U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutritionist Lindsay H. Allen has collaborated in ongoing research that has taken a closer look at the role these nutrients may play in preventing decline in brain function. The investigations, led by Mary N. Haan of the University of California-San Francisco, are part of the multiyear Sacramento (Calif.) Area Latino Study on Aging, or “SALSA.” Begun in 1996, the study attracted nearly 1,800 Hispanic seniors, ages 60 to 101, as volunteers.

According to Allen, the research is needed because many studies of B vitamins and brain function have given inconsistent or conflicting results. Allen is director of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Western Human Nutrition Research Center in Davis, Calif. ARS is the chief intramural scientific research agency of USDA. Scientists from the University of California-Davis (UCD) and the UCD Medical Center also are collaborating in the research.

An analysis of volunteers’ blood samples showed that lower levels of one B vitamin, folate, were associated with symptoms of dementia and poor brain function, also called “cognitive decline,” as determined by standard tests of memory and other factors. The impairments were detectable even though less than 1 percent of the volunteers were actually deficient in folate.

In women, but not men, low levels of folate were associated with symptoms of depression. In fact, female volunteers whose plasma folate levels were in the lowest third were more than twice as likely to have symptoms of depression as volunteers in the highest third. That finding provided new evidence of an association between lower blood folate and depression. Depression is already known to affect brain function.

In research with vitamin B-12, the SALSA team determined that a protein known as holoTC, short for holotranscobalamin, might be key to a new approach for detecting cognitive decline earlier and more accurately.

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The researchers have published these and other findings, beginning in 2003 and continuing through this year, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, The Journal of Nutrition, and The Journal of Nutrition, Health, and Aging.

A specific type of yoga can help improve stability and balance in women over age 65, which could help to prevent falls, finds a preliminary study out of Temple University’s Gait Study Center.

Dr. Jinsup Song and researchers at the School of Podiatric Medicine and the College of Health Professions examined the gait and postural stability of 24 elderly females who were enrolled in an Iyengar yoga program specifically designed for those over 65. They found that at the end of the nine-week program, participants had a faster stride, an increased flexibility in the lower extremities, an improved single-leg stance and increased confidence in walking and balance.

Song will present these findings at the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society’s Annual Meeting on April 4.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that among people 65 years and older, falls are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma, and nearly one-third of older adults suffer from some type of fall each year.

Song and his researchers suggest that improving balance and stability through yoga could help reduce the risk of falling, as these are two areas that are often deficient when a fall occurs.

“We were very impressed at the progress our participants made by the end of the program,” said Song. “Subjects demonstrated improved muscle strength in lower extremities, which helps with stability. There was also a pronounced difference in how pressure was distributed on the bottom of the foot, which helps to maintain balance.”

Song and study coauthor Marian Garfinkel, Ed.D., a certified senior Iyengar Yoga instructor, consulted her mentor, renowned yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar, to craft a specific yoga program of poses tailored to the elderly who have had little to no yoga experience. The use of props in the Iyengar program allows participants to gradually master the poses while building their confidence level.

“In the past, similar studies have been done that look at gait and balance improvement in elderly females using a more aggressive form of yoga,” said Song, principal investigator and director of the Gait Study Center. “For this study, we worked to create a very basic regimen that taught participants proper ways to breathe, stand and pose.”

Before she started the program, Maryanne Brown wasn’t sure she’d even want to stick with it.

“I’ve never been one for exercise,” said the West Philadelphia native. “But I started attending the classes, and I thought, ‘Why not?’ I really did want to make an effort to get healthy, so I kept at it.”

Now, even after the program, Brown continues her regimen at the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Studio of Philadelphia, under the direction of Garfinkel, an adjunct associate professor at the School of Medicine.

“I feel more centered now. I have more confidence when I walk, and I’m able to walk further for longer periods of time,” Brown said.

Researchers also found that some participants, like Brown, who had unrelated back and knee pain at baseline, were pain-free by the end of the study.

“I’ve had that pain for years,” Brown said. “And during one session, I heard a ‘pop’ and was sure I wouldn’t be able to get up. But I did, and I felt better than I had in years.”

In addition to improving balance and stability, Song notes that participation in a group setting, such as an Iyengar yoga class, could have positive psychological effects for the elderly, as well.

“Throughout the program, participants consistently noted that they had a better outlook on their day-to-day lives,” he said. “The class gave them something to look forward to; they found it engaging, and said that if they couldn’t attend a class, they definitely missed it.”

“This program has been amazing,” said Brown, who now spends up to six hours a week practicing Iyengar yoga. “They’re really onto something with it. It’s made a tremendous difference in my quality of life.”

“The bottom line is, people want to stay active as long as possible,” Song said. “This can help elderly women maintain their mobility and independence, in several ways.”

Song noted that this preliminary information will pave the way for a larger study on how Iyengar yoga affects the function of the foot to improve balance and stability and prevent falls.

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Other researchers on this study are Roberta Newton, P.T., Ph.D., of Temple University’s College of Health Professions; and Ji Su Yun, B.A., Benjamin Heilman, M.S., and Emilie Zoltick, B.A., of the Gait Study Center at Tempe University. Funding was provided by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Development at Temple University.

Arthritis Res Ther. 2008 Mar 18;10(2):R34

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vegan diet in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on blood lipids oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and natural atheroprotective antibodies against phosphorylcholine (anti-PCs). METHODS: Sixty-six patients with active RA were randomly assigned to either a vegan diet free of gluten (38 patients) or a well-balanced non-vegan diet (28 patients) for 1 year. Thirty patients in the vegan group completed more than 3 months on the diet regimen. Blood lipids were analyzed by routine methods, and oxLDL and anti-PCs were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data and serum samples were obtained at baseline and after 3 and 12 months. RESULTS: Mean ages were 50.0 years for the vegan group and 50.8 years for controls. Gluten-free vegan diet induced lower body mass index (BMI) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and higher anti-PC IgM than control diet (p <0.005). In the vegan group, BMI, LDL, and cholesterol decreased after both 3 and 12 months (p <0.01) and oxLDL after 3 months (p = 0.021) and trendwise after 12 months (p = 0.090). Triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein did not change. IgA anti-PC levels increased after 3 months (p = 0.027) and IgM anti-PC levels increased trendwise after 12 months (p = 0.057). There was no difference in IgG anti-PC levels. In the control diet group, IgM anti-PC levels decreased both after 3 and 12 months (p <0.01). When separating vegan patients into clinical responders and non-responders at 12 months, the effects on oxLDL and anti-PC IgA were seen only in responders (p <0.05).

CONCLUSION: A gluten-free vegan diet in RA induces changes that are potentially atheroprotective and anti-inflammatory, including decreased LDL and oxLDL levels and raised anti-PC IgM and IgA levels

A vegan diet free of gluten improves the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: the effects on arthritis correlate with a reduction in antibodies to food antigens.

Rheumatology (Oxford). 2001 Oct;40(10):1175-9.

Department of Rheumatology, Karolinska Institutet at Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

OBJECTIVE: Whether food intake can modify the course of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an issue of continued scientific and public interest. However, data from controlled clinical trials are sparse. We thus decided to study the clinical effects of a vegan diet free of gluten in RA and to quantify the levels of antibodies to key food antigens not present in the vegan diet. METHODS: Sixty-six patients with active RA were randomized to either a vegan diet free of gluten (38 patients) or a well-balanced non-vegan diet (28 patients) for 1 yr. All patients were instructed and followed-up in the same manner. They were analysed at baseline and after 3, 6 and 12 months, according to the response criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Furthermore, levels of antibodies against gliadin and beta-lactoglobulin were assessed and radiographs of the hands and feet were performed. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients in the vegan group and 25 patients in the non-vegan diet group completed 9 months or more on the diet regimens. Of these diet completers, 40.5% (nine patients) in the vegan group fulfilled the ACR20 improvement criteria compared with 4% (one patient) in the non-vegan group. Corresponding figures for the intention to treat populations were 34.3 and 3.8%, respectively. The immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels against gliadin and beta-lactoglobulin decreased in the responder subgroup in the vegan diet-treated patients, but not in the other analysed groups. No retardation of radiological destruction was apparent in any of the groups.

CONCLUSION: The data provide evidence that dietary modification may be of clinical benefit for certain RA patients, and that this benefit may be related to a reduction in immunoreactivity to food antigens eliminated by the change in diet.

Love yourself. The phrase has become trite. However it remains alive as there is a kernel of truth to it. Have you sought it out? The concept of love itself is abused and misunderstood as well. So for this discussion “love” is used in the sense of “to care for, to nurture.” The body is the mind. This is one reason why medicine people could assess someones well being by looking at them. They understood the body map, its terrain and how it related to the world of spirit.

Research tests cannot do that. When we lose our connection to the spiritual we can easily become tools…for whomever. Marketers are sophisticated in the application of this and develop advertisements that play on fears, passions and unmet emotional needs.

If you are interested in strategies to promote your health and well-being here are a few tips you can use.

1. Avoid “fortified foods”.
2. Read the labels of food items that you purchase. Does that pancake mix have bleached flour as an ingredient?
3. Calcium in orange juice, why?
4. Learn where the local farmer’s market produce outlets are in your community and support them.
5. Eat fresh fruit. A guideline from DASH is 4-6 servings a day. Ask yourself would that work for you to eat, say, 4 or 5 apples a day? Perhaps the old adage of, “an apple a day, keeps the doctor away”, is more appropriate.
6. Eat fresh vegetables.
7. Prefer frozen vegetables over canned. The least processed your foods the better.
8. Ask yourself, is what I am eating food? Or is this something that is a laboratory creation intended to stimulate my taste buds, but in no way promotes my health, well-being and revitalization?
9. Avoid, eliminate artificial colors. This includes many confectionery, sweet candy, items. However, you could still feed this habit without artificially colored snacks which are available at a “natural foods grocer”.
10. Want a sweet treat? Blend a frozen banana. Quick sweet and nourishing.

More to come. The emphasis is to apply what you know. A journey of 1000 miles, begins with one step. If you are already doing this short list let me know how it is working for you.
Be Well

Currently, at least 5.2 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, including 200,000 to 250,000 people under age 65. By 2010, projections say there will be 500,000 new cases of the mind-wasting disease each year, and nearly one million new cases annually by 2050, the report estimates.

In addition, the report, released Tuesday by the Alzheimer’s Association, showed that the disease is now the seventh deadliest in the nation and that women are at greater risk than men.

The overall prediction for 10 million, which translates to 1 out of every 8 boomers, is a number that is “particularly significant because it’s people who are now just approaching what we refer to as the age of highest risk,” said Stephen McConnell, the association’s vice president for advocacy and public policy.

The age of highest risk for Alzheimer’s starts at 65, McConnell said. “Some of these people are already developing the disease, and those numbers are just going to increase dramatically over the next several decades,” he added.

This is going to have a huge impact on baby boomers’ lives, their families, and the nation’s health-care system, McConnell said.

Right now, there are 10 million caregivers providing care, many of them family members, at enormous personal cost, McConnell noted. “These caregivers tend to be spouses, but there’s evidence that 250,000 of these caregivers are children 8 to 18,” he said. “So you get the sense of an expanded circle of people who are affected by this disease. It’s not just the person with the disease. It’s not just their immediate caregiver — it’s the children and grandchildren.”

Most people with Alzheimer’s are eligible for Medicare, so a burgeoning number of Alzheimer’s patients will put a major strain on the federal health insurance program, McConnell pointed out.

Medicare currently spends more than three times as much money on people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias than it does for the average Medicare recipient. In 2005, Medicare spent $91 billion on people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. By 2010, that number is expected to climb to $160 billion, and by 2015, to $189 billion annually, according to the report.

These high Medicare costs occur because Alzheimer’s tends to complicate the treatment of other medical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, McConnell said. Also, while people with Alzheimer’s live an average of eight years, they can live more than 20 years, placing an additional strain on the health-care system.

The projected rise in Alzheimer’s cases will also burden the long-term care system, McConnell said. “Right now, it’s mostly families providing care at home, but most people with Alzheimer’s disease end up in a nursing home or an assisted living facility,” he said. “In fact, three-quarters of people with Alzheimer’s will die in such a facility.”

Complicating matters, long-term care isn’t covered by most regular health insurance, and most people don’t have long-term care insurance, McConnell said. “That’s going to have a devastating impact on society,” he said.

Still, McConnell said there’s hope for new treatments for Alzheimer’s, but it’s going to take a lot more money for research and testing to make those hopes a reality.

There seems to be a connection between Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease, McConnell said. Diet, exercise and blood-pressure control may help stave off cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s, he said.

Also, new drugs being tested “show promise in altering the course of the disease,” McConnell said.

“Eventually, this disease could be preventable. It’s certainly a disease we hope will be manageable if we catch it early,” McConnell said. “If we are just able to slow the progression of the disease and delay its onset, it could save many millions of people from having to deal with the consequences of the disease. And it could save billions of dollars in the health-care system.”

But, the U.S. government has cut spending on Alzheimer’s research, McConnell added. “Right now the government is spending about $640 million a year on Alzheimer’s research,” he said. “It seems like a lot, but we are spending over $5 billion a year on cancer, and more than $3 billion on heart disease each year. If we can just get that $640 million up to $1 billion a year, that would make a big difference.”

Dr. Gary Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, worries that there won’t be enough trained medical professionals to deal with the projected rise in Alzheimer’s patients.

“We are not training enough generalists or specialists in geriatrics, whether it’s medicine, psychiatry, family medicine, nursing or social work in the numbers we need to deal with people with dementia,” he said.

However, Kennedy also thinks the projected number of Alzheimer’s patients contained in the new report may be too high. Baby boomers are healthier, more active, better educated and wealthier than their parents, he noted, and this may help delay the development of the disease until the end of their natural lifespan.

Also, new medications may make Alzheimer’s manageable by slowing its progression, Kennedy said.

“Probably within the next five years we’re going to have medications that alter the course of the illness,” he said. “When that happens, you’re going to see pushing back of the disability of the illness even further. So we don’t have to cure Alzheimer’s disease, we just have to find interventions that are going to delay the disability.”
HealthDay

The study looked at 220 brand name prescription drugs and found that all but four had wholesale price increases in 2007, the Associated Press reported. Among the top 25 medicines, the sleep aid Ambien had the largest price increase (27.7 percent). At the other end of the list were the blood thinner Plavix (0.5 percent increase) and the cholesterol drug Zocor (no increase).

The increase in drug prices in 2007 continues a long-standing trend, said AARP, which noted that price increases have been slightly larger since the Medicare drug benefit took effect Jan. 1, 2006, the AP reported. In the four years before the drug benefit was launched, wholesale drug prices increased between 5.3 percent and 6.6 percent a year, according to AARP figures.

There were loud complaints about high drug prices at the time that Congress approved the Medicare drug benefit, but that outrage has since eased, perhaps because the federal government now pays for much of the cost of Medicare beneficiaries’ drugs, the news service said.

“Unfortunately, many manufacturers have taken the absence of an outcry as a green light to go ahead and raise prices even more,” said John Rother, AARP’s policy director, the AP reported.

Manufacturers are immune from any liability claims. Thanks to the current crop of Supreme Court justices if a manufacturer’s device has approval from the FDA and it meets the agency’s specifications, you have no grounds to sue if a problem ensues. Individuals who felt is if they suffered and sought damages did so in the state courts. There was no federal legislation until this ruling.

Examples of devices that have been the subjects of recent lawsuits include:

• an implantable defibrillator
• a heart pump,
• a spinal cord stimulator
• a drug-coated stent
• an artificial heart valve
• prosthetic hips and knees

The decision affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit by a patient who was injured during an angioplasty when a balloon catheter burst while being inserted to dilate a coronary artery. The device won F.D.A. premarket approval in 1994, two years before the incident. The patient, Charles R. Riegel, died after the lawsuit was filed, and the case was carried on by his widow, Donna. click here for the rest of this story

Thoughts: Cultivate your health and well-being daily. Keep your own knees and hips and all the rest of you tip-top. You have within you, an amazing capacity to heal.

Elderly women who get too much protein from animal products like meat and cheese risk fractures and bone loss, researchers are warning. They say women can improve their bone health by using vegetables as a greater source of protein.

In a study, women who got a high ratio of their protein from meat or dairy products rather than vegetables, had three times the rate of bone loss than those at opposite end of the scale.

But experts insist women should not stop eating meat or cheese and say they should eat more fruit and vegetables instead.

Others say a high protein intake balanced by high calcium will not affect bone health.

Questionnaire

Researchers from the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) gave more than 1,000 aged 65 to 80 a questionnaire which covered 64 different kinds of foods.

They then broke the results down to show how much of each food group the women ate and looked at how much protein the women got from animal products and how much from vegetables.

They were then categorised into those who ate a high level of animal protein, a medium level and a low level.

Initial bone mineral density checks showing no real differences between the groups were followed up seven years later.

In addition to having three times the amount of bone loss, women who had a high ratio of animal to vegetable protein had 3.7 the rate of hip fractures compared to the low ratio group.

Professor Deborah Sellmeyer, director of the UCSF Bone Density Clinic, said: “We adjusted for all the things that could have an impact on the relationship of high animal protein intake to bone loss and hip fractures, but the relationship was still there.”

The cause of the problem could be the high amount of acid in animal products, which Professor Sellmeyer said could be detrimental to bone health.

Loss of mass

Vegetables have some acid, but they have a substance called base – a bicarbonate – which neutralises acid.

She said: “Our bodies don’t like too much acid so our kidneys help us adjust be excreting acid in urine.

“But as we get older, our kidneys are less and less capable of excreting the acid.”

She said this meant that bones, which are partly made up of base, step in to try to neutralise the acid.

Over decades, this process causes the bone to dissolve, causing it to lose mass and calcium. Losing mass increases the risk of fractures.

Professor Sellmeyer added: “Protein is very important in maintaining strong bones and muscles. We don’t want people to stop eating animal protein.

“But we do want people to work in more fruits and vegetables into their diets – not only because of the impact it could have on bone health, but also the impact it can have on lowering the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses.”

Risk of falling

The National Osteoporosis Society said the issue of whether too much protein affects the body’s ability to absorb calcium is currently being debated.

A spokesman said too much protein could have a negative effect on bone health, but added recovery from hip fractures could be helped by protein-rich dietary supplements.

He added: “Malnutrition, and hence a deficiency of protein, has also been shown to contribute to bone loss, the risk of falling, and the response to injury.

“Other studies show that the body can compensate for this extra loss of urinary calcium by absorbing more calcium. So if a high protein diet is matched by a high calcium intake it need not adversely affect bone health.”

He added that healthy bones needed a balanced diet.

The study is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Meat Bad for Bone Health

It has been estimated that 14.8 million Americans suffer from major depressive disorder and of this number 6 million are elderly. If we include anxiety disorders, which commonly accompany depression, the number jumps to 40 million adults. At a cost of $44 billon dollars a year just for care of the seniors, this impacts the national budget as well. Depression later in life tends to last longer and be more severe than at younger ages. It is also associated with a high rate of suicide.

Previously, it was thought that major depression was secondary to a deficiency in certain neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly the monoamines, which include serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. While alterations in these important mood-related neurotransmitters is found with major depression, growing evidence indicates that the primary culprit is low-grade, chronic brain inflammation. In addition, we now know that inflammatory cytokines can lower serotonin significantly and for long periods by a number of different mechanisms.

Researchers have also discovered that most people with major depressive disease (MDD) have higher levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate in their spinal fluid (CSF) and blood plasma. This is the same glutamate found as a food additive-for example, MSG (monosodium glutamate), hydrolyzed proteins, calcium or sodium casienate, soy protein isolate, vegetable protein concentrate or isolate, etc. Much of the free glutamate in the brain of depressed people comes from within, that is it escapes from special cells within the brain itself (microglia and astrocytes). Free glutamate, that is, existing outside the neurons, is very toxic to brain connections and brain cells themselves — mainly by a process called excitotoxicity.

This connection between high brain glutamate levels and major depression was discovered quite by accident, when researchers observed that the anesthetic drug ketamine could relieve depression for a prolonged period. Ketamine is a powerful blocking drug for a class of glutamate receptors (NMDA receptors).

For quite some time it was known that depression could cause a loss of neurons in the hippocampus of the brain-the area most important for recent memory (declarative memory or working memory), the form of memory most affected in Alzheimer’s disease. This shrinkage of the brain usually occurred with long-term depression, yet it was shown, using sophisticated testing, that even without brain shrinkage, memory could be adversely affected. Some antidepressants could not only reverse the memory loss but could reverse the shrinkage as well.

The implication was that the elevated brain glutamate, via excitotoxicity, was destroying brain connections and later killing brain cells in the hippocampus and that the antidepressants were lowering brain glutamate levels. Subsequent studies have confirmed that drugs that block excitotoxicity also reduce depression and that some antidepressants reduce brain glutamate levels.

The Link Between Elevated Brain Glutamate and Inflammation

A tremendous amount of research has now demonstrated the link between chronic low-level brain inflammation, elevated brain glutamate levels and major depression. We know that as we age, the level of inflammatory immune cytokines increase (such as interleukin-1ß (IL-1), IL-6 and TNF-a). That is, the level of inflammation in our body increases, with high levels being seen at the extremes of life — the 80s and 90s.

This progressive elevation in the body’s inflammation increases our risk of a number of inflammation-linked diseases, such as cancer, arthritis, muscle weakness, fatigue, sleep disturbances, memory loss and confusion. People with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease have even higher levels of these inflammatory cytokines — much higher.

When inflammatory chemicals are elevated in the brain it makes brain cells more vulnerable to a number of toxins, many of which are in the environment. One study demonstrated, using a series of sophisticated techniques, that if brain cells were exposed to low levels of a pesticide there was little toxicity seen and that if you exposed these same brain cells to an immune stimulant alone, little damage occurred. But if you first exposed the brain cells to the immune stimulant, the same low dose of pesticide could destroy a great number of brain cells.

The importance of this observation was that the vaccine made the brain cells hypersensitive to the toxin so that even in concentrations that normally would do not cause harm, could wiped out most of the neurons. One of the strongest connections between an environmental toxin (pesticides) and a neurological disorder is with Parkinson’s disease. The reason it is more common in the elderly is that they have the highest levels of inflammatory cytokines. This also explains the high incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, which reaches incidences of 50% after age 80.

The link depression was also by accident. Doctors using immune cytokines to treat patients with cancer or hepatitis found that one third of the patients developed major depressive illness within days of the treatment and that it resolved only when the treatment was terminated. Other studies, in which inflammatory cytokine levels were measured in people with major depressive illness, also found most had high levels of these inflammatory chemicals.

To their surprise, they found that many of the antidepressant medications commonly used lowered inflammatory cytokines levels and that patients who failed to respond had the highest level of the cytokines.

So, how is this linked to excitotoxicity? Neuroscientists have known for some time that inflammatory cytokines cause the brain to release higher levels of glutamate — the more intense the inflammation, the higher the brain glutamate level. The highest levels are found in the prefrontal lobes and limbic system, the areas most related to mood control. MSG also increases brain inflammation.

Vaccination and Brain Inflammation

A great number of studies have shown that when you vaccinate an animal, the body’s inflammatory cytokines not only increase dramatically, but so do the brain’s inflammatory chemicals. The brain has its own immune system that is intimately connected to the body’s immune system. The main immune cell in the brain is called a microglia. Normally, these brain cells are lying throughout the brain in a resting state (called ramified). Once activated, they can move around, traveling between brain cells like amoeba (called amoeboid microglia).

In the resting state, they release chemicals that support the growth and protection of brain cells and their connections (dendrites and synapses). But when activated, they secrete a number of very harmful chemicals, including inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, complement, free radicals, lipid peroxidation products, and two excitotoxins — glutamate and quinolinic acid.

In essence, these brain immune cells are out to kill invaders, since the body’s immune system sent an emergency message that an invasion had occurred. With most infections, this phase of activation last no more than a few days to two weeks, during which time the immune system successfully kills off the invaders. Once that is accomplished, the immune system shuts down to allow things to cool off and the brain to repair what damage was done by its own immune system.

What researchers knew was that during this period of activation, people generally feel bad and that what they experience closely resembles depression — a condition called “sickness behavior”. Most of us have experience this when suffering from a viral illness — such things as restlessness, irritability, a need to get away from people, trouble sleeping, fatigue and difficulty thinking.

Studies have shown that there are two phases to this “sickness behavior”; one in which we have the flu-like symptoms and a later onset of depression-like symptoms that can last awhile. They have also shown that all of these symptoms are due to high levels of inflammatory cytokines in the brain, which come from activated microglia.

A number of studies have also shown that after age 50, people have exaggerated and prolonged “sickness behavior”, much more so than younger people. This is one of the reasons why many elderly hang onto flu symptoms for months after exposure.

There is also another immune phenomenon that plays a major role in vaccine-related brain injury. Researchers discovered that when you vaccinate an animal, the brain microglia immune cells turn on partially (called priming), that is, they are in a state of high readiness. If the immune system is activated again soon after (days, weeks to months), these microglia explode into action secreting levels of their destructive chemicals far higher than normal. This overreaction can be very destructive and make you feel very depressed.

Stimulating the immune system with a vaccine is far different than contracting an infectious illness naturally. Vaccines are made of two components — the agent you wish to vaccinate against — for example, the measles virus; and an immune system booster called an immune adjuvant. These adjuvants are composed of such things as aluminum compounds, MSG, lipid compounds and even mercury. Their job is to make the immune system react as intensely as possible and for as long as possible.

Studies have shown that these adjuvants, from a single vaccine, can cause immune overactivation for as long as two years. This means that the brain microglia remain active as well, continuously pouring out destructive chemicals. In fact, one study found that a single injection of an immune activating substance could cause brain immune overactivation for over a year. This is very destructive.

Flu Vaccines and An Expanding Vaccine Schedule for the Elderly

Public health authorities and physician societies are in an all out campaign to have every elderly person vaccinated every year with the flu vaccine as well as a growing number of newer vaccines. When I was practicing neurosurgery, the hospitals had an automatic written order on all older patients’ charts mandating a flu vaccine, unless it was countermanded by the physician, which I always did. Now, they are giving the shots in malls, tents and every available site they can muster. And worse still, using lies and scare tactics to frighten the elderly onto getting the shots (such as the bold lie of 36,000 elderly dying of the flu every year).

As you age your immune system, including that special immune system in your brain, releases significantly more inflammatory immune cytokines than when you were younger. This serves to prime the microglia, as discussed. So, when you get your first flu shot your microglia overreact and does so for a very long period — perhaps years. Many elderly report that the flu shot gave them the flu. Proponents of vaccines, retort with a condescending laugh, that it is impossible because the flu vaccine contains killed flu viruses. In truth, what these people are reporting is a prolonged, intense “sickness behavior” response to the vaccine. To the body, it is worse than getting the flu. Remember, no one is recording the number of elderly who die after getting the flu shot, especially if they die months later, which can happen with sickness behavior, especially if they have a preexisting chronic illness or are infirm.

Here is the shocking truth. With the elderly already having increased inflammatory cytokine levels both systemically and in their brain, stimulating these primed microglia so that a chronic overstimulation of the brain’s immune system is triggered, will not only increase their risk of developing one of the neurodegenerative diseases, but will also substantially increase their risk of developing major depression. Remember, this also increases their risk of suicide and even homicide dramatically.

Anxiety is a major problem with depression, and vaccinations will greatly worsen the condition. In fact, vaccination, especially multiple vaccinations, will maintain the brain in a state of inflammation that will be self-perpetuating, because the excess release of glutamate in the brain, as well as glutamate in the diet, will further enhance microglial activation and excitotoxicity.

Those who are prone to developing one of the neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease will be at a drastically increased risk as we have seen experimentally when even animals exposed to subtoxic concentrations of environmental toxins and vaccinated develop neurologic worsening.

Most people use pesticides in their home and studies have shown that the concentrations in homes are sufficient to trigger Parkinson’s disease in susceptible people. Vaccinations, as these studies have shown, will greatly increase risk. Most doctors are completely unaware of this important research.

You must keep in mind that “health authorities” urge the elderly to get the flu vaccine each and every year. This will keep the microglia in a primed and even activated state continuously. Recently, neurologists announced that the incidence of neurodegenerative disease had been grossly underestimated and that neurological diseases of aging were increasing at a frightening rate. They have no explanation. Over the last three decades the number of elderly receiving yearly flu vaccines has risen from 20% before 1980 to over 60% today.

If this were not depressing enough, now the public health authorities and medical specialty societies are adding a whole new set of vaccines for those above 50 years of age, including the pneumococcal and meningiococcal vaccines. What is being completely ignored by the promoters of these vaccines is the effect of multiple doses of immune adjuvant that accompany each of these vaccines.

Lets, say you see your doctor and he talks you into getting the flu vaccine, the pneumococcal and meningiococcal vaccine all during the same office visit. That way, he can save you extra office visits. What your doctor ignores is that he is giving you three doses of powerful immune adjuvant all in one sitting, which means that your body and brain are assaulted by a massive dose of powerful immune activators, which have been proven to activate the brain’s immune system to dangerous levels, even when given as a single dose. Proof of this mechanism exists not only in animal studies, but in humans as well.

Mercury and Aluminum

There are other ways that vaccines can cause havoc in the brain. Most vaccines contain aluminum compounds. A multitude of studies have shown that aluminum, especially if combined with fluoride, is a powerful brain toxin and that it accumulates in the brain. With each vaccine injection, a dose of aluminum is given. These yearly aluminum inoculations accumulate not only at the site of the injection, but travel to the brain, where it enters neurons and glial cells (astrocytes and microglia). A number of studies have shown that aluminum can activate microglia and do so for long periods. This means that the aluminum in your vaccination is priming your microglia to overreact. The next vaccine acts to trigger the enhanced inflammatory reaction and release of the excitotoxins, glutamate and quinolinic acid.

You must also appreciate that any infection, stroke, head injury or other toxin exposure will also magnify this inflammatory brain reaction initially triggered by your vaccines. Studies have now indicated that the more one’s immune system is activated the more like he or she will suffer from one of the neurodegenerative diseases.

Mercury is also a powerful activator of brain microglia and can do so in extremely low concentrations-in nanomolar amounts. Because of its numerous reactions with sulfhydral compounds in the body (which are ubiquitous), mercury can poison a number of enzymes both systemically and in the brain. Of special concern is the ability of mercury, especially ethylmercury (the kind found in vaccines called thimerosal) to inhibit the regulation of brain glutamate levels. (It does this by inhibiting the glutamate transfer proteins that control the removal of glutamate from outside the neuron, where it does its harm.)

In essence, mercury, in the concentrations being injected with vaccines, triggers excitotoxicity, increases brain free radicals and lipid peroxidation products, inhibits critical brain enzymes, inhibits antioxidant enzymes and impairs DNA repair ability. The flu vaccine contains enough mercury to do all of these things. You must keep in mind that each flu vaccine adds to the mercury supplied by your last vaccine, that is, it is progressively accumulating in your brain.

In addition, the aluminum in the vaccines also primes microglia and when combined with mercury is infinitively more toxic to the brain. Now, if this is not enough, we also have to consider the contamination of vaccines with foreign viruses and viral components. Studies have shown that this is not a rare occurrence, with up to 60% of vaccines being contaminated in one study of several major manufactured vaccines. When confronted with this fact, vaccine proponents just shrug their shoulders and say — “We don’t think these things are harmful.”

Yet, the studies say otherwise. It has been found that insertion of viral fragments, not even the whole virus, is sufficient to trigger the brain’s microglial system and subsequent excitotoxicity, leading to progressive brain degeneration. This is accepted to be the mechanism by which the HIV virus causes dementia in a great number of AIDS victims. Fragments of the virus (gp140 and Tat) are engulfed by the microglia and this triggers chronic brain inflammation and excitotoxicity. The herpes virus and measles virus can do the same thing.

Danger of Live Virus Vaccines

A number of studies have shown that live viruses used in vaccines can enter the brain and reside there for a lifetime. One such study, in which autopsied elderly were examined for the presence of the measles virus, found that 20% of the brains had live measles viruses and 45% of other organs were infected. These viruses were highly mutated, meaning that they could be just as potent as other measles viruses, but could be even more virulent. Worse, is that in most cases they cause a smoldering destruction of tissues without the obvious symptoms of infection, which has been shown in a number of studies.

Live virus vaccines are made using a process to attenuate the pathogenic or disease-causing virus by passing it through a series of cultures. The problem is that the reverse can also happen within the body. A number of studies have shown that when we produce free radicals in our body (and we produce tons of such radicals over a lifetime), it mutates the viruses residing in our tissues. This is what was found in the autopsy study I referred to above.

Likewise, these viruses can trigger brain inflammation and degeneration, which has been shown in a number of studies-that is, there exist a chronic degeneration of the brain over years or decades. Because it is so far separated from the time of the original vaccine, physicians just attribute it to old age or heredity, anything but the vaccines.

Virologists are also concerned that such mutated live viruses can also infect other people, leading to outbreaks of disease totally unsuspected by health authorities.

Conclusion

Current recommendations by the CDC for adult vaccinations include a total of 14 separate inoculations with infectious agents and powerful immune adjuvants. To be fair, some of these are for special medical risks and conditions, such as high-risk behaviors, illegal drug use and HIV infected individuals. If we eliminate these, women will be exposed to 10 inoculations and men 7, should they follow CDC guidelines, which doctors follow.

According to CDC recommendations, multiple vaccinations for a single disease are separated by no more than 4 weeks, which is close enough together to produce priming and subsequent hyperactivation of brain microglia. We have seen that this can trigger a smoldering process of brain inflammation and excitotoxicity that can not only result in depression, anxiety and high suicide rates, but can increase one’s risk of developing one of the neurodegenerative diseases as well.

We have also seen that in many cases a person will be injected with several vaccines during a single office visit and that this means their body is exposed to a very large dose of immune adjuvant. Compelling studies, using many animal species as well as humans, have shown that this overactivates brain inflammatory mechanism that can last for years.

In addition, several additives to vaccines, such as mercury and aluminum, are powerful brain toxins that are known to accumulate in the brain over years and can trigger brain inflammatory/excitotoxic mechanisms. Vaccine contaminants, such as bacteria, mycoplasma and viral fragments can also produce prolonged brain inflammation and neurodegeneration.

Because the elderly already have high levels of inflammatory cytokines, they are at a special risk. The very young (babies and small children) are at a high risk because their brains are undergoing the most rapid development at the very time they receive the greatest number of vaccinations — the first two years of life. In fact, they receive 22 vaccines during the first year of life, one of which contains a full pediatric dose of mercury. Like adults, they receive many inoculations (up to 9 inoculations) in one office visit. This is insane and in my estimation, criminal.

Nasal flu vaccines are even worse, because they introduce a live virus into the nasal passages, which can then travel along the olfactory nerves, which leads to the very part of the brain first and most severely affected by Alzheimer’s disease. A number of studies have shown that viruses and bacteria can pass along this route to the brain. In fact, in one study scientists sprayed a bacterium into the nose of mice and observed a rapid development of Alzheimer’s type plaques in the mouse’s brain.

So, what should older people do? First, studies have shown that the primary cause of immune deficiency in the elderly is purely dietary. The carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, canthaxanthin, lutein and lycopene significantly enhance the immunity of the elderly. Zinc, magnesium and selenium are also essential. One should also avoid omega-6 oils (the vegetable oils-corn, safflower, sunflower, canola, soybean and peanut oils), since they greatly enhance inflammation and depress immunity. The EPA component of fish oils (omega-3 oils) is also a powerful immune suppressant. DHA is not. A healthy immune system means that you can fight infections efficiently and rapidly.

Regular exercise, such as brisk walking or weight exercises three to five times a week also boost immunity, while extreme exercise suppresses immunity. Sugar and refined carbohydrates also suppress immunity and inflame the brain. Exercise protects the brain from aging effects and from degeneration.

Adequate sleep is also vital to both brain health and good immune function. Pubic health officials and spokesmen for the major medical societies are lying to the public concerning vaccine safety. We now possess sufficient information from a great number of studies to halt this disastrous vaccine policy. We are facing a medial disaster in this country, which is already well on its way.

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