Promedical Health

Google Offers a Flu Tracker Map

2009-01-13T18:45:00.001-08:00

Google has found it can monitor search data such as “flu symptoms,” “fever,” “influenza,” as a way to determine the number of flu cases occurring in the United States. They are now offering an interactive map where users can click to see the number of outbreaks in a specific area, based on the searches collected, allowing for populations to be aware of possible flu outbreaks.

While the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) tracks flu cases, their data is usually two weeks behind. Google’s flu tracker, known as Flu Trends, shows the number of flu cases in almost real time with an interactive map of the U.S. that can be accessed at anytime, through the internet. Google’s Flu Trends Map appears to be the first to use search engines as a way to track diseases and possibly opening an avenue for other opportunities. The newly released flu tracker allows a user to view trends by state and can provide alerts as flu symptoms searches elevate to certain levels. The system also allows for downloads of historical and current flu trends

Google software engineers Jeremy Ginsberg and Matt Mohebbi, explained that the company compared their data gathered from queries entered into Google searches against the data that was provided by the U.S. CDC and discovered a very close relationship between the frequency of Google’s search queries and the number of flu cases per week, as reported by the CDC. Google’s product uses a selected grouping of words devised by their engineers that are related to the flu. A few of those are thermometer, flu symptoms, muscle aches, chest congestion and several others.

The CDC relies on data that is collected from thousands of health care providers, labs, emergency rooms and other sources which slow their reporting. According to some public health care experts, Google’s data could potentially speed up the response of doctors, hospitals and public health officials against flu season, and reduce the spread of the disease and even save lives. Many people don’t realize the mass affects of the flu each year, but there are approximately 36,000 early deaths annually attributed to the flu.

Symptoms of the flu according to the CDC include: high fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, diarrhea or vomiting.

Google’s Flu tracker is currently only available for tracking the flu in the U.S., but the company hopes to expand the tracking area eventually worldwide. The company points out that Flu Trends tracking is aggregated and can’t be traced to individual searchers.

Getting vaccinated is certainly the best way to ward off the Flu, but Google’s Flu Tracker can help Americans to be aware when the Flu is affecting their area. Google hopes users will take advantage of their new product and take precautions if the disease is in their area.

Tainted Peanut Butter May Be Source of National Salmonella Outbreak

2009-01-13T18:41:00.001-08:00

Minnesota health officials have found salmonella bacteria in a 5-pound container of peanut butter at a nursing facility. It appears likely that the peanut butter, distributed by Ohio-based King Nut Companies, is the source of a flurry of salmonella infections across the state. According to state Department of Health spokesman Doug Schultz, every one of the 30 Minnesotans with recent salmonella infections had eaten peanut butter before becoming ill, and “many if not most of them have been connected to this King Nut brand.” Although the Minnesota salmonella strain matches that of the outbreak which has sickened nearly 400 people in 42 states since September, federal officials haven’t connected the peanut butter to the national outbreak. “There is insufficient information at this time to conclusively link this product to the national outbreak,” cautioned FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Kwisnek.

King Nut Companies has asked their customers to stop distributing all King Nut and Parnell’s Pride brand peanut butter with a lot code that begins with 8. The brands are supplied to food service companies that distribute the products to institutions like restaurants, delis, cafeterias, bakeries, schools, universities, hospitals and nursing homes, but not to retail stores. King Nut has also canceled all orders with the manufacturer, Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), based in Lynchburg, Virginia. In a press release, King Nut’s chief executive, Martin Kanan said, “We are very sorry this happened. We are taking immediate and voluntary action because the health and safety of those who use our products is always our highest priority.”

In a statement released on Sunday, PCA alluded that since the container was found open in a nursing facility, there was the possibility of cross-contamination. “To date, the only conclusive testing linking salmonella to PCA’s product was done on an open container of the peanut butter in a large, institutional kitchen. The history of the handling of that open container is unknown at this time.” The company’s owner and president, Stewart Parnell, says FDA agents began testing in the plant on Friday. He declined to comment further until the FDA and CDC complete their investigation. A CDC spokeswoman said on Sunday that she had no new information on the case and did not know when additional test results would be available.

So far, the CDC has confirmed 399 cases of Salmonella Typhimurium nationwide, with about one victim in five being hospitalized. California has reported the most cases with 55, followed closely by Ohio with 53. One salmonella-infected Minnesota woman in her 70’s died, but state health authorities say they are unsure whether other medical conditions caused or contributed to her death.

The latest outbreak comes almost two years after ConAgra was forced to recall its Peter Pan brand and Great Value peanut butter manufactured at a Georgia facility, which were eventually linked to at least 625 salmonella cases in 47 states.

Sleep, It May Help You Avoid a Cold

2009-01-13T18:39:00.000-08:00

Common wisdom dictates that sleep is good for you, allowing the body to rest and repair itself. But now, getting more sleep, just might help you ward off the much dreaded common cold. If you sleep more than seven hours a day, you may increase your odds of avoiding a cold by more than three times. Headaches, stuffy nose, cough, congestion, and fever—typical cold symptoms—are never fun, so try to catch a few extra zzzzzzs.

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh found that less than seven to eight hours of sleep can lead to a lower resistance to the common cold and say it is the first study to make that link. The new study, published in the January 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, was comprised of 153 healthy volunteers with the average age of 37 who were exposed to the cold virus. The volunteers were locked in a hotel for five days after being infected with the cold virus and monitored by a team of researchers. After the five days of lockup, the volunteers were tested for cold symptoms and, after 28 days, blood tests were taken to determine if any of the volunteers had developed antibodies to the virus. To determine sleep patterns, the volunteers were questioned two weeks prior to lock-up regarding their sleep patterns.

According to Dr. Sheldon Cohen Ph.D., one of the study’s lead researchers, “People who sleep less than seven hours were about three times more likely to get a cold than people who slept eight hours or more a night.” The study resulted in 88 percent of the participants being infected with the cold virus but not all of them actually were sick, with only 43 percent of the volunteers showing signs of infection along with cold symptoms. The participants averaged 7.45 hours of sleep a night and their average efficiency of sleep was 94 percent. Participants reported feeling rested around 77 percent of the time.

Those participants with a sleeping efficiency of 92 percent or less had 5.5 times greater odds of developing a cold compared to those with an efficiency of 98 percent or better according to Dr. Cohen. The volunteers who slept less than seven hours a night had 2.94 times greater chances of developing a cold compared to those who sleep eight hours or more. Prof Ron Eccles, director of the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff, said: “Sleep is restorative for the immune system. If you do not get enough sleep your immune system is going to be disturbed as well and not just for colds.”

Sleep has been linked to healthier hearts and now shown to help ward off the common cold. Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Yale University School of Medicine Prevention Research Center said, “Getting good sleep should count among the priorities of health-conscious people” and, “Time invested in sleep will almost certainly be paid back in dividends of better health—fewer colds and greater

Health Is Just a Bowl of Cherries

2009-01-04T12:42:00.001-08:00

I am sure you’ve heard the old saying, “Life is just a bowl of cherries” and Mary Engelbreit’s clever phrase, “Life is just a chair of bowlies,” reminding us that life can be simple if you let it. Having been born in Michigan, I know that Traverse City is the cherry capitol of the world and I’m sure the citizens of that town understand the importance of cherries, not just for taste but for health. As #7 on HealthNews’ Dozen: Foods for a Longer Life, cherries have a lot to offer on the table besides color.

Cherries are known for being rich in antioxidants like their fruit cousin the blueberry, and contain lycopene, vitamin A, and beta-carotene, all helpful for boosting the immune system, the prevention of bad cholesterol, reversing free radicals and protecting from certain cancers caused by free radicals, and the highly touted anti-aging effects.

Another popular antioxidant is common in our culture today: red wine. A lot of health benefits have been proven with the consumption of red wine and the potent miracle drink is often on dinner tables across the country perfectly paired with succulent dishes to enhance their flavor and your enjoyment. Chianti—Italy’s famous type of wine—is traditionally infused with herbs, honey and cherries and has culturally been thought to be the secret to a long and healthy life among Italians, Salute!

Besides their antioxidant quality, cherries are also part of a balanced diet according to the pH scale. In compliance with a certain level of acidity, the foods you eat should be evenly distributed along the acid scale. By enjoying alkaline foods, they energize you and counteract the acid being absorbed into the bloodstream so your cells can be restored. Too much acid—known as acidosis—is known by some professionals in the healthcare industry to be the main cause of most illnesses. In order to keep your metabolism, digestive and respiratory tracks healthy the acid-alkaline balance in your body needs to be kept in sync, and as one of the alkaline fruits, cherries are a great snack to have around to help you keep your balance.

Antioxidants and alkaline balances aside, cherries are the star of a new study involving sleep aids. The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas, investigated a type of cherry that has specific properties in order to help aid in an uninterrupted and restful sleep. A type of sour cherry, the Montmorency cherry is said to be named after a valley in France, but in the United States is typically found growing around Michigan and in Door County, Wisconsin. Producing a large, red fruit, the Montmorency tree has helped thousands of cherry pies and jams with their tart and sweet flavor.

The researchers at the University of Texas found that the Montmorency cherry has a significant amount of melatonin—a hormone found in the brain that regulates your body clock—which helps induce sleep. Melatonin was discovered at Yale University in 1958 and has been found since to decrease with age, leading to many elderly people having sleep troubles. According to a University in Spain, melatonin may also improve your anti-aging properties by slowing down the inflammation process. Both of these reports are good news for the cherry: not only is it naturally an antioxidant, but it may help calm your brain rhythms to help you sleep all while aging you gracefully.

I was watching a travel show the other day and saw a restaurant that deep fries everything from pizza to double-dipped cherry pie. While I wouldn’t recommend adding deep fried cherry pie to your diet in order to get a healthy dose of antioxidants, it sounds enticing enough to try once. Even though life may not always seem as simple as a bowl of cherries, your health may just rely on a handful of cherries (weather ripe and juicy or sweet and dried) as an easy way to keep yourself on track.

Myocarditis Hits An Alabama Town

2009-01-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

Myocarditis, a potentially silent killer that attacks the heart, has sent chills through an east Alabama town. In the past several months, myocarditis has changed several families’ lives, forever. Myocarditis is difficult to diagnose, because it disguises itself as many different diseases, but is an inflammation of the thick muscular layer making up the major portion of the heart. As several families in Alabama know all too well, the disease can affect children and result in death.

Over the past few months in the Opelika, Alabama area, two little girls have died suddenly of myocarditis and another little girl, not yet confirmed, has also been a victim of the silent killer. Kate Langford was a beautiful, vibrant, otherwise healthy, seven-year-old Auburn Tigers fan and the first victim of the disease in September. Though Kate had not been feeling well and was taking medication for an ear infection, it was thought she may have a virus and would be feeling better soon. After a night spent vomiting, Kate awoke the next morning with cold extremities and her mom decided to take her back to the doctor. By the time Kate arrived at the hospital she was unresponsive and the medical staff was unable to revive her. The autopsy showed that she died of myocarditis. Doctors aren’t sure what lead to her condition, but it could have been a result of the infection she was suffering from possibly working its way into her blood stream and attacking her heart muscle. From research and talking with medical staff, it seems this process can occur very quickly and is not commonly the suspect.

Within two months of Kate’s death, the Opelika area lost another young life. Kaylee Marie Allison, ten years old, also died from myocarditis on August 5th. Then Brianea Janea Thomas, seven years old, died on November 11th, also thought to have succumbed from myocarditis, but which is still under investigation. The deaths have caused major concerns in parents, school, and medical staffs, as well as the community. Everyone wants to know if there is a strain of virus spreading through the area that is attacking the children’s heart muscles. Even though first investigations show no connections between the girls, the CDC has been called in to investigate and determine if the cases were linked.

Myocarditis can exude symptoms of fatigue, breathing difficulties, and rapid heartbeats which may result in sudden death from fatal arrhythmia. Not always are its victims old enough to realize the symptoms or able to relay their symptoms to someone that does. Myocarditis can be caused from a wide range of diseases, including viral and bacterial infections, immune system disorders, and production of myocardial toxins within the body, in addition to chemical or radiation exposure. An infection can work its way through the blood stream and eventually attack the heart. Unfortunately, many times because of its symptoms being disguised as much more common diseases, myocarditis is overlooked or misdiagnosed. Early detection in most situations is the only way to ward off potential death. Tests that look at the heart could help with early detection, but are not typically conducted with the symptoms this disease may display, especially in children. With the symptoms of myocarditis, doctors usually treat the infection that has caused or leads to myocarditis, not realizing the infection has worked its way into the blood stream and attacked the heart. There are treatments that help the heart muscles and treat myocarditis, but the key to preventing death from this disease is early diagnosis which seems to be very difficult if a doctor doesn’t suspect a heart problem.

Scientist and doctors continue to research better ways to diagnose infections that may lead to myocarditis, which will hopefully help doctors take preventive measures. Myocarditis is still somewhat of a mystery. Hopefully, the CDC investigation into the deaths in Alabama may shed some light on specific causes and ways to prevent future deaths. Parents may want to talk with their children’s pediatrician about myocarditis and its signs or symptoms.

Researchers Find Key to 1918 Flu Pandemic

2009-01-04T05:59:00.001-08:00

Throughout history, influenza viruses have mutated and caused global epidemics or pandemics. The Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918-1919, which caused about 50 million deaths worldwide, has been cited as the most devastating in recorded world history. Its profound virulence, with a mortality rate of 2.5 percent compared to 0.1 percent for previous influenza epidemics, depressed the average lifespan in the U.S. by ten years. However, the impact of this pandemic was not limited to 1918-1919. All influenza A pandemics since, except human infections from avian viruses such as H5N1 and H7N7, have been caused by descendants of the 1918 virus—making the 1918 virus the “mother” of all pandemics.

More than 75 years later, many questions about the 1918 pandemic remain unanswered, including the most basic: Why was it so fatal? The flu usually causes an upper respiratory infection that affects the nose and throat, as well as systemic illness that causes fever, muscle aches,and weakness. But autopsies on victims of the 1918 pandemic revealed that many of the victims, often otherwise healthy young adults, died of severe pneumonia. The virus’ ability to invade the lungs was attributed to its high level of virulence, but the genes that conferred that ability were unknown—until now.

A research team, led by University of Wisconsin-Madison virologists Yoshihiro Kawaoka and Tokiko Watanabe, has identified three genes that gave the 1918 virus the capacity to reproduce in lung tissue. In their lab, the researchers mixed samples of the 1918 influenza strain with K173, a flu virus currently circulating among people. They focused on three genes, called PA, PB1 and PB2. When added singly, the genes acted like garden-variety flu, infecting only the upper respiratory tract. But a complex of the three genes along with a 1918 version of the nucleoprotein or NP gene, allowed the virus to efficiently colonize lung cells and make RNA polymerase, a protein necessary for the virus to reproduce. Without the protein, the virus is unable to make new virus particles and spread infection to nearby cells. This complex made the modern seasonal flu kill ferrets in much the same way as the original—making it live and reproduce deep in the lungs. The researchers used ferrets because they develop flu in ways very similar to humans.

The discovery of the complex and its role in helping the virus infect the lungs, published in the early online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could provide a way to quickly identify the potential virulence factors in new pandemic strains of influenza, Kawaoka said. The complex could also lead to a new class of antiviral drugs, which is urgently needed as vaccines are unlikely to be produced fast enough at the outset of a pandemic to blunt its spread, he added.

Most experts agree that a pandemic of influenza is almost certain to strike again, though they aren’t sure when or what strain it will be. Currently, the H5N1 avian influenza virus is a primary suspect. H5N1 is circulating among poultry in Europe, Asia and parts of Africa and has killed 247 of the 391 people infected since 2

Precautionary Antibiotics Given In ICU May Reduce Deaths

2009-01-04T05:57:00.001-08:00

Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are reserved for those patients that are most critically ill and vulnerable to organ failure and infection. While preventative antibiotic treatments may seem obvious for these patients, there have always been serious concerns of antibiotic resistance and that the antibiotics could do more harm than good in the long run. Newly released research should allay these concerns as well as save additional lives.

Dr. Anne Marie De Smet, anesthesiologist-intensivist with UMC Iltrecht, along with her team compared two different antibiotic treatments with traditional ICU care, in almost 6,000 ICU patients in the Netherlands, over a four week period. The patients evaluated were expected to be on ventilators for at least two days and/or to be cared for in ICU for at least three days. The antibiotic treatment was used to cleanse the patients' digestive tracts and nasal passages. During the Netherlands study, the treatment reduced patients’ relative rate of infections from 30 to 54 percent and no antibiotic resistances were reported.

The study published in the January 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine was conducted from 2004-2006. During the study, patients were divided into three groups. The first group was given an oral antibiotic paste four times a day: the second group was given antibiotics through a gastric tube in their intestinal tract and through intravenous drip, in addition to the oral therapy the first group was administered; and, the third group was used as the control group, receiving standard ICU care. The preventive use of antibiotics actually reduced deaths by 3.5% percent. Those patients who were administered antibiotics also benefited from shorter ICU and hospital stays. During the study, there was no sign of antibiotic-resistant bacteria developing and there was no significant difference between the two groups that received antibiotic treatment. The treatment cost was between $1 and $12 a day.

With thousands of patients admitted to ICU units around the world annually, this new study lends some great insight to saving lives and should remove previous skepticism about patients developing antibiotic resistance. Even though the study wasn’t long enough to know the long-term resistance effects and will require further research, the study reported no cases of antibiotic resistance as a result of the preventative antibiotic treatment. Dr. Anne Marie, one of the studies authors said, “I believe we should revise the antibiotic therapy for the ICU. Because the study was conducted in thirteen Dutch hospitals, the conclusions can be implemented throughout the country. We have seen that using antibiotics clearly results in reduction in the number of deaths, and ICUs should make use of this knowledge.”

Count the Kicks and Help Your Baby

2009-01-04T05:55:00.001-08:00

Pregnancy is a glowing time for most women once the period of morning sickness stops and the rosy effects of motherhood take over. January is the National Birth Defects Month and the theme dictated by the National Center for Birth Defect Prevention Network is “Getting Fit for Pregnancy.” With the new 2009 theme in mind, researchers have found a natural way at home to monitor your baby’s health while still inside the womb: by counting the kicks once the baby is active enough to be felt from the outside.

Kick counting is a system of bonding with your baby while you look out for his or her well-being within the womb. With one in every 150 pregnancies ending in stillbirth, 26,000 stillbirths every year within the second and third trimester, and about 70 mothers giving birth to stillborn babies every day, kick counting sounds better by the second. The BabyKick Alliance is working around the clock to spread stillbirth prevention by enacting the kick counting method across the country.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends counting kicks as a good method to ensure the health of your baby. Hospitals and doctor’s offices offer various screening tests during pregnancies in order to rule out any birth defects, catch specific conditions, or find any unnatural occurrences that may be taking place inside the womb. However, beyond the tests and multiple false-alarm visits to the doctor, kick counting is a physician-approved way to keep your mind and your family at ease.

Mothers have always been able to tell when their babies are doing well in utero. You can call it a woman’s intuition, but movement has always been the main indicator of general well-being. Whether it’s kicking, punching, rolling, doing somersaults, or whatever else babies do while developing in the womb, experts say the best way to monitor your baby’s activity is to record it daily.

A baby generally starts to “flutter” between 16 and 20 weeks—during the second trimester of the pregnancy—when he or she is developed enough to use its arms and legs. General movement increases in strength and number gradually while the baby is being carried and most mothers notice more movement as night when they are trying to relax or sleep. At 24 weeks—the start of the third trimester—the baby is rolling and stretching a lot and this is when counting kicks should start as recommended by your health care provider.

By tracking a baby’s kicks maternally, women are able to keep their minds at ease and reassure her and her family that chances are any paranoia about the pregnancy is just nerves. Helpful for both low and high risk pregnancies (including mothers with hypertension and diabetes), kick counting may be able to save a stillborn baby’s life. There are different ways to “count the kicks” but the average number advised by the ACOG for a perfectly healthy baby is at least ten movements over a period of two hours. Some people say that most babies will perform over ten movements in less than 30 minutes, but all babies differ and a quick versus slow movement rate doesn’t necessarily signal concern. Providers can ask that mothers contact them or make an appointment if there have not been 10 movements recorded throughout the duration of one hour. However, significant changes in the movement patterns (as long as the mother is consistently tracking the kicks at the same time every day), could be a sign of potential problems with the pregnancy and a doctor should be alerted immediately so further tests can be done and treatment can be administered if needed.

Movements are described by punches, jabs, turns, twists, kicks, rolls, stretches, kicks and swishes but do not include a baby’s hiccups. Supported by medical research, the method of kick counting is a valuable, effective, harmless, simple, and most of all harmless screening at-home technique. Mothers should record the number of movements at the same time everyday starting at 24 weeks until the end of the pregnancy at, before, or even after 36 weeks. Kick counting is also a way for a mother to bond with her unborn child by taking time out of her day to hold her stomach and rely on the healthy movements that signify an intimate communication between mother and child.

Stretch 2009 Out with Yoga

2009-01-03T14:29:00.000-08:00

A few days after purchasing my plane ticket to Hawaii for next summer, I joined a local fitness center offering a deal at only $10 a month for unlimited workout privileges. It sounded like a good idea a few weeks ago before the Christmas cookies and the many feasts took over my appetite. I doubt I am alone in my thought process because with 2009 being ushered in, top resolutions year after year seem to be losing weight, ridding stress from your life, and getting in shape.

While yoga may still be incredibly popular in American culture, I have dabbled in Pilates but have not tried enough yoga practice to inspire or motivate myself into more. With my only experience of yoga being a few years ago inside a commercialized fitness center elbow to elbow with men and women, I was unable to see the instructor who darted back and forth between the corners of the room barking out positions from her headset. Unfortunately, I have not been back to yoga but recently found a Bikram yoga place—also known as “Hot Yoga,” a sect that involves practicing stretches of yoga done in a room with the temperature at 105 degrees with 40 percent humidity—near my home and have resolved to make yoga one of my New Year’s resolutions for 2009.

Yoga has been a trend for decades but it has been practiced in ancient cultures for centuries. The philosophy behind the method is that the spirit, mind, and body are all one and cannot be treated individually. This simple principal of yoga is traditionally part of Ayurvedic Indian medicine and the same idea is mimicked in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). As yoga gets further in-depth, there are more complex ideas to think about as part of a meditation of the body mind and soul.

In terms of a New Year’s resolution, physical exertion is determined by how much energy you put out in order to get it back. Yoga isn’t considered a cardio workout like the treadmill and it’s not bulking up your muscles like free weights, but because the entire body (including the all-important muscle inside the head) is working together to focus, balance and breathe to attain a higher inner peace.

A lot of people may find this type of workout extraneous or unnecessary because they workout to build up a sweat, to release stress, or exert energy in order to slim, tone, or bulk. However, yoga acts as a medicinal strengthening power, able to help your muscles stay long and lean and cleanse your body from the inside out. A yoga routine can increase your flexibility by using multiple positions that stretch and form most of the joints in your body. Yoga also lubricates those joints and muscles helping to secure them from pain and injury, keeping the body working in harmony. As part of its healing powers, yoga is recommended for those recovering from illness or surgeries because it is possibly the only activity that stimulates and massages the glands and all of the internal organs of the body.

When used as a detoxification agent, the practice of yoga can provide better blood circulation which helps to cleanse toxins and other unwanted particles out of your body, which in turn pumps up your energy, increases your awareness and alertness, and keeps you clean from the inside out providing general health.

For those who may still be apprehensive, yoga may seem trendy now, but this specific workout trend has lasted for a reason. Exercising your mind, soul, and body in one hour or less can transform your whole lifestyle and create a new appreciation for spirituality as well as the pressures of a healthy body. Since the results of yoga have proven and continued strongly throughout many cultures, it might be the year to give it a try. If enlightenment, a great body, and a better outlook for 2009 are what you’re looking for, make room in your busy schedule for a little bit of yoga and by 2010, you may just have to find a different set of resolutions.

Make Sure Protein is on Your Menu

2009-01-02T14:14:00.001-08:00

The word ‘protein' was created by Dutch Chemist, Geradus Mulder, in 1838. It came from the Greek word ‘protos,' meaning "of prime importance."

The human body, after water, is largely made up of protein. When we eat protein rich foods, digestive juices in the stomach and intestine break the protein down into what are called amino acids. These amino acids then enter the blood stream and travel to the body's cells, where they are remade into 10,000 different proteins needed by the body.

The Function of Protein

The body uses protein for growth, and to maintain and repair bone, muscle, connective tissue, internal organs, skin and blood. Protein is the main component of our organs, muscles, and the glands of the immune system. Every living body cell contains protein; and all body fluids, except urine and bile, contain protein. Cardiac muscle is built with protein. Hormones, antibodies, and the enzymes that regulate the body's chemical reactions, are all made of protein. Protein is used to make hemoglobin, which is part of red blood cells, and carries oxygen to every part of the body. Without the right protein, cuts won't heal, and blood won't clot properly.

Protein Sources from Foods

A complete protein is made up of 22 amino acids. Our body can make 13 of these naturally; these are called the nonessential amino acids. The other nine amino acids are called the essential amino acids, because it is essential that we get them from the foods we eat. In this way protein is divided into the two categories: Nonessential and essential.

Of the essential amino acids (the ones we must get from the foods we eat), some are complete proteins and some are incomplete proteins.

Animal proteins from meat, fish, poultry, milk, eggs, and cheese are complete proteins because they contain all nine of the essential amino acids.

Plant proteins that come from grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts, are incomplete proteins because they are low, or lacking, in one or more of the nine essential amino acids.

Strict vegetarians (vegans) who do not eat meat, eggs, or dairy products, can get an adequate supply of protein from the plant foods they do eat as long as they eat a wide variety of foods, in sufficient quantity, to sustain a normal weight.

Dietary Recommendations

The average adult needs 50-65 grams of protein a day, or about seven grams of protein for every 20 pounds of body weight. A balanced diet provides most Americans with adequate protein.

Typical Sources and Average Grams of Protein

* Lean meat, poultry or fish - one four ounce serving: 25-35 grams
* Cooked beans or lentils - one cup serving: about 18 grams
* Low fat cottage cheese - one cup serving: about 28 grams
* Peanut butter - two tablespoons: about 8 grams
* Whole wheat bread - one slice: 3 to 6 grams
* Vegetables - one serving: 1 to 3 grams
* Low-fat Milk - one cup: 8 grams
* Solid Cheese - two ounces: about 16 grams

The Role Calcium Plays

When protein is eaten, acids are released into the body. These acids are neutralized with calcium. When a diet is high in protein, more calcium is needed to neutralize the additional acid. If enough calcium is not consumed, some of the calcium needed to neutralize the acids may be pulled from the bones. Following a high protein diet for an extended period of time could weaken the bones.

Fat in Protein

It is important to pay attention to the fat content in the protein you eat. A six-ounce broiled Porterhouse steak will provide about 38 grams of protein, but will also provide 44 grams of fat, and 16 of them will be saturated fat. This is almost three-quarters of the recommended daily intake for saturated fat. The same quantity of salmon will provide 34 grams of protein, with only 18 grams of fat, and only four of those will be saturated fat. A cup of cooked lentils provides 18 grams of protein, and under one gram of fat.

Soy's Role as a Protein Replacement

The American Heart Association has stated that soy protein has little direct effect on cholesterol. It has said, however, that soy foods are good for the heart and blood vessels because they usually replace less healthful choices, like red meat. Soy contains polyunsaturated fat, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and is low in saturated fat.

Some studies have suggested that concentrated supplements of soy proteins may stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells. Large studies, now underway, should offer better information regarding soy and breast cancer risk.

Protein and Weight Control

A diet that is low in saturated and trans fats, but high in protein, may decrease the amount of triglycerides in the blood, and be good for the heart.

Fat can be shed more quickly on a high-protein, low-carb diet than on a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. There are several reasons for this. First of all, protein foods empty more slowly from the stomach. This means you will feel fuller longer and possibly have to eat less often. Also, protein has a gentle, steady effect on blood sugar levels as opposed to the steep rise that comes from a meal high in carbohydrates. Finally, the body uses more energy to digest protein than it uses to digest fats or carbohydrates in our diet.

Side Effects

The typical American diet provides adequate protein. One government study, however, did estimate that as many as 50% of elderly people, living in nursing homes in the United States, suffer from protein-calorie malnutrition.

Millions of people in underdeveloped countries around the world are unable to get enough protein from their diets. This causes a form of malnutrition characterized by growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immunity, weakening of the heart and respiratory system, and eventual death.

Diets too high in meat can lead to high cholesterol and gout. These diets can also put a strain on the kidneys.

End Note

There is no reason to go overboard with protein. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are also needed to provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals to a well-balanced diet. However, choosing high-protein foods, that are low in saturated fat, can help your heart and, with care, your waistline.

Hot Tip!

Capsaicin, which is the substance that makes hot peppers so "hot," is best neutralized by casein, the main protein found in milk!

How to Gain Weight Eating Healthy Foods

2009-01-02T14:12:00.001-08:00

It may feel pretty lonely out there when everyone you know is trying to shed pounds and you are trying to put some on. However, your goals are exactly the same as those trying to lose some weight: To eat a healthy diet, and reach a normal body weight. It’s just as much of a challenge for the overweight person to lose pounds, as it is for you to gain them.

The good news is that it’s possible for all of you to sit at the same table, with the same menu, enjoy each other’s company, and reach your goals. You will be choosing a few things that they may be avoiding, but generally, eating healthy to gain weight involves eating the same variety of foods as your friends.

Whether you are underweight because of a recent illness, an eating disorder, or simply because your sense of taste declined as you grew older, the way to increase your weight is to increase the calories in your diet. To do this in a healthy way, you will not want to just add more junk foods to your diet. Junk foods don’t offer much nutritionally, and are loaded with unhealthy saturated fats and sugar.

Eating fish, nuts, and even seeds, routinely throughout the week will provide you with needed healthy fat and calories. Because red meat has a high saturated fat content, meals of this type would best be limited to one or two times a week.

Black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, dried peas, and soy beans are all good sources of protein and calories. A delightful snack is easy to make by placing beans and cheese on a tortilla; roll it up, and microwave until it’s hot, enjoy.

Powdered milk added to soups, sauces, and smoothies, is a relatively effortless way to get bonus calories and protein.

Olive oil is a healthy diet choice because this monounsaturated fat will add calories to your diet, and help keep your cardiovascular system in good shape. For healthy salad dressings and mayonnaise, choose those made with canola or safflower oil.

The carbohydrates found in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, infuse energy and nutrients into your daily diet. The USDA recommends that our daily diet include lots of grains and cereals; and that at least three servings a day are from whole gain breads, cereals, or and pastas. Whole grain carbohydrates provide calories, fiber, nutrients, and some protein in a healthy diet.

In the naturally calorie sparse vegetable group, starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn provide more calories, per serving, than the dark green vegetables; however, since dark green vegetables are important to any balanced diet, their caloric values can be easily supplemented by adding a little olive oil for flavoring, or toppings like slivered almonds, or grated cheese.

Fruits supply plentiful vitamins as well as phytochemicals which may possibly help prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Avocados are relatively high in calories, rich in monounsaturated fat, vitamin B and fiber. Bananas are also relatively high in calories, and can add an interesting taste to your morning cereal, or to a lunchtime peanut butter on whole wheat sandwich. Dried fruits can be used as healthy, high calorie snacks.

Replace sugary sodas with fruit juices to add calories, nutrients, and hydration to your diet.

Remember to take your multivitamins daily. Your healthcare provider can tell you if one of the many weight gaining supplements on the market today, is an appropriate way for you to add additional calories, protein, and carbohydrates to your daily diet.

Everyone eats desserts on occasion; a little chocolate is certainly good for the spirits. Your best choice in this category might well be something made with dark chocolate because it has anti-oxidants not found in other sweets.

One study found that people tend to eat more when eating with close friends, and also tend to eat more when eating with people who eat more. Socializing may be part of the answer; enjoy eating with your friends, especially those that really enjoy a meal; you’ll be having fun and eating your way to a healthy, normal weight.

Special Hyperthermia Machine Improves Kidney Transplant Odds

2009-01-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure to replace a diseased kidney with a healthy one, but in order to perform the transplant you need a donated kidney from either from a deceased or living donor. Currently, in the United States alone, there are over 78,000 people waiting for a kidney. Once a kidney is located and removed, the organ is traditionally placed on ice and immersed in a solution that can preserve the kidney for 24-48 hours until the transplant takes place, a method referred to as “static cold storage.” However, European researchers have found that using a fluid-circulating machine instead of cold storage to preserve and transport kidneys substantially raised the chances of a successful transplant.

The study, led by Dr. Rutgers Pole of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, compared results of 336 transplants in which hyperthermia machine perfusion was used to the same number using the cold storage method. Where delayed function of the transplanted kidney that required dialysis was seen in more than 25 percent of the cold storage cases, only 20.8 percent of the machine-preserved kidneys failed. That, after adjusting for a host of factors, translates into a 43 percent reduction in initial failure. Lower serum keratinize levels, a marker of better kidney function, was also more common in the machine-preserved organs. Additionally, the one-year success rate for machine-preserved organs was higher, 94 percent compared to 90 percent for the cold storage group. “This is a truly important finding for the thousands of people on transplant waiting lists around the world. The ongoing challenges we face today are a global shortage of organs for transplantation and that a growing number of the organs available for transplantation are often from older donors or from people with more complex medical conditions,” Pole said. “Evidence tells us that these kidneys may not work as well immediately post transplantation and as a result may not last as long. This trial shows us that, regardless of the type of donor, by using machine preservation we can ensure that there will be more kidneys available for transplantation and that they will be in better health.”

Called LifePort transporters, the perfusion machines keep preservative solution circulating through the organ at a close to freezing temperature. Since their approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2003, the transporters have been used for more than 12,000 kidney transplants worldwide, according the manufacturer, Organ Recovery Systems, a division of privately held Lifeline Scientific Inc. in Chicago. Most have been in the United States, where the large transplant centers used them. They are seldom used in Europe.

Though the new study was viewed favorably by most American transplant experts, others felt it still left unanswered questions. “This is clearly the best paper around,” said Dr. Jonathan Bromberg, chairman of the Mount Sinai Medical Center Transplant Institute in New York. “But you really have to look at the details and analysis of subsets of patients, and also at the economics. The study was not large enough to enable a subset analysis, and there was no economic or financial analysis at all.”

The LifePort machines are costlier than placing the organ on ice in a preservative solution. Dr. John Fung, director of transplant services at the Cleveland Clinic, did his own financial analysis. “To pump a kidney costs about $1,000 to $1,500,” Fung said. “Is that added cost going to be offset by the benefits? If you look at the data, the reduced cost of dialysis and better survival at one year, they didn’t answer that question.”

Pole acknowledged that the new study did not assess costs, but said an in-depth analysis, which takes into account factors such as the extra expense of caring for a patient whose kidney has failed because it was transported by conventional cold storage, shows that machine perfusion saves money over the first year and over the long run.

“The results of the study clearly show the advantages of machine preservation over the traditional box of ice. Although machine preservation has been around for quite some decades, a large randomized clinical trial investigating its merits had never been conducted,” said lead author Dr Cyril Moers, also from the University of Groningen. “Our international study for the first time demonstrates that any deceased donor kidney will benefit from this preservation method.”

The study was published in the January 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Where Are the Nation's Best Children’s Hospital

2009-01-01T10:56:00.001-08:00

Just the thought of their child in a hospital can cause parental nightmares. No one wants to have their child in the hospital for any reason, and particularly if they are facing a long life-threatening illness or recuperating from serious injury. If a child must be hospitalized parents would like to know the best place for treatment for their child and Parents magazine can tell you where they are.

Parents magazine just released the biennial rating of children’s hospitals in the United States. The last survey was published by Child magazine in 2007. Meredith Corp. owned both publications and when Child ceased operations early in 2008, Parents magazine took over the rankings.

The purpose of the survey is to give parents the information they need concerning decisions about their child’s health, particularly when a child is facing a serious illness. Dana Points, editor-in-chief of Parents, said in a press release, “We created this guide with the hope of making the difficult process of choosing the right hospital a little easier.”

Hospitals were ranked according to a survey of 250 questions which asked about such things as survival rates for childhood cancer, pediatric heart disease, and other critical conditions. They were also rated on performance of certain complex procedures, safeguards against medical errors, ratio of staff to patients, emergency department response times, community outreach, and meeting the emotional needs of sick children and their families. Additionally Parents ranked hospitals in pediatric specialty areas.

Parents reviewed the surveys returned and scored the hospitals from the information furnished. There was a possible outcome of 1500 points, and the scores for the individual hospitals ranged from 563 to 1344. The top 10 hospitals had scores from 1106 to 1344. The top 10 hospitals were outstanding for treating all common conditions and some unfamiliar to the average person. Parents compiled a lot of information on breakthrough procedures and for keeping kids healthy.

The hospitals in order of ranking are:

1. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
2. Children’s Hospital, Boston
3. Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
4. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
5. St. Louis Children’s Hospital
6. Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
7. Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston
8. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
9. Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, Cleveland
10. The Children’s Hospital, Denver

Just the Facts: Your Knees and Arthritis

2009-01-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

The knees are the largest joint in the body; a joint which provides movement by a complex connection of bone, tendons, muscle, ligaments, and cartilage (the joint’s shock absorber that covers the ends of the bones). The knees give us the flexibility to walk, bend, squat, and turn without pain. Pressure is applied to the knee joint when we run or jump. Being overweight causes excess pressure to all joints. As we age or incur injury, cartilage is damaged or wears out, irritating the joint and bone ends, which causes pain and inflammation.

Arthritis is the biggest cause of pain and damage to the knee. Symptoms can include but are not limited to: Swelling or inflammation of the joint. Pain may be more severe during different times of the day.Certain tasks or jobs can irritate the joint. (Walking, standing, bending, even sitting still for long periods).Joints can be stiff and painful when used and moved.The pain can last for a long time or be intermittent.
There are 125 different types of arthritis ranging from mild to severe. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, effecting one in eight people—three times more women than men have this disease. Although there is no known cure, there are treatments that may reduce the pain associated with the condition and improve mobility also. It is important to talk with your doctor about any exercise you may be considering and alternative medicines or food supplements and nutrition, you may want to try to treat arthritis.

Only your doctor can say for sure if you have arthritis and prescribe treatment that works for you. Your doctor may want to watch you walk, stand, and rise from a sitting position. After an exam and other tests, he/she will offer options to alleviate pain and manage the condition.

Your doctor may offer knee replacement surgery to correct a painful knee problem. Over two-thirds of the 400,000 replacements done each year are performed on women and this procedure is predicted to increase over 600 percent as Baby Boomers age. As has been the case in years past, men and women’s anatomy have been lumped into a generic pool of one size fits all but great improvements have been made in the last few years to correct the difference in size by making implants that are less generic in size and will fit women’s anatomy better, which saves time in recovery and better use of the joint after surgery.

HealthNews Dozen: Top 12 Fitness Trends for the New Year

2008-12-31T18:08:00.000-08:00

Health and fitness are part of any plan for life improvement. And there is no better time to dedicate oneself to a healthier lifestyle than upon the start of a new year. It is typically the number one resolution of people in America: to get healthy, which may include a more appropriate diet, more daily exercise, and/or a gym routine.

But New Year’s resolutions may last only a few weeks. That is why health professionals take many more factors into considerations when predicting the actual trends for the new year. Not only do they look at the past and current years and the course of health and fitness throughout, but they are familiar enough with where the industry is going as 2008 comes to an end to predict what 2009 may hold.

For the third year running, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has conducted its annual survey of 1,540 certified health and fitness professionals across six continents to predict what the industry may seen in the coming year. The survey provided 35 choices of possible trends to choose from, and the most popular were ranked and published in the November/December issue of ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal. The report was authored by the survey’s lead author, Walter Thompson, PhD, FACSM, FAACVPR, and Regent’s Professor at Georgia State University.

For the second straight year, it was voted that the health and fitness industry will see more educated and experienced fitness professionals. As the field becomes more competitive and the public grows more concerned over the credentials of those who hold their health in their hands, not to mention stricter regulations being put into place, more professionals are working toward certification and accreditation. Not only should that be more comforting to those seeking health and fitness guidance, but it heightens the level of education among those who want to train and teach.

Also for the second year in a row, obesity rates with regard to children came in as the runner-up, signifying a growing concern among professionals the general public alike that youngsters are not eating properly and getting enough exercise. Over the past decade, children have become more sedentary, as video games, computers, cell phones, and the like involve little to no physical activity. By stressing fitness in schools and encouraging children to play outdoor games, become involved in sports, and even exercise in formal classes or at a gym, it might reverse the trend of the next generation as more obese than any in history.

Personal training ranked third, again for a second year, which shows that people seem to be taking fitness more seriously than ever. Instead of people relying on self-discipline or self-education about health issues, hiring someone to motivate, teach, and encourage exercise and positive eating habits is becoming more common.

Other items that made it into the top twenty were, in order from 13th to 20th, were wellness coaching for health-related behavioral changes, worker incentive programs, outcome measurements to monitor progress, spinning or indoor cycling, physician referrals to health and fitness facilities, exercise for weight loss, group personal training, and reaching new markets, such as people who have never participated in the health and fitness community before.

Author Thompson noted, “When predictions become consistent, we view it as an opportunity for education and action. These developing themes will help health and fitness professionals give the best possible service to the public, and also help the public understand the quality of service they should be receiving as clients.”

While the reported trends should not have a tremendous effect on one’s personal goals for 2009, they do show which way the industry is going and what be more readily available--like personal training--than in the past. Whatever one’s New Year’s resolutions may be, if health and fitness are on the list in some fashion, that desire to make it happen is all anyone in the industry can ask for.

Parental Rejection of Gay Teens May Cause Risky Behavior

2008-12-31T18:07:00.001-08:00

At some point in our lives, we all know what it is like to be on the outside looking in, but for some people that feeling can linger on and burgeon into bigger problems. In particular, gay young adults whose families rejected them when they were younger are far more likely to have histories of illegal drug use, unprotected sex, and suicide attempts.

In recent decades, some studies have found that bisexual, lesbian, and gay children are much more likely to suffer from a variety of problems which include suicide and depression. Researchers attribute these type problems to social stigma around homosexuality, but there has been a gap in regarding the role of the reaction of these children’s families about their sexuality.

In the most recent study, researchers first talked to 49 Latino and Caucasian families in California to determine how they reacted to children who weren’t heterosexual, so they would know what to watch for when they started the main research. After the researcher’s initial interviews, they surveyed approximately 224 lesbian, bisexual, and gay adults, ages 21 to 25, in the greater San Francisco areal. All of the participants surveyed were Latino or Caucasian, and the researchers located them by contacting groups in the community and visiting clubs, bars, and other popular nightspots. These interviews took place between the years 2002 and 2005.

More than two-thirds of the people who had been rejected by their families said that they had tried to commit suicide, compared with about 20 percent of those who reported the lowest rates of rejection from their families. Approximately 46 percent of the people in the most rejected group stated that they had unprotected sex with a casual partner within the last 6 months, which is nearly twice the rate of those in the least-rejected group. Also, those in the most-rejected group had higher rates of illegal drug use, depression, and substance abuse problems. However, the people that are in this group had somewhat lower rates of drinking heavily.

However, these findings do not prove that a family’s negative reaction to their child’s sexuality will directly cause these problems later in life. Caitlin Ryan, who is a clinical social worker at San Francisco State University and the lead author of a study released in the January issue of Pediatrics, stated that it is very clear that, “there’s a connection between how families treat gay and lesbian children and their mental and physical health.”

In terms of rejection, there were many cases where caregivers and families thought they were doing what would help their children have a better life, fit in, belong, and be accepted by their peers. They would try and change their gender identity, forbid them from spending time with any friends that were gay, and not let them have any access to information about what it is like to be a lesbian, bisexual, or gay individual.

In some of these cases, the parents would not stand up for their children when they would have problems in school. Ryan said, “Their parents would say, ‘Of course that’s going to happen to you.’ They’ll blame the victim.”

Ryan stated that the findings suggest that health care providers should look for signs of trouble by talking with teens about their sexual orientation. As for their families, they should emphasize to their children that they will always love them even if they disagree with their choices. In cases of the children being rejected, Ryan said, “Most of these families feel that being gay is wrong or sinful or the worst thing that could happen. What often doesn’t get communicated is that they still love their child.”

Stephen T. Russell, who is the director of the Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth, and Families at the University of Arizona, said that this study confirms his suspicions about the harm that is caused when gay children get rejected from their families. He also said that is very important to have research that documents all of the risks, which means adding guidance to the study that pinpoints the specific harmful things that families do.

Russell echoed Ryan by saying that families often have their children’s best interest in mind even as they lay the groundwork for tremendous harm. Most families choose to do these harmful things because they think it is the right thing to do. They think that it is protecting their children and making things better for them as they grow up.

Teens Can Benefit from Gastric Bypass Surgery

2008-12-31T18:06:00.001-08:00

While obesity is rife in all segments of the U.S. population, perhaps the most worrisome trend is among children and teens. Today, more than twice as many children aged 6 to 11 and over three times as many adolescents aged 12 to 19 are obese as in 1980. Being obese during childhood and adolescence increases the risk for health problems associated with cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol and hypertension, during youth and as adults. Another disease of particular concern is type 2 diabetes, which has increased dramatically in children and adolescents. In a recent study, type 2 diabetes was either slowed or stopped for adult patients who had gastric bypass surgery, a procedure used to limit the size of the stomach and thereby reduce the amount of food a person can eat. Not surprisingly, that same procedure has been found to have the same outcome in diabetic adolescents.

For their study, Dr. Thomas Inge, a pediatric surgeon at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and his colleagues looked at 78 teens with type 2 diabetes. Eleven patients aged 14 to 21, all extremely obese, ranging from 250 to 403 pounds, opted for gastric bypass surgery. The researchers used the Roux-en-Y method, which involves placing an adjustable band to block off most of the stomach, limiting how much food the body absorbs. The other 67 continued to receive their usual care for diabetes.

After one year, the teens that didn’t have surgery saw an average weight loss of less than 2 pounds and continued to require their diabetes medication. However, the teens who had surgery had lost between 72 and 218 pounds, though none had achieved a normal weight, and all but one saw their diabetes disappear. The 11th surgery patient still had diabetes, but stopped taking diabetes pills and needed much less insulin. In addition, the patients undergoing surgery also showed a 41 percent decrease in blood sugar and an 81 percent decrease in insulin concentrations. Significant improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both major risk factors for heart disease, were also found.

“Previous studies have shown frequent remission of type 2 diabetes in adults following bariatric surgery, but until now, no research had been done to provide information about outcomes of adolescent diabetics who are considering surgical weight loss,” said Dr. Inge. “Our study found that, in most cases, teens can lose one-third of their weight and come off diabetes medications with remission of their diabetes one year after bypass surgery. This is certainly not the case for similar diabetic teenage patients who did not undergo surgery.”

The impact type 2 diabetes has on the body is well known. Having the disease increases the risk for serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, nerve damage, gum disease and eye problems that can lead to blindness. But these findings “suggest that diabetes may not be a diagnosis kids have to live with for the rest of their lives,” Dr. Inge said. “If you are a type 2 diabetic and morbidly obese, gastric bypass surgery should be considered in the treatment pathway.”

According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, an estimated 205,000 bariatric surgeries were performed in the United States in 2007, an increase of 20 percent from two years earlier. Not only does it help shed pounds, but recent research has shown it can help obese people live longer. One study, led by Ted Adams of the University of Utah School of Medicine, tracked nearly 16,000 obese people, half of whom had gastric bypass surgery and were then compared to other half who served as a control group. After an average of seven years, the death rate was 40 percent lower for those who had undergone the surgery compared with those who didn’t. But even more astonishing was the finding that diabetes-related deaths were 92 percent lower in the surgery group, cancer-related deaths 60 percent lower and heart-related deaths were 56 percent lower compared to the non-surgery group. Another study, led by a Swedish team, involved more than 6,000 obese patients, which found those having bariatric surgery were 29 percent less likely to die than those who did not undergo surgery.

But despite the life-extending benefits bariatric surgery may provide, experts like Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, argue that bariatric surgery does not deal with the cause of the obesity epidemic among teens. “A large and growing proportion of all children and adolescents are subject to obesity, and its complications,” Katz said. “Surgery can mitigate those complications, but can we really condone ushering more and more young people through the OR doors for a major surgical procedure to fix what policies and programs that foster healthful eating and regular activity could have prevented in the first place?” Katz says it should be a last resort and that “we should do all we can to minimize the need for this procedure by combating the root causes of obesity in our society.”

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Basics

2008-12-30T11:42:00.000-08:00

There is a debilitating illness that preys on multiple systems in the body that had doctors scratching their heads and patients hoping for a miracle: Chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). Having many names just adds to the complexity of a chronic illness that cannot yet be explained but is being widely researched and deeply investigated.

First known in the United Kingdom as ME, the disorder is more commonly known in the United States under the name CFS. As of September of 2008, the University of Nevada was teaming up with researchers all over the world from London to Belgium, and from professional agencies including the National Institute of Health, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Institute of Aging to study many samples of the disease in order to find a cause for CFS.

Judy Mikovits, director of research at the University of Nevada says that her team is close to developing a blood test for diagnosing chronic fatigue syndrome and that they should have it within a year. By sharing their samples with the world, Mikovits says they are able to narrow down their results, “We send the exact same sample around the world so everybody's looking at the same thing at the same time with the same snapshot and that's what's so important because everybody gets the same answer.”

Statistics of CFS show that it occurs in about 4 of every 1,000 people in the United States, often diagnosed in women more than men and in adults in their 40s and 50s. Many CFS occurrences start with an illness resembling the flu and often in winter, which add to the confusion that most people think they have seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or a cold brought on by crummy weather. With the majority of CFS cases occurring suddenly and the rest occurring after several months of stress, the illness is hard to diagnose because of its varied symptoms and inconclusive test results because many of the symptoms are diverse and can occur with many other conditions.

Varied symptoms include a lot of muscle and joint pain, chronic exhaustion (both mental and physical), hypersensitivity, depression often due to months of unresolved stress, poor immunity, and possible cardiac and respiratory problems. The most important symptom seems to be unexplainable fatigue lasting at least six months without being caused by exertion. Along with the major factor of fatigue, a lot more symptoms are needed for a diagnosis. Professionals usually can determine CFS with four or more of these symptoms: sleep that doesn’t refresh you, muscle pain, memory or concentration impairment, multiple joint pain, general physical and mental sickness all day everyday, many headaches or severe headaches, tender lymph nodes, and a persistent sore throat.

Many people who end up with CFS/ME are also afflicted by fibromyalgia, a similar disorder but less severe because it is not associated with any other fatal diseases. People living with CFS/ME have also been known to get cardiomyopathy which affects the blood vessels, shingles, and/or cancer.

With over one million Americans living with CFS and thousands more undiagnosed, chronic fatigue syndrome has been linked with a controversy that claims because the name isn’t as serious as the condition behind it, many people tend to write it off as a specifically mental illness. In fact, a woman who has been suffering from ME/CFS for over 25 years told HealthNews of a study in which between 80 and 90 percent of undiagnosed CFS/ME patients are dismissed as neurotics or hypochondriacs and not taken seriously in the medical world. If it is true that chronic fatigue syndrome strikes more people in the United States than lupus, multiple sclerosis, or lung and ovarian cancers, we shouldn’t be asking what it is but why we don’t know more about it.

The Power of Peppermint

2008-12-30T11:33:00.000-08:00

At the mention of peppermint, candy canes and ice cream comes to mind. But did you know that peppermint is also an age-old herbal medicine that has been used to treat a wide range of abdominal woes? The oil extracted from the peppermint plant contains a host of compounds, but the most abundant and perhaps the most pharmacologically important is menthol. Studies have shown peppermint oil to be fairly effective at relieving irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a collection of symptoms that includes abdominal pain and cramping, bloating, constipation and diarrhea that affects 5 to 20 percent of the population. One explanation is that the oil—especially the menthol—blocks calcium channels, which has the effect of relaxing the “smooth” muscles in the walls of the intestines. Recently, Alex Ford, a McMaster University researcher, concluded that instead of popular over-the counter drugs, peppermint oil should be the first line of defense against IBS.

Peppermint can temporarily allay itching caused by insect bites, eczema and other lesions, including the rash of poison ivy. Peppermint tea can be used as a mouthwash for babies with thrush (yeast in the mouth) or for reducing nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, especially for women who want to avoid stronger medications.

Peppermint’s essential oil—menthol—is also an ingredient in many conventional over-the-counter products, including toothpaste, mouthwash, chewing gum, breath mints, chewing tobacco substitutes, cough lozenges and various muscle pain ointments. Menthol stimulates the nerves that sense cold, creating that familiar cooling sensation, and inhibits those that react to painful stimuli, temporarily relieving the pain of muscles and organs that are cramped and in spasm. Your mouth also has some of these nerves, which is why products containing menthol "taste" cool. And, even though the effect doesn’t last long, sometimes even a brief reprieve from a hacking cough or aching muscle can work wonders.

Menthol has also been shown helpful in subduing many disease-producing bacteria, fungi and viruses, but because stronger antimicrobials are available, is usually not the first choice in treating serious infections. “Most of the (effective) species are really from the family Lamiaceae, or mint family,” Pavel Kloucek, a scientist at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, told Discovery News. Kloucek and his team have recently identified two other mint family members—Mentha villosa and Faassen’s catnip—along with another non-mint herb, bluebeard, as also have bacteria-busting abilities. Moreover, essential oils for horseradish, garlic, hyssop, basil, marjoram, oregano, winter savory and three types of thyme also showed potent antimicrobial activity.

The researchers made the discovery while testing the essential oils to determine how well they could, in vapor form, kill the bacteria responsible for Listeria, Staph, E. coli, Salmonella infections, and more. They are hopeful that peppermint oil and others may soon be wafted in vapor form over food to inhibit bacterial growth. Plant essential oils are lipophilic, meaning that they gravitate towards fat, Kloucek explained. “And luckily, in the cell membrane of bacteria, there is plenty of fat, which serves as a seal. Essential oils are attracted to this fat and, as their molecules squeeze in between the fat molecules, they cause leakage of the membrane.” This leakage causes a meltdown that can eventually kill the bacteria.

The obvious problem to overcome in treating foods with essential oils to prevent illness is the oils’ potent taste. While strong mint flavor is desirable in a candy cane, it might not work well with other foods. According to Kloucek and his team, the solution is to carefully match the oil with the food. “To overcome unwanted flavors, an essential oil with the best scent best fitting to the taste of the treated product in the lowest possible concentration should be used,” he said. “You will probably not use garlic essential oil to treat grapes, but for some semi-finished meat products it can be suitable.” Kloucek’s findings have been accepted for publication in the journal Food Control.

Monique Lacroix, a professor at the INRS-Institute Armand-Frappier in Quebec, told Discovery News that she agrees “essential oils have a powerful antimicrobial property.” She particularly liked Kloucek’s study because it addressed the volatile nature of the oils by studying them in their vapor phase, as opposed to direct application.

Some researchers now advise consumers to eat a tablespoon or more of fresh peppermint, and other green herbs daily. A fun way to enjoy peppermint, aside from eating that leftover Christmas candy cane, is by placing peppermint leaves in an ice tray, and then filling the tray with cold water, pushing down any mint leaves that stick out. Put the tray in the freezer for several hours, and then add the peppermint ice cubes to a glass of water, sparkling water, or any other beverage that you enjoy having cold.

Dental Care: Flossers and Picks

2008-12-29T00:40:00.000-08:00

Brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing daily, and regular dental checkups are key to maintaining a healthy mouth and avoiding dental problems. When you brush your teeth properly, you are removing the plaque that causes tooth decay and can lead to gum disease. Flossing daily will remove the plaque from in between teeth that the toothbrush cannot reach. But with so many dental products available, trying to choose which ones to buy can be overwhelming.

The American Dental Association recommends that you floss your teeth at least once a day. When flossing, be sure to gently insert the floss in between the teeth, without snapping which could damage the gum tissue. Gently move the floss up and down into the spaces between the gum and teeth. Floss the sides of all of your teeth, even if there isn’t a tooth next to another one.

Whether you choose regular dental floss or dental flossers, depends on your personal comfort and convenience. If you prefer regular dental floss, you can choose from waxed or unwaxed, flavored or plain, gentle, or whitening, etc. There are also fork-shaped handles which can be used to keep the floss taut when in use, making it easier for people with arthritis or special needs.

There are many different types and brands of flossers available. Choosing the one that works best for you is a matter of personal preference. The perfect choice would be a flosser with a long handle and a compact head which would make it easier to hold and easy to get to those ‘hard to reach’ areas. A favorite flosser of many is the Reach Access Daily Flosser, which fits the perfect choice description to a “T” and also has a no slip grip. Some flossers are totally disposable where others may have disposable, refillable heads. There are also electronic dental flossers.

Dental picks help dislodge food particles before you brush and help to stimulate the gums. Many disposable flossers also have a pick at the opposite end. Reviews show that a favorite in this category would be the Crest Glide Floss Pick which is a white plastic dental device fitted with Glide floss and a pick. This is a great choice for people with limited hand and/or finger dexterity such as seniors, people with disabilities and even children.

The bottom line is: only you can choose the option that suits you best. The main thing is to choose and use. Make flossing a part of your daily regimen to keep your teeth and gums healthy and your smile bright!

The Effects of Smoking on Oral Health

2008-12-29T00:39:00.001-08:00

Cigarette smoking has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, poorly controlled diabetes, respiratory disease and premature babies. In addition to all these, smoking is a major cause of tooth loss and periodontal disease.

In the first ever study estimating the proportion of periodontal disease cases which can be attributed to cigarette smoking, published in the Journal of Periodontology, researchers analyzed government health data on 13,650 people aged 18 and older who had their teeth. They found that smokers are about four times more likely than people who have never smoked, to have advanced periodontal disease.

The study also revealed a dose-response relationship between cigarettes smoked per day and the odds of periodontitis. “Smokers who smoked less than half a pack per day were almost three times more likely than nonsmokers to have periodontitis. Those who smoked more than a pack and a half per day had almost six times the risk,” explains the study’s lead researcher, Scott Tomar, D.M.D., Dr.P.H. of the Division of Oral Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Cigarette smoking may well be the major preventable risk factor for periodontal disease,” elaborated Tomar. “The good news is that quitting seems to gradually erase the harmful effects of tobacco use on periodontal health.”

Cigar and pipe smoking may have nearly the same adverse effects on periodontal health and tooth loss as cigarette smoking. A study in which researchers analyzed 705 people whose ages ranged from 21 to 92, found that 17.6 percent of current or former cigar or pipe smokers had moderate to severe periodontitis, nearly three times that of non-smokers. In addition, they averaged four missing teeth.

“Cigarette, cigar and pipe smokers all had a much higher prevalence of moderate to severe periodontitis, compared to former smokers and non-smokers,” explained Jasim Albandar, D.D.S. Ph.D., lead researcher of the study and professor of periodontology at Temple University School of Dentistry.

Cigar smokers are also at a higher risk of alveolar bone loss than non-smokers. “This increase in risk is similar in magnitude to that of cigarette smokers,” said Albandar. His teams’ study can also be found in the Journal of Periodontology.

The negative effect tobacco has on oral health doesn’t stop there. Smoking interferes with healing, making smokers more likely to lose teeth and not respond to treatment. “Tobacco reduces the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to gingival tissue,” explains Robert Genco, D.D.S. Ph.D., and editor of the Journal of Periodontology. “Smoking impairs the body’s defense mechanisms, making smokers more susceptible to an infection like periodontal disease.”

Also, according to a study by Swedish researchers, smoking impairs the outcome of surgical and non-surgical periodontal therapy. “In this study we investigated the relationship between tobacco smoking and the inflammatory response in smokers who consumed 10 to 20 cigarettes per day. What we found in tobacco smokers is that the body’s defense mechanism was weakened, whereas the defense mechanism in non-smokers promoted a more favorable healing response,” said Michael P. Rethman, D.D.S., M.S., and president of the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP).

Rethman also urges patients who want to quit smoking, to increase brushing and flossing and says, “It’s suggested that the fresh clean feeling a person feels in the mouth after brushing and flossing may curb the urge to smoke. Ironically, these simple tips also help to prevent periodontal diseases.”

Yet another very scary risk associated with smoking is oral cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, this is news that upwards of 31,000 people in the United States alone face each year. Approximately 90 percent of those diagnosed with oral cancer, including cancer of the mouth, tongue, lips, and throat, are tobacco users.

All forms of tobacco increase the risk of oral cancer. Smokers are six times more likely than non-smokers to get an oral cancer. Pipe and cigar smokers are also at risk for oral cancers, even if they don’t inhale. This risk is compounded when combined with alcohol use. And, due to the fact that men are more likely to smoke and drink heavily for longer periods of time than females, men contract oral cancer at twice the rate of women.

Some sobering statistics from the American Cancer society state that:

• About 90 percent of people with cancer of the mouth, lips, tongue, and throat, use tobacco, and the risk of developing these cancers increases with the amount smoked or chewed and the duration of the habit. Smokers are six times more likely than non-smokers to develop these cancers.
• About 37 percent of patients who persist in smoking after apparent cure of their cancer will develop second cancers of the mouth, lips, tongue, and throat compared with only six percent of those who stop smoking.

Oral cancer screening is performed as a part of dental checkups, and is one of the best ways to catch oral cancer early. The earlier oral cancer is detected, the better a person’s chances for survival.

Besides all of the above oral health downsides, smoking also causes bad breath and stained teeth.

Regardless of time spent using tobacco products, quitting now can greatly reduce serious risks to your health. Nicotine gum and patches may help you calm nicotine cravings. Some of these products can be purchased over-the-counter; others (such as Zyban) require a prescription. Smoking cessation classes and support groups are often used in conjunction with drug therapy.

Hypnosis, acupuncture, and herbal remedies are also treatments that may help you kick the habit.

A Ginkgo a Day? New Research Finds Hope for Stroke Victims

2008-12-28T15:41:00.001-08:00

Known to grow to over 134 feet tall and live up to 3,000 years, the Ginkgo biloba tree has long been a source of medicinal aid in China for centuries. The tree produces smooth leaves that resemble little fans with ridges along the top, which are both beautiful and beneficial. In the last decade or so the herbal extract of ginkgo has been popular in health food chains and home medicine cabinets to help with blood circulation, alertness, and memory improvement. A new study published recently by Stroke journal shows that ginkgo may be more useful than originally thought.

Researchers at John’s Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, used mice to record the effects of ginkgo on the brain. By making an extract from the leaves to form a supplement, the scientists were able to show that ginkgo is useful in staving off some brain damage due to the after effects of a stroke.

One group of mice was given the supplement daily for seven days while the control group stayed clean. After a stroke was induced in each mouse from both groups, the researchers tracked the results. The group that was given the ginkgo beforehand tested with positive results, having 50.9 percent less neurological damage. The supplement also helped limit the reduction of limb strength and paralysis in the mice.

John Hopkins Institutions’ Dr. Sylvain Dore, a lead researcher from the school in Baltimore, confirmed the findings, “Our results suggest that some element or elements in Ginkgo actually protect brain cells during stroke,” adding, “If further work confirms what we've seen, we could theoretically recommend a daily regimen of Ginkgo to people at high risk of stroke as a preventive measure against brain damage.”

Scientists also found that the extract neutralized the free radical activity of molecules inside the brain. Free radicals help to kill cells within the brain and can cause major damage and the fact that ginkgo is now proven to help block these is great news.

With tests still left to be conducted, Dr. Dore admits that the transistion to human brains is still far away. The research with mice has come a long way and these findings have proved to be a step in the right direction, but this is just the start of more hopeful positive results from Ginkgo in the future.

While Dr. Dore knows human trials are still far off, he and his team at Hopkins are still getting their foot in the door for human trials using this ginkgo treatment against strokes. They are experimenting with dosage amounts, the safest way to administer the supplement, and when it should be given in relation to the onset of a stroke.

The findings however, aren’t garnering all great news. Dr. Larry B. Goldstein, director of the Stroke Center at Duke University is quick to dismiss this new research as old news. "This is basically an animal model study trying to look at the central mechanism of action of ginkgo as a neuroprotective drug." said Goldstein, "We've been down this pathway a hundred times already, and none of these animal models have proven to be effective in generating FDA-worthy evidence." It makes sense that Dr. Goldstein doesn’t want to get his hopes up for this new evidence, as it seems he’s been through this with negative results many times before, but maybe when clinical trials for humans are available he will be happy to change his mind.

While no one knows what the future holds, ginkgo shouldn’t be dismissed altogether as a supplement to help with brain function, memory loss, or blood circulation. Even if you’re not prone to strokes or you don’t carry one of the major risk factors—diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, or heart disease among others like a hereditary gene or if are over 55 years old—a ginkgo supplement a day may just take the free radicals away!

Acupressure for Kids Helps Relieve Anxiety of Surgery

2008-12-28T15:40:00.001-08:00

Acupressure—a sect of acupuncture, using needles inserted on sensitive body points—uses pressure instead of needles providing a calmer, more specific pressure point relief than acupuncture. Surgery is hard enough for the body to go through on its own—especially for a child’s body to go through—without the added stress of the pre-operative state. It makes sense to look to alternative medicine for help because patients awaiting surgery may not be encouraged or able to take sedatives before anesthesia. A new study shows that using acupressure on children awaiting surgery has proven helpful in erasing nerves and inducing the stoic courage needed not to fear the next step.

Published in the September issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, researchers from Yale and University of California at Irvine collaborated to find that pressure points were put to good use in helping patients better prepare for surgery. Made possible by grants from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) as well as the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, co authors Dr. Shu-ming Wang from Yale and Dr. Zeev Kain from UC Irvine, note that this clinical trial in acupressure was needed. Acupressure is an easier way to calm children over using the proven method of acupuncture shown in adults, because children are more inclined to have their anxiety spike around needles.

A group of 52 children between the ages of 8 and 17 about to undergo gastrointestinal endoscopies were separated into two groups: the acupressure group and the randomly controlled “sham” acupressure group. The first group of children had an adhesive bead stuck to a main pressure point between the eyes—known in traditional Chinese acupuncture as the Yan-Teng point—and the second group’s beads were placed over their left eyebrow which is not a known pressure point with any relevance to relieving pain or anxiety.

Dr. Kain, chair of anesthesiology and perioperative care shares his knowledge of the preoperative state of children, "Anxiety in children before surgery is bad because of the emotional toll on the child and parents, and this anxiety can lead to prolonged recovery and the increased use of analgesics for postoperative pain," Kain says. "What's great about the use of acupressure is that it costs very little and has no side effects."

Dr. Kain is correct that acupressure is cost effective for both patients and hospitals, citing that the bead application costs between $0.20 and $0.40 per patient. Dr. Kain continues to share that the procedure of acupressure isn’t rocket science and doesn’t need a professional to disperse, meaning that the doctors or nurses that are already needed in the pre-op process can administer the adhesive beads, “It’s like putting a Band-Aid on….You don’t need to be a trained acupuncturist to do that.”

The group with the correct acupressure beads showed a 9 percent drop in anxiety while waiting for surgery and the “sham” acupressure group had resulted in a 2 percent increase of anxiety during the thirty-minute trial period.

Although the acupressure beads are cost-effective, safe, and carry no side effects, they are not 100 percent worthwhile to make hospitals switch to this mode of alternative medicine. These trials, though they showed some positives, didn’t reduce or dispose the need for sedatives. While sedatives are still more harmful and can cause over-sedation and extreme nausea, the acupressure beads didn’t continue to help any more when they were kept on throughout the surgery and post-op.

If more trials are done and acupressure becomes a standard in waiting rooms across the country, I can see certain squeamish adults asking for the bead stickers than a thin needle to relieve their anxiety and stress due to the surgical process. Even though these acupressure trials haven’t yet eradicated the use of sedatives, researchers (and patients) aren’t giving up hope that they will be able to find a way to tweak the procedure so the patient’s nerves aren’t displayed so easily during the countdown to anesthesia.

Battle Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder with St. John’s Wort

2008-12-28T15:38:00.000-08:00

With dreary days looming ahead in the winter months and shadows crouching in snow banks and among rain puddles, more and more people might start to drop their heads, keep their eyes low and their spirits damp. Throughout winter when the sun is out for the shortest amount of time, some people have developed an affliction which makes them depressed during these darkest months of the year. Called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, part of the population becomes disparaged and in need of help to cope with these symptoms three months of every year. SAD can be helped with a number of vitamins and nutrients, simulated sunlight to induce a better mood, or a combination of therapy. But what about those people that become depressed the other nine months of the year? Alternative medicine now thinks there is a healthier way to treat them, with St. John’s Wort.

St. John’s Wort is an herb from a plant called Hypericum perforatum, also known as the hedgerow plant that offers beautiful bright yellow flowers and blooms near June 24 of every year—or St. John’s Day—it has a following as an herbal supplement. St. John’s Wort is commonly used as an aid for sleep conditions and it has also been effective for centuries to calm very mild forms of depression, but hasn’t been focused on to help with severe depression until now.

Published in the Cochrane Library, German scientists from the Centre for Complementary Medicine in Munich collected data from 29 studies from various countries using different St. John’s Wort extracts involving 5,489 volunteers with mild to moderately severe depression. The herbal extract St. John’s Wort was used in one group in place of another antidepressant in order to lift one’s mood. A placebo group was used in the studies as well as another group of patients who received common old and new antidepressants like the commercially popular Prozac over a set length of time.

Widely used drugs in the United States such as Prozac or Seroxat are types of medication called Selective Seretonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), popular in lifting the mood but with numerous reported side effects like drowsiness, decreased libido, anxiety or panic attacks, flu symptoms and confusion or problems with balance among others. While in Germany, St. John’s Wort is a household name and is routinely given to children and teenagers for mild depression or sleep disorders with little to no side effects while being used on its own.

Lead researcher Dr. Klaus Linde from The Centre says of the studies, "Overall, the St John's Wort extracts tested in the trials were superior to placebo, similarly effective as standard antidepressants, and had fewer side effects than standard antidepressants." Good news for Germany is that a lot of residents are prescribed St. John’s Wort on a regular basis possibly skewing the results in their favor, but Dr. Linde and his colleagues warn that some of the studies researched were smaller in size and could have given false-positive results. Also the differences between an extract of St. John’s Wort bought for clinical trials versus one bought at a health food store for normal consumption are substantial and could prove different results, Dr. Linde continues, "Using a St John's Wort extract might be justified, but products on the market vary considerably, so these results only apply to the preparations tested”.

Dr. Linde suggests that those who think they may have depression should consult a doctor before taking any drastic measures using a combination of drugs or herbal extracts. St. John’s Wort has been identified in the past as possibly creating bad reactions when used in conjunction with other prescription drugs—for example medications that lower cholesterol, the pill used for contraception, and it could also put patients who are taking blood thinners or anti-depressants at a higher risk for a stroke—and should always be used with caution and under a doctor’s supervision.

Drink Away Your Diabetes Risk with Green Tea

2008-12-28T15:37:00.000-08:00

As the temperatures continue to drop and we start to see our breath coming out in clouds in the cool air, most of us instinctively reach for something warm. Whether it’s the drive-thru at the local Starbucks, ordering a cup alongside your dinner, or simply putting the kettle on at home while cozying up to your blanket, consider drinking green tea to benefit your body and warm you up. Emerging research shows that green tea—just like chamomile tea’s antioxidants—potentially has ability to prevent type-1 diabetes.

Green tea has been shown to stop inflammation and prevent cell death and has been studied as a preventative cancer measure with heart healthy antioxidants, but it has been in the news lately in Florida with its decaffeinated version decreasing blood pressure and cholesterol, effectively lowering stress and chronic inflammation. In a different study published recently, 111 adults were given green tea capsules over three months with positive results compared to the placebo group. On a roll by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure levels in humans, researchers in Georgia used the antioxidant fighting power of green tea to challenge diabetes in mice.

Type-1 diabetes is the most common diabetes, also known as childhood onset diabetes and occurs when the pancreas stops producing insulin altogether (type-2 is when the insulin produced is used within the body incorrectly) and is a lifelong disease patients have to learn to monitor on their own with a specialized diet watching their sugar intake, insulin injections, and by keeping a regular healthy exercise routine.

The Medical College of Georgia in Augusta’s researchers tested the effects of a compound in green tea for its antioxidant qualities against mice infected with type-1 diabetes. Mice with Sjogren’s syndrome—an autoimmune disorder that attacks the glands that produce saliva and tears resulting in symptoms of an overly dry mouth and eyes—were also treated with the compound. Sjogren’s syndrome currently has no cure.

Dr. Stephen D. Hsu of Augusta’s Medical College of Georgia along with his team found that the compound EGCG reduced the intensity of the symptoms and delayed the eventual salivary gland damage associated with the presence of Sjogren’s syndrome. The research team also found that the salivary gland cells under attack by the body were multiplying rapidly but EGCG proved to slow down the process. This new study confirms previous hypotheses helpful in linking EGCG to preventable efforts against autoimmune diseases.

The results were similar when the placebo group was compared with the type-1 diabetes group of mice. After 16 weeks, Hsu and his researchers found that only 25 percent of the mice given the green tea extract (EGCG) ended up developing diabetes versus 67 percent of mice who developed diabetes that were only given water. At 22 weeks, however, the numbers steadily grew. The EGCG green tea group had 45 percent with diabetes and the plain water group had 78 percent developing the disease.

In a statement, Hsu says about the importance of the study regarding the outcome of diabetes, “Our study focused on Sjogren's syndrome, so learning that EGCG also can prevent and delay insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes was a big surprise." The surprise for Hsu’s group is great news for more upcoming research to take their findings and update them to focus directly on type-1 diabetes prevention. The researchers think that the results came out similar because both diabetes and Sjogren’s syndrome are autoimmune diseases, causing the body to attack itself.

These advances in research show pivotal findings in the incurable Sjogren’s syndrome and hold great potential to do the same for diabetes. With November being National Diabetes Month protect yourself now. Green tea isn’t just to drink with Chinese food these days, so stock up on your antioxidants by sipping your diabetes risk away.

$6 Million Bets Ginseng Will Cure Colon Cancer

2008-12-28T15:35:00.000-08:00

Honestly, I have really only heard of ginseng because I have seen it on bottles of tea in the refrigerated section of my local grocery store. Sure I have had ginseng before but it always seems to conjure up images of barefoot Berkeley residents of the natural food movement trying to cure what ails them. However it seems we might be able to learn something from them soon if the upcoming new experiments prove to be true. Highlighted in a recent press release is a five-year-long plan to find the anti-cancer properties of the American ginseng plant.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) announced last week that they are giving a grant of 6 million dollars to help breakdown the restorative elements of the American ginseng plant. American ginseng plant is part of the ivy family and has been found growing in Pennsylvania and New York State as well as the Appalachians and among the Ozark mountain ranges. The American ginseng has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries and is a favorite among Native Americans. Having been grown commercially in fields in Wisconsin and Minnesota, American ginseng has been in high demand for its use as a stimulant or an aphrodisiac and as treatment for type 2 diabetes and sexual dysfunction in men.

Part of NCCAM’s funding for this project is going to the opening of one of four new research centers across the United States. The first is the Wisconsin Center for the Neuroscience and Psychophysiology of Meditation which will focus on meditation’s effects on the brain as well as the body using emotion and emotional reactivity in order to help relieve stress and depression. The second clinic is at the University of California at San Francisco focusing on the meditation and the effects of metabolism and immunology through studying obesity and hormonal response therapy. Montana State University in Bozeman gets the third research center using CAM through botanical extracts against inflammatory disease and infection. The researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center have been given the final opportunity to explore the hidden healing properties of the American ginseng in the hopes that it holds the key to defeating deadly cancer. Their research center, called the Center for Herbal Research on Colorectal Cancer, will delve into ginseng’s anti-tumor effects through lab and animal trials.

This isn’t the first time ginseng has been linked to helping cancer patients, but it was specifically aimed at aiding fatigue symptoms.

Josephine Briggs, the director of NCCAM comments on these four new clinics and what their research means, “[they are] all based on strong preliminary work, apply natural-product and mind-body CAM approaches across a range of health conditions that affect the American public….Their multidisciplinary, collaborative structure increases opportunities for improving health and discovering insights into important aspects of human biology."

The University of Chicago will be applying scientific research tools and techniques to natural medicine. Using different preparations of American ginseng—known scientifically as Panax quinquefolius—to hopefully reduce the number of patients with colon cancer or prevent it altogether.

Chun-Su Yuan, M.D., Ph.D., University of Chicago’s Cyrus Tang Professor of anesthesia and critical care says that while one third of adults in America use a supplement like ginseng everyday in lieu of traditional pharmacy cures that there is still a lot of research to be done because herbal medicine investigation is, "still in its infancy," and he continues, "…we know very little about how, when or even if these products are beneficial."

Even though herbal remedies have been used by many cultures over centuries, no one has tried to use a western approach to conventional drug testing against these techniques before so it will be hard to undertake but hopefully beneficial in the long run. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and the third most common cancer.

American ginseng will be studied in three different projects. The first will study ginseng’s cancer cell killing abilities. Project number two will isolate the ginseng extracts that change gene expression within the cells of cancer tumors. The third research experiment will show ginseng’s internal communication skills that activate cell re-growth or cell death. Even without the official approval to cure cancer, I bet ginseng will start to become more of a household name in more than just supermarket teas.

Simplicity Fares Better Than Drugs for IBS

2008-12-28T15:32:00.000-08:00

Severe abdominal pain and irregular bowel symptoms can be defined by Irritable Bowel Syndrome—or IBS—usually remedied by prescribing laxatives, stool softeners, and/or antispasmodics for the cramps, constipation, and diarrhea caused by the gastrointestinal condition. New research from London sought out to discover whether or not alternative, natural medicinal remedies are as efficient as the popular over-the-counter drugs in relieving IBS.

Among the alternative remedies for IBS are fiber supplements, hypnotherapy, probiotics—a beneficial mix of bacteria and yeast often found within the stomach—and aromatherapy, specifically peppermint oil. IBS is difficult to treat because its cause is relatively unknown and the symptoms are varied and often inconsistent.

Published by the British Medical Journal, Dr. Alex Ford and his team from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, analyzed 38 different studies from the past 25 years with over 2,500 participants who have IBS, using three different remedies versus a placebo group: antispasmodics, fiber treatments, and peppermint oil.

Twelve of the studies used the fiber diet with 591 patients, another 22 of the studies compared antispasmodics with the placebo group in 1,778 IBS patients, and the last four studies used peppermint oil in 392 volunteers. While all three of the applications were effective in treating IBS, with no serious side effects, peppermint oil proved most beneficial in the trials. Ford and his colleagues found that almost half of all IBS sufferers had their discomfort disappear after participating in the natural remedy studies.

Within the fiber study, insoluble fiber like bran didn’t affect the results, but soluble fiber (psyllium-based like the popular brand Metamucil) helped reduce the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in one of every eleven patients. The antispasmodic drugs such as hyoscine— used to relax the muscles in the stomach and ease cramping—which are no longer widely prescribed in modern medicine, showed relief in only one of every five volunteers and this was the only drug-based remedy contrast used in the publication. Hyoscine can be found without a prescription in the United States.

The McMaster University study led the researchers to ask for better guidelines to treat this confusing, uncomfortable stomach condition. In the last few years, widely-prescribed drugs such as Zelnorm and Lotranex have been pulled from the shelves due to gastrointestinal side effects, and the increased risk for stroke or heart attack. Professor Roger Jones from King’s College London says the new drug results were a wake-up call and this new study should inspire more research and better investigation into IBS, "These new-generation drugs were going to be the magic bullets for IBS, but it didn't turn out that way…. I think this new paper is important because it shows patients and their physicians that these older treatments can be effective [and] reawaken interest in the pharmacotherapy of irritable bowel syndrome and stimulate further research".

Though researchers have yet to define which treatments work best for which patients because of the different varieties of IBS determined by specific groups of symptoms, hopefully this new study will pave the way for more in-depth research to be done.
About 5 to 20 percent of the population is living with IBS and there are many cases left undiagnosed, with 10 to 15 percent of people in the United States alone showing twice as many women diagnosed as men. The UK also reports around 8 million people suffering with the disorder and Professor Jones thinks that the significance of natural treatments are in the best interest of patients as well as their wallets. Maybe more conditions can be helped by looking back through mom’s home remedies, erasing the complication and making simplicity the new go-to plan.

An Apple a Day for Asthma

2008-12-28T15:29:00.000-08:00

Growing up, asthma affected my life in the form of the family pet. Instead of getting an adorable kitten or lovable puppy, my parents and my brother were all asthmatics and unable to have a house full of fur. The good news is we got a bird instead and he is still entertaining us eighteen years later and we have never looked back with regrets. However, living with asthma isn’t just about a debate over puppies and kittens, but how to adapt to an affliction which restricts a person’s breathing and their quality of life. Budding research along with previously published studies are trying to show that consumption of apples may help lower the risk of asthma symptoms in both adults and children.

The London National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College investigated 2,640 children ages 5 to 10 monitoring their fruit intake and recording the data. Of the children who drank apple juice from concentrate at least one time per day, they lowered their risk of wheezing due to asthma by 47 percent over those children who only drank apple juice once a month or less.

Based on previous studies which showed that lung function was improved by higher fruit intake, apple juice and apples were studied on children following the results made by Imperial College with adults. In the prior study using adults, Dr. Seif O. Shaheen found that eating more apples had a direct correlation to the lowered risk of reactionary asthmatic symptoms, "It would be wrong to say that our data suggest that drinking apple juice reduces the risk of asthma," Dr. Shaheen continues in an interview, "We've only shown an association, and we've yet to provide definitive evidence that the link is causal."

While eating apples versus apple juice drinking had no immediate effect on children’s lung functions, researchers say that there is a possibility of juice having a higher concentration of antioxidants than the whole fruit. The London study also found that children who ate bananas daily were also at a lower risk for asthma symptoms over those who ate bananas monthly. Although a bunch of studies have proven positive results of using the antioxidants in fruit, mainly apples, to curb the aftereffects of an asthma attack, the researchers say there are still more studies to be conducted for further proof.

Published in the European Respiratory Journal, this study was partially conducted by the parents by having them keep a record of their child’s fruit intake alongside their symptom kind and frequency. Wheezing, characterized by a continuous whistling from the lungs alerting the body that the airflow of the respiratory tract is obstructed—is the most common indicator of asthma that can, but not always, lead to the condition.

Lead researcher of the children’s study, Dr. Peter Burney thinks apples may be helpful in keeping airways clear because of the chemicals and acids inside the fruit that prevent problem inflammation which leads to wheezing as well as asthma. Dr. Burney wasn’t sure of the exact connection between apples and the lowered rate of asthma symptoms but claims that more specific research needs to be done with fruit intake in the future, “Further studies are needed to confirm the protective effects of apple juice from concentrate and bananas.”

Past research from London has also suggested that pregnant women were trying to protect their children while still inside the womb from asthma later in life by eating a lot of apples. Dr. Shaheen explained that the antioxidants in fruit counteract the damaging oxidative stress from air pollution and researchers and doctors alike think it’s a good idea to prescribe a diet rich in antioxidants, such as fruits like bananas and apples, on a regular basis to enjoy general health. Even though as an adult, I still don’t have a puppy or a kitten, at least the rest of my asthmatic family didn’t have to suffer but if we had known about this new research maybe we could have had our own fur ball to love, if only our backyard had room for an apple tree.

Spice Up Your New Year with Cloves

2008-12-28T11:10:00.001-08:00

When I think of holiday drinks I often imagine the taste of creamy eggnog in a glass cup with Christmas cookies by my side, my mind sees a mug of hot chocolate topped with a mound of whipped cream next to the decorated tree, and my nose remembers the clove-studded orange floating in a sea of warm apple cider creating an appropriately festive and kid-friendly treat. Cloves have a strong scent and spicy flavor and can add a little more to your dishes than just a delight for your senses.

Native to Indonesia, cloves are the dried flower buds of the Myrtaceae tree family and used in dishes from pumpkin pie to curry. The clove tree is an evergreen with large green leaves and red clusters of flowers. The name clove, comes from the French word for nail—clou—because the dried buds once harvested, physically resemble tiny brown nails.

Besides developing rich flavors in cooking, Ayurvedic Indian medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have long used cloves as alternative treatments for a variety of symptoms. For example, the essential oil made from cloves is used as a painkiller in dentistry as well as aromatherapy for stress and stimulation for digestive problems when it can be applied as topical oil directly onto the affected skin. The Chinese believe that cloves are able to fortify the kidneys providing warmth and protection throughout the body. Cloves are used in TCM as a morning sickness cure along with ginseng, or to curb vomiting or diarrhea due to other illnesses. Due to the anti-inflammatory qualities of cloves, they have been proved beneficial to digestive track illnesses. The clove and clove oil are also used for sensitive skin symptoms, burns and hormonal skin afflictions like acne. Clove oil is essential as a topical antiseptic because it lessens infection and can draw parasites out of the body, common as a detoxifying agent, fresh cloves are the most potent form of medicine and should be used with caution.

Ayurvedic herbalists use cloves around the world in tea for helping ease stomach discomfort and the taste probably helps too. Sore and tight muscles often use the help of clove oil in order to warm up the skin and joints. Cloves are also taken for ailing bowels, as a stimulant for nerves, and for healthy liver functions.

Published in Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, researchers studied the antioxidant properties in a number of spices: garlic, onion, ginger, mint, cinnamon, pepper, and cloves. Garlic came in last on the scale and cloves came in first with the most antioxidant activity reported.

Cloves can be found whole at specialty stores, in oil form at nutritional shops or health food stores, and in its most popular form found at grocery stores, ground into a fine powder. Besides being used in dental emergencies as a topical painkiller, cloves have been known for their prevention of bad breath. Ancient cultures rubbed whole clove buds onto their gums as a way to keep their breath fresh. Current technology was able to isolate the active ingredient, eugenol, to be used as an anesthetic. Many folk remedies use cloves as quick home remedies.

Cloves seem to be great in age old household remedies from an upset stomach to morning sickness to persistent acne and because they are used in a lot of recipes nowadays the benefits of cloves could be helping during ingestion without anyone being aware of them. Every December I look forward to the traditions built along the way. Besides eggnog, whiskey, and spiced apple cider being nostalgic beverages that help me enjoy the festivities, cloves are also commonly used as studs on the outside of a spiral ham during a traditional Christmas feast, alleviating the need for added sugar glazes due to the power of the clove.

Olive Oil Could Suppress Breast Cancer Gene

2008-12-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

Something we use in our everyday cooking could unlock the key to suppressing the breast cancer gene. Chemicals have been identified in extra-virgin olive oil that could help explain the apparent link between eating an olive oil-rich Mediterranean diet and the reduced risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a reality for 1 out of every 8 women in the United States. It is the leading killer of women after lung cancer. In 2008, there were estimated to be 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 67,770 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer. There will be approximately 1,990 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in men during that same year. (Less than 1% of breast cancers actually occur in men.)

Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly cancer diagnosed among women in the U.S. More than 1 in 4 cancers diagnosed in women are breast cancer. However, as of 2008, approximately 2.5 million women in the United States alone have survived breast cancer.

Extra-virgin olive oil, which is produced by pressing the olives without the use of any chemical or heat treatments, contains phytochemicals that are otherwise lost in the refining process. The Spanish researchers conducting the study, which was published in the current issue of BMC Cancer, separated the extra-virgin olive oil into fractions and then they tested these against breast cancer cells in the laboratory. The researchers found that all of the fractions that contained major extra-virgin phytochemicals polyphenols (lignans and secoiridoids) very effectively inhibited the breast cancer gene called HER2.

Javier Menendez, who is from the Catalan Institute of Oncology, said, “Our findings reveal for the first time that all major complex phenols present in extra-virgin olive oil drastically suppress over expression of the cancer gene HER2 in human breast cancer cells.”

While the results of the study do offer new insights into how extra-virgin olive oil may help reduce HER2 breast cancer risk, they must be reviewed with caution. The researchers noted that while the active phytochemicals exhibited tumoricidal effects against the cultured breast cancer cells it was done by concentrations that are unlikely to be achieved in real life by just consuming olive oil. However, they also said that their findings, “together with the fact that humans have safely been ingesting significant amounts of lignans and secoiridoids as long as they have been consuming olives and extra-virgin oil, strongly suggest that these polyphenols might provide an excellent and safe platform for the design of new anti-breast cancer drugs.”

FDA Warns Against Diet Pills – Lists Most Dangerous

2008-12-28T11:07:00.001-08:00

If you plan on indulging this Christmas season and taking off the pounds in the new year, ditch the pharmacy aisle and bring out the treadmill instead. Quick-fire ways of curbing your appetite and strange concoctions that trick your stomach into thinking it’s full are never a great plan for healthy weight loss. You may have some immediate results using diet pills or drinks that promise “10 lbs in Two Days” or “Lose Inches Without Changing Your Diet,” but miracle cures often harm your body more than they help. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week announced that there is a range of diet pills being sold nationwide, as well as over the internet, that are now considered unsafe.

While most diet pills seem too good to be true, there are people that pressure their bodies into losing a certain amount of weight in a small period of time and rely on fast-acting drugs, no matter what the cost (health or otherwise). Most products on the market haven’t been officially approved by the FDA, but their safety hasn’t been disproved either.

This is not the first time the FDA has stepped in to warn the public about the possibility of harm to health regarding diet pills. In 2002, the FDA alerted the United States about the threat of Chinese weight loss products specifically bottles labeled Chaso Genpi and Chaso (Jianfei) Diet Capsules because of their potential health risk to the public. Again, in 2006, the FDA stepped up and issued a warning for two dietary supplements that were unapproved for weight loss. Emagrece Sim Dietary Supplement, also known as Herbathin Dietary Supplement, or the Brazilian Diet Pill were found to contain multiple active ingredients from prescription drugs (like controlled substances) that could enhance the drug’s side effects rendering injury or death and were not allowed to be brought into the United States.

Some of the active ingredients reported this week by the FDA as harmful include a controlled substance named sibutramine which is a chemical in the obesity drug Meridia, but is used here up to triple a regular recommended dose. Sibutramine can cause conditions such as seizures, high blood pressure, palpitations, heart attack or stroke. Also dangerous are an anti-seizure medication called phenytoin, rimonabant a drug that is currently only approved for use in Europe but has been associated with 5 deaths and 720 negative reactions just in the last two years, and phenolphytalein once a chemical laxative, it was recently recalled for it’s potential cancer risks.

With over 25 different products in question, the FDA still has a lot of work to do in terms of studying specific ingredients, the dosage, and the safety of combinations of each drug. Most of these pills are marketed as “dietary supplements” and are primarily sold over the internet. The labels do not list any of the dangerous ingredients mentioned here and are therefore endangering many consumers by labeling the products as “herbal” or “natural” increasing suspicion.

Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA, Janet Woodcock, M.D., explains why the FDA is blanketing their recall over all suspected diet pill culprits: “These tainted weight loss products pose a great risk to public health because they contain undeclared ingredients and, in some cases, contain prescription drugs in amounts that greatly exceed their maximum recommended dosages.” She continues to standby the FDA’s decision, “Consumers have no way of knowing that these products contain powerful drugs that could cause serious health consequences. Therefore FDA is taking this action to protect the health of the American public.”

The FDA also advises the public that anyone who has used or is using any of the supplements on the list (see below) to discontinue use immediately and please seek help through your healthcare professional as soon as possible. If weight issues are still a major concern of yours, consult your doctor on healthier ways to keep your weight where you want it. The end result is don’t trust a magic pill to dissolve your holiday gain away, do it the old fashioned way with a good diet and regular exercise and if you must rely on prescription drugs to help, make sure they are taken under close supervision of your doctor and will safely mix with any other medications you may be taking.

The FDA’s list of tainted and recalled diet pills:

* 2 Day Diet
* 3x Slimming Power
* 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming
* 3 Day Diet
* 7 Day Herbal Slim
* 8 Factor Diet
* 7 Diet Day/Night Formula
* 999 Fitness Essence
* Extrim Plus
* Fatloss Slimming
* GMP
* Imelda Perfect Slim
* Japan Lingzhi 24 Hours Diet
* Lida DaiDaihua
* Miaozi Slim Capsules
* Perfect Slim
* Perfect Slim 5x
* Phyto Shape
* ProSlim Plus
* Royal Slimming Formula
* Slim 3 in 1
* Slim Express 360
* Slimtech
* Somotrim
* Superslim
* TripleSlim
* Venom Hyperdrive 3.0
* Zhen de Shou

Vitamin Supplements Provide No Proven Cancer Prevention Benefits

2008-12-28T11:06:00.001-08:00

Vitamins, which many consider beneficial wonder pills, are now giving scientists cause to wonder if they are as beneficial as once touted. Since the 1990s, research has suggested that vitamins hold promise in the battle against multiple cancers, heart disease, stroke, and other ailments. Researchers have studied many vitamins alone as well as in various combinations, searching for benefits that combat against a broad range of diseases.

One study found that taking more vitamin E could reduce lung cancer risks by 61 percent, while another showed that high levels of vitamin D could cut the incidence of breast cancer and the risk of dying from cancer in half. In addition, Vitamin D has been associated with the prevention of colorectal cancer and more vitamin B6 could mean less colon cancer. Even the combination of vitamin A and vitamin C administered to cultured human breast cancer cells was shown to inhibit their spread by almost 76 percent.

With all the possibilities at hand, the National Institutes of Health began conducting various long-term studies that have produced findings holding none of the previous optimism. In the Women's Health Study, 39,876 participants were followed over an average of ten years revealing that those women who took vitamin E were just as likely to develop heart disease, stroke, and multiple types of cancer as those who took a placebo. These results were published in 2005.

Later, the Women's Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study followed 8,171 participants with signs of heart disease for an average of 9.4 years to test the effects of vitamins C, E, and beta carotene. According to results published in 2007 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, none of the supplements had any effect.

In November of this year, results for the Physicians' Health Study were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealing that vitamins C and E did nothing to improve heart health in 14,641 male doctors followed for an average of eight years. Also in November, results published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute for the Women's Health Initiative showed that vitamin D plus calcium did nothing to protect the 36,282 women against invasive breast cancer over a seven-year study period. However, in prior studies including these participants, supplements were found to offer a small amount of protection against hip fractures although they provided no protection for other bone fractures.

In the most recent study, known as the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, testing in 35,533 men was done with the two supplements for a period lasting more than five years. December 2008 resulted revealed that neither supplement reduced the risks for prostate cancer. In fact, the trial was ended prematurely due, in part, to a discovery that the supplements were associated with a slight increase in the risk of prostate cancer as well as diabetes.

Other recent studies have shown that over-the-counter vitamins and minerals provide no benefit in fighting other cancers, stroke or cardiovascular disease. In fact, some research even suggests that under certain circumstances, supplements can be harmful. This has led some physicians to advise against patients taking the pills, and suggesting that they rely on a healthy diet to provide needed vitamins and minerals instead.

Scientists still maintain that vitamins are essential to good health. However, they are perplexed as to how obvious benefits from vitamins remain elusive in randomized controlled trials, known as the gold standard of modern medical research. Paul Coates, of the National Institutes of Health commented, “For drugs, someone either has (the impotence drug) Cialis in their system or he doesn't.” Yet regarding vitamins, “there's a baseline exposure that needs to be taken into account. It makes the challenge of seeing an improvement more difficult.”

Nonetheless, the belief in the benefits of vitamins has remained strong. It is estimated that 64 percent of American adults take vitamin and mineral supplements, according to The Council for Responsible Nutrition. And, according to the Nutrition Business Journal, sales have increased from $5 billion in 1995 to $10 billion in 2008 in spite of the many reports casting doubt upon their effectiveness.

According to one expert, a vitamin's benefit may become apparent only if people aren't getting enough of it, which could explain why vitamin D has been linked to a reduction in rates of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Another school of thought is that randomized clinical trials are designed to test only one factor at a time, although vitamins and minerals work together when consumed as part of a healthy diet.

For now, researchers will revisit more traditional observational studies to continue their efforts to learn more about the nutrition’s role in fighting disease.

New Female Condom Unveiled, Looking for Quick FDA Approval

2008-12-28T11:05:00.001-08:00

Birth control pills, the patch, the vaginal ring, cervical cap, sponge, diaphragm, intrauterine device (IUD), or the shot, these are all currently available measures women can take to prevent unplanned pregnancy. But what about those nasty sexually transmitted infections (STIs)? HPV, the human papillomavirus, has been in the news lately because of the risk for cervical cancer in women among other cancers and the only preventative measure for decades has been the male condom. The female condom has also been available since 1993, but is more expensive and is not as popular or widely used as the male version for a variety of reasons. But that may change, as manufacturers have finally unveiled an updated female condom that will hopefully appeal to women and add protection from STIs that they cannot get from any other form of birth control.

Chicago-based Female Health Co. (FHC) is the company that manufactures the 2.0 version of the female condom. It is being made with less expensive materials making it more affordable, with estimated prices being up to 30 percent less than their existing model, once it gets FDA approval. Male condoms cost merely quarters in America compared to the female type for a couple of dollars, making the choice between the two nearly obsolete.

The U.S. also sells the female condom at a significantly higher price than in developing countries. The condoms run between $1.15 to $2.75 each in America while overseas they are sold at .80 cents each where they are more popular—nearly 90 percent of the 35 million female condoms sold in 2008 through September were purchased in developing countries.

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel strongly recommended approval for the condom labeled FC2 (the former version is named FC1) in the United States as early as mid-2009. FC1, which was made of polyurethane and got complaints, including difficulty during insertion, being too noisy or too slippery. FC2 is being made with a cheaper synthetic rubber, which will allow the lower cost and should fix its predecesor's slight glitches. The condom will look the same: two flexible rings (a small one at the closed end to fit over the cervix and a larger one at the open end that rests outside the vagina) connected by a thin sheath of lubricated rubber for infection protection of both partners. The FC2 was approved on the condition that the instructions for use continue to follow that of the FC1 model to ensure the safety and efficiency of the product.

In support of a vote, 170 organizations (including many in Chicago where the female condom is made) involved with women’s health, HIV/AIDS, and reproductive health signed a letter last week urging a plan that puts women first by endorsing the use of a “woman-centered response” as well as an affordable option for preventing more than just pregnancy.

The Pre-Market Approval Application was filed with the FDA in January of this year and after much research, a 15-to-0 vote made the panel’s decision unanimous to recommend the FDA push the product ahead for quick approval. The FDA does take this recommendation into consideration but we are reminded that it is not the only factor that goes into the administration’s decision-making process.

Mary Ann Leeper, Female Health Co.’s Senior Strategic Advisor announces last week in a statement on behalf of the company, “We are very pleased with today's outcome and look forward to working with the FDA as it continues to review our application for the FC2 Female Condom.” Leeper believes that receiving the thumbs up from the panel is still a great accomplishment in taking larger steps towards considerably lowering women’s health risks, “We believe that FHC's second-generation female condom can strengthen the fight against AIDS by expanding affordable access to a woman-initiated HIV prevention method.”

The FDA usually follows the panel’s advice, so Female Health Co. and women everywhere should stay optimistic. The female condom, though previously thought of as unsightly and unpopular in the United States, might just be the saving grace women can use to protect themselves from irritating STI’s as well as more serious conditions such as cancer and the ever-present HIV/AIDS, that affects more women than men on average.

With most developing countries already using a model similar to FC2, the U.S. is the last to follow the crowd and with the FDA’s approval, international approval will be easier to push through. Hopefully by summer 2009, FHC displays will be seen in drugstores, pharmacies, grocery stores, mini-marts, and restroom vending machines everywhere allowing women the chance to protect themselves first.

Eyelashes May Benefit from Glaucoma Drug (Update)

2008-12-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: Latisse, a cosmetic treatment to enhance lashes, has received FDA approval, according to its manufacturer, Allergan, Inc. The product, a spinoff of glaucoma drug Lumigan, will be available in the first quarter of 2009.

Looking at people’s eyes is a normal part of communication. Often called "the windows of the soul," our eyes can not only reflect our innermost thoughts, they can send many different non-verbal signals to others; signals of anger, fear, happiness, compassion and lust. Perhaps that’s why the appearance of the eye is so important to so many, evident by the millions of dollars Americans spend each year on products developed specifically for the care and decoration of our eyes. There are creams that help eliminate puffy eyes, undereye circles and wrinkles, tinted lenses to enhance or change the color of the eye, and countless brands and types of eye makeup, including liners, shadows, and the quintessential, mascara. First created by Maybelline, mascara as we know it is a far cry from the kohl (soot) used in ancient times, but there may soon be another option for obtaining longer, thicker, and darker lashes—from a surprising source.

When a drug called Lumigan was being tested for use in patients with glaucoma, it was found to have an unusual side effect; it increased the length of eyelashes. The drug maker, Allergan Inc., is now seeking federal approval to market a spin-off of the drug—Latisse—as a cosmetic treatment to those wanting longer, thicker, darker lashes. However, if approved, instead of going directly on the eyes as Lumigan does, Latisse will be packaged with a special applicator to apply the drops at the roots of the eyelashes, and each Latisse dose uses only 5 percent of a Lumigan drop.

In a study to evaluate the eyelash use, 137 people used Latisse and 141 others used a placebo solution for 16 weeks. The appearance of eyelashes was rated on a four-point scale ranging from "minimal" to "very marked." By the end of the study, 78 percent of the Latisse group had at least a one-point improvement, compared with 18 percent of the placebo group. Those in the Latisse group also reported more satisfaction with their lashes as did the people who received the placebo. Side effects, which included eye redness, were generally temporary and mild and stopped when the drug was discontinued. On the downside, a person using Latisse for eyelash growth must continue to apply it or their eyelashes will shrink back to their previous length within a few months.

An FDA advisory panel voted unanimously that the drug’s benefits outweigh its risks. “I have absolutely no reason to question the efficacy or the effect of Lumigan,” said Dr. M. Roy Wilson, chancellor of the University of Denver. “I also want to emphasize that I don’t have any concerns about potential side effects on the eyelid.” The same panel, however, voted 5-3 with one abstention that Allergen Inc. should be required to conduct follow-up studies to address questions about use of the drug among certain patients, such as young patients, the African-American population and people who lost their lashes because of chemotherapy.

The panel also discussed what types of physicians should be able to prescribe the drug. While the drugmaker would like any licensed physician to be able to write a prescription, panelists debated whether younger patients should be able to obtain the drug after seeing only an eye specialist. “I’m worried about off-label, non-supervised use of this medication, and I’m concerned teenagers might use it three or four times a day instead of once,” said Dr. Marijean Miller, an ophthalmologist with the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington.

Consumer advocates voiced another concern: the drug may cause light-colored eyes to gradually turn brown if too much gets into the eye, a side effect seen with Lumigan. “Changing eye color is an adverse reaction that is acceptable to someone trying to prevent blindness from glaucoma, but is probably not acceptable to someone using the product to improve their eyelashes,” said Brandel France deBravo, a spokeswoman for the National Research Center for Women and Families. But Allergan officials said most patients did not notice the color change and most side effects were completely reversible when patients stopped using the drops.

The FDA is not required to follow the recommendations of its advisory panels, although it normally does. Allergan anticipates launching Latisse in 2009, according to a company news release. “Latisse will offer consumers an FDA-approved product which has been extensively studied and is regulated as a prescription product,” said Scott Whitcup, Allergan’s executive vice president of research and development.

Getting a Good Night’s Sleep Can Ward Off Heart Disease

2008-12-28T11:02:00.000-08:00

Like eating healthy and being physically active, getting a good night’s sleep is vital to a person’s well-being. Sleep has distinctive stages that cycle throughout the night; certain stages help us learn and remember while others are needed for us to feel well rested and function our best the next day. On the other hand, not getting enough sleep can be dangerous. Lack of sleep leads to lack of concentration, difficulty in completing tasks, and interferes with sound decision-making, causing unsafe actions. According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep deprivation causes about 100,000 vehicle crashes each year, resulting in 1,500 deaths. Abnormal sleep patterns have also been linked with numerous health problems, including digestive disorders, emotional problems, infertility, obesity and can even affect the health of teens by leading to high blood pressure, which can cause stroke, kidney disease and other illnesses. However, there may be an even more important reason to make sure you get adequate amounts of sleep. Researchers have discovered a relationship between the number of hours spent sleeping and calcium deposits in the coronary arteries—deposits ultimately responsible for heart disease.

As part of the ongoing Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study (CARDIA), which is being carried out at four cities across the country, Diane Lauderdale, an associate professor of health studies at the University of Chicago Medical Center, and associates studied 495 white and black men and women aged 35 to 47. Participants filled out sleep questionnaires and kept a log of their hours in bed. They also wore a motion-sensing wrist band recorder at night. The wristband device, called an actigraph, is considered nearly as good as a sleep laboratory at measuring sleep duration.

The amount of calcium in the participants’ coronary arteries was measured by CT scanning of the heart. When the study began, 2000-2001, none of them had detectable calcium deposits. However, five years later, 27 percent of those who slept less than five hours per night on average had developed coronary artery calcification, compared to only 6 percent of those sleeping seven hours or more. Among those sleeping between five and seven hours a night, 11 percent had developed coronary artery calcification. After adjusting for various risk factors, such as race, sex, smoking habits, education levels and sleep apnea risk, the researchers concluded that one more hour of sleep per night decreased the risk of calcification by 33 percent, which is comparable to lowering one’s blood pressure by 16.5 points.

Although a number of studies have linked smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity to calcium buildup in the coronary arteries around the heart, this is the first to find a relationship between sleep and coronary calcium deposits. Calcium is one of the components of plaque. In coronary artery disease, plaque builds up inside the arteries’ walls, causing them to narrow and thus reducing the amount of oxygen-rich blood supplied to heart muscle.

The researchers aren’t sure why there is an association, but believe there are three possible explanations. One is that other factors, such as socioeconomic status, was the connection. Higher education levels have been associated with both a lower risk of heart disease and a tendency to get more sleep, Dr. Lauderdale said. A second is cortisol, a stress-related hormone that has been tied to decreased sleep and increased calcification. A third possibility could be the effect that sleep has on 24-hour blood pressure levels. Blood pressure, which is a coronary artery disease risk factor, usually dips when people are asleep, which suggests health benefits for those who get more sleep.

“It’s important to say that this is the first report and this does not yet prove the association is causal,” cautioned Dr. Lauderdale. “Until we know what the mechanism is—that it’s really a direct or a causal relationship—there is no point in making recommendations based on this (information).” On the other hand, however, Dr. Lauderdale says “there’s mounting evidence that really short sleep duration, as in less than five hours a night, may well have health consequences. It’s pretty safe to say that it’s a good idea to get more than five hours of sleep a night.”

Sleep needs vary from person to person. On average, most adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Sleep expert, Kathy P. Parker, who is dean of the University of Rochester School of Nursing, gives her best advice for getting that much needed sleep-eye: “Go to bed at a regular time, wake up at a regular time, pay attention to whether you feel refreshed and alert during the day, and avoid too much caffeine and alcohol.” She says that sleeping pills are “appropriate in certain situations,” such as times of acute psychological stress or jet lag or for “certain sleep disorders.”

The report was published in the December 24/31 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Could Lung Cancer Be Linked to Your Genes?

2008-12-28T04:14:00.001-08:00

Gene variants have been located that are more often seen in lung cancer patients than others. Could it be genetics? Researchers in China and the United States have found evidence that some people could be more susceptible to lung cancer than others based on their genes.

Lung Cancer is one form of cancer that can be preventable in many cases, simply by not starting to smoke or by quitting smoking. China’s smoking population, one of the largest in the world, has continued to grow and 18 million deaths from lung cancer are predicted from 2003-2033, attributed to smoking or biomass burning in homes. A group of scientists with the Fudan University in Shanghai, led by Dr. Daru Lu and Dr. Haijian Wang, found two common gene variants ABCB1 and ABCC1, that had previously been thought to possibly help eliminate carcinogens from ones lungs and protect against toxins. The team evaluated the genes at the beginning and end of their research in 500 lung cancer patients and 517 patients who were cancer-free. The researchers discovered that certain gene variants appeared more often in those patients suffering with lung cancer than those that were cancer free, according to the team. As reported previously, there has been other research making a link between genetics and lung cancer.

The research showed that 31 percent of those with cancer had a certain mutation of the ABCB1 gene and 27 percent had a variant of the ABCC1 gene. The same gene variants were found in the cancer-free group, but at a smaller rate. Only 15 percent had ABCB1 and 12 percent had the ABCC1 gene. Some groups were found to be even more prone to these genes, particularly women and those 60 and over, with the ABCB1 rs3842, which was also linked to Adenocarcinoma, one of the most common forms of cancer affecting adults in the United States.

The findings were published online in the journal Cancer on December 22 and will be published in the print issue of the journal on February 1, 2009.

The new research sheds some light on prevention of tobacco smoking-related cancers, the leading preventable cause of cancer-prone genotypes, which are relatively prevalent in the human population according to the authors of the study. The best way to prevent lung cancer is to steer clear of ever smoking. Based on this new research some people may want to really think twice about the bad habit. There genes may have them wired to be more susceptible.

U.S. Seniors May Be Taking Risky Drug Combinations

2008-12-28T04:12:00.001-08:00

Prescription medications are supposed to make us well, or keep us well. When picking up a prescription a patient assumes the prescription is correct, and the dosing information will allow the medicine to do what it was formulated for. Each prescription contains information provided by the manufacturer explaining the possible side effects and other information about the medication. How many people really read the information? Not enough of those taking prescription medications, particularly among the elderly.

In a report released Tuesday a research team said that more than half of the U.S. adults aged 57 to 85 are using prescription medications along with OTC medicines and in some cases adding dietary supplements or herbal remedies that could conflict and cause an interaction or risk of other complications. The researchers said that more than half of U.S. adults in the 57 to 85 age group are using five or more prescription or non-prescription medications. They are also taking dietary supplements in record numbers. One in five is using combinations that could be unsafe.

Dr. Stacy Tessler Lindau of the University of Chicago Medical Center in Illinois teamed with Dima Qato, a pharmacist and researcher at the University of Chicago and used data from a national survey, and interviews with nearly 3,000 people in their homes to establish which medications were used on a regular basis. They analyzed the possible interactions among the top 20 prescription and over the counter drugs, along with the top 20 dietary supplements. Sixty eight percent of adults in the survey who took prescription drugs also used OTC medications as well as dietary supplements. Men from 75 to 85 years old were at highest risk for drug-to-drug interaction. More than 175,000 emergency department visits per year are caused by drug reactions and a third of these are the result of commonly prescribed drugs.

Half of the potential drug interactions could cause bleeding problems. Prescription Coumadin the market name of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s version of the blood thinner warfarin is one of most commonly cited for the risk of dangerous combinations. Two million Americans take warfarin as a result of heart attack, stroke, or major surgery. Warfarin taken with aspirin can cause dangerous bleeding because both are used to control clotting.

Merck & Co. sells the cholesterol lowing drug simvastatin under the name of Zocor, and taken with Warfarin is another combination that could cause bleeding. The nutritional supplement Ginko Biloba taken with aspirin is a potentially dangerous combination.

Patients need to know about the potential risks of certain combinations of drugs. The researchers recommend that patients carry a list of all the drugs or supplements they take. Review the list with your physician on each visit. If a patient sees more than one health care provider it is important that all prescribers have the same information. More and more medical facilities are using in house systems so that each provider can see what was prescribed for a patient. This works great if all services are provided by one facility. If seeing more than one provider it is the consumers’ responsibility to ask enough questions and provide enough information to protect themselves.

Low Vitamin D Levels May Increase the Odds of Cesarean Delivery

2008-12-28T04:10:00.001-08:00

Expectant mothers may want to consider including foods or supplements with vitamin D to their daily diets to lower the risk of Cesarean section. A new study shows that low vitamin D levels could lead pregnant women to the surgical suite for delivery, rather than delivering via vaginal birth. Surgical deliveries or Cesarean sections (C-sections) are becoming more common, but are still considered major surgery with a six-week recovery time and should be avoided whenever possible.

Vitamin D is a necessity to building strong bones and muscles. When delivering a baby naturally, women need to have healthy abdominal muscles to help push the baby through the birth canal. A new two-year study conducted by Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center researchers investigated the link between vitamin D levels in expecting mothers and C-section. According to study author Dr. Michael Holick, director of the General Clinical Research Center, "In our analysis, pregnant women who were vitamin D-deficient at the time of delivery had almost four time the odds of Caesarean birth than women who were not deficient."

The study, published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, involved 253 women with a 17 percent overall C-section rate. Of the participants, 28 percent of the women who had low levels of vitamin D and 14 percent of those with high levels of the vitamin had a C-section. Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to several other health problems. This study also noted a correlation between low levels of vitamin D and pre-eclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition to both mother and baby, where immediate delivery of the baby is required, and usually requires a C-section. Other studies have linked lacking the vitamin to higher rates of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

There are several natural sources of vitamin D that can be incorporated into our daily diets, including several foods such as, salmon, tuna, other oily fish, eggs, fortified cereal, and some milk that contain vitamin D. The main form of vitamin D is obtained through the sunlight. There are also a couple of vitamin D supplements called vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Researchers have found that vitamin D3 is more effective. Try to avoid taking too much vitamin D for long durations, because your body will begin to absorb too much calcium, which could cause weakened bones, and possibly damage the kidneys or liver.

While doctors still are not sure as to what the optimal level of Vitamin D levels are, it seems that higher levels are better. There is still a lot of research to be conducted to gather more data as to the links between vitamin D and health issues and even increased Cesarean childbirths. If you are pregnant or considering having a little one, you may want to talk about vitamin D supplements with your doctor.

Taurine in Energy Drinks: Is it Beneficial?

2008-12-28T04:08:00.000-08:00

Early in the millennium when the sickly-sweet energy drink with the radioactive yellow color known as Red Bull was gaining popularity, there were rumors flying that its main ingredient taurine is actually made from the reproductive parts of a bull, rendering it unappetizing. It’s not hard to imagine where that rumor started, Taurus is the bull according to the astrological chart, there’s a bull on Red Bull’s blue, red and silver aluminum can, and within the body taurine is a component of bile, secreted from the kidneys and can be found in the intestinal track and other tissues. If taurine is produced naturally by the body, and injected synthetically into energy drinks, it must be good for you, right?

Taurine is an amino acid that supports brain development and regulates water levels and mineral salts within the blood. Taurine has long been thought of as an antioxidant and is common as a dietary supplement. The amino acid is found mostly in proteins such as fish, meat, and breast milk.

Multiple energy drinks are enhanced with taurine and are said to improve performance, stimulate brain function, and boost adrenaline resulting in a focused high that can fuel a college student’s all-night study session. Many students and young adults these days are overloaded with stress and rely on supplements to keep them alert at night or wake them up in the morning. While energy drinks contain multiple times the caffeine effects as a cup of coffee, these carbonated sugary drinks are popular because they taste like soda but act like espresso.

Laboratory studies have been done using taurine in rats with many positive results. The rodents showed an increase in memory, exercise performance, protection from ischemic damage of the heart (a restriction of the blood supply that causes tissue damage), and an easing of hypertension and cystic fibrosis.

More research efforts have shown taurine to be impressive in brain function, effective in helping regulate bipolar disorder, epilepsy, and type-1 diabetes. Like zinc, your eye health can be maintained with taurine. In Japan, taurine is used for the treatment of ischemic heart disease and other common irregularities like congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, and hypertension. Rehabilitation clinics have used taurine to help reduce symptoms involved with alcohol withdrawal by dosing 1 gram three times a day for seven days. A study of 3,000 alcoholics given taurine while trying to stay clean had fewer relapses than the placebo group.

Controversial studies show that taurine when added to caffeine, provides a better stimulant than either of the two taken separately. However, each person is only supposed to consume up to 3,000 milligrams of taurine per day in order to still be considered safe. Too much caffeine can lead to irregular heart beats, increased blood pressure, disruptive sleep patterns, added nerves, irritability, and other more serious heart problems. There have been a few deaths in past years in other countries possibly related to over-consumption of energy drinks which dehydrate the body instead of replenishing its vital nutrients lost during strenuous activity or exercise. Most of the concern, however, lies in the consumption of taurine-laden energy drinks being mixed with alcohol. By using a stimulant alongside a depressant, the dehydration can become extreme and add stress to the heart.

Where energy drinks are concerned, they should always be used in moderation and not as a substitute for water or electrolyte-enhanced beverages before, during, or after a workout so as to fend off dehydration. If energy is what you need and you don’t want the risk, there are some healthier alternatives. Taurine seem to be beneficial for certain conditions and to strengthen the heart, but because the body produces the amino acid naturally and carnivores also get more absorbed through meat and fish, most professionals advise against adding taurine supplements to your body unless you have a deficiency or a prescription.

Coca-Cola Rejects FDA Regulations

2008-12-28T04:06:00.001-08:00

In an American diet of hot dogs and potato chips, nothing goes better with a plate of salty food than a nice cold soda. We consume more soda on average than any other country. According to a 2005 survey published in Beverage Digest, over 10 billion cases of soda were purchased in one year alone. On average that guarantees two and a half 12-ounce cans of soda for every adult and child in the United States every day. Needless to say we have an addiction to sugary, carbonated beverages and there should be no surprise that we have an obesity epidemic. A new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning tells Coca-cola to check their regulation book again, and change one of their products.

Diet Coke has been around since 1982 when it was born on supermarket shelves and mini mart coolers on Independence Day, the biggest (and often warmest) day of the year for outdoor activitie,s from picnics and barbeques to Frisbee, softball, and firework-watching. Since then, Diet Coke has been the staple for a calorie-free alternative to Coke, with many other brands trying to close the gap. Diet Coke debuted with cheers because there was no sugar added and only relied on artificial sweeteners which provided the same comfort of soda without foregoing taste for calorie-watchers or diabetics. However, what they took away they made up for in caffeine. An average can of Diet Coke has 42 milligrams of the stimulant versus 35 for regular Coke.

Diet Coke Plus—named Coca-Cola Light Plus outside the U.S.—was released in 2007 and marketed with the description, “Diet Coke with Vitamins and Minerals.” Claiming the drink is fortified with 25 percent of the daily intake value for niacin, vitamins B6, B12, and 15 percent of zinc and magnesium.

On December 10, the FDA issued a warning letter to Coca-cola President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Muhtar Kent claiming that Diet Coke Plus violates the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) by printing the word “plus” on their labels. The FDA goes on to say that a soft drink is not considered a healthy beverage and cannot justify using the word in its name. According to the wording of the FDCA, foods containing nutrients must provide at least 10 percent more of the Daily Reference Value (DRV) also known as the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for it to legally be considered “plus.”

The FDCA is a compilation of laws set in 1938 by Congress giving the principal authority to the FDA to regulate food, drugs and cosmetics. The FDCA has been amended many times and most recently in response to new regulations regarding bioterrorism.

The FDA also considers it to be inappropriate to add nutrients to a snack food like sodas. Coca-Cola has been asked to fix the violation and revise the label by excluding the word “plus” in order to comply with the Act’s standards. Coca-Cola was originally given 15 days to respond and come up with a plan to revamp the soda’s look, but representatives from the company say they will submit their reply no earlier than January and that at this time there have been no plans made to change their labeling on Diet Coke Plus. Issued in a statement, the company says of the FDCA’s accusation, “This does not involve any health or safety issues, and we believe the label on Diet Coke Plus complies with FDA's policies and regulations.”

The letter, signed by director of the office of compliance, Roberta Wagner, at the Center of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, says Coca-Cola should comply with the standards and, “take prompt action to correct these violations.” If Coca-Cola refuses to cooperate with the FDA’s ruling and continues to ignore its rules, a violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act could rack up large fines and even prompt a seizure of products, however most likely no such drastic measures will have to be taken. An FDA Warning Letter is not legally binding, but if they continue to be ignored, they have grounds to take the company to court.

With herbal supplements, flavored waters, and supercharged energy drinks promoted as healthier alternatives, promising a great taste with added benefits of energy, daily vitamins and minerals, and the ability to still look cool and help your body, why wouldn’t carbonated beverage giants want to hop aboard? Everywhere you look from cereal and yogurt to toaster pastries and canned ravioli companies are adding “more vitamins and nutrients” to ensure a well-rounded meal, even if what you’re eating isn’t entirely healthy. With billions of gallons of soda consumed every year, it’s only natural for Coca-Cola to want a little piece of the hype, only next time they should be sure to double-check the fine print.

Coconut, Not Your Average Oil

2008-12-28T04:02:00.000-08:00

When I have a little time on my hands, whether I am feeling stressed or bored or just in need of a task, I bake. One of my favorite ingredients to use is coconut. The rich sweet flavor, the soft chewy texture if it’s inside a baked good, and especially the nutty toasted crunch after it’s been baked and sprinkled over cakes, ice creams, or just about anything else you can think of. There are a lot of varieties of coconut sold at stores: flaked, whole, shredded, flour (good for people with wheat flour allergies), raw, unsweetened, dried, milk, and the most unusual type which I have been hearing about recently: coconut oil.

Claiming to be a “miracle cure” everyone has seemed to be raving about it from a new diet to an unbeatable moisturizer, Jennifer Aniston has supposedly been known to swear by it as well as professional international sports teams for multiple aspects of the oil's promising effects. Coconut oil promises a lot, but is it enough to withstand the dangers to your diet?

According to the Coconut Research Center based in Colorado, scientists are aware of the saturated fat content but are also aware of the more substantial positives found in the oil, like fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Used for centuries in Asian and Pacific cultures, they call it the “Tree of Life” for its many remarkable uses. Both food and medicine, coconut oil goes beyond what Americans describe as “dietary oil,” used to prepare foods and for taste without all the calories, dietary oil is a type of oil used for its natural fatty acids and often marketed as a weight loss supplement.

The researchers from the Center urge us to take another look at coconut oil, beyond its dietary purposes. Around the world, traditional alternative medicines have been using this oil to treat a myriad of symptoms and conditions, “asthma, baldness, bronchitis, bruises, burns, colds, constipation, cramps from menstruation, dysentery, earache, fever, flu, gingivitis, gonorrhea, jaundice, kidney stones, lice, malnutrition, nausea, rash, scabies, skin infections, sore throat, swelling, syphilis, toothache, tuberculosis, tumors, typhoid, ulcers, upset stomach, and wounds,” among others. In Western medicine, however, studies have shown that scientists have had some luck in proving coconut (in certain forms) may be a healing substance in the lab.

The possibilities are endless, from killing bacteria and parasites, to boosting the immune system and the body’s energy, acting as an antioxidant, as well as having a lower cholesterol content than other oils, it seems science knows something we don’t. A new study recently conducted and presented by Drs. Gilda Sapphire Erguiza, from the Philippine Children's Medical Center and Daniel Rauch, from the New York University Langone Medical Center, found that children diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia healed faster while on normal antibiotics when also given a dose of coconut oil according to their weight, though researchers have more to investigate as to why this effect took place.

On the opposite side of the crowd, nutritionists and the health-conscious weigh in on why coconut oil shouldn’t be a part of a regular diet. Just look at the numbers: Coconut oil has a whopping 117 calories per tablespoon and with the artery-clogging qualities of a saturated fat to boot. Coconut oil on its own has 87 percent saturated fat compared to a juicy burger that contains merely 38 percent. With most American diets already high in fats and saturated fats, adding additional oil on top of all the rest probably won’t be good for your overall health.

The fatty acids in foods are measured in length that tells of the danger to our bodies: short, medium, and long. Most fatty acids we consume are of the long variety and essentially it takes our bodies longer to break them down and metabolize within our system. Most of the long-chain varieties are what we consume—98 to 100 percent—from plants and animals daily. Coconut oil is medium-chain or known as MCFA. Some nutritionists warn about the high saturated fat content of coconut oil but advise to use caution and think about what we are substituting it for within our diet in order to keep a balance and keep our heart in check.

Whatever your choice, for or against the “miracle cure” of coconut oil, remember that everything even supplements and natural remedies should be used in moderation no matter how healthy they may seem and to always consult a doctor before trying anything new so as to prevent future complications. I always knew I loved coconut, but I didn’t know it could be for more than just taste.

Beware of Unsafe Toys This Holiday Season

2008-12-23T06:27:00.000-08:00

With the holiday frenzy in full bloom, the "most wanted toys" creep their way into toy store windows, television commercials and onto little children’s wish lists. As the aunt of a 3-year-old girl, the “For Ages ___ +” should be the first thing I see before I spot the coveted Dora repeating things in Spanish or adorable Blue with his big floppy ears. Besides age-appropriate warnings, toy recalls due to overseas factory problems and toxic chemicals have been more prevalent and consumers everywhere should be aware.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) keeps track of every toy recalled, where it was manufactured, and what stores it was available in and the general hazard information of why each item is being recalled. Previous unsafe toys caused the CPSC to tighten their standards and since 1995 every toy imported into or made within the United States must comply with the CPSC safety codes.

As a parent—or in my case as an Auntie—there are many things to consider when shopping for your little loved ones. Fabrics on dolls and should be labeled as flame-resistant and stuffed animals should be washable. Toys containing paint should be lead-free and all art supplies should be nontoxic. Paint and crayons should have the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM D-4236) stamp of approval somewhere on the box.

Especially in our globally green-awareness environment, recycled toys may seem like a great idea. However, old toys like hand-me-downs from family and friends and those purchased from a secondhand store are cost effective but may be hazardous to your child’s health. Older, worn toys may not meet current codes of safety and might be vulnerable to paint chips, broken parts, weathered plastic and thinned out fabrics. In order to stay green and recycle-friendly you might want to look up organically made toys and products made out of wood that are safer for kids and will last longer than plastic, although the cost might be a little higher than average.

Noise should also be part of the decision-making process. Although noise makers are never a good option inducing headaches in many a family member and babysitter, some toys are generally too loud for your child’s hearing. Some children’s ears are more sensitive than others and mild to moderate beeps, songs and other sounds could be affecting the health of their ears. Some noises, although fine for adult ears, could sound like a car horn to some children and the noise level as well as the tolerance level should both be kept in mind during holiday shopping.

Every age has an appropriate toy and thankfully there are guidelines for each age group from babies through elementary school. Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers should have toys that are able to be slobbered on. Babies put everything they can grab into their mouths or noses and need to have toys that can be washed and chewed on (without parts that can break off) during those terrible teething months. Plug-in toys must be avoided to be careful with strangulation hazards, small pieces can be choked on, lodged inside a nose or ear, or can cut a child’s sensitive skin. Choke tubes are available as a size model if you want to make sure certain toys won’t be able to get stuck in your child’s windpipe.

When your child finally gets into school, besides trying to avoid the many germs, viruses, and lice floating around the schoolyard, you still have to think about the types of toys you buy them. Active equipment is always popular but make sure you also purchase the appropriate pads and helmets required (look for Snell or CPSC certification) so they can play right away on Christmas morning. Nets should be secure, darts, arrows, or guns should have soft edges or suction cup bases and not sharp points. Electrics should be marked with UL, the safety standard for appliances.

Whether it’s a talking or singing Elmo, a Leap Frog gaming system, or something as simple as a Slinky, make sure you and your child take care of toys with the proper assembly, regular maintenance and washing, and making sure to put them away after use to avoid accidents. The holiday season may only come once a year, but safety should be on your list year round

[Source : Healthnews]

Can Wealth Affect Our Children’s Brain Activity?

2008-12-18T05:40:00.000-08:00

Could children coming from middle and-lower class families have different brain activity than the children born to wealthier ones? We try and steer away from our children judging each other because of how much money their parents make, but is that possible?

A recent study conducted showed that children that come from a low-income background have less brain functionality than those of wealthier families. This difference was measured in the activity of the prefrontal lobe of 9 to 10-year-old kids. The prefrontal cortex is the part of our brain that is responsible for creativity and solving problems. The researchers from University of California, Berkeley, have reached a rather alarming conclusion: EEG images showed that the brain of the poor children resembled the brain of stroke victims.

The researchers selected a group of 26 kids ages 9 and 10 and half of them were from families with low incomes and the rest of the children were from families with high incomes. The children were given simple tasks such as watching a sequence of triangles that were projected on a screen. The children then pressed a button when a tilted triangle appeared on the screen. The researchers measured the children’s brain activity while they were engaged in the task using an electroencephalography (also referred to as an EEG). An EEG measures the electrical activity that is produced by the brain as it is recorded from electrodes that are placed on the scalp. This study found that the kids from lower socio-economic levels have brain psychology patterns that are similar to those seen in stroke victims.

The lead researcher, Mark Kishiyama, a cognitive psychologist at the University of California, Berkley, said, “It is a similar patter to what’s seen in patients with strokes that have led to lesions in their prefrontal cortex. It suggests that in these kids, prefrontal function is reduced or disrupted in some way. Our study is the first with direct measure of brain activity where there is no issue of task complexity.” Previous studies conducted suggested that poorer kids suffer from less brain stimulation; this will affect their ability to remember details, plan, and pay attention in school.

The researchers that were not involved in the study suggest that children need very intense interventions to be able to overcome this kind of difficulty. However, brain deficiencies can be reversed through programs such as focused games and lessons that encourage children to think out loud and use executive function.

Poverty and problems associated with it such as illiteracy, toxic environments, stress, and malnutrition are persistent and strong barriers to childhood development. Many studies have shown there are differences in language acquisition between children that are living in low to middle-income families. There is also low vaccination coverage among American children that are living in or near poverty is another problem. A recent study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that more than 2 million American kids have no health insurance because their parents cannot afford the coverage costs. Approximately 3 percent of American kids are uninsured with at least one or both parents being insured. This phenomenon is prevalent in families that have a low income, with parents earning between $25,000 and $75,000 annually for a family of four. We need to be providing additional efforts that are needed to expand health coverage.

Getting a Good Night’s Sleep Is More Important Than You Might Think

2008-12-18T05:38:00.001-08:00

Getting a good night’s sleep does so much more than simply affect the way you feel the next day. Lack of sleep leads to difficulties in completing tasks and lack of concentration, as well as interferes with sound decision-making, causing unsafe actions. In fact, sleep deprivation alone causes about 100,000 vehicle crashes annually, resulting in 1,500 deaths, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

Getting insufficient sleep can also make it difficult to get a healthy amount of exercise and can decrease benefits from hormones released during sleep that regulate proper growth and appetite. In addition, when your sleep is cut short, your body does not have the opportunity to compete the necessary phases required for muscle repair and memory consolidation.

Now, researchers at Stanford University have discovered that the peak of the immune system’s activity in the battle against invading bacteria occurs at night with the lowest point of activity going on during the daytime hours. While performing a study involving the fruit fly, researchers found that the particular immune response known as phagocytosis (a major mechanism used to remove germs and cell waste) fluctuates with the body’s internal clock (known as the circadian rhythm). In humans, immune responses such as phagocytosis clear bacterial infection and fight against a number of human diseases including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.

According to Stanford researcher Mimi-Shirasu-Hiza in a news release, “These results suggest that immunity is stronger at night, consistent with the hypothesis that circadian proteins upregulate restorative functions such as specific immune responses during sleep, when animals are not engaged in metabolically costly activities.” The findings were presented at the American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting in San Francisco.

Previous experiments have shown that bacterial infection throws off the insects' circadian rhythm, which made them highly susceptible to infection. During this study, researchers infected the flies with two different bacteria at various times of day and night. Flies infected at night were more likely to survive than those infected during the day. Researchers also identified low “phagocytic” activity (innate immune response) in flies with a damaged circadian clock.

Poor sleep habits can effect the health of teens—by leading to high blood pressure, stroke, kidney disease and other illnesses and according to a previous Health News article, routinely getting less than seven and a half hours of sleep can increase your risk for heart disease and stroke, especially when coupled with hypertension. Lack of sleep also effects hormone levels, the appearance of skin and hair, depression, heart health, cholesterol levels and even plays a role in obesity. A recent government study has shown a link between irregular sleep and big bellies.

Getting enough sleep means that you get the amount of sleep you need to not feel sleepy the next day. Most experts recommend an average of 7-9 hours per night in general, although some people function well with less while others need as much as ten. Sleep requirements change within life cycle. Newborns and infants need lots of sleep and naps are important to a toddler’s health. During adolescence, sleep patterns move to a later sleep-wake cycle, but 9 hours of sleep is still required. Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep although sleep patterns may change.

Low-Carb Diets May Impact Brain Function

2008-12-18T05:36:00.000-08:00

With obesity at epidemic proportions, people continue to look for ways to lose weight where minimal effort is required. Currently, there are over 135 diets being promoted across America, where an estimated $50 billion a year is spent on dieting. One of the most popular diets has been the Atkins Diet that became popular in the 1970s, fell into decline for a time only to return to prominence. The Atkins system virtually eliminates carbohydrates like pasta, bread, potatoes and even some fruits and vegetables, yet allows many of the foods that are considered fatty and unfit for dieting. And while the diet manages to have a high success rate at losing weight, there are a lot of possible negative consequences of such a lifestyle.

One of the side effects of the Atkins diet, as well as any no- to low-carbohydrate diet, is your body being in ketosis, the process of your body switching from using carbohydrates to using fats for energy, which can result in bad breath, weakness, nausea, dizziness, and insomnia. Another side effect is constipation, caused in part from the lack of high-fiber foods. Other side effects are more on the long-term spectrum, including the risk of heart disease, a chance of osteoporosis, colon cancer, kidney problems and premature aging. Now, researchers say there is yet another side effect of carb-restrictive diets—memory loss.

Researchers believe this may be due to the way our brains use glucose, which comes from breaking down carbohydrates. Glucose is needed in order to power our brain cells, and since they have no way of storing it, these cells rely on a continuous supply via the bloodstream. When carbohydrate intake is reduced, so is the body’s ability to keep the brain supplied with glucose, thus resulting in impaired cognition.

Professor Holly Taylor from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts led a recent study that monitored nineteen women between the ages of 22 and 55; nine of whom began an Atkins-style low-carb diet while ten chose a low-calorie diet as recommended by the American Dietetic Association that included plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The participants attended five assessment sessions designed to measure short- and long-term memory and attention; one just before starting their chosen diets, 2 and 3 during the first week of dieting and 4 and 5 during weeks 2 and 3 of the study. They were also asked questions about their mood and how hungry they felt.

Tests conducted after week one, when the low-carb dieters ate virtually no carbohydrates, showed the low-carb dieters performed worse on memory-based tasks than the group following the low-cal diet. Their reaction times were also slower and their visual-spatial memories were not as good as the low-cal group. However, they did perform better than the low-cal group in tests that measured attention and the ability to stay on task and their mental function appeared to return to normal after week one, when carbohydrates were reintroduced into their diets, which builds on previous study results showing short-term improvements in attention for people on high protein or high fat diets. Hunger levels remained consistent between the two groups, and the only difference in mood was seen in the low-calorie dieters who reported feeling more confused during the middle period of the study. “This study demonstrates that the food you eat can have an immediate impact on cognitive behavior. The popular low-carb, no-carb diets have the strongest potential for negative impact on thinking and cognition,” said Professor Taylor. “The brain needs glucose for energy and diets low in carbohydrates can be detrimental to learning, memory and thinking.”

However, Australian research scientist Grant D. Brinkworth, Ph.D., says these effects may be temporary, “just the body readjusting to an unfamiliar diet.” In a study published in 2007, Brinkworth and colleagues also conducted cognitive testing on dieters after they had been on either a low-carb or high-carb diet for eight weeks. In their test, the low-carb dieters showed slight impairments in cognitive processing speed, but no difference in working memory compared to the high-carb group. He calls for studies to examine the long-term impact these diets have on cognition.

Are You Genetically Hardwired for Extra Pounds?

2008-12-18T05:35:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wondered why you are heavier than your friend or colleague? Your weight could be in your genes. Six new gene variants have been discovered by researchers that are linked to a person’s genes and their brain, and how it controls their eating habits.

Based on research from two different studies, we now have new information that could help in the development of new drugs that would turn off impulses in the brain that initiates overeating. The two international studies both identified six of the same gene variants that have been determined to contribute to overeating and were recently published in Nature Genetics.

One of the international studies was led by deCode Genetics. They discovered seven gene variants that they have linked to weight. The second study, known as Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits or GIANT, identified six of the same seven gene variants. Based on the gene variants, the researchers feel that obesity may be linked more to the way we are wired or the genes that we inherit, than our surroundings. Dr Kari Stefansson, a researcher with deCODE Genetics said, "This suggests that as we work to develop better means of combating obesity, we need to focus on the regulation of appetite at least as much as on the metabolic factors of how the body uses and stores energy."

During both studies, researchers scrutinized thousands of individuals DNA to determine the impact tiny changes would make. They found that each newly identified gene variant had small incremental impacts on weight. Those subjects who carried all of the identified genes were between one and a half kilograms to two kilograms heavier than the average person. Researchers believe that the newly discovered genes do not affect the body’s ability to process fat, but cause carriers of the genes to overindulge. Dr. Eric Green with the Genome Institute said, "We know that environmental factors, such as diet, play a role in obesity, but this research further provides evidence that genetic variation plays a significant role in an individual's predisposition to obesity."

Previous studies involving families or twins have determined that genetics account for up to 70 percent of Body Mass Index or BMI variations, the ratio of height to weight, in the overall population. More than 1 billion adults around the world are overweight, according to the World Health Association, and this number continues to grow. Scientists plan to analyze the gene variants further and determine how they work, and to try and develop ways to target weight problems, which is the cause of many health issues.

Scientist believe these advances will lend direction for more effective treatments and interventions for weight problems and obesity, such as medications to regulate appetite for those who are predisposed to obesity. Scientist think there may be dozens more variants similar to those that have already been discovered. Joel Hirschhorn with the Harvard Medical School said, "As we uncover more variants, we will gain a better basic understanding of obesity, which in turn will open doors to previously unimagined areas of clinically relevant research."

Snoring Burns Extra Calories While You Sleep

2008-12-18T05:34:00.001-08:00

For those of us who snore, “saw logs,” “cut zzzs,” or do what is medically known as stertor, there may be a little more peace in knowing that you are actually burning more calories than those who rest quietly! Snoring is very common among adults and most predominate in men and people who are overweight.

Snoring noises may be soft or loud, raspy or harsh, as well as hoarse or fluttering. Your significant other may take notice of you sleeping with your mouth open and attest to your being restless while sleeping. Snoring can interfere with your or your bed partner's sleep, causing either or both of you to feel tired during the day.

Snoring occurs when something blocks the flow of air through your mouth and nose. Tissues at the top of your airway coming into contact with each other and vibrating are the cause of the noise. The intensity of snoring is known to increase with age. About 45 percent of adults snore occasionally, with 25 percent being considered habitual snorers. Many habitual snorers require medical assistance to get a good night's rest.

Heavy snoring can be a sign of a more serious problem, such as sleep apnea, a condition that has been linked to cardiovascular problems and high blood pressure. Sleep apnea is a disorder that can cause a person to temporarily stop breathing while at rest.

However, the trade off for those who suffer from sawing those logs is that researchers have discovered that people with the worst sleep apnea symptoms actually burn 373 more calories daily than those with either mild symptoms of the condition or those who suffer no symptoms at all. The researchers theorize that this may be due to changes in the nervous system that are triggered by the condition.

During a study to determine a possible link between weight gain and sleep apnea, scientists measured the number of calories burned “at rest” by 212 patients. All of the study participants suffered from sleep apnea or some other sleeping-related condition. However, not only was no association between obesity and apnea found by the study, but participants with severe apnea symptoms were found to have burned 1,999 calories compared to those with the mildest version having burned only 1,626 on average. The study was lead by Dr. Eric Kezirian, director of the division of sleep surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, who noted, “It's something of a silver lining.” The findings of the study were published in the journal Archives of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

According to Dr. Kezirian, although the general difference in energy expended isn’t vast, it may cumulatively help some patients lose weight. However, the downside is that the increase in metabolism that accompanies severe sleep apnea has side effects, such as high blood pressure as well as an increased risk of stroke and heart attack.

The catch here is that one of the major risk factors for snoring and the development of sleep apnea in the first place is obesity. The study authors write, “Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of sleep-disordered breathing, and changes in body weight are associated with changes in sleep-disordered breathing severity.” However, the authors also note that the cause of this is not known: “It is unclear whether weight gain is simply a cause of sleep-disordered breathing or whether sleep-disordered breathing may be associated with alterations in energy metabolism that, in turn, lead to weight gain and complicate the treatment of these two disorders that often coexist.”

Officials Seize Unapproved Drugs Labeled “Natural Supplements”

2008-12-17T22:27:00.001-08:00

In a press release on April 9th, the FDA announced that U.S. Marshals seized more than $100,000 of product labeled as “natural supplements” but which contain undeclared active ingredients found in prescription erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs. The products originated in China and are packaged and distributed by Shangai Distributors Inc. of Coamo, Puerto Rico. Consumers who use these products could experience serious side effects, as well as interactions with medications they are already taking.

The seizure includes more than 14,000 dosage units of Shangai Regular, Shangai Ultra, Super Shangai, Naturale Super Plus, and Lady Shangai marketed to treat (ED), impotency, and/or to provide sexual enhancement, in effect causing them to be classified as drugs and rendering their sale illegal without FDA approval.

Margaret O’K. Glavin, associate commissioner for regulatory affairs said, “The FDA will not tolerate companies marketing unapproved drugs —products that have not proven to be safe or effective—as dietary supplements. The agency will pursue necessary legal action to make sure companies and their executives manufacture and distribute safe drug products."

In November 2007, in response to a consumer complaint, the FDA conducted an inspection of Shangai Distributors Inc. Their investigation and subsequent testing revealed that the seized products contained sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, or a compound with a chemical structure that mimics sildenafil. These chemicals could interact with nitrates found in prescription drugs that are often taken by people with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease. The result could lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.

Erectile dysfunction is a common problem in men with the above medical conditions. Because they have been advised against taking ED drugs, they may seek out products like these that are marketed as “all natural” or as not containing the active ingredients in prescribed, FDA approved ED drugs. Neither sildenafil nor the analog of sildenafil is listed as an ingredient on the label of any of these Chinese made so-called supplements.

Additionally, because the manufacturing source of the active ingredients in these products is unknown, the safety, efficacy, and purity of these ingredients cannot be validated.

The company was advised of the FDA findings and the potential health risks posed by the seized products, as well as the possibility of regulatory action, but failed to correct the violations. On December 28th the FDA issued a press release advising consumers not to buy or use the products. And prior to the seizure, in an attempt to protect the citizens of Puerto Rico and to support the FDA’s enforcement actions, the Puerto Rico Department of Health embargoed the seized products.

The FDA continues to advise consumers to discontinue use of these products and to report any adverse events to their health care provider as well as to FDA’s MedWatch Program at 800-FDA-1088 or online here.

Cancer Fatigue: Can Ginseng Help?

2008-12-17T22:25:00.000-08:00

Fatigue can be a debilitating symptom of cancer, and a common side effect of its treatment. Many cancer patients going through treatment experience extreme tiredness, exhaustion, and weakness, often severe enough to adversely affect the quality of their life. Rather than add another prescription to the daily dosages, ginseng may be a natural alternative that is more palatable to patients.

Ginseng, an aromatic herb, has been used in Chinese medicine for several thousand years to restore energy. It is classified as an adaptogenic herb with multiple effects, many of which are regulatory in nature. The root contains a complex mixture of saponin glycosides (ginsenosides), and even though the mechanism of action is unclear, this agent is reported to enhance the immune system and reduce fatigue.

Researcher Debra Barton, Ph.D., an associate professor of oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., notes that 90 percent or more of cancer patients suffer extreme lethargy and low energy levels throughout their treatment. Dr. Barton conducted tests on the Wisconsin species of American ginseng, all derived from a single crop, to confirm a uniform concentration of ginsenosides, the active compounds thought to offer health benefits. (Note: Wisconsin ginseng is different from other forms of American ginseng sold in health food stores, and is only available through the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin, which monitors quality control.)

The research was based on a study of 282 people who had breast, colon, or other types of cancers. After eight weeks of randomly assigned doses of ginseng (ranging from 750 to 2000 milligrams per day), 25 percent of those on the two highest doses reported their fatigue was moderately to much better. They also reported improvements in their mental, physical, and emotional well-being, while only 10 percent on the lowest dosage or a placebo reported any improvement in their energy level or general feeling of wellness.

While this is a small test, with a particular type of ginseng, it is prompting a larger study, to be conducted in 2008. Confirming the positive effects that ginseng has on fatigue and mental and physical well being would be immensely beneficial and educational to the traditional medical establishment. Currently, doctors recommend a regimen of exercise to combat fatigue, and many cancer patients are grasping for hope, and self-medicating with a variety of alternative therapies.

Black Pepper Is Nothing to Sneeze At

2008-12-17T10:51:00.001-08:00

Peppercorns are a common spice that have been around since most grains of sand. So important in one century, tiny little peppercorns were used as currency and were traded like spicy jewels. In the Middle Ages, pepper was used primarily to cover the taste of rotten meat, as fresh meat was hard to come by. In certain food circles and in seventeenth-century France, pepper is considered the only spice that didn’t overpower foods. New studies have suggested that seasoning your plate with pepper may add more than flavor to your palate.

All televised cooking shows, printed cookbooks, and cooking classes, will provide you with the best piece of advice you will ever get when adding spice to your foods: salt and pepper. Salt and pepper are the two mainstays to savory dishes and some sweet treats even have pepper lurking in the mix. A new study says that the easiest and most cost-effective way to bring out the flavor in your cuisine may be boosting your health in unimaginable ways.

There are many different kinds of peppercorns: black, green, white, and pink, which all serve different purposes in kitchens across the world. Black pepper or Piper nigrum, is a vine of the family Piperaceae that flowers into a fruit and is dried, harvested, and sold as peppercorns. Long used as an Ayurvedic medicine, an Indian book of medicine dating back to the fifth century cites pepper as a healing agent for a variety of illnesses: earache, liver problems, lung disease, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, tooth decay, and even sunburn.

Piperine, the major alkaloid contained in black pepper, seems to be the main jumpstart to your overall health by making the nutrients in foods more available to the body’s resources. Piperine helps induce the enzymes throughout the body, resulting in better nutrients entering and dispersing as needed in the bloodstream. By stripping down cells to their best possible components, the compound piperine inhibits metabolism of nutritional substances.

Piperine simulates the enzymes of the pancreas that breakdown proteins as part of the body’s digestive system, enhancing the capacity for digestion and reducing the food timeline inside the body. Besides helping the digestive track, piperine helps increase endorphins in the brain producing joy and acting as a natural anti-depressant, decreasing stomach ulcers, increasing brain functions and stopping pain and asthma symptoms. Piperine is even said to be highly effective in fighting cancers of the colon.

A recent study published over the summer in Clinical Laboratory Science reported findings on compounds from red grapes, black pepper, and cinnamon in order to see the effects on colon cancer. Research concluded all three components give off significant anti-multiplication of cultivated human cells of colon cancer. The results of another study on anti-depression published in September by the journal Psychopharmacology, showed that curcumin—natural ingredient found in the spice tumeric—taken in conjunction with piperine can act as a potent depression-killer.

There are some people who stay far away from the pepper grinder on the table because of the spicy taste or the texture or the possibility of sneezing, but then there are some who—due to allergies or certain food restrictions—are unable to consume little flakes of pepper on their food. For those who are physically unable to digest or stand the taste of pepper, piperine can be found in a supplement called Bioperine, and there are a variety of vitamins that contain it as well as curcumin for added benefits. Recommendations are to take those supplements alongside meals for the maximum effects.

With all this emerging research, it seems that for health reasons everyone should be picking up the pros of pepper either in pill form, the mill, shaker, or saying yes to the waiter at the restaurant from time to time and spread a little spice by sprucing up their health.

Take Some Oregano and Call Me in the Morning

2008-12-17T10:50:00.000-08:00

For the Greeks, it means “joy of the mountain,” and the herb has long been a favorite in cultures along the Mediterranean. While its potent smell and taste lingers long after a meal, oregano may be the key to living a longer life. Research suggests that oil of oregano, an extract made from one of two plants, the origanum vulgare, or the thymus capitatus variety from Spain, and can be used as an antibiotic to prevent many illnesses in humans.

If you pluck a bottle of dried oregano off of a supermarket shelf it will probably carry little to no healing properties because it isn’t derived from one of the two healing wild oregano plants. Oil of oregano is derived from the wild oregano plant—a member of the mint family—that grows naturally in the less-pollution-filled mountains of the Mediterranean region and is usually bottled mixed with olive or coconut oil because of its potency. Oil of oregano has been shown to kill parasites and viruses, bacteria, and some types of fungus, as well as being an antihistamine. Oil of oregano has been used for centuries to treat infections and it might be a savior for sufferers of colitis, an inflammation in the gastrointestinal system.

The lead ingredient in oregano oil is carvacrol, a strong antimicrobial used to preserve food and protect against mold and other common bacteria, making it the largest healing agent of the oil. Thymol is the second most active ingredient important as a fungicide and is the leading bad-breath killing agent in the popular mouthwash Listerine, capable of preventing tissue deterioration and promoting growth. The rest of the ingredients provide more antibacterial support, prevent the damage caused by free radicals, act as allergen-blockers, and inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Oil of oregano also contains calcium, zinc, boron, vitamins A, C, and E, potassium and iron among others. No wonder it has been able to generate new liver cell growth in rodents.

Published in Experimental and Toxicologic Pathology, researchers used oil of oregano to produce positive results against colitis. Rats were induced with colitis and then given oil of oregano and compared against a control group. The oil group showed less colitis ulcers, abscesses, and edema. A few other, smaller studies have proved oil of oregano to positively decrease inflammation from colitis, mortality rate among the rodents, and tissue damage as well as helping to regenerate the livers of rats.

Besides being used as a research tool for a possible cancer-prevention medicine down the line, oil of oregano could be a household cure-all for a variety of ailments. Dr. Cass Ingram wrote a book called The Cure is in the Cupboard: How to Use Oregano for Better Health about his life-saving encounter with oil of oregano. The super oil, he claims, is helpful in calming or healing over 170 different bodily conditions. Anything from athlete’s foot to worms, diarrhea to diaper rash, a bee sting to being short of breath, oil of oregano can help.

Before you go online or to your local herb store, make sure you do your research. Make sure the oil of oregano is from one of the two wild varieties mentioned above, and that the carvacrol content is at least 70 percent. Oil of oregano is sold in liquid form or as a capsule/tablet. The 1oz “super strength” bottle of the popular brand name Oregonol that boasts 70 to 75 percent of the needed carvacrol mixed with olive oil is sold online for 69 dollars (regular strength .45oz sells for 29 dollars and a bottle of 60 gel caps with 6 drops inside each also sells for 29 dollars).

It is important to note that oil of oregano is not recommended for anyone allergic to oregano, thyme, basil, mint, sage, or anyone who might be sensitive to its smell or taste because the same family of plants could yield the same negative results like a rash or vomiting. Oil of oregano can also reduce iron intake within the body and it is advised to also take iron supplements along with a dosage but because of this fact, pregnant women are not to take oil of oregano on a regular basis.

Although this nature oil sounds heavenly, its price tag can bring you back down to earth, so if you choose this alternative method, choose carefully and always read the instructions and consult your doctor if a complication arises or if you have questions.

Bowel Cleansing Drugs Earn Strongest FDA Label Warning

2008-12-17T10:43:00.001-08:00

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there have been more than 20 reports of a deadly form of kidney failure among patients who have consumed the bowel-cleansing oral phosphate drugs known as Visicol and OsmoPrep, both manufactured by Salix Pharmaceuticals. The drugs can cause dehydration as well as high levels of phosphate in the kidneys, which can produce damaging crystals in the organ.

In light of the situation, the FDA is now requiring the addition of the most severe safety warnings applicable to drugs to appear on labels of these medicines. Black box warnings will appear on these cleansing drugs, which are used to clear the colon prior to colonoscopy procedures. The new box label warning will state that these drugs should be used with caution in patients who suffer from dehydration or kidney disease, those who take medications that affect the kidneys, and in patients over the age of 55. Additionally, the company must also conduct a follow-up study to determine what types of patients are most susceptible to kidney damage.

The FDA also expressed concern regarding the risks that may be associated with over-the-counter bowel cleansers, such as the C.B. Fleet Company Incorporated product known as Fleet Phospho-soda. The agency said that although many over-the-counter phosphate products are designed to treat constipation, patients use them at higher doses to clear the colon. In a statement, the FDA pointed out, “When used for bowel cleansing, these products have the same risks as prescription drugs.” Therefore, regulators have advised consumers not to use any of these over-the-counter products for bowel cleansing purposes. Although boxed warnings are not used for nonprescription drugs, officials hope to implement updated labeling on over-the-counter phosphate drugs by spring of 2009.

Charles Ganley, head official of the FDA’s office of non-prescription drugs explained “There are many people who use these and use them fine, but there are people who are developing severe kidney injury, and it's important we try and identify who is at risk.” FDA officials noted that some patients are not properly following instructions that state for patients to drink up to half a gallon of water when taking the drugs.

According to Dr. Joyce Korvick, director of FDA's digestive products, “The question is one of getting people to drink enough fluids.” Dr. Korvick says that some patients taking the pills feel perhaps that you don't need to drink as much as you really do to avoid these side effects. In addition, she held that although kidney damage can occur within days or weeks of using the drugs, other symptoms including lethargy, drowsiness and swelling might not develop until much later.

In some of the injury cases, patients having no pre-existing health factors putting them at risk for developing kidney injury experienced serious adverse effects. However, officials said that some of the patients may have been dehydrated prior to ingesting the colon cleansing drugs or did not drink sufficient fluids after ingestion.

In addition to Salix Pharmaceuticals, a number of companies manufacture polyethylene glycol solution bowel cleansers. Among these are GoLytely from Braintree Laboratories Colyte made by Schwarz Pharma.

This is not the FDA’s first warning regarding potential kidney risks with use of these drugs. The agency warned initially alerted doctors and patients back in 2006. In September of this year, a petition was submitted to the FDA for regulators to require a boxed warning on the drugs.

Having regular colonoscopies is recommended for anyone over the age of 50 as well as for people with a higher than average risk of developing colon cancer. The procedure is done under sedation and involves threading a tiny camera through the rectum and into the colon in order to search for pre-cancerous growths that can be

Drug-Related Hospital ER Visits on the Rise

2008-12-17T10:42:00.001-08:00

The United States health care system admittedly has its challenges—quite a few of them, in fact. But one that is often overlooked is the impact that drug-related illnesses and emergencies have on the system, specifically hospitals and the emergency room services they provide. While substance abuse, which includes not only illegal drugs but misused prescribed and over-the-counter medications as well, is a topic that is discussed in the scope of assistance for overcoming addictions, the harmful effects of substance abuse on the health care system is much greater than many are willing to discuss.

One organization that puts forth great efforts to compile such information so as to note its impact and importance is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). While the agency’s mission is on “building resilience and facilitating recovery for people with or at risk for mental or substance use disorders,” the data that comes from its annual Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) reports is vital in seeing the scope of the problem, its growth in recent years, and its impact on the health care system in America.

SAMHSA’s data is collected according to the Public Health Service Act and uses a national sample of general, non-federal hospitals that operate 24-hour emergency departments. For records pertaining to the calendar year 2006, a total of 205 hospitals in selected metropolitan areas submitted the information that was used for estimation purposes.

Drugs included, and recorded separately except in cases where multiple drugs were implicated, were illegal drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and Ecstasy; prescription drugs, such as Prozac, Vicodin, OxyContin, alprazolam, and methylphenidate; over-the-counter medications, such as aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and cough and cold remedies; dietary supplements, such as vitamins, herbs, and nutritional products; psychoactive drugs and nonpharmaceutical inhalants; alcohol in combination with other drugs; and alcohol alone in patients under the age of 21.

The latest DAWN report has been released, and in it was some startling data about the number of drug-related emergency room visits and the increase percentages in certain cases from previous years. Taken from a sample of hospital emergency departments from across the United States, there were 1,742,887 visits to emergency rooms in 2006, all of which were related to some form of substance abuse or misuse. And as to the misuse of pharmaceuticals alone, not mixed with any type of illicit drugs or alcohol, the numbers increased 44% from 2004. Those are numbers that should open eyes from the general public to the health community.

The specifics of the abuse cases coming through emergency room doors are broken down by particular substances. The number of ER visits in 2006 relating to cocaine was 548,608, to marijuana was 290,563, to heroin was 189,780, and to stimulants—amphetamines and methamphetamines—was 107,575. Persons under the age of 21 made 126,704 visits to hospitals on an emergency basis due to alcohol. By percentages, the 1,742,887 visits were broken down as follows:

* 31 percent - illicit drugs only
* 28 percent - pharmaceuticals only
* 13 percent - illicit drugs with alcohol
* 10 percent - alcohol with pharmaceuticals
* 8 percent - illicit drugs with pharmaceuticals
* 7 percent - alcohol in patients under 21
* 3 percent - illicit drugs with pharmaceuticals and alcohol

Other interesting statistics that emerged from the 2006 DAWN report were more specific. For example, there were men than women reporting to emergency room for incidents involving illegal drugs. Most patients in ER’s for cocaine were in the age range of 18 to 54, for heroin were 21 to 54, for marijuana were 18 to 24, and for stimulants were 18 to 44.

Regarding persons under 21 in emergency rooms for alcohol-related issues, there were 105,675 between the ages of 18 and 20, and there were 76,760 between the ages of 12 and 17. Two-thirds of the entire number involved alcohol alone.

Another type of emergency room visit of note in the study was for drug-related suicide attempts, of which there were 182,805. Close to two-thirds of that number involved the combination of multiple drugs, and more than half included psychotherapeutic agents, such as benzodiazepines and antidepressants. The highest percentage, however, at 92 percent, involved pharmaceuticals. Nearly one-third involved alcohol in combination with another drug, and 23 percent involved an illicit drug.

Another significant number of ER patients were seeking detoxification or treatment services of some sort and felt the emergency room was the best—or most available—resource. There were 118,355 drug-related visits of this sort in 2006, with 65 percent of that number attempting to get help for multiple drug addictions. Nearly half sought help or detox from cocaine, 29 percent from heroin, 19 percent from marijuana, and 7 percent from methamphetamine stimulants. And approximately 40 percent of those in need of assistance involved alcohol.

The DAWN report does not draw any conclusions from the statistics, but it is safe to say that more education about drugs—illicit or not—is needed in many communities, specifically regarding limits, the mixing of various drugs, and safe levels of ingestion. In addition, more resources made available for those with suicidal tendencies or in need of mental or addiction help should be a priority on a local level across the country. When emergency room efforts need to be focusing on diseases, accidents, and other life-or-death situations, a decrease in the number of drug-related patients would help those departments better manage the oft-overload of patients to be attended to.

More in-depth studies relating to gender, race, ethnicity, age, and residence would need to be conducted in conjunction with the DAWN report to determine the best course(s) of action to rectify the problem and begin decreasing those numbers.

Sugar Addiction: Do You Need a 12-Step Program?

2008-12-17T10:40:00.001-08:00

Craving sweets on a regular basis? If so, you may just have an addiction. Whether your yen is for chocolate, cake, cookies, or even sweet tea you could be addicted to sugar. Some are comparing the tendencies of sugar addicts to those of a drug addict. Does it warrant a 12-step program? Probably not, but consumers should be aware of the issue, if for nothing else than the amount of calories consumed.

There are some people who crave sweets on a daily basis and get their fix with a cookie or a slice of cake, others only get a sweet craving a few times a month but aren’t satisfied until the entire box of Oreos are gone. It seems, based on recent research, no matter which group you fall into, if you frequently crave sweets you may have a sugar addiction and it could affect your brain. Sugar and sweeteners seems to start chemical changes in the brain, as seen in addicts who use drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

Researchers with the University of Princeton recently revealed their research, where the team observed rats who were allowed to binge eat on sugar water and then restricted from food during their sleep time and for four hours after waking, over a three- to four-week period. Lead researcher Bart Hoebel, a professor of psychology at Princeton said that as a result, the rats quickly ate food and drank a lot of sugar water, which is considered binge eating. Cravings and relapse are critical components of addiction and the new study was able to demonstrate these behaviors in the sugar and binge eating rats. For this research, the rats were bingeing on a 10 percent sucrose solution, which is similar to a soft drink.

Hoebel said, “Our evidence from an animal model suggests that bingeing on sugar can act in the brain in ways very similar to drugs of abuse." A surge of dopamine in the rats brains were provoked when they binged on sugar. When the rats’ sugar supply was removed, the dopamine brain levels dropped and they exuded signs of withdrawal with their anxiousness or anxiety, such as their teeth chattered and them staying in their small tunnels rather than venturing out to explore their maze. Drugs of abuse release or increase the levels of dopamine in the same part of the brain as did the sugar water, Hoebel said.

Many people probably remember those days after a diet when all you wanted was what you haven’t been able to eat, and a lot of it. Hoebel said, “In this case, abstinence makes the heart grow fonder.” Everyone is different and not everyone craves sweets. Just like, not everyone has the tendency to venture down the path of drug abuse, alcoholism, or smoking. Each addiction has its own treatment. Dr. Louis Aronne, the director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, says to fight sugar addiction, start your day by eating protein and vegetables in the morning, because if you start your day eating starch and sweets it could lead you to crave them all day.

Daschle Chosen by Obama to Lead Health Care Reform

2008-12-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, December 11th, President-elect Barack Obama announced that he would be nominating former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle for Secretary of Health and Human Services, as well as the director of the White House office of health reform. Weeks after Obama officially asked Daschle, the senator who long fought for improvements of health care in America, joined in the announcement and looks to take on that role in the new administration.

Daschle has 26 years of experience in Congress on behalf of South Dakota, working as both a member of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and serving as the leader of the Senate Democrats for 10 of those years. His efforts on behalf of the health care system span most of those years, and his time on the governing board of the Mayo Clinic attest to his dedication to the issue as well.

He has worked to extend health insurance to more Americans, especially with the growing numbers of uninsured having grown over the years to the current estimate of 47 million, and to improve the quality of care for patients, especially in rural areas. He played an integral role in pushing the Clintons’ health care reform ideas during that administration and worked closely with Senator Ted Kennedy to advocate reforms.

Daschle’s 2008 book, Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis, proposed numerous reforms, many of which coincided with ideas advocated by Obama during his presidential campaign. The main thrust of the book concentrated on the fact that the many players in the health care system, from doctors to insurance companies and researchers to patient advocates, must work together to create a solution, and that a health board similar to the Federal Reserve Board would create the accountability and influence necessary but maintain a single standard of care that is desperately needed.

Less than a week before Obama made the official announcement of Daschle’s assignment in his new administration, Daschle spoke in Denver to the Colorado Health Summit about his role on Obama’s Transition Health Policy Team. He spoke of the hope of health care reform that is a “strong and focused” commitment of Obama, and the importance of reform in the midst of the current economic crisis in which Americans cannot keep up with ever-increasing health care costs, noting that half of all bankruptcies and half of home foreclosures are related to medical costs.

“The goal,” Daschle stated, “must be to build a high performance health care system providing every American with higher quality, greater access, and lower costs… But before we define the solution, I think it’s important that we define the problem.”

Those problems, according to Daschle, are broken down into three categories, the first of which is cost, including taxes, premiums, and out-of-pocket expenses. With the total of those three exceeding $7,500 for every person in America, a number that is expected to double by the year 2015, it gives the U.S. the distinction of being the most expensive country in the world by a margin of more than 40 percent.

The second category is access, which is accentuated by the fact that 47 million people in America have no health insurance whatsoever, and more than 40 percent are underinsured. That problem becomes that of every American, even the fully insured, as costs rise when the uninsured or underinsured must be treated.

And the third category of the health care problem, as noted by Daschle, is quality. Citing a number from the Congressional budget office that estimated more one-third (700 billion dollars) of the 2 trillion dollars spent annually on health care could be unnecessary due to medical facilities that remain outdated, outrageous costs attributed to administration of health care due to excessive paperwork, and the lack of transparency in many facets of the system.

Daschle then went on to outline the solutions that Obama proposed for dealing with those problems, starting with building a framework combining the public and private sectors to make the system an affordable one for everyone, and included in that system must be a technologically updated administrative system. In addition, chronic care management must take priority, as it currently and inefficiently absorbs 75 percent of health care funds. Payment reform must start with moving away from its basis on volume in order to be based rightly on value. And lastly, financial assistance must be provided for those 47 million Americans who are unable to afford participation in the health care system.

When Obama announced Daschle as his point person for health care in the new administration, he noted that Daschle will be the “lead architect” of that plan, indicating that the two politicians have discussed health care reform at length and share many of the same goals for implementing such reform. The additional appointment of Dr. Jeanne Lambrew as the deputy directory to Daschle attached a broader range of expertise to the reform crew, as Lambrew served on a senior level of the Office of Management and Budget as well as the National Economic Council. She also led the effort to create the Children’s Health Insurance program and has been nationally recognized for her work and research on Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care, and uninsured Americans.

“It’s hard to overstate the urgency of this work,” Obama noted in his press conference… The time has come this year in this new administration to modernize our health care system for the 21st century, to reduce costs for families and businesses, and to finally provide affordable, accessible health care for every single American… Now, some may ask how at this moment of economic challenge we can afford to invest in reforming our health care system. And I ask a different question. I ask: how can we afford not to?”

His appointments of Daschle and Lambrew to the key positions on his health care team are a sign of the importance that Obama places on the subject and the need to have experienced and respected individuals leading that team.

Subsequent to the press conference, a statement was released by Mike Leavitt, current Secretary of Health and Human Services, in which he stated, “I have high regard for Senator Daschle. His leadership experience, familiarity with Washington, and interest in health care will serve him well as Secretary.”

And with a promise to work toward a smooth transition from the current to the new administration from Leavitt as well as Daschle, the burden is on the new leadership of HHS, with Daschle at the helm, to work toward the actuality of the many plans of the Obama campaign. The tasks outlined by Obama and Daschle are not free of challenges by any means, so it will require dedication and very hard work to truly reform the health care system of the United States.

Can Wealth Affect Our Children’s Brain Activity?

2008-12-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

Getting a Good Night’s Sleep Is More Important Than You Might Think

2008-12-17T10:36:00.001-08:00

Low-Carb Diets May Impact Brain Function

2008-12-17T10:35:00.001-08:00

ith obesity at epidemic proportions, people continue to look for ways to lose weight where minimal effort is required. Currently, there are over 135 diets being promoted across America, where an estimated $50 billion a year is spent on dieting. One of the most popular diets has been the Atkins Diet that became popular in the 1970s, fell into decline for a time only to return to prominence. The Atkins system virtually eliminates carbohydrates like pasta, bread, potatoes and even some fruits and vegetables, yet allows many of the foods that are considered fatty and unfit for dieting. And while the diet manages to have a high success rate at losing weight, there are a lot of possible negative consequences of such a lifestyle.

One of the side effects of the Atkins diet, as well as any no- to low-carbohydrate diet, is your body being in ketosis, the process of your body switching from using carbohydrates to using fats for energy, which can result in bad breath, weakness, nausea, dizziness, and insomnia. Another side effect is constipation, caused in part from the lack of high-fiber foods. Other side effects are more on the long-term spectrum, including the risk of heart disease, a chance of osteoporosis, colon cancer, kidney problems and premature aging. Now, researchers say there is yet another side effect of carb-restrictive diets—memory loss.

Researchers believe this may be due to the way our brains use glucose, which comes from breaking down carbohydrates. Glucose is needed in order to power our brain cells, and since they have no way of storing it, these cells rely on a continuous supply via the bloodstream. When carbohydrate intake is reduced, so is the body’s ability to keep the brain supplied with glucose, thus resulting in impaired cognition.

Professor Holly Taylor from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts led a recent study that monitored nineteen women between the ages of 22 and 55; nine of whom began an Atkins-style low-carb diet while ten chose a low-calorie diet as recommended by the American Dietetic Association that included plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The participants attended five assessment sessions designed to measure short- and long-term memory and attention; one just before starting their chosen diets, 2 and 3 during the first week of dieting and 4 and 5 during weeks 2 and 3 of the study. They were also asked questions about their mood and how hungry they felt.

Tests conducted after week one, when the low-carb dieters ate virtually no carbohydrates, showed the low-carb dieters performed worse on memory-based tasks than the group following the low-cal diet. Their reaction times were also slower and their visual-spatial memories were not as good as the low-cal group. However, they did perform better than the low-cal group in tests that measured attention and the ability to stay on task and their mental function appeared to return to normal after week one, when carbohydrates were reintroduced into their diets, which builds on previous study results showing short-term improvements in attention for people on high protein or high fat diets. Hunger levels remained consistent between the two groups, and the only difference in mood was seen in the low-calorie dieters who reported feeling more confused during the middle period of the study. “This study demonstrates that the food you eat can have an immediate impact on cognitive behavior. The popular low-carb, no-carb diets have the strongest potential for negative impact on thinking and cognition,” said Professor Taylor. “The brain needs glucose for energy and diets low in carbohydrates can be detrimental to learning, memory and thinking.”

However, Australian research scientist Grant D. Brinkworth, Ph.D., says these effects may be temporary, “just the body readjusting to an unfamiliar diet.” In a study published in 2007, Brinkworth and colleagues also conducted cognitive testing on dieters after they had been on either a low-carb or high-carb diet for eight weeks. In their test, the low-carb dieters showed slight impairments in cognitive processing speed, but no difference in working memory compared to the high-carb group. He calls for studies to examine the long-term impact these diets have on cognition.

Taylor’s study is published in the February 2009 issue of the journal Appetite, but is already available for viewing online.

Sugar Addiction: Do You Need a 12-Step Program?

2008-12-15T12:47:00.001-08:00

Tryptophan: An Essential Amino Acid

2008-12-04T00:19:00.000-08:00

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. It is a two-step process in which amino acids gather and form peptides or polypeptides. From these groupings, proteins are made. A total of 20 different kinds of amino acids form proteins.

One of the best known amino acids is Tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid, meaning it cannot be synthesized by the body and must be ingested through food. Tryptophan is necessary for normal growth in infants and for nitrogen balance in adults. The body also uses tryptophan to help make:

• Niacin (vitamin B3): essential for normal gastrointestinal and nerve processes
• Serotonin: involved in controlling moods and appetite
• Melatonin: important in regulating sleep

In order for tryptophan to be changed into niacin, there needs to be enough B-6, riboflavin, and iron in the body. Niacin, in turn, helps the body produce serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that acts as a calming agent in the brain and plays a key role in sleep.

Because of its conversion into serotonin, tryptophan is well known for its antidepressant effects. Tryptophan actually increases the amount of serotonin in the blood, unlike antidepressant drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) which only preserve the amounts of serotonin already in circulation.

Recent studies have shown that individuals who are extremely overweight have chronically low levels of tryptophan. Blood levels of tryptophan are also known to fall during intense dieting. This resulting serotonin imbalance may be a contributing factor to eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa.

Study results also show that raising tryptophan levels in the body may decrease appetite, especially for sugars and starchy foods such as bread (carbohydrates). Consuming carbohydrates is known to increase serotonin levels, which in turn makes most people feel less depressed. Therefore, substituting tryptophan for carbohydrates may reduce depressed feelings and help to control the over consumption of these “comfort foods”.

Tryptophan is also involved in the regulation of sleep. Human clinical trials have shown that low levels of tryptophan contribute to insomnia. Consequently, increasing tryptophan may help to normalize sleep patterns. It is important to note, however, that higher than usual levels of tryptophan in the blood have been associated with conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome. It is unclear whether the high tryptophan levels cause the condition or result from it. More studies are underway to better understand the role tryptophan plays in both depression and sleep disorders.

Foods which can provide an ample amount of tryptophan are:

• Chicken and turkey
• Milk and cheese
• Eggs
• Fish
• Soy
• Tofu
• Pumpkin and sesame seeds
• Peanuts and peanut butter

While turkey does have the making of a natural sedative, it is unlikely that the “calm, want a nap” feeling you have on Thanksgiving Day can be blamed on turkey alone. Nutritionists say that tryptophan actually works best on an empty stomach and only a portion of the tryptophan from the turkey actually makes it to the brain to help produce serotonin. It is, in reality, a combination of the type of food, amount of food, and celebratory atmosphere of Thanksgiving Day that gives you that comfortable feeling.

In 1990, tryptophan supplements were banned because of an outbreak of eosinophilia-myalgia, a syndrome that causes muscle pain and even death. However, the FDA said that contaminated tryptophan supplements caused the outbreak and is was thought to have been limited to products made by only one manufacturer, and the ban was soon lifted.

Certain side effects have been associated with oral supplemental tryptophan such as blurry vision, drowsiness, dry mouth, headaches, and nausea.

Also keep in mind that when tryptophan is used with prescription drugs that promote sleepiness, the effects of the drug may be exaggerated, resulting in sedation or mental impairment.

Methionine: An Essential Sulfur-Containing Amino Acid

2008-12-04T00:18:00.001-08:00

Amino acids are essential to human metabolism, and to making the human body function properly for good health. The human body, minus water, is 75 percent amino acids. All of the neurotransmitters, save one, are composed of amino acids and 95 percent of hormones are amino acids.

Methionine (ME (TH) + THION + INE) is an essential amino acid, defined as one that can be obtained only through food. Methionine is the body’s primary source of sulfur. The body uses sulfur to influence hair follicles and promote healthy hair, skin, and nail growth. Sulfur increases the production of lecithin in the liver, which reduces cholesterol, reduces liver fat, protects the kidneys, reduces bladder irritation by regulating the formation of ammonia in the urine, and helps the body to excrete heavy metals.

Methionine is used to treat acetaminophen poisoning to prevent liver damage. It can be given orally or intravenously. Preparations containing both methionine and acetaminophen have been formulated for use in situations where overdose could occur.

Low levels of methionine in pregnant women have shown to increase the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) in the fetus. These defects are caused by the failure of the neural tube to close properly during the formation of the central nervous system in the developing embryo. Mothers who have an adequate intake of methionine during the period from three months prior to conception through the first trimester of pregnancy significantly lower their risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect.

Methionine may improve memory recall in persons with AIDS-related nervous system degeneration which causes symptoms including dementia.

Since 2002, cancer researchers have been studying the role of methionine in a special diet for patients diagnosed with colon cancer.

Methionine is also used by the body to manufacture SAMe, also known as S-adenosyl-methionine or S-adenosyl-L-methionine. SAMe is found in every cell in the body. SAMe has been shown to be effective as a treatment for osteoarthritis and associated joint pain, stiffness, and inflammation.

SAMe has been shown to be beneficial for most types of depression. Many studies have shown SAMe to be as effective as other antidepressant drugs, working more quickly with fewer side effects. In Europe, SAMe is prescribed more often than any other type of antidepressant.

SAMe improves and normalizes liver function. In Europe, SAMe is used in the treatment of cirrhosis and liver damage caused by alcohol.

SAMe has been shown to be effective in the treatment of fibromyalgia, AIDS-related myelopathy, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults.

SAMe also assists the body in producing a wide range of compounds, including neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, as well as cartilage components such as glycosaminoglycans.

SAMe is manufactured within the body and is found in almost every tissue, but it can also be made synthetically.

Methionine can be found in meat, as well as fish, eggs, and dairy products. For vegetarians, grains and soya beans are a good source, but beans belonging to the legumes are not. Natural and synthetic methionine is also available in supplements, as well as those containing SAMe, in either capsule, tablet or powder form.

Requirements of methionine vary according to a person’s body weight, but most average-size adults need approximately 800-1,000 mg per day. Children need twice that amount, and infants require five times that amount.

Methionine supplements are often recommended by alternative medical practitioners, especially for those who are not getting a proper diet, such as vegetarians who might not be getting a balance of complete protein, athletes, people under severe stress, and anyone whose alcohol intake level is moderate to high.

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should talk to their doctors before using any kind of supplement. Women who are healthy and eat a well-balanced diet should not require methionine supplementation during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

There are no known drug interactions associated with methionine, and although there appears to be no toxic dosage of this amino acid, it may cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, and irritability.

Does Your Vitamin C Supplement Deliver as Promised?

2008-12-03T12:17:00.001-08:00

Vitamin C is an essential water-soluble vitamin that provides a myriad of benefits. It helps the body produce collagen, aids iron absorption, acts as an antioxidant, may protect the body and boost the immune system when under stress and may help maintain the effectiveness of nitrate drugs such as nitroglycerin.

The human body cannot manufacture vitamin C; therefore it must come from foods or supplements. The richest food sources include vegetables such as broccoli and brussel sprouts, as well as citrus and other fruits.

Vitamin C is the top selling single vitamin in the United States. According to Nutrition Business Journal, vitamin C had sales of $863 million in 2006.Vitamin C supplements are typically sold as ascorbic acid, Ester C or calcium ascorbate, sodium ascorbate, or a combination of these forms. They also commonly contain natural sources of vitamin C such as rose hips and/or acerola.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that any vitamin C sold as a dietary supplement in the United States contain at least 100 percent of its labeled amount. However, the FDA doesn’t test for quality before sales. Fortunately, there are independent agencies that evaluate health, wellness and nutrition products and provide results and information to consumers to enable them to make informed choices.

It is one of the leading independent test results providers, ConsumerLab.com (CL), who recently completed their fourth review of vitamin C supplements. They tested 23 brands for nutrient content; 16 were chosen by ConsumerLab and the other seven tested at the request of the manufacturer. They also tested the tablet and caplet products for their ability to disintegrate properly for absorption.

The report included these brands in alphabetical order: Advocare, Child Life, Douglas Laboratories, Dynamic Health Laboratories, Emergen-C, GNC, Halls, Longs, Member’s Mark (Sam’s Club), Nature Made, Nature’s Bounty, Nature Smart , New Chapter, NF Formulas, Nutrition Now, Origin (Target), Puritan’s Pride, Rainbow Light, Schiff, Swanson, Trader Darwin (Trader Joe’s), Vitamin Shoppe, and Vitamin World.

The results? Twenty-two of the products met their claims for vitamin C and all tablets disintegrated properly for absorption. However, one product, Dynamic Health Laboratories Liquid Vitamin C contained only 43.5 percent of its claimed amount of nutrient, yielding only 435 mg of vitamin C per tablespoon when claiming 1,000 mg in its “Supplement Facts” labeling. ConsumerLab says the missing vitamin C could be due to the fact that liquid supplements are more susceptible to degradation than non-liquid forms, and say they have found the same problems in liquid products they have tested in the past.

ConsumerLab also found two products whose suggested doses exceeded Upper Tolerable Intake Levels (UL):

• Advocare C-grams High Potency Vitamin C 500 mg caplets, with dosing instructions of up to four per day would provide 2,000 mg, exceeding UL of vitamin C for those under the age of 19.
• Emergen-C 1,000 mg Vitamin C as a seven mineral Ascorbate 32 Mineral Complexes B Vitamins Cranberry Flavored Fizzy Drink Mix with directions for two to four per day would give a total of 2,000-4,000 mg, exceeding UL of vitamin C for not only those under age 19 but for all age groups.

ConsumerLab says that their initial review of vitamin C in 2001 revealed several products containing fewer nutrients than claimed and one product would not disintegrate properly but recent years have been generally positive.

Make sure your brand of vitamin C supplement has passed the test. If not, you might consider finding one that has a proven reputation.

Vitamin D May Help Prevent Multiple Sclerosis

2008-12-03T12:16:00.001-08:00

Multiple Sclerosis, also referred to as MS, is a frightening disease with a scary name. Any disease with “Multiple” as part of the name would immediately make you think that it cannot be a good condition to have. The good news is that the risk of developing the disease may be lessened with little effort on your part.

According to a study of over seven million people, plenty of vitamin D seems to help prevent Multiple Sclerosis. It was found that white members of the group with the highest blood levels of vitamin D were 62% less likely to develop MS. Dark skinned people do not absorb sunlight as readily so no benefit was noted for these types of ethnic groups. The study helps to explain why the disease has historically been most common in people who live farther from the equator, therefore weaker sunlight. The findings do not suggest that a lack of vitamin D can cause MS. More testing will have to be done before determining the full role of Vitamin D in helping to prevent the disease.

MS is a disease of the nervous system that affects the brain and spinal cord. It damages the material that surrounds and protects your nerve cells. This causes a slow down or blockage of communication between your brain and your body.

The symptoms of MS can include:

• Thinking/memory problems
• Vision abnormalities
• Balance and coordination problems
• Numbness or prickling
• Muscle weakness

There are other conditions that may include these types of symptoms, so please see your physician before coming to any conclusions about yourself solely based on these symptoms.

The cause of MS is not known. It is believed that it develops from an environmental issue or an uncharacteristic reaction to an infection. Genetics may also play a role. It is an autoimmune disease that causes the body's immune system to attack itself, targeting cells, tissues, and organs. MS is a part of the family of other autoimmune diseases including:

• Type 1 diabetes
• Crohn's disease
• Lupus
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatoid arthritis

MS usually develops between the ages of 20 and 40. It is more prevalent in women than in men. The disease is mild for most but some severe cases can cause the loss of the ability to speak, write or walk. There is no known cure for MS. However, there are medications that may help to slow its progression as well as help to alleviate symptoms.

Vitamin D is found in Dairy Products (all U.S. milk is fortified with Vitamin D), cream, butter, cheese, and in fortified cereals, margarine, oysters, and fish.

By simply by getting enough vitamin D, either from sunlight or your diet, many conditions and diseases are improved or prevented.

A Guide to Natural Supplements for Arthritis Pain Relief and Treatment

2008-12-03T12:13:00.000-08:00

Arthritis, a universal disease, affects over 28 million Americans alone. Starting with juvenile arthritis, and moving up to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA), this chronic disease knows no age limit, no partiality to race or religion, and there is no way to stop it. While there are prescription drugs available to help slow degeneration or alleviate symptoms, there are a great many natural supplements available that can alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as well as help to successfully treat the conditions. The following is guide for the origin of these supplements and the benefits they may offer to those who suffer from OA and RA.

Dietary supplements are derived from both plants and animals. To be classified as a dietary supplement, a product must be taken by mouth and contain a dietary ingredient, which is a substance that should be taken in addition to, and not instead of, consuming healthy foods. Dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, botanicals, amino acids, and any extracts or concentrates from these substances.

Avocado Soybean Unsaponifiables (ASU) is a natural vegetable extract made from avocado and soybean oils. ASU is believed to slow the progression of OA by slowing the production of some inflammatory chemicals made by the body and thereby preventing the breakdown of cartilage.

Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is a type of omega-6 fatty acid known to lessen joint pain, stiffness and swelling associated with RA and is found in the following supplements:

* Black Currant Oil comes from the seeds of the black currant and contains 15 to 20 percent GLA.
* Borage Oil comes from the seeds of the borage plant. Borage seed oil contains about 20 to 26 percent GLA.
* Evening Primrose (also known as primrose) comes from the seeds of a Native American wildflower and contains 7 to 10 percent GLA. This supplement may take up to six months to become fully effective.

Boswellia and Indian Frankincense contain a gum resin from the bark of the Boswellia tree found in India. The best products contain 60 percent boswellic acids. These supplements are indicated to reduce inflammation and pain for RA and OA patients.

Bromelain (Pineapple, Ananas comosus) is a group of enzymes found in pineapple that breaks down protein. Evidence has shown that these enzymes have pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects comparable to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for both RA and OA patients.

Cat's Claw (Uncaria tomentosa) is the dried root bark of a woody vine that grows in the Amazon rain forests in Peru and other South American countries. It is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties and may stimulate immune system. It is very important to note is that there is another plant, Acacia greggi, known as cat's claw that is highly toxic. Be sure to check the label to make sure the supplement contains Uncaria tomentosa.

Chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine supplements have more positive effects in patients with OA rather than those with inflammatory diseases such as RA. Research in Europe has found that OA patients who took 1,500mg of glucosamine daily had the same level of pain relief as those who took drugs such as ibuprofen for pain. Glucosamine and chondroitin can begin to work for patients in as little as two weeks or can take up to two months to be fully effective. Chondroitin sulfate comes from bovine trachea or pork byproducts. Glucosamine is derived from chitin, which is a substance in crab, lobster or shrimp shells. Allergic reactions to shellfish are usually to proteins in the fish part of shellfish. Therefore, a reaction in a person allergic to shellfish is unlikely. High concentrations of glucosamine are contained in the joints and glucosamine is thought to stimulate the cartilage formation, which is necessary for joint repair. Chondroitin sulfate content is also within cartilage. It draws fluid into the tissue, making the cartilage resistant and elastic. Chondroitin sulfate encourages the formation of new cartilage and slows the breakdown of existing cartilage breakdown.

Curcumin and Turmeric come from a yellow-colored powder ground from the roots of the turmeric plant that grows in India and Indonesia. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric. This supplement reduces pain, inflammation and stiffness related to RA and OA.

Devil's Claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) is also known as Devil's Claw Root, Grapple Plant or Wood Spider and is traditionally uses in South Africa. It is known to relieve pain and inflammation in joints.

DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) is an androgen steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands in the body. Natural DHEA levels have been found to be low in people with RA, and DHEA may help regulate the immune system and control inflammation.

Fish Oil comes from cold-water fish such as mackerel, salmon, herring, tuna, halibut and cod and is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. It reduces the inflammation and stiffness of RA and may inhibit RA development.

Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum), also known as Flax and Linseed Oil, comes from the seed of the flax plant and contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids as well as lignans, which are plant compounds similar to fiber. Flaxseed treats symptoms of RA by lubricating joints, which lessens stiffness decreases joint pain.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is the dried or fresh root of the ginger plant and is known to decrease joint pain and reduce inflammation in people with OA and RA.

MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) is an organic sulfur compound found in fruits, vegetables, grains, animals and humans. MSM reduces pain by acting as an analgesic at it lessens nerve impulses that transmit pain. It also reduces inflammation. Sulfur is also needed for the formation of connective tissue.

SAM-e (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) is a naturally occurring chemical in the body that is effective in treating symptoms of OA such as pain, stiffness and joint swelling. It also improves mobility and rebuilds cartilage.

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) comes from the leaves and stem of the stinging nettle plant, which is a stalk-like plant that is found in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Stinging Nettle reduces inflammation pain associated with OA.

Thunder God Vine (Tripterygium wilfordii) comes from the root of a vine-like plant from Asia and is known to reduce the pain and inflammation symptoms of RA and may suppress the immune system. It is important to note that the leaves and flowers of this plant are extremely toxic and can cause death, so preparation should only be made from the root.

Although these natural supplement can be very helpful in treating the symptoms of OA and RA, it is important to remember that plants, animals and humans produce chemicals that can have effects in the body just as manmade medications do. This means that supplements have the potential to interact with medications. Therefore, if you are taking any medications check with your healthcare provider regarding each supplement you consider trying.

Supplements can also have negative effects on certain physical conditions. Discuss the possibility of these effects with your healthcare provider before starting any supplemental therapies.

ConsumerLab Finds Fifty Fish Oil Supplements Free of Contaminants

2008-12-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

The popularity of fish oil supplements has been growing exponentially over the past several decades. As more studies tout the benefits of the supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids for heart health, as well as arthritis and depression, there are more of the products on the market than the average consumer can or is willing to analyze. Enter ConsumerLab.com and its new report on fifty fish oil supplements and fortified foods.

The Nutrition Business Journal reported that dietary supplements containing omega-3's sold to the total of approximately $35 million in 1995. Ten years later, the 2005 sales number was at $359 million, and the number had increased to $489 million in 2006. If the trend dictates, the number in 2008 will likely be well over the $500 million mark. For such a booming business, it is only appropriate that consumers and medical professionals alike have a comprehensive study that examines the supplements and foods associated with omega-3 and looks at amounts of EPA and DHA (two principal polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish), product purity, and freshness.

ConsumerLab.com has done just that. The private company is based in New York and is known for being a leading provider of consumer information and independent evaluations of health and nutrition products. In this case, researchers compared a total of 50 products, including dietary supplements, food and beverages, 23 of which were selected by ConsumerLab.com and 27 of which were included at the request of their manufacturers through the Voluntary Certification Program. Some products were several of the most popular on the market, such as Vitamin Shoppe, Yoplait, Nature Made, and Nature's Bounty, and others were store brands like Origin from Target and Spring Valley from Wal-Mart.

The results of the study were multi-fold. Most importantly, all of the products tested were found to have safe levels of mercury, lead, and PCB's (a type of carcinogen). In addition, all were found to have the amounts of EPA and DHA that their labels maintained, though those levels ranged from 16 milligrams to 1000 milligrams, depending on the product.

On the other side of the coin, it was discovered that one capsule-Kirkland Signature Enteric Coated Fish Oil-released its oil too early into the human body and thus failed its test, becoming the one of only two products not approved by ConsumerLab.com. The other product that did not meet appropriate standards for approval was Lipiderm International Veterinary Sciences, a pet supplement that contained only 25% of the alpha-linolenic acid required and 593% of the linolenic acid needed. It should also be noted that some food products claimed to provide percentages of the "daily value" of omega-3's, which is a false claim as there is no determined daily value, but this did not warrant an approval failure in those products, which included Tropicana, Silk Soymilk, Yoplait Kids Yogurt, and Aristo nutrition bars.

The levels of EPA and DHA ranged from 8% concentration to 79% of the liquid content of the products, and it varied greatly among the items tested. While higher concentrations are not necessarily better, the intake amount matters when it comes to the frequency and quantity taken. Every person's requirements are different and unique, but to get the highest concentration from the smallest serving size of the product, the only three products rating very high in that category were OmegaBrite, VitalOils, and Minami Nutrition. Rating very low were Mega Smart for Kids and Lipiderm International Veterinary Sciences for pets.

Overall, the research provides the public with guidelines for supplements and food or beverage items that may work in conjunction with a proper diet to provide the omega-3's being sought. It also helps doctors, nutritionists, and other medical professionals with a tool to gauge exactly what each patient needs and can handle.

With fish oil supplements being touted as having positive effects on cardiovascular health, reducing inflammation in those with diseases like arthritis and Crohn's disease, lessening the effects of depression and other mental disorders, aiding in the treatment of asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, cystic fibrosis, osteoporosis, and reducing the risk of prostate and colorectal cancers, it is easy to see why their popularity continues to rise. Therefore, the ComputerLab.com study is imperative to help analyze the growing market.

Studying Vitamin C in the Fight Against Cancer

2008-12-03T12:11:00.001-08:00

Vitamin C could be useful in the fight to end cancer after all. According to a new U.S. study that was published on Monday, using high dose injections of vitamin C on mice greatly reduced the rate of tumor growth.

The American scientist, Linus Pauling, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1954, introduced the idea that vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, could be used to help treat cancer in the 1970s. This notion was initially considered controversial and subsequent studies failed to show the benefit of vitamin C, but these studies involved vitamin C being given orally.

The new research team, consisting of researchers at the U.S. government's National Institutes of Health, used injections of the vitamin C to enable a greater concentration to get into the system instead of the previous oral method. They used laboratory mice to implant three types of aggressive cancer cells: glioblastoma brain tumors, ovarian, and pancreatic. The mice that were given the high-dosage injections of the vitamin C experienced tumor growth only about half that of the similar mice that did not receive the injections.

The lead researcher from the study, Dr. Mark Levine of the NIH'S National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said the key finding from this study is that the vitamin C used as a drug appears to have some promise in treating some types of cancers. The researchers believe that the elevated amounts of the vitamin C generate hydrogen peroxide in the body and it acts against cancer cells. Levine said that the hydrogen peroxide can lead to death of some cancer cells, but it doesn't seem to kill the normal cells. Whey that is, the researchers still do not know. These findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Levine also stated that a recent clinical study that he was involved in, in Canada, showed that similar doses of the vitamin C could be injected into humans with very few side effects. "The thing that's realistic here is that the concentrations that are effective, or similar concentrations, can be achieved in humans," said Levine. The next reasonable step would be to begin conducting studies that test whether this works in humans. "I think we're pretty close to being ready to do that."

Glucosamine and Chondroitin – Just a Sugar Pill?

2008-12-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

More than 46 million Americans have been told by a health care provider that they have arthritis, the loss of joint cartilage which is the most common cause of disability in this county. For many years thousands of people, including this writer, have used the dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin, to reduce the pain and stiffness associated with the condition. The combination supplement is the sixth best-selling dietary supplement in the United States, and has been touted by many medical professionals as a non-prescription way to reduce the effects of the disorder.

According to the Mayo Clinic website, “glucosamine is a natural compound that is found in healthy cartilage. Glucosamine sulfate is a normal constituent of glycoaminoglycans in cartilage.” The website says that “available evidence from randomized controlled trials supports the use of glucosamine sulfate in the treatment of osteoarthritis.”

A study released on Monday, funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, would seem to refute the Mayo statement. “At two years, no treatment showed what we determined to be a clinically important reduction in joint space width loss,” according to Dr. Allen Sawitzke of the University of Utah, School of Medicine, who helped lead the study. This would seem to confirm other findings that showed the supplements have few, if any, effects.

The trial was called glucosamine/chondroitin arthritis intervention trial or GAIT. Sawitzke and colleagues said that some of their findings were confusing and more study was needed. In the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, the researchers said they had trouble interpreting results because patients who took placebos had a smaller loss of cartilage than they should have. The GAIT study results in 2006 did not find a reduction in pain among sufferers with knee arthritis excepting a small group of patients with moderate to severe pain. An extended 18-month study of 572 volunteers found the supplements, whether taken alone or together, did not seem to slow the loss of cartilage. Arthritis worsened in 24 percent of the participants taking both supplements, similar to the control group taking placebos.

Sawitzke acknowledges problems with the study; more patients and a better method of measuring the joint distance would help. He would like to see another study done. “I’m most worried about throwing out something that may possibly be a benefit.”

Greg Gardner, a rheumatologist at the University of Washington in Seattle, says the news is disappointing. In the past he has told his patients to try the supplements if they want to, because the pills are cheap and safe, but now, he says “I probably won’t tout it any more as potentially disease modifying.”

There seems to be no clear result from the study. If you have been taking glucosamine and chondroitin with your doctor’s blessing and it seems to help, there is no reason to stop. For those who haven’t taken the supplement, at this time, there doesn’t seem to be a reason to start. Hopefully, for arthritis sufferers time will provide a better answer and a replacement for prescription arthritis treatments that frequently have unwanted side effects.

Vitamin E and Selenium No Help in Preventing Prostate Cancer

2008-12-03T12:07:00.000-08:00

Vitamin E and selenium supplements do nothing to help prevent prostate cancer. In fact, there is some evidence of increased risk for the disease when taking vitamin E.

National Cancer Institute researchers have reported that they are halting a significant portion of a major study to determine whether vitamin E and selenium may help to prevent prostate cancer. Until now, over 35,000 men ages 50 and older have been taking either or both supplements or a placebo in the study known as the SELECT trial.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced that letters are being sent out to instruct study participants to cease taking the supplements due to results of an early review of the data indicating that neither supplement, whether taken alone or together, is preventing prostate cancer. In fact, the data results suggest that a few more of those men taking vitamin E alone were actually getting prostate cancer, while slightly more participants taking only selenium were developing diabetes. The NCI stressed that the results of the review are not statistically significant and do not constitute proof of any risk created by taking the supplements. It may merely be a coincidence.

In prior small studies, results hinted that vitamin E and selenium might help in the fight against prostate cancer since they are antioxidant compounds that interfere with chemical reactions that can damage cells and DNA. This led researchers to pursue more large-scale studies in determining the truth about the possibilities. The failure of the nutrients to reduce the risk for the disease has now become just another disappointment in the struggle to find dietary preventative measures against prostate cancer as well as other medical conditions.

Other studies of antioxidants and nutritional supplements have failed to confirm benefits for various conditions, and several have proven them to be harmful. Examples of this include a studies showing that beta-carotene increases instead of decreases the risk of lung cancer among smokers, and findings establishing that vitamin E actually raises the risk for heart disease when it had previously been believed to have preventive effects.

The study participants will be continue to be followed by researchers for yet another three years to track their health as well as to perform previously scheduled blood tests. Since participants did not know whether they were taking one or both nutrients or placebo, as always is the case in blind studies, they will now be told if they ask their doctors. However, the researchers say that the results of the study will be more accurate if the majority of the men wait until follow-up is complete to get their answers.

In a statement, Dr. Eric Klein of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, who worked on the study, said, “As we continue to monitor the health of these 35,000 men, this information may help us understand why two nutrients that showed strong initial evidence to be able to prevent prostate cancer did not do so.” Dr. Klein also noted, “The important message for consumers is that taking supplements, whether antioxidants or others, is not necessarily beneficial and could be harmful.” He went on to explain, “You should not be taking them unless there is a rigorous scientific study that shows a benefit.”

In the U.S., prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men next to skin cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, the disease will strike an estimated 186,320 men this year and claim 28,660 lives. The cause of prostate cancer is not known and there is currently no real cure, although the disease can be well managed in many cases. Some research has shown that finasteride, a drug that is currently used for an enlarged prostate, can help to prevent prostate cancer, yet side effects limit its use.

Vitamin B Not Effective in Preventing Cancer

2008-12-03T12:06:00.001-08:00

B vitamins are essential nutrients for growth, development and numerous bodily functions. They play a major role in the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose, providing energy for the body, as well as the breakdown of fats and proteins, which aids the normal functioning of the nervous system. However, while B vitamins are needed to help avoid many health conditions, cancer doesn’t appear to be one of them, as some previous research had suggested.

So says a new U.S. study, which involved 5,442 female health-care professionals from around the country. All of the women were over 42 years of age, and either had cardiovascular disease or risk factors for it, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Over the course of 7.3 years, from April 1998 through July 2005, the women took either a supplement containing 2.4 milligrams of folic acid, 50 milligrams of vitamin B6 and 1 milligram of vitamin B12, or a placebo.

During that time, 187 in the treatment group and 192 in the placebo group developed invasive cancer. Of the women who developed cancer, 154 developed breast cancer—70 in the treatment group and 84 in the placebo group. “In women at risk of cardiovascular disease, we found that folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 had no beneficial or harmful effects on the risk of invasive cancer or breast cancer,” said study author Dr. Shumin Zhang, an associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

However, the study did find that there appeared to be a protective effect from the supplement treatment in women 65 and older. Those taking the daily vitamins were 25 percent less likely to develop any type of cancer and 38 percent less likely to get breast cancer. “If the finding is real and substantiated, the results may have public health significance because the incidence rates of cancer are high in elderly persons. The finding is biologically plausible because elderly individuals have increased requirements for these B vitamins,” the study authors wrote.

It is important that people get the proper amount of the various B vitamins. Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, can be found in foods such as liver, meat, brown rice, fish, butter and soybeans. Vitamin B12 can be found in liver, meat, egg yolk, poultry and milk. Folic acid is found in green vegetables, liver, yeast and whole grain cereals. Since January 1998, folic acid has been added to many food items in the United States, such as cereals and breads, primarily to reduce the risk of neural tube birth defects. “There are really good reasons for women to take folic acid, especially if they're planning on having a baby, because there’s really conclusive evidence that it can reduce birth defects. But, for the average woman in terms of cancer risk, folic acid and B vitamins don’t seem to increase or reduce risk,” Dr. Zhang said.

Quality Problems With Some Vitamin A Supplements

2008-12-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

Vitamin A, also called retinol, is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a role in a variety of functions throughout the body: vision, bone growth, immune function, reproduction, cell differentiation, and cell division. It also has antioxidant properties which neutralize free radicals, known to cause tissue and cellular damage. Liver, dairy products and cod liver oil are good sources of vitamin A and, because vitamin A is stored in the body’s fat for a long time, a deficiency is rare in the United States, but more common in developing nations where malnutrition is common. However, for Americans who limit their intake of vitamin-A-containing foods, a supplement may be needed. Vitamin A supplementation may also slow the progression of macular degeneration, enhance healing after laser eye surgery, and reduce the risk of certain cancers.

Because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not strictly regulate herbs and supplements, there is no guarantee of strength, purity or safety of these products and effects may vary. Recent testing of vitamin A supplements, including beta-carotene and cod liver oil, by ConsumerLab.com, revealed quality problems with some vitamin A supplements. ConsumerLab.com is a leading provider of independent test results and information to help consumers and healthcare professionals evaluate health, wellness, and nutrition products.

Overall, ConsumerLab.com tested 16 products. Brands tested include Country Life, Ethical Nutrients, Garden of Life, Health from the Sea, Metagenics, Nature Made, Nature’s Bounty, Nature’s Way, Puritan’s Pride, Rite Aid, Solgar, Source Naturals, Spectrum Essentials, Swanson, Vitamin Shoppe, and Vitamin World. Six vitamin A supplements passed the testing, including tablets and oils, along with six other supplements tested through ConsumerLab.com’s Voluntary Certification Program. Among the ten supplements selected for testing, three provided significantly less vitamin A than stated on the labels, and one delivered nearly double its claimed amount of vitamin A, of concern due to potential toxicity. Toxicity with vitamin A, commonly sold as retinyl palmitate and referred to as preformed vitamin A, can occur at doses only moderately higher than required to prevent deficiency.

The three supplements that were low in ingredient contained only 68.2 to 77.5 percent of their claimed amounts of vitamin A (as retinyl palmitate and/or beta-carotene). Tests of one cod liver oil supplement showed it to contain 7,818 IU of vitamin A as retinyl palmitate, nearly double its claimed amount of 4,000 IU per teaspoon. Such a product should be avoided by pregnant women who, according to March of Dimes, should not exceed 5,000 IU per day due to the risk of birth defects. It should also be avoided by children under 13 years old, whose daily intake should not exceed 2,000 IU to 5,666 IU of preformed vitamin A, depending on their age, based on upper tolerable intake levels established by the Institute of Medicine. Vitamin A excess has been associated bone and liver abnormalities, as well as birth defects of the brain, eyes and head. Adults experience less specific symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fatigue, blurry vision, bone pain and swelling, nausea and/or vomiting. Beta-carotene, or pro-vitamin A, does not carry this toxicity.

The complete, detailed report, which includes extensive information about how to buy and use vitamin A supplements and potential side effects, is available here at Consumer La

Don't Forget the Gingko: Just Make Sure It's the Right One

2008-12-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

In the search for ways to effectively treat people with age-related memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease, researchers have identified several ingredients that may play a role in enhancing memory and cognitive function. Among the most promising approaches aae ginkgo, huperzine A and acetyl-L-carnitine. These three supplements were the focus of recent testing by ConsumerLab (CL), a consumer "watchdog" of sorts that provides independent evaluations of dietary supplements, as well as other products that affect health and nutrition, for the quality of their ingredients and other relevant parameters, in the absence of government standards. While acetyl-L-carnitine passed CL testing with flying colors, few ginkgo and huperzine supplements met quality standards and adulteration is suspected in some cases.

Ginkgo biloba leaf extract (GBE) is widely used in delaying the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and for increasing cognitive functions in the elderly, as well as for reducing pain while walking in intermittent claudication, decreasing the symptoms of vertigo, reducing painful attacks of Reynaud’s syndrome, treating tension glaucoma and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. GBE used in most clinical trials contains two major groups of phytochemicals; flavonol glycosides, which are believed to confer antioxidant activity, and terpene lactones that may be responsible for a dilatory effect on blood vessels. Bilobalide, one of the terpene lactones, may also increase brain activity by affecting GABA receptors and enhancing the excitability of neurons in the hippocampus of the brain, which is associated with learning and memory.

In order to reduce their costs, some manufacturers or their ingredient suppliers provide less ginkgo than claimed or use material that has been adulterated or “spiked” with one or more compounds that can trick simple chemical tests. This makes a product with little or no real ginkgo appear to be the real thing. “Ginkgo extract is a moderately expensive ingredient. Some companies put less of it in their products than they claim or use ingredient that has been adulterated with inexpensive material that can fool-non specific tests,” said Dr. William Obermeyer, CL’s Vice President for Research and a former FDA Natural Products Chemist, who has been monitoring problems with ginkgo for several years.

However, the highly specific test methods used by CL reveal this type of adulteration by showing the ratios of specific flavonal glycosides and comparing them to established standards. Among the seven ginkgo products selected for CL’s latest review, only two passed the tests. Two products appeared to contain adulterated material and two others contained less ginkgo than claimed on their labels, one of which was contaminated with lead and also failed to break apart properly. Another product failed to identify the part of the ginkgo plant used, a FDA labeling requirement.

In 1999, CL’s review of ginkgo products found that nearly one-fourth of the thirty brands tested did not have the expected levels of chemical marker compounds, despite claims to have been “standardized.” Even worse, testing in 2003 found that seven of nine ginkgo products lacked adequate levels of certain marker compounds, and six products failed testing for the same reason in 2005. CL’s past tests have also detected lead contamination in some ginkgo products made with leaf powder.

Huperzine A is a chemical purified from the leaves of the Chinese toothed club moss, or synthetically manufactured. It has been shown, in limited studies, to improve memory, thinking and behavioral function in people with Alzheimer’s disease, multi-infarct dementia and senile dementia. Scientists believe that huperzine A works by increasing the level of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine by clocking its breakdown. It may also protect neurons from cell death caused by toxic levels of glutamate and protect against some of the effects of chemical nerve agents used in warfare.

Huperzine A is also a relatively expensive ingredient, creating an economic incentive for making a product with less than the labeled amount. Among the huperzine products tested by CL, two passed testing while a third provided only 14 percent of its claimed amount of the ingredient. Tests by CL in 2005 detected no huperzine in one product. Lead contamination is also possible with huperzine A, as CL found in 2003 testing.

Acetyl-L-carnitine is a form of carnitine, a non-essential amino acid that can be synthesized in the body from lysine and methionine and is found in red meats and dairy products. Acetyl-L-carnitine may improve memory and cognition in older people with age-related memory problems, but has had mixed reviews in its benefits for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. It seems to improve symptoms of diabetic neuropathy and neuropathy associated with antiretroviral drug therapy used by people with HIV infection and may also reduce pain and improve mental health in people with fibromyalgia. A combination of acetyl-L-carnitine and propionyl-L-carnitine seems to help symptoms of androgen decline in older men, improving sexual dysfunction, depression and fatigue. It may also improve memory in chronic alcoholics and increase sperm motility in men with infertility. All five acetyl-L-carnitine supplements passed CL’s testing.

The brands covered in CL’s new report, "Product Review of Supplements for Memory and Cognition Enhancement," include BioSynergy, Bluebonnet, Cognitive Nutrition, Freeda, Ginkgo-Go!, Ginkoba, Life Enhancements, Nature’s Valley, Nutricology, Olympian Labs, Puritan’s Pride, Solaray, Swanson, Total Nutrition, Universal Naturals, Vitamin Shoppe, and Vitamin World. The complete report, as well as extensive information about how to buy and use these supplements and their potential side effects, is available here.

Vitamin D Deficiency Could Put Your Heart at Risk

2008-12-03T11:59:00.001-08:00

A new risk factor for heart disease has been discovered, although this time it is something that can easily be corrected. Scientists say that a growing body of evidence has suggested that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of heart disease and is also linked to other well-known risk factors for heart disease such as diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.

Several large studies have shown that people that had low vitamin D levels were twice as likely to have a stroke, heart attack, or other heart-related event during follow-up, compared to the people that had higher levels of vitamin D. Researcher James H. O’Keefe, M.D. and director of preventative cardiology at the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, MO., stated, “Vitamin D deficiency is an unrecognized, emerging cardiovascular risk factor, which should be screened for and treated. Vitamin D is easy to assess, and supplementation is simple, safe and inexpensive.”

The skin, in response to exposure to the sun, meets most of the body’s requirements for vitamin D. Other less potent sources of vitamin D include foods such as cod liver oil, sardines, and salmon. Also, vitamin D can also be found in D-fortified foods milk and some cereals. If you do not get enough vitamin D you can also take vitamin D supplements on a daily basis.

A deficiency of vitamin D is traditionally associated with muscle and bone weakness, but in recent years a number of studies have shown that the low levels of vitamin D may predispose the body to congestive heart failure, blood pressure, and chronic blood vessel inflammation (which is associated with the hardening of the arteries). It can also alter hormone levels, which will increase insulin resistance, which can raise the risk of diabetes.

In an article that was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the researchers surveyed recent studies on the link between heart disease and vitamin D deficiency to come up with some practical advice on screening and treatment. They also concluded that the vitamin D deficiency is much more common that they previously thought, and could be affecting up to half of adults and children in the United States.

The researchers say that higher rates of vitamin D deficiency could be due in part to people spending more time indoors and in the effort to reduce sun exposure through the use of sunscreens. If you use a sunscreen that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15, you should know that it blocks nearly 99% of vitamin D synthesis by our skin.

Americans are spending less time outside now than previous generations, and older adults and people that are obese or overweight are less efficient at making vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. A little bit of sunshine each day is good, but the use of sunscreen to protect against skin cancer is important if you plan out staying outside for more than 15 to 30 minutes of intense sunlight exposure.

You can find out what your vitamin D levels are via a blood test that looks at a specific form of vitamin D called 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D). A deficiency of vitamin d can be defined as a blood 25(OH)D level of below 20 ng/dL. A normal level is considered to be above 30 ng/dL.

The researchers recommend a 25(OH)D screening for that that have known risk factors for a deficiency of vitamin D including:
• Reduced exposure to the sun due to variation or by living far away from the equator
• Old age
• Liver or kidney disease
• Obesity
• Skin that is darkly pigmented
• Smoking

The government’s current recommendation daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is 200 international units (IU) daily for individuals that are under the age of 50. For those that are between 50 and 70, it is recommended to take 400 IU daily, and for those that are over the age of 70, the RDA is 600 IU. Most experts believe that these recommended does are still too low, and that somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily is necessary to maintain adequate levels of vitamin D. The upper limit of vitamin D that is safe to take on a daily basis is 10,000 IU.

Vitamin D supplements are available now in two different forms: Vitamin D3 and Vitamin D2. Although both types appear to be effective in raising the levels of vitamin D, Vitamin D3 supplements appear to result in a boost in the levels of vitamin D that is longer-lasting. However, there are no current guidelines for restoring and maintaining a healthy level of vitamin D in people that are at risk for heart disease, for those that are vitamin D deficient, the researchers recommend an initial treatment with 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 or D3 once weekly for eight to 12 weeks, that is followed by maintenance with one of the following strategies:
• 50,000 IU vitamin D2 or D3 bi-weekly
• 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 every day
• Sunlight exposure for at least 10 minutes for white patients (longer for people that have increase skin pigmentation) between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Once the maintenance therapy has been initiated, rechecking 25(OH)D blood levels is highly recommended after three to six months of ongoing supplementation.

O’Keefe stated, “Restoring vitamin D levels to normal is important in maintaining good musculoskeletal health, and it may also improve heart health and prognosis. We need large, randomized, controlled trials to determine whether or not vitamin D supplementation can actually reduce future heart disease and deaths.”

Want to Ease Labor Pains? Try Water Aerobics During Pregnancy

2008-12-02T12:46:00.001-08:00

Mothers-to-be often wonder what the day of their delivery will be like. Is there going to be a lot of pain, how will I handle it, and will I need an epidural? Pain is an inevitable byproduct of childbirth, but the degree to which you experience pain will ultimately effect your need (or desire) for an epidural or other pain medication. One way to possibly minimize that pain, and keep in shape during your pregnancy, is to regularly do water aerobics.

Rosa Pereira, M.D. from the University of Campinas, reported that women who are expecting and who have participated in a moderate-intensity water exercise program were significantly less likely to request painkillers during labor than those who did not exercise. However, there were no significant differences between the groups in duration or type of delivery, neonatal outcomes, or cardiovascular capacity.

Dr. Pereira stated, “We’ve shown that the regular practice of moderate water aerobics during pregnancy is not detrimental to the health of the mother or the child. In fact, the reduction in analgesia requests suggests that it can get women into better psycho-physical condition. Therefore, this kind of exercise could be recommended to mothers willing to practice any physical activity during pregnancy.”

Although there are a few safety concerns surrounding physical activity during a pregnancy, the researchers stated that exercises that are water-based are generally accepted to be safer than the conventional exercises because they reduce edema, they prevent increases in skin temperature, and they do not overload the musculoskeletal system.

To explore this issue of water exercises during pregnancy, Dr. Pereira and her colleagues randomized 34 mothers-to-be, average age approximately 25, to perform the moderate-intensity water aerobics for 50 minutes three times per week from approximately 18 weeks of gestation through delivery. They also gathered 37 mothers-to-be, average age 24, to do no exercise during pregnancy. None of the mothers-to-be exercised regularly before the experiment.

The women from both groups underwent ergometric tests on a treadmill once during each of their trimesters to assess their cardiovascular capacity. The physical fitness and oxygen consumption increased similarly in both groups from the first to second trimester and then returned to baseline levels in the third trimester. In both of the groups, their cardiac output increased throughout their pregnancy and peak exercise skin temperature was higher than the resting temperature. The maternal heart rate was similar with both groups throughout the study.

The duration of labor was similar in the group that did the water aerobics (approximately 457.9 minutes) and in the group that did not exercise (approximately 428.9 minutes). A greater partition of the control women in this study had Caesarean sections but the difference was not statistically greater. However, there were fewer women in the group that did aerobics that requested analgesics during their labor. There was also no big difference between the groups in the weight of their babies at birth or in their gestational age.

The authors of the study do acknowledge that the study was limited by the fact that about a third of the women that were in the aerobics group discontinued the exercise program. The dropouts resulted from home affairs, job restrictions, and family constraints.

The researchers concluded that “the regular practice of moderate water aerobics by low-risk and previously sedentary expectant mothers offers no risk to the health of mother or the child.” The researchers did caution that more rigorous exercise during pregnancy has been associated with low neonatal birth weight.

Traces of Melamine Found in U.S. Infant Formulas

2008-12-02T12:44:00.000-08:00

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acts as our airport security for food products and pharmaceuticals being manufactured and distributed in the United States. When China’s outbreak of melamine—a chemical used in plastics that is common in packaging as well as sanitization—found in infant formula and the cause of up to 3 recorded infant deaths (and 5 others under investigation) and leaving 50,000 children ill since September 2008, tensions have run high within the FDA. To keep track of all recalled items that may contain the harmful chemical, the FDA has been working hard to test and retest companies within the United States that produce infant formula to make sure melamine and its related content has not been found in order to ensure the safety of American families.

The last press release from the FDA about the melamine scare was updated on November 13, which the FDA states that they were unable to detect any level of melamine or any chemical related to melamine (such as cyanuric acid) that, “does not raise public health concerns.” The FDA blames this lack of knowledge on gaps in scientific evidence to support the toxicity level in infants because the variables are not consistent. The unknown variables are the consequences of infant formula as the only nutrition source for the children, the possibility of multiple melamine compounds being absorbed into the body simultaneously, and the unknown effects of contaminated infant formula ingested by premature babies whose kidneys are not yet fully developed and therefore could be at a greater risk for failure through exposure to any level of melamine amounts.

The FDA sums up its report by saying, “There is too much uncertainty to set a level in infant formula and rule out any health concern. However, it is important to understand this does not mean that any exposure to any detectable level of melamine and melamine –related compounds in formula will result in harm to infants.”

Since September, the FDA has been conducting tests of 77 popular infant formulas and in results only recently acquired by The Associated Press three manufacturers have been put under the microscope with positive results. Either melamine or cyanuric acid—a chemical related to melamine—have been found in miniscule amounts in one or more products by three major manufacturers, Abbott Laboratories, Nestle, and Mead Johnson, who make up 90 percent of the domestic production of infant formulas.

Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the FDA, Dr. Stephen Sundlof, contends that there is no immediate concern and in the best interest of the babies, parents should continue to use the intended formula that works best for their child and they should not be changing their diet because of extremely low traces of a potentially dangerous chemical.

Since there have been no reports of illness due to infant formla or melamine content, which causes binding qualities when mixed with urine and can cause kidney or bladder stones or in extreme cases result in kidney failure, the cause for concern is staying low within the FDA.

In an interview with the Associated Press this week, Sundlof says the positive results are very low and should not result in panic, "[the amounts] so far are in trace range, and from a public health or infant health perspective, we consider those to be perfectly fine." Sundlof fends off questions of unsafe infant formula by redirecting the FDA's original November 13th stance that no level of melamine was able to be determined as safe, and assures that the FDA never implied U.S. made formula could be entirely free of melamine and that he wasn't sure if the FDA's statements had been misinterpreted.

Of the three companies in question, the products that tested positive for melamine or cyanuric acid were: Mead Johnson's Infant Formula Powder Enfamil LIPIL with Iron, Nestle's Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron, and for very sick babies Nestle’s Peptamen Junior medical food and Nestle’s Nutren Junior-Fiber, but there is no recall just yet. Although 18 samples of popular brand Similac returned no results for the FDA, spokesman Colin McBean said their individual company tests did turn up with the chemical. The manufacturers agree that the amounts are very small and should not be compared to the amount found throughout China’s formula, noting that the results in the United States are 10,000 times smaller and comparable to finding one drop in a 64-gallon container.

The major distinction between these reports in United States and China is one of intention. China’s melamine contamination was intentionally done to trick the amount of protein the formula actually contained whereas the United States traces were only found in the manufacturing process because melamine is found in formulas used to clean equipment as well as inside some packaging, for instance inside can liners, and we now know that it can leak out into the products. Without knowing the long term effects of melamine and cyanuric acid on the body, more tests will need to be conducted as to whether or not melamine should be allowed to continue to be part of the manufacturing process and the FDA should be setting stricter rules on regulating future contamination scares.

Could Hairspray be Linked to Genital Birth Defects?

2008-12-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

Ladies, we all know that a good day at the beauty salon makes us feel radiant, but did you know that hairdressers who are pregnant and in contact with hairspray every day could be exposing their unborn child to harmful chemicals that could lead to genital birth defects?

A recent study that was conducted showed that the sons of beauticians and hairdressers were more than twice as likely to be born with hypospadias, which is when the urinary opening appears on the underside of the penis. The disorder can usually be corrected with a simple procedure, although it can occasionally lead to infertility and sexual dysfunction.

Paul Elliot and colleagues from the Imperial College in London interviewed approximately 471 mothers whose sons had been born with this particular defect and 490 mothers of children that were not born with this defect, to find out which chemicals the mother had been exposed to, including printing ink, glues, exhaust fumes, or hairspray.

While other substances did not return any results that were statistically significant, the use of hairspray appeared to have a very big impact. Of the 74 women who reported that they had regular exposure to hairspray at work during the first three months of their pregnancy, 50 of them gave birth to sons with this genital defect.

In contrast, the children that were born with the defect were much lower in the women that did not report having regular contact with hairspray – just 294 out of 618 women.

The research team suggests that a group of chemicals called phthalates that are found in hairspray may be to blame for this outcome. Phthalates are known to interfere with the hormones that are associated with the development of the reproductive system in infants.

These chemicals have been banned in cosmetics or hairsprays in the EU since the year 2005, but not in the United States, where they are only banned for the use in toys for children. Elliot’s study took a look at British children before the chemicals were banned.

Alarm bells were raised when an older study found elevated levels of toxins in teething rings for babies. Therefore, since phthalates are used commonly in the plastic and pharmaceutical industry, particularly in the United States, the researchers suggest that other women besides beauticians and hairdressers may also be putting their babies at risk.

Elliott says that the real worry is that women who are pregnant may be exposing their infants to other harmful chemicals that interfere with the body’s hormones that we don’t fully understand the effects of yet. He also stated, “There are a range of chemicals that could affect [male hormones] in developing fetuses—like estrogens used in pharmaceutical products and which are also found in small quantities in the water supply.”

This new study does bring some good new to women who are expecting. The researchers found that women who take folic-acid supplements are 36% less likely to give birth to infants with the disorder. In addition to this finding, vegetarianism—which had been previously linked in cases of hypospadias in a smaller study—turned out to have no impact on the risk of giving birth to a child with the disorder.

Muscles: Turning Energy into Motion

2008-12-02T12:42:00.001-08:00

Most of us take our muscles for granted, not realizing how crucial they are to us. Muscles are the body’s engine, and energy is the fuel. It would be impossible for us to do anything without them, including expressing ourselves. We convey ideas through spoken words using the muscles of the mouth, tongue and larynx, through written words using the muscles of the fingers, or through body language using skeletal muscles.

The human body contains more than 630 muscles. Approximately 35-45% of body mass is muscle tissue. Muscles are long- lasting, self-healing and grow stronger with use. There are three unique kinds of muscle:

• Cardiac muscle, which is found only in your heart. It contracts involuntarily; it is automatically controlled by the nervous system.
• Smooth muscle is found in blood vessels, the digestive system, bladder, airways, and the uterus in a female. It also contracts involuntarily.
• Skeletal muscle is the kind we can see and feel. They attach to the skeleton and come in pairs; one muscle to move in one direction and another to move back the other way. Skeletal muscles contract voluntarily, you have to think about contracting them and the nervous system tells them to respond.

The combination of muscles and bones make up the musculoskeletal system. Together, the skeletal muscles work with bones to give the body its power and strength.

In most cases, skeletal muscle is attached to one end of a bone, stretches across a joint, and then attaches again to another bone. Tendons serve as connector pieces between muscle and bone; when a muscle is contracted, the tendon and bone move along with it.

Skeletal muscles come in a variety of sizes and shapes depending on their job. The muscles in your back, near the spine, are some of the biggest and most powerful. These muscles have the difficult job of keeping the body upright and providing the power to lift and push.

Your face also has plenty of muscles, over 30 as a matter of fact. Facial muscles don’t all attach directly to bone like those in the rest of the body. Many of them attach under the skin, which allows for more control. Contracting your facial muscles ever so slightly can create different looks like happiness, sadness, surprise, and frowning. Eye muscles are the busiest muscles in the body, moving more than 100,000 times a day!

The tongue is a muscle that’s attached only at one end. The tongue is made of a group of muscles that work together, allowing you to talk and help you chew food. It takes 72 different muscles interacting with one another to produce human speech.

The largest muscle in the body is in the buttocks and is called the gluteus maximus.

There are many problems which can affect muscles, causing pain and/or weakness. Some of the most common and least severe muscle disorders include:

• Sprain: A stretched or torn ligament. Wrist and ankle sprains are common and can be caused by falling or twisting.
• Strain: A stretched or torn muscle or tendon. Strains can happen suddenly or develop over time. Hamstring and back muscle strains are most common and are usually caused by twisting or pulling of the tissues. Many people suffer strains from playing sports.
• Muscle cramps: Sudden, involuntary contractions or spasms in the muscle, also called charley horse. Muscle cramps often occur after exercise or at night and can be caused by dehydration, strain or overuse of a muscle, lack of minerals in your diet, or insufficient blood supply to your muscles.
• Tendinitis: Inflammation of a tendon, usually occurring in the elbows, knees, shoulders, hips, heels or wrists. Certain diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis can cause tendinitis, but it is most commonly caused by injuries and overuse.

There are also many more serious muscle disorders such as cancers, diseases of the nerves that affect the muscles, and genetic diseases.

The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” comes to mind when considering muscles. Use your muscles and strengthen them, you will need them to carry out everyday tasks and prevent you from falling and breaking bones as you grow older.

Working Out 101 - NOT

2008-12-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

Working out, cardio, toning, weight lifting, Pilates and yoga - most of them suffice to accomplish an end if they are applied individually but work best when applied as an overall body composition make over and maintenance. Let’s take a look at each individually:

Working Out

When Joe says he went to the gym today and worked out, what do you think he actually did? Perhaps a bit of abdominal work, maybe shoulders, or legs, or maybe he just strolled around the indoor track for a few minutes and then hit the pool and Jacuzzi.

Following a distinct work out plan would be the ideal way to stay toned and tuned to your body, especially in today’s hectic lifestyle and fast food-a-ramas that line every exit and street. Working out is a term loosely applied and covers almost all aspects of exercise. But the definition of working out is always subject to change according to the person doing it.

Cardio

Walking, jogging, aerobics, skiing, skating, cycling, swimming, kickboxing, and many more are classed as cardio workouts. Cardio burns calories and trains your heart, lungs, and body to coordinate in a combined energy expenditure and physical endurance and wellness training. Yes, your heart is a muscle too, and like all muscles in the body, it requires a workout to stay tuned and fit.

Toning

Weight lifting provides muscle definition and strength. WHAT? Your muscles are always ready for action, waiting for your next move, they are toned. Today’s standard of tone is how defined the muscle appears. There is no magic spot training wizard or a way to lose fat from your stomach by a given exercise. Yes, you can work a specific muscle group and force growth but to achieve the goal of showing off your finely ‘toned’ body, you’ll need to have a serious workout plan that incorporates weight lifting, cardio, and more.

Weight Lifting

The most obvious way to build muscle is to lift weights. Most women scream, “I don’t want to bulk up!” or “I don’t want to look like that!” referring to a body building competition. The basics of weight lifting are not about body building competitions. In order to achieve the muscle mass and fine tuned cuts you see in a competition, it would take much more than an hour a day workout plan. Building muscle – and maintaining it – should be one of your goals for life. Pumping iron tunes, tones, and more. It provides you with a solid foundation of body strength, discipline, and goals; and those are the keys to life.

Pilates and Yoga

Pilates and Yoga are often closely associated due to the basic principal of focus; the mind’s interaction to inspire or unite with the body.

The “Pilates Principal,” created by Joseph Pilates, focuses on mind over matter, breathing, centering, concentration, control, and precision. Pilates also focuses on core strengthening – abs and back – and trains the mind to be aware of and be in unity and control of the body.

Originating in India, Yoga is an ancient spiritual practice. The basic goal of yoga is to experience the spiritual self and gain understanding of the nature of existence. It is also associated with maintaining postures (which focus on the same principal as Pilates) and as a form of exercise.

The overview of Working Out

The key to working out, no matter what label we use, is to just go ahead and do it. We need a strong foundation to take care of the general routine of life and muscle plays a tremendous role in our foundation. Mixing up a workout routine not only adds variety in breaking the tedium of daily ritual, it also forces your body to change its approach to strength and endurance.

The best place to begin is at the beginning, it’s never too late to change an old habit, start a new page , or prepare you for the journey through life. Nike’s advertising campaign said it best, “Just do it!”

Exercise Equipment – Free Weights

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Free Weights are one of the easiest and least expensive ways to set up your home work out area; the options are almost endless in free weight category - including dumbbells; balance/resistance/exercise balls; and exercise bands/tubing. Free weights all accomplish the basics of building muscle and toning, cardiovascular, and weight loss, but each have their own twist.

Dumbbells are specifically designed to build muscle, whether it’s a dumbbell in each hand for bicep and triceps work, lunges, pectoral flys, or an Olympic bar for chest, back, shoulder work, and much more; the purpose is balance and targeted muscle building. Working with dumbbells requires a bench for optimal strength training. Dumbbells are far from basic and have graduated to sophisticated. They are found in colorful neoprene, metal, hex shapes, adjustable, and vary in price and design.

• Adjustable Dumbbells work well for the serious minded weight lifter. Increasing weight at various intervals during a workout stresses the muscle and produces growth. Adjustables come in all different styles, models, and price ranges. Power Block, Bowflex Dumbells, and Bayou Adjustable Dumbells are major contenders in the adjustable field. They are compact, take up very little space, and have more than one model to choose from, with price ranges that vary. The basic adjustable dumbbell - that consists of a metal rod/Olympic bar with interchangeable weight plates (normally held in place by a metal spring) - is in a lower price range (figure $0.20 per pound), but also takes up more space and is more time consuming in changing up the weights.

• Aerobic dumbbells are specifically for an aerobic workout that is designed to tone muscle and burn calories (lighter weights at faster reps). To increase or decrease dumbbell weight, individual dumbbells need to be purchased.

• Pro dumbbells are the kind you will find in gyms and workout clubs. They are individually sized and perfect for weight lifting and aerobic value lifting, if you have a club membership, or if price and space is not a limitation.

Balance/Resistance/Exercise Balls accomplish balance and weight training also, much the same as dumbbells except they build a stronger core value (abdominal/trunk). Depending on the weight and size of the ball, they can also be used to balance the torso while sit-ups and back extensions are performed while seated on the ball. A Balance ball may also be used in place of a bench. Two hands are required to move the ball through a routine. Performing a series of set demands balance and torso strength.

Exercise bands/Tubing give variable resistance for all strength levels and offer strong competition for dumbbells. This type of strength training and aerobic value workout has a few pluses that exercise balls and dumbbells can’t compete with - a set of bands is easily stored in a small area and can be taken on trips without a problem.

While some exercise machines claim the same status as those listed above – free weights – there are differences in the actual physical strength required and the way the exercise is performed. The free weights listed here demand focus on the lift and the lowering/release of the weight and one has to maintain balance to perform the lift correctly. Machines allow the user to push their torso into it or relax into it rather than forcing core strengthening like free weights do.