Medicine & Healthcare

Antidepressants, despite their popularity, are no more effective than sugar pills for most people with mild or moderate depression. For severe depression, they're somewhat more effective, but far from a cure.

Blue Cross / Blue Shield in many states are under the Wellpoint umbrella. 

Vitamin D, nervous system and aging.\nP. Tuohimaa, T. Keisala, A. Minasyan, J. Cachat and A. Kalueff. .\nPsychoneuroendocrinology, Volume 34, Supplement 1, December 2009, Pages S278-S286\n NEUROACTIVE STEROIDS: EFFECTS and MECHANISMS ofACTION\n \n\nReview of vitamin D3, its active metabolites, and their functioning in the central nervous system (CNS), especially in relation to nervous system pathologies and aging. The vitamin D3 endocrine system consists of 3 active calcipherol hormones: calcidiol (25OHD3), 1α-calcitriol (1α,25(OH)2D3) and 24-calcitriol (24,25(OH)2D3). The impact of the calcipherol hormone system on aging, health and disease is discussed. Low serum calcidiol concentrations are associated with an increased risk of several chronic diseases including osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and muscle weakness ~ all of which can be considered aging-related diseases. The relationship of many of these diseases and aging-related changes in physiology show a U-shaped response curve to serum calcidiol concentrations. Clinical data suggest that vitamin D3 insufficiency is associated with an increased risk of several CNS diseases, including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and schizophrenia. In line with this, recent animal and human studies suggest that vitamin D insufficiency is associated with abnormal development and functioning of the CNS. * Overall, imbalances in the calcipherol system appear to cause abnormal function, including premature aging, of the CNS. *

"ScienceDaily ( 2010) : For those who choose not to obtain anti-inflammatory resveratrol from grapes or wine, researchers have found that carvacrol, derived from six essential oils (thyme, clove, rose, eucalyptus, fennel, bergamot) can suppress inflammatory COX-2 enzyme activity in a similar manner to that of resveratrol.

Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease.\nSiri--Tirino, et al.; \nAm J Clin Nutrition; 2010 Jan 13. \nPMID: 20071648\ndoi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.27725\n\nConclusions: A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is NO significant evidence that dietary saturated fat is associated with increased risk for CHD or CVD. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVD risks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrients used to replace saturated fat

"Lancet 2010: There is a U-shaped relationship between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and mortality in people with diabetes, say researchers, meaning that intensive glucose-lowering therapy could be as harmful as uncontrolled hyperglycemia.\n\nWriting in The Lancet, Craig Currie and team (Cardiff University, UK) conclude that if their findings are confirmed, then diabetes guidelines may need to be revised to include a lower as well as an upper HbA1c threshold.\n\nCurrie's team used the UK General Practice Research Database from November 1986 to November 2008 to obtain data on two cohorts of patients aged 50 years and older with Type 2 diabetes.\n\nThe patients comprised 27,965 individuals whose treatment had been intensified from oral monotherapy to combination therapy with oral blood-glucose lowering agents, and 20,005 who had changed to insulin-containing regimens."

Treatment Options in Treatment-Resistant Depression, by Jennifer Gotto, MD, and Mark H. Rapaport, MD

J Ethnopharmacology. 65:13-19. 1997. Singh, S. Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of fatty acids of Ocimum sanctum fixed oil. Ind J Exp Biol. 35:380-383. || Int J Clin Pharm and Ther: 34(9): 406-409. 2001. Devi, U. Radioprotective, anticarcinogenic and antioxidant properties of the Indian Holy Basil, Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi). Ind J Exp Biol. 39:185-190. 1999. Singh, S. Evaluation of the gastric antiulcer activity of fixed oil of Ocimum sanctum (Holy Basil). "

Jonathan D. Smith, Department of Cell Biology, NC10, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland OH 44195. E-mail smithj4@ccf.org -----     -----     -----     ----- HDL-cholesterol is the "good cholesterol" because of its reverse cholesterol transport and antiinflammatory activities. However, HDL and apolipoprotein A-I can lose their protective activities through changes in protein or lipid composition as well as protein modifications. Assays for dysfunctional HDL could potentially be used as a criterion for preventative therapy.