About 400,000 Britons suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, which occurs when the body’s immune system attacks joints, causing painful swelling and damage to cartilage and bone.

Conventional medicines have only limited effectiveness in treating the disease but an herbal medicine could help ease the agony for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers. In a recent study, after taking capsules of rose-hip powder for six months, patients who had been treated with conventional drugs reported ‘significant improvement’ in their condition, better quality of life and less pain.

Using pesticides on pot-plants could more than double your risk of developing a brain tumour, according to research released in June 2007.

Householders who use fly sprays, weed-killers and other chemical treatments on their pot-plants are more than twice as likely to develop brain cancer, the findings show. Around 5,000 Britons are diagnosed each year with brain tumours. Some can be removed by surgery but others can be fatal.

Little is currently known about what causes brain tumours, but the study – one of the biggest of its kind – suggested that pesticides play a role. The findings come a week after British researchers warned that using pesticides while gardening could increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease by more than 40 per cent. In the latest study, published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine in June 2007, scientists examined more than 200 patients with brain tumours and compared them to a healthy group of people. Researchers found that that those who had used pesticides at home were more than twice as likely to have developed a tumour. They also found that all agriculture workers exposed to pesticides had an increased risk of a brain tumour, while agricultural workers exposed to the highest levels were more than twice the risk.

The researchers added that further research is needed as they could not rule out that difference in diet or exposure to chemicals in household cleaning agents had an effect on tumour development. Nor could they pinpoint which products or chemicals were damaging the brain. However, they did suggest that this was a clear warning for people to think of other methods to keep their plants free of bugs.

A handful or two of pistachio nuts a day could keep heart disease at bay, research suggests. They appear to lower cholesterol and keep arteries healthy.

Just three ounces of pistachios a day is enough to significantly lower the risk of heart disease. The nuts are thought to be rich in nutrients that reduce hardening of the arteries, one of the main causes of heart attacks and strokes. During a U.S. study, volunteers were asked to supplement a low fat diet with pistachios. Some ate 1.5 ounces of the nuts a day, while others had double that amount, either alone as a snack or incorporating them into cereal, muffins and pesto sauce. A third group did not eat any pistachios. After just a month, cholesterol levels were significantly lower among the pistachio-eaters. Those who ate the most nuts experienced the biggest decrease in cholesterol.

Pistachios are rich in an antioxidant called lutein, also found in green leafy vegetables and brightly coloured fruit. Present at higher levels in the pistachio than other nuts, lutein helps prevent cholesterol from clogging up arteries. It is best to eat unsalted rather than salted pistachios as too much salt can raise blood pressure. However, both types should have the same effect on cholesterol. Lutein is also known to keep eye’s healthy and helps to prevent age related macular degeneration.