Need to do a project - can you help?

[Ben_S]

Hi
I need to do a project for my final year in Information systems (computing field). I would like to relate this to the medical profession.

Could you suggest some/a problems that could be investigated in other areas including Vitamins and Minerals?

Thanks in advance!

[Dok]

I just joined this forum, so perhaps my comment is too late for you to consider, but may I suggest the following:

Evaluate the relationship between vitamine B complex nutritional state to the incidence and severity of heart disease.

Several authors (see Kilmer McCully's book on Amazon.com) suggest that low vitamine B6 and B12 are better related to the occurence of heart disease than is cholesterol. A simple study wherein you obtain a diet survey (what does your typical diet consist of on a weekly basis) from hospital patients admited for treatment of heart disease may identify a vitamine B deficient diet (i.e., food stuffs that do not contain sufficient vitamine B). Such a study might allow you to discern whether there is a linear relationship between vitamine B sufficiency and heart health.

[Chococat]

Ben, hi.  I'm not very clear about the guidelines for your project, but this suggestion came to mind:

Perhaps you could investigate nutritional effects on mood / psychological disorders.

There has been some research done on the effects of Amino Acid combining to help combat schizophrenia, for example.  Also, the negative effects of sugar have been both supported and discredited amongst scientists, but anyone who works with children can tell you that sugar makes kids hyper (or extremely lethargic);
people with ADHD / ADD can suffer terribly just from a "typical" American diet.  

(NOTE:  if this area does interest you, you might want to look into the murder/insanity case now known as the 'TWINKIE DEFENSE.")

Natural mood alternators, such as Seratonin, melatonin, wild yam, St. John's Wort, etc., can all have very strong effects on people.  

At any rate, as a therapist I would like to see a more comprehensive guide to
non-prescription mood supporters available to EVERYONE.  Medications can be very helpful indeed, but I think we are out of control with prescribing meds to people who might just as well benefit from proper diet/vitamin/protein/amino (etc) support----without the negative side effects.

Hope this suggestion is helpful in some way.  Good luck on your project!

~Michelle S.
Denver, Colorado (USA)