Green Tea ingredient fights affects of Alzheimer’s
I am going to look for more articles like the following that support the notion of integrative medicine. Google News had an intriguing report from the UK about a specific antioxidant in green tea helping decrease the production of a specific protein called beta-amyloid, “a protein that forms the plaques that clog the brains of Alzheimer’s victims.”
It was interesting that the article quickly sited reasons why green tea alone isn’t enough. Flavonoids prevent the benefits of controlling the production of EGCG.
Green tea contains many antioxidants, including those known as flavonoids that can protect against free radical damage to the brain. However, Dr. Tan and colleagues demonstrated that other flavonoids in green tea actually oppose naturally-occurring EGCG’s ability to prevent the harmful build-up of beta-amyloid. Thus, Dr. Tan said, drinking green tea would not likely have a beneficial effect through the same mechanism that EGCG works.
Another study published in 2000 in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease is based on the premise that the mind is not just memory; that emotion, feelings, and tactile response all contribute to the complex biochemistry of the human mind. This report articulates the bias of labels and definitions that polarize the debate of medical systems and alternative approaches.
A critical first step towards making this shift is to examine carefully the way we define this disease. This step is necessary because we tend to gather and organize knowledge according to the way we define the world around us, then act and behave according to what we think we know. Ancient astronomers who believed the sun revolved around the earth found “scientific” facts that supported this definition–creating a generally accepted, but incorrect, earth-centered theory to explain the cosmos - John Zeisel, PhD Paul Raia, PhD
The very language continues to polarize Eastern and Western approaches to medicine. Why can’t the discovery be embraced as scientific support for Eastern approaches? Why not acknowledge that the research of the particular benefits of green tea must be grounded in the popular belief that green tea does help. I started looking at discussion boards for Alzheimer’s and was not surprised to see several posts dating back to 2001 that discuss the benefits of tea — specifically green tea — in calming and helping with memory.
Anyone care to wager that Gingko is being studied as well?