According to new research presented at the 24th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, diabetes can directly lead to DNA damage.
 
Many people get normal sperm analyses and assume their sperm quality is good. However, you cannot rely on the standard sperm analysis to determine if one’s sperm is healthy. For example, in this study, the standard sperm analysis (microscopic examinations of the semen samples) appeared normal, apart from a slight decrease in volume.
 
However, the researchers found that when they looked at DNA damage (not a standard test), they saw a very different picture. According to the lead researcher Dr. Con Mallidis “Sperm RNA was significantly altered, and many of the changes we observed are in RNA transcripts involved in DNA repair. And comparison with a database of men of proven fertility confirmed our findings. Diabetics have a significant decrease in their ability to repair sperm DNA, and once this is damaged it cannot be restored.”
 
Sperm DNA quality is known to be associated with decreased embryo quality, low embryo implantation rates, higher miscarriage rates, and some serious childhood diseases, in particular some childhood cancers. Over the years possible causes for sperm DNA fragmentation have been suggested but to date the exact mechanism for the damage remains unknown, say the researchers.
 
The specific mechanisms of the damage were believed to be from advanced glycation end products (AGE’s) in the male reproductive tract due to sugar dysregulation.
 
Our researchers have found mechanisms by which Oriental Medicine can help prevent and repair AGE damage. We are preparing an article for submission and will post details after publication.

Phthalates are already known to be environmental toxins that effect reproductive development; now a recent study in Pediatrics shows that they are harmful to babies. Infants are especially vulnerable to the developmental and reproductive toxicity of phthalates due to their undeveloped metabolism, and this is evidenced in the concentration of phthalates in their urine. Infants are exposed to phthalates via baby lotions, powders and shampoo.

Phthalates also make plastics flexible, and are found in tablecloths, shower curtains, floor tiles, garden houses, rainwear, ziploc bags, etc. Phthalates are continuously released into the air or leach into liquids, causing exposure through ingestion, inhalation and through the skin. Unfortunately, the U.S. does not require product labeling for phthalate content.

To minimize phthalate exposures, limit the use of infant care products, unless indicated for a medical reason.

PEDIATRICS Vol. 121 No. 2 February 2008, pp. e260-e268.

Right now there are beautiful heads of purple cauliflower all over the farmers market. Initially people are repulsed, thinking that it’s totally unnatural but in actuality, it’s a natural variant of regular cauliflower and it tastes no different. I take advantage of the winter months to load up on this proanthocyanidin-rich (it’s the purple color that gives this special properties), cancer fighting, detoxifying vegetable. As part of my detox, I just steamed it with broccoli and Romanesco cauliflower, which is another strange yet beautiful type of heirloom cauliflower from Italy. I then shred some chicken into it and douse it with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. FYI - it turns blue once you steam it.

Bill Maher is great. Recently in his “new rules” segment he decided to go off on the pharmaceutical industry and the manner in which people maintain their health in this country. This was so great that I decided to transcribe it for you all to enjoy.
 
If you believe you need to take all the pills the pharmaceutical industry says you do, then you’re already on drugs. It’s that time in the campaign where all the candidates are presenting their health care proposals. Hillary’s covers children’s teeth, Edwards has one that maintains gorgeous shiny hair and Barack Obama’s involves going on Oprah and everyone’s gets a gastric bypass. But none of them address the real problem. We won’t stop being sick until we stop making ourselves sick because there is a point where even the most universal government health program can’t help you. They can’t outlaw unhealthy food or alcohol or cigarettes, just pot sadly. Because you see the government isn’t your nanny, they’re your dealer. And they subsidize illness in America, they have too. There’s too much money in it. There’s no money in healthy or dead people. The money’s in the middle. People are alive, sort of, but with one or more chronic conditions that puts them in need of Celebrex or Nasonex or Valtrex or Lunestra.
 
Fifty years ago children’s didn’t even get type II diabetes. Now it’s an emerging epidemic, as are a long list of ailments which used to be rare and have now been “mainstreamed.” Things like asthma, autism, acid reflux, arthritis, allergies, adult acne, attention deficit disorder and that’s just the A’s. Doesn’t any body wonder why we live with all this illness? I’ll tell you why. At the LA County Fair last week they were serving something called fried coke. Now my first thought was, “Gosh, what a waste of a perfectly good 8 ball.” No but they actually pour coca cola syrup into a deep fryer then put it in a cup and top it with sugar, whipped cream and a cherry because you know fruit is good for you. But would it really be that much more unhealthy to get molested by one of the Carney’s?
 
In Hillary Clinton’s health plan, the work nutrition and exercise appear once. The word drugs, 14 times. Just as the pharmaceutical companies want. You know their ad people love to say when diet and exercise fail. Well diet and exercise don’t fail, a fact that was brought home last week by a new Duke University study showed that exercise, yes exercise, is just as effective a cure for depression as Paxil and Zoloft. So ask your doctor if getting off your ass is right for you. You know, if Republicans can sell the idea of preemptive war, Democrats have to at least get us interested in the idea of preventative medicine. Someone has to stand up and say that the answer isn’t another pill, the answer is spinach. Okay, not spinach because it turns out that crap will kill you but you know what I mean.

Researchers found that the alcohol extract of American ginseng induced an approximate 2.5-fold increase in expression of the estrogen-responsive pS2 gene, as well as progesterone receptor gene expression. Therefore, American ginseng can potentially be used to improve progesterone response.
 
Integr Cancer Ther. 2006 Sep;5(3):236-43

We apologize profusely to our daytime patients who have to endure pounding, drilling and jackhammering during treatments. As much as we’d love to complain to our landlord, I suppose we can’t since the space next door is going to be ours. Hopefully all will be completed and ready to go by the lunar new year but you all know how contractors are. Eventually we’ll have double the space with more treatment rooms available as well as a little store for patients that will be the “real” herbalroom where we’ll bring you all of those hard-to-find supplements, household items and foodstuffs that we always talk about. Here’s how it’s been going so far.