Upregulation of Isoflavonoids and Soluble Proteins in Edible Legumes by Light and Fungal Elicitor Treatments

Objective: In this study, our working hypothesis was that continuous light and fungal elicitation treatment of legume seedlings would lead to enhanced levels of isoflavonoids and soluble proteins. Results: Based on short-term light and dark treatments, isoflavonoid (genistein, genistin, daidzein, and daidzin) and soluble protein concentrations were significantly upregulated in the "light" environment compared to the "dark" environment for all edible legume species (kudzu vine, soybean, garbanzo bean, fava bean, mung bean, adzuki bean) that were tested. Kudzu seedlings showed the highest levels of both isoflavonoids and soluble proteins after light-elicited upregulation compared to the other legumes analyzed. All legumes showed less up-regulation of isoflavonoid synthesis when treated with Phytophtora sojae fungal elicitor. Oligosaccharide fungal elicitor caused no such upregulation. Conclusions: The findings in this study show that edible legume seedlings have enhanced levels of isoflavonoids and soluble proteins when they are grown in the light compared to the conventional practice of growing such seedlings in the dark. This will clearly result in significant improvement in their nutritive and medicinal value.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63222/1/107555303765551598.pd

Transformational Changes in Health Status: A Qualitative Exploration of Healing Moments

Background and Aims: Dramatic self-change is a familiar concept within religious experience and is recognized within psychotherapy and some fields of nursing. However, it has been given limited consideration in wider health research, including healing research. We sought to explore the phenomenon of “healing moments”. Methods: Alternative medicine practitioners attending a continuing professional development course for healers within the UK’s Holistic Health Show were shown a 10 min video clip showing two of the authors discussing healing moments. Sixty-nine (69) of the practitioners then provided “short stories” outlining their own experiences of such moments. Both the video and the short stories were analysed qualitatively using a thematic approach. We sought to evaluate holistic practitioners’ perceptions of the concept of healing moments. Results: The concept of healing moments was widely accepted by the 69 participants. An overarching theme of transformational change described personal shifts that ranged from the sudden and quasimiraculous to transient but much-needed improvements in health and wellbeing. Three subordinate themes of connectivity, quiescence and control were identified. Connectivity described intense connections, experienced through touch, empathy and love, which could provide reciprocal benefits for healers as well as clients. Quiescence captured the quiet, calm atmosphere that pervaded many healing episodes. The contrasting aspects of control encompassed healers relinquishing control to channel healing, and clients seizing control to become empowered in their own healing process. Conclusion :Healing moments are a recognized and distinct concept within healing, although they remain under-explored in the literature. Our findings suggest that such experiences are common among alternative medicine practitioners. The concepts we uncovered can inform future research

Exiting the Anthropocene : Achieving personal and planetary health in the 21st century

Planetary health provides a perspective of ecological interdependence that connects the health and vitality of individuals, communities, and Earth's natural systems. It includes the social, political, and economic ecosystems that influence both individuals and whole societies. In an era of interconnected grand challenges threatening health of all systems at all scales, planetary health provides a framework for cross-sectoral collaboration and unified systems approaches to solutions. The field of allergy is at the forefront of these efforts. Allergic conditions are a sentinel measure of environmental impact on human health in early life-illuminating how ecological changes affect immune development and predispose to a wider range of inflammatory noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This shows how adverse macroscale ecology in the Anthropocene penetrates to the molecular level of personal and microscale ecology, including the microbial systems at the foundations of all ecosystems. It provides the basis for more integrated efforts to address widespread environmental degradation and adverse effects of maladaptive urbanization, food systems, lifestyle behaviors, and socioeconomic disadvantage. Nature-based solutions and efforts to improve nature-relatedness are crucial for restoring symbiosis, balance, and mutualism in every sense, recognizing that both personal lifestyle choices and collective structural actions are needed in tandem. Ultimately, meaningful ecological approaches will depend on placing greater emphasis on psychological and cultural dimensions such as mindfulness, values, and moral wisdom to ensure a sustainable and resilient future.Peer reviewe

Complementary and alternative medicine use by visitors to rural Japanese family medicine clinics: results from the international complementary and alternative medicine survey

Abstract Background There is growing interest in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) throughout the world, however previous research done in Japan has focused primarily on CAM use in major cities. The purpose of this study was to develop and distribute a Japanese version of the International Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (I-CAM-Q) to assess the use of CAM among people who visit rural Japanese family medicine clinics. Methods Using a Japanese version of the International Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (I-CAM-Q), a cross-sectional survey was conducted in three rural family medicine clinics. All patients and those accompanying patients who met inclusion criteria were eligible to participate. Data were entered into SPSS Statistics and analyzed for use by age, gender, and location. Results Of the 519 respondents who participated in the project, 415 participants reported CAM use in the past 12 months (80.0%). When prayer is excluded, the prevalence of CAM use drops to 77.3% in the past year, or 403 respondents. The most common forms of CAM used by respondents were pain relief pads (n = 170, 32.8%), herbal medicines/supplements (n = 167, 32.2%), and massage by self or family (n = 166, 32.0%). Female respondents, individuals with higher levels of education, and those with poorer overall health status were more likely to use CAM than respondents without these characteristics. Only 22.8% of CAM therapies used were reported to physicians by survey participants. Conclusions These data indicate that CAM use in rural Japan is common. The results are consistent with previous studies that show that Japanese individuals are more interested in forms of CAM such as pain relief pads and massage, than in mind-body forms of CAM like relaxation and meditation. Due to the high utilization of certain CAM practices, and given that most CAM users do not disclose their CAM use to their doctors, we conclude that physicians in rural Japan would benefit by asking about CAM use during patient interviews, and by familiarizing themselves with the potential benefits and risks of commonly used CAM modalities.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109545/1/12906_2013_Article_1938.pd

Nature-Based Interventions for Improving Health and Wellbeing : The Purpose, the People and the Outcomes

Engagement with nature is an important part of many people's lives, and the health and wellbeing benefits of nature-based activities are becoming increasingly recognised across disciplines from city planning to medicine. Despite this, urbanisation, challenges of modern life and environmental degradation are leading to a reduction in both the quantity and the quality of nature experiences. Nature-based health interventions (NBIs) can facilitate behavioural change through a somewhat structured promotion of nature-based experiences and, in doing so, promote improved physical, mental and social health and wellbeing. We conducted a Delphi expert elicitation process with 19 experts from seven countries (all named authors on this paper) to identify the different forms that such interventions take, the potential health outcomes and the target beneficiaries. In total, 27 NBIs were identified, aiming to prevent illness, promote wellbeing and treat specific physical, mental or social health and wellbeing conditions. These interventions were broadly categorized into those that change the environment in which people live, work, learn, recreate or heal (for example, the provision of gardens in hospitals or parks in cities) and those that change behaviour (for example, engaging people through organized programmes or other activities). We also noted the range of factors (such as socioeconomic variation) that will inevitably influence the extent to which these interventions succeed. We conclude with a call for research to identify the drivers influencing the effectiveness of NBIs in enhancing health and wellbeing.Peer reviewe

Moving beyond green : Exploring the relationship of environment type and indicators of perceived environmental quality on emotional well-being following group walks

Against the backdrop of increasing interest in the relationship between Nature and health, this study examined the effect of perceived environment type and indicators of perceived environmental quality on short-term emotional well-being following outdoor group walks. Participants (n = 127) of a national group walk program completed pre- and post-walk questionnaires for each walk attended (n = 1009) within a 13-week study period. Multilevel linear modelling was used to examine the main and moderation effects. To isolate the environmental from the physical activity elements, analyses controlled for walk duration and perceived intensity. Analyses revealed that perceived restorativeness and perceived walk intensity predicted greater positive affect and happiness following an outdoor group walk. Perceived restorativeness and perceived bird biodiversity predicted post-walk negative affect. Perceived restorativeness moderated the relationship between perceived naturalness and positive affect. Results suggest that restorative quality of an environment may be an important element for enhancing well-being, and that perceived restorativeness and naturalness of an environment may interact to amplify positive affect. These findings highlight the importance of further research on the contribution of environment type and quality on well-being, and the need to control for effects of physical activity in green exercise research

Walking for well-being: are group walks in certain types of natural environments better for well-being than group walks in urban environments?

The benefits of walking in natural environments for well-being are increasingly understood. However, less well known are the impacts different types of natural environments have on psychological and emotional well-being. This cross-sectional study investigated whether group walks in specific types of natural environments were associated with greater psychological and emotional well-being compared to group walks in urban environments. Individuals who frequently attended a walking group once a week or more (n = 708) were surveyed on mental well-being (Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale), depression (Major Depressive Inventory), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and emotional well-being (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule). Compared to group walks in urban environments, group walks in farmland were significantly associated with less perceived stress and negative affect, and greater mental well-being. Group walks in green corridors were significantly associated with less perceived stress and negative affect. There were no significant differences between the effect of any environment types on depression or positive affect. Outdoor walking group programs could be endorsed through “green prescriptions” to improve psychological and emotional well-being, as well as physical activity

Caring and healing in health care: the evidence base

It is nearly 90 years since Francis Peabody gave his landmark lecture on the care of the patient (Peabody, 1927). Peabody was concerned that the science of medicine was marginalising its central role of caring, and famously concluded that ‘‘the secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient’’

Growing Resilience through Interaction with Nature: Can Group Walks in Nature Buffer the Effects of Stressful Life Events on Mental Health?

Nature-based activities have been used as therapeutic interventions for those experiencing stress and mental ill health. This study investigates whether group walks could be a nature-based intervention to foster resilience, by buffering the effects of recent stressful life events on mental health. An observational research design with propensity score-matched samples compared the mental health of individuals who did (Nature Group Walkers, n = 1081) or did not (Non-Group Walkers, n = 435) attend nature group walks. A sub-sample of Frequent Nature Group Walkers (at least once per week, n = 631) was also investigated. Data were analyzed using multiple regression with an interaction term. All analyses were controlled for age, gender, and recent physical activity. Results showed that neither nature group walking, nor doing this frequently, moderated the effects of stressful life events on mental health. Using a main effects model, the positive associations of group walks in nature were at a greater magnitude than the negative associations of stressful life events on depression, positive affect, and mental well-being, suggesting an ‘undoing’ effect of nature group walks. Group walking schemes in natural environments may be an important public health promotion intervention for mental health