Recent news concerning Omega 3 and prostate cancer...

Until we see the original article, here are some thoughts from James, Chestnut, DC, wellness expert:

"Recently the public media has been widely distributing a news story relating to the alleged link between high blood levels of Omega-3 and the risk of prostate cancer.  This story seems to be getting some traction and we are aware that some of you are facing questions in your clinical practices.  Our first response is to remind you that we base all of our decisions on the BODY of EVIDENCE related to any issue; not on singular studies.  So there is no need to panic.  In fact this is a great opportunity to be the health LEADER that your community needs and wants. 

Remember to ask the right questions.  Here are some that we are already asking:

1. Was this “study” designed as an interventional study to determine cause and effect; or is it merely an observational study that demonstrates correlation?  Dr. Chestnut’s favorite example of correlation is that drowning victims have often consumed ice cream prior to drowning.  Does this mean eating ice cream causes drowning, or increases the risk of drowning?  Of course not.  It merely means that people often eat ice cream at the beach.  We may find the same factors at play here, such as:
2. Were the study subjects also taking multi-vitamins? The people most likely to adhere to taking a daily fish-oil supplement are also the ones most likely to be taking a daily multi-vitamin. Unless they have been trained by you, these people will not know that almost all multi-vitamins on the market contain SYNTHETIC vitamins, which have been demonstrated to increase the risk of cancer. 
3. Does the study indicate the SOURCE of the Omega-3s?  The media says it’s “marine source” but they don’t indicate if it’s actual fish consumption or if it’s from supplements.  The reason we recommend supplementing with a product derived from small fish and tested by a third-party for purity is that our oceans are becoming increasingly polluted, and large fish such as salmon and tuna contain high levels of toxins such as mercury and PCBs – known carcinogens.
4. Ask yourself if you have ever heard of high levels of prostate cancer (or any other cancer for that matter) in populations that lived naturally and consumed very high levels of Omega-3s (such as North American Inuit or Australian Aboriginals)."

And good news for people suffering from chronic rhinosinusities...

Here's another study about low level laser therapy, this time studying the effects on chronic rhinosinusitis, with positive results lasting for an average of 5 months:

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common inflammatory disease of the nose and paranasal sinuses that has a significant impact on patients' quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of LLLT in patients with CRS. Fifteen adult patients with CRS participated in this pilot pretest-posttest clinical study...

Patients were asked to score their symptoms in accordance with a four-point scale (0-3), and a total symptom score for each patient was calculated. Percentage improvement of TSS was considered as the primary outcome measure. TSS was calculated at baseline, at 2 weeks, and at 4 weeks. The TSS was improved significantly at 2 weeks (39%) and at 4 weeks (46.34%). The therapeutic effect was sustained for a mean of 5 months. [Emphasis added.] This pilot study indicates that LLLT applied for 4 weeks improves symptoms in patients with CRS.

Physiother Theory Pract. 2013 Mar 22 (Epub ahead of print)

Who do you know... who has muscles?

A  review of the literature regarding low level laser therapy and muscle function has been published* with the following conclusion:

"The use of low level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) has recently expanded to cover areas of medicine that were not previously thought of as the usual applications such as wound healing and inflammatory orthopedic conditions. One of these novel application areas is LLLT for muscle fatigue and muscle injury. Since it is becoming agreed that mitochondria are the principal photoacceptors present inside cells, and it is known that muscle cells are exceptionally rich in mitochondria, this suggests that LLLT should be highly beneficial in muscle injuries. The ability of LLLT to stimulate stem cells and progenitor cells means that muscle satellite cells may respond well to LLLT and help muscle repair. Furthermore the ability of LLLT to reduce inflammation and lessen oxidative stress is also beneficial in cases of muscle fatigue and injury. This review covers the literature relating to LLLT and muscles in both preclinical animal experiments and human clinical studies. Athletes, people with injured muscles, and patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy may all benefit." [Emphasis added.]

*Photonics Lasers Med. 2012 Nov 1; 1(4):267-286