Turmeric helps in breast cancer cure

Turmeric, the medicinal properties of which Ayurveda found millennia ago, is now recognized by modern scientific research as a cure for breast cancer. Its anti toxic properties were also widely known, from ancient times in India. Turmeric is an ingredient in many Ayurvedic medicines.

Houston : Oct 15, 2005. : In what may spell good news for people at advanced stages of breast cancer, researchers have discovered that curcumin - the main ingredient in the common Indian spice turmeric - is an "effective preventive". Researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre have found that curcumin, which gives Indian curry its yellow colour; inhibits metastasis in the lungs of mice afflicted with breast cancer.

"We know that it's an effective preventive at low doses, the question is whether larger doses can be therapeutic for disease sufferers," Dr Bharat Aggarwal, of the experimental therapeutics department at the cancer centre, said. Though study results are early, researchers found the non-toxic natural substance not only repelled progression of the disease to the lungs, but also appeared to reverse the effects of paclitaxel taxol, a commonly prescribed chemotherapy for breast cancer that may trigger spread of the disease with use over a long period of time.

"We are excited about the results of the study and the possible implications for taking the findings into the clinic in the next several years," he said.

Advanced breast cancer is currently a difficult foe to fight with few proven treatments available after surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Because taxol is so toxic, it activates a protein that produces an inflammatory response that induces metastasis.

Curcumin suppresses this response, making it impossible for the cancer to spread. In fact, researchers found that adding curcumin to taxol actually enhances its effect.

Curcumin breaks down the dose, making the therapy less toxic and, just as powerful while delivering the same level of efficacy.

Taxol is currently used as chemotherapeutic agent in breast cancers, but because the drug frequently induces resistance after prolonged use, it is not effective in treating metastatic breast cancer, says Aggarwal.

Researchers studied 60 mice with breast cancer, which were randomly assigned to one of four groups - control group, taxol only, curcumin only and the combination of taxol and curcumin. After the tumours grew to 10 mm in size, they were surgically removed, and the mice were fed powdered curcumin.

Source : PTI

Ayurveda heals by treating the mind, body, and spirit

Ayurveda, a 5000 year old Indian healing method, treats not only physical, but also emotional and spiritual ailments. It is based on three different personality types, the Vata, the Pitta, and the Kapha, and treatments are adjusted accordingly. The Ayurveda philosophy believes that health can be affected by daily factors such as work, the people one is surrounded by, and diet. Emphasis is placed on diet, with one's ideal diet based on personality type, or dosha.

Original news summary: (http://www.expressnewsline.com/special/fullstory0305-insight-Ayurvedas+approach+toward+healing-status-11-newsID-2168.html)

Ayurveda has been in use in India since centuries.It's found to be 5000 years old.It is based on three different personality types, and seeks to treat an individual from a holistic perspective.Ayurveda seeks to treat the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of the individual.In Ayurveda the sages state that life, or energy, is alive and intelligent.Understanding the essential nature of reality allows the person to change their own state of health or emotional well being.Everyone is a mixture of these three doshas, and usually has characteristics that make one predominant.1. The Vata person is creative, quick thinking and resourceful.Vata energy is based in the colon and is prone to flatulence, twitches, joint problems, nervous disorders, and constipation.People with the predominate Vata dosha should avoid sugar, alcohol, drugs, most raw foods, and ice cream.2. The Pitta person is strong-willed, impassioned, and determined.People who have red hair, freckles, premature gray hair, and blond hair are said to have some Pitta qualities.These people can be impetuous and flighty, getting over-involved in projects and quickly burning out.The best diet for a Pitta individual would emphasize foods such as cottage cheese, ice cream, sweet fruits, oatmeal, and grains.

• They should avoid spicy and hot foods.
• The Pitta individual would do best in cooler climates that have distinct seasonal changes.
• The Kapha individual is sensitive, sedate, strong, and forgiving.
• Kaphas have the greatest struggle with weight.
• These people are connected to the earth element, and at their best are wise, tolerant, and loyal.
• It is important to keep these doshas in balance through the day.
• The best way to have healthy vikruti is to keep the doshas in balance through diet.

Former football superstar Ricky Williams credits Ayurveda with getting his life back on track

Former Miami Dolphins football star Ricky Williams has become a vocal champion for Ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old system of body-mind balancing from India. The former Heisman Trophy winner credits Ayurvedic principles with helping him regain physical and spiritual strength after a long period of feeling out of balance. Williams is one of millions of Americans discovering Ayurveda, which has become one of the more popular natural health movements in recent years, despite critics’ claims that the practice is not rooted in science.

Original news summary: (http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/10963719.htm)

- At the height of his professional football career, Ricky Williams was feeling stressed and unbalanced. So the Miami Dolphins star abruptly walked away from the sport - and a multimillion-dollar salary - and began studying the ancient Indian medical system known as ayurveda. "I am now able to do things with my body, after only minimal yoga practice, that I could never have imagined doing on the football field," he wrote. Interest in ayurveda is growing as Americans are increasingly trying alternative treatments to battle chronic health problems such as colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and other inflammatory disorders. Considered a comprehensive health-care plan in India, ayurveda teaches that humans are made of three essential qualities, or doshas. When these doshas are knocked out of balance, whether by stress, lack of sleep, a poor diet or something in the environment, symptoms of disease or illness can arise. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who brought transcendental meditation to the United States, generally also is credited with introducing ayurveda in the 1980s. The National Council Against Health Care Fraud, a group that consistently demands more scientific proof with regard to alternative treatments, has warned that "ayurveda has become a marketing term for a variety of health products and services of limited, questionable, or unproved value." Consumers also should stick with products recommended by quality practitioners because the use of dietary supplements such as herbs is largely unregulated by the federal government. Knowing your dominant doshas (many people have two) can affect everything from what you eat to how much exercise you need and what types of oils to use on your skin. "After the first one I was calmer; after three treatments, my body was really responding.