Narcolepsy affects about one in 2,000 people, and researchers are coming closer to understanding this disease characterized by daytime drowsiness, irregular sleep at night and a sudden loss of muscle tone and strength.

According to researchers at Stanford, Narcolepsy is an auto-immune disease.
The new study was published online at Nature Genetics.

The researchers discovered that a specific variation of a gene belonging to T cells (specialized immune cells that play a role in all immune responses) was present in narcolepsy. Because T cells appear to be involved, researchers believe that the mechanism behind narcolepsy stems from the immune system.

“If we can work out what happens specifically in patients with narcolepsy, we’ll be able to better understand the role of T cells in other autoimmune diseases that are more complicated and difficult to detect,” said Dr. Emmanuel Mignot, a lead researcher in the narcolepsy study.

Do you have experience with narcolepsy?

(Image via stock.xchng)

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Narcolepsy Mysteries Unravel

A research team at Karolinska Institutet has shown in a new study that a gluten-free vegan diet has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular risk factors in people with rheumatoid arthritis. The effect was seen when a group of patients who kept to a gluten-free vegan diet for a year were compared with a control group which had followed ordinary dietary advice.

Vegan food had a positive effect on symptoms of the disease, which were more pronounced in the control group. Blood levels of oxidised LDL-cholesterol, a risk factor for atherosclerosis, were also lower in the group which kept to the vegan diet. The vegan group also had higher levels of anti-PC, a type of antibody that the researchers believe has a protective effect against atherosclerosis.

Vegan, or thinking of going vegan/vegetarian? Be sure to check out Jul’s Veggie Chic blog.

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Gluten-Free Vegan Diet Promotes Cardiovascular Health in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Aside from mulled wine, gingerbreads and other holiday treats, what other recipes do you know of that calls for cinnamon?

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Health Benefits of Cinnamon

Although I find this article to be a bit too negative on the use of antibiotics, it does explain well how probiotics can put our body microflora into balance, particularly after a long treatment regimen with antibiotics.

“It’s important to remember that the other half of the therapy is to replant the forest with the good bacteria,” Huffnagle says. And while scientists are still trying to determine exactly how the microflora in the digestive tract affect the immune system, he says, studies have shown that probiotics can be a powerful tool to help strengthen immune systems and reduce the effects of allergies.

Probiotics, found in foods like yogurt and aged cheeses, “are eventually eliminated after a couple of days,” he says. “But they straighten up the house while they’re there, making an effort to create a more normal flora and to get the ratios right by the time they’ve disappeared.”

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Probiotics May Reduce Allergies, Stengthen Immune System

Apparently, not only are they rich in calcium (a quarter-cup supplies up to more than a third of the daily value for calcium), it’s also rich in

• calcium, and provides pain relief for rheumatoid arthritis
• magnesium, which is important for managing asthma, high blood pressure, migraine attacks, and sleep in menopausal women
• zinc, a trace element important for bone health and preventing osteoporosis
• phytoesterols (400-413 mg per 100 grams), which help lower blood cholesterol

WH Foods has more about the health benefits of sesame seeds as well as tips and ideas on how to incorporate them into your diet.

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Health Benefits of Sesame Seeds

Researchers studied an animal model for inflammatory skin diseases, which are often characterized by patches of dry, red, flaky skin caused by the inflammation and overproduction of skin cells. Those treated with green tea showed slower growth of skin cells and the presence of a gene that regulates the cells’ life cycles.

It does indeed sound to be a good alternative to the traditional treatment of ultraviolet light and medication, which may cause skin cancer. Researchers still need to fine tune the formulation and perform further trials, though.

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Green Tea May Help Treat Autoimmune Skin Diseases

A new study also suggests that EGCG may also provide therapeutic benefits to people with rheumatoid arthritis.

The researchers looked at whether the green tea compound has the capability to block the activity of two potent molecules, IL-6 and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which also are actively involved in causing bone erosion in the joints of people with rheumatoid arthritis.

[In untreated cells], a sequence of molecular events occurred that resulted in production of the bone-destructive molecules. But the scientists found that pre-incubation with EGCG was capable of inhibiting the production of these molecules. EGCG also inhibited the production of prostaglandin E2, a hormone-like substance that causes inflammation in the joints.

Of course, this study, having used cell models, is still far from conclusive. Similar therapeutic or preventive effects will still have to be demonstrated in animal, and subsequently, human trials.

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Green Tea Compound May Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis

Researchers studied the salivary glands of the water-consuming group and a green tea extract-consuming group to look for inflammation and the number of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cells that gather at sites of inflammation to fend off foreign cells.

The group treated with green tea had significantly fewer lymphocytes, Dr. Hsu says. Their blood also showed lower levels of autoantibodies, protein weapons produced when the immune system attacks itself, he says.

Researchers believe that epigallo-catechin-3 gallate (ECGC), a compound found in green tea, helps suppress inflammation, and protects against TNF-alpha, a group of proteins and molecules involved in systemic inflammation.

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Green Tea May Help Prevent Autoimmune Disease