A Different Approach to Health Care Reform

The article Another Good Conservative Alternative To Obamacare is worth a look. Specific health care reforms are suggested which are not part of the administration's plan. There are many good suggestions but two stand out in my view. One would nullify state laws which limit the competition of insurance companies within states. Some competitors are kept out of particular states to the detriment of competitive insurance options. The other concerns tort reform which could make insurance premiums for good doctors reasonable.

Drugs for the Prostate

Enlarged prostates can be treated with drugs known as alpha blockers. Alpha I blockers enable the relaxation of muscles in the vicinity of the prostate and around the bladder neck. Smooth muscle receptors are targeted and the effect is to facilitate urination. There are some side effects and they can include dizziness, headache, runny nose and low blood pressure. The blood pressure effect merits special attention.

Another type of drug is known as enzyme (5-alpha-reductase) inhibitors. This type of medication lessens the amount of testosterone which is transformed to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Older men tend to have higher levels of DHT in the prostate and this can lead to cellular growth and the condition described as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) which most people know by the phrase prostate enlargement.


Reference:

Prescription for Drug Alternatives; Authors: James F. Balch, M.D., Mark Stengler, N.D., and Robin Young Balch, N.D.; Chapter 25, Pages 343-345; Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; Copyright 2008. (615.535- Lib#).

Lutein

Lutein is a carotenoid that helps to guard against macular degeneration which can result in blindness. It is found in cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli and brussels sprouts but can also be obtained by eating kiwis, romaine lettuce, spinach or swiss chard. Lutein is also found in egg yolks.

In addition to being beneficial to the health of our eyes lutein is also good for the skin. Both the eyes and the skin share the common feature of being exposed to the environment outside our bodies. The specific benefit lies in lutein's antioxident capacity. Lutein is able to filter blue wavelength light.

Lycopene

There is a visually appealing website focused on lycopene. Lycopene is a phytochemical that is a beneficial nutrient. It is also a carotenoid pugment that gives fruits containing it their bright red color. This includes tomatoes. Carotenoids also come in orange and yellow varieties. Lycopene is a very effective antioxident.

Nucleosome Positioning

A paper with the title Intrinsic histone-DNA interactions are not the major determinant of nucleosome positions in vivo was published in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology [16, 847 - 852 (2009)]. It's authors are Yong Zhang, Zarmik Moqtaderi, Barbara P Rattner, Ghia Euskirchen, Michael Snyder, James T Kadonaga, X Shirley Liu and Kevin Struhl.

The authors explained that they analyzed histone-DNA interactions and in so doing mapped nucleosomes assembled on DNA. For other sites about nucleosomes try this link, this one, this one or this one. The authors stated the following (quoting):

Our results argue against a genomic code for nucleosome positioning, and they suggest that the nucleosomal pattern in coding regions arises primarily from statistical positioning from a barrier near the promoter that involves some aspect of transcriptional initiation by RNA polymerase II.

This paper (in contrast to at least one other) cited an absence of data suggesting that there was coding of nucleosome positioning. It did indicate that yeast DNA was strongly preferred by nucleosomes compared to Escherichia coli DNA. Yeast is a eukaryotic organism and E coli a prokaryote.

Aiding the Absorption of Catechins from Green Tea

The Trouble with Green Tea is an article with some good advice for those of us who are fans of green tea. The suggestions made are intended to address a problem namely, the fact that substances in green tea, which are potent neutralizers of free radicals, do not get absorbed by the bloodstream. This means they never get the chance to counteract free radicals.

Green tea antioxidents have a name- catechins. To facilitate the absorption of catechins in the intestine add some freshly squeezed and strained lemon, orange, lime, or grapefruit juice to your green tea.