Recent research suggests that chamomile tea could soon be helping diabetes patients.  Chamomile is a mild tea with a fruity flavor with a slight scent and taste of apples.  The tea is made by drying the flowers of the chamomile plant and steeping them in water for a few minutes.  Chamomile hosts a variety of uses including relieving stress, quelling anxiety and nervous disorders, promoting sleep, relieving stomach cramps, inflammation, skin irritations, gout, and boosts the immune system.  However, a new study is focusing on chamomile’s ability to lessen certain conditions caused by diabetes.

Researchers in Japan and the United Kingdom have reported their findings after administering chamomile extract to diabetic rats once a day for 3 weeks.  The study tracked blood glucose levels in the rats compared to diabetic rats that were not given the extract.  They compared the findings between the 2 groups after a 21-day trial.  The rats who were given the chamomile extract showed an enormous decrease in their blood glucose levels.  Scientists also noticed that the chamomile triggered a response in 2 enzymes that play a role in the decline of the body’s functions due to diabetes.  These enzymes control nerve damage; cataracts, retinal damage, and kidney damage were blocked in the rats that were given the chamomile.  This lead the authors to conclude that “These results clearly suggested that daily consumption of chamomile tea with meals could contribute to the prevention of the progress of hyperglycemia and diabetic complications.”

Stevia is an all-natural, calorie-free plant.  This plant, found mostly in Paraguay is steadily becoming an alternative sweetener.  It has about 300 times the sweetness or regular sugar and has been used for centuries to sweeten tea.  If the FDA approves the use of Stevia, it could very well be at the forefront of the next health craze. 

Stevia was discovered by early explorers who chewed the leaves and noticed the long-lasting flavor that lingered in their mouths.  Since 1913, scientists have been trying to bring Stevia to the U.S. to be used as an alternative sweetener. 

A Seattle-based company is now selling Zevia; a zero-calorie, zero-fat soda sold as a dietary supplement in stores in the United States.  The makers of Zevia are trying to help break addictions to diet sodas by offering this all-natural alternative.  They now have 4 flavors; cola, root beer, orange, and twist.

With the rise in people purchasing home water filtration systems; whether it be on their faucets, in their refrigerators, or portable filtered-water pitchers; it may make you wonder what all the fuss is about.  Most people think, why not just use the tap water that you already pay for instead of paying for “fancy’ water.  You may feel that all the buzz is just a push by marketing machines to convince you to pay more for “special” water.  However, researchers are now agreeing that consuming filtered tap water may be in your best interest.  Scientists have recently discovered that tap water may contain small amounts of arsenic and could increase a person’s chances of developing type 2 diabetes.  By simply filtering your water you can help to decrease these levels.

Arsenic, popularly known as rat poison is found naturally in rocks and soil.  It travels down the water supply when the minerals dissolve.  Large levels of inorganic arsenic can lead to brain disturbances, severe stomach pain, organ failure, and can be fatal when untreated.

Are you a patient suffering from a condition that gives the option to use medicinal marijuana for treatment?  As helpful as it may seem, there now may be reasons to reconsider using the substance.  Currently there is about a dozen states that offer the substance for treatment.  However, patients have recently been denied organ transplants based on their previous use of the substance, regardless of whether it had been legally obtained and approved for their treatment.

In one case Timothy Garan, a 56-year-old musician, was removed from an organ recipient list because of his use and dependency on marijuana, as well as other medical conditions.  Some medical professionals think that the use of the drug could possibly prevent an organ transplant from being successful.  Mr. Garan’s doctor had been prescribing him the substance for pain relief, to increase his appetite, and as a sleep aid.  Garan suffers from Hepatitis C which is destructive to a person’s liver. 

It has been stated that when a transplant committee is determining who is qualified to receive an organ there are very high standards.  One of the criteria evaluated is whether the patient is likely to abuse alcohol or drugs.  Alcohol can contribute to liver problems and drug use could delay or make recovery difficult.

What if you could detect cancer by smell?  Well this type of detection is within the realm of possibility.  Human skin releases chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in various amounts, these VOCs create unique scents.  These scents are beyond the noticeable range for humans, but the ultra sensitive canine nose can detect them.  Dogs are currently being trained to “sniff out” tumors and to detect any changes in the odor of urine (to indicate bladder cancer).  Researchers are hoping that they can use this technology advancement to develop a new noninvasive test to detect and diagnose skin cancer.

A study conducted by the researchers at the Model Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia examined the air about the tumor sites of 11 patients infected with basal cell carcinoma, as well as the healthy skin of 11 volunteers.  While VOCs were present in both groups, the sites with cancer had different levels present.  “We found that the odor profile coming from the skin of cancer patients was markedly different than that coming from healthy skin, “ said study author Michelle Gallagher, Ph.D. “Researchers have speculated that tumors give off different odors, but we’re the first to identify and quantify the compounds involved in skin cancer odors.”

Currently the research team has only developed an “odor profile” for basal cell carcinoma, but they are working on the profiles of more life threatening squamous cell cancer and for melanoma.  They are proposing the creation of a nanosensor – or electronic nose that can scan the skin and give an alarm when cancer is detected.

Apparently there is more to that nasty nighttime occurrence of snoring than previously thought.  In fact there are a number of things that happen early in life that can lead to snoring later in life.  Respiratory infections are one factor, but you may not have known that the family dog is another.  Apparently sharing a bed, snuggling on the couch, or romping and rolling in the yard with your dog can lead to snoring later in life.

Karl Franklin, M.D., Ph..D; author and physcician at University Hospital in Umea, Sweden has released his findings that include identifying the environment at an early age can affect whether a person snores later in life.

 Franklin and his team of researchers asked women and men between the ages of 25-54, as well as the residents of Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Estonia, and received responses from 15,556 people.   These participants were asked about their childhood and whether or not they had a dog or other pets, if they had ever been hospitalized for a respiratory infection prior to the age of 2, and whether or not they experienced reoccurring ear infections.  They were also asked about the size of their family, their parents backgrounds, and how old their mothers were.

The findings revealed that 4 criteria were associated with snoring later on.

•  If they had been hospitalized due to a respiratory infection before age 2, their risk for snoring was 1.27 times higher.
• If they had frequent ear infections in childhood, their risk increased 1.18 times.
• If they were in a family with more than 5 members their risk increased 1.04 times
• If they were exposed to a dog in the household as a newborn the risk increased

Dr. Franklin stated that why the exposures increased the risk of snoring is not yet known. “Perhaps these things like dogs, infections, might increase the size of the tonsils” and that may boost the risk of snoring later in life.

Before you decide to ban the family dog, Dr. Franklin has stated that more research must be done to gather conclusive evidence.