HEALTHY NEWS MARCH 2008
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The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - March 27th, 2008
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A rather long piece this week on the humble grapefruit, but
well worth reading and passing on to anyone you know with high
cholesterol,
or diabetes. A plea on behalf of the humble bee,
and though I wish I didn't have to keep doing it, yet another
warning on potential problems with HRT.
Wishing you the best of good health - AnnA
In this issue:
- CHOLESTEROL - KEEPING THE BALANCE NATURALLY
- HRT AND CANCER - AGAIN
- BEES NEED YOUR HELP!
CHOLESTEROL - KEEPING THE BALANCE NATURALLY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you watch television, or read magazines, you cannot miss
the constant bombardment on the 'evils' of high cholesterol.
Certainly, out of control levels of high cholesterol are to
be avoided, but so too is low cholesterol. It is not the
cholesterol itself that is 'evil'; we actually require normal
levels for the production of the hormones testosterone and
oestrogen, and it is found in our cell membranes as part of
the structure to keep them waterproof.
Without cholesterol, we could not have a different biochemistry
on the inside and the outside of the cell. When cholesterol
levels are not adequate, the cell membrane becomes leaky or
porous, a situation the body interprets as an emergency, and
then releases a flood of corticoid hormones to repair the
damage.
Cholesterol is therefore essential as it is the body's chief
repair substance: scar tissue contains high levels of
cholesterol,
including scar tissue in the arteries. So you can see that so
cutting out all cholesterol is actually a bad idea. Studies have
shown that there is an increased risk of strokes and a
compromised immune system when cholesterol drops too low, but as
always the answer lies in balance.
If you do have high cholesterol then it can lead to hardening
of the arteries and heart disease, but statin drugs, given for
the inhibition of cholesterol, - as I have reported before -
have
their problems too. They have been associated with side effects
such as muscle pain and weakness, memory loss, nerve problems
and
interference with production of Co-Q10.
NATURAL SOLUTIONS?
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So, if you don't want to take drugs to lower your cholesterol,
what can you do? Back to the advertisers, who imply that by
switching to their margarine, or yoghurt product, you can lower
your levels naturally. Well, that depends on what you mean by
'naturally'. If you read the labels on those products, they
contain many chemical compounds, and the 'healthy' yoghurt
drinks contain not only sugar but sweeteners as well.
So what else is left? Enter the humble grapefruit, wholly
natural
and a lot cheaper than buying the aforementioned products.
An international team of researchers from Israel, Singapore and
Poland put grapefruit to an extremely rigorous cholesterol test.
Researchers at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, recruited
nearly 60 subjects who had several things in common: they all
had undergone recent coronary bypass surgery, had high
cholesterol
levels, and had used a cholesterol-lowering statin drug with no
success. At the outset of the study, none of the subjects had
taken any statins for at least 30 days and they were divided
into three groups. Over the 30-day study, everyone followed
the same low-fat diet, but one group ate one yellow grapefruit
a day, while another group ate one red grapefruit daily. They
all ate their normal, everyday diet and the third group got
no grapefruit at all.
At the end of the study, the two groups who had eaten the daily
grapefruit had lower levels of both total cholesterol and LDL -
and it was even more marked in the group who ate red grapefruit.
Another benefit seemed to be that triglyceride levels also
dropped in the red grapefruit group, but not in the other
groups.
Triglycerides are blood fats that can leave deposits in coronary
arteries, and so increase the risk of heart disease.
Now my problem is that my local supermarket has red, yellow and
pink grapefruit so I might have to email them for advice on
whether 'pink' a diluted effect from the 'red' benefits!
MORE GOOD GRAPEFRUIT NEWS
Oh, and if you are wanting to lose some weight, there was a
study at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego four years ago, in
which a group of 100 obese subjects were told to stay on their
normal diets, and in addition were given either grapefruit or
grapefruit juice to have once a day. On average they lost 3lb,
and one person lost 10lbs, as opposed to the non-grapefruit
trial group who lost less than a 1lb.
Diabetics may also be interested to learn that the subjects in
that same study also showed better management of insulin levels.
Those in the two grapefruit groups had lower levels of insulin
and glucose than they did at the outset, while levels in the
non-
grapefruit group were unchanged. The Scripps researchers believe
that enzymes in grapefruit help control insulin spikes that
occur
after a meal, which frees the digestive system to process food
more efficiently. This means that less nutrients are stored as
fat.
CAUTION
Many foods can interact with the effectiveness or efficiency of
drugs, and grapefruit are no exception. Chemicals in grapefruit
interfere with the enzymes that break down certain drugs in your
digestive system and this can result in excessively high levels
of these drugs in your blood, and an increased risk of side
effects. The following list is a generic overview of the classes
of drugs that may be affected. Bear in mind that it may not be
all drugs within a particular group, so consult with your doctor
if you are taking any of the following types of medication:
Anti-seizure medication - anti-arrhythmia drugs -
antidepressants
- erectile dysfunction - Calcium channel blockers -HIV
medications -
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors used to treat high cholesterol -
Immunosuppressant drugs - Methadone Pain relief -
Tranquillisers.
HRT AND CANCER - AGAIN
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It was widely reported on Tuesday that breast cancer survivors,
who were afterwards treated with HRT, had a more than two-fold
increased risk of a recurrence. According to long-term follow-up
data from a randomised clinical trial, after five years women
with previous breast cancer had a recurrence rate of 22.2%
compared with 8% in women who received no hormone therapy.
The study was undertaken at King's College London, and scary
though it is, I would suggest any woman with follow up care for
breast cancer examines her options carefully.
This study does not, sadly, stand alone as more recently, data
from the Women's Health Initiative and the Million Women Study
provided additional compelling evidence of an increased risk of
breast cancer among HRT users, according to the King's College
researchers and authors of the above study.
It is the oestrogen in HRT that is the problem, as it causes
proliferation of the cells, so investigate alternatives such as
natural progesterone. An excellent book on this is the one by
the
late John Lee, MD called 'What Your Doctor May Not Tell You
About Breast Cancer', and the straightforward book I co-wrote
with
Dr Shirley Bond on the applications of the hormone and called
simply 'Natural Progesterone' and which is available from the
website at www.catalystonline.co.uk
BEES NEED YOUR HELP!
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Many people are afraid of them, or rather their sting, but the
humble bee brings us many benefits. Pollen to help with hayfever,
delicious honey for our bread, and they are absolutely vital to
the pollination of orchards and various food crops.
You may not have heard of Colony Collapse Disorder, a disease
which has affected hives in the US, France, Germany and Italy,
but it could see the complete wiping out of bee colonies in 10
years. It hasn't arrived in the UK yet, but it is only a matter
of time, and the British Beekeeping Association wants the
Government
to fund a research project into this potential disaster.
This would fall within the existing farming research budget at
DEFRA, and the Government says there is no money for such
research, although there is a contingency fund that they have no
plans to dip into.
It would seem to make sense to research how to avoid this
catastrophe before it hits us, so if you feel strongly then
there is an online petition on the Downing Street website.
Buzz of there and register your support for the bees at
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/BeeResearch
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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
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The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - March 19th, 2008
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A real mixed bag this week, bouncing from childbirth to the
under sixes and then whizzing forward to the perils of too
much computer use and an excess of sugar that might just be
building up ready to inflict a painful attack of gout.
You might want to eat your Easter eggs now, and read the
article later! Wishing you the best of good health and an
enjoyable Easter weekend- AnnA
In this issue:
ASTHMA RISK FOR YOUNG CHILDREN - CATCH THE MICE
CHILDBIRTH - DOES IT HURT?
GET RID OF GOUT PAIN
COMPUTER VISION - A NEW DISEASE?
ASTHMA RISK FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
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Two new studies on asthma make for interesting reading,
particularly if you have young children. At a recent meeting
of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
it was reported that nearly 90% of children who wheezed when
they had a cold as early as just one year old, went on to be
diagnosed with asthma by the time they were six.
Daniel J. Jackson, M.D., of the University of Wisconsin had
studied a group of children from birth to age six and his
findings were based on this group, he was at pains to point out
that as there is no treatment to prevent common cold infections
or asthma, but it will be helpful for parents to be aware of the
higher risk their for developing asthma and to be alert for the
symptoms so they can take early action.
September and October, as well as March and April, are the
primary months for such infections and it is suggested that
if you have a child in the first year of life who is wheezing
in these months then both the parents and the doctor need to
keep a close eye on the child during those periods.
Of course this is not the only risk factor, other significant
predictors of asthma included having a dog in the house at
the child's birth, other children in the family with asthma,
and showing sensitivity to airborne allergens. Also, according
to the National Institute of Environmental Health Science in the
USA, the problem of asthma can be made worse if you have mice in
the house. Almost 83% of the homes studied were found to have
mouse allergens, principally from urine, and one third of those
homes were found to have a 50% greater risk of having a family
member with asthma.
Again prevention is the best plan, so if you have an asthmatic
child or adult it is worth making sure that your home is mouse-
free to minimise potential allergens. Unfortunately it appears
that having a cat is no deterrent as levels were just as high
in households with cats as without. What are they doing to earn
their daily bowl of Whiskas?
CHILDBIRTH - DOES IT HURT?
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I wanted to share another of my 'whoever gave them money to
study this' stories. Apparently first time mothers' expectations
of a pain-and-drug-free labour differ markedly from the real
event.
I can practically hear you all falling over in shock, but Joanne
Lally of Newcastle University felt it needed a proper study so
she undertook a survey to find out what pregnant women think
about
childbirth before the event.
Preparation is the key, the more information a woman has the
more realistic her expectations apparently, but even then it
doesn't always go to plan. It makes you wonder if any of the
pregnant women she surveyed had ever talked to a woman who had
actually given birth. Given that it is a kindness not to explain
in graphic detail why labour is called that for a very good
reason,
and that whatever you plan for just does not always happen, you
think they would have had a better idea of what to expect.
The study recommends that women are given the tools to prepare
them for the possibility of their ideal birth plan not
happening,
but doesn't appear to suggest that screaming blue murder at the
partner involved and invoking the wrath of the gods if they ever
come near them again as a method, but it's certainly one I have
seen employed on many an occasion.
The survey also revealed what women want from childbirth - don't
hold your breath here, it's a real shocker. They want four
things:
to know what level and type of pain they are going to
experience,
pain relief, involvement in decision making, and control. On
pain:
the women wanted access to effective pain relief, no surprise
there,
and that the majority underestimate the intensity of the pain
they
will have - which no doubt accounts for the chorus of women
screaming for epidurals who only wanted to breathe through the
pain before they hit the final wave.
The biggest issue though is around control, and the study found
that if women were consulted and had the processes explained to
them then they felt more in control. No different from any other
situation in life I would have thought, keeping people in the
dark
and making decisions without their involvement never goes down
well in my book. The other big surprise apparently is that going
to antenatal preparation classes are not enough to prepare women
for the actual experience. A bit like reading an exercise manual
and then discovering that doing the routine is a lot more sweaty
and painful.
Good to know that someone, somewhere, is always asking the
obvious question that most of us already know the answer to.
GET RID OF GOUT PAIN
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Unfortunately it is seen as a bit of a joke, an old man's
disease
caused by too much port, but gout is far from funny. It is in
fact
a form of arthritis, and the pain in the infected joints can be
severe and is caused when the body produces or retains too much
uric acid. The acid forms sharp crystals in soft connective
tissue
around the joints with the big toe being a primary focus. Gout
does not appear overnight, it is the result of years of more
uric acid being produced than you expel on a daily basis.
Why would you produce excess uric acid? It can be caused by
obesity, high intake of diuretic drugs, excessive alcohol
consumption, and hereditary factors. Certain foods are
recognised
as being triggers for an attack of gout so the first step is to
eliminate as many as you can.
Common triggers include:
# High protein and diuretic foods such as organ meats
# Asparagus and broccoli
# Coffee, orange juice, and soft drinks**
**Those soft drinks are a new addition to the list of potential
triggers.
A study done over the past 12 years by researchers at
the University of British Columbia has shown that a frequent
intake of sugar-sweetened soft drinks was significantly linked
to gout risk. If you know someone who drinks just one soft drink
a day they are increasing their gout risk by 45%, and two or
more
a day leaps to 85%. 'Healthy' drinks like apple and orange juice
are not immune either as they have high levels of fructose.
Bizarrely, diet drinks which contain sweeteners do not carry a
risk of gout - but they do pose other health problems.
Natural help is available for gout, and the first step would be
to cut out all soft drinks and substitute with plain water to
help eliminate the uric acid crystals. The next best thing is to
eat cherries and drink their juice. Cherries help prompt uric
acid
excretion and many people have found that adding them to their
diet helps relieve the sharp pain associated with gout.
Two other nature's helpers are celery seed extract and extract
of juniper and some sufferers have kept themselves attack free
by
also taking up yoga. So no need to prop your foot up on a
cushion
and wait for the pain to go away, have a large bag of cherries
and
a bottle of still water and you could soon be hopping about
again.
COMPUTER VISION - A NEW DISEASE?
We are all spending more and more time in front of a computer;
shopping online, checking emails, reading our horoscope (or is t
hat just me?). It is easy to forget the time, but your eyes will
remind you because hours spent staring at a computer screen
means
you risk suffering tired, dry eyes, blurred vision, eye strain,
headache, and sensitivity to light. This has led to a new
'disease' being recognised, collectively those symptoms are
becoming known as "computer vision syndrome."
The American Optometric Association certainly has recognised it
as a growing problem with an estimated 10 million people
visiting
their optometrist annually for computer eye-related
difficulties.
Apparently, according to the Optometric Association, a computer
is a challenging environment for the eyes because the imagery is
not as clear as it seems to be, and because of that it's harder
for the eye to focus than it would be on ordinary print on a
page.
First step is to get your eyes checked and if you spend more
than a
couple of hours a day in front of the computer you should
mention
it to your optician so they can see whether you need separate
glasses for that, or a screen filter to help reduce glare and
eye discomfort. If you wear bifocals, or varifocals, you can
also suffer from neck and shoulder problems because these
glasses
are often not set for the computer so you end up having to move
your head closer to the computer while at the same time tipping
your head back to see the screen. That's an awkward position and
if you have been suffering from a stiff neck it could be the
reason why.
One simple tip that helps is to blink more often because that
lubricates your eyes. When we concentrate, our blink rate goes
down, leading to dry eyes. Try adopting the 20/20 rule - every
20 minutes look away from your computer for about 20 seconds;
this will minimize the development of eye-focusing problems and
eye irritation caused by not blinking enough.
Check the lighting, you don't want too much bright overhead
light
or any kind of glare or reflection off your computer screen.
Finally, is your monitor at the right height? Experts advise
that
for maximum ergonomic comfort, the screen should be right in
front
of you so you don't have to twist to see it and the monitor
should
be at eye level, or a little below it.
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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
website.
Best wishes for a healthier week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
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The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - March 12th, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This newsletter is a little late arriving in your inbox due to
some problems associated with the recent severe weather. I live
right on the cliff edge here in Sussex and the winds and rain
have rather battered me this week - literally and figuratively!
When trying to close a window whose lock was stiff due to salt
exposure it was wrenched out of my hand by the wind and the
hinge snapped.
Being a highly creative individual I fashioned a 'Heath
Robinson'
shortcut by tying the handle of the window to the metal curtain
rail above, and although this held it fairly well closed there
was a couple of inches gap at the bottom where the wind and rain
powered their way through. Heath Robinson 2 solution saw me
perched on a ladder stuffing the gap with a large turquoise bath
towel - even in adversity I like to be colour coordinated - and
then fastening that to the curtain rail with nappy pins to stop
it
sliding. It is billowing out as I write, rather like a sail with
a
fine following wind behind it, but at least it is stopping most
of
the elements getting in.
The last contributor to the lateness of your newsletter was
losing
my internet connection for a couple of days, and sadly even I
couldn't come up with Heath Robinson 3 to resolve that one! Now
happily back on line, with news of some Easter treats and
healthy
new products to put a spring in your step.
Wishing you the best of good health- AnnA
In this issue:
- CHOCOLATE TREATS - BUT DON'T EAT THEM!
- 5 A DAY FALLACY
- PROBIOTICS BENEFIT RUNNERS
- CAN'T SLEEP? WOMEN AT RISK
CHOCOLATE TREATS - BUT DON'T EAT THEM!
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Easter is upon us, and the array of chocolate stretches to
infinity
and beyond, but not everyone can eat chocolate - or indeed wants
to.
If you are, or know, someone like that then can I suggest a
couple
of healthy alternatives - and no it is not carob, because
however
virtuous carob may be, it cannot be a substitute for chocolate.
I
have yet to think what it might be a substitute for, but give me
time.
First, let me commend you to those wonderful people at Lush who
hand make a range of beauty treats from all-natural ingredients
at
incredibly low prices. The two you might want to consider as
gifts
are: Soft Coeur - if you don't' have elementary French, think
Soft
Heart or as the wonderful Lush Times describes it,'The
Honeymooner'.
If you are looking for a messy massage bar made from honey,
cocoa
and natural butters this is a real treat - just don't forget to
massage with it and not masticate it.
Secondly, the other product of theirs I can highly recommend is
the Cupcake facemask, which is recommended for oily, congested,
skin. Something you might well have if you have over indulged in
the real chocolate Easter treats. It is an anti-microbial
cleansing mask made from Rahassoul mud - which gives it the
chocolaty colour from which it takes its name, and sandalwood,
spearmint and peppermint oils to give your skin a boost. Buy
from
their stores or online at www.lush.com
Finally, there is a great craze for raw chocolate at the moment,
and one way to get your fix is with another face pack, this time
from organic skin care company Raw Gaia. They have launched the
world's first raw chocolate face pack and like all their
products
it is hand made, organic, vegan and cruelty-free. It contains
raw
chocolate powder, the highest known source of antioxidants in
the
world, plus red clay, organic turmeric and organic amla (an
Ayurvedic herb) fruit powder.
The nutritional content of raw chocolate powder is amazing:
there
are over 25,200 antioxidants in a single spoonful of the stuff
and
raw chocolate powder contains 367% more antioxidants than its
cooked
version.
You can buy it from good health food shops or online from Gaiaa.
It costs £8.20 for 50grams and won't put a single extra ounce of
weight on your hips - honest. http://www.rawgaia.com.
5 A DAY FALLACY
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Unless you have been on a desert island with your 8 gramophone
records, and lucky you, then you will know that the minimum
requirement to be healthy is to eat your 5 portions of fruit and
veg a day. The message seems to have got through, but the devil
is in the detail. A survey by the Health Food Manufacturers'
Association has revealed that on average only 14% of Britons
manage those 5 portions, and, what is worse, around two-thirds
of
us - a staggering 38 million people - are counting potatoes in
as
one of their daily five. I love a good roastie as much as the
next
woman, perhaps rather too much so, but whatever form you eat
potatoes in they are principally a source of carbohydrate. True
they contain some vitamin C, but you can't have them as part of
your daily allowance.
Apparently the top favourites we do include in our diet are
bananas and carrots but that isn't enough to stop the
Government's
latest Cabinet Office discussion paper from concluding that up
to
70,000 premature deaths a year could be avoided if people simply
followed basic nutritional guidelines.
PROBIOTICS BENEFIT RUNNERS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Planning on running in a marathon this year? As well as having
the right shoes and a positive attitude, you might also want to
consider adding probiotic supplements to your diet. Strenuous
training can affect the immune system and make athletes more
vulnerable to coughs and colds, but an Australian study has
shown
that taking probiotic supplements, which contain 'friendly
bacteria',
more than halves the days that runners show symptoms and also
reduces both the number and length of infections they
experienced.
The study focused on 20 top-level endurance runners during their
intensive winter training programme, when colds and other
respiratory infections can be disruptive. The athletes were
given
a two month-long course of pills containing the bacterium
Lactobacillus fermentum and then a dummy placebo for the same
length of time. During the 'probiotic phase' the number of
infections and days lost through illness was dramatically
reduced.
It may not have quite the same effect on people who are less
active, but if you are given to sprinting round the living room
you never know it might stop you catching a last-ditch winter
cold.
CAN'T SLEEP? WOMEN AT RISK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yesterday it was reported in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity that
women with sleep problems have higher levels of biomarkers for
cardiovascular disease and diabetes than do men who can't sleep.
Poor sleep patterns in this instance is defined as problems
falling asleep, taking 30 minutes or more to fall asleep, or
awakening frequently. Apparently, researchers at Duke University
found that such women also have greater psychological distress
than men who sleep poorly. The difference in gender risk is
marked,
as when comparing men and women with the same poor sleep
patterns,
they found that the women had high levels of C-reactive protein,
interleukin-6, and insulin, leading to higher risks of
cardiovascular disease and hypertension.
The women who had the biggest risk were those who took over half
an hour to fall asleep, so if this is you it could be time to
look at alternative methods to aid sleep such as camomile tea,
valerian or a warm, not hot, bath with lavender oil before going
to bed.
If those simple methods don't help, then you might also
consider looking at these factors:
***
Are you a late night snacker? Avoid anything containing
grains and sugars (biscuits, cakes, bread, crackers) before
bedtime as they will raise your blood sugar and inhibit sleep.
Later, when your blood sugar drops back to a lower level then
you might wake up and not be able to get back to sleep.
***
Is your bedroom dark enough? If there is even the tiniest
bit of light in the room it can disrupt your circadian
rhythm and your pineal gland's production of melatonin and
seratonin. If you get up in the night to go to the bathroom
then try and keep any light to a minimum because as soon as
you turn on a light your body responds and immediately ceases
all production of the important sleep aid melatonin and
doesn't recommence that night at all.
***
Late night tv watcher? Watching tv right before bed is too
stimulating to the brain and it will take longer to fall asleep.
If you must watch, stay in the living room and don't have set in
your
bedroom. Watching tv in bed is also disruptive of pineal gland
function for the same reason as light in the bathroom/bedroom.
***
Cold feet? Because our feet have the poorest circulation,
they often feel cold before the rest of the body. A study
has shown that wearing socks to bed reduces the possibility
of you waking through feeling cold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - March 5th, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well the highlight of my week was going to the Natural Trade
Fair where I got to see some great new products and rediscover
some very old remedies! I will be featuring them for you in the
next few weeks, including a totally guilt-free chocolate treat
for Easter, so watch this space.
Wishing you the best of good health- AnnA
In this issue:
- PROSTATE CANCER TREATMENT RISK
- PROSTATE HEALTH AND ZINC
- JUNK FOOD SURPRISE?
- BEES NEEDED FOR ICE CREAM PRODUCTION
PROSTATE CANCER TREATMENT RISK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What we all want, with any form of medical treatment and
certainly with cancer, is the certainty that it will cure
our condition. What we don't look for is that it might
cause us even further problems. This seems to be indicated
in the treatment of prostate cancer, according to a study
conducted at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
and published in the journal 'Cancer Research'.
Androgen deprivation therapy, which commonly used in the
treatment
of prostate cancer, may actually make cancer more likely to
spread
to other parts of the body. This sounds like scare mongering,
but
the logic behind it is certainly real. Because prostate tumour
growth is generally stimulated by male sex hormones, androgen
deprivation therapy, in which those hormones are suppressed, is
often given to patients in order to slow down the tumour growth.
Earlier research has demonstrated that a protein called nestin
tends to be produced by prostate cancer cells that have
metastasized
to other parts of the body. Nestin does not appear to be
produced
by cancer cells, however, in cases where the cancer has not
spread.
In this latest study, researchers experimented on
androgen-dependent
prostate cancer cells in the laboratory. When they cut off the
cells' access to androgens, the cells increased their production
of nestin.
While this does suggest that nestin levels increased when
prostate
cancer cells are deprived of androgens and may encourage the
cells
to metastasise, the lead researcher, David Berman, warned that
there
is not yet enough evidence to advise the abandonment of androgen
deprivation therapy as a treatment. The study, which was funded
by
the Evensen Family Foundation, the German Cancer Foundation, the
National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health
will
continue to be ongoing and I will report on any progress.
PROSTATE HEALTH AND ZINC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I am a great believer in pro-active health care, there is
another story about prostate health that came up this week
that I thought might prove revealing. The risk of prostate
cancer
is increased if a man is exposed to enough cadmium, a toxic
heavy
metal that many people are regularly exposed to. It is present
in cigarette smoke, so anyone exposed to that - even secondhand
- is at risk.
Cadmium is also an environmental pollutant, pumped
into the air by various industries and the burning of coal and
household wastes. Once airborne, cadmium can travel long
distances,
eventually falling to ground or into water. We can then ingest
it through our diet; particularly from fish and shellfish or
vegetables grown in soil that has absorbed cadmium from the air
water.
According to the Department of Health and Human Resources,
"Cadmium
stays in the body a very long time and can build up from many
years
of exposure to low levels. However, it is not all doom and gloom
because just adding a little of the mineral zinc to your diet
can
counteract its effects as US researchers at Rochester have
found.
Apparently, zinc prompts the production of a protein that binds
cadmium to help move the toxin out of the body. Plus, zinc
enhances
your immune system, helps repair damaged tissues, inhibits the
abnormal clotting that contributes to cardiovascular disease,
assists in maintaining healthy vision, and is one of the key
elements required for DNA reproduction and repair.
Sounds like it's worth increasing in your diet doesn't it?
Good dietary sources of zinc include cabbage, red meat, poultry,
beans, nuts, whole grains, and dairy products.
JUNK FOOD SURPRISE?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Something that is a constant amazement to me is how keen
researchers are to prove what we already know - somebody must
be giving them grants but in this case I strongly suspect it
wasn't McDonalds or Burger King. This particular study has taken
place in Sweden at Linkoping University and made the amazing
discovery that just one month of too much junk food and too
little exercise can significantly harm the body.
I know we could all have told them that, but they put their
volunteers on a diet where they ate fast food twice a day for
30 days and not surprisingly gained 14lb on average, with one
volunteer putting on two stones in two weeks.
As a believer in a varied diet, I don't have a problem with
the occasional junk food meal, but how many people eat it twice
a day every day? If you know anyone then pass on to them that
the biggest initial problem, besides putting on weight, being
constipated and prone to spots, all of which are enough to put
most people off, then they are also prone to suffer damage to
their livers as most of the Swedish study did. Varuna Aluvihare,
a consultant hepatologist at King's College Hospital in London,
said that for him the most startling thing about the study is
how
fast it (liver damage) happens.
BEES NEEDED FOR ICE CREAM PRODUCTION!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No I didn't make it up. Apparently in order to produce ice cream
you have to have a good healthy bee population. In the US, giant
manufacturer Haagen-Dazs has warned that disappearing bee
colonies
may affect the ice cream supply. Apparently one-third of the
U.S.
food supply depends on pollination from bees and Haagen-Dazs
said
bees are responsible for a staggering 24 of its 60 flavours,
including strawberry, toasted pecan and banana split.
However, don't panic if any of those are your favourites as
Haagen-Dazs is donating $250,000 to two universities to fund
research into the bee colony collapse disorder (CCD). Really,
that is what they are calling it - there will be a lapel button
or
coloured ribbon to wear to show your solidarity with it next I
am
sure. They are also trying to raise consumer awareness of the
problem by launching a new flavour called Vanilla Honey Bee,
which
I would have thought was a bit counterproductive, but they plan
to
use part of the sales from this flavour help the honeybees.
Altogether now, aaaah!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 healthy week - AnnA
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