“Why Can't Fish Oil Supplements Keep Our Brains Sharp?”

I love this picture! (I’ve never tried to catch fish using vitamins)

For you supplement junkies, here’s a well-written article from Allison Aubrey, a correspondent for NPR News and veteran myth debunker (among other skills, see http://www.npr.org/people/2100208/allison-aubrey ).

She recently reviewed a study published in Neurology, the “Official Journal of the American Academy of Neurology" which finds that omega-3s may not benefit thinking skills or help fend off cognitive decline.

If you’re a pill/supplement popper, this might pop, or at least somewhat deflate your bubble.

While Aubrey has a number of hypotheses regarding this result, she does state that “The researchers found no differences in declines in brain sharpness among the women who had high levels of omega 3s in their blood compared with those with low levels of omega 3s.”

Aubrey goes on to write that “As study author Eric Ammann of the University of Iowa, points out in an email, "most randomized trials of omega-3 supplements have not found an effect on cognitive function."

Hmmm.

She ends her article noting that “In fact, there's increasing evidence, as outlined by Paul Offit*, that we do our bodies no favors by taking a daily regimen of vitamins or supplements.”

Here's a link to her article on the NPR site: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/09/26/226097543/why-cant-fish-oil-supplements-keep-our-brains-sharp

 

Here’s a link to the original study: http://www.neurology.org/content/early/2013/09/25/WNL.0b013e3182a9584c.short

*And here’s a link to the Paul Offit article regarding supplements - http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/the-vitamin-myth-why-we-think-we-need-supplements/277947/

 

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_8764272_close-up-of-a-cod-liver-fish-oil-capsule-a-nutrional-supplement-high-in-omega-3-fatty-acids-epa--dha.html'>onepony / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Melatonin and Cancer

 I first learned of Melatonin as a possible cancer-fighting agent from this discussion on the ABTA’s Inspire website: http://www.inspire.com/groups/american-brain-tumor-association/discussion/melatonin-18/?ref=as&asat=127394871 (You have to register to access it – no cost)

Several victims said they initially started using it to help them sleep. Others said that they are using it in tandem with Temodar because they believe it helps fight GBM.

I then zipped over to www.WebMd.com and found their page on Melatonin - http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/tc/melatonin-overview  In plain English that even I understood, WebMD first explained that Melatonin is primarily used to help folks get a good night sleep. Then, interestingly, the page explained that:

“It may be that melatonin, when taken as a supplement, can stop or slow the spread of cancer, make the immune system stronger, or slow down the aging process. But these areas need more research.”

Interesting, very interesting.

To corroborate this, I scooted over to the American Cancer Society site which said that: “Study results regarding the effect of melatonin supplements on survival and quality of life in people with cancer have been mixed, and further research in this area is needed.”

Ok, what does “mixed” mean? What does “more study is needed mean?” If you think I know, guess again. “More study is needed” often means some poor researcher wants to get funded and be able to buy groceries next year. It could also mean maybe, just maybe, there’s something there.

If you’ve had success, failure or mixed results with Melatonin, shoot me an email.

John

Here’s a link from the American Cancer Society site:  http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/pharmacologicalandbiologicaltreatment/melatonin

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_23076602_hand-with-pen-drawing-the-chemical-formula-of-melatonin.html'>zerbor / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Fruits and Vegetables: Seven-A-Day for Happiness and Mental Health

Now I got to admit, for me this is a bit counter-intuitive. Can you imagine eating seven (7) helpings of fruits and vegetables a day and being happier than with, say, one or two helpings a day? Figuring out how to make, let alone eat seven (7) helpings a day gives me a headache.

But a 2012 study from the University of Warwick reports that, “Happiness and mental health are highest among people who eat seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day.”

My initial thought was, “Ok, they talked to a dozen (12) people in a couple of focus groups and extrapolated…or maybe even exploited the findings.”

I was wrong.

According to an article in ScienceDaily.com, “Economists and public health researchers from the University of Warwick studied the eating habits of 80,000 people in Britain. They found mental wellbeing appeared to rise with the number of daily portions of fruit and vegetables people consumed. Wellbeing peaked at seven portions a day.”

Somehow, I’ve never thought of Brits as big veggie eaters: drinkers – yes, veggies – no.

I felt somewhat vindicated and better about the research findings when the researchers admitted that “In Britain today, a quarter of the population eat just one portion or no portions of fruit and vegetables per day. Only a tenth of the British population currently consume the magic number of seven or more daily portions.”

Somehow a tenth seems high for us Americans.

I felt I needed to write about this because almost every brain tumor victim or caregiver or friend or relative I know or have met really needs better mental health or to be happier, usually both.

Will I be eating seven (7) helpings? I doubt it.

Here’s a link to the ScienceDaily.com article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121009102003.htm

And here’s a link to the original press release issued by the University of Warwick: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/7-a-day_for_happiness/

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_18988597_composition-of-fruit-and-vegetables-framed-in-wood.html'>franckito / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

“15 Things I Wish I’d Known About Grief”

If you’re a brain tumor victim, caregiver or friend, you know about grief. That its debilitating, all consuming, mind-numbing and all too hard to shake off easily.

Blogger Teryn O'Brien wrote this list which resonated nicely with my own feelings and I thought others might find it helpful. Here’s her first five:

1. You will feel like the world has ended. I promise, it hasn’t. Life will go on, slowly. A new normal will come, slowly.
2. No matter how bad a day feels, it is only a day.  When you go to sleep crying, you will wake up to a new day.
3. Grief comes in waves. You might be okay one hour, not okay the next. Okay one day, not okay the next day. Okay one month, not okay the next. Learn to go with the flow of what your heart and mind are feeling.
4. It’s okay to cry. Do it often. But it’s okay to laugh, too. Don’t feel guilty for feeling positive emotions even when dealing with loss.
5. Take care of yourself, even if you don’t feel like it. Eat healthily. Work out. Do the things you love. Remember that you are still living

You should know that Teryn describes herself as “…the blogger behind Identity Renewed, which placed #36 out of over 350 blogs nominated in a recent Christian Piatt/Patheos.com vote for top Christian blogs.”

Here’s a link to her “15 Things I Wish I’d Known About Grief”: http://identityrenewed.com/2013/11/21/15-things-i-wish-id-known-about-grief/

John

PS – While I try to keep this blog non-denominational or overtly religious, I felt that almost anybody who is grieving would get something out of this list.

“There have been very few new brain tumor therapies in the last thirty years, but there is hope.”

This is a quote from the “Legislative Agenda” of the National Brain Tumor Society: http://www.braintumor.org/advocate-for-change/legislative-agenda/

While I am a big supporter of the NBTS, I was appalled by that summary – “There have been very few new brain tumor therapies in the last thirty years.”

I feel all of us – victims, caregivers, researchers, etc. – are lost in some unknowable maze as we try to find the map that gets us out of this mess and onto some viable, walkable, believable path.

It also made me think, “What have we been doing for the past thirty years? Why aren’t we making any progress? Who’s in charge? When do they get their performance review?”

It also reminds me of Rick Page who famously wrote a book entitled Hope is Not a Strategy. And while his book is all about complex sales processes, I think it’s relevant here as “hope” is not a formula for success in any business, let alone the wretched brain tumor business.

As far as I’m concerned we need to ashcan whatever process/roadmap/strategy we’ve been using and do something different.

So if this quote disturbs you, makes you mad, gives you a rash or makes you want to run to the nearest bar and order a pitcher of boilermakers, hold on. Because Clifton Leaf has been just as mad and crazed and disturbed. Only he didn’t run to the nearest bar and get drunk*. He spent years investigating this madness and has figured out how to fix this stupid, broke "cure cancer" system. You can read about in his book entitled The Truth in Small Doses: http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Small-Doses-Losing-Cancer-/dp/1476739986/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374599695&sr=1-1&keywords=clifton+leaf+the+truth+in+small+doses

If you’ve read this far, get this book, read it, and then tell others about it. 

John

*Actually, I don’t really know if he went to the nearest bar and got drunk or not. Given everything he learned and everything he’s written, I hope to buy him a drink someday.

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_14556111_a-man-lost-in-a-maze-or-labyrinth-holds-a-question-mark-sign.html'>iqoncept / 123RF Stoc