Karin's Life Force

Five simple tips to keep your “human engine” humming along everyday!

I’ve often wondered why we seem to care more about the quality of the fuel we use to get the best performance from our cars, and less about the quality of nutritional “fuel” we eat to get the best performance from our  bodies, our “human engine”!

Most of us wouldn’t dream of pumping gas into our valuable cars with anything less than the manufacturer recommended fuel octane level.  Some pump a higher level to obtain even better engine performance.   Car handbooks warn us that we risk inflicting serious damage to the engine if we select the wrong type of fuel.  My vehicle handbook warns me that I risk losing the warranty coverage if I fail to properly maintain my vehicle according to the specified maintenance requirements.

 After I was diagnosed with cancer, I entered a world that was unfamiliar to me.  I quickly discovered cancer treatment systems were large and complex.  Many different kinds of health care facilities and institutions are involved, and the system is populated by a bewildering array of professionals.

Many times I felt that I was being processed, moved from one professional to another for tests and procedures I didn’t always understand.  So many times I had to repeat the same information about my condition over and over again.  There were moments when I couldn’t help but feel frustrated, angry, and alone.

Released: 12/15/2009 9:00 AM EST
Source: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Newswise — Inhibiting fatty acid synthesis in brain cancer cells may offer a new option to treat about 50 percent of deadly glioblastomas that are driven by amplified signaling of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), according to a first-of-its-kind study by researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Rapidly dividing cancer cells require fatty acids for the formation of new membranes. The fatty acids also provide an alternative energy source for the cancer cells, and may be important for regulating cell signaling, said Dr. Paul Mischel, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and senior author of the study, which appears in the Dec. 15 issue of the journal Science Signaling.