Ian M. Paul, M.D., M.Sc., Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, and team carried out a study on 105 children – they were aged 2-18, and all were suffering from upper respiratory tract infections. They were ill for up to seven days and experienced symptoms during the night. 35 of them were randomly selected to receive a dose of honey, another 33 were given dextromethorphan, while the other 37 were given nothing – those receiving treatment got it 30 minutes before bedtime. Their parents had to fill in a survey assessing their child’s cough and sleep difficulty twice – once for the night before treatment, and then again for the night with treatment.

The researchers found that honey helped children the most by far, followed by dextromethorphan. Honey helped alleviate the following problems – cough frequency, cough severity, the child’s sleep, and the parents’ sleep.

Worth a try, especially considering that the use of dextromethorphan for children’s cough is a treatment which is not supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, nor the American College of Chest Physicians. Honey, on the other hand, is considered to be safe for use for kids at least 1 year old.

Photo Credit: nkzs

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Buckwheat Honey Helps Relieve Cough

The USDA tested mandarins from 10 different micro-climates in Placer County and what they found inside these little fruits, compared to other citrus, 6 to 7 times the amount of synephrine, a naturally occurring decongestant.

Photo Credit: sonictk via Flickr

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Mandarin Oranges Contain Natural Decongestants

According to recent research from Johns Hopkins Medical School, a decrease in lung concentrations of NRF2-dependent antioxidants, key components of the lung’s defense system against inflammatory injury, is linked to the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in smokers. Broccoli is known to contain a compound that prevents the degradation of NFRP.

That compound is sulforapane, the same compound responsible for broccoli’s reported chemopreventive properties.

At this point, all of these are mere hypotheses. No clinical trials have been done to directly link broccoli consumption to COPD rates, for example.

Photo Credit: lockstockb

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Broccoli May Help Against Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

When the trial results were combined, patients who chewed gum took an average of .66 fewer days to pass flatus (gas) and an average of 1.10 fewer days to have a bowel movement, both signs of returning intestinal function. “Postoperative length of hospital stay was assessed in four trials comprising 134 patients,” the authors write. “This was also reduced in the chewing gum group by longer than one day; however, this result was not statistically significant.”

Gum chewing is thought to act as a kind of “sham feeding,” stimulating nerves in the digestive system, triggering the release of gastrointestinal hormones and increasing the production of saliva and secretions from the pancreas, the authors note.

The data doesn’t look that impressive, one needs to consider the potentials on a large scale basis; imagine the impact of reduction in hospital stay (even if just a day less!) on the healthcare system. And with such a simple and cheap solution, too!

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Chewing Gum May Speed Up Recovery from Colon Surgery

And although the studies used relatively high amounts of capsaicin (probably more than even a Thai-food addict can tolerate) to demonstrate this, researchers are looking into the structure of capsaicin as a model to design more potent compounds that might have clinical use such as treating hypothermia.

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Capsaicin in Peppers Can Increase Metabolism and Body Temperatures

This video is brought to you by the authors of Eat, Shrink & Be Merry (I hope to review the cookbook of the same title soon!).

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Benefits of Blueberries (Video)

• Eyes: Keep your vision sharp with bilberries, which are packed with antioxidants—even more than their blueberry cousins.
• Sinuses: Research shows that oils from dill, bishop’s weed, and cumin work as well as or better than antibiotics against eight types of common bacterial infections.
• Breasts: Flaxseed reduces inflammation and tumor growth.
• Tummy: Get rid of your burping and bloating with digestive-enzyme supplements which are available in capsule form. Mint has also long been considered a tummy soother.
• Feet: To ease the chronic pain of plantar fasciitis (an inflammatory condition), try acupuncture or natural anti-inflammatories such as ginger, turmeric, or boswellia.

There’s more here for just about every part of teh body, but take note, though, that there’s no scientific backing referenced for these claims (if you have leads, I’d be glad to receive them!)!

Photo from PR received via email.

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Health Magazine’s Head-to-Toe Guide to Natural Health

Photo Credit: CSIRO

BARLEYmax® contains more than twice the amount of insoluble and soluble fibre found in wheat or oats, as well as resistant starch, which helps promote healthy digestive bacteria.

BARLEYmax Business Manager, CSIRO’s Geoff Ball, says clinical testing by CSIRO Human Nutrition has shown that products made with BARLEYmax – such as breakfast cereals, muffins and breads – have a low Glycaemic Index and strong bowel health attributes.

“Further testing showed BARLEYmax has excellent processing properties and foods made with the new grain have a naturally sweet, slightly nutty taste,” Mr Ball says. “With large volumes to be produced soon by Austgrains, healthy foods made with BARLEYmax are likely to be on Australian breakfast tables in the near future.”

Source: CSIRO

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High-Fibre BARLEYmax® Soon to Be Available in Australia

Women consuming two to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 25 percent lower risk of death from heart disease during the follow-up period (which lasted from 1980 to 2004 and involved 84,214 women) as compared with non-consumers, and an 18 percent lower risk of death caused by something other than cancer or heart disease as compared with non-consumers during follow-up.

Before you use this to justify your coffee “addiction” to that java brew, take note that caffeine does have adverse effects, too. You might therefore be better off drinking decaf as their data indicates that even drinking decaffeinated coffee produces pretty much the same result (lower death risks). It probably won’t wake you up though!

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Cheat Death by Drinking Coffee

I’m not especially fond of its taste, but I am starting to think we’d be better off in choosing green tea. In addition to the various health benefits of green tea I’ve written many times here at Eating Fabulous, a new study indicates that it also helps prevent the cognitive deficits that occur with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Because of their difficulties in breathing, people with OSA experience intermittent hypoxia (inadequate oxygen) and are reported to have higher oxidative stress and exhibit architectural changes in the areas of their brain tissues involved in learning and memory. Green tea polyphenols’ anti-oxidant properties protect the brain from such damages.

If you’d like to read the manuscript detailing this study, it has been published in the second issue for May of the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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Green Tea Polyphenols Protect Against Sleep Apnea-Related Brain Damage