Food and Health Room

[Piling]

If you were allergic to milk you could not tolerate even chocolate with milk. As many people, you are intolerant to lactose. So you can eat cheese and other dairy.

Cadbury analysis :

https://www.cadbury.co.uk/products/cadb ... oreo-11331

Milk**, sugar, vegetable fats (palm, shea), cocoa butter, wheat flour, whey powder (from milk), skimmed milk powder, cocoa mass, milk fat, reduced fat cocoa powder, emulsifiers (E442, soya lecithin, E476, sunflower lecithin), glucose syrup, wheat starch, salt, acidity regulators (E501, E500), raising agent (E503), flavourings, glucose-fructose syrup.
**The equivalent of 426ml of fresh liquid milk in every 227g of milk chocolate.

Better to leave it and test a GENUINE chocolate (more expansive but better for health).

[Anthea]

I have an intolerance to milk not just lactose

I am only able to eat small amounts of dairy produce which is why I drink black tea

And live on fish salads

[Anthea]

Couple eaten nothing but FRUIT for three years
claim diet makes them ‘feel high’

Couple who’ve eaten nothing but FRUIT for three years claim their extreme diet
makes them ‘feel high’ - and say it helps with weight loss and anti-ageing

Tina Stoklosa, 39, from Warsaw, first discovered diet after pre-Christmas cleanse
She said she quickly found she had more energy and felt happier after a week
After moving to Bali to commit to diet, she started documenting lifestyle online
Through Instagram account she met fiancé Simon, 26, who is also a fruitarian

A couple who met after moving to Bali have revealed how they have only eaten fruit for more than three years - and say they 'feel high' from their natural diet.

Tina Stoklosa, 39, from Warsaw, Poland, explained how she first discovered the fruitarian diet when she was looking for a pre-Christmas cleanse five years ago.

She said she quickly found she had more energy, describing how she also felt happier and noticed that she looked younger.

Two years later, the interior design architect decided to move to Bali to fully commit to her fruitarian lifestyle without distractions from the Western world.

She found she soon lost weight, going from 13st 1lb to 8st 1lb, and a UK size 16 to an 8, despite struggling with conventional dieting back home.

While in Bali, she met her toyboy fiancé Simon Beun, 26, from Izegem, Belgium, who messaged her after discovering the fruitarian diet himself.

The couple now only eat sweet fruits, consuming between 2,000 and 4,000 calories a day - while quenching their thirst with fresh coconut water.

They say they haven't brushed their teeth in two years as the fibre from the fruit cleans them, and claim other benefits include curing depression and other chronic illnesses.

Tina explained how her fruitarian diet has helped her maintain her weight, after struggling with food.

'I have been overweight most on my adult life. Engaged in cycles of binge eating and dieting in turn only growing bigger and feeling more helpless with each year. Despite my successful career in interior design I was single at 36,' she said.

THE COUPLE'S TYPICAL DAILY DIET :

BREAKFAST

Four glasses of orange juice (600 calories)

LUNCH

Bananna smoothie topped with banana chunks. Made with seven bananas (735 calories)

Half an avocado (110 calories)

SNACK

Two dates (133 calories)

DINNER

Two glasses of orange juice (300 calories)

Avocado (220 calories)

Total: 2098 calories

'Whilst researching a green smoothie recipe for the first time - I found a girl online that only ate fruit, and then I found a whole group of people online eating this way and calling themselves fruitarians.

The vast majority of them looked incredibly healthy, and had so much energy they chose to be endurance athletes. I was intrigued, and decided to do a week long pre-Christmas weight loss cleanse on just fruit.'

Tina said she quickly felt the positive effects of eating just fruit, even after just a matter of days.

'I felt amazing that week - light, optimistic, even high, I was walking 30cm above the ground - it felt like I was in love with everything. This diet was worth it even just for the mental game,' she said.

'I decided to never go back to "normal" food. Easier said than done, [and in the] first two years I caved into cooked food hundreds of times.'

However, Tina says her diet has helped her to cope with the weight issues she has struggled with for most of her life.

'Since I was a pre-teen and until I was 36, my sole focus in life was getting thinner, the aggressiveness of my pursuit sharpened by the fact that the more I dieted - the more overweight I became,' she said.

'I engaged in periods of overeating, purging and restricting for over two decades, stuck in this evil cycle, none the wiser with each rodeo. Eventually I reached over 13-stone which is five-stone heavier than I am now.

'Not that it matters now - now that the weight is gone for good, I never even think about weight related stuff, which is why I talk about it so seldom. What's interesting, now that my body has reached its ideal weight, my weight hasn't changed the slightest in three-years.

'With little to no exercise I am able to eat as much as my boyfriend - a twenty-six-year-old male - and not gain any weight. Perks of the fruitarian lifestyle? Certainly. Weight maintenance is just so easy on fruit.'

Previously a vegan, Simon said he found the transition to a fruitarian diet an easy one.

He explained how he discovered fruitarian while training for a marathon during his last year of college.

'To get inspired and improve my results I was watching other athletes on YouTube,' he said.

'One day I discovered Michal Arnstein, a famous fruitarian athlete, who in his video opened up the truck of his car which was full of watermelon and bananas. "This is what I'm gonna run this ultra-marathon on", he said.

'This got me intrigued as he looked amazing, was extremely energetic and always finished the hardest endurance runs in the world in the top three.

'I was open to all sorts of experiments with my diet health and athleticism, so I went fruitarian overnight.

'I felt amazing and my running improved so much I never looked back!'

Simon met Tina after finding her Instagram page, which she set up to document her new lifestyle.

Link to full Article - Photos:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food ... -high.html

[Piling]

After 10 years the lack of B12 vitamin will have all its effect : bye bye hair, teeth, bones.

All these sugar also is like drinking coke all the day :welcome fat liver.

[Anthea]

A diet without chocolate or olive bread

[Piling]

Both are good if you don't eat them more than your metabolism needs, if the chocolate has more cocoa than sugar and if the bread has whole meat flour.

[Anthea]

The olive bread I love is made from some old fashioned heavy flour without any preservatives and has to be eaten within 2 days

[Piling]

The olive bread I love is made from some old fashioned heavy flour without any preservatives and has to be eaten within 2 days

Sounds tasty

[Anthea]

The olive bread I love is made from some old fashioned heavy flour without any preservatives and has to be eaten within 2 days

Sounds tasty

The Co op shops make them fresh every morning

They are only small loaves but cost £1.90 and worth every penny

[Anthea]

Hope for HPV-related cancers: New vaccine gives a boost
to treating even the most advanced head and neck cancers

About 70 percent of head and neck cancers are caused by HPV

Nearly 100 percent of the population gets infected by at least one strain of HPV

The best treatment for advanced head and neck cancers only works for about 15 percent of patients

University of Pennsylvania scientists discovered that an immune system-boosting shot that targets HPV makes the cancer treatment far more effective

The combined treatment activated immunity for 86 percent of patients and one later beat late stage cancer

A vaccine may boost treatments for even advanced HPV-related head and neck cancers, a new trial suggests.

Human papillomavirus, a common sexually transmitted infection, is now the leading cause of head and neck cancers in the US.

And these cancers are becoming more common.

Though early-stage head and neck cancers are usually treatable, the best immunotherapy for later stage cases only works for about 15 percent of patients.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania tested a new vaccine in a small trial and found that it could boost patients' responses to immunotherapy drugs, offering hope to patients with few options.

The sudden, recent surge of head and neck cancers related to HPV has sent shock waves of alarm through the medical community and the general public.

HPV (human papillomavirus) is an incredibly common sexually transmitted infection.

The virus can cause genital and oral warts that are contagious, but typically clear up on their own and don't do any lasting harm themselves.

But HPV has long been known to be a risk factor for cervical cancer in women - and nearly 100 percent of the population will be infected at some point.

There are more than 100 strains of the virus, but about a dozen of them are cancer-causing.

Of those the most dangerous are types 16 and 18.

The two strains are responsible for an estimated 70 percent of the nearly 65,000 annual cases of head and neck cancer.

Head and neck cancers are treatable in their early stages, but kill some 13,700 people a year.

The best defense against these cancers is the HPV vaccine, which is recommended for 11- or 12-year olds, and can be given in two or three doses through age 26 for women and age 21 for men.

But after that age, doctors typically won't vaccinate people against the virus, estimating that they have likely already been exposed.

'Sure, vaccination rates are rising in teens and adolescent patients, but what about people who were never vaccinated? There is a critical need,' says lead study author Dr Charu Aggarwal.

For the 20 or so percent of patients that develop metastatic head and neck cancers that can't be surgically removed, an immunotherapy called anti-PD-1 that stimulates the immune system to deploy T-cells to fight cancer is the last hope.

But it only works in about 15 to 20 percent of patients.

'We don't have all the answers [as to why], but it's disapointing that it only works in some patients,' says Dr Aggarwal.

'We think they inherently don't have immune cells that are able to go into the cancers for whatever reason.'

But she and her team theorized that a vaccine called MEDI0457 might change that because it is designed to specifically target the HPV that led do the cancer.

'This kind of vaccine will drive the T-cells and white blood cells into the tumors' Dr Aggarwal says.

She and her team tried MEDI0457 in 21 patients that had already had and beat head and neck cancer, to see if they could activate the desired immune response.

They tried it first in these patients because 'if we can't get an immune system response, there's no point in trying it in metastatic patients. I'm not going to go to a patient that's dying and say "I'm going to try this" when they really need active treatment,' Dr Aggarwal explains.

In 18 of the 21 patients, they saw exactly the immune response they were looking for, according to their study, published today in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

In fact, one patient was given the experimental vaccine while he was in the early stages of his cancer, before surgery.

However, seven months later, the cancer spread and his doctors found metastases.

When he was given anti-PD-1 - the standard treatment for his stage of the disease - it worked, and he was completely cleared of the disease.

'This response suggests the vaccine may, in some manner, prime the immune system, potentially boosting the effects of subsequent anti-PD-1 therapy,' Dr Aggarwal said.

In light of these findings, she and her team are gearing up for a larger clinical trial and are looking to recruit 50 or 60 patients that are already in the later stages of head and neck cancers to try their combined therapy on.

And Dr Aggarwal hopes that the vaccine will be even more broadly available soon.

'We're close; maybe a couple more years. I wish I had a crystal ball, but I think we're very close but need to accelerate and increase clinical trials,' she says.

'This is a growing epidemic, and it's a real need as we're seeing more and more young patients.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/arti ... ncers.html

[Anthea]

Can you really get pain under control WITHOUT painkillers?

From lavender oil for headaches, to turmeric for back pain
doctor reveals the best natural alternatives to feel better…

Dr Sarah Brewer, medical director of Healthspan, revealed the best options
Many adults automatically reach for painkillers to banish their pain fast
But they have repeatedly been linked with heart problems and other issues
There are many alternative ways to treat the problem – and even prevent it

Painkillers such as ibuprofen and aspirin have over the years been linked with heart problems, irritation of the stomach, ulcers and heartburn.

Fears are also mounting over paracetamol, which some doctors now advice against long-term use of because of its links to heart, liver and kidney damage.

Many automatically reach for painkillers to banish pain fast, however there are many alternative ways to treat the problem – and even prevent it.

Dr Sarah Brewer, medical director of Healthspan, told MailOnline the best options for treating headaches, joint pain, period pain and back ache.

They range from sniffing lavender and taking turmeric to consuming fish oils and resorting to oil made of cannabidiol - a compound found in cannabis.

HEADACHE/MIGRAINE

Migraine is a complex and unpleasant condition which can be improved using diet, lifestyle and natural approaches. The following natural remedies have helped thousands of people – and I use many of them myself.

POP SOME FEVERFEW

Feverfew is a plant belonging to the daisy family. It was known as 'medieval aspirin' and in clinical trials has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects.

How? Its leaves contain a substance called parthenolide whose actions regulate serotonin effects in the brain to reduce the severity and frequency of migraine attacks.

In the UK it is classed as a traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of migraine. Registered traditional herbal medicines (also known as THRs) have undergone extensive quality assurance testing in the same way as conventional pharmaceutical drugs, contain a Patient Information Leaflet to provide information about side effects and cautions, and are regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

In clinical trials, 70 per cent of people taking feverfew leaf extract found it either prevented headaches or lessened their severity.

And a study published in The Lancet showed that feverfew significantly reduced the average number and severity of migraine attacks, and the degree of vomiting, with no serious side effects.

However, the results are not instantaneous – it's important to take the dried herb continuously for several months to see maximum benefit, explains Dr Dick Middleton, director of the British Herbal Medical Association.

USE A COOLING STICK

4head – which looks like a stick of glue, but contains menthol - is my go-to remedy whenever I feel a migraine or stress headache coming on. Swipe the menthol stick across your forehead and the rapid, cooling sensation usually relieves an impending headache within 15 minutes. Use it as soon as possible when you feel a migraine coming on. It is non-greasy, colourless and does not leave a sticky residue. 4head can be used repeatedly, as often as required, although I've never needed to use it more than twice for the same headache.

I keep a 4head in my handbag, one in my bedside drawer, one in my office, and one in the car. Don't throw away the inner cap – replace it to keep the menthol from evaporating. One of my 4head sticks is still going strong, and remains effective, after ten years!

SNIFF LAVENDER

Inhaling lavender essential oil appears to significantly ease migraine pain for some people, according to research published in the journal European Neurology in 2012.

Those who inhaled lavender oil for 15 minutes during an attack recovered faster than those using a placebo.

Try Puressentiel Rest & Relax Organic Massage Oil. It can be inhaled by sprinkling a few drops on a tissue and breathing in deeply and/or you can massage a few drops onto the temples.

The menthol in peppermint essential oil might also stop a migraine from developing, according to a small 2010 study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice. It was also found to alleviate nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light associated with migraine. The participants applied it to their forehead and temples to relieve symptoms.

BATHE IN MAGNESIUM

Studies show that magnesium deficiency may be present in up to half of migraine sufferers - magnesium is vital for energy production in brain cells - and researchers have declared that all migraine patients should be treated with magnesium supplements.

Diet should always come first, so aim to eat more magnesium-rich foods (e.g. spinach, sweet potatoes, and wholegrains) but also consider taking a supplement.

A trial involving 70 people referred to an emergency department with migraine headache compared the effectiveness of magnesium supplements against usual prescribed treatment (dexamethasone and metoclopramide). The results showed that taking magnesium supplements was associated with a greater decrease in pain severity at 20 minutes, 1 hour and 2 hours than the usual drug therapy. The emergency department concluded that magnesium sulfate was a more effective and fast-acting treatment for acute migraine headaches than standard medical care.

Another trial showed that taking magnesium supplements (360mg/day) reduced menstrual migraine when taken in the two weeks before menstruation, and significantly reduced the number of days with migraine headache compared with a placebo.

If you are sensitive to the laxative effects of magnesium, using it as a spray that is absorbed through the skin is a popular option.

Alternatively, add it to your bath in the form of Epsom salts or as magnesium bath flakes. A warm bath will help to relax tense muscles and adding magnesium flakes to the water will provide more of a muscle relaxant effect.

HAVE A SNACK BEFORE BED

Going all night without food triggers physiological changes that include release of stress hormones in a similar way to skipping meals or fasting during the day. When researchers analysed over 1,000 food diaries, they found that having a night-time snack before bed reduced the chance of experiencing a migraine headache on the following day by 40 per cent, compared to days without a previous night's snack.

NECK/SHOULDER/BACK PAIN

RUB ON A CREAM

Different creams and gels combine different pain-relieving ingredients for a greater effect. The most effective natural ingredients are arnica, cannabidiol CBD oil, glucosamine, chondroitin, celadrin, comfrey root, capsicum, MSM (methyl-sulfonyl-methane) and Green-lipped mussel extracts.

If you're looking for an effective pain relief cream or gel for back pain, in the UK, try Pernaton Gel, which contains an extract of green lipped mussels plus menthol and other essential oils.

In the US, Penetrex is the one with the highest number of 5* reviews

MICROCURRENT THERAPY

Microcurrent therapy generates a tiny microcurrent that mimics the body's natural electrical currents and reinforces them to reduce pain and stimulate healing. The electrode pads can be placed over the painful area but also work if the device is attached to an arm or leg, as the microcurrents travel through the body to wherever there is inflammation and pain.

One piece of kit that I thoroughly recommend is the AE device by Arc4Health. I was recently virtually immobilised by lower back pain – but within two minutes of wearing the device, I was able to stand and walk around again.

Arc4Health is worn on the arm or leg, and generates electrical microcurrents that mimic the body's own bioelectrical field. This promotes pain relief and healing and can be used to treat acute pain due to migraine, surgery, injury, fractures or a slipped disc, for example, or for long-term (chronic) pain due to conditions such as arthritis, frozen shoulder or fibromyalgia.

The device has four settings, two of which relieve pain, and two of which promote tissue repair and healing. Typically, you work through the four settings, using each one for a total three hours a day for three weeks before moving on to the next setting.

A study involving 1,949 patients using microcurrent therapy for pain management found that 93 per cent experienced significant pain reduction.

STRETCH WITH A BACKRACK

The vertebrae in your back interlock to form gentle curves, whose sinuous S shape provide additional strength and stability. If these become compressed, the spine is 'squashed' or shortened and back pain results.

Stretching exercises will help to free up the back and improve lower back pain.

One of the best spinal exercisers is the Backrack, which was developed by a spinal rehabilitation specialist. It is designed to decompress the natural curves of the spine and to treat both the underlying cause and the symptoms of back pain.

We have kept a Backrack under our bed for over 10 years. My other half regularly lies on it for a few minutes, first thing in the morning, to stretch his back before starting the day. (Other back stretching devices are also available.)

Simply lie down on the Backrack and the nodules on the spindles will do the rest. They are designed to suspend your spine and to push up under the joints that become compressed. This gently separates the joints and allows your spine to lengthen and decompress, relieving the pressure that is associated with back pain.

TAKE TURMERIC – OR DEVIL'S CLAW

Devil's Claw, made from extracts of a South African plant, is a traditional herbal medicine used to relieve back pain. It contains unique substances, such as harpagoside and harpagide, with painkilling actions similar to those of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and aspirin, but without the same side effects. As well as reducing pain, Devil's Claw helps to improve mobility.

A Cochrane (the gold standard of medical literature reviews) review of herbal medicines used to treat low back pain concluded that daily doses of Devil's claw (either 50 or 100mg), may be better than placebo for short-term improvements in pain and may reduce use of standard painkilling medication. One clinical trial showed that Devil's claw was as effective as prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs.

Turmeric is an Ayurvedic herbal medicine used to treat joint and lower back pain. The active ingredient is curcumin, a powerful anti-inflammatory antioxidant that suppresses the excessive production of an inflammatory chemical called TNF-alpha. This same substance is the molecule targeted by antibody drugs used to treat osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and ankylosing spondylitis. These biological drugs must be given by injection – yet turmeric can be taken orally.

Ensure your turmeric supplement is a well-known brand, made to pharmaceutical standards (GMP), to ensure it actually contains the level and purity of curcumin claimed on the label. The curcumin in turmeric that is formulated into liquid micelles is 185 times better absorbed than other forms of turmeric and, as you want optimal absorption to ensure turmeric can act on your lower back pain, this is the form that I recommend.

PERIOD PAIN

During menstruation, the womb lining produces hormone-like chemicals (prostaglandins) that constrict blood vessels to reduce blood losses. Excessive cramping pain is thought to occur when you make more prostaglandins than usual, or become more sensitive to their effects.

MAGNETIC CLIPS

I am a great fan of magnetic therapy, which helps to improve blood flow, reduce cramping and ease pain. Indeed, both I and my daughter have found wearing a magnetic device helpful for reducing pain.

The device, called MN8, clips onto underwear and is said to improve period pains in 90 per cent of women.

A study involving 23 student nurses with period pain compared the effects of wearing a therapeutic magnet above the pubic bone against a control device that was not magnetic. Within three hours of applying the true magnet there was a significant difference in period pain compared with placebo.

Another study involving 35 women with period pain compared the effects of wearing a static magnet device or an identical, much weaker magnetic device, which acted as a placebo. In those using the full-strength magnet, there was a significant reduction in period pain scores.

MINI TENS MACHINE

Another drug-free way to relieve painful periods using the power of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (T.E.N.S.).

Electrical pulses flood your nerve endings with low-grade tingles that stop pain messages from being transmitted to the brain.

The brain automatically downgrades these messages sent from the TENS machine, and, by doing so, the perception of other signals using the same nerve pathways – such as from muscles experiencing period cramps – are also reduced. The pain signals get blocked and the discomfort is temporarily numbed in a similar way to acupuncture.

A dedicated TENS device for period pain is called Livia. Choose your Livia colour, stick the two adhesive pads over the area that hurts, and switch it on for instant pain relief. You can adjust the settings to find a level of pain relief that works best for you.

While Livia is not cheap (it's around £180) , the concept is highly effective – I used TENS when having my first-born, and later when having twins, so can definitely vouch that it works!

BUY A LONG HOT WATER BOTTLE

Often, all you want to do is lie down and cuddle up to a hot water bottle. I recommend using a long hot water bottle that you can wrap around your back and abdomen for best results e.g. YuYu long hot water bottles in the UK, or the Peter Pan long hot water bottle in the US.

FISH OILS

Period pains seem to be significantly worse in women with a low intake of fish, and taking omega-3 fish oil supplements has been shown to significantly improve painful periods. This is because omega-3 oils contain essential fatty acids that have a beneficial effect on the types of prostaglandins produced.

In fact, the results from 46 studies show that omega-3 fish oil significantly reduced chronic pain – especially period pain – and more than halved the degree of discomfort. Omega-3 fish oil supplements are especially helpful for improving painful periods in teenage girls.

If you are vegetarian, then flaxseed oil is a good alternative source of omega-3.

JOINT PAIN

TAKE ST PAUL'S WORT

The plant Sigesbeckia orientalis, also known as St Paul's Wort, has been used for thousands of years to treat different types of arthritis and other aches and pains like backache, rheumatic or general aches and pains in the muscles and joints.

You can now find this traditional herbal medicinal product in Phynova Joint and Muscle Relief Tablets which have been shown to have a significant anti-inflammatory effect on joint pain and can be safely taken with standard non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen.

'Clinical research published in BiodMed International has shown Sigesbeckia orientalis has analgesic [painkilling], anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cartilage protective effects and is shown to be effective in reducing joint swelling, inflammation and pain in arthritis patients,' the company says.

MASSAGE JOINTS WITH A CREAM

Many patients have told me they find Celadrin cream effective for rapid relief of painful joints. It appears to work best when you apply it all around the joint – for example in a continuous band around the front, sides and back of a knee. One gentleman, who had two arthritic knees, told me he performed a personal experiment in which he applied celadrin cream around one knee but not the other. He was amazed at the difference in the treated knee which, within hours, became less painful and more mobile. Needless to say, he soon started applying it to both knees!

Celadrin is a blend of waxy, cetylated fatty acids (CFAs) that are laid down in cell membranes to improve their flexibility and resilience. It also has an anti-inflammatory, pain-killing action.

Research shows that applying celadrin cetylated fatty acid cream with menthol to knees can reduce arthritis pain and improve the range of movement. Applying celadrin cream also makes it easier to climb up and down stairs.

Other creams and gels contain glucosamine. This provides building blocks for making new cartilage, and repairing damaged areas. It's also known to damp down inflammation and act as a biological signal to stimulate tissue repair.

The glucosamine found in topical creams and gels is different to the glucosamine found in oral tablets. This form, n-acetyl glucosamine, is small enough to sink into skin and penetrate underlying tissues to reduce pain.

Glucosamine cream and gel can significantly rTRY CBD OILeduce the pain of knee osteoarthritis within 4 weeks. One study involving a glucosamine cream found that 100% of those with arthritis of the shoulder gained benefit. Of those with arthritis of the ankle, wrist or elbow, glucosamine cream reduced pain in 75 per cent of people, and it worked in 58 per cent of those with knee osteoarthritis.

TRY CBD OIL

One of the big health stories of 2018, cannabidiol, or CBD oil, is increasingly being studied for its pain-relieving abilities, among other medical uses.

Extracted from non-marijuana strains of industrial hemp plants, CBD oil is highly effective for treating many types of pain, including headache, joint pain, endometriosis pain and neuropathic pain (due to nerve damage). CBD creams, salves and ointments are equally effective for pain relief when applied directly to painful muscles and joints

From personal experience, I find that taking CBD at night helps me sleep deeply, and wake up without muscle or joint aches or pains (I also take turmeric and omega3 fish oil which provide additional benefits). I take Healthspan High Strength CDB oil capsules and Peppermint Oil dropper available http://www.healthspan.co.uk

CBD not only reduces the level of pain signals reaching the brain but alters the way you respond to them, changing your reaction to pain and helping you feel and cope much better. In addition, CBD reduces anxiety and stress, improves sleep and lifts mood.

However, because it does not contain THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, it does not give you the high associated with the plant and is therefore legal to take. NB If you are taking any prescribed drugs, check for interactions before taking it – these are especially likely if your medicine is known to interact with grapefruit juice.

A 2012 review in the Journal of Experimental Medicine concluded Cannabidiol oil (a non-psychoactive part of the cannabis plant) is an effective treatment for adults suffering with chronic pain and, significantly, there are no reported side effects.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/arti ... llers.html

[Anthea]

Will CBD oil relieve my pain - and is it legal?

Doctor answers eight questions about the cannabis supplement
which claims to calm anxiety, relieve joint pain and even boost sleep

CBD oil doesn't contain the chemical THC which is what makes cannabis illegal
And the compound doesn't have the same hallucinogenic effects on the brain
Dr Sarah Brewer claims it helps her nod off in five minutes and sleep more deeply

Millions now take cannabidiol oil, or CBD oil, to reduce anxiety, boost sleep and relieve joint pain.

Extensive scientific research has proven the health supplement, sold on the high street, offers several potential health benefits.

But much confusion still surrounds CBD, which comes from the cannabis plant, writes Dr Sarah Brewer, a GP and nutritionist.

It is important not to confuse legal CBD oil with forms of cannabis oil, which contain the psychoactive compound THC and is illegal.

Here, Dr Brewer, of Healthspan, answers eight questions about the supplement, including whether it could help tackle your pain, if its safe and how it works.

WHAT ACTUALLY IS CBD OIL?

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a natural extract from the hemp plant.

Because it's oil soluble, it's often mixed with hemp, coconut or olive oil to enhance its absorption. This CBD plus oil mixture is known as CBD oil.

As CBD comes from cannabis there is a common assumption that CBD oil makes you 'high' but this is not the case.

That's because it's extracted from non-marijuana strains of the cannabis plant known as hemp.

The marijuana plant and the hemp plant are both from the 'cannabis' family, but the latter does not contain sufficient amounts of an ingredient known as tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

THC is the ingredient in cannabis that has 'psychoactive' effects and it's particularly prevalent in the marijuana cannabis plant.

Hemp cannabis, on the other hand, does not contain enough THC to cause these 'psychoactive' effects.

IS IT LEGAL?

Yes. Because CBD does not contain the psychoactive ingredient THC, it is entirely legal to buy and take CBD supplements in the UK.

And because CBD is a legal ingredient, it is not tested for in drug tests used to detect illegal drugs.

Suppliers have to obtain a licence to sell it as a medicine. But manufacturers are able to avoid regulation by selling it as a food supplement - ignoring the lengthy process of gaining a medicinal licence.

However, cannabis oil, which contains THC - the compound that gives users a 'high' - is illegal under UK laws.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid's announcement in July that medicinal cannabis will be available on prescription from this autumn opened the door for oils to be given the green light if approved by the drug regulator.

Sativex, a mouth spray which contains THC and CBD, is already approved for use in the UK by the MHRA as a treatment for multiple sclerosis.

IS IT ADDICTIVE?

No, CBD is not addictive. An addiction to marijuana can develop as a severe form of 'marijuana use disorder', which affects an estimated 30 per cent of marijuana users.

This develops out of a person's dependence on the psychoactive effects of THC – the ingredient in the marijuana plant which causes a high and results in withdrawal symptoms.

CBD comes from an entirely different plant – the hemp plant – that contains only trace amounts of THC which are not enough to cause a high.

Instead, CBD works by enhancing the effects of other brain chemicals such as serotonin and anandamide.

It does not activate the receptors that make marijuana psychoactive and addictive.

In fact, the effects of cannabidiol are opposite to those of THC and can actually block some of the psychoactive effects of THC, which is why CBD is added to medical forms of marijuana prescribed to treat certain disorders.

IS CBD OIL SAFE?

CBD oil is recognised as safe and well-tolerated in healthy people, with few side effects.

A World Health Organization report has confirmed it does not have any potential for abuse or to cause harm, and it is therefore not classed as a controlled substance.

The Cannabis Trades Association UK recommends that CBD should not be sold to anyone under the age of 18.

I THOUGHT CANNABIS WAS BAD FOR YOUR BRAIN?

The mood-altering part of cannabis that you smoke or eat – the THC – not only makes you feel 'high' but can produce hallucinations, can cause tolerance (so you need more and more to produce the same effects) and withdrawal symptoms.

According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, there is mounting evidence linking long-term use of marijuana with serious mental illness, such as depression, and doubles the risk of developing a psychosis such as schizophrenia, especially in those who start using it in their teens.

In contrast, CBD is not psychoactive nor addictive. In fact, it actually blocks the effects of THC within the brain, protects brain cells from damage and is increasingly used as an herbal supplement to reduce anxiety and stress and to promote general well-being.

HOW DOES CBD WORK?

CBD does this by tapping into your body's own endocannabinoid system.

This is made up of communication chemicals in the brain, the millions of cannabinoid receptors with which these interact, and the enzymes that synthesise and break them down.

he cannabinoids you make yourself, such as anandamide, pass messages between the brain, nervous system and immune system to help balance key body functions that range from mood, sleep, appetite and memory, through to coordinating the production of hormones, growth and development.

The endocannabinoid system is also involved in regulating inflammation, pain perception and immune responses.

CBD interacts with some of your cannabinoid receptors but not others.

It also interacts with many other, non-endocannabinoid signalling systems and has been described as a 'multi-target' supplement that damps down inflammation as well as having beneficial effects on mood, sleep and pain perception – all without causing the high or withdrawal effects associated with marijuana strains of cannabis.

FROM HEAD TO TOE, THE EVIDENCE ON CBD OIL

Epilepsy

An estimated 30 per cent of people with epilepsy are resistant to drug treatment, and the search for new and improved treatments has recently focused on cannabinoids.

A pure CBD product (Epidiolex) has undergone successful clinical trials and an application submitted for a drug license in the US, based on clinical data involving 1,500 patients.

It is being launched in the US this Autumn and should become available on prescription in the UK by mid-2019 if approved by the European Medicines Agency early next year.

In a three-month study involving 137 children and young adults with certain forms of epilepsy, for example, almost half experienced a reduction in seizure frequency with CBD.

Cancer

Medical marijuana (THC plus CBD) has been used clinically to treat chronic pain in terminal cancer that has not responded to opiate analgesics.

There are also anecdotal tales of CBD having beneficial effects against cancer.

Cell studies suggest CBD can reduce the proliferation of cancer cells (prostate, liver and breast) in the laboratory, but this has not yet been tested in human clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals.

Cancer should only ever be treated under the supervision of an experienced oncology team.

If you have cancer and wish to take cannabidiol products, you should discuss this with your medical team first to ensure CBD will not interact with any of the prescribed medicines you are taking.

Anxiety

CBD can reduce muscle tension, restlessness and fatigue, while improving concentration and anxiety.

A study involving people with social anxiety who had not previously received any treatments compared the effects of taking either CBD (600 mg) or placebo 90 minutes before undergoing a simulated public speaking test.

These results were then compared against a healthy control group of volunteers, who were tested without any medication.

Pre-treatment with CBD significantly reduced anxiety, muddled thoughts, social discomfort and anticipatory anxiety compared with placebo.

As a result, those taking cannabidiol extracts performed as well as the healthy controls who did not have generalised social anxiety.

However, taking too high a dose increased anxiety, so start with a low level and slowly increase.

CBD is also a promising treatment for panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Inflammation and pain

CBD oil is highly effective for treating many types of pain, including headache, joint pain, endometriosis pain and neuropathic pain (due to nerve damage).

CBD creams, salves and ointments are equally effective for pain relief when applied directly to painful muscles and joints.

I find that taking CBD at night helps me wake up without muscle or joint aches or pains.

CBD not only reduces the level of pain signals reaching the brain but alters the way you respond to them, changing your reaction to pain and helping you feel and cope much better. It also has an anti-inflammatory effect.

A 2012 review in the Journal of Experimental Medicine concluded that CBD oil is an effective treatment for adults suffering with chronic pain and, significantly, there are no reported side effects.

Stopping smoking

Cannabidiol has been used to support smoking cessation.

A study involving 24 smokers who wished to quit found that using cannabidiol reduced the number of cigarettes smoked by around 40 per cent, compared with no change in those using placebo.

Parkinson's disease

A study involving people with Parkinson's disease found that taking cannabidiol (300mg per day) for 6 weeks significantly improved quality of life compared with a lower dose (75mg CBD per day) or placebo.

However, some research suggests that high doses of cannabidiol might make muscle symptoms worse in people with Parkinson's.

These high doses should only be used under medical supervision.

Skin

Cannabidiol has antibiotic and antioxidant actions, and products containing CBD have beneficial effects on the skin, improving conditions such as acne.

WHAT'S THE RECOMMENDED DOSE?

Products typically supply 6mg to 25mg CBD per serving.

For general well-being, the recommended dose is 10mg to 30mg per day as a food supplement.

Higher doses are used for particular conditions, but as a food supplement, doses should not exceed 200mg per day.

For optimal results, you should take CBD at regular intervals throughout the day – for example, by dividing your total daily dose into three or four smaller doses taken every four hours.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR CBD OIL TO WORK?

It depends on the delivery method you choose.

Capsules typically have a slower release – from 20 minutes to an hour to produce the desired outcome, while oral sprays and liquid drops of CBD which are held in the mouth to boost absorption directly into the circulation work more quickly – you may notice a relaxing effect within just a few minutes.

CBD oil capsules which contain additional olive oil will aid the absorption of CBD into the body.

HOW LONG DOES CBD STAY IN YOUR SYSTEM?

The effects of CBD last for around three to five hours.

After this, the dose will have fallen below levels that produce noticeable benefits, although it will take up to two days for all the CBD to disappear from the body.

BE CAREFUL IF YOU'RE ALREADY TAKING MEDICATION

If you have a health condition or are taking any prescribed or over-the-counter medicines – including benzodiazepines and anti-depressants – always check with your doctor or a pharmacist for possible drug supplement interactions before taking CBD.

This is because CBD interacts with enzymes involved in metabolising some medicines, and may result in increased drug levels that could cause side effects.

If the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with your medication says to avoid grapefruit juice, for instance, then do not take CBD as the same type of interaction can affect circulating blood levels of your medicine.

If the leaflet does not mention grapefruit juice you should still check with your doctor before taking CBD.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/arti ... ement.html

[Anthea]

Ditch the Diet Coke: Six artificial sweeteners used in a
range of soft drinks and foods are TOXIC to gut bacteria

Scientists analysed sweeteners approved for consumption in the US and EU

They included the controversial aspartame, which is used in Diet Coke

The study offers 'further evidence' that artificial sweeteners can damage health

Artificial sweeteners found in Diet Coke and other soft drinks could damage your gut bacteria, research suggests.

Scientists found six sweeteners - all approved for use in foods and drinks in the US and EU - were toxic to gut microbes.

They included the controversial aspartame, which has been at the centre of critical reports dating back decades. It is used in Diet Coke.

Researchers from Israel and Singapore warned the findings offer 'further evidence' that artificial sweeteners can damage health.

A healthy gut microbiome has been associated with everything from improved hormone regulation, nutrient absorption, digestion and immune system function.

As well as aspartame, the scientists also assessed sucralose, saccharine, neotame, advantame and acesulfame potassium-k.

Ten sports supplements that contain these sweeteners were also analysed for the study, published in the journal Molecules.

The study was led by a team at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

In their laboratory trial, all six of the sweeteners were exposed to bacteria that are commonly found in the human gut.

These bacteria were genetically modified to contain fluorescent compounds that glow when they detect toxins.

The researchers discovered toxins are released when gut bacteria are exposed to artificial sweeteners in the lab.

It only took one mg/ml of the artificial sweeteners to turn the bacteria toxic.

And the higher the amount of artificial sweetener, the more toxins that are released, according to the team led by Professor Ariel Kushmaro.

He said: 'This is further evidence consumption of artificial sweeteners adversely affects gut microbial activity which can cause a wide range of health issues.

'The results of this study might help in understanding the relative toxicity of artificial sweeteners and the potential of negative effects on the gut microbial community.'

Diet drinks account for a quarter of the sweetened beverages market but there is growing evidence they are not as healthy as previously thought.

Although marketed as a diet-friendly alternative to sugary drinks, scientists say they should no longer be regarded as the healthier alternative.

Artificial sweeteners have repeatedly been linked to obesity, cancer, type 2 diabetes, migraines and even liver toxicity.

The sweeteners are also emerging as environmental pollutants due to them being resistant to wastewater treatment processes.

Professor Kushmaro added the findings could also help to detect the damage that artificial sweeteners have on the environment.

Aspartame has established itself as an important component in many low-calorie, sugar-free foods and beverages.

It is consumed by more than 200 million people around the world and is found in more than 6,000 products, it was reported in 2015.

These include carbonated soft drinks, powdered soft drinks, chewing gum, dessert mixes, puddings and fillings and some vitamins and sugar-free cough drops.

Aspartame is a nutritive sweetener made by joining two amino acids L-phenylalanine and L-aspartic acid, with a third component called a methyl ester group.

Very little is needed for a sweet taste, making aspartame virtually non-caloric. It is thought to be up to 200 times sweeter than sucrose.

More people may be opting for artificially-sweetened drinks after a sugar tax on soft drinks was introduced in the UK on April 6.

Drinks with more than 8g of sugar per 100ml are taxed 24p per litre. Those containing 5-to-8g of sugar per 100ml are hit with a lower rate of tax of 18p per litre.

Many drink manufacturers have slashed the amount of sugar in their drinks in order to escape the tax.

WHAT ARE THE FEARS OVER SWEETENERS?
AND WHAT DOES THE SCIENCE SHOW?

In an era of obesity and diabetes, there is more focus on sweeteners and sugar alternatives than ever before. But some in the scientific community say the jury is still out on the effects of sweeteners and more research is needed.

OBESITY AND DIABETES

A study published in April this year from the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University linked artificial sweeteners to obesity and diabetes, claiming sweeteners change how the body processes fat and uses energy.

Researchers fed groups of rats diets high in sugar or artificial sweeteners including aspartame and acesulfame potassium. After three weeks, blood samples showed significant differences in concentrations of biochemicals, fats and amino acids.

GUT BACTERIA

Leading gut microbiome expert Professor Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College, has warned that if you give animals lots of sweeteners, you get a reduction in diversity of the microbes and they produce abnormal chemicals – different metabolic signals which have been shown to be more likely to give you diabetes and make you put on weight.

He adds that while there’s no hard evidence yet in humans, he has seen enough to make him wary of regularly eating these additives.

STROKE AND DEMENTIA

Consuming a can a day of low-or no-sugar soft drink is associated with a much higher risk of having a stroke or developing dementia, researchers claimed last year.

A Boston University study found that people who glugged diet drinks daily were almost three times as likely to develop stroke and dementia when compared to those who did not.

However, the researchers were quick to point out that these findings, which appear separately in the journals Alzheimer's & Dementia and Stroke, demonstrated correlation but not cause-and-effect.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/arti ... c-gut.html

[Anthea]

Has Nigella found the recipe for a perfect night's sleep?

TV chef's habit of sleeping in two-hour bursts throughout the night mirrors how our ancestors rested

Nigella recently revealed she's often in bed by 7.30pm and sleeps in bursts

Pattern is biphasic and was used well before eight-hour stint now strived for

Around two-thirds of us report difficulties sleeping with half awake worrying

Such is our fascination with Nigella Lawson, it seems no utterance of hers goes unreported. Last month she revealed she has a weakness for self-help books, but was too embarrassed to reveal which ones.

This week, she told a podcast audience that she’s cut back on alcohol, because it exacerbates her anxiety.

Both are interesting insights, but neither is quite as fascinating as Nigella’s recent revelations about her sleep patterns. I think she’s on to something.

In a woman’s magazine interview, Nigella said she’s often in bed by 7.30pm and sleeps in two-hour bursts. In between, she gets up, potters around and makes tea, before going back and sleeping for another two hours.

It sounds crazy — surely she must be seriously sleep-deprived. Everyone needs a good, uninterrupted eight hours, don’t they?

Actually, they don’t. In fact, Nigella’s mode of sleeping is far more in keeping with historic sleep patterns than the single period of sleep so many of us aspire to now.

We tend to assume our forefathers retired to bed at sundown and rose with the sun. Well, we assume wrong.

Instead, they had what is known as a biphasic sleep pattern — they’d sleep for four hours and then get up, do household chores, pray, eat, have sex, even visit neighbours. Then they’d go back to sleep for another four hours.

Prayer manuals from the 15th century stipulated specific prayers for the waking hours between sleeps, while it was commonly believed that this period was a good time to try to conceive a child.

Monophasic sleep — which describes the eight hours we currently strive for — is a relatively new concept. It developed as a result of various social factors, including the Industrial Revolution, which saw the introduction of shift working, and later the installation of gas and electric lighting in homes.

By the late 1600s, biphasic sleep patterns started to be replaced by monophasic patterns, starting with the urban upper classes and, over the next 200 years, filtering down to all parts of society.

So the way we sleep today goes against tens of thousands of years of human evolution — and I believe that is a factor in the epidemic of sleep problems we face.

Around two-thirds of us report difficulties sleeping, according to The Sleep Council. Half of us lie awake worrying, with only a quarter saying they get enough sleep.

Could it be that our bodies are yearning to return to the natural, biphasic pattern?

An experiment conducted in the Nineties by psychiatrist Dr Thomas Wehr certainly suggests that.

He took a group of volunteers and placed them in darkness for 14 hours a day, every day for a month. It took a while for their sleep to regulate but, with no clocks and cut off from the outside world, they fell into a very distinct sleep pattern.

They would sleep for four hours, wake for several hours and be active, then go back to sleep again for a further four hours. When given the opportunity, the body adopts the biphasic pattern of the past.

I know several people plagued by sleep problems who have adopted alternative sleeping patterns with very positive results. I realise it’s hard to introduce two or three ‘sleeps’ spread through the night if you have to be up by 6am with the kids and get to work. But it is possible.

I had one patient, a successful illustrator, who suffered from insomnia for years — until she changed how and when she slept. She started going to bed when her children did at around 8pm. She’d get up at midnight and then work productively for several hours in peace. After doing the school run, she’d go back to bed for another four hours. She felt fantastic.

For many of us, our body clocks simply aren’t tuned to the demands modern life places on us when it comes to how we sleep. Perhaps we should take note of what Nigella does and find out what our bodies really want.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... R-MAX.html

[Piling]

Melatonin is also good for sleeping and against craving-food by night.