Holistic Feathers

~ I make no apology for sharing this news alert from Natural News today; if anyone has details of where thermography is available in the London or surrounding areas, please do kindly comment on this post or get in touch with me.  Thank you so much, Callie x x

(NaturalNews) It’s well-established that exposure to ionizing radiation can trigger mutations and other genetic damage and cause normal cells to become malignant. So it seems amazing how mainstream medicine frequently dismisses the idea that medical imaging tests from mammograms to CT scans could play much of a role in causing breast cancer. Take this example from the web site for Cornell University’s Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors:

In answer to the question “Is ionizing radiation a cause of breast cancer?”, the Cornell experts say “Yes” and note “.. female breast tissue is highly susceptible to radiation effects.” But then they pooh-pooh the possible hazard from mammography x-rays saying the risk …”should not be a factor in individual decisions to undergo this procedure. The same is true for most diagnostic x-ray procedures.”

If that’s not confusing enough, they turn around and state: “Nonetheless, unnecessary radiation exposures should be avoided and continued vigilance is required to ensure that the benefits associated with specific procedures outweigh the future risks.”

Why radiation causes breast cancer
Common sense suggests there is plenty of reason to be worried about radiation causing breast cancer. And now there’s a new reason to be concerned. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered that radiation exposure can alter cells’ microenvironment (the environment surrounding cells). And that greatly raises the odds future cells will become cancerous.

The reason is that signals from a cell’s microenvironment, altered by radiation exposure, can cause a cell’s phenotype (made up of all its biochemical and physical characteristics) to change by regulating or de-regulating the way a cell uses its genes. The result can be a cell that not only becomes pre-cancerous but that passes this pre-malignant condition on to future cells.

“Our work shows that radiation can change the microenvironment of breast cells, and this in turn can allow the growth of abnormal cells with a long-lived phenotype that have a much greater potential to be cancerous,” Paul Yaswen, a cell biologist and breast cancer research specialist with Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences Division, said in a statement to the press.

“Many in the cancer research community, especially radiobiologists, have been slow to acknowledge and incorporate in their work the idea that cells in human tissues are not independent entities, but are highly communicative with each other and with their microenvironment,” he added.

For their study, Yaswen and his research teams used human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs), the cells that line breast ducts, where most breast cancers start. When placed in a culture dish, the vast majority of HMECs display a phenotype that allows them to divide between five and 20 times until they become what is known as senescent, or unable to divide. However, there are also some variants of these cells which have a phenotype that allows them to continue dividing for many weeks in culture. Known as a vHMEC phenotype, this type of breast cell arises spontaneously and is more susceptible to malignancy because it lacks a tumor-suppressing protein dubbed p16.

To find out what radiation exposure does to the cellular environment and how it could impact the future of cell behavior, the Berkeley Lab scientists grew sets of HMECs from normal breast tissue in culture dishes for about a week. Then they zapped each set with a single treatment of a low-to-moderate dose of radiation and compared the irradiated cells to sets of breast cells that had not been irradiated.

The results, just published in the on-line journal Breast Cancer Research, showed that four to six weeks after the radiation exposure, the normal breast cancer cells had stopped dividing far earlier than they would have normally — and this premature cell senescence had accelerated the outgrowth of vHMECS.

“However, by getting normal cells to prematurely age and stop dividing, the radiation exposure created space for epigenetically altered cells that would otherwise have been filled by normal cells. In other words, the radiation promoted the growth of pre-cancerous cells by making the environment that surrounded the cells more hospitable to their continued growth,” Yaswen explained in the press statement.

The researchers pointed out that the levels of radiation used in their experiments were not as much as a woman would be exposed to during a single routine mammogram but were comparable to those a woman could receive during a CT scans or radiotherapy “and could represent sources of concern.”

Of course, women are often pushed to get annual mammograms, raising their overall radiation exposure through the years. And, as NaturalNews has reported, previous research has already provided compelling evidence linking mammography to breast cancer.

For example, a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association’s Archives of Internal Medicine found that the start of screening mammography programs throughout Europe has been associated with increased incidence of breast cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/024901.html). And a Johns Hopkins study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute concluded radiation exposure from mammograms could trigger malignancies in women at risk for genetic breast cancer.

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

(c) S. L. Baker, features writer – Natural News

For full links and information in connection with this story, please visit Natural News: http://www.naturalnews.com/028959_radiation_brst_cancer.html

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Suffering hot flushes? Losing your sex drive? Growing a moustache? Can’t sleep? Irritable and depressed? Go to the doctor with these symptoms and, chances are, if you’re over 50, she’ll tell you you’re menopausal. If your symptoms are bad enough she may offer your hormone replacement treatment (HRT) but HRT, although many women wouldn’t have wanted to cope with the menopause without it, has had some bad press, and isn’t recommended for all women. So is there a herbal alternative?

The menopause is natural

The first thing to remember is that the menopause isn’t an illness. At times it may feel like one but it’s simply your body adjusting to a new stage of life. Not a worse stage but a different one. For hundreds of years women have coped naturally with the menopause and its symptoms often using remedies suggested by their mothers or older female friends. In the old days the wise woman of the village would have been responsible for treating all the villagers’ ailments with her home-made herbal cures.

In our scientific – and litigation-loving – age, where everything that is sold as medicine or a health supplement has, quite rightly, to be tested rigorously, little incontrovertible evidence has yet been offered to show that specific herbs will help combat the symptoms of the menopause. On the other hand thousands of women would say that herbal remedies have helped them. So if you’re dubious about using HRT then do consider, investigate, and try some of the alternatives.

It’s thought that the problems typically associated with the menopause are the result of the pituitary glands, which control our hormones, trying to make up for the declining levels of oestrogen and progesterone.

The most recommended herbs and their reputed benefits
* Black cohosh, an oestrogenic herb, helps regulate hormone levels and is said to work directly on the uterus, easing cramp. It’s also reputed to relieve hot flushes.
* Chaste tree (agnus castus), another hormone regulator that helps to relieve depression. It’s one of the most recommended for hot flushes.
* Dong quai (Angelica sinensis) is used for a number of women’s health issues but especially those associated with the menopause as it helps maintain the hormonal balance.
* Sage is another herb high in plant oestrogens. It’s especially useful for combating night sweats.
* Wild yam (Dioscarea villosa) has anti-inflammatory properties and as such eases cramping.
* Not herbs but hormone regulators, tofu, soy milk and flour, alfalfa and flax seeds are also recommended for menopausal women.

Other things to consider

A good diet and plenty of exercise as well as time to relax all help the transition to postmenopausal woman. And if you’ve gone off sex because you’re suffering from vaginal dryness and it’s painful, there are plenty of creams and remedies that can help.

And consider a vitamin e supplement to your diet. As long ago as 1949 a British doctor discovered vitamin e to be useful in the treatment of menopausal symptoms. It’s thought a daily dose may alleviate hot flushes.

It’s a good idea to discuss with your doctor all the options available to you, and consult her before beginning on a course of herbal treatment, especially if you’ve already been prescribed HRT or other hormone therapy.

(c) Herb Expert

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We have been using the arts of subtle aromatherapy for healing purposes for over four years now, working with the divine energy essence blends from Ripple, who are based deep in the heart of the beautiful New Forest, England.

We have found this excellent description of subtle aromatherapy on Luminanti, which we will hope will enlighten you …

Subtle Aromatherapy

Most of what is written about aromatherapy is the physiological effect of the chemical constituents of the essential oils of plant material. However, essential oils can also cleanse, release and balance thoughts and emotions, and open pathways to higher consciousness. And yet the effect of essential oils on the mind, emotions, and spirit is the direct result of their ability to physiologically change the central nervous system and key brain centers.

Subtle Aromatherapy is intended to affect the mental, emotion and spiritual aspects of the individual, addressing issues such as healthy lifestyle, stress relief, promoting relaxation, mental focus & clarity, fatigue, depression, meditation and exploring higher states of consciousness. Essential oils are applied therapeutically by trained professionals to nourish the mind, emotions and spirit.

(c) Luminanti

~ Luminanti also offers an excellent description of how subtle aromatherapy works on you … please read it on their excellent, informative site: Luminanti

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I was a little bit … errr … keen this New Moon to share the abundance cheque ritual with everyone!  So keen, in fact, I announced it yesterday (Thursday!)!

No need to worry, you have a full 24 hours in which to write your abundance cheques out from 7.11am this morning (UST), Friday 15th January 2010 … and I will also share with you here links to:

* the original abundance cheque ritual from Holistic Feathers, along with

* a beautiful free meditation from Orindaben, and

* a blank abundance cheque from The Secret which you may wish to use, rather than use up your own personal bank cheques (checks)

Two new items have slipped onto my abundance wishlist this January – both hearfelt, one entirely luxurious and one (I am sure is) my destiny.

The Kiss Travelwrap

My vision of home

So meditate today with the beautiful New Moon energies and watch abundance in every shape and form come to you over the coming days.

Free meditation from www.orindaben.com

Abundance cheque template from www.thesecret.tv

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GPs should prescribe meditation for depression, says Mental Health Foundation

Meditation therapy should be routinely available on the NHS to treat recurring depression and to help tackle Britain’s growing mental health problems, according to a new report.

Full article discovered on Times Online – 5 January 2010 – Author: Sam Lister, Health Editor

The study, commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation, found that fewer than one in 20 GPs prescribed meditation therapy for patients suffering depression, despite NHS guidance suggesting that it could halve depression relapse rates.

The report calls for much wider use of “mindfulness” treatment, which combines meditation with orthodox “thought training”. The report argues that if more GPs offered the therapy it would sharply reduce the financial burden of depression, which costs Britain £7.5 billion a year.

Mental health specialists said that greater use of meditation would reduce an over-reliance on antidepressants. They said that while the drugs were effective, they did not help address the possibility of future depressive episodes.

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which has its roots in Eastern philosophy and Buddhism, trains people to focus attention on one place instead of allowing the mind to be “hijacked” by emotional issues, regrets, worries about the past and future, and other distractions. This can be done in a number of ways, for example by focusing on breathing, parts of the body, or movement.

Holistic Feathers teaches and practises a similar form of mindfulness meditation for relaxation, called Art of Being Still

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence issued guidance on meditation in 2004 after studies suggested that it might bring benefits.

Five years later, only a fifth of GPs said they can access the treatment for their patients, and just one in 20 regularly prescribes the therapy, according to the Mental Health Foundation report Be Mindful.

MBCT costs on average £300 per patient for a course of two-hour sessions over eight weeks. Since patients are treated in groups of up to 20, the cost is said to be much lower than one-to-one cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT).

A key difference between the new approach and traditional CBT is that patients are seen between episodes of depression, and not when they are in the grip of the illness. Another difference is the inclusion of meditation, as research has shown that relying on CBT alone to prevent recurrent depression does not work as well.

Mark Williams, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford, who contributed to the report, said that meditative therapy enabled people to switch off “brooding recrimination” and, while acknowledging these thoughts, move beyond them.

“People begin to see thoughts and feelings as a temporary weather pattern in the mind, and realise they don’t have to judge themselves,” he said.

More than 100 studies, some involving Buddhist monks, have shown that brainwave activity changes during meditation, and that areas of the brain linked to controlling emotion are bigger in people who have meditated regularly for five years.

Mindfulness training has also been shown to increase activity in the pre-frontal cortex, a part of the brain associated with positive emotion that is normally subdued in depressed individuals.

One in 10 people in Britain is affected by clinical depression — defined by a range of symptoms within a single two-week period — and 50 per cent of sufferers experience it more than once. After two bouts of depression, there is a 70 per cent risk of relapse, which rises to 90 per cent after three episodes.

Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said that doctors prescribed antidepressants too often. “Mindfulness-based therapy could help prevent thousands of people from relapsing into depression every year. This would have huge knock-on benefits both socially and economically, making it a sensible treatment to make available, even at a time when money is short within the NHS,” he said.

“Depression tends to come back for many people, with the odds of further bouts increasing each time. A single episode is serious enough, but having the illness return year after year can have a devastating impact on people’s jobs, relationships, and their chances in life generally.”

The case for making MBCT available on the NHS relies on two key studies of patients with recurring depression. One, undertaken ten years ago, showed a 37 per cent relapse rate for patients given MBCT, compared with 66 per cent for those not given the treatment. The other, conducted in 2004, showed an even bigger difference between the two groups, with relapse rates of 36 per cent and 78 per cent. Another recent trial in Exeter, with results published last year, indicated that MBCT is at least as effective at preventing relapses as antidepressants.

Jonty Heaversedge, a South London GP who learnt to meditate at a Buddhist centre and believes the practice can improve many aspects of health, said: “Depression is something that affects a huge number of my patients, often year after year, with devastating consequences. MBCT gives them the opportunity to develop a healthier, more accepting relationship with their thoughts and feelings.”

(c) Times Online

You may also be interested in reading another story via Times Online, recounting an individual’s experience of using mindfulness meditation for treating her depression: Mindfulness therapy pushes the bad thoughts to one side

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22nd December 2009
Daily Mail

Sunburn, smoking and being overweight are key factors in making people look older than they are, a study said yesterday. Drinking alcohol, on the other hand, appeared to offer protection against sun damage.

Scientists in the U.S. studied 65 pairs of identical and non-identical twins to examine the environmental causes of skin ageing. Since only identical twins share the same genes, studies of twins can be used to screen out genetic traits. Influences that affect one of a pair of identical twins but not the other are likely to be environmental.

The research was carried out at the annual twins’ festival in Twinsburg, Ohio. The study found that higher levels of skin damage linked to exposure to sunlight were associated with heavier body weight and smoking. Long-term sun exposure causes changes to the skin that result in ‘photodamage’, said the researchers.

Up to 40 per cent of ageing-related changes in the study were due to non-genetic factors. Drinking alcohol was significantly related to reduced photodamage risk. ‘It is known that certain alcoholic beverages (e.g. red wine) contain polyphenols such as resveratrol, which is an effective antioxidant,’ said lead researcher Kathryn Martires, from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland.

Although higher bodyweight was associated with more photodamage, the reverse appeared to be true for older people. ‘For those 54 or older, weight correlated negatively with photoageing, implying that although excess fat may increase skin’s susceptibility to damage, it may help mask the appearance of wrinkles in older age,’ said the study.

Read more: (c) Daily Mail

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Merry Christmas!!!

We are very happy to share our latest issue – the Winter 2009 issue – of Holistic Feathers Wellbeing magazine.

Wishing you a wonderful Yuletide and a very happy Christmas-time!!

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