Ginger & Its Medicinal Use

---

What is Ginger

 

Ginger is a strengthening food that has long been used to maintain health. Ginger has a long history of both culinary and medicinal use in Chinese, Japanese and Indian medicines. In ancient China , ginger was regarded as a healing gift from God and was commonly used to cleanse and warm the body.

 

Qualities of Ginger

The major active ingredients in ginger are terpenes and oleoresin called ginger oil. These two, and other active ingredients in ginger, provide antiseptic, lymph-cleansing, circulation, and constipation relief qualities.

• Ginger is good for the respiratory system
• It is good to fight against colds and flu
• Ginger offers substantial protection from stroke and heart attack because of its ability to prevent blood clotting
• Ginger, a multifaceted herb, is crucial in the battle against cardiovascular disease
• Relieves headaches and pains
• Helps to clear sore throats
• Good for upset stomach and indigestion
• It is very effective as a cleansing agent through the bowels and kidneys and also through the skin

Some of the problems cured by Ginger

 

Colds/Flu

Kills influenza virus by improving immune system's ability to fight infections.. Ginger also relieves headaches.

 

Increases Circulation

Increases the muscular contractions of the heart atria, there by increase in overall circulation. Ginger has been proven to prevent internal blood clots and lowers blood pressure. Ginger Root stimulates the central nervous system controlling the heart and respiratory centers. Ginger helps reduce serum cholesterol, which can slow down circulation.

 

Ginger Relieves Motion/Morning Sickness

Ginger is one of the most effective herbal remedies to get rid of Motion/ Morning Sickness.

 

Digestive Aid - Indigestion, Stomach Ache

Ginger Root increases production of saliva in the mouth and dramatically increases digestive enzyme amylase in the saliva to additionally aid digestion. Ginger Root also contains a very effective digestive enzyme zingibain.

 

Women's Health

Ginger Root is good for the uterus as well as the intestinal tract and may ease menstrual cramps.

 

Skin
Very cleansing - reduces pus in infected wounds as well as boils. Clears spots caused by chicken pox and shingles. Useful for burns, sores, sunburn, ringworm, warts, herpes, athletes foot and even for dandruff.

 

Stress Protection
Ginger Root appears to limit the effects of adrenergic stimulation and there by relieves the stress.

 

Arthritis
As Ginger root is a proven anti-inflammatory agent, some arthritic victims may find it helpful.

Ginger is sometimes recommended as an alternative to aspirin for people who can not take aspirin because of its irritating effect on the gastrointestinal tract.

 

Ginger cures following ailments

 

Asthma - Adults	Athlete's Foot	Acne
Boils/ Blisters	Cold Sores	Cuts
Cold	Flu	Gingivitis
Glandular Fever	Gum Infections	Head Lice
Infections	Insect Bites / Stings	Mosquito Bites
Mouth Ulcers	Mumps	Ringworm (tinea)
Skin Conditions - Antiseptic	Sore Throat	Warts

With all the benefits to the average person, ginger should be included in the diet every day. Especially for a person who are suffering from heart problems, cold/flu, stress problem, motion sickness a daily dose of ginger combined with other herbs to enhance their effectiveness is part of a sensible, healthy diet.

Allicin from Garlic Boosts Flow of Blood to Protect the Heart

By David Gutierrez

(Natural News) The chemical that causes garlic to give you bad breath may be the same one that protects your heart, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Allicin is produced when garlic is chopped, crushed or chewed. It further breaks down in the body into a variety of sulfur-containing compounds, some of which cause a strong odor typically associated with garlic breath. But hydrogen sulfide can also have a relaxing effect on blood vessels, lowering blood pressure and decreasing the risk of heart attacks. Lower blood pressure also allows the blood to carry more oxygen to the body's organs, improving overall health.

Researchers took blood vessels from rats and immersed them in a solution of crushed garlic juice. They observed a 72 percent reduction of tension in the blood vessels. In addition, red blood cells that were exposed to small quantities of crushed garlic juice were observed to start giving off hydrogen sulfide immediately. The researchers found that the chemical reaction causing the emission of hydrogen sulfide appeared to take place mostly on the surface of the cells.

"Our results suggest garlic in the diet is a very good thing," said lead researcher David Kraus. "Certainly in areas where garlic consumption is high, such as the Mediterranean and the Far East , there is a low incidence of cardiovascular disease."

Garlic is also known for its anti-cancer abilities. Used topically, crushed garlic eats away cancer tumors on the skin. Used internally, garlic halts the growth of cancer tumors throughout the body, functioning as a natural, non-prescription "chemotherapy" agent that has no negative side effects.

Garlic is strongest in its raw state. The longer garlic is cooked, the more of its healing photochemical are destroyed. To use garlic medicinally, use small amounts of it raw, or cook it minimally.

35 Indian Home Remedies for everything imaginable

Here are 35 Indian Home Remedies for everything imaginable and have been
used for hundreds of years, before the advent of modern medicine. This is
good especially for minor aliments and aches and pains. Print it out and
keep it in a place where you can find it easily, when needed. This may
avoid a trip to the doctors and/or make you feel healthy (and even look
beautiful) in the process. Take Care!

1) Home Remedy for Asthma:

Take 1 tsp honey and ½ tsp cinnamon powder and mix them well before consuming.
OR
For people who are in their early stages of asthma, a perfect home remedy
is to boil 8-10 cloves of garlic in ½ cup of milk and consume it during night time.
OR
Take very hot water and add a tsp of honey in it. Consume it just âefore
sleeping and take small sips

2) Home Remedy for Body Odour:
Use antibacterial soap or deodorant soap while bathing.
OR
To combat the unpleasant armpit odour apply cider vinegar. It serves as
the best body odour home remedy treatment.
OR
In the bathing water, add a few cups of tomato juice and soák yourself in water for about 15 minutes.

3) Home Remedy for Backache:
Limejuice serves as an excellent home remedy for backacèe. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon and add common salt in it. Drinë it two times in a day. It will act as a great back pain reliever.
OR
As a part of back pain home remedy treatment, raw potato in the form of
poultice is to be applied on the pain affected area.
OR
Usually Vitamin C that is mainly found in citrus fruits is considered valuable for getting rid of backaches. Consume about 2000 mg of this vitamin everyday.
OR
Applying garlic oil on the back gives immense relief from back pain. Take about 10 small garlic pieces and fry them in oil on a low flame. You can either use sesame oil, coconut oil or mustard oil. Fry till the garlic cloves turn light brown. Let the oil prepared from garlic cool completely.
Thereafter apply it on the back and keep it for about three hours. In a couple of days, you'll feel its magical effects

4)Home Remedy for Cough:
Grapes help a great deal in treating cold in a few days. Consume 1 cup
grape juice and also ádd 1-teaspoon honey to it.
OR
Almonds are excellent for dry coughs. Soak about seven almonds in water and keep them overnight. Next morning peel off the brown skin. Now grind them to form a powder and add twenty grams each of butter and sugar and form a paste. Consume it twice a day, once in the morning and the second time in the evening.

5) Home Remedy for Common Cold:
Lemon can be used effectively to treat common cold, as it increases the body resistance. Take one glass of warm water and pour some lime juice and a tsp of honey in it and consume it once or twice on a daily basis.
OR
Take 1 tbsp of Pepper powder and boil it in a cup of milk. Also add on a pinch of turmeric to it. Put some sugar for taste. Drink it once in a day for about three days.
OR
Take 3-4 tsp Onion juice and 3-4 tsp Honey and mix well before consuming.

6) Home Remedy for Common Fever:
The juice of grapefruit is valuable in all fevers. Helpful in quenching thirst, it also removes the burning sensation produced by the fever. Half a glass of grapefruit juice should be taken with half a glass of water. 
OR
Another ideal food in all types of fever is orange. It provides energy, increases urinary output, and promotes body resistance against infections. It is especially effective when the digestive power of the body is seriously hampered.

7) Home Remedy for Defective Vision:
Consume foods rich in vitamin A (like raw spinach, turnip tops, milk cream, cheese, butter, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, Soya beans, green peas, fresh milk), as vitamin A helps in improving eyesight.

8) Home Remedy for Diabetes:
Take 15 fresh mango leaves and boil them in 1 glass of water. Keep them
overnight. Filter and drink the next morning.
OR
As a part of diabetes home remedy treatment, grapefruit is considered most
beneficial. Eat three grapefruits three times in a day.
OR
Indian gooseberry, a rich source of vitamin C serves as the best home remedy for diabetes. Take 1 tbsp of gooseberry juice and mix it with a cup of bitter gourd juice. Consume the mixture daily for about 2 months.

9) Home Remedy for Dry Chapped Lips :
Drink plenty of water everyday.
OR
Cut fine slices of cucumber and rub on lips.
OR
Take a saline bath.
OR
Apply neem leaves extract on your lips.

10) Home Remedy for Diarrhea:
Take a ripe banana and mash it properly. Add 1 tsp of tamarind pulp and a
pinch of salt to it. Consume this mixture two times in a day.
OR
A simple effective home remedy for diarrhea is to drink a cup of strong tea or coffee.
OR
A popular diarrhea home remedy treatment is to consume a paste made of 15-20 fresh curry leaves mixed with 1 tsp honey.
OR
Take a ripe banana, add 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder to it and eat it on a daily basis.
OR
Take a tsp of date paste and mix with 1 tsp honey. This mixture is to be consumed 4-5 times a day.

11) Home Remedy for Ear Ache:
Boil 3-4 cloves of Garlic in some water. Mash them and add a pinch of salt. Wrap this poultice in a flannel or woolen cloth and place on the aching ear.
OR
Pour some garlic juice in the paining ear. Its antibiotic qualities help to relieve the pain.
OR
Take Vitamin C to boost your immune system. It is a natural antibiotic and antihistamine that helps to reduce inflammation and fever. Include zinc in your diet because it reduces ear infection. Certain foods, more commonly dairy products like milk, butter, cheese etc tend to aggravate ear
infections, so it is better to avoid them during an ear infection 

12)Home Remedy for Genital Warts:
Extract juice from onion slices and add salt to it. Apply this juice on the wart-affected area and see the magical effects.
OR
Another great idea is to apply the milky juice of figs on the warts 2-3 times in a day, till the warts disappear.
OR
Put few drops of apple cider vinegar on the warts using cotton ball.  OR Consume foods rich in folic acid and beta-carotene. Eat plenty of green leafy veggies

13) Home Remedy for Gingivitis:
Take some clove oil and rub it on your gums. Or else, keep a clove in your mouth and chew slowly.
OR
Brush your teeth with toothpaste that contains sage oil, peppermint oiletc.

 OR
In 1 glass of lukewarm water, add a pinch of salt and prepare a homemade saline solution. Using this solution, gargle two times in a day. It will help a great deal in reducing the swelling in your mouth..
OR
To heal the gum swelling, use an anti bacterial mouth wash.
OR
Patients suffering from Gingivitis should consume foods containing low saturated fats.

14) Home Remedy for Hair Loss:
One of the best home remedies for treating hair loss is to massage your
scalp with fingers gently. It will also aid in increasing blood circulation and lend glow to your hair.
OR
Amla oil serves as an excellent tonic for hair conditioning.. Apply this oil on the scalp and see the wonderful results.
OR
For nourishing your hair, apply coconut milk all over your scalp and massage it into the hair roots.

15) Home Remedy for Hangover :
Drink plenty of water before going to bed as well as when you wake up in the morning.
OR
Eating some foodstuff while and after you are drinking will slow down the rate at which alcohol enters the blood, thereby reducing the hangover. OR Consume vitamin C tablets, as they lead to the breakdown of alcohol content in the body.

16) Home Remedy for Headache:
Eat an apple with a little salt on an empty stomach everyday and see its wonderful effects.
OR
When headache is caused by cold winds, cinnamon works best in curing headache. Make a paste of cinnamon by mixing in water and apply it all over your forehead

17) Home Remedy for Heartburn:
Ginger serves as an effective home remedy for heartburn. Grind fresh ginger and prepare ginger tea. You can even add ginger to foods.
OR
Increase your fiber intake, as it aids in the absorption of excess acid
and gas. It helps in flushing out the toxins from your body.
OR
Drink plenty of water at least 8 glasses everyday.
OR
Green tea is also effective in treating heartburn.
OR
Prepare herbal tea containing equal small amounts of peppermint, chamomile, ginger, licorice root and catnip. Preferably, it should be taken after dinner

18) Home Remedy for Herpes:
Take a few ice cubes and rub them on the cold sore affected area for a few minutes.
OR
Take a warm tea bag and apply it on the fever blisters for about half an hour.
OR
Lemon balm extract is considered valuable in healing Herpes infection. 

OR
Consume foods rich in vitamins. Zinc and iron are also vital. Eat plenty of fruits and green veggies

19) Home Remedy for High Blood Cholesterol :
In 1 glass of water, add 2 tbsps of coriander seeds and bring to a boil. Let the decoction cool for some time and then strain. Drink this mixture two times in a day.
OR
Sunflower seeds are extremely beneficial, as they contain linoleic acid that helps in reducing the cholesterol deposits on the walls of arteries. You just need to modify your cooking style a bit and substitute sunflower seeds for solid fats such as butter and cream.
OR
Incorporate loads of fiber in your meals, as fiber helps a great deal in
lowering the cholesterol pressure in blood.

20) Home Remedy for High Blood Pressure:
A real effective home remedy for high blood pressure is to take 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp ginger juice and 1 tsp cumin powder and mix them well. Have this mixture at least two times in a day.
OR
As a part of high bp home remedy treatment, it's good to try out the idea of consuming coriander or fenugreek leaves mixed in 1 cup of water.
OR
Take about 25-30 curry leaves and make a juice, using 1-cup water. You can even add on limejuice to it for making it tastier. Strain and drink it in the morning.

21) Home Remedy for Menopausal Disorder:
When a woman experiences menopause, she should take a daily supplement consisting of 500 mg magnesium and 2 gm of calcium.
OR
Carrot seeds are of great value in case of menopause. In 1 glass of cow's milk, put a tsp of carrot seeds and boil for about 10 minutes or so. Consume it everyday as a medicine.
OR
Liquorice serves as an effective remedy for menopause, as it contains the natural female hormone, estrogen. Thus, it helps in making up for the lost hormones.

22) Home Remedy for Obesity:
On an empty stomach in the morning, drink 1 glass of warm water mixed with
juice of half a lime and 1 tsp honey.

OR
In 1 cup of water, add 3 tsp of limejuice, ½ tsp pepper powder and some honey. Drink this everyday for about 3-4 months.
OR
As a substitute of breakfast, consume 2 ripe tomatoes in the morning. This remedy will aid in reducing your weight at a faster rate.

24) Home Remedy for Prostate Disorders:
Pumpkin seeds are extremely useful in treating prostate disorders. The seeds of pumpkin act as a rich source of unsaturated fatty acids that are vital to the health of the prostate. Men suffering from prostate trouble must take about 60-90 gm of pumpkin seeds daily. Pumpkin can be consumed
in the form of powder spread over the cooked food. You can also mix them with white flour for making chapattis.
OR
Zinc has been found beneficial in the treatment of prostate disorders. Take about 30 milligrams of this mineral everyday.
OR
Vitamin E is beneficial for prostate health. The patient should be given foods rich in vitamin E like wholegrain products, green leafy vegetables, milk and sprouted seeds.
OR
In 200 ml spinach juice, add 300 ml of carrot juice. You can even have carrot juice separately. Vegetable juices are excellent in curing prostate disorders.

25) Home Remedy for Ringworm:
Take a raw fresh papaya and cut out slices. Rub the slice on the ringworm patch. It serves as an excellent home remedy for ringworms.
OR
Take a few mustard seeds and powder them. Thereafter, make a paste using water... Apply the paste on the ringworm-affected area and see its wonderful effects.

26) Home Remedy for Sexual Impotence:
Garlic is considered valuable in treating the problem of sexual impotence. It acts like a tonic for loss of sexual power Chew 2-3 cloves of raw garlic daily.
OR
Another aphrodisiac food next to garlic is onion. It aids in strengthening the reproductory organs. Prefer going in for white onions.
OR
Carrots have proved beneficial in creating the desire for sex. Take about 150 gm of finely chopped carrots and eat them with a half boiled egg, dipped in 1 tbsp of honey. Consume it once a day for about a month or two.

27) Home Remedy for Sinusitis:
Mango serves as an effective home remedy for preventing the frequent attacks of sinus, as it is packed with loads of vitamin A.
OR
Another beneficial remedy consists of consuming pungent foods like onion and garlic, as a part of your daily meals.
OR
Fenugreek leaves are considered valuable in curing sinusitis. In 250 ml water, boil 1 tsp of Fenugreek seeds and reduce it to half. This will help you to perspire, dispel toxicity and reduce the fever period.
OR
Tie a tsp of black cumin seeds in a thin cotton cloth and inhale..

28) Home Remedy for Sore Throat:
Take 1-2 cloves of garlic and 2-3 cloves and make a paste. Mix with 1 cup of honey. Drink 1 tsp about 3 times in a day.
OR
In 1 cup of warm milk, add a pinch of turmeric powder. Drink the milk before going to bed.
OR
Take 1 whole onion and boil it with some water. Thereafter, mash it and add some butter, salt and pepper to it. Now eat this mixture.

29) Home Remedy for Stomach Ache:
Drink plenty of water, as it helps in ensuring smooth bowel movements.  OR
Drink lemon tea with some honey added in it for taste. It will keep away stomach ache.
OR
Mix 1 tsp each of mint juice and limejuice. Add some ginger juice and
black salt in it. Drink this mixture.

30) Home Remedy for Tonsillitis :
Take a fresh lemon and squeeze it in a glass of water. Add 4 tsp of honey and ¼ tsp of common salt in it. Drink it slowly sip by sip.
OR
Milk has proved beneficial in treating tonsillitis. In 1 glass of pure boiled milk, add a pinch of turmeric powder and pepper powder. Drink it every night for about 3 days

.
31) Home Remedy for Toothache:
Dip 1 clove of garlic in rock salt and place it on the affected tooth.  OR Keep a piece of raw onion inside the mouth on the affected tooth.
OR
Clove serves as an excellent home remedy for toothache. Keep a clove in your mouth and suck it. You can even apply clove oil on the affected tooth. 

OR
Lime is considered valuable in maintaining the health of teeth.
OR
Consume the juice of wheat grass, as it acts as a fabulous mouthwash in case of tooth decay.

32) Home Remedy for Wrinkles:
Application of leftover egg whites at the bottom of the shell to the problematic area serves as an effective home remedy for wrinkles. 

OR
For the sagging skin under the eyes or on the throat, apply some odorless castor oil.
OR
Take some coconut oil and massage on the wrinkled skin.
OR
Eat 1 tsp of shredded ginger along with a few drops of honey every morning. OR Rub the core of a pineapple all over your face for sometime and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes.

33) Home Remedy for Urinary Tract Infection :
In 8 oz of water, put ½ tsp of baking soda and drink it.
OR
Drink plenty of water, as it aids in flushing out the waste products from the body.
OR
Drink Cranberry juice.. You can also add some apple juice for taste

.

34)Home Remedy for Warts:
Apply castor oil daily over the problematic area. Continue for several months.
OR
Apply milky juice of fresh and barely-ripe figs a number of times a day. Continue for two weeks.
OR
Rub cut raw potatoes on the affected area several times daily. Continue for at least two weeks.
OR
Rub cut onions on the warts to stimulate the circulation of blood. OR
Apply powder of herb Indian squill daily over the warts.
OR
Apply milk from the cut end of dandelion over the warts 2-3 times a day.

OR
Apply oil extracted from the shell of the cashew nut over the warts.  OR
Apply Papaya juice
OR
Apply Pineapple juice

35) Home Remedy for Vomiting:
Take 2 cardamoms and roast them on a dry pan (tava). Powder the cardamoms and thereafter add a tsp of honey in it. Consume it frequently. It serves as a fabulous home remedy for vomiting.
OR
In the mixture of 1 tsp of mint juice and 1 tsp limejuice, add ½ tsp of ginger juice and 1 tsp honey. Drink this mixture to prevent vomiting.  OR Limejuice is an effective remedy for vomiting. Take a glass of chilled limejuice and sip slowly. To prevent vomiting, drink ginger tea.
OR
In 1 glass water, add some honey and drink sip by sip. 

Drinking to your HEALTH?

Habitual intake of alcohol may lead to a host of problems
THINK about it. Isn't it ironical that most people always raise a toast to their health and drink merrily, little realising that the glass that cheers costs them dear? Or even if they know about it, they prefer to remain in a blissful state of denial. I ruefully chose to raise the topic at a party last week with a friend.
    "Bunkum," he retorted, as he hit the bar for another Patiala peg to wash down my "unadulterated, useless advice." Hic, hic, huh! "Don't give me those saintly ones." His looks said it all. There was no point discussing the topic any further as he was already three pegs down by then. But even as I left him revelling in an inebriated state, I felt a strong urge coming within me to explore why the people who drink
    often get into
a state of denial when it comes to their health.
A story I read in newspapers last week came in handy to jolt my friend out of his 'kick'. An American Medical Association release quoted latest research to state that the more you drink, the smaller the size of your total brain volume, particularly among women. Although men were more likely to drink alcohol, the linkage between drinking and brain volume was found to be stronger in women. This could be due to biological factors, including women's smaller size and greater susceptibility to the effects of alcohol, it added.
    Well, this may read like a far-fetched consequence, but continued alcohol use, say doctors, can cause chronic diseases such as liver cirrhosis (damage to liver cells), pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), various cancers, including liver, mouth, throat, larynx (the voice box), and oesophagus; high blood pressure, and psychological disorders.
    What's more an alcoholic can get unintentional injuries, such as motor-vehicle traffic crashes, falls, drowning, burns and firearm injuries. He/ she could indulge in violence, such as child maltreatment, homicide and suicide. A woman may harm a developing foetus if she drinks while pregnant, be prone to sudden infant death syndrome and worse, can be a victim of alcohol abuse or dependence. Even in sex life, say doctors, alcohol increases the desire, but decreases the performance!
    So, is alcoholism a disease? Isn't is a bit of 'kick & fun" for some and "de-stresser" for others? Therein lies the rub, say doctors as they highlight the need to shatter the myths and misconceptions around alcohol use. Gulp this. Alcoholism is a disease, but intriguingly, there are neither any visible symptoms of the disease, nor does it act like one. To make matters worse, it generally denies it exists and resists treatment. In fact, alcoholism has been recognised for many years by doctors as a primary, chronic, progressive and sometimes fatal disease. But probably the most simple way to describe it is "a mental addiction that causes a physical compulsion to drink."
    Explains Dr Jitender Nagpal, senior consultant psychiatrist, Vimhans and Moolchand Hospital: "Actually, it could be either way — first psychological addiction and then physical need or vice-versa. In the first case, a person may turn to alcohol in any state of mind — if he's sad or happy — to initially relax himself. In the second case, physical dependence on alcohol may cause serious psychological disorders and the person may slip into depression or show manic behaviour.
    Rehabilitation becomes very difficult in such people because even though there may be a motivation to quit, the body doesn't allow it. So you could say that the triggering factor may be psychological, physical or a convergence of both."
    What's worse, the disease has a progressive nature. In its early stages, taking one or two drinks may be all it takes to get over the urge. But soon it takes six or seven and later maybe 10 or 12. And the disease progresses so quietly and usually over such an extended period of time that even the alcoholic himself fails to notice the point at which he lost control.No wonder, denial is an almost universal symptom of the disease. My friend is a case in point. But for those who realise they do have a problem, help may be easily available. For those who need help and do not want it, intervention may be the only alternative.
    As Dr Nagpal sums it, "Initially, man drinks alcohol, then alcohol drinks alcohol and finally, alcohol drinks man."
TIPPLERS' WOES

• Hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver

• Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) or pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)

• High blood pressure (which can lead to stroke)

• Certain types of cancer, including mouth and throat

• Damage to the brain

• Heart failure

• Neurological problems such as epilepsy
• Certain types of vitamin efficiency

A new non-invasive device, which delivers short magnetic pulses to the brain, promises to combat depression

BATTLING THE BLUES

 The US government has approved the first non-invasive brain stimulator to treat depression – a device that beams short magnetic pulses through the skull to spark brain cells to fire. Called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), this approach doesn't cause the risks of surgically implanted electrodes or shock therapy, researchers say in the new study.
    "We are opening up a whole new area of medicine," says Dr Mark George of the Medical University of South Carolina, who helped pioneer the use of TMS in depression. "Now, there's a whole field of non-invasive electrical stimulation of the brain that's moving forward."
HOW IT WORKS
Neuroscientists have been using TMS for years as a research tool in brain studies. Zap a powerful magnet over a certain spot on the head – where motion is controlled – and someone's arm can suddenly, involuntarily, lash out. Beyond the "wow" factor, magnetised pulses were triggering brain activity.
    The question was how to harness that activity in a way that might cure disease. TMS is also being studied in stroke rehabilitation and other brain disorders.
    "Nobody thought this would work; it was a crazy idea. I had to do it in the morning before the real scientists came in," George laughs, as he recalls the work he began in 1993.
    "The brain is an electrical organ," he explains. "Electricity is the currency of the brain. It's how the brain does what it does."
    For depression, psychiatrists aim the magnet at the left front of the head – the prefrontal cortex.
    Since everyone's brain is different, they first zap the head to find a patient's motor-control region, and then carefully move 5 cms forward.
    Then, the device beams about 3,000 pulses a minute during a 40-minute treatment, done about five times a week for up to six weeks.
    The theory: Stimulating brain cells in the prefrontal cortex triggers a chain reaction that also stimulates deeper brain regions involved with mood.
    TMS did prove to be very safe: Patients in the study suffered no seizures or memory problems like shock therapy can cause, or other reactions throughout the body. The chief complaint from the sessions was headaches.
BUT HOW GOOD IS IT?
While there is a need for innovative approaches – at least one in five depression patients is treatment-resistant – the question is just how much benefit TMS offers.
    The US' Food and Drug Administration department cleared Neuronetics Inc's NeuroStar device based on data that found patients did modestly better when treated with TMS than when they unknowingly received a sham treatment that mimicked the magnet. It was a study fraught with statistical questions that concerned the agency's own scientific advisors.
    Still, about 24 per cent of those who got TMS scored significantly better on standard depression measures after six weeks, compared with 12 per cent who got the sham, says study leader Dr Philip Janicak.
    However, some reported remarkable improvement, like 60-year-old Steve Newman: "One day it was like a light switch went off."
    Newman had suffered from repeated bouts of depression since he was a teenager, and drug after drug barely blunted it. He was considering shock therapy when he heard about TMS.
    After two weeks of treatment, Newman was wondering if he was getting the sham – when suddenly, he started feeling a lot better, and doctors spotted a corresponding major improvement in his depression measurements.
    "I was awake. I was there," says Newman, who still gets what he calls a "maintenance dose" of TMS about once a month.
    Quantifying the benefit is key. For a clearer answer on the technology's benefits, the US' National Institutes of Health has an independent study under way now that tracks 260 patients undergoing TMS, and may have initial results as early as next year. AP

A doctor from Neuronetics Inc administers the transcranial magnetic stimulation procedure using the company's NeuroStar device, which sends short magnetic pulses to stimulate brain cells that control moods. The device – recently approved by the US government's FDA – can help treat depression, its inventors say

Secret to better grades -- sleep more

Published: Oct. 21, 2008 at 7:24 PM

Order reprints  |  Feedback

People who read this also read ...

• Memory problems may be linked to sleep
• Sleep therapy may help those with insomnia
• Turning off TV may help boomer insomnia
• 'Successful aging' linked to better sleep
• Teens with insomnia lose more than sleep

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers have directly linked higher grades with getting adequate sleep.

Researchers said those students reporting few nights of adequate sleep had a mean grade point average of 3.08 compared to 3.27 for those who reported no sleep deficiencies.

"The more days students get adequate sleep, the better GPAs they attain," study leader Dr. Ed Ehlinger of the University of Michigan's Boynton Health Service said in a statement. "There is a direct link between the two."

Other factors tied to lower GPAs were excessive television or computer screen time, gambling, use of alcohol and tobacco and stress.

In the study, 69.9 percent of college students reported they were stressed and of those, 32.9 percent said stress hurt them academically. The mean GPA for stressed students was 3.12 compared to 3.23 for students who did not see themselves as stressed.

"Our study shows that there is a direct link between college students' health and their academic achievement," Ehlinger said. "This is the first time that anything like this has been published where grade point average is linked to all these behaviors."

The study was based on a 2007 survey of 9,931 randomly selected two- and four-year college students.