(off topic) Old Wives' Tale to save Cranberry Bogs of Boston.
LONDON (June 28) - New research adds credibility to the belief that cranberry juice might prevent urinary tract infections, a misery that up to 60 percent of women endure.....
Women have been drinking cranberry juice for cystitis, or urinary tract infection, for years, but the remedy has never really been scientifically proven.
A study published in the British Medical Journal this week found that women who had suffered a bout of cystitis were half as likely to get a recurrence within six months if they drank a glass of cranberry juice a day.
... this may not be an old wives' tale after all.....
Cystitis is caused when the bladder becomes inflamed ... been invaded by bacteria that normally live in the bowel.
... at least 300 million cases of urinary tract infections worldwide each year. In the United States, there are about 11.5 million cases per year. The infections are normally treated with antibiotics, but experts worry that the bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to the drugs.
... studies have suggested that cranberry juice might prevent E. coli from sticking to the wall of the bladder.
... said Reid, who was not connected with the study.
AP-NY-06-28-01 2016EDT Copyright 2001 The Associated Press.
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WASHINGTON (June 29) - Contrary to their expectations, researchers have found that non-smoked nicotine stimulates the growth of blood vessels, a discovery that could raise questions about some therapy and the long-term use of nicotine patches.
"The body responds to nicotine by growing blood vessels. That is not a good thing or a bad thing," said Dr. John P. Cooke, director of vascular medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Encouraging the growth of blood vessels can be beneficial in cases where a patient has circulation problems, he explained. But it can also encourage the growth of tumors, which need blood vessels to grow, and vessel-clogging plaque, he said.
Cooke hastened to add that people can still use nicotine patches to stop smoking, but not for long periods.
... he said. "But it's so important to stop smoking."
... vital to stop smoking and the patches can be useful.
... "To quit smoking, that's the best thing."
... reported in Friday's issue of the journal Nature Medicine.
... used to thinking of nicotine in connection with tobacco smoke, ... there are some 4,000 chemicals included in smoke, he explained.
... growing new blood vessels... in some cases it can be bad if it encourages tumor or plaque growth.
Many people are surprised that plaques need blood, Cooke said, because the plaque seems inanimate. But he likened it to a coral reef, which also looks inanimate but is full of living cells.
... angiogenic therapy to treat poor blood flow to the heart, to treat poor blood flow to the legs," Cooke commented.
... given systemically it can have unwanted consequences," he said.
AP-NY-06-29-01 1702EDT
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. |