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Chewing gum has health benefits, says new report

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London:The world’s largest manufacturer of chewing gum, The Wrigley Company, today announced the launch of the first Expert Report outlining the four key benefits of chewing gum.

The report pulls together research on how chewing gum can improve dental health (specifically aiding plaque reduction), help with weight management, improve concentration and alertness and also relieve stress. This is the first time the research, conducted by academics and scientists across the globe over the last few years, has been pulled together in one comprehensive, user friendly guide.

The launch of the Expert Report follows the creation of the Wrigley Science Institute (WSI) earlier this year. The Institute has been set up to conduct further research into the health benefits of chewing gum and brings together experts in their fields from Europe, United States and Asia. Initial findings from the WSI are due out later this year.

“Most people associate chewing gum with fresh breath and a cleaner feeling mouth but the benefits of chewing gum are a lot broader than that. Research conducted in the last few years has already shown direct correlations between chewing gum and reducing stress, improving focus, effective weight management and dental health,” said Alexandra MacHutchon, a Wrigley spokesperson.

“This report brings together the science behind these claims in a consumer friendly report that also provides information on other additional benefits such as reducing acid reflux, helping with the affects of air pressure while flying and aiding smoking cessation.”

The Expert Report is the first in what will be a series of updates from The Wrigley Company on the health benefits of chewing gum.

“As the WSI publishes new research on the different ways that chewing gum can benefit your health we will be updating and refreshing the Expert Report and continuing to educate consumers. We are continually finding new benefits both in terms of general health and in specific medical areas such as surgery recovery times. As more research is commissioned we are very excited about the prospect of finding new ways in which gum can help people maintain a healthy body and mind,” said Alexandra.

About the Wrigley Company

The Wrigley Company is the world’s leading manufacturer of chewing and bubblegum and a major player in the confectionery industry worldwide.

Some of Wrigley’s most famous brands include Wrigley’s Extra®, Airwaves®, Orbit®, Juicy Fruit®, Wrigley’s Spearmint®, Doublemint® and Hubba Bubba®. Wrigley is committed to diversifying close to home and recently launched its first non-gum products for over one hundred years – Extra™ Thin Ice™ and Extra™ Mints.

Holiday surgery at top spas

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The latest trend in the cosmetic surgery industry is for top-flight surgeons to link up with spas and luxury hotels to offer packages enabling patients to recover away from prying eyes — while enjoying a fabulous pampering holiday. And it’s not just about enjoying life’s little luxuries: surgeons say massage and thalassotherapy treatments help to drain water from the body, reducing post-operative swelling, so patients make a quicker and better recovery. Here, we look at some of the post-operative bolt-holes . . . available around the world.

FRANCE

THE SURGEON: Dr Claude Lassus at the Polyclinique Santa Maria, 153 Promenade des Anglais, 06000 Nice, France. Tel 0033 4 93 88 48 51 SPECIALISM: Breast reductions. He also has a dedicated following among British and French actresses and singers for his lip augmentation procedures and face-lifts. COST OF OPERATION: Breast reduction and face-lift (including hospital and anaesthetic costs) both cost around £4,100. THE BOLT-HOLE: Dr Lassus arranges for his clients to recuperate in the palatial Negresco hotel 37 Promenade des Anglais, 06000, Nice, France. Tel 00 33 4 93 88 35 68.

It has its own beach, featured in the Hitchcock classic To Catch A Thief, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. There are massage, manicure and hairdressing services, and the Michelin guide award-winning restaurant Le Chantecler. RECUPERATION COSTS: From £170 a night for a double room.

CAPE TOWN

THE SURGEON: South African company Mediscapes, 42 Burg Street, Greenmarket Square, Cape Town. Tel: 0027 21 422 3932, has access to experienced specialists, including Professor Don Hudson, head of the University of Cape Town’s plastic surgery department. SPECIALISM: Breast augmentation. COST OF OPERATION: The cost of the operation, including clinic, surgeon and anaesthetist fees, is included in the package. A 13-day blepharosplasty (eye-lift) package starts at around £4,750. Seven-day face-lift packages start at around £6,000. THE BOLT-HOLE: Two spas. Bushman’s Kloof, PO Box 267, Clanwilliam. Tel 0027 (0)27 482 2627, is a reserve about three hours out of Cape Town where you’ll spend two days pre-op resting. Then it’s off to the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, Victoria Road, Oudekraal,Camps Bay, Cape Town. Tel: 0027 (0)21 437 9000. RECUPERATION COSTS: Included in the package.

MALTA

THE SURGEON: Francis X Darmanin, Saint James Hospital, George Borg Olivier Street, Sliema, Malta. Tel: +35 621 335 235 SPECIALISM: The hospital can perform just about any operation from breast augmentation to liposuction, but, reputed for his work on burns victims, Mr Darmanin is much in demand for his face-lifts. COST OF OPERATION: Face-lifts start at around £2,400. THE BOLT-HOLE: Fortina Spa Resort, Tigne Seafront, Sliema, Malta. Tel: 00 356 2346 0000.

The five-star Spa Mediterranee specialises in thalassotherapy and hydrotherapy treatments that use concentrated sea water, rich in salt and minerals to rejuvenate the body. Physiotherapists are also on hand. RECUPERATION COSTS: Rooms start at £80 a night and spa treatments vary in price. A full body wrap costs about £45, with facials and massages at a similar price.

CONNECTICUT

THE SURGEON: Prof Laurence Kirwan, 605 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT, USA 06850. Tel: 001 203 838 8844. www.drkirwan.com . SPECIALISM: Surgeon to the A-listers for decades, Kirwan is internationally renowned for his facelifts. He’s also good for rhinoplasty and eye lifts. COST OF OPERATION: Initial consultations £150 (deducted from the price of surgery if you book within a reasonable time). Facelifts around £6,000, and rhinoplasty £5,000, plus hospital and anaesthetic fees. THE BOLT-HOLE: Hotel Delamar, 500 Steamboat Rd, Greenwich, CT 06830. This five-star hotel is half-an-hour from Prof Kirwan’s clinic and is set on the waterfront at Greenwich harbour. It has its own private dock, stunning ocean views, a library and a fitness centre. RECUPERATION COSTS: From around $150-$200/ £85-£114 per room, per night.

HOLLYWOOD

THE SURGEON: Dr Leslie Stevens, The Lasky clinic, 201 South Lasky Drive, Beverly Hills, California 90212 U.S.A. Tel: 001 310 556 1003 or visit www.drlesliehstevens.com SPECIALISM: Liposuction, treating all areas of the body, including knees, chin, cheeks and neck as well as the usual problem zones. He performed Sharon Osbourne’s tummy tuck two years ago. Dubbed the ‘king of nip and tuck’ by his Hollywood clientele. COST OF OPERATION: Initial consultation £100, liposuction from £1,900, plus £1,000 for anaesthetic. THE BOLT HOLE: The Peninsula Beverley Hills, 9882 South Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90212, U.S., Tel: 001 310 551 2888, an ultra-luxurious oasis within walking distance of the shops in Rodeo Drive and a favourite with Hollywood celebs. RECUPERATION COSTS: Rooms start at U.S. $450/ £257 per night.

MIAMI

THE SURGEON: Father and son Dr Thomas J. Zaydon Sr and Dr Thomas J. Zaydon Jr of the Cosmetic Surgery Institute of Miami. Mercy

Hospital Professional Building, 3661 South Miami Avenue, Suite 509, Miami; 00 1 305 856 3030. SPECIALISM: Nose jobs. COST OF OPERATION: £2,850-3,500. THE BOLT-HOLE: Grove Isle Hotel & Spa, Four Grove Isle Drive, Coconut Grove, Miami; 00 1 305 858

8300. A luxury resort on its own private 20 acre island. A host of treatments are on offer and licensed nurses can provide ongoing care. RECUPERATION COSTS: Rooms start at around £220 a night. A collagen facial is £90.

BARCELONA – Spain

THE SURGEON: Dr Javier de Benito, Instituto Dr Javier de Benito, Marquesa de Vilallonga, Barcelona, Tel 00 34 932 530 282 or visit www. institutodebenito.com SPECIALISM: Reconstructive surgery. One of his developments is a subtle face and neck lift, using Gore-Tex to create a ‘supportive bra’. COST OF OPERATION: Initial consultation costs 8130/ £89, face-lifts from 85,500/ £3770, face and neck-lift from 88000/ £5490 breast augmentation from 85000/ £3430. THE BOLT-HOLE: Hotel RA Beach Thalasso-spa, Avinguda Sanatori, 43880, El Vendrell, Tarragona, Spain. Tel: 00 34 977 694

200. www.amrey-hotels.com . A five-star hotel on a golden beach 40 minutes south of Barcelona. Treatments include reflexology, thalassotherapy and lymphatic drainage. RECUPERATION COSTS: From around 8160/£110 per room per night. Full board package for the slimming unit is from 81,950/ £1,340 per week, including five treatments and check-ups.

UK

THE SURGEON: Consultant Adrian Richards, who works at clinics in the UK at High Wycombe and Princes Risborough, Bucks, Northampton and in London’s Harley Street.

Tel: 0800 328 5743 or visit www.arandassociates.co.ukSPECIALISM: Facelifts, particularly the MACS lift (short for Minimal Access Cranial Suspension) which leaves no scar behind the ears. COST OF OPERATION: Facelifts from £5,600. THE BOLT-HOLE: Champneys, Tring. Tel UK: 08703 300 300 or visit www.champneys.com

Champneys offers recuperative packages tailor-made to suit individual needs amidst the Georgian splendour of its Hertfordshire mansion. RECUPERATION COSTS: Packages start at £550 for a two-night stay.

LONDON

THE SURGEON: LONDON PLASTICSurgery Associates is the private practice of four leading London teaching hospital plastic surgery consultants. 30 Devonshire St, London W1G 6PU. Tel: 0207 908 3777 or www.lpsa.co.ukSPECIALISMS: Peter Butler is well-known for facial reconstruction. Simon Withey’s speciality is facial and breast reconstruction . COST OF OPERATION: Facelifts cost around £7,000, including surgeon’s fees, anaesthetics, and hospital fees, breast augmentation from around £5,700, all fees included. THE BOLT-HOLE: A beautiful and discreet hotel in a georgian town house: Halcyon House, 168 Clapham Road, London SW9 0LA, 020 7091 7148. www.halcyon-house.comRECUPERATION COSTS: From £250 a night, full board.

LONDON

THE SURGEON: Roy Ng, The Hurlingham Clinic and Spa, 67 Studdridge Street, London SW6 3TD; 020 7348 6380. SPECIALISM: The thread lift face-lift, which uses barbed threads inserted in the face to lift sagging skin with minimal incisions. COST OF OPERATION: Thread lift treatments start at around £1,800 THE BOLT-HOLE: Myhotel Chelsea, 35 Ixworth Place, London; 020 7225 7500. The Hurlingham Clinic has its own day spa offering treatments, such as a post-operative facial. It has linked up with the ultra swish Myhotel, which offers chauffeur service to and from the clinic. RECUPERATION COSTS: The post-op facial at the Hurlingham Spa costs £55, while post-lipo endermologie costs from £65 a session. Doubles at Myhotel Chelsea, start at a special Hurlingham Clinic rate of £155 plusVAT per night.

NEW YORK

THE SURGEON: Dr Alan Matarasso, 1009 Park Avenue, New York; 00 1 212 249 7500. SPECIALISM: Facial rejuvenation — big on short-scar facelifts that use half the number of incisions compared with a usual face-lift. COST OF OPERATION: Initial consultation £135, face-lift from £6,500. THE BOLT-HOLE: Affinia Gardens Hotel, 215 E 64th Street, New York; 001 212 355-1230 just around the corner from Manhattan’s Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital where Dr Matarasso operates, offers a special ‘Nipped and Tucked In’ programme with rooms for post-op patients and in-room spa treatments. RECUPERATION COSTS: From $399/£228 a night.

New body MOT centre opens

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London: A new state-of-the-art clinic, which provides full body MOTs and combines personalised care with the very latest medical technology, in luxury 6-star surroundings has opened in London.

Preventicum is the first clinic of its kind in the UK, providing a full medical check-up, with results back in hours rather than weeks. A Preventicum check-up costs £2750, takes five hours and clients are given the best personalised care, checking-in to their own private room with television, telephone and PC with internet access, where all confidential discussions take place.

The check-up is tailored to meet the individual’s needs and will include a unique, radiation-free MRI scan of the entire body, providing some of the best images in the world. It also includes other more traditional examinations such as an ECG, stress test, ultrasound, comprehensive blood and urine analysis. Results are ready on the same day as the examination and there is up to two hours of consultations, including a unique virtual tour of your body with the radiologist, using the hundreds of images from your MRI scan.

The new Preventicum facility is based at Shepherd’s Bush in West London. Check-ups are tailored to the clients’ needs and provide a comprehensive and convenient high level of service. It can include at least one hour of consultations with Medical Director, GP and Occupational Physician Dr Michael Clarke, as well as a physical examination, ECG (electrocardiogram), stress test, ultrasound examinations and extensive blood tests. The centre-piece of this unique check-up is a radiation-free, full-body MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan that enables Preventicum doctors to gather detailed information about the client’s entire body in just one hour.

The MRI scan incorporates angiogram technology that scans the body’s whole arterial tree in 72 seconds. Preventicum radiologists are among few world-wide that read full-body MRI scans. The scanning is without any known side-effects as it does not use radiation, unlike other scanning methods such as CT or EBCT. Our radiologist will then take the client on a unique virtual tour of their body using the 1800 images produced by the full-body MRI scan.

All results will be explained to the client during a concluding discussion with the Medical Director and will be given to the client to take home and show to their GP, if they wish. The client will also receive a CD with their MRI images, including a video of their beating heart.

If necessary and if the client agrees, our doctors will refer the client for further tests or investigation or directly for treatment by the relevant specialist, at the client’s convenience. In addition to this we will also offer more general lifestyle advice.

Preventicum, London Centre of Preventive Medicine caters for discerning individuals, mainly over the age of 30, from all walks of life, who value an insight into the current and future state of their health. Typical clients could also include sportsmen and women and corporates concerned with the health of existing and future senior management.

Neil Poulter, Professor of Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine at Imperial College London and President of the British Hypertension Society is Chairman of the Preventicum Medical Advisory Board: “This is a new level of preventive health check-up and provides a unique service for the UK market. Forty percent of adults die from cardiovascular disease or related illnesses. We are screening for cardiovascular risk factors, so we can identify and thereby help to prevent high- risk people from becoming part of those statistics”.

Other members of the Medical Advisory Board are Dr Simon Davies, Interventional Cardiologist, Professor Dudley Pennell, Cardiologist and Dr Dafydd Thomas, Neurologist.

To find out more about Preventicum visit the website www.preventicum.co.uk or call 020 7605 6905.

Obesity baloon operation now available in UK

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London:As the UK obesity rate continues to climb and more than two thirds of the population are deemed clinically overweight, one of the country’s leading medical groups is to offer an innovative ‘Diet Balloon’ treatment for the first time in the UK.

Billed as a lifestyle changing treatment, the procedure is two-fold offering an innovative, balloon, designed to suppress appetite by filling the stomach, and a six-month diet and wellbeing aftercare programme.

In order to ensure the patient breaks their bad habits and increase their chances of losing the weight and keeping it off, the procedure is managed by a qualified team of experts including dieticians, endoscopists, doctors and nutritionists.

Ultralase Medical Aesthetics (UMA) has introduced the treatment in the UK following the successful launch by its parent company, Corporacion Dermoestetica, in Europe, where over 300 patients have already completed the Diet Balloon programme.

The initial procedure is straightforward and does not involve general anaesthetic or surgery: a silicone intragastric balloon is inserted into the stomach (via the mouth and oesophagus, under sedation) and is filled with liquid so it partially fills the stomach and creates a feeling of fullness.

An intensive support programme is then put in place with a nutritionist, who examines diet, eating habits (including favourite restaurants) and offers a lifestyle ‘bible’ of tips to keep temptation at bay and stave off bad eating habits for good!

The programme involves regularly scheduled face-to-face meetings, text reminders and access to 24-hour access to a dedicated qualified specialist by phone.

“For patients who are obese and have failed medical therapy, the intra-gastric balloon is a welcomed and effective next step. It can also be used as a bridge to weight reducing surgery or in place of such surgery especially in patients who may be deemed too high an operative risk or who do not want invasive surgery”, says Dr Jude Oben, consultant gastroenterologist.

Anne-Marie Holdsworth, UMA’s consultant nutritionist comments: “Often with any new diet you have an initial burst of confidence that helps you make the required changes. However, over time, this often wanes and old habits creep back in as your willpower eventually begins to crumble.”

Ultralase Medical Aesthetics’ weight loss programme is designed to help overcome all the obstacles associated with dieting; what to eat when dining out, how to steel yourself from reaching for the chocolate bar when watching your favourite TV programme. Most of all it encourages patients to change their lifestyle habits and break away from the couch and get active instead.

Anne-Marie again: “Because the focus is placed firmly on re-educating people about their eating choices over a sustained length of time – the Diet Balloon doesn’t offer a ‘quick fix’ weight loss solution. Its aim to promote a total lifestyle change, is what I believe will be a key factor in its success.”

For patients who are obese and have failed medical therapy, the intra-gastric balloon is a welcomed and effective next step. It can also be used as a bridge to weight reducing surgery or in place of such surgery especially in patients who may be deemed too high an operative risk or who do not want invasive surgery.

Ultralase Medical Aesthetics will only recommend the procedure after detailed consultations with the patient, and after the Diet Balloon has been inserted there is a continuous after-care programme during the maximum six-month period the balloon remains in place.

In the largest study conducted on intragastric balloon effectiveness, 323 patients underwent the procedure and lost on average 48% of their excess weight. The study, undertaken in Brazil, demonstrated that the balloon was highly effective and safe, with a low risk of major side effects.

Dr. Jude Oben has appeared in:

Channel 5 TV – Doctor-Doctor, August 2006: Obesity and Fatty Liver
BBC TV – City Hospital, May 2006: Obesity and Fatty Liver

Obesity figures supplied by ONS survey, < ahref="http:www.statistics.gov.uk">www.statistics.gov.uk

The treatment is currently available at four UK clinics; Hammersmith, Guildford, Chelmsford and St Albans.

A full consultation is required prior to considering the procedure to determine the history and suitability of the patient.

The intragastric balloon procedure was first developed in the 1980s and is recognised as a safe and effective means for achieving significant weight loss amongst obese patients whose health is at risk because of their condition and who have failed to lose and maintain weight loss through weight-control programmes.

It can also be used for severely-obese patients who need to lose weight before surgery (either for obesity or any other condition), in order to reduce surgical risk.

Nanoceuticals – the latest science attacks wrinkles, cellulite and ageing hair

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Nanoceuticals are the latest and most potent new anti-ageing treatments for skin, body and hair. They use nanoparticles – particles that are 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair – to deliver highly concentrated ingredients beneath the skin with greater affect.

The small size of these particles changes their qualities making them super-absorbable. So even though many of the ingredients are not necessarily new and already found in dietary supplements and creams such as Vitamin C Ester, Vitamin E, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Acetyl L-Carnitine, Co Enzyme Q10, DMAE (dimethyaminoethanol) and Idebendone, a man-made substance which claims to be the most powerful anti-oxidant in existence – there effect on the skin is far more potent.

Their increased effectiveness means that many women are avoiding cosmetic surgery in their 40s and 40s and opting for preventative and restorative treatments. The success of these new creams is their ability to work at a cellular level, making them more efficient at preventing and repairing the damage caused by free radicals, the unstable molecules, that ravage cells and cause age-related damage through pollution, smoking, sunbathing, poor diet, alcohol and stress.

The secret of keeping your skin at its best whatever your age is two take a two-pronged approach by using these topical creams and lotions to prevent damage and combining this with a diet containing a high-level of antioxidents both from food and supplements.

Both L’Oreal and Estee Lauder have already launched high end mass market products that incorporate this technology. One of the most exciting products recently launched on the UK market is a new product for hair called Tanagra, which was developed in Brazil and reverses damage caused by age and misuse. It uses nanotechnology to impregnate the hair shaft with nanoparticles of keratin, which is lost from damaged or ageing hair. The keratin is “locked” into the hair shaft by a heat process. The end result is an amazing head of shiny hair, even for blondes, which lasts for several months.

These are some of the latest treatments to arrive on the UK market:

Leorex

This range of products contains a patented ingredient called Nano-Silica which lifts wrinkles by a non-chemical, purely physical process. After application there is both a short-term and long-term effect on lines. The nano-particles form on and below the skin, supporting the collagen and encouraging new collagen growth. The particles also scavenge the damaging free radicals in the skin and prevent new wrinkles from developing. There are a number of products in this range but the most potent is Leorex Hypallergenic Wrinkles Nano-Relief.which costs £75. The full starter kit costs £140. Available by mail order and selected salons 08700 117563

Dr Denese Instant Wrinkle Press

Another top notch product from Dr Denese of New York which tightens wrinkles within minutes of application with a freezing affect. It also helps minimize dark undereye circles with “nanopeptides” and is applied under all other creams and over them throughout the day if necessary. It contains Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3 as well as Gamma Amino Butyric Acid which is the ‘exclusive inhibitor peptide factor’ Instant Wrinkle Press costs £44.95 for 15ml and is available from Dr Denese on 0870 1900 003 or online at www.drdenese.co.uk

Tanagra – for shiny, glossy hair repair

This one-hour treatment uses nanomolecular keratin particles so small that you could fit millions onto a pinhead.The keratin is misted into the hair shaft then the nanomolecules are locked into the hair with another mist. The result is beautiful, soft and silky hair with an incredible shine. Up to three treatments may be needed each one increasing the amount of keratin in the hair and top up treatments every few months are recommended. It works on all kinds of hair but the most dramatic results are seen in extremely damaged or porous hair.An added bonus is that colour treated hair stays more vibrant and takes colour better. Costs from £50 per treatment and available from Essensuals, 17 Fleet Street, London, EC4 T:020 7353 7453 www.tanagra4hair.com

Dermaglow

The Dermaglow Pro-Peptide Instant Wrinkle Eraser is another product that freezes wrinkles instantly and last up to 24 hours. Within minutes a reassuring tightening sensation is accompanied by a 50-90% visible reduction in lines and wrinkles. Created by Canadian Pharmacist Calvin Davies this formulation contains Palmitoyl Oligopeptide which works to regenerate the skins upper layers by stimulating collagen. GABA prevents the nerve endings in the skin from causing lines and wrinkles by relaxing facial muscles. Hyaluronic Acid, the ingredient used in many anti aging injectables, fixes moisture on the skins surface, preserving suppleness, elasticity and tone without the needle. The active ingredients are delivered using nanospheres. Costs £75 0800 328 7612 www.dermaglow.co.uk

Valmont Anti Wrinkle Factor

Made in Switzerland this cream has a lovely smell and texture that the skin loves and becomes immediately radiant and soft on the first application. It is created by Valmont together with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and uses ingredients and delivery systems to plump wrinkles from the inside out. It is made in three “strengths” to combat wrinkles of different ages. Factor1 is preventative and for women in their 30s and costs £119 ; Factor 2 targets the start of sagging for women in their 40s and costs £133 and Factor 3 is aimed at the countering the effects of the menopause in the 50s and costs £147. Key ingredients include Triple DNA, RNA and rice and soy peptides. Available from the Valmont counter in Selfridges, Oxford Street, London, W1.

Gatineau with nanosphares and collaspheres

This new range is aimed at combination skin where some patches are dry, some oily or a bit of both. The cleanser cleans without stripping and moisturises without greasing, thanks to sebum regulating agents and self-adjusting moisturisers. But the big breakthrough, which is the very latest in enzyme technology, is Gatineau’s Self Regulating Complex of nanospheres and collaspheres. These are tiny molecules containing rebalancing and nourishing ingredients respectively, so ingredients like green tea extract to help reduce shine, while hyaluronic acid moisturises, and vitamins provide healing and have antioxidant powers. The Primrose Gel Make-Up Removercontains hyaluronic acid to recondition and moisturise dry areas. Costs £17 for 250m. The Nasturtium Toner is £17 for 250ml. The Day Emulsion – is an ‘intelligent’ day cream that adjusts itself according to the skin’s needs, is £36.25 for 50ml. The Night Cream has nourishing collaspheres, plus revitalising vitamins A, E and F, for longer-term hydration and is £42.50 for 50m. The Tonimasque Cream Mask is softening and moisturising. Blackheads and impurities are gently drawn out, the complexion is clarified and skin texture evened and toned and £22 for 75ml. Available at selected beauty salons nationwide, QVC The Shopping Channel, on-line at www.thebeautyroom.com and by mail order. For nearest stockist and mail order details, readers should call 0800 731 5805.

SACHY ‘HAPPY SKIN’

From Fake Bake the brand famed for their professional self-tanning products are two new anti-ageing products, a tinted and non-tinted moisturiser which work with peptides. SACHY which means ‘happy skin’ in Japanese, and uses a dual action formula works on the surface of the skin treating wrinkles, helps refine scars, improve stretch marks and treat sun damage. SACHY product can be used under make-up whilst the product with tint (which suits all skin tones) will offer coverage and deliver a smooth and velvety finish to the skin. SACHY can also be used on the arms and legs for a beautiful, vibrant finish. Sachy contains three natural botanical butters Shea, Cocoa and Mango which moisturise whilst it’s natural organic oils, almond and sesame oils nourish and tone. Sweet Almond protein helps firm skin. The blend also uses six powerful anti-oxidants which help kill free radicals that are damaging to the skin: Vitamins A, C, and E plus Phyllanthus Embilica Extract, daisy flower and the most powerful on the market, green tea. SACHY is available from Harvey Nichols £35 for the concentrated wrinkle cream and £75 for the larger tinted version. Call 0870 054 4455 or go to www.fakebake.co.uk

SkinGenuity Body Perfecting Formula

A nano solution for cellulite uses Ethosome particles to deliver the fat busters to target cellulite. In clinical trials this cream visibly reduced the appearance of cellulite by up to 80% within 56 days. The active ingredients includes: Bupleurum chinensis extract to stimulate fat metabolism and remove cellular waste and toxins; Caffeine to stimulate fat metabolism and help reduce skin puffiness; Coenzyme A to activate the breakdown of fatty acids; Grapefruit extract an antioxidant rich in AHAs to promote rapid cell turnover and smoothe the skin; Gingko Biloba extract to stimulate lymphatic drainage, which improves the removal of impuritiesThe non-greasy, cooling gel sinks into the skin immediately without having to massage it in and allows you to get dressed straight away. Costs £89.50 (200ml) is available from by mail order online at www.physonics.com or on 0870 067 3396.

Vitamin C improves heart function

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Tokyo: Vitamin C can improve heart function during exercise in patients who have suffered a heart attack, according to a report in the International Journal of Cardiology.

The vitamin improves the efficiency of the sympathetic nervous system, which is part of the nervous system that controls heart rate and other involuntary body responses. Heart disease can cause the sympathetic function to deteriorate.

Dr. Kazuyo Kato and other colleagues from Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, investigated whether ascorbic acid influenced the sympathetic response to exercise in 21 men who were studied at least one month after a myocardial infarction. The participants underwent symptom-limited exercise testing twice, once 2 hours after oral administration of 2 grams of ascorbic acid and once without the supplement.

Although resting blood pressure and heart rate did not differ with or without ascorbic acid, the authors report, the heart rate response to peak exercise was significantly higher, an indication of better heart function, after ascorbic acid than without ascorbic acid.

Ascorbic acid administration also improved heart rate increases from rest to peak exercise, as well as the peak oxygen consumption, the results indicate.

“These data suggest that an antioxidant vitamin such as ascorbic acid can effect a recovery of the sympathetic dysfunction caused by injury through excessive oxidative stress and improve exercise intolerance,” Dr. Kato and colleagues conclude.

“Further studies are needed to determine whether long-term ascorbic acid administration will improve sympathetic nerve dysfunction in patients and whether other antioxidants would

The Wine Road to Longevity

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London: The fermentation of wine is probably the oldest biotech process invented by man, carried out for the first time between the Palaeolithic and Neolithic age, says Dr Giovanni Scapagnini, who will speak on the properties of red wine at Anti-Ageing Conference London.

So, in one way, it has accompanied, and potentially influenced, human biological and social evolution throughout the last 10 millenniums. The benefits of moderate wine consumption on health have been undisputed since antiquity, when it was considered the elixir of the Gods, and a panacea for body and soul. Recently, this has been confirmed by numerous epidemiological studies particularly in relation to Mediterranean populations, where the incidence of coronary heart disease is lower than in other developed countries.

In vitro and in vivo experimental research now supports the biological plausibility of red wine in the prevention of arteriosclerosis and thrombosis. Red wine, is in fact, a rich source of polyphenols, the natural substances endowed with potent antioxidative and chemo preventive properties. Red wine may promote the maintenance of healthy veins and inhibit atherosclerotic plaque formation. These polyphenols such as anthocyanins protect the cardiovascular system from bad fats at the same time as offering protection from inflammation..

Resveratrol is probably the best known antioxidant contained in red wine and possesses a wide range of biological and pharmacological properties. Besides its potential role as a cardio protective agent, it has also shown to function as a cancer chemo preventive agent, modulating various proteins linked with cellular proliferation and carcinogenesis. Furthermore it has recently shown its ability to activate genomic machinery directly linked with lifespan improvement.

There is mounting evidence that polyphenols are associated with increased longevity and wellbeing. All these studies give scientific strength to the concept that dietary nutrients, such as those from red wine, can influence the balance between healthy and disease states and prevent degenerative age related pathologies, such as cardiovascular, neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. Although further studies are required to really understand the impact of wine on human health and the claim that wine is a long life elixir, there are a large body of evidences to sustain that moderate wine consumption represent an attractive dietary anti-aging strategy.

Dr Scapagnini will speak at Anti Ageing Conference London on Saturday 16 September.
About Dr Giovanni Scapagnini, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Italian National Research Council, Catania, Italy
Assistant Professor, Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, West Virginia University, Rockville (MD), USA
Visiting Professor, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland, Baltimore (MD), USA
Dr. Scapagnini attended the University of Catania School of Medicine and Surgery in Catania, Italy and graduated in 1992 with a medical degree. He continued his education by obtaining a Ph.D. in Neurobiology also from the University of Catania in 2000. Since completing his education, Dr. Scapagnini has conducted research with the Institute of Pharmacology School of Medicine associated with the University of Catania and has worked as a Visiting Scientist with Department of Surgical Research, Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research, Harrow, UK in 1999, and with Laboratory of Adaptive Systems, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD, USA in 2000. Dr. Scapagnini currently holds two academic positions as Assistant Professor with the Institute of Neurological Sciences, Italian National Research Council and with Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, West Virginia University. He has recently obtained a visiting professorship with the Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland, where he is in charge of a research project on HIV dementia. He is also the scientific director of the “Research & Progress” foundation, founded by Dr Robert C. Gallo. He is author of 35 indexed scientific papers and several book chapters. His fields of research regard gene expression profiles of cellular stress response and biology and molecular mechanisms of brain aging and nerurodegenerative disorders. In particular he has studied the anti-aging activities of several nutraceuticals present in the Mediterranean diet.

The 3rd AACL, which is being held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London from the 15-17 September 2006 is the only forum in the UK where both professionals and lay persons can learn about the latest advances in medicine and science.
At AACL delegates will hear from scientists and physicians on the latest medical advances, including what some may consider controversial, to the proven and new treatments for the diseases of ageing, as well as cosmetic and dental health, optimum nutrition, skin health, hormones, mind/body health and the latest developments in stem cell treatments.
Among our international panel of speakers are Dr Jennifer Krup MD ABAAM, a hormone specialist who is HB Health’s medical advisor; Dentist Brian Halvorsen BDS. LDS. RCS. FRSH, renowned for his work on toxicity problems in dentistry and holistic dental care; nutritionist and author Patrick Holford, who has examined the role diet plays in ageing; and Dr Bill Cham PhD, whose research into the use of plant extracts in skin cancer remission has produced new treatments for this disease.
Other speakers who have driven the global debate on anti-ageing medicine include Dr Robert Goldman, Chairman, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and Dr Ronald Klatz, Founding President, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine; Professor Imre Zs-Nagy, Professor John Ionescu and Dr Michael Klentze.
Delegates receive the following:
• A high-quality bound conference manual including speaker presentations and biographical materials
• Buffet lunch on all three days
• Refreshments including cocktail reception
• The opportunity to see the latest anti-ageing products in the exhibition area
This prestigious scientific event will be introduced by Heather Bird-Tchenguiz MBA, Chairperson, AACL; Founder and President of HB Health; Director of the World Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine; Board Member, European Society of Anti-Aging Medicine and Director, British Society of Anti-Ageing Medicine.

The speaker programme for Anti-Ageing London 2006 is as follows:
Friday, 15 September – Regenerative and Preventative Medicine

Heather Bird-Tchenguiz MBA: Welcome
Dr Marco Traub PhD: Introduction
Professor Shimon Slavin: Stem cells for the treatment of malignant and non-malignant diseases and for tissue repair
Prof Larry Benowitz: Prospectives on stem cell differentiation in neurosurgery
Prof Geoffrey Raisman: Clinical application of olfactory cells in spinal cord injury
Prof David Naor PhD: Involvement of CD 44 in stem cell differentiation
Prof Stefan Krauss PhD: Forbrain development and neural cell damage
Dr Antigoni Ekonomou: Lecture
Prof Dame Julia Polak: Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
Prof Michal Schwartz: Autoimmunity, microglia, adult stem cells, neurogenesis and neurodegenerative diseases
Prof Tomas Ekstrom: Epigentics principles
Dr Miomir Knecevic: Commercialisation of Stem Cell Research
Dr Ralf Tönjes PhD: Stem Cell signatures as a tool for quality control of Innovative medicinal products
Andreas Junge MBA: Medical Knowledge on the internet – patient-related information – major mistakes and recent problems
Dr Marco Traub: Symposium Overview

Saturday, 16 September
Heather Bird-Tchenguiz MBA: Welcome
Professor Dr Imre Zs-Nazy: The Theories of Ageing
Dr Ben Pfeifer MD PhD: Phytonutrient Therapy and Immune System Support for Patients with Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer
Dr Mark Babizhayev: Human Cataracts – the role of Lipid Peroxidation and the efficacy of N-acetyl carnosine as a treatment
Dr Robert Goldman MD PhD FAASP DO FAOASM: Maximum Human Performance with Anti-Ageing Therapeutics
Dr Jennifer Krup MD ABAAM: HRT in Women – questions, answers and more questions
Dr Brian Halvorsen: Holistic Dentistry – Advances with an emphasis on chelation and preventative health care
Dr Alex Collie PhD: Measuring your Cognitive Age
Prof John Ionescu PhD: New strategies to slow down the photoageing of human skin
Sarah Noble LicAc, MBAcC, MIMgt, MInstD: The Art & Science of Spa Success – How to open a holistic spa: integrating services into your clinic for profitability
Patrick Holford BSc DipION FBant- 5 Proven Alzheimer;s prevention steps
Prof Giovanni Scapagnini MD PhD: Wine Road to Longevity: all the anti-ageing properties of red wine

Sunday, 17 September

Dr Julian Kenyon: Photodynamic and Sonodynamic Therapy – an important adjunct to anti-ageing strategies
Dr Deepak Chopra: The Soul of Healing – Ten Ways to Reverse Biological Aging
Dr Ron Klatz:New Horizons for the clinical specialty of Anti-Aging Medicine: the future with Biomedical Technologies.
Dr Paul Clayton: Alzheimer’s Disease: Pharmaco-nutritional strategies to maintain the ageing brain
Dr Michael Klentze MD PhD ABAAM: New approaches for safe male Male Hormone Replacement therapy
Dr Bill Cham PhD: Advances in the eradication of skin cancer
Dr Eric Braverman, MD: Sub clinical Hyperparathyroidism: A precursor of Osteoporosis and Dementia?

The programme may be subject to change
Full details of the speaker programme and speaker biographies can be viewed at www.antiageingconference.com
There are various categories of registration for this event:
Full registration £350;
Day 1 Only £200;
Day 2 only £200;
Day 3 £200.

Book on-line on the registration page at www.antiageingconference.com Membership of certain medical societies may qualify for a discount. Further information may also be requested from conference@antiageingconference.com
Telephone: +44 (0)20 75816962
The events sponsors and supporters include HB Health, the British Society of Anti-Ageing Medicine; the European Society of Anti-Aging Medicine; the World Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and The Trans European Stem Cell Therapy Consortium.

Anti Ageing Conference London
PO Box 50622
London SW6 2YP
United Kingdom
Tel : +44 (0) 20 7581 6962
Fax : +44 (0) 20 7589 1273

Folic acid and creatine – potent new anti-wrinkle cream

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Scientists have created a new anti-ageing cream containing a combination of cell-active Folic Acid and Creatine to target skin’s DNA.

According to manufacturer, Beiersdorf, the patent-pending formula called DNAge Cell Renewal stimulates skin cell renewal and that regular use also helps to protect the skin cells DNA against future external damage.As well as firming the skin there is also a decrease in wrinkles.

Folic Acid, a vitamin has been used in anti-aging and lip plumping products before but the scientists at Beiersdorf say they have discovered that this form of vitamin B is involved in DNA synthesis and cell turnover.
Creatine which is found naturally in the human body and helps energy levels is also available as an anti-ageing supplement. It is also used athletes and body builders to help build muscle mass.

The company reports that the two substances togetherimprove the skin cell turnover rate. Additional tests showed that after four weeks this effect led to a reduction in wrinkles and increased skin elasticity. The new discovery will be sold under the famous Nivea brand when it is launched this month in global markets.

UK patients implanted with stolen body parts, authorities admit

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London: London: UK patients have been implanted with stolen body parts which may be potentially contaminated, the country’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority has confirmed.

Over 70 pieces of bone have been grafted into the patients in 20 hospitals in the UK after they were imported from the New Jersey company Biomedical Tissue Services (BTS). The company which has now been shut down and is under investigation by the US Food & Drug Administration.

The imported bones were harvested by the firm from corpses in US funeral parlours without the deceased family’s consent and without proper checks to ensure the bodies were disease free. The stolen bodies included that of veteran broadcaster Alistair Cooke, who died of cancer last year, aged 95.

Although many of the bones were recalled after a safety alert, 77 implants had already been grafted into the hips and jaw bones of British patients. These patients have been offered screening for diseases such as HIV, hepatitis and syphillis which can be transmitted from the bones of the dead.

The scandal has exposed a growing trade in body tissue, bones and ligaments which are harvested in the US and exported around the world. In the US it is illegal to sell bodies directly to the US tissue banks which take ownership of the bodies after death but they sell them on to commercial companies who harvest, store and process the samples.

Imports to the UK have increased as there is a shortage of these parts which are used to repair serious fractures and as dental implants.

The UK government responsible for monitoring this trade, the Human Tissue Authority does not know which countries export skin, bone and ligaments to Britain or even the quantities.

The export of the particularly batch to Britain by BTS is confirmed by the Medicines and Healthcare products REgulatory Authority, the agency responsible for ensuring the safety of medical treatments. They said the patients had received what is known as allografts to fill holes in jaws and hip bones.

Regulators say the chance of infection is low as the bones were steralised prior to implantation.

The company BTS was forced to close last autumn after allegations that it had forged consent forms and other documents to gain access to dead bodies from undertakers.

Among the bodies desecrated was that of Alistair Cooke, whose bones were stolen and recyled. The US authories also claim that BTS did not carry out proper screening of the bodies. Also the bones of elderly people may not be suitable for transplants as they are more likely to have degenerative bone diseases such as osteroporosis.

The director of the company, Michael Mastromarina, a dentist who lost his practising licence because of drug addiction, and two assistants, face criminal charges including soliciting undertakers to prove illegally body parts such as tendons, skin and bone from corpses.

Diet for your age and gender, say food scientists

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London: A healthy diet is eating the right food for your age and gender.That is the advice from one of the UK’s leading food scientists, Dr Sian Astley, who belives that in the future food will be formulated for different ages and sexes.

She said the same diet is not for everyone that the sensible approach is best. Young women, for example, who those hoping to become pregnant should eat foods with folic acid such as green leafy vegtables, asparagas, citrus fruit, wholemeal breads and cereals. This form of vitamin B helps prevent defects such as brain and spinal impairments.
At the samt time they should also have an adequate intake of iron, as many women of child-bearing age do not eat enough red meat.

But as people age the body’s food requirements change. Busy people and mothers need to keep energy levels up therefore its wise to eat complex carbohydrates to provide a slow steady release of energy.

And in old age we need to prevent some of the common diseases such as osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s by eating calcium rich goods, vitamin B and plenty of oily fish.

Dr Astley, of the Institute of Food Research in Norwich speaking at the British Association Festival of Science, said: ‘The way we process vitamin B, for example, changes dramatically as we reach old age. Our body can still process it but really struggles to extract it from the food we eat. There might be an argument for a fortified food or there may be a reason for taking a supplement.’

Men becoming increasingly at risk of prostate cancer as they age so they should boost their intake of anti-oxidants that boost the immune system such as tomatoes.These foods may also help women who may be at risk from herediary cancers.

This new study is the latest to support the growing body of evidence that eating healthily is the biggest contributor to longevity.

Comments Dr Astley: “As we get older, our bodies are less effective at avoiding disease; our immune systems are less able to detect and mount a defence. This results in an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cataract and arthritis.

‘Poor diet can accelerate this process whilst 80 per cent of casecontrolled studies support the hypothesis that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of age-related illness.’ She cautioned-however, that there is no guarantee that even the healthiest of diets will be able to ward off illness.

For instance, cereal manufacturers may provide versions fortified with particular age-groups or sexes in mind. ‘We are not expecting 500 types of Weetabix for every type of person, but perhaps five that are formulated differently for different types of diet or age,’ said Dr Astley.

Life begins at 100 say longevity experts

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Bali: Medical breakthroughs hold out the prospect of living longer and healthier lives, with current life span norms set to be turned on their head, according to anti-ageing experts.

“Life begins at 100? This is an unthinkable today, but in the future, 100 can be pretty young,” Robert M. Goldman, chairman of the American Academy of Anti-Ageing Medicine, told a conference on the resort island of Bali.

Stem cells, nanotechnology, genetic engineering and therapeutic cloning are being used in the relatively new field of anti-ageing medicine.

Goldman instanced a calendar with naked pictures of actress Sophia Loren at the age of 71 wearing only a pair of earrings underlined how perceptions of age had changed.

“If somebody told you 14 years ago that they were going to have a former sex symbol pose in earrings only, you would have been disgusted or you would have closed your eyes,” he said. “Today she looks great at the age of 71.”

Stem cell therapy will allow people to regain lost hair, remove wrinkles by renewing skins, and grow new nerves for paralysed patients, Michael Klentze, director of the Klentze Institute of Anti-Ageing in Munich, Germany, told Reuters.

Stem cells have the ability to act as a repair system for the body, because they can divide and differentiate, replenishing other cells as long as the host organism is alive.

“People who have hair loss they can hope in the next months they’ve got new hair, not strange hair, but their own hair,” he said.

He said a new method called proteomic diagnostics could detect prostate cancer through a urine test years before regular scans discovered it.

“We can stop the progress of a prostate cancer and we don’t need a biopsy or anything else. No operation, no nothing.”

He said people had different risk factors depending on gene mutations inherited from their ancestors and if these factors were identified and measured correctly, people could expect to live longer and healthier.

“If you measure these very exactly, then you know very early you should change your lifestyle. But it is very important not to start this when you’re 85 years, but start at 40 or 45,” he said.

Klentze disputed, however, Goldman’s concept of life beginning at 100.

“There’s a limit to how long you can live. It’s not possible and it’s not what we want. We want a normal life, 85 or whatever but healthy,” he said.

“US males are more into life extension, they’re talking about life extension, living 150 years. For the Europeans, it’s more live a good life, vital and healthy.”

Both these experts will speak at Anti-Ageing London, a conference held at the Royal College of Physicians in Wimpole Street London from 15-17 September – for more information go to www.antiageingconference.com

Beta blockers raise diabetes risk, says new study

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London: The range of drugs known as beta blockers which doctors may use to to treat high blood pressure increase the risk of diabetes, according to new research.

Diabetes increases the risk high risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease. Patients on beta blockers are face a 50 per cent higher risk than with the latest drugs.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence, the UK government body that approves drugs for public use said that doctors should use the newer ace inhibitors and calcium channel blockers should be the first choice treatment for the millions of Britons being treated for high blood pressure.

The results of a new clinical trial show beta blockers may hasten and, in some cases, induce diabetes.

Although many patients are being switched to newer drugs by their doctors when they go for a scheduled check-up, beta-blockers remain in wide use.

They are still considered the best treatment for conditions such as angina, and
doctors have warned patients not to stop taking them without medical advice as
sudden withdrawal may trigger a heart attack.

The trial which was reported at the World Congress of Cardiology in Barcelona which exposed the diabetes risk was led by Professor Neil Poulter,
co-director of the International Centre for Circulatory Health at Imperial
College London.

He said that the chance of a patient with raised blood pressure developing diabetes can be cut by newer treatments, irrespective of the patient’s initial level of risk. Many cases of diabetes could be prevented if doctors avoid prescribing the older treatments to hypertensive patients unless they specifically require them.

Despite the warning experts point out that for the remaining beta-blocker patients, the benefits of the drugs in lowering blood pressure still massively outweigh the diabetes risk, so they should not suddenly stop taking them.

The study looked at 14,000 patients in the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia, half of
whom were taking the old combination of the betablocker Atenolol and a diuretic.
The others were prescribed a calcium channel blocker called amlodipine and the
ace-inhibitor perindopril, and in this group 34 per cent fewer patients
developed diabetes over three years.

The study suggests the aceinhibitor protects against the condition, while the
other drug is neutral. But the beta-blocker and diuretic combination actually
encourages diabetes.

THE BETTER ALTERNATIVE TO BETAS
BETA-BLOCKERS were introduced in the 1960s and were a mainstay of treatment
until the 1990s, when side effects such as reduced energy levels meant many
patients were switched to newer drugs.

Clinical trials over the last three years have suggested they are less effective
than newer versions. But they remain useful against angina and some other
conditions. Patients with these who also have high blood pressure may still get
them.

They work by blocking the action of a chemical called noradrenaline, which helps
prepare the body for emergencies.
Noradrenaline speeds up the heart, making it pump more forcibly and pushing up
blood pressure as a result. The drugs block the binding of the chemical on
receptors on the heart, slowing down its action.

New ace-inhibitor drugs work by blocking a process which narrows blood vessels
and so increases pressure. Calcium channel blockers also avoid narrowing of the
arteries by stopping muscle cells contracting.

Gene trigger for stem cell shut down in ageing

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Biologists have uncovered a gene that shuts down stem cells as people age.

They say the gene known as p16-Ink4a gradually reduces the ability of stem cells to proliferate, thus reducing the risk of cancer.

The discovery, reported in the scientific magazine Nature, was made in an experiment on mice, but the scientists believe that it applies to humans too.

The finding indicates that many degenerative diseases of ageing are caused by an active shutting down of the stem cells that renew the body’s various tissues and are not just a passive disintegration of tissues under daily wear and tear.

Senior author Dr Norman E Sharpless of the University of North Carolina said: “I don’t think aging is a random process — it’s a program, an anticancer program.”

The finding that stem cells are switched off with age is not encouraging for those who wish to use a patient’s own adult stem cells to treat disease.

The gene plays a central role in the body’s defenses against cancer, and it produces two quite different proteins that interact with the two principal systems for deciding whether a cell will be allowed to divide.

One of the proteins had also been noted to increase substantially with age. The cells of a 70-year-old produce 10 times as much of the Ink4 protein as those of a 20-year-old.

In the experiment the scientists genetically engineered a mouse strain with the gene knocked out. They found that the mouse cells had an extra ability to proliferate when the Ink4 protein was not present. At the same time the mice were highly prone to cancer which they developed as early as a year.

The researchers assume, but have not yet proved, that the increasing amounts of Ink4 as a person ages will thrust the stem cells into senescence, meaning that they can never divide again. The evolutionary purpose is evidently to avert the risk that a damaged stem cell might evade controls and proliferate into a tumor.

One implication is that therapists who hope to increase longevity have to tackle a system that may be hard to cheat. An intervention that reduces Ink4 production to prevent the age-related decline of stem cells will also increase the risk of cancer.

Dr Sharpless said that so far the only intervention known to increase lifespan was a calorically restricted diet which also reduced cancer, at least in laboratory mice. The reason, he said, is probably because such diets reduce cell division, the prime source of cancer risk.

For cell therapists, the dual activity of Ink4 may be “a hard box to get out of,” he said, unless they use cells that are somehow much younger than the patient.

Some proposals for stem cell therapy with adult stem cells envisage taking a patient’s stem cells, making them divide in the laboratory and putting them back in the patient to build new tissue.

The researchers said they did not yet know what stimulus makes cells increase their production of the Ink4 protein as a person grows older. Their suspicion is that the usual factors implicated in aging like mutation and oxidative damage to tissues would turn out to have a role in making cells produce more Ink4.

Scientists discover Atkins secret

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London: Scientists investigating how the Atkins Diet works have discovered that protein supresses hunger hormones.

In the experiment, the mice were put on a high protein diet with the result that they produced more of an appetite regulating protein known as YY or PYY. This protein is also found in humans.

The study which is published in the magazine Cell Metabolism advices that eating protein is a good way losing weight and also for keeping it in check.

Lead researcher, Rachel Batterham from the University College of London, said that the research demonstrated the theory that eating more protein may reduce appetite and lead to sustained weight loss.

The findings also reveal how the Atkins diet might actually work, keeping carbohydrates low and protein high in the diet.

Batterman explains that in the early stages, a condition called ketosis sets in causing the liver to go on starvation mode in the absence of glycogen: “The problem is that it makes you feel terrible.”

Human growth hormone debate continues – Elixir opinion

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Hormone rejuvenation therapy has hit the headlines again. This time a London doctor claimed that both he and his wife had rejuvenated themselves by using the controversial human growth hormone (Hgh).

The use of this hormone, which is replicated by several pharmaceutical companies, is licenced in most countries only for the treatment of children with what is commonly known as dwarfism, adults with abnormally low levels – this does not include the low levels associated with ageing, and for certain symptoms of AIDs. Hgh which is produced by the pituitary gland, helps maintain weight control, sex drive, energy and mental clarity and begins to decline from the age of 30.

The use of this hormone, to counter the effects of ageing, is not a new practice and doctors may prescribe it “off-licence/off-label” if the patient signs a disclaimer. But even then the doctor is not off the hook. Should the patient develop side effects in future – and cancer may be one – a doctor may have a future claim against him – but his professional liability insurance may refuse to pay up.

In recent months the practice of prescribing Hgh to counter the effects of ageing has caused a huge debacle in the US where the practice is far more widespread, particularly in the anti-ageing practices of Beverly Hills and New York. On one side is the growing anti-ageing medical movement versus peers who view the practice of prescribing it for rejuvenation as illegal.

Fearing prosecution by the country’s drug watchdog, the Food & Drug Administration, very few are now openly admitting to prescribing Hgh to patients. Anti-ageing doctors in London have become embroiled in this debate and the few who do have now gone “underground” for fear of being hauled before the General Medical Council, the legal body to whom UK doctors answer.

The popularity of Hgh as a rejuvenation treatment followed an experiment in the US in 1990 when a group of 12 men aged over 60 years saw dramatic changes in their bodies as signs of ageing melted away. In the Rudman Study, named after Dr Daniel Rudman, fat turned to lean muscle, bone density increased, skin became thicker and the men looked generally dramatically younger. Their sex drive also increased. They were monitored for adverse effects but there were none.

The serious issue with these new claims is that many gullible people will no doubt contact this publicity-seeking doctor for a treatment that will cost thousands of pounds and may do themselves more harm than good. His bid for cheap publicity also compromises those healthy ageing doctors who have been responsible in treating patients with Hgh. It may also mean as has happened in the US, when goverment health watchdogs interfere the right of an individual to opt for these treatments is taken away.

The prescribing of Hgh, like any form of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), is highly individual as each person’s body reacts differently. For example, oestrogen and testosterone, can both promote cancer in certain individuals and a good doctor will take regular tests to find the right balance during a HRT course for any abnormalities. Unfortunately, as far as we are aware this precise monitoring is not available from Britain’s state health service, the NHS.

One of the problems with Hgh is that there have been no long term studies on its effects ie the monitoring of individuals who have taken this hormone as any side effects may not manifest themselves for years afterwards. Having said that the doctors who prescribe claim that moderate doses for short periods are not harmful.

What most of the publicity neglected to tell readers is that the human body’s production of Hgh is stimulated by exercise. So we do to some extent have it in our power to self-rejuvenate no matter what our age and without the need for experiment.

Scientists replicate natural superglue to repair bones and wounds

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New York: A synethetic superglue similar to that used by crustacians to stick to rocks and boats has been developed to repair bones and wounds.

The new glue, called Medhesive, takes under a minute to set and works in wet and extremes of temperatures which means it has the potential to repair internal organs too.

The glue fluid of sea animals such as barnacles contains a combination of proteins and amino acids that form into a rock hard glue. The Medhesive glue is being made by a US company, the Nerites Corporation, with reserachers from the Northwest University in Chicago.

Although various forms of glue to repair the body have been in use for some time, they are not always suitable and stitches sometimes have to be used instead.

The immense bonding strength of barnacle glue and its ability to stick in any environment could make it the perfect answer. The manufacturers expect this synthetic glue to be in use in two to three years.

Vaccine could cut cervical cancer deaths and cases by three-quarters, new study finds

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London: A vaccine against two strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) could cut the number of cases and deaths from cervical cancer by three-quarters in the UK, according to a new study.[i]

The study, sponsored by pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), was presented at the International Papillomavirus Conference in Prague (September 1-7 2006).

It found that with 100% coverage, the vaccine could lead to a 76% reduction in cases of cervical cancer and a similar reduction – 76% – in deaths from the cancer.

The researchers assumed that the women vaccinated would take part in the UK’s existing cervical screening programme, so the benefits of vaccination highlighted in the study are in addition to the lives already being saved by cervical smears.

A computer model was used to predict the outcome of vaccinating all 12-year-old girls in the United Kingdom (376,385 girls) over their lifetime.

Extrapolating the decrease in cervical cancer cases and deaths seen in the study across the entire UK population, using the latest UK figures, would mean 262 women dying each year from cervical cancer, where currently there are 1,093 deaths.[ii] The number of cases of the disease in the UK would also drop from 2,841 to 682.[iii]

The researchers admit that 100% coverage assumed in the study is unrealistic, so the computer model gives alternatives. With 80% of 12 year old girls vaccinated, cancer cases and deaths are predicted to drop by around 61%.

The study also examined the potential impact of vaccination on the precancerous stages of cervical disease.

Over the lifetime of women vaccinated at 12 years of age, vaccination is predicted to reduce the burden of abnormal smears due to cancer-causing HPV by over half (52.4%) and the subsequent need for diagnostic colposcopies by 54.8%.

Vaccination is also predicted to bring a 70% reduction in the more severe pre-cancerous stages of cervical disease due to cancer-causing HPV strains (known as Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia, CIN 2 and 3).

This research examined the long-term impact of HPV vaccination using GSK’s candidate HPV vaccine which targets HPV 16 and 18, the two most common HPV strains associated with cervical cancer.

Protection against additional cancer-causing strains of HPV was also included in the model.

This inclusion was based on preliminary evidence from GSK clinical trials, showing that the candidate HPV vaccine demonstrates additional protection against infection with the third and fourth most common HPV strains associated with cervical cancer globally, HPV 45 and 31.[iv]

The public health benefits of vaccination may be greater than predicted by the study since it does not look at cancers caused by HPV that affect other parts of the body.

There is evidence that HPV 16 and 18 may play a role in causing other anogenital cancers, including vulval and vaginal cancers. Therefore, in theory, protecting the body against cervical cancer could also prevent these additional cancers.

Further research is now being carried out to look at the overall cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination to the NHS, which currently spends £157 million a year in England alone on the cervical cancer screening programme.[v]

Dr Anne Szarewski, Clinical Consultant for Cancer Research UK, who researches into HPV, said: “HPV vaccination offers great promise in terms of reducing the number of cases of cervical cancer and preventing deaths from it.

“Currently there are still 3,000 women in the UK who get cervical cancer each year – despite a highly efficient screening programme.

“The peak age for cervical cancer to strike is while women are in their late-30s, but it can occur earlier. Treatments, such as hysterectomy, will prevent them having children, perhaps before they have had a chance to start a family.”

Dr Szarewski added: “Beyond the cases and the deaths, hundreds of thousands of women each year in the UK suffer anxiety when they have an abnormal smear result. The idea of finally being able to prevent cases of cervical cancer with a vaccine is extremely exciting.”

About GSK’s candidate HPV vaccine

GSK’s HPV vaccine targets HPV strains 16 and 18. In clinical trials, it has demonstrated sustained efficacy up to 4.5 years against HPV 16 and 18 infections, and associated abnormal cytology and precancerous stages of the disease (CIN). There is also evidence of cross protection against incident infection with HPV 31 and 45. The vaccine appears to be well tolerated, with a good safety profile.[vi],[vii]

GSK’s HPV vaccine is formulated with the innovative adjuvant AS04. Studies have shown that the vaccine formulated with AS04 induced a stronger antibody response over a 48 month follow-up period, when compared to the same vaccine formulated with a conventional aluminium based adjuvant.

GSK applied to the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA) for an EU marketing authorisation for its HPV vaccine in May 2006, with submission to the US Food and Drug Administration expected by the end of 2006.

About HPV and cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is a major global health problem, with nearly 500,000 new cases occurring each year worldwide. It is the second most common cancer – and the third leading cause of cancer deaths – in women worldwide.[viii]

In the UK each year, almost 3,000 new cases of cervical cancer are reported[ix] and there are more than 1,000 deaths.8 It is the second most common cancer in women under the age of 35 years in the UK.9

Cervical cancer is not hereditary. It is caused by persistent infection with cancer-causing HPV. All women who have a sexual relationship are at risk of HPV.[x],[xi],[xii],[xiii]

HPV is very common and easily transmitted through close sexual contact[xiv] – full sexual intercourse is not necessarily required.[xv][xvi][xvii] The risk begins with first sexual activity.16,[xviii]

Up to 75% of sexually active women will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives.[xix],[xx]

There are cancer-causing and low risk strains of HPV. Cancer-causing strains can cause cervical cancer. The four most commons HPV strains associated with cervical cancer globally are 16 and 18, which account for approximately 70% of cervical cancers, and 31 and 45 which account for a further 10%.[xxi]

Cervical screening is an important preventative tool against cervical cancer and the UK operates a highly effective screening programme. It has been estimated that without a screening programme, up to 5,000 more UK women would die each year from cervical cancer.[xxii] Women should attend for regular cervical screening.

About GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For company information please visit www.gsk.com

Chemical cosmetics health danger

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London: Bad chemicals in toiletries and cosmetics are putting the users health at risk, according to a body representing the manufacturers of natural products.

Women who may use as many as 12 such products daily containing up to 175 different chemicals were putting themselves most at risk to cancers and other health problems, according to www.chemicalssafeskincare.co.uk

The culprit chemicals they say are parabens, used to preserve and linked to cancer; foaming agents such as sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium laureth sulphate used in shampoos which act as an irritant and formaldehyde which may cause asthma and headaches.

The organisation’s spokesperson, Julia Mitchell, said more detailed information and details of side effects should be displayed.

Chemicalsafeskincare said labels could mislead by, for example, using the word organic when only 1 per cent of the product actually is organic.

New non-surgical fat buster at Beauty Works West

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London: Saddle bags, bingo wings, stodgy bottoms and double chins could finally become a thing of the past with the arrival of SmartLipo – a revolutionary new fat-busting treatment which is the safer and smarter alternative to conventional liposuction.

Officially available in the UK from this September, Dr. Daniel Sister BeautyWorks West will be one of just three Doctors in London offering this new solution to excess fat.

Billed as a lunch time treatment, just a single one hour session is all it takes with no need for a general anaesthetic or hospital visit. The procedure is carried out in the Doctor Daniel Sister’s treatment room instead of an operating theatre, meaning you could technically go back to work the same day. Compared to Liposuction it is less traumatic, less invasive and much safer. There is a faster recovery period with visibly reduced swelling and bruising. Medical studies show there are no serious side effects such as scarring, internal bleeding and permanent blood vessel damage which can follow after having Liposuction.

Previously impossible to treat with Liposuction, problem areas such as the face, fore arms, knees and upper abdomen can be addressed and SmartLipo also effectively treats Gynecomastia (male breasts) and Axillary hyperhidrosis (excess sweating). Just one treatment of SmartLipo permanently reduces the size of the sweat glands permanently reducing sweat secretions and replacing the current trend of having under arm botox every few months. Traditional Liposuction can cause a surplus of sagging skin and burst blood vessels but SmartLipo tightens the skin after removing the fat as well as simultaneously eliminating thread veins. Finally, the best news of all is the price. Starting from £1500, depending on the area it is much cheaper than Liposuction.

How does the treatment work?

The laser-assisted SmartLipo (fibre optic) is just 1mm in diameter and it disperses the wave energy in three steps.

Step one – Heats up the fat cell membrane to 45◦ to disintegrate the fat pockets and the contents are dispersed naturally via the bodies’ metabolism process (Full results takes 12 to 16 weeks).

Step two – Seals off the surrounding blood vessels to prevent bleeding and reduce any potential swelling or bruising.

Step three – Encourages the production of collagen and skin shrinkage. This prevents the skin from sagging and the need for post-treatment surgery such as a tummy tuck to correct this problem.

Following its arrival in the UK SmartLipo is bound to receive some scepticism and concern even though similar lasers are widely used here in many treatments already including hair removal. In defence one study in Brazil concerning at least 1500 cases showed no evidence of any serious side effects and although pending, FDA approval should come through early August. There are already 1000 SmartLipo laser machines worldwide and they have been in use for more than four years now. Italy, Brazil, Australia and the Far East have all caught on to using SmartLipo with phenomenal results and now it is time for us Brits to banish that stubborn fat too!

A consultation with Dr. Sister is free of charge. Treatments then start from £1500 – £2000 depending on the area.

Longevity – it’s all in the genes

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LOS ANGELES – A World War 1 veteran has defied health experts by living until the age of 112, despite a diet of that included sausages and waffles.

George Johnson who lived in Richmond was considered California’s oldest living person at 112 until he died last Wednesday, as a result of pneumonia. Mr Johnson’s wife died in 1992 at the age of 92.

Dr L Stephen Coles, of the Gerontology Research Group at the University of California in Los Angeles said that Mr Johnson’s genes had contributed to his longevity.

Mr Coles commented: “A lot of people think or imagine that your good habits and bad habits contribute to your longevity. But we often find it is in the genes rather than lifestyle.”

Johnson, who was blind and living alone until his 110th birthday when a caregiver began helping him, built the Richmond house by hand in 1935 and got around using a walker in recent years.

Johnson was the only living Californian considered a “supercentenarian,” a designation for those ages 110 or older, Coles said. His group is now in the process of validating a Los Angeles candidate who claims to be 112 years old.

Coles participated in an autopsy Thursday that was designed to study Johnson’s health.

“All of his organs were extremely youthful. They could have been the organs of someone who was 50 or 60, not 112. Clearly his genes had some secrets,” Coles said.

“Everything in his body that we looked at was clean as a whistle, except for his lungs with the pneumonia,” Coles said. “He had no heart disease, he had no cancer, no diabetes and no Alzheimer’s.

“This is a mysterious case that someone could be so healthy from a pathology point of view and that there is no obvious cause of death.”

The family was in favor of an autopsy. Relatives said Johnson wanted them to allow it if it would help science.

Born May 1, 1894, Johnson’s father managed the Baltimore and Ohio Railway station in Philadelphia.

Johnson was working in 1917 as a mail sorter for the U.S. Post Office when he was drafted into the Army. The war ended a year later, and he never served in combat.

Two years later, he and his wife moved to Northern California.

“It was a great adventure in those days. We were young and wanted the experience,” Johnson said in a March interview with the Contra Costa Times.

The couple settled in Fresno and remained there until 1935, when they bought property in Richmond. They used lumber salvaged from dismantled buildings to build their house.

During World War II, Johnson worked at the Kaiser shipyard in Richmond and later managed the heating plant at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland.

He remained in good health and continued driving until he was 102, when his vision began to fail.

Gerontology Research Group http://www.grg.org

Angry people age faster

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Harvard: Angry people get older quicker, US scientists have found.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Heath monitored 650 men and discovered that those who are unable to control their temper showed signs of ageing sooner. It is thought that anger causes changes in the immune system causing deterioration.

The study is published in the current issue of the medical journal Thorax and measured the lung capacity of men over a period of years since 1986. It reveals a correlation between anger and a deterioration in lung capacity.

Dr Paul Lehrer, of the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey, said: ‘Increased chronic anger may have particularly harmful effects on the body.

‘It often reflects chronic personality maladjustment or, in some cases, chronic exposure to job or marital dissatisfaction which perpetuate anger.

‘Although the exact pathways whereby chronic anger contributes to chronic physical deterioration are not known, it is not hard to imagine how the wear and tear associated with chronic anger could produce physical deterioration.’

Hostility and anger have long been associated with health problems.

The flood of stress chemicals and metabolic-changes in the body that accompany feelings of anger can lead to high blood pressure, headaches, digestion problems and skin complaints such as eczema.

More serious conditions such as asthma, depression and heart disease and strokes can follow.

According to Dr Lehrer, anger and hostility alter neurological and hormonal processes, which in turn may disturb the immune system, producing chronic inflammation.

He added: ‘Indeed it is hard to find a disease for which emotion or stress plays absolutely no part in symptom severity, frequency, or intensity of flare-ups.’

The world’s top spa hotels

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Relax and rejuvenate at the world’s top spas. These are places to be pampered, spoilt and refreshed.

BANYAN TREE – Mahé, Seychelles
T: +248 383500; www.banyantree.com

At the Banyan Tree the products are own-brand and use exotic natural products such as plant extracts, herbs, milk and honey, almonds and papaya.

The spa itself if set in the granite rock of the island in a tropical forest, open to the sea and nature.Recommended The Asian Blend massage, a reworking of the traditional Thai massage, which flexes and stretches every part of the body or the Tropical Rainmist: two hours of showers, envelopments, steams and massage.

THE SPA VILLAGE – Pangkor Laut, Malaysia
T: + 800 9899 9999; www.pangkorlautresort.com

The village is set on the water with interior design in natural shades of bamboo, cane and silk. The spa specialises in rejuvenation treatments based on the best of Malay, Chinese and Indian therapies.

SHAMBHALA SPA – Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos
T: +1 649 946 7788; www.comoshambhala.bz

The spa uses its own-range products. A peaceful place to rejuvenate with massages, including The Shambhala massage which uses a special blend of oils and a mixture of different strokes and pressures. Yoga classes.

OCEAN SPA – Cambridge Beaches, Bermuda
44 1 234 0331; www.cambridgebeaches.com

The spa is in a colonial-style setting with wicker furniture and calico blinds. The treatments include the best of European and American prorammes and there is an indoor pool and gym. The signature treatment is a hot roll massage with hot towels rolled over the muscles prior an aromatherapy massage. Alos available are alternative therapies such as reiki.

LAS VENTANAS AL PARAISO Los Cabos, Mexico
T: +52 624 144 0300; www.lasventanas.com

Mexican and minimalist, set in Zen-style cactus gardens. Relaxing and rejuvenating treatments using locally grown herbs, cactus juices, sea enzymes and mud. Signature treatment is the Desert Purification based on Aztec and Mayan rituals using Mexican clay or Raindrop Therapy, using seven different oils.

THE PLATEAU at the Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong
T: +852 2584 7688; www.plateau.com.hk

On the 11th floor of the hotel with an outside pool and running track. It offers the latest rejuvenation therapies. Signature treatment is the Lifting Facial for mature, dehydrated and jet-lagged skin. Also available is a scalp massage and Swedish and shiatsu massages.

SIX SENSES
Madinat, Jumeirah, Dubai
T: +449174 366 8888; www.sixsensesspas.com

One of the most lavish spas in the world servicing three hotels with gardens and canals. Guests arrive by water on a gondola. Treatments include all kinds wraps, massage, facial and scrub plus a vast array of holistic therapies, crystal treatments, tuina and shiatsu. There is a vast array of staff. Signature treatments include The watsu, an underwater shiatsu massage.

SANTE WELLNESS CENTRE – The Winelands Hotel, South Africa
T:+27 21 875 8100; www.santewellness.co.za

A new spa in the heart of South Africa’s wine-growing region. It offers vinotherapy, developed in Bordeaux, where crushed grapes, the oil from the pips and the leftovers from the skin are used to scrub, wrap and massage. There is also plenty of good wine on menu.

The signature Chakra Balancing Rainbow Bath which involves submerged in warm water, with different coloured lights and sounds to change the moods. A variety of massages are also available.

JIWA SPA – Conrad Hotel, Bali
T: +62 361 778788; www.conradhotels.com

An Indonesian style spa with 12 treatment rooms, infinity pool and a reflexology lounge. As well as the usual therapies, a number of Indonesian massages and treatments are available including reflexology and the Flower Petal bath.

THE SPA AT THE OBEROI – Mauritius
T: +230 204 3600; www.oberoihotels.com

Simple luxury with a decor of cotton and muslin, interspersed with red and gold. It offers a wide range of treatments including Ayurvedic therapies. Signature treatment, The Ylang Ylang Purity.

HOTEL FONTEVERDE & SPA – San Casciano dei Bagni, Tuscany
T: + 39 0578 57241; www.fonteverdespa.com

Set in a former Medici palazzo, the hi-tech spa has indoor and outdoor thermal pools spa is very hi-tech, with thermal pools inside and out. Inside there are frescoed walls and ceilings, elegant porticos, glass-walled pools with amazing views of the surrounding Tuscan countryside. The spa offers many types of scrubs, facials, wraps and massages.

DELPHI MOUNTAIN RESORT & SPA – Connemara, Ireland
T: +353 954 2987; www.delphiescape.com

Set among the mountains and lakes of Connemara as well as spa treatments it also offers outdoor activities such as sea-kayaking to riding. The signature treatment is The Multi-vitamin Power Treatment , an exfoliation, mask and moisture treatment for environmentally damaged skin.

THE CHI SPA Shangri-La Hotel – Bangkok
T: +66 2 236 7777; www.shangri-la.com

A spa with Tibetan decor such as cymbals and buddhas. Although it is set in one of Asia’s busiest cities it offers calm and peace. The signature treatment is the Chi skin polish.

SHAMBHALA SPA Cocoa Island – Maldives
T: + 960 441818; www.comoshambhala.com

A real desert island where you fall asleep listening to the sound of the nearby waves. Signature treatment is the Indian head mssage, which uses rose fragranced oil.

CHIVA SOM HEALTH RESORT – Hua Hin, Thailand
T: +66 325 36536; www.chivasom.com

Chiva Som has one of the largest range of spa treatments of any. Signature treatment is the Papaya Body Wrap which starts with a traditional Thai salt-and-herb scrub before a mask of aloe, pineapple and papaya is applied.

LE MAS DE CANDILLE – Mougins, France
T: +33 492 284343; www.lemascandille.com

Surrounded by Japanese, Zen inspired decor and natural stones and fabric. The spa specialises in Qi therapies, which are a mixture of acupressure, Japanese hot towels and aromatherapy. The signature treatment is the Quick Tension Release, where shiatsu style massge is used to relax muscles and relieve aches and pains.
Cost From £14 for a manicure to £142 for a four-handed massage.

ELYSIUM – Paphos, Cyprus
T: +357 26 844444; www.elysium.com.cy

Set in Southern Mediterranean style decor, with colonnades, high ceilings, cool stone and marble, the spa offers a selection of pampering treatments designed to destress, relax and revitalise – massages, rituals, wraps and facials. The signature treatment is the Hydrotherm Massage, in which the body is supported by two large cushions filled with warm water.

LES THERMES MARIN – Monte Carlo
T: +377 9806 6900 www.montecarlospa.com

An elegant spa offering a nnumber of water-based treatments. The spa uses purified Mediterranean water pumped in hourly for the benefits of sea water and minerals, particularly in the baths, effusions and wraps. Signature treatment is the Douche Sous Marine , an underwater manual massage with you and the therapist in a sea-water pool.

SHAMBHALA RETREAT – Uma Paro, Bhutan
T: +975 827 1597 www.uma.como.bz

High in the mountains at 11,000 feet with views of the Himalayas. As well as spa treatments there is the opportunity to try yoga, treks and other exercise. The signature treatment is the Bhutanese Hot Stone Bath – a huge square pine bath heated by local stones that deposit their minerals in the water to help you relax.

BRITAIN’S FIVE BEST SPAS

SERENITY SPA – Seaham Hall, Co Durham, United Kingdom
T: + 44(0)191 516 1400; www.seaham-hall.com

An English country house that once used to be Lord Byron’s home with decor from Asia. Treatments in the spa are based on Eastern rituals including massages, reiki, hopi ear-candle treatment, hammams, plunge pools and outdoor hot tubs. The signature treatment is the Dayoin Tao Massage Synergy, a mix of slightly adapted traditional Chinese acupressure and European massage.

THE AQUARIUS SPA – Whatley Manor, nr Malmesbury, Wiltshire
T: +44(0)1666 822888; www.whatleymanor.com

The spa has hydrotherapy pools, thermal suites and chamomile steam grotto.
Outside the hydrotherapy pool, complete with magical gardens and Wave Dream Sensory Room.

THE SPA AT CHANCERY COURT – 252 Holborn, London, WC1
T:+44(0)20 7829 7058; www.spachancerycourt.co.uk

Although it is set in one of the busiest parts of the cpaital the Amethyst Crystal Room offers “An environment that will transport you mind, body and soul.” Signature treatment is The Totally Blissful Back Face and Scalp Massage

ONE SPA
Sheraton Grand Hotel, 1 Festival Square, Edinburgh, Scotland
T; +44(0)131 229 9131; www.one-spa.net

A thoroughly-modern spa which offers some of the best treatments available. Signature treatment is the Balinese Body Massage.

CALCOT SPA – Calcot Manor, nr Tetbury, Gloucestershire
T: +44(0)1666 891232; www.calcotmanor.co.uk

In a Cotswold-stone house with outside hot tub complete with nearby log fireplace; interiors are simple in neutral colours. The signature treatment is a dry flotation followed by a massage.

Fruit and veg protect against Alzheimer’s

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Nashville: Fruit and vegetable juices have the potential to protect against the devastating brain disease Alzheimer’s, according to US scientists.

They examined the effects of drinking fruit and vegetable juices more than three times a week amongst 2,000 people for 10 years and discovered that it reduced the risk of the disease by 76 per cent compared to those whose intake was less.

Doctors believe that the findings confirm that diet can play a huge role in whether you get the disease. It is thought that protective substances in fruit and vegetables known as polyophenols, protect the brain from accumulations of bad proteins.

The study carried out at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, and participants consumed juice with high concentrations of pulp and peel which contain the most polyphenols.

ELIXIR – the world’s first consumer glossy on everything anti-ageing launches

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NEW MAGAZINE “ELIXIR” LAUNCHES – WORLD’S FIRST QUALITY CONSUMER GLOSSY DEVOTED TO BRINGING YOU WHAT’S HOT IN ANTI-AGING AND REJUVENATION

“The western world’s attitude to ageing has changed dramatically, and none of us has escaped the consequences. Even if you stand firm and let nature take its course, there’ll be plenty of friends and colleagues who have no intention of doing likewise, so the landscape of ageing has changed for ever” – Sunday Times, 2 June 2006

Welcome to ELIXIR, the first quality consumer magazine that is dedicated to helping you live longer, healthier and happier – bringing you all the latest news, views and features on anti-aging and rejuvenation products and services.

If it’s hot, new and will increase your lifespan, help you look younger and wherever it’s happening – Beverly Hills, New York, London, Paris, Rome or anywhere else – you will find out about it first in ELIXIR. ELIXIR’s medical advisory board is headed by the world’s most influential body in this area, the American Academy of Anti-Ageing Medicine (A4M), which has a membership of 18,500 physicians and scientists from 85 countries, and has pioneered the establishment of anti-ageing medicine as a recognized medical speciality. A4M will be a regular contributor to ELIXIR on the serious medical issues of the day.

Dr Robert Goldman, MD PhD, the Chairman of A4M commented: “Our medical society is dedicated to the advancement of technology to detect, prevent, and treat aging related disease and to promote research into methods to retard and optimize the human aging process. We believe that most of the disabilities associated with normal aging can be treated Anti-aging medicine is based on the scientific principles of responsible medical care consistent with those of other healthcare specialties. ELIXIR is about health literacy for the patient and getting this message across – that living longer doesn’t have to mean living with an increasing number of disabilities.”

ELIXIR based in London’s Harley Street will tell you before your doctor does about the latest scientific discoveries and anti-aging therapies.

ELIXIR is the first consumer publication to tap into these concerns and these global trends.

The western world is currently suffering from an epidemic of lifestyle diseases caused by smoking, overeating, drinking alcohol to excess, the most serious of which is obesity – which leads to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and eventually premature death. Modern medicine is not geared up to tackling these diseases before they happen. ELIXIR will take a campaigning stance on health education to tackle this serious issue.

Subjects that will be covered on a regular basis in ELIXIR include:

• Latest medical interventions to treat the diseases of aging (obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, stroke etc): stem cells, hormones, pharmaceuticals, complementary therapies etc
• Stem cells for rejuvenation and the diseases of aging
• Practitioners – who are the best anti-aging doctors and cosmetic specialists
• Mind and body medicine: conventional to complementary
• Aesthetics: Botox, fillers, cosmetic surgery and dentistry
• Five star plus health spas
• Exclusive Clinics
• Cosmeceuticals
• Nutraceuticals/smart nutrition/nanotechnology
• Diet
• Exercise
• Lifestyle
• Gadgets
• The latest news on the science of life extension such as cryonics – developments in freezing technology to extend life
• Celebrity interviews
• Pet health

ELIXIR is aimed at the vast global audience interested in this subject. The launch cover price will be UK £3 (US$6, Euro5) with a discount for annual subscribers of UK£30 (US$57 Euro45). As well as online purchase it will be on sale at newsagents including independentsand be available in five star hotels, spas and gyms, airport business lounges, on private charter jets and Eurostar.

Editor and publisher, Avril O’Connor said: “We are launching Elixir at a very exciting time with developments like stem cells offering so many possibilities for those suffering from debilitating illnesses. So we will have lots of wonderful and inspiring stories for our readers. Our mission at Elixir is to bring this information in an exciting format along with the latest information in anti-ageing and rejuvenation. We want our readers to know about the latest anti-ageing treatments and therapies before their own doctors.

“We are all living longer so it makes sense to take preventative measures so that we can live an active life for longer without dementia and some of the other diseases of ageing. Unfortunately there is an epidemic of lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Elixir is aiming at being inspirational by helping individuals take more responsibility for their health decisions from an informed point of view.”

The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine www.worldhealth.net
A4M is a non-profit organization with a membership of 185,000 physicians and scientists from 85 countries, the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) is an organization that is the sole medical society dedicated to the advancement of therapeutics related to the science of longevity medicine.

Mission:
The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, Inc. (“A4M”) is a not-for-profit medical society dedicated to the advancement of technology to detect, prevent, and treat aging related disease and to promote research into methods to retard and optimize the human aging process. A4M is also dedicated to educating physicians, scientists, and members of the public on anti-aging issues. A4M believes that the disabilities associated with normal aging are caused by physiological dysfunction which in many cases are ameliorable to medical treatment, such that the human life span can be increased, and the quality of one’s life improved as one grows chronologically older.

A4M seeks to disseminate information concerning innovative science and research as well as treatment modalities designed to prolong the human life span. Anti-aging medicine is based on the scientific principles of responsible medical care consistent with those of other healthcare specialties. Although A4M seeks to disseminate information on many types of medical treatments, it does not promote or endorse any specific treatment nor does it sell or endorse any commercial product.

Objectives:
Make available life-extending information about the multiple benefits of anti-aging therapeutics to practicing physicians.
Assist in developing therapeutic protocols and innovative diagnostic tools to aid physicians in the implementation of effective longevity treatment.
Act as an information center for valid and effective anti-aging medical protocols.
Assist in obtaining and disseminating funding for scientifically sound and innovative research in anti-aging medicine.
Assist in the funding and promotion of critical anti-aging, clinically based research.
Government outreach, education, and advocacy for anti-aging medicine.

Dr. Robert Goldman MD PhD FAASP DO FAOASM
Chairman, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine; Founding President, National Academy of Sports Medicine, USA

Dr. Robert M. Goldman has spearheaded the development of numerous international medical organizations and corporations. Dr. Goldman has served as a Senior Fellow at the Lincoln Filene Center, Tufts University, and as an Affiliate at the Philosophy of Education Research Center, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University. Dr. Goldman is Professor; Graduate School of Medicine, Swinburne University, Australia, and Clinical Consultant, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea Medical University. He is also Professor, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Central America Health Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Goldman is a Fellow of the American Academy of Sports Physicians and a Board Diplomat in Sports Medicine and Board Certified in Anti-Aging Medicine.

Dr. Goldman received his Bachelor of Science Degree (B.S.) from Brooklyn College in New York, then conducted three years of independent research in steroid biochemistry and attended the State University of New York. He received the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) Degree from the Central America Health Sciences University, School of Medicine in Belize, a government-sanctioned, Ministry of Health-approved, and World Health Organization-listed medical university. He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery (D.O.) degree from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at MidWestern University. His Ph.D. work was in the field of androgenic anabolic steroid biochemistry.

He co-founded and serves as Chairman of the Board of Life Science Holdings, a biomedical research company with over 150 medical patents under development in the areas of brain resuscitation, trauma and emergency medicine, organ transplant and blood preservation technologies. He has overseen cooperative research agreement development programs in conjunction with such prominent institutions as the American National Red Cross, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, and the FDA’s Center for Devices & Radiological Health.

Dr. Goldman is the recipient of the ‘Gold Medal for Science (1993), the Grand Prize for Medicine (1994), the Humanitarian Award (1995), and the Business Development Award (1996).

During the late l990s, Dr. Goldman received honors from Minister of Sports and government Health officials of numerous nations. In 2001, Excellency Juan Antonio Samaranch awarded Dr. Goldman the International Olympic Committee Tribute Diploma for contributions to the development of sport & Olympism.

In addition, Dr. Goldman is a black belt in karate, Chinese weapons expert, and world champion athlete with over 20 world strength records, he has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Some of his past performance records include 13,500 consecutive situps and 321 consecutive handstand pushups.

Dr. Goldman was an All-College athlete in four sports, a three time winner of the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Physical Fitness Award, was voted Athlete of the Year, was the recipient of the Champions Award, and was inducted into the World Hall of Fame of Physical Fitness. In 1995, Dr. Goldman was awarded the Healthy American Fitness Leader Award from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Goldman is Chairman of the International Medical Commission overseeing sports medicine committees in over 176 nations. He has served as a Special Advisor to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports. He is founder and international President of the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the cofounder and Chairman of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M). Dr. Goldman visits an average of 20 countries annually to promote brain research and sports medicine programs.

Cranberry has more antioxidants than red wine

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London: Research just published in The British Journal of Nutrition reveals that drinking a glass of light cranberry juice every day boosts good cholesterol and shields the heart with its unique antioxidant power.

Scientists have found the refreshing fruit juice delivers a dual benefit to boost heart health and has similar benefits to red wine. A clinical study by researchers at Laval University in Quebec City, Canada, shows daily consumption of light cranberry juice increases the amount of “good” cholesterol in the body by 8% as well as providing strong antioxidant protection against bad cholesterol, a major cause of heart disease.

The findings add more benefits to long standing research already associated with cranberry juice including its ability to ward off urinary tract infections and potentially cut the risk of gum disease and stomach ulcers.

This latest study indicates that cranberry juice improves circulation by increasing the level of high density lipoproteins (HDL), or good cholesterol, which carries fatty particles in the blood stream away from the heart.

Critical to the study was the product used in the research: Ocean Spray Cranberry Classic Light, a low sugar, high concentration (25%) cranberry juice drink.

Dr Charles Couillard, lead researcher of the study and a member of the Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods at Laval University said: “We found that by consuming a daily glass of light cranberry juice, the good cholesterol found in blood increased.”

He added: “An increase in HDL cholesterol is a sign that the arteries are clearing up the accumulated cholesterol,which is positive for heart health.The best way to prevent chronic disease is to adopt an active lifestyle, as well as better nutritional habits. Now drinking a glass of cranberry juice on a daily basis is certainly a good nutritional habit to adopt, but to maximise the benefits of drinking cranberry juice, you will need to get more active and also eat less fat.”

Another recent laboratory study at the William Harvey ResearchInstitute at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London found that a serving of cranberry juice each day could be as good for the heart as red wine.

Scientists tested cranberry juice drink, light cranberry juice drink (both at 25% concentrations), a California merlot and an Argentine cabernet sauvignon and found an average serving of cranberry juice drink was equivalent to a glass of red wine in their relative potential to prevent atherosclerosis – a condition that leads to thickening of the arteries and can result in a heart attack or stroke.

Reference: Favourable impact of low-calorie cranberry juice consumption on plasmaHDL-chloesterol concentration in men, British Journal of Nutrition (2006), 96, 357-364 Notes to Editors: Laval University conducted a 12 week study, looked at 30 men aged 18-70 who were slightly overweight, had an elevated LDL (bad cholesterol) level, were not taking medication and were given Ocean Spray Light Cranberry Cocktail (UK equivalent is Cranberry Classic Light) Heart disease is Britain’s biggest killer with 125,000 deaths a year. According to the British Heart Foundation nearly half of all deaths from coronary heart disease in the UK are due to raised cholesterol, which is estimated to affect seven in ten adults. There are some 270,000 heart attacks in the UK each year while around 2.1 million people have experienced angina, the chest pain that is the main symptom of coronary heart disease.