Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine
Presents
Shin Lin, PhD
Professor of Cell Biology, Neuroscience, & Biomedical Engineering
Dr. Lin is on the faculty of the Samueli Center and a long-time collaborator with researchers at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He is currently a member of the National Advisory Council on Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine and the journal Chinese Medicine.
“Frontiers in the Integration of Eastern and Western Medicine”
After a brief introduction to the fundamental differences between Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western medicine, Dr. Lin will give an overview of how modern biomedical technologies are applied in the mechanistic research on herbal medicine and Eastern mind-body practices. This will be followed by examples of the integrative use of Eastern and Western therapies to treat complicated diseases such as diabetes and cancer, and an inside look into some of the largest and most advanced hospitals for integrative medicine in China.
Thursday, February 7th, 2008
4:30 – 5:30 pm
Hitachi Conference Room, Plumwood House, UCI Campus
This talk and opportunity for discussion is part of a monthly series offered by the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine. Additional information: http://www.sscim.uci.edu/ or contact Jodi Montano at jymontan@uci.edu
949-824-0087
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Lack of Vitamin E Linked to Physical Decline --Age, but not other vitamins, also associated with poor physical function
HealthDay
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
HealthDay
Copyright (c) 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Tuesday, January 22, 2008
TUESDAY, Jan. 22 (HealthDay News) -- If you don't get enough vitamin E in your diet, you may have a greater risk of declining physical function as you age, according to the findings of a new study.
Yale researchers report that people with the lowest blood levels of vitamin E have about 60 percent greater odds of a decline in physical function when compared to people with the highest levels of vitamin E.
"Low plasma levels of vitamin E are associated with subsequent decline in physical function," said the study's lead author, Benedetta Bartali, a nutritionist and a Brown-Coxe postdoctoral fellow at Yale University's School of Medicine.
"As an antioxidant, vitamin E may prevent or reduce the propagation of free radicals in our body, and this may help to reduce muscle or DNA damage and the development, for example, of atherosclerosis and other pathologic conditions," Bartali said, although she added that this study wasn't designed to identify the reasons why vitamin E might be helpful.
Results of the study are published in the Jan. 23 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In the past, it was believed that vitamin E could help prevent serious illness, such as heart disease or Alzheimer's. However, more current research found that excess levels of vitamin E, rather than being helpful, could actually be harmful. For that reason, it's recommended that people don't take more than 400 I.U.'s [International Units] of vitamin E daily. And the recommended daily dose is significantly lower than that -- 15 milligrams or 22.5 I.U.'s daily for anyone over the age of 15, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Because poor nutrition has been associated with physical decline in older people, Bartali and her colleagues randomly selected almost 700 adults over age 65 from an ongoing longitudinal study in Tuscany, Italy. They reviewed blood tests to ascertain vitamin levels and reviewed data from physical function exams completed at the start of the study and at the three-year follow-up.
After adjusting the data to account for other factors that could contribute to physical decline, such as smoking or a lack of physical activity, the researchers found two factors were significantly associated with a greater chance of experiencing physical decline -- age and low levels of vitamin E. Levels of B vitamins, vitamin D and iron didn't increase the odds of physical decline, according to the study.
Being older than 81 years increased the odds of physical decline by 84 percent, and low levels of vitamin E in people between the ages of 70 and 80 increased the odds of physical decline by 60 percent, according to the study.
"Because only one person in our study used vitamin E supplements, our results suggest that an appropriate dietary intake of vitamin E may help to reduce the decline in physical function among older persons. Whether the use of vitamin E supplements would yield similar beneficial effects is unknown," Bartali said.
Dr. Kanwardeep Singh, a geriatric specialist at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit, said that while this is a very well-done study, it's difficult to "take the effect of age out of what we are trying to identify."
For now, he said, "I would not recommend vitamin E supplements. My recommendations would be based on a good nutritious diet, with adequate caloric intake and adequate exercise. These will take you far beyond vitamin E supplements" in maintaining physical function.
HealthDay
Copyright (c) 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Related News:
Friday, January 18, 2008
2nd Annual Conference on Nutrition & Supplements
The Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, Irvine will hold the “2nd Annual Conference on Nutrition & Supplements: An Evidence-Based Approach” Saturday - Sunday, March 1 - 2, 2008, at the Hilton Irvine/Orange County Airport. Scheduled keynote speaker is Paul Coates, Office of Dietary Supplements director, National Institutes of Health. Conference brochure and more information are available online at http://www.sscim.uci.edu/index_2col.asp?page=16 .
Discounts are available for early registration, full-time students and UCI faculty & staff.
Discounts are available for early registration, full-time students and UCI faculty & staff.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Drink a Little, Stay Active, Save Your Heart
The combination could add years to your life, Danish researchers find
HealthDayWednesday, January 9, 2008
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking in moderation and keeping physically active is the formula for keeping heart disease at bay, Danish researchers report.
In fact, people who didn't drink and weren't physically active had a 30 percent to 49 percent higher risk of developing heart disease than people who drank, exercised or did both.
"This study is consistent with a number of prior studies which have shown that leisure-time physical activity and moderate alcohol consumption are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality," said Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"However, it is very important to note that these findings, especially with regards to alcohol consumption, have never been confirmed in randomized clinical trials and need to be before any recommendations can be made regarding the use of alcohol for cardiovascular risk reduction," Fonarow cautioned.
In the study, Morten Gronbaek, director of research at the National Institute of Public Health at the University of Southern Denmark in Copenhagen and his colleagues collected data on 11,914 Danish men and women aged 20 and older who took part in the Copenhagen City Heart Study.
During an average of 20 years follow-up, 1,242 people died from heart disease and 5,901 died from other causes, according to the report in the Jan. 9 issue of the European Heart Journal.
Among both men and women, being physically active was associated with a significantly lower risk for fatal heart disease and dying from any other cause compared with being physically inactive.
In addition, drinking was associated with a lower risk of fatal heart disease than not drinking. Moderate drinking reduced the risk of death among men and women. However, among heavy drinkers the risk of dying was similar to non-drinkers, the researchers found.
Among people who were physical active, those who didn't drink had a 30 percent to 31 percent higher risk of fatal heart disease compared with moderate drinkers.
However, among people who didn't drink but had a moderate or high level of physical activity, their risk of fatal heart disease was reduced up to 33 percent compared to those who didn't exercise or drink.
In fact, those who had at least one drink a week and were physically active had a 44 percent to 50 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who were physically inactive and didn't drink.
Moreover, people who were physically active and had a drink a week had up to a 33 percent lower risk of dying from any cause, Gronbaek's group found.
"Physical activity and a moderate alcohol intake can lower the risk of fatal heart disease and all-cause mortality. But neither physical activity alone nor alcohol intake can completely reverse the increased risk associated with physical inactivity and alcohol abstention. Thus, both physical activity and alcohol intake are important to lower the risk of fatal heart disease and all-cause mortality," the researchers concluded.
One expert sees physical activity and moderate drinking as parts of a healthy lifestyle.
"The key messages of this study, based on a large cohort, are reaffirmations of what we already know, not revelations," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine. "Moderate alcohol intake reduces the risk of heart disease. Moderate physical activity does so, too, and even more powerfully. Combine the two, and the benefits are additive."
However, Katz stressed that practices that promote health are most powerful when combined into an overall pattern of healthful living.
"Combing regular physical activity with not just moderate alcohol intake, but a healthful dietary pattern, adequate sleep, effective management of stress, and avoidance of tobacco, and you can slash your risk of heart disease and premature death from any cause, dramatically," Katz said.HealthDayCopyright (c) 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
HealthDayWednesday, January 9, 2008
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking in moderation and keeping physically active is the formula for keeping heart disease at bay, Danish researchers report.
In fact, people who didn't drink and weren't physically active had a 30 percent to 49 percent higher risk of developing heart disease than people who drank, exercised or did both.
"This study is consistent with a number of prior studies which have shown that leisure-time physical activity and moderate alcohol consumption are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality," said Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"However, it is very important to note that these findings, especially with regards to alcohol consumption, have never been confirmed in randomized clinical trials and need to be before any recommendations can be made regarding the use of alcohol for cardiovascular risk reduction," Fonarow cautioned.
In the study, Morten Gronbaek, director of research at the National Institute of Public Health at the University of Southern Denmark in Copenhagen and his colleagues collected data on 11,914 Danish men and women aged 20 and older who took part in the Copenhagen City Heart Study.
During an average of 20 years follow-up, 1,242 people died from heart disease and 5,901 died from other causes, according to the report in the Jan. 9 issue of the European Heart Journal.
Among both men and women, being physically active was associated with a significantly lower risk for fatal heart disease and dying from any other cause compared with being physically inactive.
In addition, drinking was associated with a lower risk of fatal heart disease than not drinking. Moderate drinking reduced the risk of death among men and women. However, among heavy drinkers the risk of dying was similar to non-drinkers, the researchers found.
Among people who were physical active, those who didn't drink had a 30 percent to 31 percent higher risk of fatal heart disease compared with moderate drinkers.
However, among people who didn't drink but had a moderate or high level of physical activity, their risk of fatal heart disease was reduced up to 33 percent compared to those who didn't exercise or drink.
In fact, those who had at least one drink a week and were physically active had a 44 percent to 50 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who were physically inactive and didn't drink.
Moreover, people who were physically active and had a drink a week had up to a 33 percent lower risk of dying from any cause, Gronbaek's group found.
"Physical activity and a moderate alcohol intake can lower the risk of fatal heart disease and all-cause mortality. But neither physical activity alone nor alcohol intake can completely reverse the increased risk associated with physical inactivity and alcohol abstention. Thus, both physical activity and alcohol intake are important to lower the risk of fatal heart disease and all-cause mortality," the researchers concluded.
One expert sees physical activity and moderate drinking as parts of a healthy lifestyle.
"The key messages of this study, based on a large cohort, are reaffirmations of what we already know, not revelations," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine. "Moderate alcohol intake reduces the risk of heart disease. Moderate physical activity does so, too, and even more powerfully. Combine the two, and the benefits are additive."
However, Katz stressed that practices that promote health are most powerful when combined into an overall pattern of healthful living.
"Combing regular physical activity with not just moderate alcohol intake, but a healthful dietary pattern, adequate sleep, effective management of stress, and avoidance of tobacco, and you can slash your risk of heart disease and premature death from any cause, dramatically," Katz said.HealthDayCopyright (c) 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Integrative Medicine Newsletter
Copyright © 2008 Natural Standard
January 2008
In This Issue
Weight Loss Tips
Beer for Alzheimer's
Leadership In Green Helath Care
Integrated Breathing and Relaxation Training for Asthma
Food for the Heart
Leadership and Business Strategies for Integrative Health Care
Faith and Family Caregiving
Salt and Longevity
Inside Natural Standard
Natural Standard provides high quality, evidence-based information about complementary and alternative therapies, diets, exercise and nutrition. For more information, please visit http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BU91DwmbaPZrDDd3fB9UgtkaC1GFxTg2iuhZeQo3awQNyDID_7MzqIbEQSXfH9LsDVU90oqORd6RBTLBBeHuAxosQJc-9GqN_6S8r5QIwC5LVxX0kLFCKA==
January 2008
In This Issue
Weight Loss Tips
Beer for Alzheimer's
Leadership In Green Helath Care
Integrated Breathing and Relaxation Training for Asthma
Food for the Heart
Leadership and Business Strategies for Integrative Health Care
Faith and Family Caregiving
Salt and Longevity
Inside Natural Standard
Natural Standard provides high quality, evidence-based information about complementary and alternative therapies, diets, exercise and nutrition. For more information, please visit http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001BU91DwmbaPZrDDd3fB9UgtkaC1GFxTg2iuhZeQo3awQNyDID_7MzqIbEQSXfH9LsDVU90oqORd6RBTLBBeHuAxosQJc-9GqN_6S8r5QIwC5LVxX0kLFCKA==
Integrative Health Symposium: Early registration ends Jan. 16
Innovision Health Media is a media sponsor of this important event and encourages you to attend. We’ll be in booth #217 and hope to see you there!The Integrative Healthcare Symposium is right around the corner, taking place January 17-19, 2008 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. Register by January 16th to take advantage of pre-event discounts – click here to see the discounts and to register:Don’t miss out on your opportunity to share best practices, network, and learn about the latest trends, research, clinical trials, protocols and resources in the industry with other practitioners at the Integrative Healthcare Symposium. For the full conference schedule, click here:This program has been approved by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) for 17.0 Contact Hours, CERP Category O, File number 00014179; Naturopathic Physician CE Credits are sponsored by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP); Acupuncture/Oriental Medicine Continuing Education Units/Professional Activity Development Points are sponsored by Pacific College of Oriental Medicine through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine; and 20.0 Chiropractic Continuing Education Credits are sponsored by New York Chiropractic College.P.S. Register by January 16th at www.ihsymposium.com for pre-event discounts!
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