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Healthy News
Archive
FEBRUARY
2008
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The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - February 1st, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sounds like a dream come true, getting fit with no effort - but
you make your own mind up on that! A domestic issue this time,
with your night time and early morning routines both coming
under the microscope - but please no arguments before bedtime!
Wishing you the best of good health- AnnA
In this issue:
- MORE ON THE COFFEE DEBATE
- CAN IMAGINARY EXERCISE MAKE YOU FIT?
- IS SNORING A HEALTH RISK?
MORE ON THE COFFEE DEBATE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My piece on coffee has sparked some debate, and this week I saw
an interesting post this week from Ray Collins who writes The
Good Life Letter and happily for those of us who cannot start
the day without a cup of coffee it's not all doom and gloom.
I did tell you about the risks pregnant women run of miscarriage
through coffee drinking, but if you are not pregnant then read
on.
It's the caffeine content which is at the root of the argument
and
like most things it has its good and bad sides. On the pro side
there is evidence that it may lower your risk of diabetes,
Parkinson's disease, and headaches. Caffeine also has a
stimulating effect on the brain and studies have shown that it
can
also improve your attention span, boost your brainpower and also
help balance your moods.
I mentioned in the last newsletter that the optimal dose of
coffee a day is no more than 200 milligrams, or two average size
cups of coffee, in a day. For me, I have a small cafetiere of
organic ground coffee to start my day then I switch to white or
herbal tea and that seems to work for me.
Oh, and if you are up for a major purchase, then don't take the
offer of free coffee that the salesman may make. Apparently,
according to Pearl Martin of the University of Queensland in
Brisbane, she claims that doses of caffeine can make you more
easily convinced by arguments that go against your beliefs.
This comes from a paper she authored in 2005 which suggested
that
the brain stimulators in caffeine improves your ability to
understand the reasoning behind strong arguments.
In practice, that could make you more likely to end up agreeing
with something that goes against your typical views. So if you
are against gas-guzzling cars and you have a couple of free
java's then beware, because it might help the salesman change
your mind!
Can Imaginary Exercise Make You Fit?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I firmly believe I will become a great cook merely by owning
cookbooks, then this piece of research really intrigued me.
Breakthrough research in the field of exercise physiology has
yielded stunning revelations about the way we get fit. The big
surprise, though, is not what we "have" to do, but what we might
"not" have to do. Apparently this is part of the metaphysical
belief system that your thoughts create your reality, certainly
something I agree with though whether it can improve my fitness
I remain to be convinced.
For decades, exercise scientists have worked to discover how
we get fit. Getting stronger, we were told, was about creating
enough resistance in a muscle to create millions of micro-tears
that would, over days, weeks and months, rebuild themselves,
bigger, leaner and stronger. So when we lift weights, sprint or
engage in pretty much any kind of exercise, we set this whole
process in motion. The entire cycle is known as hypertrophy and
it's always been considered a pretty mechanical experience.
Now it appears, that building muscle is not nearly as mechanical
as everyone thought. A recent study at Bishop's University,
Quebec, reveals you may be able to make nearly identical gains
in strength and fitness without any effort. That study measured
the strength gains in three different groups of people two lots
did different types of exercise and the third control group did
nothing but think about exercising. The end result? The
'thinkers'
had a 24% increase in strength, almost the same as the group
that trained three times a week.
SO HOW DOES THIS WORK?
Actually, nobody knows exactly, but your mind is the key to the
conundrum. Through it's connection to the endocrine system
(the body's chemical plant), different thoughts and mental
states release hormones that can dramatically accelerate or
retard muscle growth. Other chemicals work on different organs
to either fire-up or slow-down your metabolism - think of the
'fight or flight' response' - and how fast your body responds to
a perceived threat.
A Harvard study reported in February 2007 appears to also
confirm
this theory when they looked at the impact of your thoughts on
calories burned. In that study, the housekeeping staff in a
major
hotel were told that what they did on a daily basis qualified as
the amount of exercise needed to be fit and healthy. They didn't
change their routine, did nothing differently and just kept on
with their jobs. However, armed with this new knowledge, within
four weeks the group had lost weight and lowered their blood
pressure, body-fat percentage, waist-hip ratio and Body Mass
Index,
all without going near a gym. A control group, doing the same
job,
were not told that their job qualified as exercise and none of
that group saw any of those health or fitness improvements.
Another factor that comes into play is your body's nervous
system.
The signal that makes a muscle contract begins as an electrical
impulse in your brain. That impulse is transmitted through your
body's electrical circuitry or nerves to the muscle. How
efficiently that impulse is delivered and how receptive your
muscle is to that impulse determines, in large part, how
forcefully that muscle can contract. The more fully and the
faster it contracts, the stronger
we say it is. We call this process neuromuscular facilitation
and
you can repeatedly 'visualise' a muscle contracting, without
ever actually contracting it and that's how many sports coaches
teach injured players to slow down the inevitable loss of
strength
during recovery from an injury.
So it appears that simply visualising an exercise may provide a
nearly equivalent strength-building benefit as actually
working-out. Anyone want to join me in a 'keep fit' routine that
involves visualising yourself taking a brisk walk? Time to get
out my own meditation CD and starting a daily meditation which I
intend taking
in my recliner with my two cats for company. They may as well
get
the benefits too, don't you think? If you want to know more
about
my meditation CD please visit my website and click on
marketplace,
or follow this link http://www.catalystonline.co.uk/potential.htm
IS SNORING A HEALTH RISK?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Certainly can be if you are moved to violence by the sound of
your partner's snoring. One friend of mine regularly pushed her
husband
out of bed and claimed it was a reflex action to thinking she
was hearing a burglar breaking in and she was defending herself!
Fear not
they had a very thick sheepskin rug next to the bed and he
occasionally stayed there and carried on sleeping!
Seriously though, the emotional toll of sharing a bed with a
chronic snorer has always been clear and if you haven't managed
to persuade the guilty party to take action then maybe this
extra health risk might encourage them.
A recent study by Chol Shin, M.D., Ph.D., of Korea University's
Ansan Hospital supported by the Korea Centers for Disease
Control
and Prevention and the Japan hs reported that regularly snoring
may significantly increase susceptibility to chronic bronchitis.
The range of risk was a 25% to 68% of getting bronchitis,
compared
to people who never snored and the combination of smoking and
snoring almost tripled the likelihood of chronic bronchitis
compared with those who did not smoke or snore. Being overweight
was also another risk factor so no more late night snacks, stay
away from dairy foods to reduce mucus and try olbas oil to
inhale before sleep to open the nasal passages.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, and please feel
free to pass it on to others. Remember, I am not a doctor and
cannot give you medical advice, so please always take
appropriate
action by consulting your own medical advisor if you have
concerns
about any aspect of your health.
Please feel free to pass on any of this information to your
friends,
or suggest they sign up for the newsletter themselves at the
catalystonline website. Best wishes for a healthier week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
www.writeyourlifestory.co.uk
www.procrastinationkiller.co.uk
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The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - February 6th, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well the first item this week will make Jamie Oliver
flip his pancakes I am sure, and I just trust it isn't
a sign of things to come here in the UK. For the rest
there is advice on spicing up your life, in several
directions. Wishing you the best of good health- AnnA
In this issue:
MCDONALDS SPONSOR SCHOOL REPORTS
GINGER UP YOUR DIET
TESTOSERONE FOR WOMEN?
MCDONALDS SPONSOR SCHOOL REPORTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Given the huge fuss about improving the diet of school
children and weaning them off fast and junk food diets,
there is disturbing news from the USA where McDonald's
have just paid $1,700 to produce the school reports for
Seminole County, in Florida. What do they get out of it?
The report cards feature a cover jacket with a coupon
featuring their trademark Ronald McDonald. Apparently
for 'good grades and attendance' (undefined), the coupon
can be redeemed for a free Happy Meal.
Sounds a bit like bribery to me and certainly would
appear to violate the Children's Food and Beverage
Advertising Initiative, which McDonald's joined last year
which unequivocally states that members are not allowed
to advertise at schools and cannot place materials in
editorial or entertainment content. It appears that
McDonald's have found a loophole because as the report
cards are sent straight to the home they may not be easily
classifiable as editorial or entertainment and the school
board officials concerned call the report cards a 'business
partnership' which assist with lack of funding in their
school system.
Many parents are unhappy because parents who don't want
their children eating from McDonalds are put under pressure
if they won't take the coupon and the free Happy Meal. The
frequent childhood complaint of 'all my friends are going there'
is being heard and it is hard on parents to feel they are
singling their child out of what is seen as a 'reward' for
doing well at school.
There is certainly no doubt that the type of diet a child has
definitely makes a difference to their school performance.
A well balanced diet with plenty of fruit, vegetables and whole
grains give a child the best chance of developing healthy both
physically and mentally.
McDonald's is no stranger to criticism about the nutritional
value of its products and has hit back with high-level
advertising and information campaigns scarce on nutritional
qualities. McDonald's defended its Happy Meals, citing that
a child could choose a low calorie Happy Meal of Chicken
McNuggets, apple dippers, and low fat milk. The combination
may be low calorie, but it contains MSG, food colouring,
and sodium benzoate.
They have added "healthy" choices to their menus, but who
knows a child who goes for the healthy option? The ever
popular burger may have traceable-source beef but the bun
itself is not a healthy option as McDonald's still bleaches
all of its grains used to create the buns and effectively
kills any goodness in the flour. Bleaching most bread creates
a poison called alloxon, which has produced diabetes in lab
animals so you may want to follow the example of Jack Nicholson
in 5 Easy Pieces and tell them to 'hold the bun.'
Of course an occasional burger will not cause a huge problem,
but if you are concerned about what's in McDonald's food then
you can check the ingredients by typing the words McDonalds
ingredients into Google or any search engine and several links
will come up to show you exactly what you might be eating.
GINGER UP YOUR DIET
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ginger may be the single most important ingredient you can add
to your diet for maximum health effectiveness. It has proven to
be so valuable because it not only has antioxidant and cancer-
fighting properties, but a new study has also found that the
ginger component gingerol exerts anti-inflammatory effects by
mediating NF-KB, a protein complex that regulates your immune
system's response to infection.
Not only all that, but it may also prove to be useful for
treating and preventing ovarian cancer, according to a new study
just reported in the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Journal. Chinese researchers tested the effect of ginger on
cultivated ovarian tumour cell growth. Ovarian cancer is the
most lethal gynaecological malignancy and is the fifth leading
cause of cancer death among women. They found that ginger
inhibited growth and modulated the secretion of angiogenic
factors, which is a fundamental step in the transition of
tumours from a dormant to a malignant state.
This is good news and ginger is only one of a number of foods
that when found in good quantities in the diet are thought to
thought to contribute to the decreased incidence of colon,
gastrointestinal, prostate, breast and other cancers. The other
cancer-fighting foods are garlic, soy, cumin, chillies and green
tea so sounds like switching to cooking up some Asian food might
be a healthy option.
TESTOSERONE FOR WOMEN?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Testosterone for women may seem like a strange idea, but it is
being used increasingly to help women improve their sex drive
and perk up their libido. You may be surprised to learn that
women have testosterone, but it is one of the three main
hormones in our bodies along with oestrogen and progesterone.
When women reach menopause, their progesterone and testosterone
levels may drop by as much as 50 percent but before you rush to
talk to your doctor about it (though your partner may try and
beat you to it) remember that all hormones are powerful
substances and not to be taken lightly.
The method of taking testestorone currently is orally in pill
form, but the medical authorities have recently declined
approval
of a testosterone patch designed for women. The product was
found
to be only slightly more effective than a placebo patch, while
the side effects included liver dysfunction, acne and unwanted
hair growth. You might want to try some more natural, and safer,
ways of boosting your sex drive first.
Fortunately, there are a number of plants and herbs that have
been shown to enhance sexual drive and enjoyment by helping to
maintain balanced hormone levels, including testosterone. For
instance, saw palmetto (commonly used to promote prostate
health)
has been prescribed for centuries as a sexual stimulant for both
women and men. The ancient Mayans used an herb called damiana to
energize sexual vitality and it is freely on sale in my local
health shop, along with Siberian ginseng which has the
reputation
for arousing sexuality and enhancing stamina in women. Anyone
for Nettle tea? This also has been used as an aphrodisiac for
centuries though you might want to add some honey to it first!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, and please feel
free to pass it on to others. Remember, I am not a doctor and
cannot give you medical advice, so please always take
appropriate
action by consulting your own medical advisor if you have
concerns
about any aspect of your health.
Please feel free to pass on any of this information to your
friends,
or suggest they sign up for the newsletter themselves at the
catalystonline website. Best wishes for a healthier week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
www.writeyourlifestory.co.uk
www.procrastinationkiller.co.uk
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The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - February 13th, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A more serious note this week, and rather more focused on
women than usual but as Valentine's Day is in the air, I trust
the chaps are willing to indulge us!
Wishing you the best of good health- AnnA
In this issue:
WARNING ON OSTEOPOROSIS DRUGS
AVOID A VISIT TO CASUALTY - SWEEP THE ROOM!
TESTOSERONE FOR WOMEN?
WARNING ON OSTEOPOROSIS DRUGS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the woman who set up the Natural Progesterone Information
Service many years ago to alert women to the benefits of
progesterone for osteoporosis I used to talk to lots of
women who were on drug medication for their condition. I,
and others, were concerned about the long-term effects of
these drugs and just how effective they actually were.
Now according to a report in the January 19 issue of the
British Medical Journal it appears that pharmaceutical
companies exaggerate the benefits and downplay the risks
of prescribing osteoporosis drugs for women whose bones
appear to be slightly weakened. This condition (osteopenia)
is not full blown osteoporosis but the pre-stage and this
new report says that pharmaceutical companies are pushing
doctors to prescribe osteoporosis drugs for this group of
women.
The problem with this is that women with osteopenia have
such a low risk of experiencing fractures that taking
osteoporosis drugs would provide almost no benefit. The study
co-author Dr. Pablo Alonso-Coello, a family physician at
Hospital Sant-Pau in Barcelona, contends that four studies that
found benefits to giving osteoporosis drugs to women with
osteopenia exaggerated those benefits.
Statistics can be tricky things, but Dr. Alonso-Coello gives
the following example:
** The absolute risk of a woman with osteoporosis having a
fracture in a given year might be 10 percent so the effect
of an osteoporosis drug is to lower that risk by half, so
the absolute benefit is a 5 percent reduction.
** But in women with pre-osteoporosis (osteopenia), the risk
of fracture is very low, say 1 percent a year, so if you lower
that by half, you go down to 0.5 percent absolute reduction.
One study cited in Dr. Alonso-Coello's paper claimed a 75%
relative reduction in risk of fracture. The absolute risk
reduction was 0.9 percent, which, from a statistical
perspective, means that up to 270 women with pre-osteoporosis
would have to take osteoporosis drugs for three years to avoid
a single fracture.
Risks of Taking Osteoporosis Drugs
These drugs are not risk-free and the pioneering work of the
late Dr John Lee alerted many women to the potential hazard
to their health they were risking by taking them. Just this
month, researchers at the University of British Columbia and
McGill University issued a warning on a class of osteoporosis
drugs (bisphosphonates) taken by millions of women around the
world that can lead to bone necrosis, a painful and disfiguring
condition. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also issued
an alert on bisphosphonates, including alendronate and
risedronate, warning that these medications can cause severe
bone pain.
There are natural ways to prevent and treat osteoporosis that
I will suggest to you in the next newsletter.
AVOID A VISIT TO CASUALTY - SWEEP THE ROOM!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naturally I am not insinuating that your house needs cleaning,
but it's a visual sweep I am talking about. If you have small
children, or visiting grandchildren, there is a potential
hazard that often goes unmissed. Babies and toddlers love
to put things in their mouths so I thought it might be useful
to list the apparently most frequent things that Casualty
departments are called on to remove so you can avoid a visit
to them.
Naturally you keep the floor and coffee clear of small items
that can be swallowed or pushed into a nose or ear - the
favourite places - but things fall on the floor or they are
so natural to see in that place that you actually don't notice
them and these three fall into that category:
1. Pieces of lego, beads, caps for pens, and coins. If you have
older children, Lego pieces are probably the most common things
left around or they fall out of pockets behind cushions. Coins
creep between magazine covers and down the sides of chairs.
Never underestimate the tenacity of a toddler to root out
something unsuitable so include these items when doing a scan
of the room.
2. Batteries. Everything nowadays seems to require them and
in the process of changing them or opening the device to check
them they can go missing. These are potentially fatal to
children
so always dispose of used batteries immediately and safely.
3. Leaves that have fallen from indoor or outdoor houseplants
can be too big for small throats and cause choking or an
allergic reaction. As my cats will try and eat every fallen
houseplant leaf I have got this one cracked, as they are
usually violently sick afterwards I make sure I remove them as
soon as I see them.
TESTOSERONE FOR WOMEN?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Testosterone for women may seem like a strange idea, but it
is being used increasingly to help women improve their sex
drive and perk up their libido. You may be surprised to learn
that women have testosterone, but it is one of the three main
hormones in our bodies along with oestrogen and progesterone.
When women reach menopause, their progesterone and testosterone
levels may drop by as much as 50 percent but before you rush to
talk to your doctor about it (though your partner may try and
beat you to it) remember that all hormones are powerful
substances and not to be taken lightly.
The method of taking testestorone currently is orally in pill
form, but the medical authorities have recently declined
approval of a testosterone patch designed for women. The
product was found to be only slightly more effective than a
placebo patch, while the side effects included liver
dysfunction,
acne and unwanted hair growth. You might want to try some more
natural, and safer, ways of boosting your sex drive first.
Fortunately, there are a number of plants and herbs that have
been shown to enhance sexual drive and enjoyment by helping to
maintain balanced hormone levels, including testosterone. For
instance, saw palmetto (commonly used to promote prostate
health)
has been prescribed for centuries as a sexual stimulant for both
women and men. The ancient Mayans used an herb called damiana to
energize sexual vitality and it is freely on sale in my local
health shop, along with Siberian ginseng which has the
reputation
for arousing sexuality and enhancing stamina in women. Anyone
for Nettle tea? This also has been used as an aphrodisiac for
centuries though you might want to add some honey to it first!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, and please feel
free to pass it on to others. Remember, I am not a doctor and
cannot give you medical advice, so please always take
appropriate
action by consulting your own medical advisor if you have
concerns
about any aspect of your health.
Please feel free to pass on any of this information to your
friends,
or suggest they sign up for the newsletter themselves at the
catalystonline website. Best wishes for a healthier week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
www.writeyourlifestory.co.uk
www.procrastinationkiller.co.uk
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The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - February 20th, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sun may be shining in your part of the country, but it is
still officially winter for at least another four weeks so don't
neglect taking care of your overall health and keeping your
immune system boosted. You may find a couple of useful ideas
here that won't break the bank, and as this seems to be a fairly
'back to basics' and natural issue I have no hesitation in
wishing
you the best of good health- AnnA
In this issue:
> LET'S HEAR IT FOR NUTS!
> TAPE MEASURE PREDICTOR
> CRANBERRIES - NOT JUST FOR SAUCE
> CELEBRATE SARDINES!
LET'S HEAR IT FOR NUTS!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is another natural food that can get a bad press. They are
shunned because people - particularly those on a diet - believe
that they are bad for you as they are high in natural fats and
oils, but this is far from being the case. Raw, not processed or
salted, nuts can help fight depression, heart disease and bad
cholesterol. That last one may be a bit of a chock, but although
it is true that nuts in general contain as much as 80 per cent
fat, but there are good fats and bad ones. The type of fat found
in nuts is unsaturated fat - specifically monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fat and both of these unsaturated fats are known
for their ability to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also
called "bad" cholesterol, when consumed in moderation.
A few months ago in the USA, a survey examined and reported on
the diets of more than 31,000 Seventh Day Adventists - chosen
for
the similarity of their lifestyle choices - and it was found tha
t those who ate nuts more than four times per week experienced
51% fewer heart attacks compared to those who ate nuts less than
once
per week.
If you want to stick to the most healthy nuts around, these are
the top 5 to go for:
1 Pistachios
can produce a 10 point drop in your triglycerides and a 16 point
decline in your LDL (bad) cholesterol, according to the Journal
of the American College of Nutrition.
2 Walnuts
Contains omega 3s which may help ward off depression and heart
attack, according to Harvard research. Maybe you should stuff
those sardines with lemon and walnuts for extra benefit!
3 Brazil nuts
contain selenium, a mineral linked to prostate cancer
protection, according to scientists at the University of
Arizona.
4 Pecans
have the most antioxidants of any nut. Could help reduce the
risk of cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease.
5 Hazelnuts
a handful daily boosts HDL (good) cholesterol levels by 12
percent, according to a study in the European Journal of
Clinical Nutrition.
TAPE MEASURE PREDICTOR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Identifying children most likely to have an early form of
metabolic syndrome needs only a scale and a tape measure,
researchers at the University of Verona in Italy have recently
discovered during a long study of just under 1500 Italian
children. Metabolic syndrome is the term they used to describe
the combination of excess weight, hypertension, and high
cholesterol and plasma glucose found in children and
adolescents.
We know that childhood obesity is a growing problem, but if
parents were to monitor the waist-to-height ratio of those aged
5-15 they could help prevent their child developing serious
conditions later in life that are linked to obesity such as
cardiovascular disease and risk of diabetes.
The significant figure is when a child has a waist-to-height
ratio greater than 0.5 and may seem overweight, but not obese
so that warning signals are not raised in time. Such children
were found to have a 95% chance of meeting the criteria for
metabolic syndrome. As with adults, having a high waist
measurement is a red flag, although of course there are more
high-tech tools available to assess the risk in such children.
The chief researcher, Dr. Maffeis, says that waist-to-height
ratio is easier for parents to monitor and interpret before
the stage of intervention may be required.
CRANBERRIES - NOT JUST FOR SAUCE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For many of us, cranberries are forever associated with turkey
and Christmas, but this small red berry has a range of health
benefits. Research conducted by Tel Aviv University professor
Itzhak Ofek and his colleagues is revealing a surprising array
of benefits beyond their well-known role in helping prevent
urinary tract infections, Dr Ofek has discovered that cranberry
juice can help prevent cavities, fight influenza, and reduce the
recurrence of gastric ulcers. However, the berries appear to
provide a greater benefit to women than men. Apparently it is a
compound known as non-dialyzable material or NDM in the berries
that appears to coat some of the body's surfaces which prevents
the adherence of infectious agents while not affecting the
body's beneficial bacteria.
In simple terms what this means is that there is specific
inhibitor in cranberry juice that doesn't let infections adhere
to a woman's bladder. Many women drink cranberry juice as a
precaution against bladder infections, and if you can find it
then try to get one without artificial sweeteners or an
unsweetened one and add honey to taste.
A trial at Tel Aviv University's School of Dental Medicine has
revealed other benefits as they found that NDM inhibits oral
bacteria from sticking to tooth surfaces and this helped reduce
the number of cavities in the mouth, and therefore the number of
fillings too.
Last June in the journal of Molecular Nutrition & Food Research,
an article coauthored by Dr Ofek described how effect of
cranberries helped reduce or get rid of H. Pylori, the bacteria
that causes ulcers. Though again the benefits only seem to apply
to women - sorry chaps.
CELEBRATE SARDINES!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Although National Sardine Day falls on the 25th of November,
yes really, I thought I would encourage you to look ahead and
plan for later in the year to celebrate this remarkable fish.
The humble sardine isn't something people usually rave about,
but in terms of the health benefits per square inch they really
are quite something. Whether you opt for the fresh fish,
delicious grilled and stuffed with lemon, or the tinned variety
in oil - not sauce - they are packed with inexpensive, high-
yielding health benefits and nutritional value.
For such a small fish they can have a big impact as they
contain substances that are proven to benefit your skin,
joints, memory, and even boost your energy. Sardines are rich
in omega 3 fatty acids -- the crucial long chain variety you
can only find in seafood, not vegetable matter high - and also
have good levels of calcium and vitamin D.
Sardines also contain high levels of Coenzyme Q10 which is
essential for so many important functions in the body. It is a
supernutrient that's great for heart health, energy, immune
support, and healthy brain function. It is also an effective
antioxidant and has been used for decades in Cancer treatment.
CoQ10 is also very important for cardiovascular health as it has
many of the antioxidant properties of vitamin E. Inadequate
levels
of CoQ10 have been linked to heart attacks, strokes, high blood
pressure, atherosclerosis and arrhythmias. In addition, CoQ10
is believed to lower blood pressure, prevent the oxidation of
low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and help with
irregular heartbeat. CoQ10 is also good for the teeth and gums,
helping t
o fight oral infection.
Sardine sandwich anyone?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, and please feel
free to pass it on to others. Remember, I am not a doctor and
cannot give you medical advice, so please always take
appropriate
action by consulting your own medical advisor if you have
concerns about any aspect of your health.
Please feel free to pass on any of this information to your
friends,
or suggest they sign up for the newsletter themselves at the
catalystonline website. Best wishes for a healthier week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
www.writeyourlifestory.co.uk
www.procrastinationkiller.co.uk
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - February 27th, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Which do you have more faith in - a promise or a guarantee?
My local supermarket was selling Easter eggs, row upon
chocolately
row of them when I saw one box proclaiming 'we promise our
Easter
eggs are nut-free'. Now I am sure they are, but if you are
allergic
to peanuts would you rather believe their promise or prefer a
cast-
iron guarantee? In the last issue I gave you lots of good health
reasons to eat nuts and I can promise they will improve your
well-being,
but not of course if you are allergic. Or in other words,
whatever
it says on the box make sure you can trust that named
manufacturer and that it fits with your personal health needs.
If I was allergic then I would do a Google search for that one
manufacturer and find out what other products they produced and
if
any of those products contained nuts then I would be asking them
if their eggs are made in a completely separate factory.
Seems like a lot of work? Not if you know it could be a matter
of
life and death, which when you are seeking to live a long,
active
and healthy life it could certainly be. In other words, always
keep
an open mind and ask lots of questions - then you can enjoy the
chocolate!
On a more serioius note, I have taken a longer look
than usual at one particular subject, that of placebos and
depression as I think it is an important topic to cover and may
provide some useful insights for anyone dealing with this
subject
personally or within their family or social circle.
Wishing you the best of good health- AnnA
In this issue:
- OSTEOPOROSIS - MEN NOW AT RISK
- SMOOTHIES GO GREEN
- ALERT - THE PLACEBO EFFECT AND ANTIDEPRESSANTS
- BREAK OUT THE POMEGRANATES!
OSTEOPOROSIS - MEN AT RISK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the first time, men over 50 are mentioned in new guidelines
for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis issued in the USA
by the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Menopausal women are
usually considered the biggest risk group but the new guidelines
have now been extended to both men and women. Traditionally a
diagnosis of osteoporosis is rarely given for men, generally
because it is not considered to be likely, but these new guide-
lines make it clear that this is no longer the case. If you are
subject to more than the average falls and broken bones then it
makes sense for everyone who may be at risk of osteoporosis to
seek medical advice for a scan and treatment, whatever your
gender.
SMOOTHIES GO GREEN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Breakfast is always a difficult meal for me as I don't like
cereals
and am not mad about yoghurt or fruit or vegetables. It is a
miracle
I am as healthy as I am, and part of that miracle is that I take
in
my daily 5 in liquid form from my juicer or blender. Now in
colder
weather I am not so keen on chilled fruit smoothies, but I have
found
a way to have a healthy breakfast in minutes that gives me
healthy
carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins, minerals and chlorophyll - sound
dreadful but it can be made to taste great with the addition of
fruit.
I also find as I have got older I need protein in a morning so I
add a scoop of protein powder for a complete meal. If you want
to
get out the blender this recipe could help you be bright eyed
and
bushy tailed whatever time of day you drink it - in fact it is a
great pick me up for that mid-afternoon slump too.
If you want to have a go, the rule of thumb when making green
smoothies is to use slightly more vegetables than fruits, say
about 60/40 in favour of the green stuff. What goes in it? Well
good greens to use might be romaine lettuce, kale, spinach, and
chard. For the sweetness you might add fruit peeled and chopped
fruit such bananas, pears, apples, blueberries, mangos, papayas,
and pineapples.
Put your favoured fruit and veg into a good blender and add just
enough water to allow the blender to bring vegetables and fruits
together into a smoothie-like consistency. Personally I don't
use
water, but cranberry juice as its slight tartness seems to bring
out the flavour and I don't like my drinks too thick so I add a
good glug - personal taste so experiment to see what you like.
If you feel you need some extra antioxidants in your diet then
you
could also add a teaspoon or so of acerola cherry powder and
then
just drink it down. Don't let it stand as the ingredients will
separate and you get the most goodness immediately it has
blended. If you do like a cold drink, then add some ice.
Key point: If you don't have any problems digesting fruits and
vegetables, you can mix and match any combination of the
vegetables
and fruits listed above. If you have a sensitive digestive
tract,
it is best to combine only one vegetable and one fruit at a
time.
ALERT - THE PLACEBO EFFECT AND ANTIDEPRESSANTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Five centuries ago, the Swiss alchemist and physician Paracelsus
(1493-1541) wrote: "You must know that the will is a powerful
adjuvant of medicine." In a nutshell that sums up the effect
that placebos can have on our bodies: they can effect change
without containing any active chemical ingredients that could
medically make a difference to the state of our health,
and yet they often can provoke therapeutic effects - both
positively and negatively - when administered to patients.
Researchers now believe that belief in the placebo as being
part of a curative treatment seems to stimulate the body's own
healing mechanism - if we believe it is doing us good, then it
is. Our belief stimulates certain bio-chemical responses and
reactions and increases our ability to initiate our own healing
process.
The term placebo literally means "I shall please" and was used
in mediaeval prayer in the context of the phrase Placebo Domino
("I shall please the Lord"). Much later, during the 18th
century,
the term was adopted by medicine and was used to imply
preparations
of no therapeutic value that were administered to patients as
"decoy drugs." Over time it became recognised as having an
important role in the therapeutic treatment of patients and in
more recent studies, the placebo effect was estimated at 60% of
the overall therapeutic outcome. In a recent review of 39
studies
regarding the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs,
psychologist
Guy Sapirstein concluded that 50 per cent of the therapeutic
benefits came from the placebo effect, with a poor percentage of
27% attributed to drug intervention. Now an even more startling
study by the FDA has revealed that the new generation of SSRI
anti-depressant drugs are even less effective than Sapristein's
study showed.
I have a vested interest in the subject as I have been treated
for depression since my teens and now 50 years on have tried
many drugs, therapies and natural alternatives and finally
discovered that I just have to learn to recognise it and live
with it as for me nothing has proved effective over the long
term
and the side effects of antidepressants have seriously affected
both my creativity and natural personality. Depression is a
serious medical illness caused by imbalances in the brain
chemicals that regulate mood. I am certainly not alone with my
experience of depression as it affects one in six people at some
time during their life, making them feel hopeless, worthless,
unmotivated, even suicidal.
Doctors measure the severity of depression using the "Hamilton
Rating Scale of Depression" (HRSD), a 17-21 item questionnaire.
The answers to each question are given a score and a total score
for the questionnaire of more than 18 indicates severe
depression.
Mild depression is often treated with psychotherapy or
cognitive-behavioural therapy to help people to change negative
ways of thinking and behaving. For more severe depression,
current treatment is usually a combination of psychotherapy and
an antidepressant drug, which is used to normalize the brain
chemicals that affect mood.
Antidepressants include "tricyclics," "monoamine oxidases,"
and "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors" (SSRIs).
SSRIs are the newest class of antidepressants and the FDA (Food
and Drug Administration) in the USA has reported on both
published and unpublished trials on SSRIs submitted to them
during their licensing process. The findings have rocked the
medical world as it has indicated that these drugs have only a
marginal clinical benefit. On average, the SSRIs improved the
HRSD score of patients by just 1.8 points more than the
placebo.
The most effective clinical rating for SSRI's was for severely
depressed patients and the FDA again reported that this
reflected a decreased responsiveness to placebo rather than an
increased responsiveness to antidepressants. I am not saying
don't take antidepressants, I have done so myself, but I am
saying think before you go down the drug intervention route.
That 'will' that Paracelsus referred to that certainly has a
powerful role to play, particularly in the area of whether we
regard our treatment positively or negatively, regardless of
what it contains. Positive or negative thinking seems to be a
decisive risk factor for every treatment, perhaps even more
important than medical intervention, so looking at our attitude
to life could be the first place to start. Research clearly
indicates that positive thinkers live on average 6 years longer
than those who always respond negatively to life - it's not
about being a 'Pollyanna' and forever looking on the bright side
but it is about taking those lemons life hands out and making
some lemonade, or in my case lemon curd, rather than leaving
them in the bowl to rot and decay.
BREAK OUT THE POMEGRANATES!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every supermarket chiller has pomegranate juice as it is the
new 'superfood' and studies have shown numerous health benefits
ranging from protection against prostate cancer, slowing
cartilage
loss in arthritis, and potentially preventing Alzheimer's.
Although
I personally don't drink it as it doesn't suit my 'blood group'
type there is even more evidence that it can be good for you.
According to the results of a new study done in China - where
they
seem to have cornered the market in anti-ageing as I presume
they
glug the stuff down while doing their early morning tai chi -
pomegranate juice is more effective than apple juice in boosting
the body's antioxidant defences, which decline naturally with
age.
They gave their research subjects (average age 63) a 250ml glass
of pomegranate juiced every day for a month and found that the
anti-
oxidant capacity of their blood was increased by almost 10%
while a
control group, who drank apple juice, showed negligible changes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, and please feel
free to pass it on to others. Remember, I am not a doctor and
cannot give you medical advice, so please always take
appropriate
action by consulting your own medical advisor if you have any
concerns about any aspect of your health.
Please feel free to pass on any of this information to your
friends, or suggest they sign up for the newsletter themselves
at the catalystonline website.
Best wishes for a healthier week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
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