Can Type 1 Diabetes Be Reversed?

Individuals with Type 2 diabetes are fortunate in that it's possible, with diet and lifestyle changes, to actually reverse the course of the disease. Even if they're unable to reverse Type 2, it's possible for them to avoid going on insulin by losing weight, watching carbs, and getting moderate exercise.

Those with Type 1, however, can't change the reality that they'll always need to take insulin since their bodies no longer make it. Or can Type 1 diabetes ever be reversed?

Very preliminary experiments suggest that it might in fact be possible to reverse Type 1 with an inexpensive vaccine that keeps the immune system from attacking pancreatic cells, reports the Los Angeles Times. Studies in mice already had documented the effectiveness of the tuberculosis vaccine known as BCG in Type 1 diabetes. That vaccine was shown to prevent T cells from attacking the insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas. In mice that got the vaccine, the pancreas began to regenerate and to produce insulin once again, effectively "curing" the mice of their diabetes.

An immune system protein called tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is pivotal in the research. When blood levels of TNF are increased, studies show, the protein blocks other areas of the immune system that attack the body, particularly the pancreas.

Researchers report that humans who got low doses of the vaccine began to demonstrate transient increases in insulin production. At Massachusetts General Hospital, medical experts are getting ready to try higher doses of the vaccine in larger groups of people.

The research is intriguing: if the vaccine works, even those who've had Type 1 diabetes for awhile might have their pancreas function restored, reports the Los Angeles Times. That depends, of course, on whether it's possible to block the beta cell-destroying parts of the immune system. "It's fascinating research," says Spyros Mezitis, MD, Ph.D., endocrinology consultant at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "It's changing the way we think about Type 1 diabetes."

Further experiments are needed with more individuals who have Type 1 diabetes, Mezitis says. "And higher doses of BCG tuberculosis vaccine are needed to confirm these important results," he adds.

Immunology expert Eva Mezey, MD, who directs the adult stem-cell unit at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, called the study results "fascinating and very promising," according to the Los Angeles Times. She noted, though, that only a small number of patients had gotten good results, and that vaccinations would most likely need to be repeated on a regular basis.

Source:

Maugh, Thomas H. "Research shows promise in reversing Type 1 diabetes." 25 June 2011. Los Angeles Times.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/25/health/la-he-bcg-diabetes-20110625

What Color Is Your Bedroom?

If you are sensitive to your environment, the color of your curtains, your rug, your bedding and the walls that surround you can influence how you feel when you're trying to relax before falling asleep.

The psychological effects of color have not been studied extensively and the results of those studies performed have not always been consistent. But psychologists and artists alike agree that color can have a powerful impact on your emotions, and that impact may be positive or negative.

For instance, red is an intense color that some people associate with passion and eroticism, but color experts at Cornell University point out that red can also evoke uncomfortable feelings of anger and aggression. Either way, red is not what anyone would call a calming, restful color.

Violet is another passionate color, associated with fantasy and playfulness but since it's a mixed color, it may or may not be conducive to sleep. Red-violet may have too much "fire" whereas a blue-violet may have a more calming effect. Yellow may not be passionate or deep, but it is a lively, "sunshiny" color that is more likely to convey feelings of arousal and wakefulness than serenity and restfulness.

Green, because of its predominance in nature, represents life, stability, and restfulness. Most people consider green a pleasant color that evokes calm feelings. Blue is also considered a tranquil color that has a quieting effect on most people. Many people paint their bedroom walls white because it is a neutral, pure, and clean "non-color" that evokes passive feelings, if any at all.

The psychological effect of a particular color can change if the shade of that color is changed, or if that color is used with other colors that make it appear brighter or more intense. For instance, a yellow wall might appear much brighter if it is contrasted with royal blue curtains than if the curtains are an earthier shade of green. The shade and saturation of a color also affects how it is perceived.

In general, cool colors such as blue, green, blue-green, and blue-violet are considered peaceful and calming, while warm colors such as red, orange, orange-red, yellow, and yellow-orange are considered to be more festive and arousing.

However, a study on the psychological effects of color, published in a 2007 issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology, pointed out that, for some people, a particular color may provoke a sense memory from some long-ago association, or have a strong cultural or religious meaning. That can explain why your perception of a color, and how it affects you, may be very different from someone else's experience of that same hue.

Sources:
Brown University: The How and Why of Optical Illusions-Color Effects. Web. 18 May 2011
http://www.cs.brown.edu/~deus/courses/optical/Color1.htm

Elliot, AJ et al; "Color and Psychological Functioning: The Effect of Red on Performance Attainment." Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 2007 136(1):154-168. Web. 18 May 2011
http://www.psych.rochester.edu/faculty/elliot/documents/2007_ElliotMaierMollerFriedmanMeinhardt_Color.pdf

Jirousek, C. Art, Design & Visual Thinking: Color, Value and Hue-Psychological Implications of Color. Cornell University. 1995 Web. 18 May 2011
http://char.txa.cornell.edu/language/element/color/color.htm

Meola, K. "The Psychology of Color." Hohonu. University of Hawai'I at Hilo/Hawai'I Community College. 2005: 3(3). Web.  18 May 2011
http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/academics/hohonu/writing.php?id=73

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