Promedical Health

Google Offers a Flu Tracker Map

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:46:42 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:43:07 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:41:19 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 12:43:44 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 12:42:11 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 06:00:08 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:58:15 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:56:48 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:35:05 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:15:17 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:13:47 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:51:46 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:58:52 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:56:12 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:12:47 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:08:28 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:07:06 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:44:00 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:36:32 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:41:39 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:40:32 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:42:16 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:41:12 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:39:45 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (ipekyoluforum) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:38:33 PST

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.