European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 6, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Glutamate implicated for role ? in brain by Sandra Bla new York times 1vb he common a protein a Central Roeln tha brain that results from injuries strokes. Seizures and a. Researchers now Hope that their emerging understand Long of the effects of abnormal Lula male activity n the brain will Lead them to powerful new drugs Hal prevent bran damage when gxyg3t�&ut off by heart attack or stroke in theory treatments Coull also be developed to prevent some cases o cerebral palsy in infants deprived at oxygen at birth and even to alleviate the symptoms of epilepsy. Glutamate a form of which Many people encounter in the flavor enhancer Monos Dilim glutamate of mag is the Best known of substances that play an important Rote in initiating and Iran milling signals n he brain these substances have come under increasing scrutiny As so enlists learn More about How they Are stored in the brain How me bran uses them and How i hey can Causa things to go wrong Meie is found everywhere in the brain said or. Dennis Choi Aii assistant professor of neurology at Stanford University who is an authority on the toxic etl Ecla at glutamate. Under Normal conditions he said glutamate is bound up lightly inside cells. amounts Are allowed into the spaces Between brain Ceils at any one Lime. By when the brain is deprived of oxygen and some of the Ceils that store glutamate begin to shut Down Choi said Gnu Carnale comes pouring oozing and flooding out o cells in such High Levels he said. It kills the master. Brain cents neurons. Whether glutamate is the primary agent of cell death remains a wide open question according to or. Richard. Wurtman a at the Massachusetts Institute 61 technology " " 1 like the idea that the abnormal release of. ". Neurotransmitters Ike glutamate is inv died in eel. Death Wurtman a fled but to must cons of the ease for All he said there is convincing evidence that the dopamine i also. Released in a a Nimal. Amounts when the Bain is deprived. Nevertheless be eve that glutamate of b the leading agent Olce Lldean. is turning but to a extremely fundamental to our under standing of what keeps cells alive said or. Cart Cotman . ,. California at Irvine who recently styled a company ,. Cortex lie of investigate Fin local uses of Excita tory amino acids and other brain molecules. 1. A ". while other neurotransmitter May play an assisting Rote in the death of brain Calls deprived of oxygen cot Nian believes that abnormal Ali tamale plays the the Over us Lula male Cacciurri floods the cell trigger ing a Casio ice. Of cell. Death Cournan explained. Just five minutes of. Excess glutamate is enough to kill neurons " earlier theories of what causes brain cell death i v including la vol so kilted or swelling that somehow squeezes cell so Doalph. Have never been dec ate Cotman sald.? x j " " .ttmmi�iftup1 glutamate do riot surges that mag diet is a dangerous Ftather-tl1 a Raj i i Aii i i ii a it rally plays in lab Janca hit Page-16the stars and stripes helping hypochondriac by Daniel Goleman new York times. Hypochondriac do have something Rifle real about them but it is no the elusive diseases thai they Are convinced they suffer instead new research suggests that hypochondriac Are unusually sensitive to All kinds of bodily sensations providing constant nourishment for their irrational fears of disease. For hypochondriac almost imperceptible tingles or aches the body s Normal creaks and groans can become obsessions. What might be a minor twinge or soreness to Musl of us is a severe consuming pain to the person who amplifies sensations said or. Arthur Barsky a psychiatrist at Harvard medical school. Those Are people who amplify All arms of not All people who have this become hypochondriac according to Barsky s theory but some the hypochondriac Over react to the physical sensations seeing them As signs of serious medical disorders. They scrutinize trivial and transitory symptoms Hal others might dismiss As insignificant and react to these perceptions with apprehension and alarm Barsky said. They readily attribute what they notice to disease rather than to aging overexertion or helping hypochondriac realize they Are Over reacting to Normal sensations plays a major role in anew treatment Barsky has developed. The treatment does not seek to end hypochondriac sensitivities. Rather it helps patients live with the sensations More easily and it helps them Slop seeking medical assistance. Where none is needed. Tho approach overcomes what Hod been formidable obstacles to helping hypochondriac who As a group Are notoriously Dill cult patients. They typically follow an unhappy route from doctor to doctor and lest of test. All in Pursuit of an Ever elusive diagnosis. Convinced that they Are suffering some physical disorder they refuse does not try to convince hypochondriac that they Are not feeling ill. Their experience o the symptom is not if Ceil to to said. What can change is what they make of that As a result Barsky urges the patients to accept the inevitability of living with some degree of discomfort so they will give up their fruitless search Tor medical solutions. These people have not reconciled themselves to the fact they have to live with some kind of symptoms bar sky said. They have the fantasy there will be a discrete answer to what s. Bothering them and a real cure. The Paradox Lor them is that they can t get belter psychologically until they accept that they won t gel better medically.". One Factor that May Lead hypersensitive people to become hypochondriac some researchers believe is having had a Parent who was Overly attentive to their childhood illnesses. For instance a study started in the Early 1960s found that the More attentive a child s parents were to any symptoms the child had the More is child became preoccupied with them. When he same children were studied 16 years later those who had Learned in childhood to be. Vigilant for signs of medical problems were More Likely to be hypochondriac As adults. Health claims on food labels by Marian Burros new York times despite advice o the contrary from Many Public health experts in the United slates the food and drug administration has proposed a Rule that will permit companies to make health claims on food labels. The latest version of the Rule differs substantially from the one originally proposed in 1987 allowing health claims on Lood labels for the first time. Rewritten after it was open to Public comment the current Rule is constr cons under which health claims can be made. Like similar Federal regulations it is subject to the approval of the office of management and budget which is studying it now. But critics my the new Rule leaves loopholes thai will permit companies to make. Unsubstantiated claims. The most significant Section of the new Rule is what the Fra Calls a Model health claim which is to be used on products " \. This Model includes a crier description of the scientific basis Lor the claim the amount of the key food component in the Load a reference to a consumer health message summary that has additional information about the connection Between diet and disease and a statement directing attention to nutrition information on the package. Under the proposal manufacturers a a urged to use the Model Label statements and to confine their claims to certain health. Issues tuesday. December 6,1988 they Are also free to make up their own statements As Long As they meet the criteria set by the Fra v Bui ii a product has undesirable nutritional components the information will not appear on. The Label instead it will be contained in the health message example a High sodium High fiber soup might have a Label staling that fiber reduces the risk of cancer. But the Label will hot have to say. That the soup contains a significant amount of sodium which May contribute o hypertension. Consumers will have to refer to the consumer guide to learn about the connection Between Pilj jul Ssu in constr Plinn and hypertension. Food Labejs that include health claims will have to Tell Consumers where to obtain the summaries on nutritional information Richard Ronk the acting director of the Fra s. Center for food safety and applied nutrition said he expected the summaries to be available from the Federal government and in supermarket but Here Are those who do not think the summaries will be especially enlightening or useful. Or. Jacqueline Messite her executive Secretary of the committee Ori Public health Al the new York Academy of Medicine said you. Have to wonder How Many people would write Lor -., the Academy of Medicine has said the information about the connection Between diet and disease is so controversial it is impossible to place on a Taber the Type of information that is needed by the american people to understand the issues
