Medical Articles by Dr. Ray - Collection of health news, health articles and useful medical information you can use in everyday life.

Apr

2005

Hormone Replacement Worsens Incontinence

By Ray Schilling | 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

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

2005

One Shot For Better Blood Sugar Control

By Ray Schilling | Diabetes

People with permanent health conditions face the need for lifelong medications, and patients with type 2 diabetes see insulin shots as part of an everyday routine. There are different types of insulin, which helps in tailoring the medication to the needs of the patient.
It is old news that a new type of insulin under the name insulin glargin can be used for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. The news of a study just published in February is, that also patients with type 2 diabetes benefit from insulin glargin. Often the standard treatment with diabetes drugs does not provide optimal control of blood sugar levels.
371 type 2 diabetes patients with inadequate diabetes control who were not supplemented with insulin were part of a 24-week clinical trial in Bremen, Germany, headed by Dr. Hans U. Janka.

The patients received an antidiabetic combo consisting of sulfonylurea and metformin. These patients were randomly picked, and they received a morning dose of glargine insulin injection along with the antidiabetic medication. Others did not receive the oral medication, but were administered twice-daily injections of NPH insulin. Patients were monitored for the level of glycosylated hemoglobin (= HbA1c), which is the best indicator for diabetes control. The improvements in laboratory tests were more pronounced in the group that received the combination between an oral antidiabetic and glargine injection. In addition 46% reached HbA1c levels of 7% or less, which is excellent long-term blood sugar control, as compared to only 29% of the NPH insulin group. Fasting blood sugar levels also showed improvement. There is a risk of patients becoming hypoglycemic. Again, the risk was significantly lower in those who were on the glargin combination, than those who were on the NPH insulin.

One Shot For Better Blood Sugar Control

These results show that one single injection, which is added to the oral medication, can help type 2 diabetes patients, whose condition has been poorly controlled. Glargine insulin has been approved in Canada already in 2002, but due to supply problems it is only now expected to be on the pharmacy shelves soon.

More information on treatment of diabetes with insulin: http://nethealthbook.com/hormones/diabetes/treatment-diabetes-insulin/

Reference: National Review Of Medicine, March 15,2005,page22

Last edited October 28, 2014

Apr

2005

Rapid HIV Tests – Not At Home

By Ray Schilling | Infectious Disease, Men's Health, Women’s Diseases

Consumers beware: a company from Montreal is advertising do-it-yourself home diagnostic tests, and the US regulatory body (FDA 2005 safety alerts) has issued a warning, after consumers complained about the accuracy of the tests. The tests are not approved for sale in Canada, and a company that specializes in marketing and web design is marketing them. Even though some people feel more comfortable doing an HIV home test anonymously in the privacy of their home, they do well checking first, which tests are reliable, by looking up approved test kits on sites like Health Canada’s web page.The test kits in question are as follows:
-Rapid HIV test kit
-Rapid syphilis test kit
-One step cassette-style cocaine test
-One step cassette-style marijuana (THC) test
-One step cassette-style amphetamine test
-Rapid Dengue fever test
-One step midstream style HCG urine test
-Home pregnancy test.

Rapid HIV Tests – Not At Home

Globus Media website has been down since the FDA advisory, and no one from the company has been available for comment.

More information about AIDS and HIV: http://nethealthbook.com/infectious-disease/sexually-transmitted-disease/aids-introduction/

Reference: National Review of Medicine, Canada, March 15, 2005, page 5

Last edited October 28, 2014

Apr

2005

Sweet Alcohol Has Bitter Consequences

By Ray Schilling | 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

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

2005

Liver Cirrhosis Threatens Overweight Children

By Ray Schilling | Gastrointestinal Disease, Nutrition, Obesity

Generally the condition of liver cirrhosis has been associated with excessive alcohol intake, and the victims have been adults.
A similar condition is the fatty infiltration of the liver, where the function becomes impaired through the growth of fatty tissue, which replaces healthy tissue. In its worst form this non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can advance to cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. So far this devastating course of illness has been seen in adults, but it is not confined to the adult population. The most important risk factor for this disease is obesity, and with one in three children in Canada now overweight, the previous adult-only disease is now affecting kids. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is now the most common cause of abnormal liver tests.

Dr. Ariel Feldstein, a pediatric gastroenterologist from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester reports that the average age of children with these symptoms is about 12, which is an alarmingly low age for this picture. There is also a warning, that children do not even have to sport a sky-high body-mass index (BMI). The risk is already significant with a high BMI.The most direct approach to prevent type 2 diabetes and fatty-liver disease in children has to start within the family. Instead of singling out the child it is important to work together as a family to become healthier. The terms”fat”, “chubby”, “exercise” and “diet” are less conducive to improvement than “physical activity” and “better nutrition”. Consistent minor changes are also more important than crash diets that come and go.

Liver Cirrhosis Threatens Overweight Children

Eating more vegetables and fruit, not eating and snacking mindlessly in front of the TV, eating together as a family and preparing healthy snacks instead of tossing a cookie bar or a bag of chips into the lunch bag are all ways that benefit the entire family.
A study from Dr. Robert Berkowitz at the Children’s’ Hospital of Philadelphia affirms even more, that prevention has to start with the parents: children born to overweight mothers have a higher risk of following the pattern of having a high body mass index than those whose parents were normal weight.

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

Reference: The Medical Post, February 15, 2005, page 21

Last edited October 27, 2014

Mar

2005

Magnetic Therapy For Depression

By Ray Schilling | 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

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

Mar

2005

Asian Diet To Manage Menopause

By Ray Schilling | Nutrition, Weight loss, Women’s Diseases

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has not only benefits. The potential side effects have become evident, and as a result, doctors have cautioned their patients, that HRT may not be the answer for every menopausal woman. However, lately natural hormone replacement therapy has become popular as an alternative. According to statistics only 20% of Asian women are plagued by hot flashes during menopause as compared to 80% of Westerners. A lifestyle intervention trial from Australia taught 120 women to adapt Japanese diet and lifestyle habits. The participants of the trial also started an exercise program for women, drank lots of water, increased calcium intake and increased the intake of plant-estrogens. Researchers had chosen this model, as Japanese women average five more years of healthy living than their sisters in the West. The spotlight of the research continues to focus on plant-based estrogens. Isoflavone precursors are found in soy (which is widely consumed in Asia), but it is also present in fruits, vegetables, legumes and seeds such as flax. We do not know too much about the long-term effect of manufactured or isolated soy products, and so it is best to stay with the natural soy foods such as edamame (soy beans), tofu, tempeh and miso. Beside soy foods, lots of vegetables, beans and fruit are beneficial, and ground flax seed has also shown to decrease menopausal symptoms. Research in Chinese women has shown a modest association between post-menopausal soy intake and increased bone density.

Asian Diet To Manage Menopause

Compared to this, the “typical” North American diet isn’t an accessory to good health; being high in white flour, sugar, trans fat and providing saturated fat of meat and dairy products this is also bad news for menopause. In addition there is a correlation between an increased body mass index and one to five alcoholic drinks per week with increased hot flashes in peri-menopausal women. Research from Simmons College at the Harvard School of Public Health has shown that Western food habits of red meat and processed meats (hot dogs, bacon) put especially women’s health at risk.

Diabetes Risk Increased With Western Diet Over 14 Years (modified from Archives of Internal Medicine)

Diabetes Risk of Western Diet Over 14 years

Some experts say that the health of Asian women is more robust due to their life-long soy intake, in which case it would make sense to not even wait for all the dreaded symptoms of menopause to appear, but make way for healthy diet choices early. Soy products have become immensely popular and are readily available in today’s market, and so it will be interesting to see if the next generation of women has an easier time going through menopause.

More info on menopause: http://nethealthbook.com/hormones/hypogonadism/secondary-hypogonadism/menopause/

References: 1.The Medical Post January 25, 2005, page 17 2. The Medical Post, February 1, 2005, page 17

Last edited October 27, 2014

Mar

2005

Sleep More For Healthy Body Weight

By Ray Schilling | Stress management, Weight loss

Sleep deprivation is a common problem in a society governed by stress and hurry. Less hours of sleep may give us the illusion of being more effective, but it seems to be at the expense of our health. Lack of sleep affects our brain metabolism in various ways, and researchers at Columbia University recently examined data on 6115 people, ages 32 to 59 from a U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The findings were presented at a recent meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity. Of those who slept less than four hours per night 73% were more likely to be obese. Those who slept six hours per night were 23% more likely to be obese. The findings further suggested that in people who sleep less than eight hours per night (about three quarter of the 1024 participants), body mass index was inversely proportional to sleep duration.

The researchers also reported the reasons for that. Sleep deprivation lowers leptin, a blood protein that suppresses appetite and sends the signal, when the body had enough food. Lack of sleep also raises ghrelin levels, a polypeptide hormone from the stomach wall, which makes people want to eat. Laboratory tests of one study showed that making do with only four hours of sleep resulted in an 18% reduction of the leptin (the “appetite stopper”) and a 28% increase of the ghrelin (the “appetite animator”). Translated into plain text, it means that the breaks were removed and the signal given to eat by 46% more than in persons with a sufficient dose of sleep.

Increase of obesity risk due to sleep deprivation

Obesity risk with sleep deprivation

In addition sleep deprived healthy persons in their 20’s also craved more sweets and starchy foods than well-rested individuals and these added calories are stored as body fat. These hormonal changes are the biochemical evidence pointing to the connection of a sleep-deprived lifestyle with obesity and the associated health problems like diabetes and cardiovascular illness.
Drastic diets don’t seem to hold the answer. Part of the entire picture may be as simple as sleeping more and as a result weighing less.

Reference: The Medical Post, February 1, 2005,page 17

Last edited December 7, 2012

Mar

2005

Metabolic Syndrome Threatens Mental Functioning

By Ray Schilling | Health, Hormones, Mental Health

It used to be called syndrome of hyperinsulinism or syndrome X, but in the meantime the term Metabolic Syndrome stands for a derailment of the metabolism, which manifests itself in excessive weight, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and inflammatory processes in the body. The condition, which is largely preventable by healthy lifestyle choices, also paves the way for heart disease, stroke, arthritis and some cancers.
A study from the University of California at San Francisco by Dr. Kristine Yaffe points to yet another health problem that results from the metabolic syndrome and which mars the “golden years” of a large number of seniors: lack of cognitive function, short term memory loss, and forms of dementia.
The study was based on 2632 participants with an average age of 74 years. The likelihood to develop cognitive impairment was 20% higher in those participants of the study who had metabolic syndrome. Things were getting worse, if patients had metabolic syndrome and laboratory tests showed high inflammation with elevated blood levels of interleukin 6 and the C- reactive protein test: the likelihood to develop cognitive impairment rose to 66%.

Metabolic Syndrome Threatens Mental Functioning

So much for the bad news. The good news, however, is that lifestyle can be a powerful armor in the prevention of disability and disease.

Reference: The Medical Post, January 25,2005, page 45

Last edited October 27, 2014

Feb

2005

Public Strategies Help Quit Smoking

By Ray Schilling | Cancer, Heart Disease

Quitting to smoke has been a New Year’s resolution for many, and in view of the health care dollars spent for diseases related to smoking and the approximately 440,000 deaths in the United States per year alone, it should be a priority to implement comprehensive tobacco-control programs.
Smoking was more common among men (an average of 24.8 % nationally), whereas a national average of 20.3% of women lit up. There are also considerable differences between various states. In Kentucky 33.8% of men and 28.1% of women were smokers. Utah had the lowest prevalence with 14% men and 9.9% women. The national health objective is a goal for 2010 is to reduce the numbers to 12% smokers, which underscores the need for increased efforts to reduce tobacco use. Strategies include a clean air act to ensure clean indoor air laws, media campaigns, telephone support quit lines, insurance coverage for cessation counseling and pharmaceuticals are effective, but there are substantial variations across the states. In addition there are significant differences in the cost of cigarettes. It comes as no surprise, that Kentucky, which has the lowest price at $3.10 per pack, also has the highest number of smokers. Telephone support lines are available in the majority of states, but in 2002 only 2 states offered Medicaid coverage for medication treatment or counseling, and only six states (California, Conneticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York) have comprehensive statewide smoking bans in effect on indoor workplaces and public places.

Public Strategies Help Quit Smoking

Too few states have public smoking bans in effect. Only four states (Arkansas, Delaware, Maine, and Mississippi) were investing at least the minimum per capita amount that the CDC recommends for tobacco-control. There is obviously the need to expand efforts and resources, to achieve the goal to reduce the smoking habit to 12% in the population by 2010.

Reference: Journal Of The American Medical Society, December 22/29,2004,Vol.292, No.24

A Survivor’s Guide to Successful Aging

Prostate Cancer Unmasked

Healing Gone Wrong – Healing Done Right

Medical Question Answered

Social Media Links

askdrray.com Insider

Recent Posts

Navigation Menu

Tags

A Survivor’s Guide to Successful Aging

Prostate Cancer Unmasked

Healing Gone Wrong – Healing Done Right

Medical Question Answered

Social Media Links

askdrray.com Insider

Recent Posts

Tags

A Survivor’s Guide to Successful Aging

Prostate Cancer Unmasked

Healing Gone Wrong – Healing Done Right

Medical Question Answered

Social Media Links

askdrray.com Insider

Recent Posts

Tags

A Survivor’s Guide to Successful Aging

Prostate Cancer Unmasked

Healing Gone Wrong – Healing Done Right

Medical Question Answered

Social Media Links

askdrray.com Insider

Recent Posts

Tags

A Survivor’s Guide to Successful Aging

Prostate Cancer Unmasked

Healing Gone Wrong – Healing Done Right

Medical Question Answered

Social Media Links

askdrray.com Insider

Recent Posts

Tags

A Survivor’s Guide to Successful Aging

Prostate Cancer Unmasked

Healing Gone Wrong – Healing Done Right

Medical Question Answered

Social Media Links

Certificates