Daniel Ramirez died at age 8 because his mother didn't give him the insulin he needed to control his diabetes. His mother, Rebecca Ramirez was a member of the Disciple Fellowship Church in Colorado, which advocated faith healing. The 27 year old mother denied she withheld insulin from her son because of her religious beliefs. However, she had taken her son to the church to be prayed for by the Rev. Paul Schell, and then noted on her calendar: "Daniel healed."

Ramirez accepted blame for her son's death and pleaded guilty to felony child abuse, dropping her crime from a class 2 to a class 3 felony. She could receive up to 32 years, with her sentencing scheduled for June 1st. The U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that adults are free to follow any religion, but they are not free to let religious beliefs endanger their children's health.

Will Tea Prevent Blindness From PVD?

The Boston Tea Party may have set the wrong message for American drinking habits. Although the first cup of tea is thought to have been brewed some 4,800 years ago in China, a new report by two researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm found that a substance in green tea called epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG, can prevent the growth of new blood vessels in cancer cells in animals.Cancerous cells depend on the rapid growth of new blood vessels to grow. This vessel growth, called angiogenesis, is required for the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells and researchers have been searching for ways to block this vessel growth to fight cancer. The researchers said, "This finding indicates that drinking tea may be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of angiogenesis-dependent diseases, including cancer and blindness caused by diabetes."

Much of the blindness in diabetes is caused by proliferative vascular disease, an abnormal growth of new blood vessels, or angiogenisis, into the vitreous, the clear gel in the middle of the eye. This growth is triggered by a lack of oxygen and not by cancer, but the mechanism for growth has many other similarities to what happens in cancer. When the vitreous is jostled, these unsupported vessels can break and bleed into the vitreous with a sudden loss of vision.

Green tea, which is rich in vitamin C, B2, carotene, and assorted bioflavanoids, has antioxidant and other properties. It's ability to inhibit angiogenisis requires just 2 or 3 cups a day. It is not known which herbal and other teas share green tea's ability to reduce angiogenisis. Black tea, which is also known to have its own health properties, is believed to be better than most fruit and vegetables at cleansing the system.

Grape Juice Gets Good Reviews

Also on the flavanoid front, grape juice is better than aspirin, according to a new study were presented at the American College of Cardiology's Scientific Session in Atlanta. It appears that grape juice may be stronger than aspirin in reducing the tendency of the blood to form clots.

"Our study found that when our 10 subjects drank approximately two cups of purple grape juice a day for a week, platelet aggregation -- meaning the stickiness of the platelets in their blood -- was reduced significantly," said John Folts, Ph.D., director of the Coronary Thrombosis Research Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin Medical School and one author of the study. "The purple grape juice platelet inhibitory effect was stronger than a published standard for aspirin."

Whole blood platelet aggregation was measured as a response to collagen at the start and at the end of each juice drinking period. Citrus juices, like grapefruit and orange juice, had no significant effect on clotting. But drinking purple grape juice for a week inhibited the platelet aggregation response to collagen by 84 percent (plus or minus 20 percent), achieving a level of platelet aggregation reduction greater than some levels previously reported for aspirin. Eight of the 10 subjects responded to the purple grape juice.

This platelet aggregation test quantifies the blood's tendency to form clots and stick to imperfections in blood vessel walls. Increased platelet aggregation contributes to heart attacks and strokes, and low dose aspirin is recommended for many people with diabetes by their physicians to reduce the excess platelet aggregation commonly found in diabetes.

Red wine has also been shown to reduce clotting, but not everyone wants to consume alcohol and there has also been some concern about a small, associated risk for breast cancer in women. But Folts stresses that his relatively small study, funded by Welch's Grape Juice, is too premature to make public health recommendations.

Grape juice is rich in flavanoids that are known as blood thinners and antioxidants that protect blood cells from disease. Examples include carotenoids, like beta carotene, and lycopene, the antioxidant compound found in tomatoes recently linked to reduced prostate cancer. Dr. Folts found that white grape juice did not give the same results. Grape juice is typically processed with stems and seeds, which are good sources of flavanoids. Color is a good sign of flavanoid content in foods. Colored foods like apple skins, broccoli, citrus peels, red pepper, red wine and tea are all flavanoid-rich. Occasional lighter foods like soy, onions and garlic are also good sources.

One caution, however, with diabetes. Grape juice has a high glycemic index, and has to be balanced carefully with insulin and medication doses.

Aging In The Orient

Whether due to drinking green tea is unclear, but life expectancy for newborns in Singapore is now 77 years and men who are now 60 years of age can expect to live 20 more years, according to the ministry of health. Regular smoking has declined from 18 percent of the population in 1992 to 15 percent in 1998, while adults with high blood pressure rose from 22 percent to 27 percent. Prevalence of diabetes and obesity (at a very low 6%) remained unchanged.

Meanwhile, the China Health Ministry reports that life expectancy there now averages 70 years, but that only 32.7 percent of elderly men and 38.5 percent of elderly women are healthy. More than half of the disabled in China are the elderly. China has the largest elderly population in the world, with 120 million people over 60 years of age, and nine million people over 80 years of age. Those over 60 are expected to reach over 400 million by the year 2050.

Net Wellness Sets The Information Pace

An excellent online health resource is available at Net Wellness. Created jointly by The University of Cincinnati, Case Western University, and the University of Ohio, this is one of the premier health information sites in the country and definitely deserves a bookmark. It's ambitious with new features constantly added. You can get the latest information on drugs and diseases, pose your questions to "Ask an Expert," with a response within three days form one of 150 medical experts. You can also research 300 magazines and journals and 24 medical handbooks. Our ranking: 80 mg/dl (the more normal the better)!

Nerve Growth Factor Dropped

In a disappointing announcement, Genentech, Inc. says that the Phase III clinical trial of the company's recombinant human nerve growth factor for use in treating patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy did not meet its objectives. Genentech does not intend to file an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Genentech had conducted a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the drug's efficacy and safety in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The intent was to determine whether a greater proportion of drug-treated patients than placebo-treated patients had improvements in nerve function following 12 months of treatment. The study involved 84 centers around the country and 1,019 patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Provided by The Diabetes Mall, (http://www.diabetesnet.com) Books, grams scales, and more: (800) 988-4772 or [011] 1-619-497-0900  

Click Here to browse our secure, on-line store for a complete selection of diabetes books at 22%-50% off their cover price. You can also download our Diabetes Mall 2008 Catalog, email our Order Form, or call us at (800) 988-4772.

Back to Top