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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Try Vitamins and Garlic to Lower Gastric Cancer Risk

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In a rural region of China where gastric cancer is common, researchers found in a two-decade study that two approaches—antibiotics and vitamin/mineral supplements—protected against it. Both methods, as well as a garlic supplement, significantly reduced death rates from the cancer. Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute researchers enrolled 3,365 residents ages 35 to 64 from 13 villages with symptoms of H. pylori, a gut bacteria linked to increased risk of ulcers and cancer. Two weeks of conventional antibiotics treatment reduced the risk of gastric cancer over a 22-year period, and twice-daily supplements of 250 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, 100 international units of vitamin E and 37.5 micrograms of selenium taken for seven years also reduced gastric cancer incidence. Garlic in the form of 400 mg aged garlic extract and one mg of steam-distilled garlic oil was given to a third group for seven years. All three treatments significantly slashed the gastric cancer fatality rate.
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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