The Gary Null Show - 08.23.22

DR. IRVING KIRSCH ON 60 MINUTES PROVING PLACEBOS WORK AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN PHARMACEUTICAL DRUGS Qatar: Killer Heat Cripples Workers India on Fire: Dealing with the heatwave crisis   Higher vitamin C levels associated with lower mortality risk during 16-year period Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, August 20 2022 A study reported in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has uncovered an association between higher plasma vitamin C levels and a lower risk of mortality during more than 16 years of follow-up.  The study included 473 men and 475 women between the ages of 53 and 84.  Among subjects whose plasma vitamin C concentrations were among the top 25%, the adjusted risk of dying from any cause during follow-up was 25% lower than the risk experienced by subjects whose vitamin C levels were among the lowest quarter. Those whose plasma vitamin C levels were among the highest 25% had an adjusted risk of dying from cancer or stroke that was 28% lower and a risk of dying from heart disease that was 35% lower than subjects whose levels were lowest.  When subjects with low vitamin C levels (defined as 28 micromoles per liter or below) and normal levels (greater than 28 micromoles per liter) were compared, a normal level was associated with a 23% lower risk of premature mortality and a 38% lower risk of dying from heart disease, in comparison with low levels.  As a possible reason for their findings, Shao-Ming Wang and colleagues note that oxidative stress is lowered by vitamin C. Oxidative stress can promote endothelial dysfunction that underlies heart disease by increasing inflammation and lipid peroxidation and decreasing nitric oxide availability. Oxidative stress also causes DNA damage associated with cancer. Pomegranate-cocoa blend helps improve aging men’s symptoms Shetty Hospital (India), August 19 2022.  A study published  in the International Journal of Medical Science found benefits for supplementing with a combination of extracts of Punica granatum (pomegranate) fruit rind and Theobroma cocoa seed extracts in middle-aged men. Previous research that investigated the effects of a blend of extracts of pomegranate fruit rind and cocoa seed in young men resulted in increases in serum and free testosterone levels as well as muscle strength and size. The current study included 120 men between the ages of 36 to 55 years who received 200 mg or 400 mg of pomegranate-cocoa extract or a placebo for 8 weeks. All participants were assigned to a program consisting of 30 minutes of walking per day for 5 days per week.  At the end of the 7-week period, both doses of pomegranate-cocoa extracts were associated with significant improvement in aging males’ symptom scores, free and total testosterone levels, strength and perceived stress compared to the beginning of the study and to the placebo group.  The authors concluded that pomegranate-cocoa “is a well-tolerated, safe, and effective nutraceutical blend that boosts sexual function, testosterone level, and psychological and general well-being in aging males.” Placebo effect demonstrates healing power of the mind Harvard Medical School, August 13, 2022  Experts at Harvard Medical School advocate that the placebo effect be received with more positivity, rather than viewed as a deceptive or inaccurate measure designed to test health.  They conclude that the power of thought can be extremely effective in helping people heal, focusing on physiological changes that have been linked to the placebo effect.The placebo effect involves someone being given medicine that is actually typically nothing more than a sugar pill which does not contain active ingredients. Many times, patients receiving a placebo who are in need of healing a certain condition report feeling significantly better, if not altogether healed.The experts at Harvard explain that improvements may take place because of the anticipated response that a person expects when given medication. The university’s litera