Latest news with #naturalremedy
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Scientists pinpoint natural remedy that could help treat diabetes without the need for drugs - and it costs just 55p
Researchers have confirmed that a cupboard staple could be an effective natural remedy for treating diabetes without the need for insulin jabs in a promising new study. Ginger—also known as zingiber officinale—has been used for decades to treat everything from morning sickness to arthritis thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties. But now researchers say ginger supplements could help manage type two diabetes, significantly lowering blood glucose levels and reducing the risk of heart disease, kidney failure and stroke. Often referred to as the 'silent killer', diabetes is becoming a growing problem across the UK, with 3.6million people estimated to be living with type two diabetes in England alone. Type two diabetes occurs when the body does not make enough insulin, or the insulin it does make doesn't work properly. This causes an increase in blood sugar levels, which left untreated can be life-threatening. Unhealthy lifestyle factors can increase the risk of developing the condition, with rising obesity levels thought to be behind the sharp increase in cases. In the current study, US researchers reviewed five meta analyses of previous studies to examine whether ginger can effectively treat inflammation, oxidative stress—a precursor for a number of serious diseases including cancer—morning sickness and type two diabetes. Researchers found that ginger had functional benefits across all four areas, leading to significant reductions in key inflammatory markers and reduced nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. But most intriguingly, they also found ginger to have a powerful effect on glycemic control, meaning patients could better tolerate carbohydrates which are known to increase blood sugar levels. Researchers also found that ginger increases GLUT-4 protein levels in the body, helping muscles and fat cells absorb glucose from the blood to keep blood sugar levels steady. Finally, they concluded that the lowering of a long-term blood sugar marker—called HbA1c shows that ginger could have lasting effects, making it an effective natural therapy for diabetes sufferers. Notably, the typical dose of ginger used in these studies ranged from around one to three grams per day, which researchers said could have interfered with the results, making it difficult to ascertain exactly how much ginger a patient would need to manage symptoms. They are now looking to conduct more large-scale trials to define optimal dosing and the best way to incorporate the powerful active ingredient into a patient's diet. The findings come following alarming new research which found that people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes before the age of 40 have a death rate four times higher than the general UK population. People diagnosed before the age of 40 also had a higher rate of diabetes-related complications, particularly microvascular disease such as eye damage and kidney failure. And a lower age of diagnosis was also associated with persistently poorer blood sugar control. Professor Amanda Adler, co-author of the study, said: 'Over the past 30 years, the number of young adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes has increased markedly worldwide. 'Evidence to date suggests that younger-onset type 2 diabetes, characterised by earlier and longer exposure to high levels of blood glucose, may be more aggressive than later onset disease.' This might include faster deterioration in beta-cell function - the cells in the pancreas that produce and release insulin - and a greater risk of complications such as cardiovascular and kidney disease. Lead author Dr Beryl Lin said: 'Our data supports the need to proactively identify young adults with type 2 diabetes and provide high-quality care over their lifetimes. 'We urgently need clinical trials focused on young people to develop tailored treatments which prevent or delay complications, like kidney and heart disease, and crucially, reduce the risk of premature death.'
The Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Love Island star Montana Brown slammed for promoting ‘dangerous' trend by horrified fans
LOVE Island alum Montana Brown divided fans after she showed a natural remedy she used after giving birth. Montana, 29, welcomed her second child with fiancé Mark O'Connor earlier this year, showed how she used a castor oil pack on her stomach every night to help with inflammation and "excess skin postpartum." 5 5 5 The TV star posted a video to Instagram showing how she wrapped a cloth soaked in castor oil around her belly and then removed it to show her belly. "Why [do] I use a castor oil pack every night before bed?" Montana caption the post and added her reason in dot points. They included that it reportedly, aids digestion, keeps skin hydrated overnight to help with excess skin postpartum, it's cheap, supports lymphatic drainage and reduces inflammation." While castor oil packs are generally considered safe to use and castor oil has become all the rage amongst celebrities, including Kelsey Parker, some of Montana's fans slammed her in the comments. "That's a whole lot of nonsense. I know you're pretending for the video but even then, that's too much work just say something about buying a dumb e-book already..." While others raved about the castor oil packs and said they had used them in the past. "I love them too! Helped me with hormones, inflammation and skin redness!" wrote one person. Other people in the comments such as health professionals and fitness coaches pointed out there was no scientific evidence to show they worked. One person commented: "Totally fine if it works for you but as a postnatal specialist, there is little evidence to show this is effective. Research actually shows potential allergic reactions and that's why it's key to test on smaller areas of skin first. Research overall is incredibly limited. What works for one may not necessarily work for another, especially if you're implying people should use it every night." Castor oil is safe and effective, according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who has approved its use as a laxative only. Love Island's Montana reveals HUGE fall out with rival TV star The castor oil packs used by Montana are purported to work by absorbing the oil into the skin and can have systemic effects, such as laxative, labor induction, and pain reduction, per Rupa Health. Montana, who shot to fame on the third series of Love Island, opened up on her pregnancy struggles, including with her second child, a daughter named Miley. "Miley was breeched my whole pregnancy and she did not turn which meant I had a bit of a task on my hands to try and have my home birth," Montana revealed on Instagram in January. "Most importantly she's here safe and sound and we couldn't be happier." 5
CBC
14-07-2025
- Science
- CBC
Churchill researchers raise concerns about oil spill impacts in Arctic waters
A natural remedy known to counter oil spills will be 'much slower' to respond in a Canadian Arctic marine environment, which raises concerns for surrounding communities, say researchers working at a new facility in Churchill, Man.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Research project at Churchill facility raises alarm about potential impact of oil spill in Arctic waters
A natural remedy that has previously helped counter oil spills will be too slow to "do any useful work" if there's a spill in the Canadian Arctic, increasing chances of "catastrophic" harm, researchers say. Preliminary findings from the GenIce II research team, led by Eric Collins from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, suggest oil-degrading microbes respond very slowly to oil-contaminated Arctic waters. "We do see that it takes at least a few weeks or a month for the microbes to respond and actually start to break down the oil, and that's just too long in the case of a real oil spill," said Collins, who has a doctorate in biological oceanography and is a Canada Research Chair in Arctic Marine Microbial Ecosystem Services. In November, the GenIce II research team (GenIce is short for genomics and ice) began work at the $45-million observatory in Churchill, Man., to better understand and observe the potential impact of an oil spill in the Arctic marine environment. Collins said the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill served as a "wake-up call" for researchers to study the impact of "natural microbial communities" in oil-contaminated water. It is believed that during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, microbes cleaned up nearly 10 times more than humans did. The spill released more than half a billion litres of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over an 87-day period, killing thousands of marine species and contaminating the natural habitat. Collins's research team is focused on how microbes respond to oil in Arctic waters, as opposed to water in warmer regions like the Gulf of Mexico, where the Deepwater Horizon spill happened. With the shipping season in the Hudson Bay extending due to melting Arctic ice and an expected increase in shipping and marine traffic through the bay, experts say the chance of an oil spill is increasing. An oil spill near the coastline is particularly concerning to Collins because the current circulation in Hudson Bay could spread the contamination all along the coastline, endangering the ecosystem and, in turn, surrounding communities, many of which depend on the natural environment for sustenance. Collins' team is conducting research at the new Churchill Marine Observatory — without which Collins says the GenIce II project "wouldn't be possible." "There's no way we would get permission to put oil directly into the water in order to test the effects of an oil spill on the Arctic community, so the fact that we have these large tanks that we can pump water from Hudson Bay into and do the experiments in a controlled setting is really important," Collins said. The facility runs seawater through a pumphouse into two pools where the experiments occur. One pool remains uncontaminated, while oil is placed in the other pool; after the experiment is complete, the oil is removed and the water is cleaned using an on-site wastewater treatment facility, and then released back into the ocean after a third party tests its cleanliness. Feiyue Wang, who heads the Churchill Marine Observatory, says the facility's ability to perform controlled experiments in natural Arctic waters is unique. Since plans for the facility were announced in 2015, it has captured the attention of international researchers, particularly from Arctic countries, Wang said — interest he expects will lead to more collaborative research with international partners. "We're [other Arctic countries] facing similar types of challenges and opportunities," said Wang, who has a doctorate in environmental geochemistry and is a Canada Research Chair in Arctic Environmental Chemistry. "What's happening in Hudson Bay is really just a forecast of what's happening elsewhere in the Arctic." According to a government study in 2022, over the past 30 to 40 years, it has taken three to four days longer each decade for ice to cover Hudson Bay fully. Over the course of each decade, the ice cover has started to break about five days earlier in spring. The ice cover in that inland sea has required more time to develop into a fully established ice cover (an increase of three to four days per decade). Ice break-up initiation has begun earlier in the Spring/Summer, i.e. that shift is estimated at about five days per decade. Wang says Hudson Bay is on track to be "essentially ice-free" by the end of the century. "As a country, as scientists, we want to get ahead of the potential issues," Wang said. "The observatory is really geared toward studying opportunities and challenges associated with socioeconomic development in a changing environment as the Bay becomes more open." The observatory became operational nearly 10 years after plans were announced and roughly six years after it was expected to be completed. Complications with ownership of the Port of Churchill, a major flood in 2017 that impacted the railway to Churchill, COVID-19 and the passing of David Barber, a key figure in the establishment of the facility, all led to delays in construction. The original location of the observatory changed after the Port of Churchill changed ownership. With help from the federal and provincial governments, the facility was built at a new location, which did garner some criticism from the community, because it was built on traditionally significant land. "We tried everything we could, including the input from the community, to try and minimize the disturbance to the landscape," Wang said. "So that is an ongoing dialogue, an ongoing collaboration that we'll be dealing with and working with the community to make sure that their concerns are addressed." Efforts are also being made to incorporate traditional Indigenous knowledge into the research being done at the marine observatory, Wang said. "They're an integral part of what we do," Wang said. "They know the lands, they know the ice, they know the marine ecosystem, and so we always work together." The GenIce II team also worked closely with the community in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, to help monitor the environment, watch for oil spills and research the responsiveness of Arctic microbes to oil. "Inuit people in Chesterfield Inlet are particularly worried about oil spills coming from ships that are going there to the mines in Baker Lake, where they're extracting gold," Collins said. "There's a lot of ship traffic up there, and if there was an accident, then that could release a lot of oil, and they depend on the animals that live in the water for their subsistence." The GenIce II research team is planning to build on their oil spill research with their next research trip to the marine observatory for this coming winter.
CBC
13-07-2025
- Science
- CBC
Research project at Churchill facility raises alarm about potential impact of oil spill in Arctic waters
A natural remedy that has previously helped counter oil spills will be too slow to "do any useful work" if there's a spill in the Canadian Arctic, increasing chances of "catastrophic" harm, researchers say. Preliminary findings from the GenIce II research team, led by Eric Collins from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, suggest oil-degrading microbes respond very slowly to oil-contaminated Arctic waters. "We do see that it takes at least a few weeks or a month for the microbes to respond and actually start to break down the oil, and that's just too long in the case of a real oil spill," said Collins, who has a doctorate in biological oceanography and is a Canada Research Chair in Arctic Marine Microbial Ecosystem Services. In November, the GenIce II research team (GenIce is short for genomics and ice) began work at the $45-million observatory in Churchill, Man., to better understand and observe the potential impact of an oil spill in the Arctic marine environment. Collins said the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill served as a "wake-up call" for researchers to study the impact of "natural microbial communities" in oil-contaminated water. It is believed that during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, microbes cleaned up nearly 10 times more than humans did. The spill released more than half a billion litres of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over an 87-day period, killing thousands of marine species and contaminating the natural habitat. Collins's research team is focused on how microbes respond to oil in Arctic waters, as opposed to water in warmer regions like the Gulf of Mexico, where the Deepwater Horizon spill happened. With the shipping season in the Hudson Bay extending due to melting Arctic ice and an expected increase in shipping and marine traffic through the bay, experts say the chance of an oil spill is increasing. An oil spill near the coastline is particularly concerning to Collins because the current circulation in Hudson Bay could spread the contamination all along the coastline, endangering the ecosystem and, in turn, surrounding communities, many of which depend on the natural environment for sustenance. Collins' team is conducting research at the new Churchill Marine Observatory — without which Collins says the GenIce II project "wouldn't be possible." "There's no way we would get permission to put oil directly into the water in order to test the effects of an oil spill on the Arctic community, so the fact that we have these large tanks that we can pump water from Hudson Bay into and do the experiments in a controlled setting is really important," Collins said. The facility runs seawater through a pumphouse into two pools where the experiments occur. One pool remains uncontaminated, while oil is placed in the other pool; after the experiment is complete, the oil is removed and the water is cleaned using an on-site wastewater treatment facility, and then released back into the ocean after a third party tests its cleanliness. Feiyue Wang, who heads the Churchill Marine Observatory, says the facility's ability to perform controlled experiments in natural Arctic waters is unique. Since plans for the facility were announced in 2015, it has captured the attention of international researchers, particularly from Arctic countries, Wang said — interest he expects will lead to more collaborative research with international partners. "We're [other Arctic countries] facing similar types of challenges and opportunities," said Wang, who has a doctorate in environmental geochemistry and is a Canada Research Chair in Arctic Environmental Chemistry. "What's happening in Hudson Bay is really just a forecast of what's happening elsewhere in the Arctic." According to a government study in 2022, over the past 30 to 40 years, it has taken three to four days longer each decade for ice to cover Hudson Bay fully. Over the course of each decade, the ice cover has started to break about five days earlier in spring. The ice cover in that inland sea has required more time to develop into a fully established ice cover (an increase of three to four days per decade). Ice break-up initiation has begun earlier in the Spring/Summer, i.e. that shift is estimated at about five days per decade. Wang says Hudson Bay is on track to be "essentially ice-free" by the end of the century. "As a country, as scientists, we want to get ahead of the potential issues," Wang said. "The observatory is really geared toward studying opportunities and challenges associated with socioeconomic development in a changing environment as the Bay becomes more open." The observatory became operational nearly 10 years after plans were announced and roughly six years after it was expected to be completed. Complications with ownership of the Port of Churchill, a major flood in 2017 that impacted the railway to Churchill, COVID-19 and the passing of David Barber, a key figure in the establishment of the facility, all led to delays in construction. The original location of the observatory changed after the Port of Churchill changed ownership. With help from the federal and provincial governments, the facility was built at a new location, which did garner some criticism from the community, because it was built on traditionally significant land. "We tried everything we could, including the input from the community, to try and minimize the disturbance to the landscape," Wang said. "So that is an ongoing dialogue, an ongoing collaboration that we'll be dealing with and working with the community to make sure that their concerns are addressed." Efforts are also being made to incorporate traditional Indigenous knowledge into the research being done at the marine observatory, Wang said. "They're an integral part of what we do," Wang said. "They know the lands, they know the ice, they know the marine ecosystem, and so we always work together." The GenIce II team also worked closely with the community in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, to help monitor the environment, watch for oil spills and research the responsiveness of Arctic microbes to oil. "Inuit people in Chesterfield Inlet are particularly worried about oil spills coming from ships that are going there to the mines in Baker Lake, where they're extracting gold," Collins said. "There's a lot of ship traffic up there, and if there was an accident, then that could release a lot of oil, and they depend on the animals that live in the water for their subsistence."
