The Balkan Chronicle

Daily coffee consumption lowers diabetes risk

People who drink three to four cups of coffee each day have a lower risk of developing Type II diabetes, according to a research summary published by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC). The report summarizes the key findings of recent research into the connection between coffee consumption and diabetes risk, as presented at a session of the 2012 World Congress on Prevention of Diabetes and Its Complications (WCPD).

World Renown Heart Surgeon Speaks Out On What Really Causes Heart Disease

We physicians with all our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here it is. I freely admit to being wrong.. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries,today is my day to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact.

I trained for many years with other prominent physicians labelled “opinion makers.” Bombarded with scientific literature, continually attending education seminars, we opinion makers insisted heart disease resulted from the simple fact of elevated blood cholesterol.

Addicted to coffee? You may be dopamine deficient

Many of us depend on an early morning "Jo" to get us on the go. Some of us need refills as the day progresses.

Still others use coffee to get over depression or anxiety, even though caffeine can create more fight or flight hormones and tax our adrenal glands by pumping us with adrenaline. The adrenaline rushes lead to more retention of cortisol, leading to a vicious cycle of more stress and anxiety.

Many of us may have to look into our coffee drinking habits to determine whether to decrease consumption or quit altogether, even with the threat of withdrawal symptoms.

A few reasons why tea is good for your health

In case you did not know, the most popular drink in the world, after water, is tea, which people drink in enormous amounts measured in billions of liters. It is not surprising that it is among favorits when its health benefits have been known for ages, and new scientific studies show only now show healthy it actually is.

Momma's AIDS cure? Breast milk found to kill HIV

Is it possible that breast milk contains the magic potion which kills the virus that causes AIDS? According to new research, that's a distinct possibility.

A recent study published in PLoS Pathogens, which was conducted by researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, found that mice did not contract HIV after ingesting virus-tainted breast milk.

Moreover, the researchers found, the breast milk actually killed the virus.

Fair-skinned? You may need to pop vitamin D pills, say experts

Fair-skinned people who burn easily in the sun may need to take vitamin D supplements, according to research.

Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and people get most of what they need from exposure to sunlight during the summer months.

Statins & Heart Disease Protection?

I am still amazed at the number of patients who are still taking Statin drugs as a primary tool to prevent heart disease and cardiovascular events. Actually most physicians haven't even read the study that they are basing all these prescriptions on so why should the general public.

Antibiotics losing the fight against deadly bacteria

Our last line of defence against bacterial infections is fast becoming weakened by a growing number of deadly strains that are resistant to even the strongest antibiotics, according to new figures given to The Independent on Sunday by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

The disturbing statistics reveal an explosion in cases of super-resistant strains of bacteria such as E.coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, a cause of pneumonia and urinary tract infections, in less than five years.

Garlic more effective than antibiotics against food poisoning bacteria

If you feel ill because of food poisoning you may not feel like eating it, but garlic has been proven to be more effective than antibiotics in fighting the effects of food poisoning bugs. The active compound, diallyl sulphide, is able to breach the membranes on many bacteria that make them harder to destroy.

Research published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy claims that not only is garlic more effective than ciprofloxacin and erythromycin, it also takes a fraction of the time to work. The research was based on tests on the common food poisoning bacteria, Campylobacter. Further research in the African Journal of Biotechnology also concluded that raw garlic was effective against Staphylococcus aureus, another common food poisoning bacteria.

Miracle cures from the age of Hippocrates

From simple syrups, eye drops, balms and pills to suppositories combining a multitude of ingredients, pharmaceutics has been a precision science since antiquity.

Used through the ages to cure a vast variety of ailments and diseases, pharmaceutics has its roots in the combination of medicinal plants and roots. In fact, Hippocrates’ (ca 460 - ca 370 BC) writings mention at least 250 medicinal plants in his studies, while Galen of Pergamon (AD 129-199), the most accomplished of antiquity’s medical researchers, described in his so-called Galenic Formulations medicines that combine up to 100 different ingredients each.