups, they found that those women who had used estrogen for up to 15 years had a 19% increased breast cancer risk over those patients who never used HRT.

A clinical trial conducted by Lars Holmberg, M.D., Ph.D. and colleagues, of King’s College London, and published in 2008 indicated that breast cancer survivors were 14 percent more likely to have a recurrence of cancer if they used HRT.

Physicians continue to urge women who need HRT drugs for the relief of serious menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness to consider taking them, particularly as lower-dose therapies are now available that can be taken for short durations.

-Healthnews

High stress ‘delays pregnancy’

by Helen Briggs

Oxford University experts measured stress hormones in women planning a baby naturally and found the most stressed had a reduced chance of becoming pregnant.

Relaxation might help some couples but more research is needed, they say.

Relaxation techniques may help in conception A scientific study has shown for the first time that high stress levels may delay pregnancy.

The study, in the journal Fertility and Sterility, followed 274 healthy women aged 18-40 planning a pregnancy.

Age, smoking, obesity and alcohol are known to affect pregnancy success, but the influence of stress is less clear.

Markers for two stress hormones - adrenalin, the body’s fight or flight hormone, and cortisol, connected with chronic stress - were measured in saliva.

Women with the highest levels of alpha-amylase (an indicator of adrenalin levels) had about a 12% reduced chance of getting pregnant during their fertile days that month compared with those with the lowest levels of the marker.

No difference in the chance of becoming pregnant was found with cortisol.

Anecdotal reports have long linked stress with infertility, but direct scientific evidence has been hard to find.

The findings support the idea that couples should aim to stay as relaxed as they can about trying for a baby” Dr Cecilia Pyper, of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford, said their study aimed to improve understanding of the factors that influence pregnancy in normal healthy women.

She said: “‘This is the first study to find that a biological measure of stress is associated with a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant that month.

“The findings support the idea that couples should aim to stay as relaxed as they can about trying for a baby.

“In some people’s cases, it might be relevant to look at relaxation techniques, counselling and even approaches like yoga and meditation.” The research was carried out in collaboration with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development in the US.

It is part of a larger study looking at the effect of factors like smoking, alcohol, and caffeine on chances of pregnancy.

Commenting on the study, Joanne Taylor, midwife for baby charity Tommy’s said: “Stress does affect people in different ways, and therefore may affect some women’s chances of trying to conceive.

“There are a number of ways in which women can prepare themselves for a healthy pregnancy - maintaining a healthy diet, taking folic acid supplements and keeping stress levels to a minimum is a good start.”

-CNN