Jun
01
2005

Mixing Medications With Herbs Spells Trouble

By | Health, Prevention, Vitamins and supplements

It is generally accepted that prescription medications may have side effects, and there is also the belief that herbal medicines are more desirable, as they cannot possibly have dangerous side effects.
An anonymous survey of rheumatology patients in the United Kingdom shed some light into the use of over-the-counter herbal remedies: nearly half of the patients (40%) had used herbal remedies in the past six month in the hope of enhancing their health. Trouble started for one in ten patients who took an herbal remedy that could negatively interfere with their traditional medicines. Dr. Wendy Holden of the Nuffield Orthopedic Center in Oxford, the author of this study, reported that the risk is especially high for rheumatology patients who take anti-inflammatory drugs in combination with herbs. The traditional medicines do have a risk for gastrointestinal bleeding, however the additions of herbs like ginkgo biloba, ginger, devil’s claw and even garlic can increase the anticoagulant effect and bleeding may be the consequence. Some patients who reported the use of Echinacea were increasing the risk of a liver disease. Of those patients who took a potentially harmful treatment combination 92% were unaware of the risk. Less than half had mentioned to their physicians that they used herbal medications in combination with their prescription medications.

Mixing Medications With Herbs Spells Trouble

Mixing Medications With Herbs Spells Trouble

Herbal medicines are powerful and their effects and side effects have to be taken into consideration. It is important for the patient to mention every medication, even the seemingly harmless over-the-counter herbal remedies, to the treating physician, as the mix may be not a winning combination, but one that is hazardous.

Reference: The Medical Post, May 10, 2005, page 8

Last edited December 12, 2012

Jun
01
2005

Smoking During Pregnancy Linked To Adult Asthma

By | Asthma, Lung Disease, obstetrics, Prevention, Women’s Diseases

Smoking during pregnancy has been found to be harmful to the unborn child, and secondary smoke has long been recognized as a health risk for children. Doctors and health care providers keep on pointing out the hazards: aside the risk for the mother-to-be there are the consequences for the children: low baby birth weights, respiratory problems for children.
In the meantime there is another good reason for the pregnant woman (and other household members) to quit. Passive smoking for the unborn child and in childhood seems to have a lasting effect on the airways. There is an increased risk for adult respiratory problems and asthma, reports Dr.Trude Duelien-Skoge, who is a respiratory physician at the University of Bergen, Norway. A long-term study was concluded between 1985 and 1996 involving 2,819 adults. Those participants, who had been exposed to tobacco smoke as unborn babies, were three times more likely to develop adult asthma than individuals whose mothers were non-smokers. Exposure to tobacco smoke in childhood alone was associated with a two-fold risk for adult asthma.

The worst consequences were born by the group that was exposed to tobacco smoke as unborn children and during childhood: they were three-and-a-half times more likely to develop asthma as adults. Several studies pointed to the fact that there are structural changes in the airways of children who had prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke. This does not come as a surprise, as many toxic chemicals from cigarette smoke pass freely across the placenta, and prenatal smoke exposure has been associated with a host of childhood illnesses. From early changes the road is paved to either slow progression of disease or inducing vulnerability in the airways, which only becomes evident with later exposures.

Smoking During Pregnancy Linked To Adult Asthma

Smoking During Pregnancy Linked To Adult Asthma

Due to the far-reaching health risk it is all the more important to be aware of prevention: neither should the unborn child be exposed to cigarette smoke, nor should the growing child be subjected to it, and all efforts should be made to convince the adult smoker of the benefits of quitting smoking.

More information on:

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

High risk pregnancies: http://nethealthbook.com/womens-health-gynecology-and-obstetrics/pregnancy-labor-delivery-2/high-risk-pregnancies/
Reference: The Medical Post, May 3, 2005, page 25

Last edited October 28, 2014

Jun
01
2005

Lose Fat With Omega-3 Fish Oil And Exercise

By | Health, Men's Health, Nutrition, Prevention, Weight loss, Women’s Diseases

Omega-3 fish oil has been recognized to have significant benefits for healthy blood vessels and heart health. Ideally fish, which is rich in omega-3 fats, should be eaten several times per week, and salmon, mackerel or sardines are excellent choices. Some individuals are not fond of these choices and do not get enough of omega-3 fats. There is still the alternative to take fish oil. Most people would cringe at the idea of swallowing a spoonful of cod liver oil, but fish oil, which can be taken encased in a gelatin capsule is no longer a “yuck” experience.
It is certainly worthwhile to take a closer look at omega-3 fish oil, as new research from Adelaide, Australia has come into the forefront, associating fish oil with health benefits. Dr. Peter Howe, PhD from the South Australian University’s School of Health Sciences supervised research on patients with metabolic syndrome. They were overweight, had high blood pressure, a high insulin level and high blood fat or triglyceride levels. The patients participated in a 12-week program, which not only included moderate aerobic exercise three times per week, but also the intake of fish oil or sunflower oil. A control group received sunflower oil combined with exercise. The difference was quite significant: those on a regimen of exercise and fish oil supplementation lost more body fat mass than those who were using sunflower oil and adhered to an exercise program.
Exercise alone and fish oil alone did not produce these effects. It was the combination that made the difference! The researchers state that omega-3 fatty acids cause a switch to enzymes that burn fat, but exercise is the driver, which increases the metabolic rate, so fat loss becomes possible. It was also found that the winning combination of fish oil and exercise promoted a decrease in blood pressure and triglyceride levels.

Lose Fat With Omega-3 Fish Oil And Exercise

Lose Fat With Omega-3 Fish Oil And Exercise

Dr. Howe noted that not only did it reduce body fat (weight loss mostly noticeable in the abdominal area), but also it was beneficial to the patients’ general health. It is the protective effect of omega-3 fish oil on blood vessels, which is making them more elastic and more efficient in transporting nutrients to the muscles.

More information of good and bad fatty acids: http://nethealthbook.com/health-nutrition-and-fitness/nutrition/fat-good-bad-fatty-acids/

Reference: The Medical Post, May 3, 2005, page 15

Last edited October 28, 2014

May
01
2005

Inflammation Connected To Sudden Heart Death

By | Diabetes, Heart Disease, Prevention

It is a well-known fact that certain diseases go together, for instance diabetes and heart disease. Every effort has to be made for this reason to control a disease in order to minimize the risk for other associated illnesses.
New research from rheumatologist Dr. Sherin Gabriel at the Mayo Clinic points to another health condition. Patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis have a higher risk of early death than others, and these deaths are mostly due to cardiovascular disease. The relationship between these two diseases is complex, reports Dr. Gabriel, and the common denominator between heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis seems to be systemic inflammation.

Research from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, has been published in March, and it was found that inflammation documented by laboratory tests such as an erythrocyte sedimentation rate of over 60mm per hour increased the risk for heart disease by a factor of two. Rheumatoid arthritis vasculitis increased the risk to 2.4, and RA lung disease showed a risk increase of 2.3. Traditional risk factors for heart disease like smoking, alcohol, obesity and diabetes were accounted for, yet the more dramatic risk factor in the population with RA (rheumatoid arthritis) was the aspect of inflammation. The results of this research are based on data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, in which 603 persons with rheumatoid arthritis were followed over 15 years. In this time span 364 of these patients died, and heart disease was the primary cause of death in 176 of them. The subjects of this group were three times as likely as an age-matched population to have been hospitalized for a heart attack and had five times the risk of having an unrecognized heart attack. This group is also more vulnerable, because patients with rheumatoid arthritis suffer of joint pains, receive painkillers, and often chest pain can be masked by pain medication and go unrecognized.

Inflammation Connected To Sudden Heart Death

Inflammation Connected To Sudden Heart Death

Co-author Dr. Hilal Maradit points out that rheumatoid arthritis remains a multifactor problem, and one factor alone does not explain the entire story, but in the meantime the link of inflammation in RA to cardiovascular disease is an important step closer to early recognition and successful control.

More info about:

Rheumatoid arthritis: http://nethealthbook.com/arthritis/rheumatoid-arthritis/

Gingivitis: http://nethealthbook.com/dentistry/gingivitis/

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

Reference: National Review Of Medicine, April 15, 2005, page 3

Last edited October 28, 2014

Apr
01
2005

Hormone Replacement Worsens Incontinence

By | Hormones, Prevention, Women’s Diseases

Once hailed as the miracle pill for the aging woman, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is now being approached with caution. The infamous Women’s Health Initiative study, which first disproved benefits of hormone therapy, first pointed out an increase of breast cancer risk and risk of cardiovascular disease. On re-analysis of the data the Journal of the American Medical Association has published a study in its issue of February 23, 2005, which shows some more reason for caution with HRT. The previous notion that hormone replacement would improve the symptoms of urinary incontinence has turned out to be a fallacy. Dr. Susan Hendrix and her colleagues from Wayne State Untiversity School of Michigan in Detroit analyzed the data from 23,296 women with urinary incontinence. In randomized trials they received either estrogen alone, estrogen with progestin (Prempro) or the placebo effect (“fake pills”). Among those who were continent at the baseline, both, estrogens alone as well as the combination therapy were associated with an increased risk of incontinence at one year. Estrogen (Premarine) alone produced the most marked effect: stress incontinence increased by a factor of 2.15, the combination therapy increase stress incontinence by a factor of 1.87. In addition, women who were already suffering of incontinence, tended to report a worsening of their symptoms after beginning hormone therapy. The Women’s Health Initiative trials were stopped because the treatment risks appeared to outweigh its benefits. These new findings tilt the scales even further against hormone therapy, the authors say in their study.

Hormone Replacement Worsens Incontinence

Hormone Replacement Worsens Incontinence

Reference: National Review of Medicine, Canada, March 15, 2005, page 28

Comments on Nov. 8, 2012: We have to keep these observations in perspective. The authors of that study were using the “regular” Big Pharma manufactured hormone substitutes that the body cannot read. There are no Premarin or Provera receptors in the tissue, only testosterone receptors, estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors. These artificial hormones cannot be metabolized in the woman’s body into testosterone as bio-identical estrogen and progesterone would, because they are structurally different from the bio-identical hormones. The sad truth is that an anti-aging physician could have treated these poor women with incontinence safely by prescribing small amounts of testosterone cream that would have had to be applied to the urethral opening. From there the body would have sent it to the bladder, the bladder sphincter and the testosterone receptors that control these tissues and would have taken care of the incontinence problem.  You do not need a clinical trial. This type of treatment has been used in Europe for decades and has been used in the US for maybe 10 to 15 years as well by some open minded urologists and anti-aging physicians. The heading for this post is only applicable for HRT in the conventional sense (using Big Pharma drugs), but none of this applies to bio-identical hormone replacement for menopause.

More info on bio-identical hormone replacement in menopause: http://nethealthbook.com/hormones/hypogonadism/secondary-hypogonadism/menopause/

Last edited October 28, 2014

Apr
01
2005

Sweet Alcohol Has Bitter Consequences

By | Gastrointestinal Disease, Prevention, Substance abuse

Aggressive marketing of sugar/alcohol, called “girlie drinks” or “alcopops”, are luring young girls into alcohol consumption. Colorful commercials convey the image of fun and sexy drinks, and as a result, the percentage of girls who drink is more on the rise than boys. The American Medical Association has conducted two teen surveys, and discovered some troublesome facts:
-Approximately one third of teen girls have tried the aggressively marketed alcopops.
-About one in six were sexually active after drinking.
-One quarter has driven after drinking or ridden in a car with a driver who had been drinking.
-The average age of the first alcoholic drink is now 13.
It is obvious from the marketing content, that alcoholic beverage marketers go after young teens, reported Dr. Bob Mann PhD, senior scientist at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.

This advertising is highly effective, as it was observed in a study, which was conducted several years ago. Young males were questioned two months after a brewery launched an advertising campaign for a high-alcohol beer that was geared towards young males. 66% of underage drinkers were consuming the product.

Sweet Alcohol Has Bitter Consequences

Sweet Alcohol Has Bitter Consequences

In Canada federal and provincial governments are out of the regulation of alcohol advertising. It is essential that parents, educators and family physicians point out the hazards of excessive alcohol use long before the first drink is sampled. An American Medical Association poster shows a young girl taking a swallow from a bottle. The headline warns: “Girlie Drinks…women’s diseases”, and the list of diseases are shown: brain damage, STD’s, heart problems, liver disease, and menstrual disorders.

More information about alcoholism and the effects of alcohol on the body: http://nethealthbook.com/drug-addiction/alcoholism/

Reference: Medical Post, March 1, 2005, page 23

Last edited October 27, 2014

Mar
01
2005

Magnetic Therapy For Depression

By | Health, Mental Health, Prevention, Uncategorized

Depression is a psychiatric condition, which is experienced by a lot of people. It is more than just a transient feeling of the “blues”. Depression can be a chronic and disabling disease, and in severe cases there is the risk of suicide. Great advances have been made from removing the social stigma from psychiatric illness, and cognitive therapy and effective medications can help most the patients to lead full and productive lives.
For a few patients however, depression can be drug-resistant and as a result, effective therapy will be much more difficult.
According to research by Dr. Gary Hasey at Mc Master University in Hamilton, Canada, magnets may have a future role in the treatment of mood disorders. TMS (standing for transcranial magnetic stimulation) has shown promising results in the treatment of some types of depression. A so far unpublished study found that 27% of 50 patients with drug -resistant depression achieved full response with TMS.

Simulated treatment in a control group did not produce this result in any of the patients. MRI scans have shown that depressed people have below-average brain activity in the frontal cortex of the brain. A magnetic field, which is created by passing an electric current through a hand-held magnetic coil, is aimed at the patient’s pre-frontal cortex, which stimulates the brain activity in this area. This treatment is vastly different from the well-known electro-shock treatment (ECT), where the patient needs sedation and close observation in a hospital setting. Contrary to this, TMS can be done without sedation.

Magnetic Therapy For Depression

Magnetic Therapy For Depression

The patient is conscious and can resume his normal activities after the treatment. The therapy was first discovered in the 1980’s, but a lot of research had been necessary before treatment could be made available. Other trials are also running in Great Britain, and promising results have been published in the medical paper “The Lancet”. Dr. Hasey cautions that there are still some details that have to be worked out. In the meantime Health Canada has approved TMS as treatment for drug-resistant depression.

More information about depression: http://nethealthbook.com/mental-illness-mental-disorders/mood-disorders/depression/

Reference: The Medical Post, February 1,2005, page 28

Last edited October 27, 2014

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Feb
01
2005

News About The Flu

By | Infectious Disease, Lung Disease, Prevention

Every couple of years new influenza strains seem to develop in Asia and spread thru the rest of the world. When summer comes, the flu season is forgotten and the cycle repeats itself in fall and winter.

Recently there were local outbreaks of two avian influenza strains that according to the name should only affect birds (the “asian bird flu”). Based on research from these two bird flu experiences there seems to be a new way of looking at the development of human influenzas. It appears that new strains of human influenza are born in the bird population of Asia where the virus mutates into new strains. From there it spreads into human care takers (bird-to-human spread) and their contacts. Eventually the virus adapts to the human host and effective human-to-human transmission is incorporated into the DNA of the virus. Now the time is ready for a flu epidemic. It is not clear yet how long this human-to-human transmission switch takes (how many months or years). Here are more details regarding the recent two local outbreaks of asian bird flus:

1. Recently Dr. Arnold Bosman published a study in Holland. He was the health officer in charge of investigating an outbreak of influenza A, type H7N7, affecting a number of chicken farms in Holland between March and May 2003. This was the time of the SARS epidemic that caught all of the media attention at that time. About 86 poultry workers had been infected with flu like illness that caused a viral conjunctivitis of the eyes. However, one veterinarian who was in close contact with the infected birds died from respiratory distress syndrome. Using very sensitive PCR facilitated DNA test they were able to show that these infected people had all the same bird flu with the influenza strain A (type H7N7). When contacts of these people were tested a surprisingly large number, about 1000 with an estimated total of about 2000, people were also positive for antibodies to this particular more harmless strain of bird influenza.

2. The second development is regarding the recent infection of a bird flu in Vietnam that has caused many deaths. This is a much more aggressive influenza A (H5N1), which is the other bird flu that is of concern for the rest of the world. In Vietnam this bird flu type has a mortality of 76%, in other words with this new type of flu 3 out of 4 people die who get it. It all started in December of 2003 and here are the latest details about this flu type.

News About The Flu

News About The Flu

With the new study from Holland the concern among infection specialists is that there likely are a lot more healthy appearing people who become carriers of the disease (like the 2000 contacts in Holland). Experts feel that this type of flu presently might be in the stage of adapting to the human-to-human transmission mode (so far mostly bird-to-human transmission has taken place, which is still a barrier to mass transmission). When the virus has learnt to adapt to human-to-human transmission, there could be a flu pandemic with a new human strain of influenza A (type H5N1) that would rapidly sweep the world.

A Quebec/Canada company (ID Biomedical) is working on an influenza vaccine for the H5N1 virus, in preparation for a possible pandemic. The demand will be so great when a pandemic would happen, that the company is thinking of stockpiling this vaccine so that it would be available when bad news should strike.

In the meantime antiviral antibiotics such as Tamiflu (=oseltamivir) at a dose of 75 mg twice per day for 5 days started within the first two days of the flu aborts the flu effectively according to the experts. Unfortunately this antiviral antibiotic directed against the N1 component of the virus is expensive.

More background information about the flu (medically termed “influenza”): http://nethealthbook.com/infectious-disease/respiratory-infections/flu/

Reference: The Medical Post, Jan. 18, 2005, P. 2 and 56

Last edited October 27, 2014

Jan
01
2005

Vaccine To Eradicate Cervical Cancer

By | Cancer, Health, Prevention, Women’s Diseases

Dr. Diane M. Harper, a lead researcher from Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire has called the results of a vaccination trial against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) “extremely exciting and encouraging”. A simple vaccination against this virus, which is the cause for cancer of the cervix, has the potential to eradicate the vast majority of cervical cancers worldwide.
The injection in the study was tested on 1,113 women between the ages 15 and 25 over an 18-month period. One hundred percent of the patients of the vaccinated group escaped persistent infection.

The protection against initial HPV- infection was at 92 %.
At this point a much larger trial is set to begin, before the vaccination can be licensed for general use. It will very likely soon be a routine vaccination for young women. If it is successful, it will be a powerful tool for prevention and will save thousands of lives that otherwise would be lost to cervical cancer. Even for those patients who dread shots, a needle prick will be a small price to pay.

Vaccine To Eradicate Cervical Cancer

Vaccine To Eradicate Cervical Cancer

More info on cervical cancer: http://nethealthbook.com/cancer-overview/cervical-cancer/

Comment on Nov. 7, 2012: In the meantime the vaccine has been introduced into the school vaccination program of many countries around the world, but mostly concentrating on the female population.  In Australia the vaccine is given to boys aged 9 to 15 and girls.  The two main brand names are Gardasil and Cervarix. Here is a detailed medical review from Great Britain.

Last edited October 27, 2014

Jan
01
2005

PSA Screening For Prostate Cancer Not Obsolete

By | Cancer, Men's Health, Prevention

Like with any test there are false positive results, and the blood test called PSA (short for Prostate Specific Antigen) has received some criticism as a result. Negative comments likening it to “Shooting flies with a bazooka” have been voiced, and yet, statistics on the mortality due to prostate cancer tell a different story.

In recent years the mortality rate in North America is down by 25%, and part of it is due to PSA. Currently there is no more effective testing in place, so the alternative is not attractive. It is like going back to the bad old times, where men where diagnosed only, once the prostate cancer was advanced, had formed metastases, and hopes for a cure were remote. There are promising new tests under development which at one point in time will replace the PSA, but for now it’s still the best test available. The only other way to find prostate cancer is by doing a biopsy.

PSA Screening For Prostate Cancer Not Obsolete

PSA Screening For Prostate Cancer Not Obsolete

More info on prostate cancer prevention: http://nethealthbook.com/cancer-overview/prostate-cancer/prostate-cancer-prevention/

Reference: National Review Of Medicine, December 15, 2004, page 22

Last edited October 27, 2014