(HealthDay News) -- Seniors who eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and who have good cognitive function are much less likely to die from heart disease than those who have poorer cognitive function and eat fewer fruits and vegetables, a new study has found.
Cognitive function refers to the ability to think, remember, plan and organize information.
Researchers at the Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia analyzed diet and cognitive data on 4,879 people (3,101 women and 1,778 men), age 70 and older, who took part in the U.S. Longitudinal Study of Aging. The participants were followed for an average of seven years. Read more...
Cardiofy Heart Care Supplement
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Diet, Exercise Better Than Vitamins in Promoting Health
Harvard men's health watch is telling everyone how dangerous vitamin supplements are. Unfortunately they are not kidding!
Please know that although we have our references to try to refute these statements, your patient's families will be hearing this stuff.
While it was once hoped that supplements of folic acid could help reduce colon cancer, new research has shown that taking more than the minimum daily requirement would be harmful. Simon says other studies underscore the downside to dietary supplements, which are unregulated in the United States. "The most striking example is beta carotene, which we used to be very hopeful about, but actually increases the risk of lung cancer in smokers. Vitamin E increases the risk of second head-neck cancers in people who have been successfully treated for a first malignancy. Read more...
Immunice for Immune Support
Please know that although we have our references to try to refute these statements, your patient's families will be hearing this stuff.
While it was once hoped that supplements of folic acid could help reduce colon cancer, new research has shown that taking more than the minimum daily requirement would be harmful. Simon says other studies underscore the downside to dietary supplements, which are unregulated in the United States. "The most striking example is beta carotene, which we used to be very hopeful about, but actually increases the risk of lung cancer in smokers. Vitamin E increases the risk of second head-neck cancers in people who have been successfully treated for a first malignancy. Read more...
Immunice for Immune Support
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Broccoli May Ward Off Serious Stomach Ailments
(HealthDay News) -- Eating 2.5 ounces a day of broccoli sprouts appeared to reduce the risk of stomach ulcers and probably stomach cancer in a Japanese trial.
Gastric cancer thus joins a long list of malignancies for which studies have shown a reduced risk associated with a diet that contains broccoli -- including cancer of the esophagus, bladder, skin and lung, among others.
"I have to be careful about how enthusiastically I state the case," said Jed W. Fahey, the faculty research associate at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine whose research led to the Japanese study. "This was a small trial. But the evidence is all pointing toward broccoli or broccoli sprouts being able to prevent cancer in humans."
The chemical in broccoli responsible for the protective effect is sulforaphane, Fahey said. His group first described it as a potent antibiotic against Helicobacter pylori in 2002. The Japanese study, reported in the April issue of Cancer Prevention Research, was designed to show whether eating broccoli sprouts, which are rich in sulforaphane, resulted in lower levels of H. pylori, a bacterium that is closely associated with the risk of stomach damage and gastric cancer.
The study was done in Japan because the rate of H. pylori infection there is high. Though about 25 percent to 30 percent of Americans are infected, "in Japan there is infection at levels approaching 90 percent because of crowding and poor economic conditions," Fahey said. The bacterium is spread by person-to-person contact.
The study included 48 infected people. Half ate 70 grams a day of broccoli sprouts, and the others ate alfalfa sprouts, which do not contain sulforaphane. After eight weeks, tests showed significantly lower levels of H. pylori infection in those who ate broccoli sprouts, with no reduction among the alfalfa sprout eaters.
"H. pylori is a known carcinogen," Fahey said. "The fact that we were able to reduce the effects of an infectious agent that is also a carcinogen gives us hope that if someone were to eat broccoli sprouts or broccoli regularly, it would reduce levels of H. pylori and, over a period of many years, reduce the chance that they would get that cancer. It is not proven, but the results are highly suggestive."
Fahey is a co-founder of a company licensed by Hopkins to produce broccoli sprouts. He has no equity in the company.
Broccoli and sprouts are both important, said Dr. Steven H. Zeisel, director of the Nutrition Research Institute at the University of North Carolina.
"Specifically, the sprouts before broccoli becomes a plant are rich in sulforaphane," Zeisel said. "It is formed only when broccoli or sprouts are macerated, chewed on. When you break the cell, the chemical is formed."
Sulforaphane then causes the liver to produce an enzyme that is important in deactivating cancer-causing agents, Zeisel said. "People who eat more broccoli tune up their liver and other cells to destroy cancer-causing agents," he said.
Garlic has the same effect, he said, and so "increasing the amount of plants in the diet -- broccoli is good, broccoli sprouts even better -- causes production of a valuable bioactive chemical."
That is good advice, Fahey said, but inevitably some people will try a shortcut, taking a sulforaphane pill rather than eating what's good for them.
"I have come to the resigned conclusion that we will not be able to persuade everybody to change their diet," Fahey said. "A pill would be better than nothing, but that doesn't mean that I'm advocating it or promoting massive pill-taking."
Just two or three ounces a day of cooked broccoli would have a protective effect, he said.
Zeisel added that people who try the pill-taking shortcut might well lose any benefit.
"It's probably a combination of ingredients in the plant that is responsible," he said. "When you try to extract them out to make a pill, it usually doesn't work."
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has information on diet and cancer.
Gastric cancer thus joins a long list of malignancies for which studies have shown a reduced risk associated with a diet that contains broccoli -- including cancer of the esophagus, bladder, skin and lung, among others.
"I have to be careful about how enthusiastically I state the case," said Jed W. Fahey, the faculty research associate at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine whose research led to the Japanese study. "This was a small trial. But the evidence is all pointing toward broccoli or broccoli sprouts being able to prevent cancer in humans."
The chemical in broccoli responsible for the protective effect is sulforaphane, Fahey said. His group first described it as a potent antibiotic against Helicobacter pylori in 2002. The Japanese study, reported in the April issue of Cancer Prevention Research, was designed to show whether eating broccoli sprouts, which are rich in sulforaphane, resulted in lower levels of H. pylori, a bacterium that is closely associated with the risk of stomach damage and gastric cancer.
The study was done in Japan because the rate of H. pylori infection there is high. Though about 25 percent to 30 percent of Americans are infected, "in Japan there is infection at levels approaching 90 percent because of crowding and poor economic conditions," Fahey said. The bacterium is spread by person-to-person contact.
The study included 48 infected people. Half ate 70 grams a day of broccoli sprouts, and the others ate alfalfa sprouts, which do not contain sulforaphane. After eight weeks, tests showed significantly lower levels of H. pylori infection in those who ate broccoli sprouts, with no reduction among the alfalfa sprout eaters.
"H. pylori is a known carcinogen," Fahey said. "The fact that we were able to reduce the effects of an infectious agent that is also a carcinogen gives us hope that if someone were to eat broccoli sprouts or broccoli regularly, it would reduce levels of H. pylori and, over a period of many years, reduce the chance that they would get that cancer. It is not proven, but the results are highly suggestive."
Fahey is a co-founder of a company licensed by Hopkins to produce broccoli sprouts. He has no equity in the company.
Broccoli and sprouts are both important, said Dr. Steven H. Zeisel, director of the Nutrition Research Institute at the University of North Carolina.
"Specifically, the sprouts before broccoli becomes a plant are rich in sulforaphane," Zeisel said. "It is formed only when broccoli or sprouts are macerated, chewed on. When you break the cell, the chemical is formed."
Sulforaphane then causes the liver to produce an enzyme that is important in deactivating cancer-causing agents, Zeisel said. "People who eat more broccoli tune up their liver and other cells to destroy cancer-causing agents," he said.
Garlic has the same effect, he said, and so "increasing the amount of plants in the diet -- broccoli is good, broccoli sprouts even better -- causes production of a valuable bioactive chemical."
That is good advice, Fahey said, but inevitably some people will try a shortcut, taking a sulforaphane pill rather than eating what's good for them.
"I have come to the resigned conclusion that we will not be able to persuade everybody to change their diet," Fahey said. "A pill would be better than nothing, but that doesn't mean that I'm advocating it or promoting massive pill-taking."
Just two or three ounces a day of cooked broccoli would have a protective effect, he said.
Zeisel added that people who try the pill-taking shortcut might well lose any benefit.
"It's probably a combination of ingredients in the plant that is responsible," he said. "When you try to extract them out to make a pill, it usually doesn't work."
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has information on diet and cancer.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Keeping a Healthy Holiday Balance
(HealthDay News) -- Ready, set, eat.
On Thanksgiving Day, the average American will consume 3,000 calories and 229 grams of fat at the average holiday feast, according to a tally provided by the American Council on Exercise.
That's the caloric equivalent of 5.5 Big Macs from McDonald's, or 15 Supreme Tacos from Taco Bell, according to ACE.
But even if just these facts make you feel stuffed, you still don't have to go cold turkey on the turkey and trimmings to eat healthily.
There are ways to minimize calories and still keep the flavor and fun, said Ruth Frechman, a registered dietitian in Burbank, Calif., and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
Step one is awareness on how a traditional Thanksgiving dinner can add up to more than 3,000 calories, she said. She breaks it down the following way:
On Thanksgiving Day, the average American will consume 3,000 calories and 229 grams of fat at the average holiday feast, according to a tally provided by the American Council on Exercise.
That's the caloric equivalent of 5.5 Big Macs from McDonald's, or 15 Supreme Tacos from Taco Bell, according to ACE.
But even if just these facts make you feel stuffed, you still don't have to go cold turkey on the turkey and trimmings to eat healthily.
There are ways to minimize calories and still keep the flavor and fun, said Ruth Frechman, a registered dietitian in Burbank, Calif., and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
Step one is awareness on how a traditional Thanksgiving dinner can add up to more than 3,000 calories, she said. She breaks it down the following way:
- Egg nog -- 684 calories and 36 grams of fat for two cups
- Dark turkey meat --187 calories and 7.2 grams of fat per 3.5-oz serving
- Candied sweet potatoes -- 286 calories and 7.8 grams of fat per cup
- Green bean casserole -- 366 calories and 26 grams of fat per cup
- Cranberry sauce -- 86 calories, 0 grams fat, per slice
- Mashed potatoes -- with whole milk and butter -- 222 calories and 9 grams of fat per one-cup serving
- Gravy -- 30 calories and 2 grams of fat per 1/4 cup
- Dinner rolls -- 340 calories and 8 grams of fat without butter (add 202 calories and 24 grams of fat per 2 tablespoons butter)
- Corn bread stuffing -- 180 calories and 9 grams of fat per cup
- Pumpkin pie -- 316 calories and 14 grams of fat per slice
- Pecan pie -- 502 calories and 27 grams of fat per slice
- Wine -- 100 calories, 0 grams fat per 5-ounce glass
- Grand tally: 3,501 and 170 grams of fat, a bit above the ACE calorie estimate and a bit below its fat gram prediction.
"The average Thanksgiving meal would be between 2,500 and 4,000 calories," Frechman said. Clearly, that's much more than the average person needs, but with a little restraint and keeping it to a one-day splurge, not that much damage will be done, she added.
"If you know you are going to overeat, balance it with physical activity," Frechman said. "Try to incorporate other things besides eating, such as going for a walk before or after dinner."
Another winning strategy: take a smaller portion of everything so you won't feel deprived, she said.
And keep the day's most important goal in mind.
"The purpose of this is to get together with family and friends, so focus more on the socializing than the food," Frechman said.
More information
To learn more about healthy eating, visit the American Dietetic Association.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
The University of Michigan Integrative Medicine’s Healing Foods Pyramid
The University of Michigan Integrative Medicine’s Healing Foods Pyramid was conceived by Monica Myklebust, MD, and Jenna Wunder, MPH, RD, in their passion for food in all of its beauty, variety, and healing benefits. The foods we choose to eat are essential to how we care for ourselves. In choosing the healing foods on this pyramid, each one of us contributes to our own health. Continue Reading >>
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Health Tip: Prevent Constipation
(HealthDay News) -- It's not true that to be considered regular, you have to produce a bowel movement at least once daily, the American Academy of Family Physicians says.The "normal" range varies widely -- between three times a day and three times a week, the academy says.
Here are its recommendations to help prevent constipation:
- When you need to have a bowel movement, try not to ignore it.
- Make time to have a regular bowel movement, such as after a meal.
- Get plenty of fiber in your diet, drink plenty of fluids every day, and get regular exercise.
- Avoid foods that are high in sugar and fat.
- Don't take laxatives too frequently. Overuse can actually damage your bowels and aggravate constipation.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Health Tip: Feeding Your Baby
(HealthDay News) -- It's important for new parents to understand what and how often your baby needs to eat, and how that schedule should change as your baby matures.The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these guidelines to help plan your baby's feeding:
- Babies who breast-feed typically need to be fed once every one to three hours.
- Babies on a diet of formula need to be fed every two to four hours, as formula takes longer to digest.
- You should never give a baby younger than 1 cow's milk, since it is difficult for an infant to digest.
- Don't attempt to give baby any solid food until at least 4 months of age, preferably 6 months of age.
- Begin introducing solid foods between 6 months and 12 months of age, starting with pureed or mashed foods, and graduating to more solid foods.
- Introduce new foods one at a time, and monitor closely for signs of allergic reaction. New foods should be introduced only when an infant is hungry.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Do Carbs Really Make You Fat? The Truth Behind 6 Diet Myths
By Ross Weale
Does eating fiber cancel out the other calories you consume? Are all-natural products as good as they sound? Do carbs really make you fat?
Dietitian and Health magazine contributing editor Samantha Heller sorted through the most common diet myths with Ann Curry on the Today show’s “Take It Off” segment on July 21. Watch the video to learn what you really need to worry about when it comes to losing weight.
Read More
Does eating fiber cancel out the other calories you consume? Are all-natural products as good as they sound? Do carbs really make you fat?
Dietitian and Health magazine contributing editor Samantha Heller sorted through the most common diet myths with Ann Curry on the Today show’s “Take It Off” segment on July 21. Watch the video to learn what you really need to worry about when it comes to losing weight.
Read More
Monday, May 26, 2008
I Love Peanuts, but They Could Kill My Son
By Sean KelleyI’m a peanut junkie. I love PB&Js, peanut butter pies, peanuts in Coca Cola bottles (a Southern treat that is just what it sounds like), and peanut brittle. I’ve been seen eating peanut butter straight out of the jar—with a spoon when handy and with fingers when not. When I introduced my wife, Patti, to the 105-year-old woman who helped raise me as my nanny, she offered only one piece of advice to her: “Don’t you run out of peanut butter.”
Well, the days of the endless supply are over. My one food peccadillo can kill my son. We just learned that Graeme is deathly allergic to peanuts.
Our 18-month-old began having problems the minute he was exposed to people food. Baby food was fine, milk was fine, but certain highly processed foods would make him react. At first it was minor: A few red splotches around his neck or flushed cheeks.
Read MoreMonday, April 07, 2008
Roshini Raj, MD, Explains Common Flu Symptoms on the "Today" Show
"Health" contributor Dr. Raj on the "Today" show Feb. 13, discussing tips on fighting the flu
by Ross Weale
In the following segment, Roshini Raj, MD, of Health magazine describes flu symptoms and talks about whether you can still get that shot.
DR. ROSHINI RAJ
Roshini Raj, MD, a Health magazine contributor and part of the magazine's Health Expert Network, is board-certified in gastroenterology and internal medicine with degrees from the New York University School of Medicine and Harvard University. Currently Dr. Raj is an attending physician at NYU Medical Center's Tisch Hospital in New York City. She also serves as an assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine, and she has a special interest in women's health and cancer screening. She has also published several research articles on colon-cancer screening.
Dr. Raj has discussed health topics on numerous television outlets including NBC's Today show, ABC's Good Morning America, CNN, FOX News, and Discovery Health. She has been quoted in publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Men's Health, Women's Health, and Fitness on the state of health care and other health news of the day. Dr. Raj is often called upon to explain and demystify complicated health topics.
more discussion: Forum· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
by Ross Weale
In the following segment, Roshini Raj, MD, of Health magazine describes flu symptoms and talks about whether you can still get that shot.
DR. ROSHINI RAJ
Roshini Raj, MD, a Health magazine contributor and part of the magazine's Health Expert Network, is board-certified in gastroenterology and internal medicine with degrees from the New York University School of Medicine and Harvard University. Currently Dr. Raj is an attending physician at NYU Medical Center's Tisch Hospital in New York City. She also serves as an assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine, and she has a special interest in women's health and cancer screening. She has also published several research articles on colon-cancer screening.
Dr. Raj has discussed health topics on numerous television outlets including NBC's Today show, ABC's Good Morning America, CNN, FOX News, and Discovery Health. She has been quoted in publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Men's Health, Women's Health, and Fitness on the state of health care and other health news of the day. Dr. Raj is often called upon to explain and demystify complicated health topics.
more discussion: Forum· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Calcium Scans Help Predict Coronary Risk
(HealthDay News) -- Scanning the heart arteries for calcium deposits can help predict future cardiac problems, a new study shows, but experts aren't sure that adding such scans to routine checkups would be worth the cost."It has been shown to be predictive" of potential heart trouble, said Dr. Diane Bild, deputy director of the division of prevention and population sciences at the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, which funded the study. "Whether it is actually beneficial to the people who are screened has not been shown."
A calcium scan using computed tomography (CT) costs $300 to $600. These scans look for calcification -- hardening of the arteries caused by high blood fats and calcium deposits that can eventually cause blood vessel blockage. The scan is a potential competitor for much less expensive tests for coronary risk, such as blood cholesterol and blood pressure readings.
The new study involved more than 6,700 American men and women across a number of racial and ethnic groups -- white, black, Chinese, Hispanic -- who were followed for an average of 3.8 years. It found that the risk of a coronary event was nearly 10 times higher for those with the highest calcium deposit scores than for those with the lowest.
"This study was launched in 1999, a time when there was a lot of interest in whether this new test could predict coronary artery disease," Bild said. "A lot of studies have been done in predominantly white populations. This was one of our efforts to include minority groups."
The study does show that calcium scanning "modestly improves predictions over traditional risk factors," she said. "Several pieces of information are needed in order to understand whether this is clinically useful."
The findings are published in the March 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The cost of such scans could be reduced, according to a statement from study lead author Dr. Robert Detrano, professor of radiological sciences at the University of California, Irvine, who is traveling in China. Scans have been done for just $30 in China, Detrano noted.
"It is mostly an issue of cost," said Dr. William S. Weintraub, chief of cardiology at the Christiana Health Care System, the largest health-care system in Delaware, who wrote an accompanying editorial in the journal. "It does add to our discrimination, but it costs a couple of hundred dollars and we're not sure how you use it."
Reducing the cost would make the test more usable, and "more epidemiological studies showing its value in risk prediction would be of great value," Weintraub said.
"But I'd be uncomfortable now with the idea of recommending this for everybody, or even defining a middle ground where we are unsure how we treat people so they get this first," he said.
A calcium scan also carries some risk, since it exposes a person to radiation, Bild noted. "It would be worth it if the benefit outweighed that risk," she said. "We don't clearly have both sides of that equation established."
More information
For more on coronary calcium scans, visit the U.S. Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
more discussion: Forum· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Anxiety Helps Elderly Women Live Longer
(HealthDay News) -- Higher anxiety levels may help elderly women live longer, but may harm older men, U.S. research shows.
A team at the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University followed 1,000 seniors in three Florida retirement communities for up to 15 years.
They found that women with higher levels of anxiety at the start of the study lived longer than others. Year-to-year changes in anxiety levels didn't appear to affect women's survival, either.
In contrast to women, men with higher anxiety levels at the start of the study were more likely to die earlier, the researchers said.
"Our research indicates that anxiety may have a protective effect on women, possibly causing them to seek medical attention more frequently than men," Dr. Jianping Zhang, of the department of psychiatry and psychology at the Cleveland Clinic, said in a prepared statement. "In contrast, increasing anxiety over time is more detrimental to men. Additional research is needed to better understand the mechanisms and effects of anxiety in men and women."
The study is noteworthy due to the large amount of data collected over a long period of time, noted co-researcher Dr. Leo Pozuelo, who is also in the department of psychiatry and psychology at the Cleveland Clinic.
"Baseline higher anxiety could have led the female study participants to be more active and health-conscious," Pozuelo said in a prepared statement. "We are not certain of the absolute connection between anxiety and mortality, but this data set shows there may be a gender difference."
The study was to be presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about anxiety.
more discussion: Forum· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
A team at the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University followed 1,000 seniors in three Florida retirement communities for up to 15 years.
They found that women with higher levels of anxiety at the start of the study lived longer than others. Year-to-year changes in anxiety levels didn't appear to affect women's survival, either.
In contrast to women, men with higher anxiety levels at the start of the study were more likely to die earlier, the researchers said.
"Our research indicates that anxiety may have a protective effect on women, possibly causing them to seek medical attention more frequently than men," Dr. Jianping Zhang, of the department of psychiatry and psychology at the Cleveland Clinic, said in a prepared statement. "In contrast, increasing anxiety over time is more detrimental to men. Additional research is needed to better understand the mechanisms and effects of anxiety in men and women."
The study is noteworthy due to the large amount of data collected over a long period of time, noted co-researcher Dr. Leo Pozuelo, who is also in the department of psychiatry and psychology at the Cleveland Clinic.
"Baseline higher anxiety could have led the female study participants to be more active and health-conscious," Pozuelo said in a prepared statement. "We are not certain of the absolute connection between anxiety and mortality, but this data set shows there may be a gender difference."
The study was to be presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about anxiety.
more discussion: Forum· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Health Tip: When Caregiving Becomes Too Stressful
(HealthDay News) - Caring for a loved one who needs extensive help can be physically and emotionally draining. To continue providing loving care, it's important to monitor your own well-being, too.Here are some warning signs of caregiver stress, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:
- Feeling unusually angry or resentful toward the person you care for, yourself or your family.
- Withdrawing from social activities.
- Anxiety.
- Sleeping too much or having difficulty sleeping.
- Feeling irritable.
- Being sick frequently.
more discussion: Forum· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Born to Be Obese?
(HealthDay News) -- The brain circuitry that controls appetite might be wired differently in some people, and that could predispose them to obesity, California researchers suggest.
The study was conducted in rats, not humans, and yet it could ultimately lead to novel obesity treatments, said Philip Smith, director of the Office of Obesity Research at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
"It is not just about drugs that modify short-term appetite," he said, "there may be drugs that stimulate development of the appropriate neural pathways. So, it is an exciting, but very early, time in this field."
The study was published in the February issue of Cell Metabolism.
Sebastien Bouret, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of Southern California, and his colleagues examined neural circuits emanating from the appetite, hunger and body-weight control center of the brain -- the so-called arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) -- in a series of rats bred to be either prone to, or resistant to, obesity.
The team found fewer neural connections projecting from the ARH in obesity-prone animals than in their leaner counterparts. Surprisingly, Bouret said, this deficiency developed very early in life, before the animals became obese, and appeared to extend into adulthood.
"Somehow, these animals are programmed to become obese," Bouret said. "The obesity is hard-wired into the brain."
When the researchers then looked at why the brains of obese rats differed from their normal-weight counterparts, they found that the neurons from obesity-prone animals were less responsive to leptin, a hormone that controls the development of these circuits, and which also signals the body's energy status and controls metabolic rate.
"This paper presumes to say, these animals must be leptin-resistant, and that is why the pathways are not developing," said Smith.
But that doesn't mean they are doomed to a life of severe obesity, said Dr. Barbara Kahn, chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston. How they live their lives also matters.
"It is important not to 'blame' the obese person or imply that he/she is responsible for being obese," Kahn noted. "Having said that, reasonable, healthy caloric restriction and a safe and sustainable program of physical activity can help limit weight gain and often bring about some degree of weight loss. In addition, healthy eating and regular exercise can reduce the complications of obesity such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease."
At the same time, she added, not everyone can wear a size 4.
"There is a certain aspect of genetics that sets somebody in a certain range of possible body weights, and then how that person lives his or her life will determine whether they are at the bottom or top of the range," she explained.
Human obesity has both genetic and environmental roots. The rats used in this study, like most humans, developed obesity when fed a high-energy diet. On a normal diet, they were heavier than normal rats, but not yet obese.
"This is quite an exciting paper," said Smith, "because it links more closely to human behavior than most rodent models we have seen."
The findings also suggest a possible therapeutic approach to combating human obesity. If drugs could be designed to influence the formation of neural circuits during development and targeted to at-risk pregnancies, Smith said, "there is a good likelihood we could have successful interventions that improve the health of the mother, and which have a major impact on disease risk for the infant, during pregnancy."
A related study from Boston University researchers in the same journal found that bulking up muscle mass can lead to a general metabolic improvement in obese individuals. "Interventions designed to increase skeletal muscle mass in at-risk human populations may prove to be critical weapons in the fight against obesity and obesity-related comorbidities, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension and cancer," an accompanying editorial stated.
More information
For more on obesity, visit the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
The study was conducted in rats, not humans, and yet it could ultimately lead to novel obesity treatments, said Philip Smith, director of the Office of Obesity Research at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
"It is not just about drugs that modify short-term appetite," he said, "there may be drugs that stimulate development of the appropriate neural pathways. So, it is an exciting, but very early, time in this field."
The study was published in the February issue of Cell Metabolism.
Sebastien Bouret, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of Southern California, and his colleagues examined neural circuits emanating from the appetite, hunger and body-weight control center of the brain -- the so-called arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) -- in a series of rats bred to be either prone to, or resistant to, obesity.
The team found fewer neural connections projecting from the ARH in obesity-prone animals than in their leaner counterparts. Surprisingly, Bouret said, this deficiency developed very early in life, before the animals became obese, and appeared to extend into adulthood.
"Somehow, these animals are programmed to become obese," Bouret said. "The obesity is hard-wired into the brain."
When the researchers then looked at why the brains of obese rats differed from their normal-weight counterparts, they found that the neurons from obesity-prone animals were less responsive to leptin, a hormone that controls the development of these circuits, and which also signals the body's energy status and controls metabolic rate.
"This paper presumes to say, these animals must be leptin-resistant, and that is why the pathways are not developing," said Smith.
But that doesn't mean they are doomed to a life of severe obesity, said Dr. Barbara Kahn, chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston. How they live their lives also matters.
"It is important not to 'blame' the obese person or imply that he/she is responsible for being obese," Kahn noted. "Having said that, reasonable, healthy caloric restriction and a safe and sustainable program of physical activity can help limit weight gain and often bring about some degree of weight loss. In addition, healthy eating and regular exercise can reduce the complications of obesity such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease."
At the same time, she added, not everyone can wear a size 4.
"There is a certain aspect of genetics that sets somebody in a certain range of possible body weights, and then how that person lives his or her life will determine whether they are at the bottom or top of the range," she explained.
Human obesity has both genetic and environmental roots. The rats used in this study, like most humans, developed obesity when fed a high-energy diet. On a normal diet, they were heavier than normal rats, but not yet obese.
"This is quite an exciting paper," said Smith, "because it links more closely to human behavior than most rodent models we have seen."
The findings also suggest a possible therapeutic approach to combating human obesity. If drugs could be designed to influence the formation of neural circuits during development and targeted to at-risk pregnancies, Smith said, "there is a good likelihood we could have successful interventions that improve the health of the mother, and which have a major impact on disease risk for the infant, during pregnancy."
A related study from Boston University researchers in the same journal found that bulking up muscle mass can lead to a general metabolic improvement in obese individuals. "Interventions designed to increase skeletal muscle mass in at-risk human populations may prove to be critical weapons in the fight against obesity and obesity-related comorbidities, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension and cancer," an accompanying editorial stated.
More information
For more on obesity, visit the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Diabetes Group Backs Low-Carb Diets
(HealthDay News) -- For the first time, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has come out in support of low-carbohydrate diets for people with diabetes who want to manage their weight.
The ADA voiced its support of low-calorie or low-carbohydrate diets in its newly published 2008 clinical practice recommendations.
The recommendations are intended to help physicians guide their patients in diabetes prevention and management.
The ADA estimates that more than 20 million children and adults are living with diabetes in the United States. However, about one-third of those people have the disease but have not yet been diagnosed, according to the association.
Prior to the release of the 2008 recommendations, the ADA did not support low-carbohydrate diets for diabetes management due to a lack of evidence supporting their safety and effectiveness.
Whether a person can stick with a diet is more important than the diet's theme, according to the association. Low-carbohydrate and low-calorie diets are equally effective in helping people lose weight over a year. However, the recommendations do also include guidelines for monitoring the lipid profiles and kidney health of people who choose a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet.
The recommendations continue to support sustained, moderate weight loss and increased physical activity for people who are overweight, obese, living with diabetes or at risk for becoming diabetic.
"The risks of overweight and obesity are well-known. We recognize that people are looking for realistic ways to lose weight," Ann Albright, president of health care and education for the ADA, said in a prepared statement. "The evidence is clear that both low-carbohydrate and low-fat calorie restricted diets result in similar weight loss at one year. We're not endorsing either of these weight-loss plans over any other method of losing weight. What we want health-care providers to know is that it's important for patients to choose a plan that works for them, and that the health-care team support their patients' weight-loss efforts and provide appropriate monitoring of patients' health."
Being overweight and physically inactive both increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the ADA. Being overweight or obese also make the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes more difficult. The 2008 recommendations state that all adults who are overweight and have an additional risk factor for diabetes should be tested for diabetes or pre-diabetes.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who have pre-diabetes can avoid diabetes if they lose 7 percent of their body weight and get more than 150 minutes of activity a week.
Developing and maintaining a disaster kit for diabetes self-management is also included in the new recommendations, along with revised guidelines for care of diabetes in older adults.
More information
To learn more about diabetes, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The ADA voiced its support of low-calorie or low-carbohydrate diets in its newly published 2008 clinical practice recommendations.
The recommendations are intended to help physicians guide their patients in diabetes prevention and management.
The ADA estimates that more than 20 million children and adults are living with diabetes in the United States. However, about one-third of those people have the disease but have not yet been diagnosed, according to the association.
Prior to the release of the 2008 recommendations, the ADA did not support low-carbohydrate diets for diabetes management due to a lack of evidence supporting their safety and effectiveness.
Whether a person can stick with a diet is more important than the diet's theme, according to the association. Low-carbohydrate and low-calorie diets are equally effective in helping people lose weight over a year. However, the recommendations do also include guidelines for monitoring the lipid profiles and kidney health of people who choose a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet.
The recommendations continue to support sustained, moderate weight loss and increased physical activity for people who are overweight, obese, living with diabetes or at risk for becoming diabetic.
"The risks of overweight and obesity are well-known. We recognize that people are looking for realistic ways to lose weight," Ann Albright, president of health care and education for the ADA, said in a prepared statement. "The evidence is clear that both low-carbohydrate and low-fat calorie restricted diets result in similar weight loss at one year. We're not endorsing either of these weight-loss plans over any other method of losing weight. What we want health-care providers to know is that it's important for patients to choose a plan that works for them, and that the health-care team support their patients' weight-loss efforts and provide appropriate monitoring of patients' health."
Being overweight and physically inactive both increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the ADA. Being overweight or obese also make the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes more difficult. The 2008 recommendations state that all adults who are overweight and have an additional risk factor for diabetes should be tested for diabetes or pre-diabetes.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who have pre-diabetes can avoid diabetes if they lose 7 percent of their body weight and get more than 150 minutes of activity a week.
Developing and maintaining a disaster kit for diabetes self-management is also included in the new recommendations, along with revised guidelines for care of diabetes in older adults.
More information
To learn more about diabetes, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Terriers Join Fight Against a Killer Disease in Humans
(HealthDay News) -- A feisty breed of terrier could stop scientists from barking up the wrong tree as they research a deadly lung disease in humans.
The illness, called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), affects 128,000 Americans, is typically fatal within three years of diagnosis, and kills more than 40,000 people in the United States annually -- a death toll equivalent to that of breast cancer.
A fatal condition that looks remarkably like IPF also strikes the diminutive West Highland White terrier ("Westie"), however. And recently, medical scientists from the human and veterinarian worlds met for the first time to share information and pool resources against a mysterious killer.
"People may be a little startled at first to learn about this idea -- 'You're kidding me, you actually think there's promise in studying this dog to help my Dad with this disease?' And the answer is -- 'Yes'," said Mark Shreve, chief operating officer of the patient advocacy group Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis, based in San Jose, Calif.
Because the Westie is so tightly bred, and because the illness progresses faster in dogs than humans, it is conceivable that dog-based research might yield valuable clues to the genetics or environmental factors that trigger pulmonary fibrosis in both species, experts explained.
"And if it transpires that it is the same disease, then obviously the options are limitless as to how we can look at information from dogs and use it to understand the disease in humans and vice versa," said Dr. Brendan Corcoran, director of the Hospital for Small Animals at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and a pioneer in researching pulmonary fibrosis in Westies.
According to Shreve, most people find it hard to believe that a disease like IPF even exists amid the wonders of modern medicine.
"We are dealing here with one of the few diseases left on the planet for which there are no proven causes and no treatments," he said.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis occurs spontaneously, although certain factors -- such as smoking or exposure to airborne toxins -- do raise risks for the illness. "IPF is a progressive scarring process in the lungs that gradually robs a person of the ability to breathe," Shreve explained.
Some sort of signaling seems to go awry at the cellular level, he said, converting normal, expansive lung tissue into stiff, fibrotic scar tissue.
"Once it starts in patients with IPF, your body just never sends a signal to stop that scar tissue from being produced," Shreve said. "This scar tissue is obviously not lung tissue that is able to process oxygen."
There have so far been very few promising leads in discovering the root causes of IPF, said Dr. Jesse Roman, one of the country's leading researchers in the disease and a professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta.
"Studies do suggest very specific [cellular] pathways, and there's a number of molecules that everybody is tuned into," he said. "But how you block them and how they relate to what happens in humans, that's less clear."
So, scientists are turning to creative new ways of looking at IPF.
Cross-talk between scientists worldwide led to the first-ever summit on the disease that included both veterinary and human medical researchers. The meeting was held in October on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and was attended by Corcoran, Roman and others. It was sponsored by the Westie Foundation of America and the American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Health Foundation.
Westies, which grow to just under a foot in length, are described by the AKC as "courageous and self-reliant, but friendly."
"They're a very popular pet because of their size and their nature," Corcoran said.
However, pulmonary fibrosis does pop up in the breed with regularity, first revealing itself as excessive panting and shortness of breath. The illness also tends to develop in the terriers' late middle-age (about eight or nine years), mimicking its typical onset in humans at about age 50 to 60.
Westies inevitably succumb to the lung fibrosis about a year and a half after their diagnosis, Corcoran said.
Still, "there's still the contentious issue of whether this is the same disease as occurs in humans," he said. The exact prevalence of the disease among Westies is also unclear, he added. That means the first aim of Westies-centered research will be epidemiological -- studying disease prevalence and gathering a core of dogs and their owners that researchers might follow going forward.
Getting postmortem samples of canine lung tissue will also be crucial to a better understanding of the causes of the disease, Corcoran said. But that has its own challenges, he added.
"Getting owners to volunteer their dogs for necropsy is always problematic," he said. In fact, it's often "harder in many instances to get lung pathology samples from dogs than it is from humans," Corcoran said.
"However, one of our plans is to try and build up a group of concerned owners who will volunteer to donate their dog when that day arrives. We've been having some discussions on that already with our colleagues in America," Corcoran said. "Hopefully, the more publicity that we get with this condition, the more we may get owners coming forward and volunteering their dogs for research."
Corcoran and the other experts said that a cure for IPF is definitely not around the corner -- the disease has been as tenacious in keeping its secrets as, well, a terrier.
But Westies may be just the foe in the fight against IPF requires. Corcoran pointed out that the dogs' tight breeding means genetic research could yield important clues. And their shorter lifespan -- a seventh of that of humans -- means scientists can watch the disease in "fast-forward," which might also speed research.
Westies are also free of certain confounding factors, such as smoking, that often muddle human research. "The dogs might turn out to have a very pure form of the disease that allows you to investigate the disease itself and not worry about other factors," Corcoran noted.
Given all of this, "why wouldn't you look at a Westie and research how the disease progresses?" said patient-advocate Shreve.
"We think it's a very creative approach to trying to help out humans," he said, "and our patients don't really have the patience to hang around waiting for a miracle.
More information
To learn much more about IPF, visit the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis.
more discussion: Forum
· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
The illness, called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), affects 128,000 Americans, is typically fatal within three years of diagnosis, and kills more than 40,000 people in the United States annually -- a death toll equivalent to that of breast cancer.
A fatal condition that looks remarkably like IPF also strikes the diminutive West Highland White terrier ("Westie"), however. And recently, medical scientists from the human and veterinarian worlds met for the first time to share information and pool resources against a mysterious killer.
"People may be a little startled at first to learn about this idea -- 'You're kidding me, you actually think there's promise in studying this dog to help my Dad with this disease?' And the answer is -- 'Yes'," said Mark Shreve, chief operating officer of the patient advocacy group Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis, based in San Jose, Calif.
Because the Westie is so tightly bred, and because the illness progresses faster in dogs than humans, it is conceivable that dog-based research might yield valuable clues to the genetics or environmental factors that trigger pulmonary fibrosis in both species, experts explained.
"And if it transpires that it is the same disease, then obviously the options are limitless as to how we can look at information from dogs and use it to understand the disease in humans and vice versa," said Dr. Brendan Corcoran, director of the Hospital for Small Animals at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and a pioneer in researching pulmonary fibrosis in Westies.
According to Shreve, most people find it hard to believe that a disease like IPF even exists amid the wonders of modern medicine.
"We are dealing here with one of the few diseases left on the planet for which there are no proven causes and no treatments," he said.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis occurs spontaneously, although certain factors -- such as smoking or exposure to airborne toxins -- do raise risks for the illness. "IPF is a progressive scarring process in the lungs that gradually robs a person of the ability to breathe," Shreve explained.
Some sort of signaling seems to go awry at the cellular level, he said, converting normal, expansive lung tissue into stiff, fibrotic scar tissue.
"Once it starts in patients with IPF, your body just never sends a signal to stop that scar tissue from being produced," Shreve said. "This scar tissue is obviously not lung tissue that is able to process oxygen."
There have so far been very few promising leads in discovering the root causes of IPF, said Dr. Jesse Roman, one of the country's leading researchers in the disease and a professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta.
"Studies do suggest very specific [cellular] pathways, and there's a number of molecules that everybody is tuned into," he said. "But how you block them and how they relate to what happens in humans, that's less clear."
So, scientists are turning to creative new ways of looking at IPF.
Cross-talk between scientists worldwide led to the first-ever summit on the disease that included both veterinary and human medical researchers. The meeting was held in October on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and was attended by Corcoran, Roman and others. It was sponsored by the Westie Foundation of America and the American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Health Foundation.
Westies, which grow to just under a foot in length, are described by the AKC as "courageous and self-reliant, but friendly."
"They're a very popular pet because of their size and their nature," Corcoran said.
However, pulmonary fibrosis does pop up in the breed with regularity, first revealing itself as excessive panting and shortness of breath. The illness also tends to develop in the terriers' late middle-age (about eight or nine years), mimicking its typical onset in humans at about age 50 to 60.
Westies inevitably succumb to the lung fibrosis about a year and a half after their diagnosis, Corcoran said.
Still, "there's still the contentious issue of whether this is the same disease as occurs in humans," he said. The exact prevalence of the disease among Westies is also unclear, he added. That means the first aim of Westies-centered research will be epidemiological -- studying disease prevalence and gathering a core of dogs and their owners that researchers might follow going forward.
Getting postmortem samples of canine lung tissue will also be crucial to a better understanding of the causes of the disease, Corcoran said. But that has its own challenges, he added.
"Getting owners to volunteer their dogs for necropsy is always problematic," he said. In fact, it's often "harder in many instances to get lung pathology samples from dogs than it is from humans," Corcoran said.
"However, one of our plans is to try and build up a group of concerned owners who will volunteer to donate their dog when that day arrives. We've been having some discussions on that already with our colleagues in America," Corcoran said. "Hopefully, the more publicity that we get with this condition, the more we may get owners coming forward and volunteering their dogs for research."
Corcoran and the other experts said that a cure for IPF is definitely not around the corner -- the disease has been as tenacious in keeping its secrets as, well, a terrier.
But Westies may be just the foe in the fight against IPF requires. Corcoran pointed out that the dogs' tight breeding means genetic research could yield important clues. And their shorter lifespan -- a seventh of that of humans -- means scientists can watch the disease in "fast-forward," which might also speed research.
Westies are also free of certain confounding factors, such as smoking, that often muddle human research. "The dogs might turn out to have a very pure form of the disease that allows you to investigate the disease itself and not worry about other factors," Corcoran noted.
Given all of this, "why wouldn't you look at a Westie and research how the disease progresses?" said patient-advocate Shreve.
"We think it's a very creative approach to trying to help out humans," he said, "and our patients don't really have the patience to hang around waiting for a miracle.
More information
To learn much more about IPF, visit the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis.
more discussion: Forum
· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Realistic Expectations Help Ward Off Holiday Depression
(HealthDay News) -- For many people, heightened expectations, financial and social stress, and memories of lost loved ones can cause tension, anxiety and sadness.
All of that can lead to seasonal blues during the holidays, says an expert at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
For example, people who expect difficult relationships to improve just because it's Christmas are likely to be disappointed.
"In terms of relationships, nothing magical 'just happens' during the holidays," Dr. Mark H. Rapaport, chair of the department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai, said in a prepared statement.
"If you don't get along with your in-laws during the year, you're probably not going to get along with them during the holiday season, either. Understanding that before you go to visit them can improve how you'll handle your feelings while you're there," he said.
Planning ahead can help people cope with many sources of holiday-related stress and anxiety.
"If you plan ahead and focus on what you really enjoy about the season, you can spend more time 'living in the moment,' which is the key to getting the most out of each holiday experience," Rapaport said.
He offered some tips for coping with the holidays:
All of that can lead to seasonal blues during the holidays, says an expert at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
For example, people who expect difficult relationships to improve just because it's Christmas are likely to be disappointed.
"In terms of relationships, nothing magical 'just happens' during the holidays," Dr. Mark H. Rapaport, chair of the department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai, said in a prepared statement.
"If you don't get along with your in-laws during the year, you're probably not going to get along with them during the holiday season, either. Understanding that before you go to visit them can improve how you'll handle your feelings while you're there," he said.
Planning ahead can help people cope with many sources of holiday-related stress and anxiety.
"If you plan ahead and focus on what you really enjoy about the season, you can spend more time 'living in the moment,' which is the key to getting the most out of each holiday experience," Rapaport said.
He offered some tips for coping with the holidays:
- Have realistic expectations about interactions with family and friends.
- Make a list and prioritize activities that you feel are most important.
- Limit your drinking. Too much alcohol can lead to bad behavior, hangovers, and remorse which, in turn, can lead to depression.
- Share holiday responsibilities such as shopping, cooking, party planning, and activities.
- Get regular exercise. Walking for just 30 minutes three times a week can give you a big boost.
- Keep your holiday spending under control.
- Eat well, get enough rest, and make time for yourself.
- Spend time with caring and supportive people and reach out to those who may benefit from your support.
- Don't worry too much about details. Live in the moment as much as possible and look for meaningful moments throughout the season.
More information
Mental Health America has more about holiday depression and stress.
more discussion: Forum
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Friday, December 21, 2007
Health Tip: What's Plantar Fasciitis?
(HealthDay News) - Plantar fasciitis is a common condition -- caused by overuse -- and characterized by often severe pain in the heel.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers additional information about the condition, including its risk factors:
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers additional information about the condition, including its risk factors:
- Women and people who are overweight are more likely than others to develop plantar fasciitis.
- Frequent running or walking for exercise may increase your risk of developing the condition.
- People with flat feet or very high arches are at greater risk.
- Standing or walking on hard surfaces for long periods also may increase your risk.
- The injury usually doesn't hurt during exercise, but pain begins to develop afterward.
- Pain may be most severe when waking up in the morning, or after rest.
- Plantar fasciitis requires treatment to prevent it from becoming chronic.
more discussion: Forum
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Cancer Killed Almost 8 Million Worldwide in 2007
(HealthDay News) -- Cancer continues to cut a deadly swath across the globe, with the American Cancer Society reporting 12 million new cases of malignancy diagnosed worldwide in 2007, with 7.6 million people dying from the disease.
The report, Global Cancer Facts & Figures, finds that 5.4 million of those cancers and 2.9 million deaths are in more affluent, developed nations, while 6.7 million new cancer cases and 4.7 million deaths hit people in developing countries.
"The point of the report is to promote cancer control worldwide, and increase awareness worldwide," said report co-author Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, director of the society's Cancer Occurrence Office.
The number of cancers and cancer deaths around the world is on the rise, Jemal said, mostly due to an aging population. "There is increasing life expectancy, and cancer occurs more frequently in older age groups," he noted.
Lifestyle may be another reason for the rise in malignancies in developing countries, Jemal said, as people adopt Western behaviors such as smoking, high-fat diets and less physical activity.
The best way to stem the increasing number of cancer cases and deaths is prevention, especially in poorer countries, the expert said. In many developing nations, the health-care infrastructure simply isn't there to offer cancer screening and treatment for most people, Jemal added.
In developed countries, the most common cancers among men are prostate, lung and colorectal cancer. Among women, the most common cancers are breast, colorectal and lung cancer, according to the report.
However, in developing countries the three most common cancers among men are lung, stomach and liver, and among women, breast, cervix uteri and stomach.
Worldwide, some 15 percent of all cancers are thought to be related to infections, including hepatitis (liver cancer) and human papilloma virus (cervical cancer). But the incidence of infection-related cancers remains three times higher in developing countries compared with developed countries (26 percent vs. 8 percent), according to the report.
In addition, cancer survival rates in many developing countries are far below those in developed countries. This is mostly due to the lack of early detection and treatment services. For example, in North America five-year childhood cancer survival rates are about 75 percent compared with three-year survival rates of 48 percent to 62 percent in Central America, the report notes. The report estimates that 60 percent of the world's children who develop cancer have little or no access to treatment.
The report also includes a section on the toll tobacco use takes around the world. In 2000, some 5 million people worldwide died from tobacco use. Of these, about 30 percent (1.42 million) died from cancer -- 850,000 from lung cancer alone.
Jemal believes smoking is a key culprit.
"Smoking prevalence is decreasing in developed countries. So, as tobacco companies are losing market in developed countries they are trying to expand their market in developing countries," he said.
In China alone, more than 350 million people smoke. "That's more than the entire population of the United States," Jemal said. "If these current patterns continue, there will be 2 billion smokers worldwide by the year 2030, half of whom will die of smoking-related diseases if they do not quit," he added.
In the 20th century, tobacco use caused about 100 million deaths around the world. In this century, that figure is expected to rise to over 1 billion people. Most of these will occur in developing countries.
One expert agreed that many cancer deaths can be avoided through lifestyle changes.
"What is most provocative here is not the total global burden of suffering and death cancer causes, dramatic though that may be, but the variations in cancer occurrence around the world, and the insights provided about how much of the cancer burden need not occur at all," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine.
In developing countries, cancer of the uterine cervix is a leading cause of death in women, Katz noted.
"Yet this infection-related cancer is now preventable by vaccine, and long treatable when detected early using the Pap smear. As a result, death from cervical cancer in developed countries is dramatically lower. Its toll in the developing world is testimony to missed opportunities to apply our resources effectively, and equitably," he said.
Cancer of the liver, often related to hepatitis infection, is a leading cause of death in developing countries, but not so in developed countries. "Again, an infection preventable with vaccine is causing death because of inequities in the distribution and use of existing resources," Katz said.
Prostate and colon cancers are more common in wealthier countries, where they are likely related to poor diet and obesity, Katz said. "Unnecessary suffering and death are occurring in affluent countries due to dietary excesses," he said.
Katz also noted that tobacco-related cancer is largely preventable. "The toll of tobacco-related disease, including lung cancer, is an appalling example of a global willingness to tolerate preventable suffering and death for the sake of profit," he said.
These data show both developed and developing countries how to move toward the lower rates of specific cancers, Katz said.
"It will be a tragic failure for public health if instead of applying these lessons developed countries continue to export tobacco and dietary transgressions so that the developing world adds to its current cancer burden ours as well," he said.
More information
For more information on cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.
The report, Global Cancer Facts & Figures, finds that 5.4 million of those cancers and 2.9 million deaths are in more affluent, developed nations, while 6.7 million new cancer cases and 4.7 million deaths hit people in developing countries.
"The point of the report is to promote cancer control worldwide, and increase awareness worldwide," said report co-author Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, director of the society's Cancer Occurrence Office.
The number of cancers and cancer deaths around the world is on the rise, Jemal said, mostly due to an aging population. "There is increasing life expectancy, and cancer occurs more frequently in older age groups," he noted.
Lifestyle may be another reason for the rise in malignancies in developing countries, Jemal said, as people adopt Western behaviors such as smoking, high-fat diets and less physical activity.
The best way to stem the increasing number of cancer cases and deaths is prevention, especially in poorer countries, the expert said. In many developing nations, the health-care infrastructure simply isn't there to offer cancer screening and treatment for most people, Jemal added.
In developed countries, the most common cancers among men are prostate, lung and colorectal cancer. Among women, the most common cancers are breast, colorectal and lung cancer, according to the report.
However, in developing countries the three most common cancers among men are lung, stomach and liver, and among women, breast, cervix uteri and stomach.
Worldwide, some 15 percent of all cancers are thought to be related to infections, including hepatitis (liver cancer) and human papilloma virus (cervical cancer). But the incidence of infection-related cancers remains three times higher in developing countries compared with developed countries (26 percent vs. 8 percent), according to the report.
In addition, cancer survival rates in many developing countries are far below those in developed countries. This is mostly due to the lack of early detection and treatment services. For example, in North America five-year childhood cancer survival rates are about 75 percent compared with three-year survival rates of 48 percent to 62 percent in Central America, the report notes. The report estimates that 60 percent of the world's children who develop cancer have little or no access to treatment.
The report also includes a section on the toll tobacco use takes around the world. In 2000, some 5 million people worldwide died from tobacco use. Of these, about 30 percent (1.42 million) died from cancer -- 850,000 from lung cancer alone.
Jemal believes smoking is a key culprit.
"Smoking prevalence is decreasing in developed countries. So, as tobacco companies are losing market in developed countries they are trying to expand their market in developing countries," he said.
In China alone, more than 350 million people smoke. "That's more than the entire population of the United States," Jemal said. "If these current patterns continue, there will be 2 billion smokers worldwide by the year 2030, half of whom will die of smoking-related diseases if they do not quit," he added.
In the 20th century, tobacco use caused about 100 million deaths around the world. In this century, that figure is expected to rise to over 1 billion people. Most of these will occur in developing countries.
One expert agreed that many cancer deaths can be avoided through lifestyle changes.
"What is most provocative here is not the total global burden of suffering and death cancer causes, dramatic though that may be, but the variations in cancer occurrence around the world, and the insights provided about how much of the cancer burden need not occur at all," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine.
In developing countries, cancer of the uterine cervix is a leading cause of death in women, Katz noted.
"Yet this infection-related cancer is now preventable by vaccine, and long treatable when detected early using the Pap smear. As a result, death from cervical cancer in developed countries is dramatically lower. Its toll in the developing world is testimony to missed opportunities to apply our resources effectively, and equitably," he said.
Cancer of the liver, often related to hepatitis infection, is a leading cause of death in developing countries, but not so in developed countries. "Again, an infection preventable with vaccine is causing death because of inequities in the distribution and use of existing resources," Katz said.
Prostate and colon cancers are more common in wealthier countries, where they are likely related to poor diet and obesity, Katz said. "Unnecessary suffering and death are occurring in affluent countries due to dietary excesses," he said.
Katz also noted that tobacco-related cancer is largely preventable. "The toll of tobacco-related disease, including lung cancer, is an appalling example of a global willingness to tolerate preventable suffering and death for the sake of profit," he said.
These data show both developed and developing countries how to move toward the lower rates of specific cancers, Katz said.
"It will be a tragic failure for public health if instead of applying these lessons developed countries continue to export tobacco and dietary transgressions so that the developing world adds to its current cancer burden ours as well," he said.
More information
For more information on cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.
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Sunday, December 02, 2007
Cancer Patients Gain From Reporting Symptoms Online
(HealthDay News) -- Having cancer patients report to doctors on their symptoms and side effects online may improve their care, a new study finds.
Even the sickest cancer patients are willing and capable of reporting their symptoms online, says a team from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
"Cancer care has become increasingly complex, causing office visits to become more compressed. This makes it challenging for the clinician to comprehensively assess each patient's symptoms in that brief window of time," study author Dr. Ethan Basch, a medical oncologist, said in a prepared statement.
"Because cancer therapies can be highly toxic, early detection of symptoms and timely treatment is vital. What is exciting to us about online self-reporting is that patients can alert clinicians to crucial symptoms in real time," Basch said.
The study included 107 lung cancer patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy who had access to a secure Internet patient reporting system developed by Basch and his colleagues. The patients were able to access the Symptom Tracking and Reporting (STAR) site using computers in waiting room kiosks and at home to report cancer symptoms and chemotherapy-related side effects.
The patients were followed for up to 16 months and 40 visits. All of the patients used the waiting room kiosks at some or all of their office visits, and an average of 78 percent logged onto the system at any given office visit. Patients were more likely to use STAR if they had prior computer experience.
The study found that 98 percent of patients found STAR easy to use, 90 percent said it was useful, and 77 percent believed it improved the quality of their discussions with clinicians.
The study appears in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about coping with cancer.
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Even the sickest cancer patients are willing and capable of reporting their symptoms online, says a team from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
"Cancer care has become increasingly complex, causing office visits to become more compressed. This makes it challenging for the clinician to comprehensively assess each patient's symptoms in that brief window of time," study author Dr. Ethan Basch, a medical oncologist, said in a prepared statement.
"Because cancer therapies can be highly toxic, early detection of symptoms and timely treatment is vital. What is exciting to us about online self-reporting is that patients can alert clinicians to crucial symptoms in real time," Basch said.
The study included 107 lung cancer patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy who had access to a secure Internet patient reporting system developed by Basch and his colleagues. The patients were able to access the Symptom Tracking and Reporting (STAR) site using computers in waiting room kiosks and at home to report cancer symptoms and chemotherapy-related side effects.
The patients were followed for up to 16 months and 40 visits. All of the patients used the waiting room kiosks at some or all of their office visits, and an average of 78 percent logged onto the system at any given office visit. Patients were more likely to use STAR if they had prior computer experience.
The study found that 98 percent of patients found STAR easy to use, 90 percent said it was useful, and 77 percent believed it improved the quality of their discussions with clinicians.
The study appears in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about coping with cancer.
more discussion: Forum
· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
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