So, what do you think about the latest development in fertility research? Feel free to share with me your opinions – is this a positive breakthrough or is this going too far?Infertility treatments based on artificial sperm and eggs could be available within a decade as British research indicates it is possible to grow them from human embryonic stem (ES) cells. British scientists claimed to have created human sperm from embryonic stem cells for the first time, an accomplishment they say may someday help infertile men father children.The technique could in 10 years allow researchers to use the basic knowledge of how sperm develop to design treatments to enable infertile men the chance to have biological children, said lead researcher Karim Nayernia, of Newcastle University, whose team earlier produced baby mice from sperm derived in a similar way. The research, published in the journal Stem Cells and Development, was conducted by scientists at Newcastle and the NorthEast England Stem Cell Institute.Stem cells can become any cell in the body, and scientists have previously turned them into a variety of new entities, including cells from the brain, pancreas, heart and blood vessels. Some experts challenged the research, saying they weren’t convinced Nayernia and his colleagues had actually produced sperm cells. Several critics also said the sperm cells they created were clearly abnormal. “I am unconvinced from the data presented in this paper that the cells produced by Professor Nayernia’s group from embryonic stem cells can be accurately called ’spermatazoa,” said Allan Pacey, a senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield.Pacey said in a statement that the sperm created by Nayernia did not have the specific shape, movement and function of real sperm. Azim […]
Did You Realise Your Teenager is Sleep Deprived?
The teenage years are a time when school, homework, extracurricular activities, active social lives and part time jobs keep kids busy from early in the morning until late at night. They are likely to try to make up for a lack of sleep by “sleeping in” on the weekends. Unfortunately this contributes to an irregular sleep schedule and actually makes the problem worse, setting them up for a kind of jet lag when Monday morning rolls around.In addition to having difficulty turning off the worries of their day, most teens show signs of delayed circadian rhythms –which contribute to their inability to fall asleep until later at night. During puberty, the biological clock in their brain naturally sets to a later time. The pineal gland releases melatonin later at night and this causes teens to fall sleep later.Then, when it’s time to get up, a teenager’s body clock is likely to still be producing the night time hormones. This makes it hard for them to feel active and energetic in the morning. Since many teens aren’t sleepy until around 11.00pm, but need to be at school by 7.30 or 8.00 they do not get an adequate amount of sleep.A growing body of research suggests that starting high school later, more in line with their natural body rhythms, improves attendance, achievement, and grades and reduces tardiness, in a landmark study a few years ago, the morning school bell was delayed for an hour in Edina, Minnesota. As a result, test scores on the SAT college entrance exams jumped more than 100 points on average. Unfortunately, most schools are not set up to start later and accommodate teen’s sleep needs.Lack of sleep can be very dangerous […]
DHEA May Optimise Fertility in Combination with IVF
DHEA is a natural steroid hormone produced from cholesterol by the adrenal glands, and in the body it is converted into testosterone and estrogen. The most abundant of all steroid hormones in humans, DHEA declines as we age. The concept in regards to fertility is that androgens may augment FSH-receptor expression and stimulate granulosa cell proliferation. This could potentially increase oocyte yield, by increasing the number of follicles responding to exogenous FSH administration and by improving the quality and pregnancy potential of the retrieved oocytes. “Apparently the maximum effect of DHEA kicks in only after about four months,” says leading fertility researcher Dr Norman Gleicher. It’s also important to note that Gleicher thinks that DHEA can only boost egg production when used in combination with prescribed fertility drugs. “In a natural cycle, it doesn’t matter how many eggs a woman produces. In the end her body will release usually only one,” he explains. “When you are on fertility drugs we make the body release more eggs. And so in order to get the full benefit of DHEA, it is very likely that it will have to be taken in combination with fertility drugs so that the woman does release more than just one egg.”Dr Gleicher has begun to conduct a larger controlled, double-blind study that might offer more concrete proof that DHEA can increase egg yield in older women. The results are due out in March 2010 but in the meantime, read below for his initial research literature results.For optimal fertility health, it is vital to look at the health of your adrenal glands and support them using natural therapies. Stress has a huge impact on our adrenal glands, as they are activated when […]
DHEA also Reduces Miscarriage Rates – Especially in Older Women
The Centre for Human Reproduction and a leading Toronto Fertility Centre has reported preliminary clinical data that suggests DHEA reduces miscarriage rates in older women with diminished ovarian reserve. DHEA supplementation may reduce the number of chromosomally abnormal embryos (aneuploidy) due to the following factors:1. In a small number of women who underwent preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) after being treated with DHEA, researchers found lower aneuploidy rates than in women without DHEA supplementation. Unfortunately, women in need of DHEA usually have small embryo numbers and, therefore, only rarely qualify for PGD.2. There is a lower miscarriage rate in DHEA pregnancies. Since miscarriages, especially in older women, are mostly due to chromosomal abnormalities, this observation, too, suggested the possibility that DHEA may reduce aneuploidy rates.Since the combined data sets between CHR and the Toronto center involve an adequate patient sample, they are now confident to state that DHEA supplementation significantly decreases the miscarriage rate in women with diminished ovarian reserve.While a reduction in miscarriage rates is seen in women of all ages, the reduction is smaller in women below age 35 than in women above age 35 years, where the reduction often exceeds 50%. This, of course, should not be surprising as miscarriages are known to increase with advancing female age. Most of these miscarriages are, however, due to aneuploidy and this observation brings us back to this exciting evidence on the decrease in miscarriage rates after DHEA supplementation especially in older women above age 35. This strongly supports that notion that DHEA does indeed reduce chromosomal abnormalities (aneuploidy rates) in embryos.The importance of this observation cannot be overemphasized. Since older women represent the most rapidly growing age group of women having babies, these findings […]
Infertility, IVF and Probiotics
A bacteria present in the fluid near the ovaries may reduce a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant via in vitro fertilisation (IVF), according to an Aussie researcher. Dr. Christine Knox, a microbiologist at Queensland University of Technology, says that this finding contrasts the traditional view that fluid surrounding the ovum, known as follicular fluid, is sterile. follicular fluid, is sterile.fffffIn her opinion, the study can help increase the success rates of assisted reproductive technologies (ART). She also believes that the bacteria could be responsible for infertility cases that have no apparent cause. For the study, Knox, along with researchers at the Wesley Monash IVF clinic, tested the fluid surrounding individual eggs taken from the ovaries of 31 women undergoing ART. The researchers found that 21 of the samples had bacteria in the follicular fluid.Knox said that the findings were startling because “traditionally it was assumed the fluid surrounding the ovum was sterile.” The researchers even revealed that the finding was later replicated in a larger study, wherein they analysed the follicular fluid of 148 women and found bacteria in the fluid of all but one woman.Further tests showed that, in some cases, the bacteria had been transferred from the lower genital tract to the follicular fluid during the medical procedure used to collect eggs known as transvaginal oocyte retrieval (TVOR). But in 52 of the women, the follicular fluid contained bacteria that were not found in the lower tract.According to Knox, the unique, colonising bacteria appear to play a role in reducing pregnancy outcomes. She said that only 25% of women with follicular fluid colonised by this bacteria, had achieved a successful pregnancy.”We also found that eggs from women with colonised follicular fluid […]
Probiotics May Reduce Cold and Flu Symptoms for Children
Another fantastic study that demonstrates the benefit of probiotics in keeping your child’s immune system strong and healthy. This clearly shows that probiotics not only reduce the need for antibiotics but also reduced days off from child care and the awful symptoms of colds and flus. So, if you weren’t convinced by previous posts on my blog, you should be by now! Most importantly, ensure that your child receives a high quality probiotic that contains the correct strains in the right therapeutic doses. If you need to consult a naturopath then I recommend doing so and getting a product that will work as opposed to shooting in the dark and self prescribing. A daily supplement of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains may reduce the incidence of cold and flu-like symptoms in children by 50%, says a new study from Danisco. A combination of the two strains was linked to reductions in fever incidence by 73%, a reduction in the occurrence of runny noses by 59%, and drop in the incidence of coughing by 62%, according to findings published in Pediatrics.“Daily probiotic dietary supplementation during the winter months was a safe effective way to reduce episodes of fever, rhinorrhea, and cough, the cumulative duration of those symptoms, the incidence of antibiotic prescriptions, and the number of missed school days attributable to illness,” wrote the authors, led by Gregory Leyer from the Department of Research and Development for Danisco in Madison. “L acidophilus NCFM alone was effective. There was, however, a trend for a broader protective effect with the combination of L acidophilus NCFM and B lactis Bi-07.”Indeed, when L. acidophilus NCFM was used alone the fever incidence was cut by 53 per cent, the occurrence […]
Probiotics Intake Beneficial Against Infections in Kids
This is an extremely interesting study that clearly demonstrates the health benefits of probiotics in strengthening a child’s immune system. Just a note about the study – the children were given 10 billion colony forming units of Lactobacillus GG (LGG) which is a good therapeutic dose. Ensure that your child is receiving the correct dose of probiotics. I always use probiotics for a period of 3 months before child care is commenced to allow enough time for a strong immunity to develop. LGG can decrease the risk of upper respiratory tract infections including rhinitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, otitis, and the common cold in children attending day care centers, claims a new study. The findings of the researchers, which were published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, also found that the rate of absence from childcare centers due to infections was lower in children receiving LGG in comparison to those who were not. According to UNICEF, a global average of 16% of children under five suffer from acute respiratory infections. The team behind the research explained that while the efficacy of probiotics in the prevention of infections in children who attend day care centers has been investigated in several studies, these have yielded contradictory results, and thus further studies are required to evaluate their efficacy. Method The researchers said the objective of their study was to investigate whether LGG administration could play a beneficial role in the prevention of both gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections in children who attend day care centers. They said that they undertook a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 281 children who attend day care centers in Zagreb, Croatia. According to the authors, the children […]
Fair Trade – Why You Need To Support It!
What is Fair Trade?“Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South. Fair Trade organizations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.”Why Fair Trade?International trade has been a historical link between peoples of the world. It can be used to increase corporate profits without benefit to the wider community and to promote intercultural understanding, grassroots development and economic justice. The advantages of current international trade practices are not visible to all people in the world. For small farmers, access to market or price information is difficult and as a result, many become increasingly dependent on middlemen and receive smaller and smaller returns for their work. In bad times, many lose their only property – their land – and thus, their livelihoods.Similarly many plantation workers endure low pay, unsafe working environments and poor living conditions. Too often they lack the opportunity to participate in decisions that affect their lives on the plantation. The way that many products are produced, traded and consumed is simply unjust; this is a major cause of continuing world poverty.Fair Trade is an alternative approach to conventional trade. It is a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing rights of, marginalised producers and workers – especially in low-income regions.Fair Trade is about giving disadvantaged people power: by […]
Submissions to the government’s food labelling review close this Friday 20th November!
Ok, it’s time to get active and also activate your networks – we need to let the government know how important it is that GE foods are labelled properly. Many governments in Europe have either banned GE or implemented mandatory labelling already. The only way to completely avoid GE foods is to eat organic.We all have a right to know what we’re eating. That’s why over 30,000 people signed the ‘Our Right to Know’ petition calling on the government to label genetically engineered (GE) foods. On October 23, the federal government finally announced it would review food labelling laws in Australia and promised to take GE ingredients into consideration. We’ve managed to get the government to listen to our concerns about GE food. But will it act? We now have an important chance to make sure it does.The review has only allowed a four-week period for public submissions, which closes this Friday, November 20. Take action now by emailing a quick submission to FoodLabellingReview@health.gov.au and copy in the Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Mark Butler: mark.butler.mp@aph.gov.au. Your submission doesn’t have to be long; it can be a few lines on your personal feelings on GE food and why you want it labelled.You can also help increase the pressure on the government to label GE food asking your friends and family to make a quick submission to the review.Read more about it here. Make sure you watch this fabulous video on organics, makes me warm and fuzzy! Store Wars
Emma’s Fast Food Dinner
Tonight I came home after a 12 hour day and then a 2 hour drive home (dont ask!) to flop on the couch and wonder what was for dinner. I really couldn’t be bothered cooking and I hadn’t organised anything in advance – a cup of tea was looking like a great option. Then I remembered my version of “Fast Food” and started to get hungry. So, I dragged my tired butt into the kitchen and made my trusty emergency dish.It is fast (10 minutes), cheap and very nutritious. So keep this one handy for when you are tired, uninspired and don’t want to eat the processed options.Ok, all you need is the following ingredients and don’t forget to use your improvisation skills!1 teaspoon of White miso paste2 tablespoons ArameFresh GingerOld vegetables in the bottom of the fridgeFrozen yellow fin tuna or salmon fillet – cut into small cubes, be careful not to cut your fingersFirst of all, put the kettle on and pour boiling water over the Arame – soak for 2 minutes. Add the miso paste to 2 cups of boiling water in a saucepan. Add ginger, the strained Arame and the firmer vegetables such as corn, carrots, potato, pumpkin or parsnip etc. Cook for 2 minutes. Add all other vegetables and the fish. Cook for 3 minutes.Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs if you have them. Voila, a highly nutritious dinner served in 10 minutes. All you need to do is ensure that you have miso paste and Arame in the pantry and some frozen fish in the freezer! You can try variants such as adding garlic, chilli, Dulse flakes, tofu or edamame beans.So, post […]
