Aug
01
2006

New Screening For Cardiovascular Disease

By | Health, Heart Disease, Nutrition

Checking out the patient’s heart disease risk factors used to be very basic. Lifestyle questions were one aspect: was the patient smoking? Did he have a lack of exercise? Did he have a risk of heart disease in the family? The patient’s diet was analyzed and the body weight was assessed. Cholesterol and triglyceride levels were the basic labs that provided more information. The risk factor assessment, as exemplified by criteria from the Framingham study, made a lot of sense.

In the meantime cardiologists are concerned that all these points are no longer sufficient in identifying individuals at risk for heart disease. Dr. Morteza Naghavi, president for the Association for the Eradication of Heart Attacks, is concerned that it is not only obesity and hypertension that bear the risk for heart attacks, but atherosclerosis. A lot of heart attacks occur in the low- and moderate risk groups. As far as he is concerned, every man aged 45-75 and every woman from 55-75 needs to be screened. We are better equipped to do something for people who have a high plaque burden (deposits in the blood vessels.) Statins are the medication of choice to help these patients.

Screening techniques have become less invasive, as imaging technology has made large progress in recent years. The condition of the carotid artery can be assessed by ultrasound (carotid intima-media thickness or CIMT). Coronary calcification score (CACS) can be measured by CT scanner. The tests are done in a few minutes, and the cost at the most is a few hundred dollars. A patient would only be screened every five years. Screening procedures work and save lives, as demonstrated in the screening for breast cancer. The SHAPE team (The Screening for Heart Attack Prevention and Education) has calculated that the screening cost is even better than breast cancer screening. There are other tests that improve the sensitivity of traditional criteria, like the blood test for C-reactive protein, but in assessing the patient’s risk, it does make sense to go to the source of disease. The striking color image that demonstrates the atherosclerotic burden will allow the patients to see the problem with their own eyes.

New Screening For Cardiovascular Disease

New Screening For Cardiovascular Disease

It may be a healing shock that has a beneficial effect on the compliance of patients. Test results of laboratory work are words, but here a picture is worth a thousand words when it comes to encourage the patient to actively work on prevention.

More information on heart attacks: http://nethealthbook.com/cardiovascular-disease/heart-disease/heart-attack-myocardial-infarction-or-mi/

Reference: National Review Of Medicine, July 30, 2006, page 7

Last edited November 1, 2014

Jul
01
2006

Coffee Protects Against Liver Cirrhosis

By | Gastrointestinal Disease, Nutrition, Prevention

Coffee has been used as a stimulant for centuries, and more recent research has shown that moderate use of coffee can be beneficial.
The flavorful brew has been used as a wake-up drink, especially after a bad night’s sleep. Those suffering of a hangover after too much alcohol have also brewed it and felt better afterwards.
A new study in the June 12 Archives of Internal Medicine found that there was more benefit than just headache relief for those who drank too much booze. Heavy alcohol drinkers who also drank coffee reduced their risk for liver cirrhosis. (Liver cirrhosis is one of the severe side effects of too much alcohol use.)
Researchers examined the data of 125,580 subjects between the 1978 and 1985. Nearly 200 of these people developed alcoholic cirrhosis by 2001. The researchers found that for each coffee drink per day, there was a 22% drop in the risk of alcohol induced liver cirrhosis.

Coffee Protects Against Liver Cirrhosis

Coffee Protects Against Liver Cirrhosis

Generally tea is considered a beneficial beverage due to the bioflavonoids content. This large study also examined whether tea consumption would decrease liver cirrhosis risk, but no similar benefits were found for tea drinkers.

More information about liver cirrhosis: http://nethealthbook.com/digestive-system-and-gastrointestinal-disorders/liver-cirrhosis/

Reference: National Review of Medicine June 30, 2006

Last edited Nov. 1, 2014

Jun
01
2006

Ginger Kills Ovarian Cancer

By | Cancer, Nutrition

Active substances in ginger are killing cancer cells in lab experiments. This is the gist of laboratory studies led by Dr. J. Rebecca Liu at the University of Michigan Medical School. The findings on these studies were presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
In the past it has been implied that the substances (6)-gingerol and (6)-paradol interfere with carcinogenic processes. Gingerol also has been linked with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
The research group from Ann Arbor used whole ginger extract which was standardized to a contents of 5% (6)-gingerol to explore the death of ovarian cancer cells in vitro. They suggest that ginger can circumvent chemoresistance.

Due to this quality ginger substances can be effective in cancer cells that have been resistant to chemotherapy.

Ginger Kills Ovarian Cancer

Ginger Kills Ovarian Cancer

Other substances and their effect on cancer cells that are closer examined by the researchers are resveratol and curcumin.

More information about ovarian cancer: http://nethealthbook.com/cancer-overview/ovarian-cancer/

Reference: The Medical Post, May 9, 2006, page 15

Last edited Nov. 1, 2014

Jun
01
2006

Probiotics Help Gut Against Stress

By | Cancer, Gastrointestinal Disease, Health, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Nutrition

In times of stress our bodies react: the heart will beat faster, palms will feel sweaty, and a difficult situation may manifest itself in other reactions of the body. In every day’s terms we speak about something “being a pain in the neck”, or the fear of an exam showing up as “butterflies in the stomach”.
Dr. Mary Perdue of the Intestinal Diseases Research Program at Mc Master University in Hamilton, Ontario went a step further. The fact that mental stress can bring physiologic changes in the lining of the intestine has been known for some time. As a result the epithelium (the lining) is more vulnerable to the attack of pathogenic bacteria. The researchers put a solution of lactobacillus to the test, to see whether these gut-friendly bacilli could offer some help. Stressed rats that received the treatment with lactobacillus showed a remarkable degree of protection. The stressed and treated animals were almost as resistant to intestinal pathogens as animals that had not been stressed at all. Contrary to that the non-stressed animals did not show much evidence of bacterial adhesion or penetration: they were more resistant to the attack of bacteria to their guts.
Dr. Perdue explains that it may be difficult to extrapolate from the rat model to the human model. Yet it is clear that humans who are stressed can develop intestinal dysfunction over time, or gastrointestinal symptoms can be exacerbated by stress.
In the meantime probiotics are recommended by many doctors and nutritionists to help restore the gut’s natural flora. New guidelines from Yale Medical School recommend them for diarrhea in children and adults and in diarrhea, which comes as a result of treatment with antibiotics.

Probiotics Help Gut Against Stress

Probiotics Help Gut Against Stress

More research is needed, but existing data suggest that probiotics can help manage lactose intolerance, prevent infections, and reduce inflammation. It can lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure and may help with prevention of colon cancer.

More information on:

1. Stress management: http://nethealthbook.com/health-nutrition-and-fitness/fitness/stress-management-relaxation-techniques/

2. Probiotics: https://www.askdrray.com/probiotics-important-for-your-health/

Reference: National Review of Medicine, May 15, 2006, page 8

Last edited Oct. 31, 2014

May
01
2006

Peanut Traces Still Present After Brushing Teeth

By | Allergies, Asthma, Nutrition

Education of the person with allergies is of great importance. Effective treatment does not only involve taking an antihistamine against allergies, which can be bought over-the counter. To get optimal control of allergy symptoms, evaluation with the help of an allergist is necessary, and skin tests will give more information. A regimen of allergy shots is an effective way to control allergies. It is also up to the allergic person to avoid substances that can be the cause of the problem. Allergy season triggers a lot of questions in patients who have had allergic reactions in the past. The most feared ones are anaphylactic reactions or anaphylactic shock from exposure to peanuts or ragweed. People with a history of allergies all have the risk of more severe reactions that need rapid intervention as anaphylactic shock can be deadly. People can be sensitized to various foods (peanuts, nuts, fish, shell fish, soy, wheat). Food additives often associated with allergic reactions can be sulfites (present in dried fruit and wine), food coloring (tartrazine) and flavor enhancers like monosodium glutamate. Beside those allergies, reactions to animal fur and dander, feathers, pollen of trees, grasses and weeds (ragweed being one of the worst) can be a challenge to allergy sufferers. People can get sensitized in any age group. Even adults who showed no allergic reactions in the past can come down with allergies later in life.

Patients with food-related allergies should be aware that an injection with adrenaline (epinephrine) could make a difference between life and death in severe allergic reactions. Carrying an EpiPen (an injectable dose of epinephrine) is one important way of having an “emergency break”. But carrying the device at all times is not enough. The user has to be fully knowledgeable as to how to use it and when to use it. Getting a prescription from the physician and proper explanation from physician as well as the pharmacist is the next important step.
Food allergies have received more attention over the past years. Food labels will show, whether a product may contain traces of nuts or peanuts, and many schools have banned the use peanuts among their students (see the result of an inadvertent exposure to peanuts in a child who is allergic to it in the image above). It may sound like a radical approach, but given the fact that peanuts have shown disastrous reactions in allergic individuals, it is not a surprise. A new Ontario law, which was passed in 2005, is geared to make schools safer for children with allergies. After 13-year-old Sabrina Shannon from Pembroke, Ontario died at school in 2003 following food-allergy related anaphylaxis, the law requires every school board to establish and maintain an anaphylaxis policy. School staff must be trained in dealing with life-threatening allergies and emergency procedures must be in place.
Studies by researchers at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York showed that levels of Ara h 1, the major peanut allergen has staying power. Volunteers who ate a peanut butter sandwich had the allergen in their saliva for several hours after the meal. Clearance took up to 4.5 hours. The researchers went on to assess several interventions: vigorous tooth brushing for two minutes, tooth brushing and rinsing the mouth twice with water, rinsing the mouth without tooth brushing, and chewing gum for 30 minutes. All those intervention reduced the amount of peanut allergen, but none uniformly removed it!

Peanut Traces Still Present After Brushing Teeth

Peanut Traces Still Present After Brushing Teeth

For persons with food allergies it is a warning signal: even a kiss from a person who recently ate the food (peanuts in this case) can cause dangerous allergic reactions. The presence of allergens in the saliva may or may not be applicable to other foods besides peanuts. More studies are needed, said Dr. Jennifer Maloney and her colleagues.

More information about treatment of asthma caused by peanut allergy: http://nethealthbook.com/lung-disease/asthma-introduction/asthma-treatment/

Reference: The Medical Post, April 4,2006, page 19-21

Last edited Oct. 31, 2014

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May
01
2006

Life Extension Through Calorie Restriction

By | Anti-aging medicine, Fitness, Nutrition

Animal experiments in the past have pointed out that overfeeding resulted in less life expectancy of the animal. Experiments with primates showed that withholding food did not compromise the health and vitality. To the contrary: the chimp lived well and even lived longer. Experiments with rodents are still very much removed from the application to humans, and to get closer to the facts, new research has enlisted the help of humans. Participants were randomized to 1 of four groups in a study that went on for half a year. The first group received caloric restriction of 25% of baseline requirement. A second group had 12.5 % caloric restriction, group three 12.5% more exercise with a structured program. A fourth group consumed a very low-calorie diet of 890 kcal until 15% weight reduction, which was followed by a weight maintenance diet.
At 6 months, fasting insulin levels were significantly reduced from baseline in the intervention groups. Core body temperature was reduced in the group with calorie restriction and the group with calorie restriction with exercise.
These findings suggest that 2 biomarkers of longevity (fasting insulin level and body temperature) are decreased by prolonged calorie restriction in humans. The metabolic rate is lowered as a result. DNA damage was also researched, and in the intervention groups (calorie restricted diets) it was lower. The 6-month study suggests, that calorie restriction may not mean deprivation, but less “wear and tear” on the metabolism.

Life Extension Through Calorie Restriction

Life Extension Through Calorie Restriction

Studies of longer duration are required to determine if calorie restriction has the capability to slow down aging in humans.

More on calorie restriction: http://nethealthbook.com/news/calorie-restriction-makes-live-longer/

Reference: JAMA. 2006; 295:1539-1548

Last edited Oct. 31, 2014

Apr
01
2006

Vitamin D Deficiency Affects Asthma

By | Asthma, Nutrition, obstetrics, Vitamins and supplements

New findings from an observational study point to the intake of vitamin D during pregnancy as a way to curb childhood asthma.
Dr. Carlos Camargo at Harvard Medical School and his colleagues followed more than 2000 pregnant women and their children, and data on 1,194 subjects over the span of three years are now available. Risk factors for asthma in the children at age 3 showed an inverse relationship with the women’s consumption of vitamin D. The lowest intake of vitamin D was 356 IU; the highest was at 724 IU.
The children of mothers who consumed the highest amount of vitamin D were half as likely to have wheezing in the first three years of life compared to those whose moms had the lowest vitamin D intake.

The children’s vitamin intake did not have any effects on the result, suggesting that it is within pregnancy vitamin D supplementation is of importance.

A study of investigators in London going back to 2005 reaffirms the fact, that vitamin D has a positive impact on respiratory health. Vitamin D was given to steroid-resistant asthmatics. Authors of the study suggested that the therapeutic response to glucocorticoids was increased in this group.

Vitamin D Deficiency Affects Asthma

Vitamin D Deficiency Affects Asthma

Further epidemiological investigations are needed to study the benefits of vitamin D as an inexpensive prenatal supplement to prevent childhood asthma.

More informaation on:

1. Asthma: http://nethealthbook.com/lung-disease/asthma-introduction/

2. Vitamin D3: http://nethealthbook.com/news/higher-vitamin-d-levels-associated-lower-risk-mortality/

Reference: The Medical Post, March 21, 2006, page 1 and 60

Last edited Oct. 31, 2014

Mar
01
2006

Daily Tea Lowers Ovarian Cancer Risk

By | Cancer, Nutrition

Due to the fact that ovarian cancer is silent and as a result often diagnosed at a later stage, it is one of the killing cancers in women. New treatments have made a big difference in the survival rate of patients, but the need for prevention remains an important point. Studies have shown that alcohol consumption represents a risk factor for ovarian cancer. It is also true that healthy lifestyle habits in the form of healthy eating and exercise are very useful for prevention.
Swedish research has come up with more news. They examined the association of tea consumption as a risk-lowering factor in 61,057 women 40 to 76 years of age. These participants completed a validated 67-item food frequency questionnaire between 1987 and 1990. They were followed for cancer incidence through December 2004.
The researchers found a 46% lower risk of ovarian cancer in women who drank two or more cups of tea a day, compared to those who did not drink tea.

Daily Tea Lowers Ovarian Cancer Risk

Daily Tea Lowers Ovarian Cancer Risk

The tea was primarily black tea. Each additional cup of tea was associated with an 18% decreased risk of ovarian cancer.

More information on ovarian cancer: http://nethealthbook.com/cancer-overview/ovarian-cancer/

References: The Medical Post, February21, 2006, page 23.

Last edited Oct. 30, 2014

Mar
01
2006

Knowledge Needed For Herbal Remedies

By | Health, Nutrition, Vitamins and supplements

Herbal remedies have stood the test of time, and today roughly 80% of the world’s population relies on traditional medicines for primary health care needs. Herbal remedies and their efficacy have been confirmed in research, but nevertheless caution is necessary.
Not all herbal preparations are equal. Herb potency can differ due to growing and storage conditions. Toxic contaminants can be present in herbal preparations, and the best way to ensure a quality product is to purchase a product from a quality controlled source.

Anybody using herbal products should bear in mind that “natural” does not mean “harmless”. Many plants like catnip, juniper, lobelia, jimson weed, wormwood and nutmeg can inhibit the parasympathetic nervous system significantly and cause severe hallucinogenic effects. Patients with allergies to asters, chrysanthemums and ragweed should avoid teas from goldenrod, marigold, yarrow, St. John’s Wort and chamomile, as there is the possibility of cross-reactivity. Comfrey, which is a commonly used folk remedy in Europe and North America, has been shown to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which causes liver damage and cancer in animals and in humans.
There is a common notion that herbal teas that are used as laxatives would be entirely safe. Unfortunately it is not as simple as that. The continued use of cathartics (herbs that are laxatives) can be dangerous, as they cause a dependency or the so-called lazybowel problem.
If herbs are used it is important to be vigilant to negative interactions with medications. St. John’s Wort interferes with cyclosporin, digoxin, epileptic drugs and indinavir. Gingko should be used with caution by patients who are on warfarin (a blood thinner) because it can cause excessive bleeding. Deaths have been associated with the use of ephedra.
It is also of importance that herbal remedies should not been taken during pregnancy, unless the safety of taking them has been assured. To get qualified information the consumer should beware of flashy headlines promising miracle cures and seek the advice from a licensed health professional who is properly trained in the prescription of herbs.

Knowledge Needed For Herbal Remedies

Knowledge Needed For Herbal Remedies

It is also of importance to mention the use of herbal medications along with other medications that are used in order to assure the therapeutic benefits for the patients who uses them.

Reference: The Canadian Journal Of Diagnosis, January 2006,page 35 and 36

Last edited December 6, 2012

Mar
01
2006

Dementia Prevented With Diet And Exercise

By | Alzheimer’s disease, Nutrition

According to an Australian review a low-fat diet along with physical and mental activity is the best way to avoid dementia late in life.
The Australian team looked at numerous studies and concluded that many drugs and supplements promoted as treatments do not work. They did find that maintaining healthy blood pressure levels and an ideal body weight, staying physically and mentally active and consuming a low-fat diet reduces the risk of developing dementia. Dr. Michael Woodward, lead researcher of the report “Dementia: Can It Be Prevented?” states a very simple fact: any advice that is good for the heart is also good for the brain. A number of dietary supplements and medications have been suggested as being useful in the prevention of dementia, but none of them have been conclusive. One small study from Portugal suggested that even coffee could prevent dementia. It made headlines in the media, especially in the American press. However this was a small study involving only 54 people in Portugal. Another study a few years ago claimed that hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women reduced the risk of dementia. Again, this study got a lot of coverage. The study had a strong selection bias: these women were generally more health conscious, in better physical health and from a more socioeconomically privileged background.

The results of this review are further confirmed by Australian and American researchers led by Dr. Ralph Martins of the Center for Aging and Alzheimer’s disease in Joondalup, Australia and Dr. Samuel Gandy of the Farber Institute of Neurosciences in Philadelphia. They found that overweight and obese people are having a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than normal weight individuals. Increased body mass index and higher levels of plasma amyloid-beta, which is a key substance in the development of Alzheimer’s, go hand in hand.

Dementia Prevented With Diet And Exercise

Dementia Prevented With Diet And Exercise

Experts in the area of dementia caution that we cannot count on drugs and supplements, instead prevention is the key with dementia, which comes in the form of a healthy lifestyle.

More info about:

1. Research that has revealed a number of causes for Alzheimer’s disease: http://nethealthbook.com/neurology-neurological-disease/alzheimers-dementia-and-delirium/alzheimers-research/

2. Fitness:  http://nethealthbook.com/health-nutrition-and-fitness/fitness/

The Medical Post, January 24,2006,page 39.

3. Blog showing that exercise delays onset of Alzheimer’s: https://www.askdrray.com/regular-exercise-will-delay-onset-of-alzheimers-or-dementia/

Last edited October 30, 2014