Monthly Archive for June, 2009

Drink before, during and after your workout

Published on June 30, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Now that summer is here, it is even more important to stay hydrated. This is especially true when it comes to working out. At least two quarts of water a day are recommended for the average person. and even more may be needed to keep you from getting dehydrated depending on your size and fitness level, temperature, and humidity.

When you exercise, your body sweats to keep you from overheating, but if the salts, fluids and electrolytes are not replaced, the body cannot cool itself. This can lead to cramps, dehydration or heat exhaustion. If this happens, your symptoms may include cool, moist skin, a fast but weak pulse, and quick, shallow breathing. If heat exhaustion is not treated, it can lead to heatstroke, which is a life-threatening condition that needs immediate medical care.

When you are working out, don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink water. According to experts, you should drink about 7 to 10 ounces of water every 10 to 20 minutes when you exercise for less than an hour. Consider drinking a sports drink if your workout lasts longer. Sports drinks are designed to not only keep you hydrated but to help you maintain your blood’s electrolyte balance and give your working muscles fuel. The Journal of Physiology has found that high-carb sports drinks might even make your workout better.

 Athletes performed better on stationary bikes after they rinsed with a high-carb drink than they did after they drank saccharin-flavored water according to  researchers at the University of Birmingham in England. Carbohydrates in the sport drinks are believed to be what made the difference. These carbohydrates make contact with the receptors in the mouth, which may send signals to the brain to improve exercise performance.

The researchers were able to identify the regions of the brain that the sports drinks activated by using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The scans indicate that the drinks trigger areas that help control pleasure and motor control. Our brain sees this exercise as less intense, so we can work harder. Artificially sweetened drinks not have the same positive effect.

Try different sport drinks to find the best one for you. Some people use water to weaken the taste or decrease the carbohydrate intake, which will help reduce calories. Remember to hydrate before, during and after your workout.

Why so many new food recalls?

Published on June 30, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Early this year we were cautioned against eating pistachios and peanut butter, and then in April, the FDA strongly suggested that we not eat raw alfalfa sprouts. Now we are warned about a specific brand of cookie dough.

If you think there seems to be more recalls, you’re right! There were 214 food recalls in 2006, 247 in 2007 and 310 in 2008 according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Surprisingly, food manufacturers say this is not bad, it’s actually a good thing. Dr. Robert Brackett, chief science and regulatory-affairs officer for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, says “It may look like the food supply is getting less safe, but it actually means that we’re getting better at detecting the outbreaks.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has figures that appear to uphold Brackett’s findings, which reveal the decrease of food-borne illnesses as the food recalls have increased in the past few years.

The FDA’s associate commissioner for food safety, Dr. David Acheson, reports that the agency is getting more diligent when it comes to finding health dangers before any illness is reported. Acheson gave an example of this by mentioning the pistachio recall, explaining that the nuts were taken off the shelves before anyone got ill.

Having said all this, there are some lawmakers that are still concerned that the FDA isn’t doing all they can, so they are working on a new bill that will tighten regulations. This legislation would force food manufacturers to closely follow the distribution of their products, as the FDA would make more numerous visits to food manufacturing plants.

There are now more challenges than in the past because of the worldwide distribution of the food supply. There are more chances for contamination because of more stops from the farm to the home. 

Recently, the FDA has opened offices in China and India to keep in closer contact with food producers there. Fortunately new advances in surveillance technology has allowed the CDC to be able to track the genetic fingerprint of food-borne illnesses all over the nation, which lets the FDA caution Americans more quickly when it comes to possible health risks.

This said, even though there is increased oversight, the FDA advises that there will still be some recalls. Acheson says that “It’s not possible to be inspecting and testing every food item; you simply cannot do it.”

Work your body for your brain

Published on June 24, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Software programs that exercise your brain continue to be an escalating business. Studies indicate that computer and old-fashioned mental activities like reading and crafting can positively affect memory.

This said, recent research seems to point to physical exercise as the more effective activity for helping the brain to get stronger. Sam Wang, who is an associate professor of neuroscience and molecular biology at Princeton University, said “If I had to pick between fitness training and brain training, I’d go with fitness.” He also said that physical exercise has been proven to effect the brain much more than computer-brain exercise.

On the other hand Wang said that”fitness training only lasts as long as the benefit to your cardiovascular system.” Brain exercise, on the other hand, “might last longer.”

FDA says to stop using Zicam

Published on June 24, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

On June 17 health regulators said consumers using Zicam Cold Remedy nasal gel should stop because their sense of smell could be permanently damaged.

Zinc is an ingredient contained in the over-the-counter product. Scientists say the element zinc could damage nerves in the nose that are used for smelling.

Since 1999, the FDA says around 130 people have reported a loss sense of smell after using Matrixx Initiatives’ Zicam products. There was an extra 800 similar reports that are believed to have been made directly to the company.

Dr. Charles Lee, of the FDA’s compliance division, said that “loss of the sense of smell is potentially life threatening and may be permanent.”

This said, Matrixx upheld the safety of its products, but announced that they might be taken off the market.

Believe it or not, the FDA said that the Zicam Cold Remedy was never officially approved since it is part of a small group of remedies that are not required to go through federal review before sending out into the market. These products are known as homeopathic products, because they contain herbs, minerals and flowers.

On June 16 a warning letter was issued to Matrixx that called for the company to stop marketing its zinc-based products, but the agency did not issue an official recall. Regulators said that Matrixx needs to submit safety and effectiveness data on the drug. If they want to keep marketing Zicam intranasal zinc products, they need to seek FDA approval, says Deborah Autor, the FDA’s drug compliance division director.

The products to avoid are Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs Kid Size. The last product mentioned has been discontinued but could still be in some homes medicine cabinets.

Pandemic may be declared soon

Published on June 17, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

A rise in swine flu cases in Austria may pressure The World Health Organization to declare the first pandemic in 41 years. The WHO is also worried about an intense illness caused from the disease in Canada.

Keiji Fukuda, the chief of the WHO, said the agency wants to steer clear of panic or governments taking the wrong approaches – if it does announce a pandemic. This said, some experts of the flu believe that the world is already in a pandemic and that WHO has surrendered to demands that an announcement be delayed.

Margaret Chan, WHO’s director-general, believes that we are in Phase 6. She also said that she thinks it is imperative to confirm reports that the virus is starting to be established outside of North America before a pandemic is announced. “I need to be convinced that I have indisputable evidence,” she said.

Chan will soon conduct a conference call with governments so she can confirm some of the reports before making a proper announcement.

According to the WHO, 26,563 people in 73 countries have been infected by the virus and it has caused 140 deaths. North America has seen most of the cases, but Australia has recently seen a sharp escalation as the amount of cases shoots up to more than 1,000.

The good news is that in most of the 73 countries, the virus has caused only mild illnesses. On the other hand, the WHO is concerned because some of the deaths have happened to previously healthy adults. This fact has urged the WHO to rank the outbreak as “moderate” for now.

Fukuda said that about 50 percent of the people who have died from the H1N1 infection were healthy before, making this one of the reasons that has given the organization the most worry.

Ways to Lower Your Health Insurance costs

Published on June 10, 2009 in Health and Wellness and Health Insurance. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

There are currently 45.8 million Americans that don’t have health insurance, according to the Census Bureau survey results. Among these, 60% have full time jobs and 3.5 million earn more than $75,000 annually. There are a lot of people without health insurance coverage, like the self employed, who are taking a big risk by not getting covered because they are afraid of the high cost of personal health insurance plans.

Yes, health insurance is an extra expense, but the cost involved with just one severe injury can greatly surpass the cost of any annual health care plan. Health insurance doesn’t have to be outrageously expensive. There are some ways that everyone can decrease their monthly health insurance costs.

First of all, try to stay at a healthy weight. If you are able to maintain your weight within the average range for your height and age, this can help you qualify for the lowest health insurance rates. On the other hand, being morbidly obese can cause insurance rates to climb by as much as 7 times the quoted rate.

Then there is the issue of tobacco use. What should you do if you smoke or chew? Well, it is plain and simple; just don’t use tobacco period! Using any kind of tobacco can bring your insurance rates by as much as 30%! This substantial increase should tell you just how damaging tobacco use is to your health. So, if you smoke and you stop, you can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, because your health will improve tremendously and you can bring down your health care costs.

Now let’s talk about Type 2 Diabetes. Insurance for people with this condition, is automatically 30% higher – and that is with a healthy A1C. People who have an unhealthy A1C may even have to pay more. The good news is that in most cases, eating right, exercising and controlling your weight can cause this dreaded disease to just disappear.

Next, we all are under a lot of stress, especially during these difficult economic times. But instead of depending on anti-depressants and anti-stress medications, try to find natural ways to deal with stress and anxiety. Using anti-depressants and anti-stress medications are big health insurance rate increases. Illnesses due to stress are one of the stimulating elements in driving up health care costs. Check out different ways other than medicine to bring your stress down, like lifestyle changes, yoga and meditation.

Finally there is the cholesterol issue. Having high cholesterol and other risk factors for heart disease can cause insurance rates to increase significantly. So what can you do? Eating healthy, exercising and monitoring your cholesterol can all help to reduce your risk for getting heart disease.

Lack of sleep is killing us

Published on June 10, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

A new National Sleep Foundation poll reveals that Americans are sleeping less than ever before. There are many reasons for this, from worrying about the economy or having sleep apnea, to simply going to bed too late and getting up too early. Mark Opp, a professor at the University of Michigan and senior writer of a recent sleep study, said that we could be killing ourselves by sleeping less.

So why is sleep so necessary? The National Institutes of Health say that we need sleep to think and react quickly. Research has shown that brains that are well-rested are much better at problem solving, while other studies revealed that lack of sleep can cause people to make bad decisions and take on more risks.

The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study has reported that insignificant or irregular sleep may cause an increased risk for colon cancer, breast cancer, heart disease or diabetes. Other research groups throughout the country have also found evidence that insufficient sleep  affects important hormones and proteins that have a part in these diseases.

The National Sleep Foundation reports that just 28 percent of Americans regularly get eight hours of sleep. This is down from 38 percent in 2001. It was also found that 2 in 10 sleep less than six hours a night.

It is estimated by the National Institutes of Health that around 70 million Americans are troubled by a chronic sleep disorder or intermittent sleep problem.

Sleep Savvy Magazine says that if it takes you less than 5 minutes to fall asleep at night, you might be sleep-deprived. Ideally, it should take you 10-15 minutes to fall asleep at night – tired enough to fall asleep at night but not sleepy during the day.

Mark Opp says that we are staying up later and working longer hours. Many of us have to commute to work. Because of all this, we are sleeping less than what our biological need calls for. It is getting clearer from many large studies, that our lack of sleep is becoming harmful to our health.

Here are some tips for more better sleep:

1. Try to maintain a regular bedtime and wake-up schedule, even on the weekends or on vacation.

2. Create a regular, relaxing bedtime regimen, like taking a relaxing bath, and then reading or listening to calming music.

3. Foster an atmosphere that is favorable to sleeping where it is dark, cool, quiet and comfortable.

4. Make sure your mattress and pillows are comfortable.

5. Stop eating 2-3 hours before you go to bed.

6. Get regular exercise. Exercising in the late afternoon can help you fall asleep better at night.

7. Try to avoid alcohol, caffeine and nicotine close to bedtime.

Hormone therapy could increase the risk for lung cancer to be fatal

Published on June 8, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

There is more bad news about hormone therapy for menopause symptoms. A new study indicates that lung cancer is more prone to be fatal in women who are taking estrogen-progestin pills.

Women using hormones, who had developed lung cancer, were more than two times as likely to die from lung cancer as women who were not taking hormones, according to reports from Many 30.

These new discoveries suggest that smokers should stop taking hormones, and careful consideration should be taken for those who have not yet started taking hormones, according to Dr. Rowan Chlebowski of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Leading the analysis, he presented results at a meeting of the oncology society in Florida.

This is the most recent finding form the Women’s Health Initiative, which is a federal study in which 16,608 women were given either Prempro or fake pills. In 2002, the study was ended because researchers noticed an increase in breast cancers in women taking Prempro, the estrogen-progestin pill that is made by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. They are still recording the impact on the women in the study.

Non-small-cell lung cancer, which is the most common type, was observed in the new analysis. No difference was found in the amount of lung cancers that developed in hormone users after 5 years of follow-up.

On the other hand, lung cancer proved to be fatal in 46 percent of hormone users who had already developed it, versus 27 percent of those who were given the fake pills.

Dr. Richard Schilsky, a cancer specialist at the University of Chicago and president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, said that “It’s another piece of evidence to suggest that hormone replacement therapy should be used with great caution.”

Studies find that immune therapy is effective against cancers

Published on June 8, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

In the past, doctors have used methods such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation to fight that dreaded disease called cancer. Now, after 30 years, doctors have come up with a fourth way to battle cancer by using something completely natural, the immune system. 

This new approach is called a cancer vaccine, even though it treats the disease instead of preventing it. Researchers have recently claimed that this vaccine prevented a common form of lymphoma from getting worse for more than a year. Progress is usually very slow and success with new treatments can be measured in many long days or even weeks, so this is big news in this field of research. 

Experimental vaccines developed to fight against prostate, melanoma and neuroblastoma, which is a childhood tumor that is frequently fatal, produced positive results in late-stage testing. These results came in recent weeks, after many years of struggling in the lab.

Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, of the American Cancer Society, said he isn’t sure what they did to make the breakthrough. Dr. John Niederhuber, director of the National Cancer Institute, said that it was not one single moment, but many discoveries concerning the immune system that are finally beginning to show benefits.

This said, no one knows just exactly how long these benefits will last, whether boosters will be needed or if vaccines will one day provide a cure. Numerous vaccines must be custom-made for each patient, so the questions are just how practical and costly will these vaccines be? There are no sure answers yet, although there were several studies on vaccines that were reported during the weekend of June 1 at the oncology group’s annual meeting in Florida. 

Dr. Patrick Hwu, melanoma chief at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, said that one of the main problems has been getting the immune system to “see” cancer as a threat. Some viruses such as the flu or polio are easy for the immune system to recognize because they look so different from regular human cells.

To help tell the difference between normal cells and cancer cells, numerous cancer vaccines pull a substance from the surface of a cancer cell and adhere it to something that the immune system sees as foreign, such as a shellfish protein in the lymphoma vaccine.

To ensure that the assault is as powerful as possible, doctors attach a substance to cause the immune system to be on an elevated alert.

New scar-free obesity surgery is being tested

Published on June 4, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Doctors are currently working on a cutting-edge type of obesity surgery that does not require any cuts in the abdomen. It is performed by feeding a tube about the thickness of a garden hose down the throat in order to snap staples into the stomach. 

This preliminary, scar-free method fabricates a more slender passage that slows the movement of food as it goes from the top of the stomach to the bottom part of the stomach. This helps patients feel fuller faster, so they end up eating less. 

Doctors are happy with the encouraging experimental results so far from 200 patients in the U.S. and 100 in Europe.

Dr. Gregg Nishi, a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center surgeon in Los Angeles, said that an average of around 45 percent body weight has been lost from obese European patients, after only 18 months. He talked about the studies this week during a conference for digestive disease specialists in Chicago. Currently the procedure is only being performed in studies. The enrollment for this new study has just recently ended.

Nishi indicated that the results up to this point are moderately better than the usual stomach stapling method. One of the risks is perforation of the esophagus, which actually occurred in a patient at one of the centers. Apart from that, he said that there are no other complications.

An administrative coordinator at Cedars-Sinai, Lillian Gomez, was one of the first Americans to have the new scar-less surgery last year. She was going to have the surgery that is usually performed, until she learned that doctors at her hospital were experimenting with the innovative technique.

Gomez had her surgery in August and has lost 40 pounds since then, going from a size 22 to a size 16. She is still obese according to body mass index standards, but she has reduced the size of her meals by more than half and still feels full. She is confident that she will continue to lose weight.

This new scar-free surgery is part of a medical progression to conduct surgery through body openings instead of making incisions. The goal is to reduce recovery time and decrease the risks for infection.

Initially, Gomez had thought about getting a gastric bypass operation, which is a more complex and invasive procedure that raises the risk for malnutrition, because it repositions where the stomach attaches to the intestines. There is another popular weight-loss surgery option in which an adjustable band is applied to the top part of the stomach to help the patient feel fuller faster.

Although surgery is usually a last resort option for obese patients, more than 200,000 Americans are predicted to undergo the conventional types of obese surgery this year, according to the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery.