Supplements offer ‘significant’ gains for Alzheimer sufferers

 The first trial of its kind on the impact of nutritional supplements on people with Alzheimer’s disease has shown significant improvements in patient mood, ability to function and memory, a conference has heard.

Prof John Nolan of the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland (NRCI) at Waterford Institute of Technology said the findings are “significant” for treatment of the condition. Prof Nolan co-led the two-year study mainly in the southeast of Ireland.

“This is not a silver bullet, but this is really important,” he told The Irish Times.

“We are spending billions of euro on medicines that don’t work in Alzheimer’s disease. We have to use this information now. It is not going to fix this disease but can it help with the symptoms of the disease.”

Read more at the Irish Times

September is Yoga Month

 

Yoga is an ancient and complex practice, rooted in Indian philosophy. It began as a spiritual practice but has become popular as a way of promoting physical and mental well-being. There are many different yoga styles, ranging from gentle practices to physically demanding ones. Differences in the types of yoga used in research studies may affect study results. This makes it challenging to evaluate research on the health effects of yoga.

 

Research suggests that yoga may:

• Help improve general wellness by relieving stress, supporting good health habits, and improving mental/emotional health, sleep, and balance.
• Relieve low-back pain and neck pain, and possibly pain from tension-type headaches and knee osteoarthritis.
• Help people who are overweight or obese lose weight.
• Help people quit smoking.
• Help people manage anxiety or depressive symptoms associated with difficult life situations.
• Relieve menopause symptoms.
• Help people with chronic diseases manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

Find out more about the health effects of yoga and get tips on how to practice yoga safely from our “Yoga for Health” eBook.

Download Yoga for Health eBook from NCCIH