Bearded lady syndrome uncovered

New research has shed light on the genetic underpinnings of a bizarre syndrome - first exhibited by a mid-1800s bearded lady - that has fascinated the public for centuries.

The case of bearded Mexican-born woman Julia Pastrana in the mid-1800s was the condition's first appearance in medical literature, noted Chinese researchers whose study was published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Researchers uncovered the specific genetic mutations that underlie congenital generalised hypertrichosis (CGH), a condition that spurs excessive hair growth over the entire human body.

They performed a sophisticated, high-resolution genetic analysis of several members of three Chinese families with congenital generalized hypertrichosis terminalis (CGHT), a subgroup of the condition, as well as an individual with a sporadic case of CGHT with gingival hyperplasia, an overgrowth of gum tissues.

What causes the 'bearded' look
CGHT is associated with "universal overgrowth of darkly pigmented hairs, enlarged gums and a distortion of facial features," a phenomenon evidenced by Pastrana.

The condition has been almost impossible to study because of its rarity, but senior study author Xue Zhang and colleagues were able to perform extensive genetic analysis on three Chinese families with the genetic disorder.

"Although it has long been believed that most people with CGH have some kind of genetic defect, the specific genetic mutations that underlie CGHT ... had not been discovered until now," said Xue of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Peking Union Medical College in Beijing.

The research team mapped the genetic locus of the syndrome and found the DNA deletions associated with it. "Our work clearly establishes CGHT as a genomic disorder," said Xue, adding however that more studies were needed to further uncover the exact molecular mechanisms that define the disorder. � (Sapa, May 2009)

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Wild child

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Johns Hopkins Update - Good article

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.
Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins:
1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's
lifetime.
3 When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumours.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumour size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumour destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden
from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to
multiply.
CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
A. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka
honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.
B. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.
C. Cancer cells thrive in an acid
environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
D. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable
juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
E. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.
12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.
13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
14. Some supplements build up the
immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.
15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.
1. No plastic containers in micro.
2. No water bottles in freezer.
3. No plastic wrap in microwave.
Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well.. Dioxin
chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Cast le Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but
you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.
This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life.

Allergy, intolerance: which is it?
Sharon's body doesn't seem to like wheat much. But at worst, she feels slightly grim when she eats some. Her friend Mandy, on the other hand, ate shellfish, and the next thing she was being wheeled into the ICU. Here's how to tell the difference between food intolerance and food allergy.

Most people have problems with differentiating between food intolerance and food allergy. In fact, surveys conducted by the Food Allergy Centre in the USA found that between 14% and 17% of all respondents said that they or a family member suffered from a food allergy.

On the other hand, food allergy studies have shown that only 0.1% to 8% of the population actually have a confirmed food allergy.

Definitions
Food intolerance is defined as "an adverse reaction to a food caused by toxic, pharmacological, metabolic or idiosyncratic reactions to the food or chemical substances in the food". (Krause, 2000)

Food allergy, on the other hand, is defined as "an adverse food reaction that is mediated by an immunoglobulin E (IgE) immunological mechanism; the reaction occurs consistently after consumption of a particular food and causes functional changes in target organs; IgE-mediated food hypersensitivity". (Krause, 2000)

These definitions sound formidable, but what they actually mean is the following: your reaction is classified as a food intolerance if you react once to a food because it contains a toxin, if you react to a food because an additive disagrees with you, or if you react for another reason without your immune system being involved. If, however, you react every time you eat a specific food, it means you have a food allergy.

If you eat shellfish that's contaminated with Salmonella � a food that is, therefore, toxic on a specific occasion � and you get violently ill as a result, this is a food intolerance. It doesn'tt mean that you'll henceforth always react in the same way.

However, if your immune system becomes involved in the reaction to a specific food and every time you eat that food you develop symptoms (which may, incidentally, increase in severity over time), you have a food allergy.

A fashionable condition
One of the most problematic aspects of the intolerance/allergy issue is that it has become fashionable to say that you have a food allergy. I've observed this repeatedly when eating out with friends. At some time or another, the topic of food allergy comes up and at least one or more of the people sitting around the table will state with total conviction that he or she is allergic to X or Y.

The only way to determine if you really have a food allergy is to have tests done by a pathology lab. Your doctor will arrange for you to have such tests carried out if you suspect that you do have a food allergy.

If you're diagnosed with food allergy, you should preferably consult a clinical dietician. He/she will prescribe a diet that will exclude the offending foods, but that will still ensure that you're getting a fully balanced diet.

Don't self-diagnose and don't exclude certain foods because you "think" you have a food allergy. You may actually be allergic to a host of other allergens, such as house dust mites, animal hair or dander, grass seeds, pollen, grasses or rubber, and not have a food allergy at all.

Cutting out certain foods and food groups because of suspected food allergy can lead to deficiencies in vital nutrients. This may have a detrimental effect on your overall health. If you're convinced that you have a food allergy, it's important to go for the tests, get a proper diagnosis and cut out the problem food(s) with the help of a dietician.

Non-immunological food reactions
As mentioned above, food intolerances or non-immunological food reactions, where the immune system is not involved, can also cause a host of reactions varying in severity. However, these are not food allergies. Some of the most common food intolerances include:

• Lactose intolerance. This is caused by a lack of the enzyme lactase, which is required for the digestion of milk sugar or lactose. It manifests with symptoms of bloating, winds, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Exclusion of foods that contain lactose and milk is necessary in managing this condition.
• Inborn errors of metabolism such as phenylketonuria. This is a reaction to all foods containing phenylalanine, which can lead to mental retardation if not identified at an early stage.
• Reactions to pharmacological compounds such as tyramine. These are found in mature cheeses (Cheddar, Camembert, Brie etc), brewer's yeast, red wine and canned fish. Symptoms may include migraine headaches and skin rashes. It may even precipitate a hypertensive crisis in susceptible patients.
• Reactions to food additives such as colourants and preservatives. The colourant, tartrazine, can cause hives, skin rashes and asthma. Preservatives like sulfites, that are found in many processed foods, can cause similar symptoms.
• Reactions to food that's contaminated with microorganisms (see the example above of shellfish contaminated with Salmonella). This can cause acute vomiting and diarrhoea.

It's important to have your doctor assist you in deciding whether you suffer from a true food allergy or if you have a food intolerance, and how this condition should be treated.

For example, peanut allergy is so serious that you need to carefully avoid coming into contact with even minute traces of peanuts. Should you suffer from a peanut allergy, you should preferably carry prophylactic medications with you at all times.

On the other hand, if you have a mild food intolerance, exposure to small quantities of the food may not cause symptoms (e.g. some patients with lactose intolerance are able to have about 200ml of milk a day without adverse reactions), and many reactions only occur once (e.g. poisoning after exposure to a contaminated food).

(Dr I.V. van Heerden, DietDoc, updated April 2009)

References:
(Krause's Food, Nutrition, & Diet Therapy, 10th Edition. LK Mahan & S Escott-Stump Editors, WB Saunders Co, Philadelphia. USA)