|
Healthy News Archive
OCTOBER,
NOVEMBER, DECEMBER
2008
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The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 29 October, 2008
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I love my job - the amount of astonishingly daft information
that comes my way has to be seen to be believed. I only pass
on the ones I hope will entertain you, which is why I
couldn't resist an item that came in from Japan last week.
Apparently - wait for it - (and I quote) "Two-Fisted Eaters
Who Wolf Down Food to Bursting Point May Be Overweight".
Oh really? Well, in Osaka they have discovered that those
who virtually inhale their food until they are stuffed are
more likely to be overweight than those with more moderate
eating habits. Don't you just stand in awe of how they were
paid good money to find that out? These guys should be on
speed dial for distressed Finance Ministers - but I digress.
This week some disturbing news from the US, which I fear is
just as true for the UK and some natural solutions, many of
which revolve around stress levels - so check yours and make
sure they are ok. May I wish you the very best of continuing
good health. Best wishes from AnnA
In this issue:
- CO Q10, HOW TO NATURALLY BOOST LEVELS BY 4 X PLUS
- WHAT MEDICINE ARE YOU REALLY GETTING?
- HELP WITH HAND TREMORS
- HOW STRESS AFFECTS LEARNING
HEALTH BITES:
- Benefits of Tai Chi for Arthritic Knees
- More help for naturally beautiful hair
CO Q10, HOW TO BOOST LEVELS BY 4 X PLUS
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Coenzyme Q10, (COQ 10) is a nutrient that occurs naturally
in the body and plays a key part in metabolizing energy
from food. It is essential in the production of energy in
your body, and is found in large concentrations in those
tissues that use a lot of energy, such as your heart. It
has a whole host of health benefits associated with it,
particularly in the area of heart disease, but current
research is also showing its application in other areas
such as those below:
* Migraine prevention - a 2002 study reported that 61% of
patients treated with CoQ10 as a migraine preventive
reported 50% fewer migraines at the end of three months.
* Chronic fatigue - those deficient in CoQ10 reported higher
levels of energy when supplementing withthan those with
deficient levels of the enzyme.
* Hypertension reduced - patients with high blood pressure
taking CO Q10 were compared to similar patients on heart
medication and were found to have exactly the same reduction
in levels - without the side effects of the drugs.
* Heart transplants patients benefit - patients given CO Q10
regularly before their surgery were found in a 2004 study to
have a significant improvement in functional status, clinical
symptoms, and quality of life.
* Parkinson's Disease damage reduced - only a small study has
been undertaken so far, but it appears that patients with the
highest levels of CO Q10 showed significantly less impairment
to their motor functions than those on lower doses.
* Statins - those taking statins often show a low rate of
CO Q10 and may be advised to supplement as these drugs work
to block cholesterol and have the potential to block the
production of CoQ10 and reduce levels further.
As we get older, the levels of CO Q10 we naturally produce
in the body tend to be less, for a number of reasons. There
may simply not be enough CIO Q10 in our diet - we get it
mostly from oily fish, meat and whole grains - or we can
no longer effectively produce or synthesize adequate amounts
of it ourselves. Further factors include the external effect
of illness, and stress
Now it appears there is another way of increasing your CO Q10
levels, and it's absolutely free. It's our old friend exercise
that is the key factor, as a recent study from the Lancisi
Heart Institute in Italy has shown. They divided their subjects
into four groups:
* Group one received 100 mg of supplemental CoQ10 three times
each day
* Group two received the same, plus supervised exercise five
times each week
* Group three received a placebo
* Group four received a placebo and participated in the same
exercise routine as group two.
They were supervised for four weeks, and the results were
very positive for the combination of exercise and CO Q10.
Those in Group one, who just took the supplement had their
blood levels of CoQ10 boosted four-fold - which is impressive
in itself. However, those who were in Group 2 had their
levels raised even further while there was no difference
at all for Groups 3 and 4.
As the greatest concentration is found around your heart,
it makes sense to have some aerobic exercise that will
make that muscle work harder. Good brisk walking, or take
a look at the health tips what I think is an ideal form of
exercise for everyone, regardless of age or fitness.
WHAT MEDICINE ARE YOU REALLY GETTING?
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When you visit the doctor you have an entirely reasonable
assumption that they will treat the condition that you are
consulting them for. This may involve giving you medication,
and again you a right to assume that what you are given will
be effective. However, disturbing new evidence from the USA
has found that many doctors routinely prescribe placebo
treatment instead of 'real' drugs.
Now, as my readers know, I am not a fan of wholesale medication
but I do think if you are being given a placebo you should be
told about it. In my childhood, it was actually not that
uncommon either as then most doctors also had their own
dispensaries and had a variety of standard bottles of jollop
for various ills. My mother was a cleaner for our own doctor
and she soon realised that the making up of the various
remedies for stomach ache, sore throat, coughs and colds
were basically all the same but each was a different colour
and had more or less sugar in them. I can see the point in
them, often such minor illnesses cure themselves and being
given treatment increases confidence and that you will soon
be well.
However, in the USA, 58% of doctors surveyed said it was
ethical and acceptable to prescribe vitamins, sugar pills,
painkillers, saline injections, or even antibiotics instead
of the medical treatment the patient might expect. They also
admitted that they don't inform the patients of what they are
giving them and regularly give placebos, but without ever
mentioning the word. Over 1200 doctors were surveyed and
they most routinely prescribed standard painkillers that
the patient could buy in a pharmacy, or vitamin pills in
a different bottle. A staggering 46% of doctors said that
at least two to three times a month they recommended a
treatment (placebo) primarily to promote patient expectations.
They apparently usually tell the patient that they were
being given a "potentially beneficial medicine or treatment
not typically used for their condition."
Well, yes. If you go to your doctor for a condition that
manifests with lethargy and tiredness and you are given a
vitamin, I can see how it might help, but wouldn't it be
simpler to at least have a discussion about diet and
lifestyle? I know placebos are helpful and have a place,
but the fact it is so common and widespread concerns me
because are the doctors saying these people don't need
medical treatment but they are getting the consultation
fee and payment for their 'treatment' so that makes it
all right?
A significant proportion of the doctors surveyed were
rheumatologists and prescribing placebos to people who
are often in a great deal of pain seems to me to be
admitting that you don't have an adequate treatment
- so why not say so and look outside the box to the
complementary medicine field which often has greater
success with particular ailments than the medical
profession do?
The moral of this story? Always ask what you are being
prescribed and what it is going to do for you. Doctors
may prescribe placebos without informing you, but they
are not going to do so if you ask for chapter and verse
on what you are getting.
HELP WITH HAND TREMORS
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I was recently 'afloat' on Ventura and was approached by
a gentleman with a question I have never been asked before
- and those are ones I really appreciate as it lets me go
off and try and find some information. He was suffering
from hand tremors, but did not have Parkinson's Disease
and so I asked a doctor friend and then went searching
elsewhere, but it proved far harder than usual to find
information. That certainly interested me, as it seems
this is an area where there don't seem to be that many
remedies available, but I did find some useful advice on
Dr Andrew Weil's site and a couple of others that might
prove helpful to anyone suffering from this condition.
Trembling or spasm is the most common of all involuntary
movements and is an unintentional and rhythmic muscle
movement involving to-and-fro movements (oscillations) of
one or more parts of the body. What happens is that the
muscle fibres contract, tighten and restrict blood
circulation so that the muscle becomes rigid. What causes
it can be physical, emotional, or psychological; it may
be as a result straining the muscle, sitting or lying
awkwardly, or stress and anxiety that affect the nervous
system. Whatever the cause, the result is the same: the
muscles cannot relax on their own or release with movement.
Of all the information I found, there are three areas to
look at:
1 The Medical solution. It is crucial first and most
important to check with your doctor if you are taking
any form of medication at all and ask whether any of the
side effects could be causing the problem. If it is,
then ask if there is any other treatment they can give
you instead.
2 The Dietary Approach. Caffeine and alcohol can both
exacerbate the condition so cut them out and monitor
the results. Increase your consumption of 'calming'
foods such as carbohydrates and soothing teas which
contain valerian. Celestial Seasonings produce one
called Sleepytime which I recommend to anyone to
reduce anxiety and stress.
3 Alternative therapies that can help include cranial
osteopathy or acupuncture and both tai chi or meditation
will help reduce stress.
Because this condition can be made worse by anxiety and
stress, it will be of benefit if you do all you can to
reduce this to manageable levels. See the item on Stress
and Learning that follows.
HOW STRESS AFFECTS LEARNING
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Stress has the ability to affect so many areas of our
lives.Our ability to function healthily, make effective
decisions, avoid illness and infections are all dependent
on how well we cope with stress.
It's the role of cortisol, what we know as the "stress
hormone" that is crucial in coping with stress. It now
appears that high levels of cortisol in the body over a
prolonged period of time impairs learning ability in young
people, and also weakens memory as we get older.
It has already been demonstrated in 2001, by researchers
at Utrecht University in Holland, that high stress levels
can delay puberty, and a new study links stress and memory
impairment. McGill University in the US has a well-respected
Human Stress Research Laboratory and they have been running
a study for the past six years to test memory on both young
people and older adults. What they found was that long-term
stress creates sustained high levels of cortisol, and when
cortisol levels remain high with only brief periods of
relaxation, the resulting chronic stress may help trigger
problems with memory as well as possible blood sugar
imbalance, high blood pressure, and decreased bone density
and muscle tissue.
Cortisol is not a villain, when it is released in small
amounts, it can sometimes briefly improve memory, and even
supply a burst of energy, but it is prolonged exposure to
stress that causes the real problem. Approximately 30% of
elderly people start to produce too much cortisol and the
first way to deal with it is to find out what is causing
the major stress. Obviously there are many factors, but a
key one turns out to be environmental. Those who do not
have adequate social support, are far more likely to have
cortisol levels than those who don't.
Obviously there is no one, quick answer, and it can't be
solved by taking a pill. It's about lifestyle examination,
good nutrition, exercise and an enjoyable social life. Get
those in balance and you are a long way forward on resolving
your stress issues. If you need to find out why, you will
find helpful tips and suggestions in my book 'How To Cope
Successfully With Stress' and you will find more information
about it at www.sortingstressout.com
Health Bites:
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1 BENEFITS OF TAI CHI FOR ARTHRITIC KNEES
Well anyone who is a regular reader, or has heard me speak,
knows I am a great fan of Tai Chi for so many reasons.
It is a traditional Chinese martial art that combines
meditation with slow, gentle movements, deep breathing,
and relaxation and any age or fitness can undertake it
- just think of those elderly people you see doing it in
the public parks in China. You can do it at home in 10
minutes, get a video to teach you or - best option of all
is to find a qualified teacher and join a group. You will
improve your fitness, helps build bone strength, lower your
blood pressure, reduce stress levels and cultivate calm
centredness. All good things, and now there is another one
to add to the list - it can help if you have arthritic knees.
The American College of Rheumatology has just reported on a
study done in Boston which found that patients with
osteoarthritis of the knee benefited more from Tai Chi than
from the traditional stretching exercises that such patients
are usually given. Osteoarthritis sufferers experience
interlinked pain, muscle weakness, and structural damage
and where Tai Chi really scored was that it improved pain
scores THREE times better than stretching. Researchers
also concluded that the meditation, deep breathing, and
relaxation involved may also benefit patients and it is
recommended by the Arthritis Foundation. Personal
recommendation is the best way to find a good teacher,
so ask around your local area, health stores and
alternative health centres can be good sources. The
Tai Chi Union For Great Britain can offer you a register
of practitioners throughout the country at
www.taichiunion.com or in Scotland you could contact
the East Winds School of T'ai Chi Chu'an at
www.eastwinds.co.uk. If you are looking in the London
area then I can personally recommend Jon Wallwork as a
wonderful teacher - some of you may have experienced
his classes on Arcadia - and he can be contacted by
email at jw@jonwallwork.co.uk
2 MORE HELP FOR NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL HAIR
Last week's item on how to help with thinning and problem
hair certainly provoked some interest, and no matter what
the state of your hair you owe it to yourself to use the
best, preferably natural and organic, products you can find.
The reason for this is simple; to maintain really healthy
hair you want products with no harsh chemicals and totally
paraben-free. One of the benefits of my 'other' job as a
ghostwriter is that I get to learn a lot of stuff about
areas I am not that familiar with and I am currently
working with a client who is trying out lots of different
organic hair care products and sends them to me for my
comments. Nice job, and like all things some are great
and some are not so great, but one thing is clear - if
you care about your hair then treat it to the sort of
natural ingredients that will most nourish it and not
deplete it of its natural oils.
I was very impressed with a new range by US hairdresser
John Masters, whose Organics Hair Reconstructor was
listed as one of top 10 products beauty editors could
not live without. It apparently works miracles on healing
dry hair and split ends and as long ago as 2004, he was
awarded the coveted Soil Association Award for Best
Organic Product Line in Europe. Oh, and if you want
your dog's hair to look as wonderful as your own, he
also produces Eucalyptus & Tea tree Dogpoo shampoo -
originally for his own dog - and it is said to ward
off ticks and fleas with added essential oils of neem
and citronella, and formulated to be the correct pH
for a dog's coat. Remember, it's for the dog, not you.
There are a number of good organic ranges around if you
want to experiement so have a look at these websites,
and don't be surprised if it tempts you into the
alternative shampoo market with natural ingredients
like Apple, Lemon, Almond, Orange, Mango & Rose!
Useful sites to visit include:
www.johnmasters.co.uk
www.simply-nature.co.uk
www.GreenPeople.co.uk
www.natural-and-organic-toiletries.co.uk
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I hope you have found this information useful, but do
rememberI 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 my website.
Best wishes for a healthy week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
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The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 21 October, 2008
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Not much on the purely medical front this week, but a
desire to have you eat healthily as we face winter, and
ways to improve your hair health so you have thick and
glowing tresses. Progress in any area may be a boon,
but it often comes with a high price tag and the
development of plastics in the 20th century is certainly
a case in point. I don't want to wrest your Tupperware
containers from you, but may I suggest you think twice
about buying new ones? I wish you the very best of
continuing good health. Best wishes from AnnA
In this issue:
- TOP 4 FOODS TO FIGHT CHOLESTEROL
- MOBILE PHONES, SKIN RASHES AND TUMOURS
- NATURAL HELP FOR HEALTHY HAIR
- PLASTIC PROBLEMS
HEALTH BITES:
- Vitamin K helps women fight heart disease
- Omega 3, dieting and depression
TOP 4 FOODS TO FIGHT CHOLESTEROL
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As winter approaches and cold weather is upon us, we
naturally start to change our diets and often we are
going for food that is comforting and also high in
cholesterol from increased amounts of things like
red meat and butter. Now while I admit that a crumpet
with low fat spread would never pass my lips, it is
sensible at this time of year to look at your overall
diet and see if you are including the best possible
foods to help fight cholesterol if that is a health
problem for you. Women might also want to check out
the Health Bites item for a tip on vitamin K.
I don't think any of these 'superfoods' are going to
be a revelation to you, but they might remind you of
how helpful they can be in your fight to maintain low
cholesterol. Many people ask me why I don't just suggest
statins (see previous issues on the website for my
negative views on that) or just take one of the many
cholesterol-lowering drinks you find in your supermarket.
You can, of course, but if you read the labels on many
of them you will find they are full of sugar, or worse,
sweeteners plus E numbers and colours.
Also, the American Heart Association warns consumers
about filling their diet with sterol-enhanced products
such as spreads and drinks unless they also cut back on
other sources of fat. If you just add these items in
without doing so, they warn that obviously it could lead
to excess calorie consumption which is not healthy and
that anyone who has a history of heart disease or elevated
LDL levels, must talk to their doctor before adding these
sorts of products into their diet.
These suggestions are for a natural way to control
cholesterol, and in these economically challenged times
they are also cheaper - and healthier - than those
manufactured products.
1 Oats
The Scots have had it right all along, because porridge
for breakfast is one of the healthiest ways to start the
day. If you don't fancy the traditional salt version,
and |I wouldn't recommend it if you are dealing with
heart disease, then try it with semi-skimmed or low-fat
milk and sweeten with a little honey or maple syrup.
It's the fibre in the oats that plays a significant
role in decreasing "bad cholesterol" (LDL) levels. It
works to reduce LDL levels by grabbing onto the
cholesterol and eliminating it from the body through
the digestive system. If you want to increase your
fibre intake even more then add a chopped apple, or
some prunes to the breakfast bowl. Some excellent
fiber-rich choices besides oatmeal and oat bran
include beans, barley, apples and prunes.
2 Plant Sterols
Another way to significantly reduce LDL levels is to
include plenty of natural sterols found in fruit,
vegetables, pulses, nuts and seeds. They work by blocking
cholesterol absorption and preventing it from getting
into the bloodstream. People who include plenty of fruit
and vegetables in their diet experience, on average, a
9% decrease in LDL levels and an average 12% reduction
in C-reactive protein levels, another key indicator of
heart disease risk. Another good reason for exceeding
your '5 a day' quota.
3 Fatty Fish
I can't help it, the phrase Fatty Fish reminds me of a
childhood reading of Billy Bunter, and doesn't sound all
that appetising does it? However, wild salmon, sardines
and anchovies are all rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
There is so much research now on how these "healthy fats"
are essential for so many functions in the body that I
hesitate to even mention it. But - in case you haven't
heard, they reduce LDL levels, help lower high blood
pressure and cut cardiovascular risk. Foods rich in
omega-3 fatty acids may also raise levels of "good
cholesterol" (HDL), which helps transport bad cholesterol
to the liver, where it can be eliminated from the body.
The usual recommendation is to have these fish at least
twice a week, but not from the fish and chip shop as they
are at their healthiest when grilled or baked.
Vegetarians, or fish haters, can also get the same good
benefits from soya beans, seeds or nuts. A study in
Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association
reported that omega-3 fatty acids from walnuts and
flaxseeds had as much impact on blood pressure as omega-3
fatty acids from fish. A handful a day is enough to provide
the heart benefits you need - any more and you are running
into high calorie territory. Oh, and check out the health
bites for another benefit of Omega 3.
4 Olive Oil
I have mentioned the benefits of the Mediterranean diet
before, and olive oil is a key component of it. For a
healthy heart we need to cut down on saturated fat and
trans fats - often listed in the ingredients as
'hydrogenated' or 'partially hydrogenated'fats or oils.
Sources of the healthier monounsaturated fats are extra
virgin olive oil, avocados, peanuts and nuts and they will
all help lower your LDL and raise your HDL levels.
Again, however, please be cautious as all types of fat
contain more than twice the calories of proteins or
carbohydrates.
So how do you combine them in the ideal day? Well you
could start with breakfast of porridge with an apple
chopped into it, then for lunch a large salad and dinner
of grilled fish and home made ratatouille - lots of olive
oil and healthy garlic in there!
MOBILE PHONES, SKIN RASHES AND TUMOURS
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I know I have flagged up plenty of potential problems with
the over use of mobile phones, but there are two new
developments here. First, the minor one, and according to
the British Association of Dermatologists, mobile phones
are causing an outbreak of facial rashes, particularly to
the cheek and ear where you normally hold the phone. It's
due to the nickel coating on the casing and buttons and is
the result of an allergy to the nickel.
You may have already been aware of this effect, particularly
if you go in for cheaper and more 'fun' jewellery, because
nickel is the most common contact allergy in Britain,
affecting 30% of the population.
Now it won't damage your health, but a skin rash can be
very irritating and upsetting so if you have noticed this
yourself then just hang up your mobile for a few days and
see if the rash goes away. A natural remedy is to try bathing
the irritation in a mixture of one part vinegar to 15 parts
water, and dab it on the affected area. It's something my
mother used on me as a child for sunburn, and it seems to
help clear up many skin irritations.
Now for the more serious problem and it comes from a report
in the latest issue of the American Journal of Epidemilogy.
An Israeli study of more than 500 people has revealed that
you could be 50% more likely to develop a tumour in your
salivary gland if you constantly use your mobile phone.
They studied people who had developed this condition and
then compared their mobile phone habits with those of a
group of 1,300 healthy people.
The Doctor in charge of the study said that it was
'preliminary', but he also said that until more evidence
became available, a "precautionary" approach was best,
particularly when it comes to children's use of mobile
phones. I couldn't agree more, and as so many people now
spend their working day constantly on their mobile,
without using a land line at all, it's worth considering
having at least one 'mobile-free' day a week. Sunday might
be good, after all it wasn't called a 'day of rest' for
nothing.
NATURAL HELP FOR HEALTHY HAIR
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No matter what your age, your hair reflects your state of
health and particularly as we get older it is more prone to
weakness and thinning. You don't have to accept poor or
lacklustre hair as a given, because there are plenty of
things you can do naturally to help improve its condition.
These suggestions might help:
Thinning hair:
The hormone natural progesterone has been used by several
trichologists to help people with thinning hair, in particular
Ailsa Bosworth of Hair Tomorrow has had good success. The
'recipe' for healthy hair is to have a good intake of iron,
zinc, vitamin C and B vitamins. All of those can be got from
a good healthy diet but if you have a serious hair loss problem
then it will be worth while taking them as supplements. A
natural way to stimulate hair growth is to go out in the
countryside and pick some nettles or get dried nettle from
any good herbalist, or online from people like Neal's Yard.
This old-established method is easy to follow, because instead
of using shampoo, you take a handful of loose nettle tea and
boil in water. Strain the tea, let it cool and then use it to
'wash' your hair.
If you can't bear not to use shampoo, then please pick one
that is organic, mild, natural and PEG free. That excludes
most commercial, major brand shampoos no matter how 'herbal'
or natural they claim to be. Not sure what to look for?
Avoid these:
* sodium lauryl sulphate
* sodium laureth sulphate
* diethanolamine
* isopropyl alcohol
* propylene glycol
* anything ending in 'parabens'.
Always read the label, and if you have trouble finding such
a shampoo locally, then Simply Nature have a very effective
natural one and you will find it on their website at
www.simply-nature.co.uk Your scalp matters if we are not
happy with your hair, it's tempting to hide it away under
a hat or scarf, but please don't. Your scalp has to be
healthy to allow new hair growth to come through, and in
order to do that you need to keep your pores and hair
follicles free of dead skin cells. One of the best ways
to do that is to massage your scalp every night before you
go to bed.
Here's a great two fold process: first using a metal comb
tap all over your head with it for about a minute. It has
to be metal, not plastic, because tapping with metal will
create tiny electromagnetic currents on the scalp that
stimulate the cells in the hair follicles. Next, you massage
your scalp gently with a few drops of jojoba oil. It will
naturally and gently help cleanse your scalp and contains
lots of great hair nutrients like Vitamins C and B and the
hair health mineral Zinc.
PLASTIC PROBLEMS
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Plastics are one of those wonderful technical breakthroughs
that have proved a huge boon - but we are starting to see the
downside, particularly for health. We now have plastic products
all around us and as well as being bad for the environment,
they do you no favours either. Don't think you are affected?
Do you have a DVD or computer and have any plastic kitchen
appliances? Do you wear spectacles or have contact lenses,
use reusable plastic containers for your water on the move
or use plastic feeding bottles for your baby? Plastics are
used in construction materials, paints, as well as in linings
for food and drink cans. You literally cannot avoid them.
The health culprit is Bisphenol A, (BPA), an organic chemical
which is the essential basic building block for high performance
polymer plastics and coatings. Scientists first synthesized
it in the late 1800s and just 40 years later it was found to
have oestrogenic properties which we now know are linked to
cancer. Scientists continued to develop ways to use BPA in
making plastic containers and resins that now line most food
and soft drink cans.
The problem is that BPA polymer decays over time, so traces
of the synthetic oestrogen are released into canned foods,
water in plastic bottles and even baby formulas and the
dummies and plastic cutlery that children are often given.
Research continued into the effects of BPA on animals, and
the results showed reproductive and hormone-related problems.
It wasn't at this stage being tested on humans, but the use
of plastics was becoming increasingly popular.
In the updated 2008 Risk Assessment Report on BPA published
last June, the European Commission concluded that products
made from BPA, were safe for consumers and the environment
when used as intended. Worldwide, that has been the conclusion
of other regulatory bodies including the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour
and Welfare.
So everything is ok - except that it isn't. In September, in
the Journal of the American Medical Association they published
a study which concluded that high urinary BPA concentrations
might be linked to increased risk of heart disease, type 2
diabetes, and abnormal concentrations of liver enzymes. Is
this relevant? Well, according to a Columbia University
scientist, more than 90% of Americans have detectable levels
of BPA in their urine and I don't imagine we are that far
behind in the UK.
The Journal's editorial does not hold out any hope of things
changing in the near future. They said: "One factor that may
be contributing to the refusal of regulatory agencies to
take action on BPA in the face of overwhelming evidence of
harm from animal studies...is an aggressive disinformation
campaign using techniques ('manufactured doubt') first
developed by the lead, vinyl, and tobacco industries to
challenge the reliability of findings published by
independent scientists."
That's fairly clear, and once again the responsibility for
taking care of our health and wellbeing is placed squarely
back on the individual's shoulders. A simple first step is
just to eliminate the use of plastics wherever possible,
particularly for children, so buy bottled water in glass
containers and avoid canned food. China, glass and metal
containers offer you a safer alternative for your food and
drink so pack away the picnic plates and upgrade to the
china ones!
HEALTH BITES:
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1 VITAMIN K, HELPS WOMEN FIGHT HEART DISEASE.
Hardening of the arteries is a major concern for
many, particularly as they get older, but new
research hasgood news for women - sorry chaps
but it doesn't help you much apparently. It's
just been reported in the journal Atherosclerosis,
that women who have the highest levels of vitamin
K2 have the greatest protection against hardening
of the arteries.
The researchers examined the diets of women in their 60s
and found that vitamin K2 reduced hardening of the arteries
by as much as 20 percent and the more K2, the better. We
tend to be encouraged to eat more of the K1 vitamins,
which are found primarily in leafy green vegetables, as
they have plenty of other health benefits but they don't
provide any K2. The best sources are cheese and milk
products and some from meat. These of course can be
sources of cholesterol and fats, so don't switch your
diet completely - remember everything in moderation is
the very best health advice.
2 OMEGA 3, DIETING AND DEPESSION
Studies in the US have linked a low dietary intake of
omega 3 fatty acids and dieting with growing rates of
depression. Interestingly, the risk of developing depression
has increased at a rate similar to the rise in consumption
of omega 6 fatty acids from sources like vegetable seed oils
and is relative to the decrease in omega 3 fatty acids from
fish, walnuts, and flaxseed. Many nutritionists feel that
this is a direct result of the increased consumption of
processed foods as opposed to eating 'real' food.
The study gave either a fish oil capsule or a sugar pill
in addition to their antidepressant medication to the
participants. Just two weeks into the study, there was
an improved sense of well being and sleeping patterns
in the omega 3 supplement group. After four weeks a
substantial had a significant reduction in the symptoms
of depression as compared to those taking the sugar pill.
The study concluded that the fatty acid EPA may be used as
an antidepressant booster, but I would go further and suggest
that it can be used proactively to help anyone with a tendency
to depression before they start medication. Dietary changes
have already been substantiated as helping depression, and
adding in adequate amounts of Omega 3 can definitely help.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do 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 my website.
Best wishes for a healthy week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 15 October, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Being a great believer in prevention being better than
cure, a couple of stories this week to help you do just
that and a warning to anyone who has been taking drugs
for acid reflux as it might be time for a rethink. Oh,
and if you want to lose a few pounds then check out the
Health Bites item - you will be glad you did! May I wish
you the very best of continuing good health. AnnA
In this issue:
- AVOIDING COT DEATH
- PERSONAL, PORTABLE, SUPERBUG PROTECTION
- REFLUX DRUGS CAN INCREASE HIP FRACTURE RISK
- TESTICLE STEM CELLS DEVELOPMENT
HEALTH BITES:
- Can thinking make you fat?
- More vitamin C = More weight loss
AVOIDING COT DEATH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The tragedy of cot death (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
is horrendous for any family, and anything that might
help avert this tragedy is worth passing on. The best-
accepted advice, and most effective, is that of always
placing infants to sleep on their backs, but now new
research offers another method to back that up.
There is a new study by researchers in Northern
California, based on data collected from nearly 500
mothers that seems to indicate that the use of a fan
in a baby's room may reduce the likelihood of sudden
death by 72%. HOWEVER, this data suggests that the
protective effect applies mostly to babies in poor
sleeping environments, that is those who sleep on
their stomachs or in overheated rooms.
The benefit of using a fan at night became apparent
when the researchers tracked those families where
there seemed to be a higher risk of cot death. The
figures are certainly impressive:
** 94% reduction in risk for babies who slept in
rooms that exceeded 70 degrees F (21 degrees C)
** 85% reduction in risk for babies in rooms with
closed windows
** 86% reduction among babies placed on their sides
or stomach to sleep
** 78% reduction among those who did not use a pacifier
or dummy (the handle is believed to help maintain
babies' breathing space under a blanket or in soft
bedding).
It is already known that there is a link between cot
death and rebreathing exhaled air, as can happen if
the baby's nose is under the covers or restricted by
sleeping on their stomach. This means they are taking
in an increased amount of carbon dioxide and that is
dangerous because it can hurt the baby's ability to
arouse during sleep. If you decrease the chance of
rebreathing air, then the cot death risk reduced,
and using a fan is one way to help that.
Sadly, the definitive cause of cot death is still
largely a mystery. To date, perhaps the best evidence
of its cause comes from a 2006 study led by researchers
at the Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts who
examined the brain tissue of babies who died from cot
death and those who died from other causes. Researchers
found that the cot death babies often have a brain
weakness in a region of the brain that controls breathing,
heart rate and blood pressure. The abnormality appears to
weaken the responsiveness of certain functions, including
arousal from sleep when the body fails to get enough
oxygen. Researchers think the defect may be genetic in
origin, although there are no biological tests yet to
determine risk.
PERSONAL, PORTABLE, SUPERBUG PROTECTION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There have been so many stories in the press about
'superbugs' and the danger of infection in hospitals,
or anywhere you are away from home and staying in a
public environment. I am a great believer in being proactive,
and I have a close friend who has been in hospital 6 times
over the last 5 years, and got infected each time - so I
was happy to pass on to him some news that came my way
this week.
If you are concerned for yourself, or a friend or relative
in hospital, or care home, then you could buy them something
that will be a lot more welcome than flowers or fruit. Just
launched is a product called PatientPak which the manufacturers
claim will help protect people when they visit hospital as it
is proven to kill pathogens, including MRSA, and is effective
within 10 seconds. It is also proven to kill a wide spectrum
of viruses and bacteria including E Coli, Norovirus,
Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria and Avian Flu (H5N1),
and can also be used in the home or when travelling.
Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, has proposed that the
NHS constitution gives patients responsibilities as well
as rights, and that means you are going to be responsible
for high standards of personal hygiene in order to avoid
bringing infections on to a hospital ward - and also
presumably to discourage you from suing them if you do
fall ill.
The PatientPak consists of a number of items formulated
and developed by medical doctors, which has only been
available so far in hospitals. They work by stopping
harmful bacteria building up resistance to the active
ingredients and this is what you get in the Pak:
** Two types of antimicrobial wipes: one for surfaces for
cleaning surfaces and killing germs on door handles,
bed frames, toilet seats, food tables, work surfaces
and taps and a gentler one for your face and body.
** An antimicrobial sanitising hand spray to use before
handling food, after using the toilet and after any
physical contact with others, together with a hair and
body wash.
** A fabric spray that kills germs that can survive on
fabric and can be used on clothes, curtains or bed linen.
** A pH-neutral cleansing soap and nail brush which are
essential for removing spores and other pathogens,
including C difficile. Your mother was right about
always thoroughly washing your hands, it's the first
line of defence against germs.
** Finally, they include a toothbrush plus toothpaste, lip
balm and pen.
The pack is a one-off item, you use it and dispose of the
contents at the end of your hospital visit to minimize the
transfer of bugs when you get back home. All that, plus a
leaflet full of advice on good hygiene practice and how you
can protect yourself from superbugs. There's also a polite
notice that patients can place next to their hospital bed,
which requests that people check that their hands are clean
before treatment is given - and includes your visitors who
pick over the fruit they have brought you and then leave you
with their germs! This note was apparently suggested by the
leading charity, MRSA Action UK, to help if you are too shy,
embarrassed, or ill, to ask people to wash their hands before
approaching you.
The pack retails at £15.99, which sounds like a bargain
to avoid all those bugs, and you can buy it in main branches
of Boots, Holland & Barret and the pharmacies in major
supermarkets. If you can't find it then you can buy online
from www.patientpak.com and Amazon.
REFLUX DRUGS CAN INCREASE HIP FRACTURE RISK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you suffer from stomach upsets and are taking reflux drugs
on a regular basis, you might want to rethink your options. A
very large Canadian study has confirmed that taking such drugs
for several years will enormously increase your chances of
having a hip fracture - by nearly five times - and can lead
directly to osteoporosis.
Why are these drugs having such an effect? The problem is
that you need acid to absorb calcium and if you reduce the
amount of available stomach acid after you've eaten by taking
reflux drugs then the calcium you can't absorb, but need, has
to be taken directly out of your bones. The study shows that
over just a few years this can more than double your risk of
fracture, and the odds keep climbing steeply the longer you
take them. Some patients have been taking them for many, many
years and ironically one of the results of a lack of calcium
is acid reflux - for which the drugs were prescribed in the
first place.
Calcium is essential for many functions in the body, one
of which is to increase gut mobility, and that's important
because medical researchers say that reflux is primarily a
motor disorder. This means that if you aren't absorbing
much calcium due to the reflux drugs you're taking, and
don't have calcium to spare, you're back to reflux and
that means you take more of the drug, or a stronger dose.
That may be fine for the drug company, but it isn't doing
much for your bones. Even after you stop the drugs, it
may be years before your body can restore a proper calcium
balance so that your reflux vanishes on its own.
There are natural alternative treatments for reflux such as
Apple Cider Vinegar, having a diet with plenty of greens and
vegetables, and supplements such as spirulina and calcium
and for me, a cup of peppermint tea after a meal can settle
the stomach, rather than the more usual coffee, which is in
itself acid.
What is probably even more important is to get your 'body
clock'working properly. One of the most common symptoms of
jet lag is reflux, because flying half-way around the world
upsets your biological clock, just as staying up until the
early hours and 'fooling' your body with artificial electric
light does.
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS:
** Have a fixed time for going to bed as often as you can
and is possible for you.
** Make sure your bedroom is totally dark, with no lights
left on or even natural moonlight through the curtains.
** If you get up during the night to go to the bathroom,
have a low watt red light bulb to show you the way.
** Try to increase your period of total darkness to an
ideal nine or ten hours a night.
** A nightcap is often favoured before bed, but it won't
help you sleep, or your acid reflux, so drink earlier in
the day, and if you smoke that will also increase your
reflux symptoms so reduce or stop that habit if you can.
TESTICLE STEM CELL DEVELOPMENT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't all rush off chaps, with your eyes watering, this is
actually a potentially huge medical breakthrough. German
researchers believe this may provide an alternative way to
generate powerful stem cells that could be used to repair or
replace damaged tissue in male patients with hard-to-treat
diseases. Currently, scientists create stem cells by
extracting them from embryos or genetically manipulating
adult cells to enable them to become many other cell types.
Thomas Skutella, Director of the Centre for Regenerative
Biology and Medicine, in Tuebingen, Germany, was able to
isolate stem cells from the testicles of adult men and turn
them into bone, muscle, neural and other kinds of cells.
The advance was reported in the journal Nature, who also
said that the use of testicle cells also represents a new
way to take biopsies from people with Parkinson's - or any
kind of inherited disease- and study the cells to learn
how they function and respond to drugs. One advantage of
Skutella's method is that if a man's own cells were used
to make a therapy, they could be used to treat him without
fear that his body would reject the cells.
Further research is continuing, and while at the moment
they have only succeeded in making the stem cells when
they had an entire testicle to use for extracting cells,
they are confident that improvements in the process would
enable it to work using just a small bit of testicular
tissue taken in a biopsy. Currently they are obtaining
the necessary tissue from organ donors and men being
treated for infertility or had their testicles removed
in the course of surgery to change or to treat prostate
cancer.
HEALTH BITES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 CAN THINKING MAKE YOU FAT? As someone who spends at
least 80% of her waking hours with the brain on full
alert, I found this news item a bit worrying. Apparently
a research team has demonstrated that intellectual work
can lead to a substantial increase in appetite and,
therefore, calorie intake. After a hard day of mental
work, you can be just as physically exhausted as if you
had spent the day doing physical work - just ask my cats
if you don't believe me.
A small study of 14 students were given three tasks:
relaxing in a sitting position, reading and summarizing
a text, and completing a series of memory, attention,
and vigilance tests on the computer. Although the
intellectual work required only three calories more
than the rest period, the students consumed 203 more
calories after summarizing a text and 253 more calories
after the computer tests than they did after relaxing.
Blood samples taken before, during, and after each session
revealed that intellectual work caused bigger fluctuations
in glucose and insulin levels, effectively destabilising
the levels of insulin and glucose. This in turn stimulates
the appetite, apparently in response to a need to restore
the body's energy balance, though why it always has to be
with chocolate biscuits (or is that just me?) science has
yet to explain.
Now, if you do a lot of mentally challenging tasks it's
a good idea to eat plenty of the foods that are known to
nourish your brain. From what we know about brain-boosting
foods, the ideal post-thinking snack would seem to be a
chicken and spinach omelette with a cup of green tea -
but I don't see many students opting for that!
2 MORE VITAMIN C = MORE WEIGHT LOSS. Poor old vitamin C,
it must be a totally schizophrenic soul because one week
it's the villain as it reportedly can make chemotherapy
less effective - though not everyone agrees with that -
and this week it's the hero if you are trying to lose
weight.
A new study from Arizona State University has found that
if you have low vitamin C levels it means your body burns
fat more slowly and that holds up weight loss. You can
take a supplement, or stock up on Vitamin C-rich foods
like oranges, strawberries,kiwis and tomatoes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do
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 my website.
Best wishes for a healthy week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 8 October, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bit of a children's issue this time, with two of my
favourite things featured: reading and chocolate! Plus
some insight into a common side effect of coronary heart
disease and a chance to get your eyes tested, without
leaving home. May I wish you the very best of continuing
good health. AnnA
In this issue:
- READING HELPS OVERWEIGHT KIDS
- NATURAL OPTIONS FOR CHILDHOOD ECZEMA
- HEART DISEASE AND DEPRESSION LINK
- FREE HOME VISIT EYE TESTS
HEALTH BITES:
- Is Chocolate Good For Your Heart?
- Stronger bones for men
READING HELPS OVERWEIGHT GIRLS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am a fan of reading, whatever the reason given, but
when it can actually help overweight girls then it seems
a win-win situation. New research on obesity at Duke
University in the USA has found reading, if the material
is right, actually encouraged weight loss in girls aged
from 9-13 who took part in their study.
Getting children to lose weight is not something they can
do alone, so Duke Children's Hospital, has a family-focused
weight loss programme that addresses the patients' medical,
dietary and behavioural needs. As part of the study, 31
girls who took part were given a novel called Lake Rescue.
It's the 6th in a series about the Beacon Street Girls by
US author Annie Bryant, and in it the main character is an
overweight preteen girl who struggles with low self-esteem,
feelings of isolation and teasing because of her size.
Another group of 33 girls read a different book called
Charlotte in Paris, which did not have an overweight heroine,
and another group of 17 girls read neither book.
They were all assessed after six months, and ALL the girls
who read books had lost weight, but the girls who read Lake
Rescue lost more.
The idea behind the study was to find a way to motivate the
girls without resorting to the usual carrot and stick
approach of so many dietary approaches and avoiding the
often authoritative voice that goes with that. Lake Rescue
was the perfect instrument, because it presents a likable
character the girls could relate to and whom they could
emulate. As the book progresses, its heroine learns to make
healthier lifestyle choices and finds a mentor to help keep
her on track. In other words, she learns that she can become
healthier, and through her actions and the, 'I can do it'
attitude really resonated with the preteen girls in the study.
The amount of weight lost was not huge, but the positive
effect on the girls' self-esteem would, the researchers
believe, have a long-lasting effect that would help them
maintain the weight loss. Healthy 9-13-year-old girls
typically have a BMI between 16 and 19; the BMI of the
girls in the study group was on average between 27 and 28.
Without intervention, if these overweight girls were to
continue to increase their BMI at their old rate, then in
six months they would probably be at 28. Now, instead of
going from 27 to 28, they are now going from 27 to 26.3,
which would put her in the normal BMI range by time she
is 13. If the weight is left unchecked, these girls would
have a BMI of over 30 by the time they are 13, which would
be obese even by adult standards.
OTHER OPTIONS?
The only viable option for obese pre-teens at the moment
is a combination of lifestyle and behaviour-modification
programmes, combined with counselling, which can be effective
but unpredictable. There are some drugs available to counter
severe weight-loss, but these are not suitable for anyone
under the age of 15 - and used with caution by anyone over
that age. The other newer option for obesity is to have a
gastric bypass operation, but again this is far too risky
for this younger age group.
As I said, I am all for encouraging reading, and Lake Rescue
can be ordered from Amazon, or you may find it in your local
book shop. If anyone knows of a similar story from a UK author
that also features an overweight girl in a similar situation
then I would be very happy to hear about it.
NATURAL OPTIONS FOR CHILDHOOD ECZEMA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eczema is a distressing condition, for the child and for the
parents as it is a constant, visible, reminder of something
that's wrong in the body. Eczema is one of the first signs
of allergy during the early days of life and is said to be
due to delayed development of the immune system. It can affect
10-20% of all infants, and steroid treatment is often suggested.
However, there are many harmful side effects, both short and
long-term, associated with steroids and these are just a few
of them:
** Corticosteroids mimic hormones produced by the adrenal
glands and they interfere with the metabolic balance. This
results in knock-on effects throughout the body and the damage
is cumulative.
** They are anti-inflammatory and can suppress many symptoms,
including pain and eczema. However, they also affect our
fight-or-flight response and thus alter our blood flow. This
can be positive in the right circumstances, but on a long term
basis redirecting blood away from digestion towards the heart,
lungs, and limbs means blood is less available to absorb
nutrients. A lack of nutrition leads to conditions like
osteoporosis developing.
** Nearly all the diseases and conditions on the list of
steroid side effects can be explained by the disruption of
the body's hormone system.
** Others, such as liver damage, are the result of the
excess stress placed on the organ as it attempts to detoxify
the harmful substance from the body.
It is no wonder that so many parents turn to alternative
medicine. But how effective is it?
Complementary Therapies in Medicine is a peer-reviewed
journal that recently reported a German study showing
that homeopathy has better results than steroids for
eczema. The study's focus was on patients' and doctors'
perceptions of improvement, both in terms of the eczema
itself and quality of life over a one year period. The
participants were patients aged 1-16 year-olds with eczema,
and those that were treated with homeopathy had equal or
better results than those treated with corticosteroids.
Further, that those children whose conditions were worse
at the beginning of the study had greater degrees of
improvement with the homeopathic treatment.
Questionnaires were filled out by doctors and their
patients, or when necessary, by their parents at the
beginning of the study, at six months, and again at 12
months. The study focused on subjective results, not
clinical tests, because although clinical tests may
show differences in children with eczema and asthma in
a biomarker like immunoglobulin E, it doesn't have any
bearing on the patient's well-being.
Homoeopathy is a standard practice among doctors in both
Germany and France, and often included in their medical
training. Two groups of patients were studied, one who
only had homeopathic treatment and the other who only
received conventional medical treatment. The children
treated with homeopathy started with worse symptoms than
the control group and both groups showed significant
improvements over 12 months. Here are the percentages of
improvement reported by patients and their doctors after
12 months, and interesting the patients rated their
improvement at lower levels than their doctors did.
Self Assessment Improvement:
* Homeopathy, 27% * Conventional, 38%
Doctor's Assessment of Improvement:
* Homeopathy, 91% * Conventional, 75%
The study also bore out previous research which indicated
that people with a higher educational level are more
likely to opt for alternative treatments such as homeopathy.
64% of the homeopathic parents' had almost double to the
level of education than the parents who opted for the
conventional medical option.
HEART DISEASE AND DEPRESSION LINK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Being diagnosed with coronary heart disease can be frightening
and stressful, however optimistic the prognosis. It can be a
time to revaluate lifestyle, relationships and work and can
place enormous pressure on the individual and their family,
affecting all aspects of life - including mental health.
Now, the American Heart Association has recommended that
coronary patients should also be screened early and regularly
for depression. They have spoken out because of the growing
body of evidence that shows a link between depression in
cardiac patients and a poorer long-term outlook.
Many studies have now shown that major depression is associated
with worse prognosis in patients with coronary disease. What has
also now been confirmed is that more severe depression is
associated with the patient having earlier and more severe
cardiac events.
In many cases, depression can often be treated with exercise,
counselling, good nutrition and cognitive-behavioural therapy.
American Psychiatric Association suggests that two questions
can identify patients who may need further follow up and
treatment. The doctor should ask: 'Over the past two weeks,
how often have you been bothered by the following two symptoms?
1. Little interest or pleasure in doing things
2. Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless
If the answer to either question is yes, they have been
bothered by those symptoms then the follow up questions are:
'how often have you been bothered in the past two weeks by:
1. Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or sleeping too much
2. Feeling tired or having little energy
3. Poor appetite or overeating
4. Feeling bad about yourself, that you are a failure, or that
you have let yourself or your family down
5. Trouble concentrating on things such as reading the
newspaper or watching television
6. Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have
noticed or being so fidgety or restless that you have been
moving around a lot more than usual
7. Thinking that you would be better off dead or that you want
to hurt yourself in some way.
This is not a definitive way to define depression, but it is
a useful tool to evaluate how someone is coping after having
a coronary and can help you decide whether or not help is
needed.
Often used strategies for patients who have coronary disease
and depression are antidepressant drugs, cognitive behavioural
therapy, and physical activity, such as aerobic exercise.
Diet can also play a part, and most nutritionists would
recommend a diet that excluded sugar, caffeine and alcohol.
FREE HOME VISIT EYE TESTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not everyone can get easily to the optician, but maintaining
your eyesight is a major priority and now - for the over 60's
- you can get a free home visit to have your eyes checked by
The Outside Clinic. Eye Health Week runs from 6th - 12th
October in association with The Royal Institute of the Blind
(RNIB) and The College of Optometrists.
Currently NHS eye tests are only available in the home for
anyone who can't get to an optician without help or support.
The Outside Clinic is the UK's longest established home
visiting optician service and is offering a free home visit
to anyone over the age of 60, and who has not had an eye test
in the last 12 months.
It is recommended that the over 60's should have an eye test
every year so that potential problems can be averted and
early signs of diseases like glaucoma can be identified.
INTERESTED?
The Outside Clinic operates throughout the UK and for more
information, or to book an eye test, call 0800 85 44 77
between 6th-12th October 2008 and quoting 'Happy Eyes'.
HEALTH BITES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 IS CHOCOLATE GOOD FOR YOUR HEART?
- Well, knowing me as you do you can bet the answer
is yes - in fact I haven't found anything it isn't
good for - though to be honest I haven't looked
very hard! You can imagine my delight when some
wonderful Italian researchers recently calculated how much
chocolate we need daily to protect against heart disease.
Sadly, it's not much - only 6.7 grams - about the amount
you would get from eating two or three small squares of dark
chocolate per week = as if that were possible! However, as
part of one of the largest health studies ever conducted in
Europe, they checked participants' levels of C-reactive protein
(CRP), a marker for chronic inflammation in the body that
indicates an increased risk of heart disease. Then they related
CRP levels to chocolate intake and found that participants who
ate moderate amounts of dark chocolate regularly had
significantly
lower levels of CRP.
Sadly, I feel must also point out that if you do eat more than
the equivalent of 6.7 grams of chocolate per day, the beneficial
effects on CRP levels seem to disappear. That's a plus for those
self-disciplined souls who can open a bar of chocolate and not
consume it all, and a blow for those who can't!
2 STRONGER BONES FOR MEN - Over the years of working with
natural progesterone for osteoporosis, I was often asked about
whether men also suffered from this painful bone condition -
and the answer is a resounding yes. Because you don't get any
early warning symptoms with osteoporosis, it is vital for men
to keep track of their health. I talked with a man in his 30's
who played rugby every Saturday and kept getting more frequent
bone breaks than average. When he had a bone scan, he had
advanced osteoporosis and all the fractures had been his
'early warning' signs.
Certainly men do benefit from taking natural progesterone
for osteoporosis, but there now seems to be another factor,
certainly in older men. Getting plenty of vitamin C from
foods and supplements seems to boost bone strength in the
over 70's, according to research at Tufts University,
Massachusetts, USA. They found that men whose had the
highest intake of vitamin C intake also had the least
bone loss in the hip. On an average dose of 314mg those
didn't lose bone density in the hip- even when their
calcium intake was low - but men who got the least vitamin
C of only 106 mg per day lost 5.6 percent of their bone over
the four years.
Sadly the same effects were not seen in the women in the
study, but it's a good reason for getting at least 500mg
of C a day to help protect bone health.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do 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 my website.
Best wishes for a healthier week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 1 October, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back pain accounts for a significant number of lost days
to industry each year, and untold misery to the sufferer,
so it seemed a good time to remind you about the Back
Awareness week coming up. At the changing of the season,
flu is on many people's minds so I wanted to offer you
some more practical suggestions for a virus-free winter
- and that won't include stocking up with energy drinks!
May I wish you the very best of continuing good health.
AnnA
In this issue:
- ENERGY DRINKS CAN TAKE MORE THAN THEY GIVE
- BACK AWARENESS WEEK
- TOP 7 TIPS FOR FLU PREVENTION
- HERBAL REMEDIES TO TAME FLUSHES AND NIGHT SWEATS
- HEALTH BITES:
- Natural help for cuts and bruises
- Golfers live longer!
ENERGY DRINKS CAN TAKE MORE THAN THEY GIVE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's face it, we all need an energy boost from time to
time and an occasional hit of caffeine or sugar is not a
problem. But a new source of 'instant lift' is causing
health concerns. Energy drinks have been popular for
years, and just look in your local supermarket and you
will plenty of choice. Most contain sugar, colour and
caffeine and sometimes ginseng and taurine as well,
and they are a popular pick me up during working hours.
Now, a study published this week in the journal 'Drug
and Alcohol Dependence' is raising concerns about the
possibility of caffeine intoxication from energy drinks.
This is a topic I have mentioned before, but it's worth
repeating. Energy drinks are usually much smaller cans
than the equivalent soft drink, but the amount of caffeine
in some of them is the equivalent of 14 cans of Coca-Cola.
Caffeine is listed as an ingredient, but not the amount,
because energy drinks are designated as dietary supplements,
not food products.
They feel that anyone drinking several of these a day is
in danger of caffeine intoxication, which is a recognized
clinical syndrome. If you have ever over-indulged in coffee
during stress or crisis you might recognise the symptoms of
nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, stomach upset,
tremors, rapid heartbeat, restlessness and pacing. In rare
cases, caffeine intoxication can cause death so it's not
something to take lightly.
We know from previous research that too much caffeine is
causing increased toxicity in our bodies, and there is also
the other important factor with all soft drinks which is
that the phosphoric acid they all contain leaches calcium
from the bones and can lead to osteoporosis.
AND THAT'S NOT ALL
Additionally, many of these drinks - particularly the
low-calorie versions - contain the artificial sweetener
aspartame. This is a concern because, according to new
research by South African scientists from the University
of Pretoria, a high intake of aspartame may lead to the
degeneration of brain cells, compromised learning and
emotional functioning and various mental disorders.
The research found that aspartame, marketed as NutraSweet,
Equal, Canderal and Tropicana Slim, leads to both direct
and indirect changes in the brain when consumed in high
quantities. Among these effects, the chemical can disrupt
amino acid metabolism and structure, degrade nucleic acids,
and interfere with the function of nerve cells and hormonal
systems. It also appears to change the concentration of
certain neurotransmitters in the brain.
The researchers also noted that aspartame appears to cause
excessive signaling of nerve cells, and nerve cell damage or
even death. By disrupting the functioning of the cells'
mitochondria, or energy source, aspartame leads to a cascade
of effects on the whole system.
As I've always said, give me old-fashioned sugar and hold
the chemicals!
BACK AWARENESS WEEK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have a bad back, you don't need an awareness week
as unfortunately it is ever present in your consciousness.
However, we now seem to have special days and weeks that
are celebrated that I don't remember from my dim and distant
childhood - was there ever a Grandparent's Day? This time
I am reminding you that it is Back Care Awareness Week from
4 - 10 October and its theme and focus is 'staying positive
and believing that'you can do it'.
Given that 52% of the population now gets back pain - a
5% increase on last year - a positive attitude seems to
be definitely called for. You now have full permission
to stow the vacuum cleaner as the most common causes of
bad backs apparently are spring cleaning and housework.
As Quentin Crisp famously observed 'There is no need to
do any housework at all. After the first four years the
dirt doesn't get any worse.' You may feel that's a bit
extreme but as a principle I could get excited about it.
More worrying is the fact that a recent study found that
between 13% and 50% of teenagers have already had episodes
of back pain and as many as two in every class of 15-18 year
olds experience back pain on a recurrent or chronic basis.
It's apparently a combination of too much time in front of
a computer, not enough physical activity and the increasing
'couch potato' syndrome.
There are many options for the management and prevention of
back pain and the earlier you seek help then the better it
is. Back pain as well as physically causing immobilization,
can cause many people to feel trapped by back pain. Even
something simple like getting in or out of a car can become
an enormous and painful challenge, so much so, that some
people stop doing it and become housebound. This can lead
to a downward spiral of pain, depression, lack of self-belief
and negative feelings about your ability to lead a normal
life. It is a 'can do' attitude that the back awareness week
wants to promote to counter this.
Personally I am a big fan of chiropractic, particularly
McTimoney which is less invasive and bone cracking than the
more widely known osteopathic practices. There are plenty of
events going on around the country, kicking off with a major
exhibition at Olympia. If you would like to now more then
visit the website at http://www.backpain.org/
TOP 7 TIPS FOR FLU PREVENTION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After mentioning last week about the ineffectiveness of
some flu jabs, I have been asked to give some more suggestions
as to how you can prevent this seasonal visitor. With the
weather changing so rapidly, from hot to cold on a daily
basis, our bodies are more vulnerable to attack from viruses
so you could try these simple tools to help you stay ahead
of the flu:
1 Always wash your hands, inside and outside of the home,
with hot water and soap. Carry a hand cleansing gel or towel
for those times when handwashing facilities are not available.
Oh and remember, one of the major ways to pick up viruses is
not from public toilets, but public handrails. Wipe/wash
your hands after placing them on a stair rail or support
on an escalator.
2 There is an excellent homoeopathic cold and flu remedy
made up by Galen Pharmacy in Dorchester. You take one tablet
twice a day every fortnight until the bottle is finished. I
swear by it, and if you want to order then call them on
01305 263996 and they will post you a dinky little bottle
with an invoice, usually the same day.
3 If you don't want a complete remedy then you just take
astragalus. It is an immune-enhacing herb used in Chinese
medicine that can help to build resistance to both the
flu and the common cold.
4 Echinacea is well favoured as a winter boost to the
immune system, just don't take it continuously.
5 Keep your antioxidant levels high by eating plenty of
berries, drinking green tea and the occasional piece of
dark chocolate - all of which provide you with natural
and tasty - antioxidants.
6 Maintain good levels of vitamin C and zinc in your diet
to support your immune system.
7 Make sure you have plenty of fluids because staying
hydrated keeps your nasal passages moist. This provides
a better natural defence against viruses.
FEELING THE HEAT IN CANCER TREATMENT AND MENOPAUSE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hot flushes are the bane of many menopausal women's
existence, but they also commonly occur in breast cancer
patients who have treatment-related vasomotor symptoms.
This is when there is an increase or decrease in the
diameter of a blood vessel, which can regulate the amount
of blood travelling to a particular body part.
Hot flushes or night sweats that result from the sudden
opening of the blood vessels close to the skin, usually
due to hormonal fluctuation, can be very uncomfortable-
whatever their cause. There are a couple of natural
alternatives that can be an effective alternative to
drug therapy with fewer side effects.
The first is acupuncture, as was reported at the recent
meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology
and Oncology. The women in their study had reported a
minimum of 14 hot flushes a week, and half the group had
twice weekly acupuncture treatments weekly for the first
four weeks, followed by weekly sessions during the final
eight weeks. The other half of the group were given drugs
to control the flushes and received the standard daily
dose usually given to manage vasomotor symptoms.
The study found that not only was acupuncture effective
in reducing or eliminating the hot flushes, but it had
no adverse effects. What did surprise them was that the
therapeutic effects of acupuncture persisted long after
the treatment. To quote them:
"Women who took the drug therapy started to have an
increase in the number and intensity of hot flushes
within two weeks of discontinuing the drug therapy,
whereas women who had acupuncture didn't start to have
an increase in the number or severity of hot flushes for
14 or 15 weeks after discontinuing therapy."
They also observed that the acupuncture group not only
reported no treatment-related side effects, but said
they had improvement in energy, clarity of thought,
sexual desire, and overall sense of well-being
HERBAL REMEDIES TO TAME FLUSHES AND NIGHT SWEATS
Herbs have long been used in many cultures to help
with hormonal disturbance and one of the oldest in
use is sage. An Australian study in 2005 found that
it reduced severe hot flushes by 60% - that's worth
trying isn't it?
To make sage tea, take ten fresh leaves, or one and
a half teaspoons of dried sage if you can't get fresh
leaves. Pour hot (not quite boiling) water over the
leaves and add a spoon or two of honey to sweeten it.
That way you get some B vitamins to help lift your
mood as well! Let it cool slightly and drink about
an hour before you go to bed.
Another popular herb for hot flushes and night sweats
is black cohosh. In my experience this seems to work
well for some women - but I would have to say not for
all but dong quai seems more effective for the majority.
A comparative study between HRT and dong quai, done in
2003, showed a huge 30% reduction in hot flushes after
a month. The suggested dosage for hot flushes is 600mg
a day, BUT there is however a strong contra-indication
if you are taking medication such as warfarin as dong
quai is known to act as a blood thinner.
Hot flushes seem to be variable from woman to woman
so you may have to do a bit of experimenting to see
what works, and when you are reduced to sleeping naked
in a cast iron bath to cool down - and yes that is the
voice of personal experience speaking - then you don't
always feel that patient! If trying individual herbs
doesn't work for you then try one of the combinations
that several supplement companies make - and also watch
to see if you have any triggers for your flushes. Stress
can be a major one, as can certain things like coffee -
might be worth keeping a food and mood diary to see if
you can pin it down.
HEALTH BITES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 NATURAL AID FOR CUTS AND BRUISES - If you haven't got
a natural first aid kit that contains a homoeopathic
ointment for cuts, or any arnica for bruises, then don't
despair. Look in the kitchen cupboard and if you have
vinegar - apple cider for preference - then you have
a remedy at hand. Just soak a clean, damp, cloth in
vinegar, and applyto the affected area every 15 minutes
until the pain goes away. It will act as a compress and
also draws the discoloration out of bruises.
2 GOLFERS LIVE LONGER - Though it may just seem that way
if you happen to be a 'golf widow/widower!' I don't think
of Sweden as a golfing nation, but a study conducted by
the Karolinska Institutet, and published in the 'Scandinavian
Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports', has revealed that
people who played golf had a 40% lower mortality rate than
their equivalent non-golfing counterparts. In real terms
that means they can expect to live 5 years longer.
A round of golf means being outside for four or five hours,
walking at a fast pace for six to seven kilometres, all of
which are things that are known to be good for health. Also,
golf is a game people usually play well into their old age
so maintain their level of fitness, plus there are other
social and psychological aspects to the game that can be
of help.
Mental acuity, plus physical exercise and companionship
is a very potent cocktail, and, it may seem unfair, but
their research also found that golfers with the lowest
handicap enjoyed the lowest mortality rates. It seems this
is because it takes more playing time to reach a higher
level of proficiency in the game, so you are out in the
fresh air and exercising for longer. Another good reason
to lower your handicap!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do
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 my 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 - 26 November, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Health and happiness this week, may you have lots of both
and I have few suggestions for how you might achieve that.
Still on the Christmas trail I have gone not only natural
but green and environmentally friendly - not in appearance
of course - but some great ideas to keep you warm and
laughing - qualities that are essential for your wellbeing.
May I wish you the very best of continuing good health.
Best wishes from AnnA
In this issue:
- 3-D IMAGES OF YOUR ARTERIES NOW ON SHOW!
- OSTEOPOROSIS AND RED GRAPEFRUIT
- ENFORCED VACCINATIONS
- CHEER UP YOUR HEART
- NATURAL HELP FOR EYES
HEALTH BITES:
- Natural Christmas Ideas - Wind me up Scotty!
- Radiator Booster
3-D IMAGES OF YOUR ARTERIES NOW ON SHOW!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I love science, it is amazing to see the developments and
increase in our knowledge that would have seemed unimaginable
a few years ago. You need healthy arteries, and up to now it
hasn't been possible to get an all round view of them to
help your doctor and surgeon to get a complete picture of
what is going on. Now, it is a reality according to a report
this week from Massachusetts General Hospital. They have
shown the first 3-D all round view of the lining of a patient's
right coronary artery and it revealed a recently placed stent
and lipid deposits. No more guesswork for the surgeon as they
will be able to see more clearly and check for areas of
inflammation or the calcium or lipid deposits that can
cause a heart attack.
Mass General developed the optical frequency-domain imaging
(OFDI) device to get the 3-D views inside a human artery. The
previous imaging device made by the same investigators could
only examine tissues one point at a time, but this one can
look at more than 1,000 points of artery tissue. The surgeon
uses the device to physically probe through the coronary
artery and as wavelengths are emitted and reflected back,
they can in seconds get the data they need to create the
detailed microscopic images.
Dr. Gary Tearney, associate professor of pathology at Harvard
Medical School sees very positive benefits for this new
technology.
"The wealth of information that we can now obtain will
undoubtedly
improve our ability to understand coronary artery disease and
may allow cardiologists to diagnose and treat plaque before it
leads to serious problems."
A further development is the combining of the OFDI probe with
intravascular ultrasound as it is not able to penetrate deep
into tissues. This was the first venture, and it is hoped to
have it available to surgeons within 1-2 years.
OSTEOPOROSIS AND RED GRAPEFRUIT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have mentioned the health benefits of red grapefruit in a
previous issue, and now it seems that the pulp may increase
bone strength and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. At present
it is estimated there are three million people with osteoporosis
in the UK and that half of all women and one in five men over
50 will break a bone from having this condition.
Researchers at Texas A&M University have published the findings
of their recent research in the journal Nutrition and it is
good news for anyone at risk of osteoporosis or having a
family history of it. Their trial was conducted on rats and
found that when they divided the group into three and fed
them a different diet. The rats given red grapefruit pulp
in their diet showed significantly lower calcium loss from
their bones and lower levels of urinary deoxypyridinoline.
Rats on the non grapefruit diet showed the exact opposite
with higher levels of calcium loss and urinary deoxypyridinoline
- both of which are indicators of bone bone breakdown and a
greater risk of osteoporosis.
The more grapefruit the rats had, the greater the protection.
So follow their example and eat red grapefruit every day to
help ward off osteoporosis.
DIABETES UPDATES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With over 2.3 million diabetics in the UK, and a further
750000 people who have the condition but don't know it, I
like to keep you updated and there are two new developments
to report this week - both involving everyday food items.
First let's do the positive and give you yet another reason
to eat more fish. A UK study has found that in a study of 517
diabetics those who had fish less than once a week were four
times more likely to have albumin in their system, a protein
whose presence indicates kidney damage. This is a serious
complication of diabetes and the study suggests that eating
fish at least twice a week could help protect diabetics from
this potential problem.
The researchers didn't single out any particular variety of
fish, so help your diabetes, and your heart, by having oily
fish like salmon and salt water fish like haddock at least
twice a week to get the maximum benefit.
Fish is also of benefit for eye health, so keep reading.
AND A WARNING
If you go to work, or play, on an egg then you want to
rethink your breakfast options. Over twenty years of research
funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute seems to indicate that
people who eat eggs every day may substantially increase
their risk of type 2 diabetes.
Men who ate seven or more eggs a week were 58% more likely
to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not eat any
eggs. However, the problem is potentially greater for women
as they are 77% more likely to become diabetic if they ate
an egg a day. The research was reported online in the magazine
Diabetes Care.
A single egg contains about 200 mg of cholesterol and adds
about 1.5 g of saturated fat to the diet, both of which
increase diabetes risk, and the exact risk figures are:
Men
9% for less than one egg a week
9% for one egg a week
18% for two to four eggs a week
46% for five to six eggs a week
58% for seven or more eggs a week
Women
6% for less than one egg a week
3% for one egg a week
19% for two to four eggs a week
18% for five to six eggs a week
77% for seven or more a week
This does not mean giving up eggs entirely, they are a
beneficial food, but it might be wise to limit your
intake if you have any other risk factors for diabetes.
These include being overweight, not taking any exercise,
and long term use of drugs such as diuretics and steroids
as they can impair insulin secretion from the pancreas.
ENFORCED VACCINATIONS?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The subject of vaccinations for children is an emotional
subject with parents feeling strongly for and against. I
don't have children so I can't say what I would do, but I
do believe strongly in the individual's right to choose.
That is why I want to draw your attention to a petition
before Parliament by Mary Creary, a Labour MP. She wants
to make vaccinations compulsory for children and if parents
refuse she suggests their children should not be allowed
to attend school and the parents should not receive child
benefits.
Many alternative therapists, particularly homoeopaths, are
against wholesale vaccination on health grounds as they can
compromise the immune system of a developing child and they
have got up a petition to voice their protests. Anyone can
sign who wishes to and they have nearly six and a half
thousand signatures so far.
The closing date to sign online is 29th November so you don't
have much time to make your voice heard. Here's the link:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/forcedvaccines/
CHEER UP YOUR HEART
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was extolling the virtues of laughter in the previous issue,
and now here's another of my favourite stress busters which
can have a wonderful effect on your heart health. No drugs and
no side effects are involved you just need to listen to some
joyful music and the function of your blood vessels will be
vastly improved, and that's good for your heart.
No I didn't make it up just because I love listening to music,
it's based on research presented by the University of Maryland
School of Medicine at the recent American Heart Association
Scientific Sessions meeting in New Orleans. So, tune in your
radio, or get out your favourite piece of music - the only
criteria is that it must give you a great sense of joy - so
whether it's Bach, the Beatles, or Bonzo Dog they will all
have the same health-giving benefits.
What happens when you listen to music is that the tissue in
the inner lining of your blood vessels dilates and that
increases blood flow. Known as the endothelium, the lining
of blood vessels has a powerful effect on health, especially
the development of cardiovascular disease, because it regulates
blood flow and adjusts blood thickening and coagulation. Plus,
at no extra cost, it releases substances in response to wounds,
infections or irritation. So be kind to it and play it something
wonderful! Don't however put on the funeral march or anything
that stresses you like heavy metal, as if then your blood
vessels
will narrow and restrict blood flow.
For the statistically minded, the research showed that blood
vessels dilated an extra 26% for joyful music and music that
stressed the listener narrowed blood vessels by 6%. I think it
might be time to give up listening to Leonard Cohen - or at
least ration my intake on health grounds. Oh, and I also know
that signing has the same good effect, and as I have been lucky
enough to be in a couple of passenger choirs on cruise ships
recently I can highly recommend it as both joyful, and
stimulating as you try to remember the words and work out
if it's you or your neighbour that is singing off-key!
NATURAL HELP FOR EYES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As we get older our eyes become vulnerable, and around 1 in 7
over 55 year olds will suffer from macular degeneration. This
is the leading cause of blindness and severe vision impairment
worldwide, and a study in the Archives of Ophthalmology reports
on the benefits of Omega-3 for reducing the risk.
Macular degeneration (MD) affects central vision and this
gradually deteriorates causing functional blindness. Peripheral
vision is not at first greatly affected; but over time
peripheral
vision is also reduced. A study of 8,000 people in the
Netherlands
found that those who developed the disease were more likely to
be
smokers and have high cholesterol and that because free radical
damage has been linked to MD that antioxidants can reduce the
disease's progress.
However, a more recent study has shown a clear link between
consumption of Omega-3 and reduction in age-related MD. Dr
Chong of the University of Melbourne did a meta-analysis of
nine studies which covered 90,000 people, and 3000 of those
had age-related MD.
Back to the benefits of fish again, because her study found
that eating just one portion of Omega-3 rich fish may reduce
the risk of contracting MD by over 50%. In fact increasing
your daily intake by 300 mg per day of the Omega-3 fatty acids
DHA and EPA, reduces the risk of MD by about 70%.
If fish really isn't your favourite then you can get Omega-3
from flaxseed oil which is also rich in lutein and that's one
of the antioxidants that boosts eye health and prevents
cataracts
and macular degeneration. These are the essential elements for
good eye health:
BETA-CAROTENE which destroys free radicals and helps keep eye
tissue healthy. VITAMIN C and VITAMIN E are antioxidant and
protect the eye from sun damage ZINC and COPPER are antioxidant
and protect our eyes B VITAMIN complex to fight free radicals in
your eyes, particularly the cornea and the myelin sheath around
the optic nerve
TAURINE is an essential amino acid for retina health and blocks
out UV rays and environmental toxins.
EYEBRIGHT is a herb that been traditionally used to relieve
irritated eyes and strengthen blood vessels in the eyes.
Otherwise it's the usual mix of dark green leafy vegetables,
particularly spinach, and a varied daily diet to keep your
eyes sparkling.
Health Bites:
1 WIND ME UP SCOTTY! With the energy crisis being what it
is, and us all trying to reduce our carbon footprint, it
could be time to go back to the old fashioned energy
sources. No batteries needed, just use natural daylight
and the power of your arm to wind things up. There is a
great range of solar powered toys, Christmas things, games
and lights at Nigel's Eco Store, and I can highly recommend
his practical, useful and environmentally friendly products.
Two things I really love are the Bat and Penguin wind up
torches, and a low energy moonlight night light that uses
space age technology to produce a soothing light for children's
rooms, and hallways. The shop is in Brighton and is a
fascinating
place to visit or you can order online. If you want advice or to
order over the phone, call 0800 288 8970 or go online to
http://www.nigelsecostore.com/
2 RADIATOR BOOSTER. From the same store, a great way to boost
the heat from your radiators, heat your room faster, save lost
energy, and reduce your heating bills. What more do you want?
This innovative and eco-friendly product first saw the light
of day on the Dragon's Den and it uses small fans to capture
the heat that comes out the back of your radiator, circulating
it better into your room. Just put a Radiator Booster™ on top
of a standard domestic radiator, plug it in, and away it goes.
It'll save you huge amounts of energy - all for a running cost
of about 30p a year and they have even got it at £5 off the RRP!
http://www.nigelsecostore.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do 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 my website.
Best wishes for a healthy week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 19 November, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well I promised you an update on the Mind, Body and
Soul exhibition I went to last weekend, but I found
very little new of health value but some things that
may interest my Catalyst subscribers - more in your
next newsletter. I am also forced to concede that
Christmas appears to be on its way, so for the next
couple of issues I will suggest some healthy presents,
that won't be stuck at the back of the cupboard the
minute the wrapping is torn off - honest. Don't be
misled by the first item into thinking you can cancel
your membership to the gym or throw those running shoes
away, exercise without 'exercise' is not quite yet a
reality but it soon could be. May I wish you the very
best of continuing good health. Best wishes from AnnA
In this issue:
- EXERCISE? POP A PILL
- MEN - RELINQUISH THAT DUVET!
- BREAKTHROUGH FOR WHEELCHAIR USERS
- LAUGHTER YOGA
- CANCER RISK AND STRESS
HEALTH BITES:
- Natural Christmas Ideas - Teastar and RefloSocks
- Christmas caution
EXERCISE? POP A PILL
Athletics and drugs have sadly often gone hand in hand,
and now a new research breakthrough which is intended
to help people who cannot exercise much or at all, due
to incapacity or illness, could be high on the list for
cheating athletes.
Steroids boost muscle power so are misused by those needing
strength in their events, but so far a drug that can build
the endurance needed to run a marathon or take part in the
Tour de France has not been available. Now, it could be.
We have two types of muscle that move our body: bulky, fast
-twitch muscles for power and speed, and slender slow-twitch
muscles for endurance. Fast-twitch muscles burn sugar that
must be stored in the muscle itself, while slow-twitch
muscle burns fat.
A new study on mice at the Salk Institute in La Jolla,
California suggests that there is a drug that can trick
the body into "believing" it has exercised. A drug that
has been developed for the treatment of metabolic disease,
when taken in combination with exercise, gives mice the
ability to run farther than exercise alone can and a
separate chemical gave them greater endurance, even
without the exercise.
Earlier studies had found that a red wine ingredient called
resveratrol could build endurance, but only at enormous doses
and by uncertain means. The natural route's success, however
limited, as usual set up a search for a pharmaceutical
substitute. The chemicals tested in the new study are
thought to work by specifically tapping into the molecular
mechanisms that normally re-programme our muscle genes in
response to exercise.
Of course it might not work on people, but the research
team had previously found they could genetically engineer
mice to produce more of the fat-burning slow-twitch muscle
fibres, giving them nearly twice the running endurance of
untrained adults. The key was boosting the activity of a
gene in muscle called PPARd, known to control other genes
important to muscle metabolism.
The researchers gave mice an experimental drug, known only
as GW1516, that increases PPARd activity and is currently
being tested for the treatment of metabolic disease in humans.
However, the drug had no effect on the muscles and so they
tried giving it to mice who were undergoing exercise training.
I have a cute but entirely unfounded vision of a Stuart Little
character with mini barbells in satin running shorts - or is
that just me? The same dose and duration of GW1516 that had
previously failed to alter performance, when paired with four
weeks of exercise training, increased the animals' running
time by 68% and their running distance by 70%.
The muscles of those mice also showed a unique "endurance
gene signature," including patterns of gene activity not
seen with either the drug or exercise alone, according to
the investigators. They then decided to try one more thing:
a chemical known as AICAR that was known to act on a protein
in the body called AMPK. The results are impressive, even
in sedentary mice, four weeks of AICAR treatment alone
induced metabolic genes and enhanced running endurance
by 44%.
THE BENEFIT?
When developed and trialled fully, this has therapeutic
potential in treating certain muscle diseases such as
wasting and frailty as well as cases of obesity where
exercise is known to be beneficial but not physically
possible. We also appear to be training mice for the
2012 Olympics, or at least increasing their fitness to
levels which should help them run from the fastest cat
in your home.
MEN - RELINQUISH THAT DUVET!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The nightly battle of the duvet is an unreported phenomena
of sharing a bed - and women seem to come off worse. No one
has yet shelled out research money to find out why even the
smallest and slightest of men has the grip of a stevedore
when it comes to holding onto the duvet and hauling it over
to their side of the bed - and I am sure someone will manage
to get a grant after I have mentioned it! Well, appealing
to your better nature chaps, although there is a lot of
variation in how individuals feel the cold depending on a
number of factors such as age, fitness, diet and sleep pattern
there is one factor that is constant. Women tend to feel the
cold more than men do - although I would say menopausal women
are exempt from this as hot flushes can heat an entire room
never mind a double bed.
Happily there is an expert to tell us why, and according to
Mike Tipton, Professor of Human Physiology at the University
of Portsmouth, it's because we evolved on the Equator which
makes us creatures of the Tropics. Since we all moved out
to explore the world with our cooking pots and mammoths on
a string, we have learned to reproduce our hot homeland by
learning how to build fires and inventing central heating.
Although we feel hot and cold throughout the day, our core
body temperature - that of our vital organs - is always kept
at about 37C and we must maintain that level for survival.
Just a 2C drop can cause hypothermia, a 12C drop results in
death. If you want to keep, and feel, warm this winter you
need to concentrate on your hands and feet. This is
particularly important for women as research shows that
they are better at conserving heat than men because they
have a more evenly distributed fat layer and can pull all
their blood back to their core organs. It's thought that
women do this because they carry less fat and muscle mass
than men, and so need a more efficient technique of protecting
their core body temperature. Next time someone suggests you
are a bit overweight try blaming your core organs, it's much
more effective that saying you just can't resist an extra
biscuit.
BUT, because women operate in this way it means that less
blood flows to their hands and feet, and as a result they
feel cold - certainly colder than men usually do.
There are a number of factors that can affect how cold
women feel, menopause obviously is one and so are various
points of the menstrual cycle where the core body temperature
can often vary by more than 1C. Most of us recognise that
when we are tired we are also more sensitive to changes in
temperature and feel the cold more, and as our body temperature
falls at night, that's when we women feel it most as they
reach their minimum body temperature quicker than men.
KEEP WARM, KEEP COSTS DOWN
Lowering the thermostat will help your bills, but you
don't want to get cold. If you want to increase your
temperature generally, exercise can make a difference
as it gives you a better blood flow to hands and feet.
What you perceive as cold also depends on what you are
used to. If you heat your home to a higher temperature
than your neighbour you are always going to feel colder
in their house, even though to them it may seem perfectly
warm. A Canadian study found recently that mood can
influence how hot or cold we feel and depression and
loneliness make us more aware of the temperature. To
stay warm, exercise, be more social and get enough sleep
- and a big enough share of the duvet.
Here's a few ideas to get you started:
** That big yeti like jumper may feel cosy, but you would
do better with several thin layers, not one thick one.
** Bedsocks and a nightcap may seem like something from
an old movie, but keeping your head and feet warm will
pay dividends. Invest in a red santa hat and pretend
Christmas has come early.
** Hot food, eaten regularly keeps your system stoked up
and make sure you have plenty of carbohydrates as they
provide long lasting heat sustenance. There is a reason
stews and soups are so popular in winter, it's not just
their psychological effect, but the slow breakdown of
those potatoes and pulses keep you warmer longer.
** Check your central heating thermostat and if it's over
21C-24C then try reducing it to that optimum level.
** Alcohol and caffeine may seem like a good idea but
they both increase blood flow to the skin, so you are
actually losing heat.
** Keep moving as even small amounts of exercise will
help. Don't have the remote next to your chair, get up
and walk a little - and make a cup of tea while you are
up. to Avoid drinking too much of either if you're trying
to stay warm. Both
** Use your mind to make you warmer. If you are somewhere
cold that you can't control the temperature, just visualise
somewhere hot and you will actually feel warmer. It works
equally in reverse, so in summer imagine rubbing your feet
on a nice cold ice floe - if there's still one left.
BREAKTHROUGH FOR WHEELCHAIR USERS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Manually operated wheelchairs can take a lot of effort, but
a new British invention which can be attached to any standard
wheelchair can reduce the force you need to propel it by a
staggering 40%. This means that the user can go further with
greater ease, and with less strain on the body. This
revolutionary system was conceived by Robert Orford when
he was just 19 and after six years of research and development,
helped by Professor Michael Craggs, Director of the Royal
National Orthopaedic Hospital, the NuDrive system is available
in the UK.
Disabled writer and BBC presenter Lara Masters, spoke about
the challenges disabled people face and the need to be
resourceful: "I try to see my physical restrictions as
creative challenges and NuDrive symbolises my philosophy
by presenting an opportunity for wheelchair users to maximise
the potential of their "pushing power", she said at the
launch in October. With NuDrive, the user can propel
themselves forwards and backwards, manoeuvre and brake,
simply by pushing the levers - there's no need to spin
the wheel rims by hand. This improves posture and shifts
the shoulder loading, helping to prevent shoulder strain
and injury. It also makes going over uneven ground and up
inclines a lot easier.
The ergonomically designed Drive Units allow users with
arthritic or weak hands to self-propel as it requires no
finger or hand dexterity. By removing the need to grip and
release the wheel rims, NuDrive also eliminates the threat
of Repetitive Strain Injury, protects hands from abrasion,
and keeps your hands clean too. NuDrive attaches in seconds
to almost any manual wheelchair with 24inch metal spoked
wheels so there's no need to buy a new chair.
The concept is simple, but the technology is cutting edge
and wheelchair users with a range of medical conditions and
disabilities were involved throughout the research.
NuDrive costs around £349 and is 0% VAT rated, and what I
particularly liked is that the company only employs qualified
physiotherapists as sales clinicians to make sure you get the
right advice as to whether it is suitable for you or not.
For more information go to www.nu-drive.com where there is
a interesting video on how it can improve the performance
of your wheelchair, and reduce the strain on you.
LAUGHTER YOGA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With so much doom and gloom around we need all the help we
can get, and this wonderful therapy is based on something we
all knew when we were children. When you laugh, you feel better
but sadly although children laugh about 400 times a day that has
been whittled down to a mere 15 times when we are all grown up.
Developed by Madan Kataria, a family physician from India,
laughter yoga is not really about humour (or yoga), but rather
exploits the natural human tendency to laugh when others laugh,
so you initiate it and see who joins in. Try smiling generouisly
when you greet someone and you will see it returned, expand a
smile into a laugh and people will join in. You can feel
inhibited, embarrassed or a complete loon - or you could just
decide today is your day to have some fun because research
shows that when a group of people forces laughter, it quickly
transitions to real, spontaneous laughing.
It is also a great stress reliever and particularly works
well for companies to create a positive work environment.
Laughter Solutions devise Laughter Workshops, Training and
Team Building sessions, and they point out the health benefits
of some good hearty laughter. It will naturally increase
oxygen levels in the body and releases endorphins from
the brain cells, to promote a sense of well- being and
raise existing energy levels.
If you are lucky enough to live in Ireland, then you have
easy access to their services and they can of course travel
to the UK to bring the gift of laughter to your company.
Founded and run by Anne McDonald, a creative artist, coach
and Laughter expert, I can't recommend them highly enough.
She certainly made me laugh - do wear waterproof mascara if
you attend one of her workshops, or none at all if you don't
want to look like a panda from the tears running down your
face. As two satisfied customers said, "It's the most fun I
have ever had in a business suit." "I laughed till I cried
and felt a million dollars afterward." You will find Anne
McDonald at http://www.mcdonaldcoaching.com/laughter.htm
THE POWER OF POTTED PLANTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The idea that plants can help your health is not a new one.
I can remember everyone in my office in the 1970's bringing
in spider plants as there was a theory that they would help
to have near a computer. It's not just a theory, as many users
have claimed they are effective in removing potentially harmful
chemicals-including those in paints, varnishes, dry cleaning
fluids, car exhaust fumes and tobacco smoke-from the air in
your home.
The top 9 Air Purifying Plants are:
Dragon tree
Ivy
Ficus
Philodendrons
Spider plants
Peace lilies
Ferns
Chrysanthemums
Palms
Till now this has been anecdotal evidence - the kind I most
like as it means that real people have found real results
with it - but now, Japanese scientists are developing
genetically engineered plants that can absorb formaldehyde.
This is a pungent chemical compound used as adhesive in
building materials and furnishing and is seen as a major
factor in what is known as sick-house syndrome. This is
now more common as people experience headaches, dizziness
and other health problems triggered by the chemicals now
found in most homes.
Researchers expect the plants to absorb formaldehyde, along
with carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, and they found that
the level of toxic gas fell to around one-tenth of the
original level. They are now trying to apply the technology
to common foliage plants, but in the meantime I am going out
to buy some more spider plants and a large bunch of
chrysanthemums.
Health Bites:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 NATURAL CHRISTMAS IDEAS You know how keen I am for you
all to rush out and try a herbal tea occasionally, and this
present makes it easy - and fun., Teastar is a beautifully
coloured star containing a mix of individually wrapped
organic loose leaf teabags. It comes from one of my favourite
tea companies, called Today was Fun, and you don't just get
amazing teas you also get an inspirational message with each
one to read while you wait for it to brew. Each star has a
ribbon threaded through the top and once opened, the box is
like an old fashioned paperyap yap toy. You can peer inside
and choose which tea you'd like to brew and then read the
individual message attached to each bag. At the end of a
dinner party when the inevitable who wants coffee/tea/herbal
question is asked you could just put the star in the middle
open it up and ask people to choose which one they want.
Each star contains 2 x Happiness teabags, 2 x Sleepy,
2 x Inspiration, 2 x Love and 2 x Friendship for £9.99.
I would hold off on the sleepy tea though, unless it's
you who are hosting the party!
Now about those socks, obviously I wouldn't suggest anything
so mundane but one idea I did find at the Mind Body Exhibition
was some very 'Star Trek' looking socks. They have been
designed by a reflexologist to help relieve pain and have
unique patented ridges which stimulate specific reflexology
zones on the bottom of the feet as you walk or stand. They
look odd, but then who is going to see them inside your shoes?
They have good testimonials from satisfied users, and are
machine washable and apparently 91% of wearers say Reflosocks
help to alleviate their aches and pains. Go have a look at
http://www.reflotherapies.co.uk/
2 CHRISTMAS CAUTION. As a child I received a tin of Quality
Street, a box of Black Magic, a chest of All Gold and various
other chocolate treats every Christmas. After the war that
kind of easy access to things we had done without was
irresistible, now 60 odd years later we can see the dangers.
A recent study in the USA of obese children as young as 10
showed that they had the arteries of 45-year-olds and other
heart abnormalities that greatly raise their risk of heart
disease. Currently about a third of American children are
overweight and one-fifth are obese and although many parents
think that this kind of puppy fat will melt away as they get
older it is establishing eating patterns and health habits
that are best avoided. Ultrasound tests on the children found
that they also had more rigid arteries than was expected and
this is a possible sign of plaque deposits starting to form.
So if you are buying presents for children, exercise love with
caution and cut down on the selection boxes and chocolate in
general.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do 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 my website.
Best wishes for a healthy week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 12 November, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's a bit of an 'early warning' issue, which is better
than 'I told you so' and I hope that you pass on any of
the news that hits a chord with you - especially to people
with pacemakers. It's the annual Mind, Body and Soul
exhibition this weekend where I usually find some
interesting new ideas, and some so outlandish that it
reinforces my delight in our national reputation as
eccentrics - I will report back next week. May I wish
you the very best of continuing good health.
Best wishes from AnnA
In this issue:
- THE VALUE OF ICE
- MUSIC ON THE MOVE MAY NOT BE GOOD FOR YOUR HEART
- BLOOD TEST TO DETECT EARLY ALZHEIMER'S
- MORE SLEEP = BETTER HEALTH
- CANCER RISK AND STRESS
HEALTH BITES:
- Whatever is Tigger doing?
- Arthritis pain relief
- Lower blood pressure with grapes and tea
THE VALUE OF ICE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These days there are very few people who are without a
mobile phone, and whatever the pros, cons, and potential
risks to health, there is no denying they are invaluable
in an emergency. But are you making the most of it? It
is apparently standard procedure for paramedics at the
scene of an accident to look for your mobile phone to get
a contact number in the case of an emergency.
Like most of us, you probably have quite a few numbers in
there so how do they know who to call first? This is where
ICE - 'In Case of Emergency' - comes in. It is spreading
worldwide, and has the double benefit of helping the
emergency services and giving you and your nearest and
dearest peace of mind. The idea was thought up by a
paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of
accidents, there were always a mobile phone on the patient,
but scrolling through the names took time and it wasn't
always clear who to call.
All you need to do is store the number of a contact person
or persons who should be contacted during any emergency
under the name 'ICE' ( In Case Of Emergency). You can of
course have several, and label them ICE 1, ICE 2 and so on
in case the first number isn't reachable. A very simple
idea, but one well worth passing on.
MUSIC ON THE MOVE MAY NOT BE GOOD FOR YOUR HEART
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Music has great power to soothe and de-stress, and is
very beneficial to those recovering from illness or surgery
or just needing to relax, but a new study reported at an
American Heart Association meeting may mean rethinking
that. It seems that an mp3 player could potentially cause
interference and affect heart devices like pacemakers or
implanted defibrillators. Apparently it is not the player
itself that is the problem, it's the earphones as many
makes have the magnetic substance neodymium, which helps
with sound reproduction. It is this that may interfere
with the devices if placed directly on your chest above
heart level.
It's not about the listening, but about where you store
the headphones while carrying the mp3 player around with
you. Dr.William H. Maisel, director of the Medical Device
Safety Institute in Boston, USA ran extensive tests and
found that the biggest concern was for defibrillator
patients, because the magnet can temporarily deactivate it.
However, pacemakers are not exempt from concern as they are
designed to boost slow heart rhythms, and when exposed to
magnets, they may deliver signals that tell the heart to
beat faster, whether it needs to or not.
In the new study, the researchers attached eight types of
headphones to iPods and mp3 players. These were either
earbuds or clip-ons, not the larger noise-cancelling
varieties favoured by business travellers to also exclude
external noise. Around 23% of the participants experienced
electromagnetic interferencewhen the headphones were placed
on the chest - directly over the heart. However, there
weren't any problems if the headphones were 3 centimetres,
or about 1.2 inches, or more above the skin's surface.
This is not a conclusive study, but if you have a pacemaker
or defibrillator it is sensible advice to not tuck the
headphones into the front pocket of your jacket or let
them trail over your shoulders near the heart area when
they are not in use.
BLOOD TEST TO DETECT EARLY ALZHEIMER'S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is no doubt that the fear of Alzheimer's is a major
concern for many people as they get older. A natural, and
normal slight memory loss - those 'senior moments' - can
develop into a genuine worry about the development of the
disease. Part of the problem has been that there is no
foolproof way of predicting who is vulnerable, no reliable
test, or how to spot the disease in its very early stages.
Now there may be a way to overcome this through a simple
blood test.
Scientists at a California biotech company claim that the
test is about 90% accurate and can detect Alzheimer's two
to six years before the onset of symptoms. It works through
the signals the brain sends to the body's immune system.
These signals pick up changes in the blood proteins in the
brain and certain changes in these proteins produce a pattern
that's characteristic to Alzheimer's.
There are more than 100 different types of dementia, but
Alzheimer's is the most common and there are 417,000 people
diagnosed with it in the UK - predicted to rise to over 1
million by 2025.
It will be a few years before this test is available for
use by doctors and it would be offered first to those whose
close relatives have the disease and who may be suffering
memory loss themselves. It may be that you don't want to
know in advance if you have this disease, but an early
diagnosis can give patients a chance to make changes to
their diet and exercise more in an effort of slowing or
staving off chances of getting the disease.
SELF HELP PROGRAMME
Despite common belief, heredity only plays a part in
getting Alzheimer's and it is more likely that environmental
factors play a part - particularly the role of free radicals
as they cause damage to cells. Cortisol, a stress hormone,
may be a causative factor, particularly when produced over
a long period of time and good nutrition and herbal
treatments prevent and fight damage from free radicals
and reduce stress. Toxins such as aluminium and mercury
are also a problem since they can be taken into the body
and remain in the tissues.
There are a number of things you can do to help lessen
some of the symptoms, or the onset, of Alzheimer's and
these are just a few of the supplements that have been
found to be effective in many cases:
*Ginkgo biloba for improved memory, attention and mood.
*B vitamins, particularly Folate, which is important to
the nervous system and helps eliminate homocysteine from
the blood.
*Vitamin E is a scavenger of free radicals and it is fat
soluble so readily enters the brain where it is thought
to slow cell damage.
*The Ayuredic herb Ashwagandha (Withania somniferum) is
used as a brain tonic and reduces stress hormone levels
*DHEA is a hormone used to help cognitive function
*Chlorella aids in the detoxification process of heavy
metals.
For more information on Alzheimer's and dementia, visit
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/
MORE SLEEP = BETTER HEALTH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As they get older, many people find they are sleeping less,
but that could be a health risk. So to encourage you to try
and improve your sleeping habits, if you are currently
sleeping fewer than seven-and-a-half hours a night - and
are over 60 - then you could be increasing your risk of
heart disease.
If you don't get a full 8 hours plus, then that is associated
with a higher rise in overnight blood pressure which increases
your risk. This is based on a Japanese study of older patients
with hypertension, where they found that the combination of
little sleep and elevated overnight blood pressure was
associated with an increased risk as well.
Previous studies on the effect of lack of sleep have been
done on younger patients and they showed a link to multiple
health disorders, including obesity, diabetes, and
cardiovascular disease so they are not exempt either.
This is the first study on older patients and shows a
particular link with increased risk of heart disease.
If you have trouble sleeping, try a late night drink of
chamomile tea, a lavender oil warm bath, or the excellent
Bach Rescue Sleep. This is a new formulation that I tried
recently and it contains the original 5 effective ingredients
of "Rescue Remedy®" plus White Chestnut which is effective
against restless mind. I certainly found it to be very
effective, though rather too sweet for my taste, and am
waiting to hear from the Bach Centre what that ingredient is!
CANCER RISK AND STRESS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The International Journal of Oncology has been looking at
whether the stress in your life can cause you to develop
cancer, and the answer lies in your diet. Particularly in
vegetables such as that Christmas favourite, the brussel
sprout.
These are very stressful times, so anything we can do to
help our bodies deal with it will also help us avoid diseases
like cancer. We know that stress impacts our immune systems
and ability to fight off invading organisms so that we become
more vulnerable to all kinds of diseases and illnesses. This
current study goes a long way toward documenting the link
between stress and cancer and stressing the importance of
our own role in preventing illness.
Chronic high levels of stress result in chronic high levels
of norepinephrine and adrenaline. Norepinephrine is a
neurotransmitter that is similar to adrenaline and these
hormones act together to produce increased heart rate and
blood pressure - the precursor to our 'fight or flight' mode.
So how do you inhibit the production of norepinephrine in
this stress-filled times? You increase the amount of
sulforaphane in your diet. This is a compound that you
get from eating cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels
sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, kale,
kohlrabi, mustard, turnip, radish, rocket, and watercress.
Sulforaphane has potent anticancer activity that triggers
the production of enzymes that help detoxify cancer-causing
chemicals and is particularly abundant in broccoli sprouts.
A concentrated extract from broccoli sprouts may cut the
development of bladder cancer by more than 50% and researchers
at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have found that
eating just one ounce of broccoli sprouts provides as much
sulforaphane as more than a pound of cooked broccoli. The
have devised a product, called Brocco Sprouts, that is on
sale in supermarkets in the USA but in the UK your choice
is a bit more limited.
The healthiest option is to grow your own sprouting seeds
and you can get broccoli sprouts from here
http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/ and apparently they are
good in sandwiches, mild rather like alfalfa. Personally,
as a total non-broccoli fan I get my cruciferous boost by
juicing with the addition of a sweet apple and carrot which
is the only way I can deal with them!
If eating healthy amounts of cruciferous vegetables does not
appeal to you, try adding broccoli sprouts to a sandwich or
salad. Broccoli sprouts don't have to be eaten daily to provide
their full effect. A one ounce serving is good for three days
worth of full spectrum antioxidant protection from sulforaphane
comparable to the best antioxidant supplements on the market.
A box of sprouts contains four of these servings and retails
for about 4 dollars.
Juicing is another good way to consume cruciferous vegetables,
particularly if you have digestive difficulties. You can add
cruciferous vegetables to your vegetable juice recipes. One
large stalk of broccoli makes only about an inch of power
packed juice in a glass, so it doesn't have a huge impact on
the taste of the recipe.
Supplements of broccoli sprouts are available at health food
stores and online health retailers such as Vitacost or Lucky
Vitamin. The best known is called Broccoliv. Vitacost has a
less costly house brand.
Health Bites:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 WHATEVER IS TIGGER DOING? At this time of year
parents and grandparents are under constant bombardment
to buy for Christmas and the marketing is ruthless and
clever - often using favourite cartoon and tv characters.
However, I did think there was one that was safe from
this persuasion by well-loved characters and that was in the
drug industry. Well, not any more. Pharmaceutical reps working
for the drug company AstraZeneca, have been urged to used
popular Disney characters to promote psychiatric drugs to
children.
What A A Milne would think is anyone's guess, but some of
Winnie the Pooh's best-loved friends have been rebranded
to promote sales of Seroquel, an antipsychotic. Tigger
apparently is now described as "bipolar" and poor old
Eeyore - who has quite enough to worry about - is apparently
described as suffering from "depression". Presumably the
Hundred Acre Wood has also been stripped of all plant life
to make new and better drugs.
2 ARTHRITIS PAIN RELIEF. Damp, cold days can set off
arthritic aches and pains, and we have certainly had
more than a few of those recently. Taking non steroidal
anti inflammatories such as Nurofen is the conventional
route, but if you want a natural solution pop down to
Boots or your health store and get some Arnica cream
from the Natural Remedies section. You simply rub it
onto the affected area to relieve the pain, but don't
use it if your skin is raw or cut in any way.
3 LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE WITH GRAPES.
Ever wondered why grapes are the most popular fruit
to take to hospital? Or why the visitor ends up eating
them as well as the patient? It could be because
visiting someone in hospital - or being a patient - is
a stressful time and it seems that grapes help lower
blood pressure and improve heart function.
High blood pressure can lead to heart attack, heart failure,
stroke and kidney failure and admittedly this study was
sponsored in part by Californian grape producers, but we
already know that flavonoids, the beneficial chemicals
found in grapes, green tea, cocoa and tomatoes, have an
effect on blood pressure and this seems to confirm that.
So buy an extra large bunch next time you are visiting,
or treat yourself to one at home. Oh, and drinking a
herb tea containing hibiscus may also lower blood pressure
according to Diane L. McKay, Ph.D., of Tufts University
in Boston, who reported the good results to the American
Heart Association. Hibiscus is rich in Vitamin C and could
help in reducing cholesterol. If you have difficulty
finding it, Hambledon Herbs do an excellent organic one.
http://www.hambledenherbs.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do 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 my website.
Best wishes for a healthy week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 5 November, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 5th is the day of plotting and treason, and my
piece on health insurance may make you wish for a few
bangers of your own. Time to think about exercise - but
as ever only in moderation - and guess what? Men aren't
so very different from women after all when it comes to
that ticking biological clock. May I wish you the very
best of continuing good health. Best wishes from AnnA
In this issue:
- EXERCISE LOWERS POST MENOPAUSAL BREAST CANCER RISK
- MEDITERANEAN DIET REDUCES KIDS ASTHMA RISK BY 78%
- NEWS ON THE FOOD FRONT X 2
- MEN HAVE A BIOLOGICAL CLOCK TOO
HEALTH BITES:
- Health insurance says 'no' to mistakes
- Germs - don't spread them about!
EXERCISE LOWERS POST MENOPAUSAL BREAST CANCER RISK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Breast cancer is a serious concern for women, and anything
we can do to minimise that risk has got to be good news
- especially when it's natural, and free. An eleven year
follow up study from the National Cancer Institute in the
USA on over 23,000 women, appears to suggests that women
who reported the highest levels of physical activity had
an almost 20% lower risk of breast cancer compared with
women who exercised the least. Two pointers here: the
activity has to be vigorous or it appears to have no
influence on reducing the risk, and the benefits were
seen only in women who were fairly slim. As postmenopausal
women have a tendency to put on weight, it seems as though
combining exercise with a sensible diet might also be in
order.
The survey defined vigorous activity to include scrubbing
floors, chopping wood, and running or fast jogging. Though
obviously not at the same time - how many women in the
States still chop wood? They also defined non-vigorous
exercise as activities including washing clothes, lawn
mowing, and walking. They obviously have much more powerful
lawn powers in the US that do all the work for you, rather
than the old push-me pull-you mowers of my childhood which
no one could define as non-vigorous as the aching back and
arms afterwards would testify.
The message is clear; if you want to avoid post-menopausal
breast cancer - especially if you have any history of it
in your family - you could start by walking briskly to the
nearest salsa class and then jogging home.
BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you are thinking of taking up running the marathon - as
many do to help breast cancer charities - then please
approach with caution and do it under professional
supervision. Why? Well, there is now accumulating evidence
from recent studies that pushing your body to run 26.2 miles
can cause at least minor injury to your heart.
Dr Arthur Siege is director of internal medicine at Harvard's
McLean Hospital in, Massachusetts - and he has run 20 marathons.
He is the ideal man to study the subject and he has published
many studies on the health consequences of marathons. His
main conclusions that you might want to think about before
you strap on the running shoes are that the physical effects
of running a marathon include changes in your immune system
and kidney function, but obviously your muscles take the worst
punishment. The further you run then your muscles stiffen and
this can result in injury-signalling enzymes leaking through
the heart membrane, and that is consistent with significant
stress on the heart.
MEDITERANEAN DIET REDUCES KIDS ASTHMA RISK BY 78%
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With 1 in 11 children currently receiving treatment for asthma
it is now a very common condition - but that doesn't make it
any the less worrying. We have dealt with asthma before, but
some news in this week might help make life easier for some
of those children, and their parents. For those who are unsure
about asthma in young children, the symptoms to look out for
are:
* A cough at night.
* A cold that doesn't go away.
* A whistling sound when breathing out
.
That last symptom is particularly relevant in the UK as we
apparently have the highest prevalence of severe wheeze in
children aged 13-14 years than anywhere else in the world.
Now the medical journal Allergy is suggesting a way parents
can be more in control of the condition through some simple
dietary changes. I have talked about the health benefits of
the Mediterranean diet for heart health in adults, but now it
seems it could also relieve asthma symptoms in children. In
Crete, where the Mediterranean diet is the norm, an estimated
80% of the children there eat fresh fruit at least twice
a day and almost that same number also have fresh vegetables
twice daily as well. (Sadly the research doesn't tell us how
they get them to eat so much without a fistfight) So why is it
important? Well very few children in Crete have asthma or hay
fever and the researchers from the University of Porto in
Portugal concluded that their best asthma-fighting foods were
oranges, apples, tomatoes and grapes.
Adults on the same type of diet, who had asthma, were found
to have fewer attacks and flare-ups. However, if they also
included nuts in their diet at least three times a week then
that produced less wheezing. A likely explanation for this is
that nuts contain a lot of magnesium which helps boost your
lung power.
AVOID THIS:
There was however one substance that the researchers found
that would double the risk of children getting asthma and
allergic rhinitis - margarine. This finding confirms what
up an Australian study found over 7 years ago when they first
warned that the polyunsaturated fats found in many margarines
can double a child's chances of having asthma.
If you want more information, please visit
http://www.asthma.org.uk/
NEWS ON THE FOOD FRONT X 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First I own up to the fact I am a big fan of green tea, partly
for the taste but mostly for the whole range of health benefits
it brings. However, I have to concede it's not to everyone's
taste though I may have come across a way to overcome that.
Hambleden Herbs is a wholly organic company that has been
around for 25 years and they have developed a range of green
teas in combination with other natural ingredients that might
make it more palatable if you haven't managed to crack the green
tea barrier. These really are superior teas with all organic
and natural ingredients - no synthetic 'flavours' to be found
here. If the sound of Lemon Grass and Ginger, Green Tea and
Jasmine, or Green Tea and Ginger tickle your taste buds, I am
afraid you might have to search them out as they don't sell in
many stores, so your best bet is probably their website at
http://www.Hambledenherbs.com
I mentioned the benefits of the Mediterranean diet above, and
one of the main ingredients of that are tomatoes. However,
not content with letting mother nature get on with it,
scientists have grown genetically-engineered purple tomatoes
in an attempt to promote healthy food. I wasn't aware tomatoes
were not already a healthy food, but you know these scientists,
they can't let a good thing alone.
The research was done at the John Innes Centre, a biotechnology
institute in Norwich - and presumably grown in their own
compost.
They took two genes from the snapdragon flower (Antirrhinum
majus)
which gave them anthocyanin, the purple pigment that makes
blackberries almost black. Anthocyanins can protect against
certain cancers, heart and degenerative diseases, and may delay
the development of inflammation, obesity and diabetes.
I may be wrong, but I think I grew purple tomatoes in my
greenhouse around ten years ago - just for the colour as it
turned out because the taste wasn't that great. They were more
black than purple and if anyone remembers them do let me know
the variety and I will pass it on to the John Innes Centre to
save them wasting any more time - and compost.
MEN HAVE A BIOLOGICAL CLOCK TOO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't know chaps, can't you let us have anything for
ourselves?
We would willingly pass on giving birth, at least 50% of the
time, but you haven't lined up for that one yet. What you now
are laying claim to is having the same sort of biological clock
that we thought was exclusive to women. Despite news stories of
men fathering children at the age of 80 and upwards, the average
man's fertility does not go on forever.
Although men constantly produce sperm every 90 days for as
long as they live, the actual potency of those sperm has been
brought into question. We have seen numerous stories about
man's declining levels of fertility where young men today
produce a quarter of the sperm their grandfathers did, and
have assumed that it was just environmental factors causing
greater delays in men being able to get their partners pregnant.
In cases referred to fertility clinics, the ratio is now 50/50
for men and women in assessing where the medical problem lies.
Now a French study has found that a father's age could have as
much of an impact on the rate of pregnancy and miscarriage as
a mother's age - obviously Charlie Chaplin was an exception.
Generally, in fertility studies, the older either potential
parent is then the chances of conception are reduced, and
sadly the rate of miscarriage is increased. Statistically,
if the man is younger than 25, around 92% will get their
partner pregnant in under a year. However, adding just 10
years to the mix certainly alters the statistics, as the
number taking under a year then drops to 85%. It's not just
the increased time it can take to create a viable pregnancy.
The older a man is, then the greater the risk to the child
of Downs syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.
Also, fathers over 55 seem to have a greater potential for
fathering children with psychological problems with around
37% of them having children who are diagnosed with bipolar
disorder at some point in life.
It seems that for men, as for women, the biological clock
ticks loudest between 30 and 35 and delaying starting a
family may have sound financial reasons - but not necessarily
the best health ones.
Health Bites:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 HEALTH INSURANCE SAYS 'NO' TO MISTAKES. We take out
insurance to protect ourselves against what might happen in
the case of house, home, or health insurance and against what
will happen in the case of life insurance. Now there is a new
twist that is hitting hard in the USA, and as we seem to follow
their lead in most things I thought I would give you a heads-up
on this one. Medicare is the federally-funded medical plan for
Americans age 65 and over that covers medical expenses such as
doctor's visits, hospital stays, drugs and other treatment -
similar to the NHS, but here comes a major difference. They have
just announced that they will no longer pay to correct medical
errors. So, for instance if during your operation the surgeon
amputates the wrong toe then the hospital itself will have to
pay for corrective treatment, not Medicare. And quite right too,
you might think, but in the UK this would mean that it was
coming
out of your hospital's budget from the NHS which would mean less
money for initial treatments. Now, we don't want to reward bad
work, but if the US trend is followed here - and the private
insurers have quickly followed suit there - then the next part
of Medicare's announcement will impact us as consumers as well.
Medicare will not provide any insurance cover for what they are
calling "reasonably preventable" conditions. They have listed 10
of these, including post-operative infections from select
procedures,bed sores, injuries resulting from falls, and
incompatible blood transfusions. In other words 'mistakes'
that happen in hospitals every day. It is making hospitals
performance oriented, which as we have seen with patient and
operation targets does not always work in the way it was
intended.
Medicare's Payment Advisory Commission also recently recommended
that hospitals with high readmission rates had their payments
reduced. So if you live in a chronically unhealthy area, or one
with a high number of elderly people they are being asked to
treat the same number of people for less money - and how will
that impact patient care?
2 GERMS - DON'T SPREAD THEM ABOUT! I know you are amazingly
conscientious about washing your hands, especially when you
have a cold. BUT ... scientists in the Virology Department of
the University of Virginia, have found that cold sufferers
can leave active germs around the house on surfaces they have
touched - like door or fridge handles, and even the TV remote
- and they can live for two days or longer. This confirms
previous research they carried out two years ago, when they
showed that germs survived in hotel rooms a day after guests
left, waiting to be picked up by the next person checking in.
You may avoid shaking the hand of a person with a cold, or
kissing them on the cheek, but you never think about the
everyday places in the home where these germs can lurk.
Antibacterial wipes are one answer, or just wait on the
invalid hand and foot and never let them near the remote.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do 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 my website.
Best wishes for a healthy week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
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The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 31 December, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you plan on celebrating the New Year not wisely but too
well, I have a couple of suggestions that might make your
recovery a little easier. A while ago I was talking to two
of my friends who are astrologers and we were commenting on
how certain zodiac signs have particular health weaknesses
or vulnerabilities. I thought it might be fun to share those
thoughts with you over the next 12 issues so you can build a
profile of your own star sign, and those of your friends and
family. Plus catch up on the very best medical breakthroughs
of 2008 so you have some good news to start the New Year. May
I wish you the very best of continuing good health throughout
2009 and a very Happy New Year. Best wishes from AnnA
In this issue:
- 3 WAYS TO NATURALLY HELP A HANGOVER
- THE 5 BEST OF 2008
- IS GARDENING THE NEW GYM WORKOUT?
HEALTH BITES:
- Astrological health profiles - Capricorn
- Yawning isn't about feeling sleepy
3 WAYS TO NATURALLY HELP A HANGOVER
No matter what your good intentions, it can happen that you
might have raised a glass too many to see in the New Year and
are faced with the effects of a hangover. If you have then
there are some natural remedies that can help, but first let
me just suggest that however you feel, before you go to bed
do drink a large glass of water, preferably with some vitamin
C to counteract the dehydration alcohol can bring. Then in
the morning, try these:
** Honey and Lemon may be something you associate with a
cold, but it is a wonderful way to get plenty of liquid and
the sugars that are also lost when you overindulge. Couldn't
be simpler, just squeeze a lemon into a mug, add honey and
hot water then stir and sip. Please don't substitute sugar for
honey, as you need the fructose honey contains as it prevents
the rapid change in alcohol levels that results in headaches.
Plain sugar contains sucrose, which isn't absorbed as quickly,
so get out the honey jar and make several cups a day to
help you recover.
** Rice, Soup, or Toast is what you need to give you some
energy, and although you may not feel like eating you do
have to give your body some fuel to start the rebuilding
process. You don't want a heavy meal, but some easy to
digest foods are just what your body wants so either use
an organic vegetable stock cube and make a cup of soup for
yourself or if you can manage it have some plain toast,
very lightly buttered and with no topping, or some plain
boiled rice with just a little miso or soy sauce to flavour
it.
** Slippery elm bark was traditionally used by Native Americans
as a poultice for boils, ulcers and for wounds in general. If
you were caught up in the obligatory hugging and kissing at
the stroke of midnight then you might have a few bruises if
the hugging got too enthusiastic, but generally it's recommended
for that irritated stomach that often follows over indulgence.
It has been used to treat IBS because of it's soothing effect
on tissue and will certainly help calm down an upset stomach.
It can be obtained in powder or capsule form, and personally
I would get the capsules as the texture of the powder when
mixed with water is quite gelatinous in nature and some find
it difficult to swallow.
PS - if you also have a blinding headache see the remedies
suggested under Christmas ailments in the issue of 17 December.
THE 5 BEST OF 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The year may have ended on doom and gloom on the economic front
but there were some remarkable breakthroughs that will help
improve our lives. In case you missed any, just celebrate these:
** Improved osteoporosis treatment will happen as a result of a
new risk calculator called FRAX. It was developed by the World
Health Organization, and uses 12 factors that affect bone health
to determine your 10-year risk of breaking a bone. According to
the National Osteoporosis Foundation, if a bone density test
shows you as borderline or at risk, you shouldn't be started
on bone-boosting drugs unless FRAX puts your risk of a fracture
above 20% over the next ten years. It helps you to know if you
really need bone-building drugs or not, and with the negative
side effects like stomach upsets and oesophageal ulcers it is
best to avoid it if possible.
** Organic foods are worth the extra cost according to a review
of nearly 100 studies. They showed that organic fruit,
vegetables
and grains were 25% higher in a dozen nutrients, and 50% more of
the antioxidants quercetin and beta-carotene. Plus you don't get
the pesticides and chemical fertiliser residue that you get from
non organic produce.
47,000 lives a year a year have been saved as a result of
studies
on the best way to treat diabetes. They concluded that a multi-
disciplinary approach applied early in the diagnosis is the most
effective way to tackle the condition. By controlling glucose
levels and prescribing drugs to reduce high cholesterol,
triglycerides, and blood pressure they cut the risk of dying
within 13 years by 20%.
Plus researchers discovered something they called "metabolic
memory": This was applied after studying people who manage to
substantially reduce their glucose levels and discovered that
they had a 13% lower risk of dying a full ten years later. This
still held true even if they then neglected their sugar levels
and let them rise in the intervening years.
** Arthritic knees should stay off the operating table, because
a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine
concluded that arthroscopic surgery was no help at all for
people with this condition. Arthroscopy is a way for a surgeon
to look into your knee joint with a camera, but a comparative
study of 200 adults with moderate-to-severe knee osteoarthritis
who either had arthroscopy plus therapy, or physical and medical
therapy alone has found that after two years the group who had
the surgery were no better off than the group who hadn't.
However,
they do agree that arthroscopy is an important tool when it
comes
to repairing cartilage tears and other injuries.
** Breakthrough for breast cancer treatment has been praised
by oncologists at Massachusetts General Hospital in the USA
because it means a shorter radiation treatment schedule. Women
who have a lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer usually have
to undergo 5-7 weeks of daily radiation treatment which, as I
know from personal experience with a close friend, can often
involve a journey of miles to the nearest facility plus having
to arrange childcare and facing a long journey back home
afterwards when feeling less than well - to say nothing of the
parking fees most hospitals now charge. In fact women have
sometimes chose a mastectomy instead of facing this upheaval,
but now a 12-year Canadian study has proved that 3 weeks of
radiation at slightly higher daily doses is just as effective
-- with no decrease in survival rates or breast appearance
** New study may prevent thousands of cases of colon cancer
that are currently being missed by a colonoscopy. This
procedure means looking for polyps, but when 1,800 patients
were studied it was found that about 9% of those examined had
a different kind of growth; one that's flat or even recessed.
These are missed on the colonoscopy because they tend to be
overlooked, but researchers found these growths are up to 10
times as likely to be cancerous as equal-size polyps. This new
information means that doctors will be vigilant in searching
for and removing these lesions which should slash the rate of
colon cancer and even death, according to the American Society
for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
** Risk of Diabetes slashed with new information that smashes
the stereotype. Being overweight is often cited as a cause of
diabetes, but a recent study from the Mayo Clinic showed that
many women are dangerously "skinny fat". They found that more
than half of the 1,101 women with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of
under 25, which is normally considered healthy, but they
actually
had more than 30% body fat, making them "normal weight obese."
Why is it a problem if they seem slim? Because fat cells pump
out damaging hormones and, these women had 4 times the rate of
pre-diabetes of those with less body fat.
** Don't rush to treat sinus infections with antibiotics,
because
it's a good principle to avoid them wherever possible to prevent
them becoming ineffective through overuse, but also because they
won't make any difference. Researchers at Switzerland's Basel
Institute for Clinical Epidemiology examined nine studies
involving
more than 2,500 adults and found that the drugs almost never
speeded up recovery. Antibiotics are powerless against viruses,
the cause of most sinus infections, and even most of the people
with a classic sign of severe infection, a greenish mucus,
improved just as fast by waiting and taking a decongestant
and rinsing the sinuses up to four times a day with a salt
solution as by taking antibiotics. It's recommended that you
should stay away from antibiotics unless you have multiple
symptoms, including facial pain, fever, pus, and more than a
weeklong illness. .
** Lose Weight by eating more bread may seem like a
contradiction,
but if it contains a kind of dietary fibre known as "resistant
starch" then that seems to help control hunger. It gets its name
from the fact that the starch escapes digestion in the small
intestine of healthy individuals and because it doesn't enter
your bloodstream, it stabilizes blood sugar levels and may
lower diabetes risk. It also boosts levels of healthful bacteria
that nurture the immune system. A 2008 Swedish study found that
people who ate a resistant starch at supper (in the form of
barley bread) felt much less hungry than those who ate plain
white bread. Even better, the effect lasted past breakfast
the next day, but if you can't find barley bread then it is
also found in brown rice, beans, slightly green bananas, and
both white and sweet potatoes. It's only when these foods
are cool, or at room temperature, that the starch becomes
resistant so stock up on three bean, potato and rice salads.
IS GARDENING THE NEW GYM WORKOUT?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I love two for one offers, and apparently gardening is not
only going to provide you with lots of organic fruit and
vegetables, and flowers to brighten your life, but apparently
it has now been declared healthy, too.
A report from the American Society for Horticultural Science
(30 December 2008), has given us the glad news that being fit
is not just about eating fewer calories but it also provides
the right amount of recommended physical activity for the over
60's. It's generally recommended that for optimum fitness you
need at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity
on most days of the week - which can be hard to fit into a
schedule, and as my readers know I am full of admiration for
those who have the discipline to go the gym regularly, but I
have no intention of joining them.
But gardening is a pleasurable activity and one that is very
popular; previous research has shown that it results in
improvement in mental health and depression and a recent
study from Kansas State University wanted to find out how
it could affect fitness compared to such activities as
jogging, swimming, or weight training.
They anticipated good results on bone density because of the
weight bearing activities related to gardening - mowing the
lawn, digging holes, pulling up weeds, pushing the wheelbarrow
in case you are interested - because all these tasks involve,
using all the muscle groups in the body.
Obviously the time you spend in the garden varies according
to the time of year from up to 33 hours a week in May down to
15 hours a week in June and July - and it does depend on what
part of the country you live in. As we get older we are risk
of having less strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, and
a healthy heart but we are also less likely to exercise because
we find it boring. Gardening is a year round physical activity
that engages our mind and our body and now we can also cite is
as our 'free and natural gym'. No membership required, but I am
wondering how I can spend 33 hours a week on a balcony 6 feet
by 3 feet - does sitting watching the garden grow count do you
think?
HEALTH BITES:
1 ASTROLOGICAL HEALTH PROFILES
Capricorn 22 December - 20 January
The first profile of the year goes to Capricorns who happily
tend to live to a ripe old age. This could in part be due to
the fact they are tenacious, determined, cautious and
disciplined, but like all the signs they have their own
areas of weakness. This is what they need to watch out for:
* The skeletal structure is a vulnerable area, especially
the knees
* Later in life, rheumatism and arthritis can be a problem
* Osteoporosis and deposits of calcium on the bones, especially
around the joints
* Stress and tension may show up in the skin as boils, acne
and nervous rashes
Sounds like the 'goat' may be overstraining the joints with all
that leaping from rock to crag, so try Tai Chi for keeping the
joints and knees supple and include plenty of omega 3 and 6 oils
in the diet, plus a good bone supplement.
2 YAWNING ISN'T ALWAYS ABOUT FEELING SLEEPY
It's your body's way of keeping you cool. Andrew Gallup, a
researcher in the Department of Biology at Binghamton University
led a study which has shown that if your head is overheated,
there's a good chance you'll yawn soon, because the primary
purpose of yawning is to control brain temperature.
Your brain operates best when cool and we have cleverly adapted
our bodies to ensure we make sure it has the right temperature.
If you find yourself yawning over a book or a piece of work, we
naturally tend to go for fresh air, it's not just the extra
oxygen we need, but the drop in temperature that usually
accompanies it. Bertie Wooster, the PG Wodehouse character
who certainly had trouble thinking, would call on the faithful
Jeeves for a wet flannel to soothe his overheated brain and
indeed it's a good remedy along with taking deep breaths in
through the nose and making sure a room is properly ventilated
and not stuffy.
Yawning can also be an early warning signal, because if done
excessively it precedes the onset of seizures in epileptic
patients, and predict the onset of headaches in people who
suffer from migraines.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do 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 my website.
Best wishes for a healthy week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 24 December, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, almost the last issue of the year, and certainly the
last before Christmas, so I will keep it brief and to the
point as I am sure you have plenty to keep you occupied at
the moment. It may be a little shorter than usual, but I
hope it proves just as helpful. May I wish you the very
best of continuing good health and the very best that
Christmas has to offer: light, love, hope and happiness.
Best wishes from AnnA
In this issue:
- OREGANO FOR PAIN, CRAMPS AND FEVER
- 60 SECONDS TO GET YOU MOVING IN THE MORNING
- DIETING? TRAIN YOUR TONGUE FOR MAXIMUM SUCCESS
- THE BLESSING OF A SENIOR MEMORY
OH REALLY?:
Have a good cry
HEALTH BITES:
Acupuncture as effective without needles?
OREGANO FOR PAIN, CRAMPS AND FEVER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oregano may not be your first thought for treating any of
these conditions, but this traditional Mediterranean herb
that you probably add to your pasta sauces has a long been
used to treat colds, fevers, sore throats, and coughs as
well as menstrual pain. Medical studies have shown it has
anti-microbial properties which helps it fight bugs such as
MRSA and it helps digestion and soothes your stomach.
If you don't fancy using the herb neat, which isn't all that
pleasant, then tea experts Whittards have put it into a herbal
tea blend, along with apple pieces, rosehips and lemongrass
which give a pleasant, rich flavour. Plus you get the added
health benefits of added vitamin C from the other ingredients.
Buy it for £3.90 for 125g from their shops or via their
website at www.whittard.co.uk
60 SECONDS TO GET YOU MOVING IN THE MORNING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We read a lot about ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), but
mostly in relation to children. However, children grow up
and they don't necessarily grow out of the disorder but they
usually learn to manage it. One of the challenges can be the
task of getting out of bed in the mornings and getting on
with the day.
If this is you, then here's a simple 60 second plan to overcome
this - and it works whether you have ADD or just difficulty
getting out of bed! All you have to do is open your eyes,
sit up in bed and breathe gently and slowly while giving
yourself a gentle face massage just like this:
1 Breathe in and as you slowly breathe out stroke the sides of
your nose from your eyebrows downwards, using the knuckle of
your thumbs.
2 Next out breath, move your thumbs up to the middle of your
forehead and stroke outwards over your brow. Repeat 5 times
and on the last time let your knuckles move down to end in
that hollow on either side of your temple.
3 Again using your thumb knuckles, take a deep breath and as
you breathe out apply some light pressure and massage with a
circular motion until you have no breath left. with a bit of
pressure, massage that area of your temple, right in the dip.
Continue the massage until you're out of air from that breath.
4 Next breathe in, move your thumbs down to that small hollow
just in front of where your ear lies and massage that as you
did before.
5 Moving down your face, stop at the next small hollow where
the bottom of your ear lies, and near the top of your jawbone.
Massage again until you are out of breath. Take another slow
even deep breath, and find the last dip just inside the spot
the bottom of your ear attaches to your face. This one's right
near the top of the jaw bone at your temple, right in the dip.
Massage that dip until you're out of breath.
6 Final breath in, and now move round to massage the curve
of your ears as you breathe out. Repeat once more.
Now you should be ready to face the day.
DIETING? TRAIN YOUR TONGUE FOR MAXIMUM SUCCESS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Diets come and go, and are more or less successful, but
according to neuroscientists we may be overlooking a vital
factor. We tend to focus on calories and exercise and food
generally - which are all good things - but a report in
Science Daily has added another element. Research has shown
that if you are overweight over a long period it gradually
numbs the taste sensation to sweet foods. Now that may sound
like a good thing, but it means in reality that you eat more
sweeter foods to compensate.
The scientists have shown that there is a critical link between
taste and body weight so knowing that will help if you have a
sweet tooth. There are two factors at work: obesity is often
accompanied by a failure of the 'satiety signal', in other
words knowing when you are full and also not recognising that
your taste buds have been deadened so you don't realise how
much you are increasing your intake of sweet foods.
Solution? Start with portion control, and use a smaller plate,
and monitor your sweet food intake so you can start reducing it.
THE BLESSING OF A SENIOR MEMORY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you tend to see the past as having hotter summers, more
fun and fewer problems then that's a benefit of ageing. At
least it is according to Neuroscientists from Duke University
Medical Center in the USA as they have reported in the online
issue of 'Psychological Science'. They have discovered activity
in the brain that causes us to remember fewer of life's negative
events than younger people - presumably because they are nearer
in time to the bad events.
It seems that as our brains get older then they allow negative
memories to fade away. It's because older people use their
brains differently than younger people when it comes to storing
memories, particularly those associated with negative emotions.
The study focused on two groups; over 70's and under 25's who
were shown a series of 30 photographs while their brains were
imaged in a functional MRI (fMRI) machine. The pictures varied
from neutral to having very strong negative images such as
attacking snakes, mutilated bodies and acts of violence. While
in the fMRI machine, the subjects looked at the photos and
ranked them on a pleasantness scale.
Later, they were then asked to recall the pictures while being
scanned again and the results found that the older adults had
less connectivity between areas of the brain that generate
emotions and those of memory and learning, but had stronger
connections with the frontal cortex, the higher thinking area
of the brain that controls these lower-order parts of the brain.
In contrast, the young adults used more of the brain regions
typically involved in emotion and recalling memories. This
meant that they were able to recall more of the negative
photos and that because the older adults were using more
thinking than feeling, that they didn't recall the more
emotive, negative, pictures nearly so well.
The conclusion was that although the emotional centres of the
older people were just as active as those of younger subjects,
their brain connections were different. For older subjects the
benefit is that they had over their lifetime learned to be less
affected by negative information in order to maintain their
well being and emotional state. So the summers may not have
been hotter, but how nice to remember them that way and shut
out all those days spent huddling under an umbrella on the
sands.
OH REALLY?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is an area where common sense, your mother's advice and
science have finally met. Having a good cry to relieve your
frustration, tension or unhappiness is what we naturally tend
to do, usually accompanied - if we are lucky - by someone
holding our hand and telling us to 'let it all out'.
Scientists love to explain the everyday things we have all taken
for granted, and reported by the Association for Psychological
Science is a joint study by theUniversity of South Florida and
Tilburg University in the Netherlands that explores the benefits
of crying. Not surprisingly they found that most people in their
study reported improvements in their mood following a bout of
crying, but that around a third found no difference and a tenth
felt worse.
HEALTH BITES:
I am a great fan of acupuncture for pain relief and boosting the
immune system, but I appreciate there are people who don't like
needles. Well, good news for you because scientists at Linkoping
University in Sweden have shown that it works just as well
without
using needles.
They were studying 200 cancer patients and using acupuncture to
help relieve nausea during radiotherapy, Half received standard
acupuncture and half were given pressure on the same acupuncture
points with a blunt placebo needle that just touched the skin,
but didn't go in.
An impressive 95 percent of the patients in both groups felt
that
the treatment had helped relieve their nausea, and 67 percent
had
experienced other positive effects such as improved sleep,
brighter
mood, and less pain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do 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 my website.
Best wishes for a healthy week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 17 December, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thought it might be useful to give you a natural survival
guide for Christmas ailments both physical and emotional,
so print it out and pin it to the fridge or any wall you
might need to be propping yourself up on. With the best
of intentions many parents give their children commercial
soft fruit drinks but there is a hidden ingredient that
you don't want them having. This is the last week for my
alternative Christmas suggestions, so raise a healthy
glass to me if you indulge in this one! May I wish you
the very best of continuing good health.
Best wishes from AnnA
In this issue:
- THE CHRISTMAS SURVIVAL GUIDE
- FRUIT DRINKS AND CHEMICALS
- PAPERLESS PRESCRIPTIONS ON THE WAY?
HEALTH BITES:
- Go nuts for health
Health(ier) presents:
- Mull it Over!
- The Wise Men's Gifts
THE CHRISTMAS SURVIVAL GUIDE
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR CHRISTMAS AILMENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With the best will in the world it is easy to overstretch
and overstress yourself over the holiday period. Lots of
intense activity, probably more food and drink than usual
- and richer probably than your everyday diet - can all
combine to put you out of sorts. Instead of the medicine
cabinet, try these natural remedies to help prevent, and
alleviate, those Christmas blues. It can be your seasonal
'first aid' kit so make sure you keep it handy.
1 Shock and bruising
Arnica is a wonderful homoeopathic remedy for shock - and
you often get quite a few of those in the heat of family
exchanges or unwrapping the world's most unsuitable present.
Taken as a couple of tablets under the tongue it will help
you recover, and in its cream salve form it works wonders
on bruises. In all that rushing about you can get bumped
more than usual as your mind is distracted with all those
lists and trying to remember if cousin George is still
vegetarian or if that was just a short-term effect brought
on by last girlfriend. Rub the cream onto the bruise - but
only if the skin is unbroken - and it's anti-inflammatory
and antiseptic properties will not only bring you relief
from the pain but bring the bruising out faster so it passes
quicker. As Arnica also helps restore emotional balance -
which can seesaw rather violently at this time of year -
it is always an excellent remedy to have on hand during the
festive season
2 Healing cuts, scrapes, grazes
Under stress our nerves can show in many ways and one of
the most popular seems to be picking or biting at cuticles
until they bleed, or you might just not be looking carefully
enough as you slice the turkey or fight your way through the
crowds to get to the last 'most popular toy of the year' in
the store. Calendula is a herb that has been used for centuries
in folk medicine whenever cuts or sores need healing. It
contains triterpenes which encourage new cell growth, as
well as being antiseptic, and Nelson's make a Hypercal cream
which contains calendula and hypericum which can ease the pain
of the wound and Boots the Chemist also make their own version.
Make sure wound is clean first by bathing with warm water into
which a few drops of tea tree oil have been added as this too
is antiseptic and will help clear any infection.
3 Burns
As I am incapable of wresting a roast from the oven, or ironing
anything at all, without burning myself somewhere I have amassed
several useful remedies. My first option is another homoeopathic
remedy from Nelsons, this time specifically for burns, and the
second is lavender oil. Apply either immediately to the skin and
you will soon feel the heat receding, use the oil neat and
reapply
as needed. Though if the burn is around food you might want to
use the Nelson's cream instead as lavender oil is rather
pungent.
If you have an aloe vera plant in the house, then that too is
an excellent remedy to treat burns and scars. Just remove a
leaf,
cut across the tip and squeeze out the gel onto your skin. Aloe
vera is one of the remedies used treat radiation burns after
Hiroshima and it is very effective at quickly reducing heat and
keeping the skin supple and moisturised. .
4 Stomach upsets
Well first of all prevention is better than cure, so make a
Christmas resolution to be kind to your liver and don't overload
it with too much food and drink - particularly rich foods and
things you are not used to having regularly. Avoid things that
can irritate or upset the stomach, so cut down on coffee and
acid foods and try these natural remedies instead.
* peppermint tea as it soothes the stomach and aids digestion.
* ginger helps with nausea so drink ginger ale or steep ginger
slices in a cup with honey and add hot water or eat some
candied ginger.
* bananas soothe the stomach and counteract the acids that
can cause an upset stomach. They are also easily digested and
can help ease diarrhea.
* nux vom is a homoeopathic remedy that is excellent for when
you have over-indulged in too much, or too rich, foods. Two
tablets of 6 x potency under the tongue and repeated hourly
will soon help you overcome any nauseous feelings.
5 Headaches
Lavender oil can be helpful here, just put a couple of dabs
either side of your temples, just above your eyebrows and
gently massage it in with a circular motion. Do not get the
oil anywhere near your eyes. If the headache is very severe
you can try a mixture of peppermint oil with lavender and
clove in equal parts and inhale this regularly to clear your
head If your head is aching then an ice pack might help, so
put some crushed iced in a plastic bag, wrap it in a dry towel,
and use it as a compress. Ice all been used in the drinks? No
problem, just run the cold tap and soak a facecloth then wring
it out, lie down and place on your forehead. Close your eyes
until you feel better.
6 Emotional overload
If you find yourself weeping into the Brussel sprouts - and
who wouldn't - then keep a bottle of Rescue Remedy to hand.
Just a few drops on the tongue of this mixture of floral
and herb extracts helps restore emotional balance, reduces
shock, calms the nerves and is my first port of call for
anyone who is suffering from anxiety and stress. Lavender
oil is another fast lifter of the spirit, just open the
bottle and inhale, or dab a couple of drops on your wrist
and keep sniffing to keep yourself calm and on an even keel
- works with virtually everything but no guarantees for
insufferable in laws or being left with all the washing up.
FRUIT DRINKS AND CHEMICALS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well it's nice to be a world leader, but not when it comes to
being up there because we have some of the highest levels of
pesticides in fruit-based soft drinks. Spanish researchers
checked drinks in many European countries and the USA and we
came joint first with Spain, and the USA - usually home of
the additives - came out well, as did Russia.
The study was reported in the December 15 issue of the journal
Analytical Chemistry, and has revealed a basic flaw in the
regulatory system for pesticides. Although levels of pesticides
are strictly regulated in fresh fruit, vegetables, and drinking
water there has been no follow through on fruit-based soft
drinks.
The scientists measured the levels of a wide range of common
pesticides in more than 100 fruit-based soft drink samples
from 15 different countries. Pesticides they tested were those
that are applied to crops after harvest and are known to still
be able to be present during any processing methods. These
included carbendazim, thiabendazole, imazalil, and malathion,
and were found in fairly large concentrations in most of the
samples analyzed.
The main concern is for children as their systems are more
vulnerable to these chemicals, and they tend to have more
fruit-based soft drinks than adults do. Until there is
legislation in place it would be sensible to limit such
drinks or make sure they come only from organic sources -
make your own by buying organic apple juice concentrate and
diluting it with water.
PAPERLESS PRESCRIPTIONS ON THE WAY?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Where the US leads, we often follow - however reluctantly
sometimes. Now the latest buzz in the states is the move
towards online prescriptions and the end of that familiar
pad. But just what is a paperless prescription? It's when
your doctor inputs your prescription into his email and it
gets emailed straight to your chosen pharmacy. It could
benefit us as patients as you would not run any risk of
losing the piece of paper and theoretically should as it
could be there waiting for you when you leave the surgery.
The other great advantage is that electronic prescribing
systems can flash an alert if the dose seems wrong or patient
records show use of another drug that can dangerously interact.
Up to now there has been a lot of resistance by US doctors
to online prescribing - only 10% are currently signed up for
it - that may be about to change. Medicare will give doctors
who go over to online prescribing bonus payments from January
but are warning that they will only do so up to 2012. After
that any doctors who insist on sticking with their prescription
pads will find their Medicare payments cut. It's a move that
has the backing of President-elect Barack Obama as his health
- reform plans are based on saving millions of dollars a year
by moving to computerized records for everything, including
medical charts and not just prescriptions.
The Medicare incentive has encouraged a lot more doctors to
sign up, and it will be interesting to see if we follow their
lead. The US experience seems to indicate that electronic
prescribing can also save money by doctors using more generic,
and therefore cheaper, drugs but this system has two major
drawbacks: up to last year in the US there were still 27% of
independent pharmacies who did not have internet or email
access and doctors also must use software recognized by the
network. This has led to doctors printing out their online
prescriptions and then faxing them to pharmacies who don't
have the right access or equipment. That doesn't sound like
a system that is saving time or money, but it could be the
shape of things to come.
OH REALLY?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry, couldn't resist this one - and although this piece of
research confirms what we already know, it's valuable to
remember it at this stressful time of year. We know that
stress is a powerful trigger for heart attacks and strokes,
but apparently it is not the stress in and of itself that
is the problem it is the unhealthy coping mechanisms that
we often turn to that have been investigated by University
College in London.
When I talk about stress in my book 'How To Cope Successfully
With Stress' I point out that stress is not always a bad thing;
it is how you cope with it that is important. If you turn to
healthy methods of dealing with it like meditation, exercise
and changes in diet then you can handle it without adverse
health effects.
However stress makes us reach for those comfort props whether
that is food, alcohol, or smoking and those are the factors
that impact on your health and can lead to heart disease or
strokes. When we are stressed our good health resolutions
often go by the board and we stop exercising and eating
healthily and generally take less good care of ourselves.
If you get stressed, try to maintain at least some healthy
habits and make your 'comfort' blanket a little more active
- swop it for a down filled coat and go for a walk.
HEALTH BITES:
Go nuts for health may sound odd, but if you are looking for
a fast food that is full of health benefits then make sure
you add nuts to your daily diet. I know nuts have a bad
reputation in terms of putting on weight, but if you choose
sensibly you get all the benefits without the drawbacks -
basically eat your nuts untreated and unsalted.
Spanish researchers who were looking at the benefits of a
Mediterranean type of diet found that by adding nuts into
the mix cut certain heart risks substantially. Adding the
nuts helped the subjects reduce fat on their stomachs and
improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels. If you want
to follow their example, greatest health improvements in the
study were shown by those who ate 3 walnuts, 8 hazelnuts and
eight almonds but remember they must be untreated so no roasted,
salted, or flavoured versions - just the whole nut as nature
intended.
Health(ier) Presents
1 MULL IT OVER! Two products from Hambledon Herbs that
will get you in the Christmas spirit. Literally, in the case
of their Mulling Spice kit, and there is nothing more festive
than the wonderful smell of mulled wine on a cold winter's
evening - unless it's drinking the source of it of course.
The kit's unique combination of 8 organically grown herbs,
traditional spices, and enriching flowers have been blended
to give you a rich flavour and all you have to do is add the
pouch to some red wine or dry cider you have heated on the
stove. If you are catering for drivers and non-drinkers it
can also be added to apple, pomegranate, cranberry, apple or
pear juice and they kindly give you a recipe to tempt your
taste buds so here it is. Very gently heat a carton or two
of juice, with 1 mulling spice sachet per litre of liquid and
bring to a simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste, and add sugar
a little at a time to your personal preference, then serve.
So instead of dropping round to friends with a bottle of red
tucked under your arm, add a pouch of mulling spices as well
so you can all enjoy a cosy evening.
2 THE WISE MEN'S GIFTS As I am sure you remember, they brought
gold, frankincense and myrrh as gifts for Jesus, well I can't
do anything about the gold but the last two can be yours to
scent your home with Eastern magic. They are dried tree resins
containing essential oils and when heated the aromas released
are reminiscent of aromatic woods and are believed to purify
and cleanse the air. Frankincense is pale yellow and releases
an earthy scent with notes of freshly cut pine wood and Myrrh
is darker and is reminiscent of exotic sandal wood.
To surround yourself with the most wonderful fragrance, just
put a few pearls of each into the dish of an incense burner
lined with a little tin foil as the resin residue can get
sticky and be difficult to clean off when cold and it's much
easier to just throw away the foil each time. If you don't
have a burner then you could use a metal lid or plate and
place on a heat source such as the top of a wood burning
stove or a hob that has been heated and then turned off.
For both these healthy treats, visit Hambledon Herb's
website at www.hambledenherbs.com or you can phone their
them on 01980 630721. If you order before noon they promise
same working day despatch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do 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 my website.
Best wishes for a healthy week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 10 December, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Good news on the treatment front for two types of cancer,
plus one benefit of the current economic downturn might
be the drop in the number of electronic presents for kids
this Christmas. Leaving aside the cost, I pass on a caution
on why cutting back might be the best thing for the youngster's
long-term health. For your own prevention plan for Christmas
excess, see Health Bites, and read how what you eat doesn't
just affect your waistline. Plus a terribly girlie idea for
a present - that won't make you turn your nose up! May I
wish you the very best of continuing good health.
Best wishes from AnnA
In this issue:
- FOOD TO CHANGE YOUR MOOD
- KIDS AND NEW MEDIA DANGERS
- BREAST CANCER TREATMENT OPTIMISM
- HELP FOR HORMONE HEADACHES
HEALTH BITES:
- Trace element helps bladder cancer
- Christmas Excess - Be Prepared!
Health(ier) presents:
- Non-niffy nail polish
- Sweet Hairspray
FOOD TO CHANGE YOUR MOOD
Food is so closely associated with our emotions that we
scarcely give it a thought. We overeat when unhappy or
depressed, chomp chocolate to soothe a broken heart and
celebrate with special foods to make an occasion memorable.
However, it might help you to know that you can manipulate
your moods to some extent by paying attention to your diet.
There are some foods in particular which trigger chemicals
in the brain and these can have an effect for up to 3 hours
on our emotions. I know this first hand because I wrote a
book with a naturopath many years ago and she said she
always knew when I had been eating chocolate - which I
was doing a lot of at the time - because my mood was
different and my responses not as fast or open. Knowing
which foods can help, or hinder, your mood might be a
useful tool to get you through any challenging situations
that can arise.
There are three neurotransmitters (chemicals) in our brain
that affect our emotions: dopamine, norepinephrine, and
serotonin. Our brain produces them in different quantities
depending on certain elements in our food so the more, or
less, of these we eat then the more we will feel their
influence.
Feeling Good:
We are fairly familiar with the effects of serotonin as
it makes us feel calm and positive and modern anti
depressants are based on enabling greater serotonin intake.
Serotonin is manufactured in the body from the amino acid
tryptophan, which is present in most protein-based foods.
If you want a natural mood boost then add in some of its
best sources: cheese, meat, soya beans, sesame seeds, oats,
bananas, dried dates, milk and salmon. Plus of course my
perennial favourite - chocolate.
However, given the fashion for high protein diets, please
don't ignore the important role of carbohydrates. If you
have a very low, or no, carbodydrate diet then your serotonin
production can just cease as the brain needs them to produce
serotonin. You may be thinner, but your mood could plummet.
In fact you may be doing yourself a disservice by cutting down
on carbs as serotonin helps control the appetite by giving us
the feeling we are full and stopping us from having that extra
helping. If you need to calm down, then reach for a slice of
bread, some whole grain cereal or pasta and that will increase
your serotonin levels and balance your mood.
Women particularly need to pay attention to their serotonin
levels as we have less than men do and therefore are more
affected by a low-carb diet. In fact it can lead to symptoms
similar to those of PMS, so if you feel any of those you might
try just upping your carbs and seeing what difference that
makes.
Feeling Alert:
If you are starting to slow down, or even want to have forty
winks, and need a quick boost then the neurotransmitters
dopamine and norepinephrine are the ones that can help increase
your focus and alertness. That mid morning slump is often
treated
with coffee or a biscuit, but in fact for a temporary lift you
would do better to head for protein. Having a steak in your
coffee break isn't always appropriate, so snack on something
like tuna or eggs. Go to work on an egg was an old slogan, but
keep a hard boiled egg handy and you will be as alert at 11am
as you were at 9am.
Feeling lethargic:
Our energy levels do fluctuate during the day, but if yours
are extreme then one remedy might be to switch to foods with
a low Glycaemic Index (GI). These are digested more slowly and
release their energy in a more measured fashion and so have
much less impact on your blood sugar levels. Look for
unprocessed
foods, grains, and particular fruits and vegetables. The high GI
foods are usually those that are more processed and include
baked goods, sugar and that breakfast favourite - cornflakes.
If you eat more low GI foods you should be able to contain
those energy swings, and for a full view on how to do that
there are plenty of excellent books on the subject on Amazon,
or in your local book store.
KIDS AND NEW MEDIA DANGERS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have touched on this before but with the average child now
spending 7 hours a day on various forms of media it bears
looking
at again. Most Christmas lists will have at least one or two
electronic 'toys' on them, plus the ones already in the home.
New research from the National Institutes of Health, Yale
University and California Pacific Medical Center in the USA
has yet again emphasised the problems between high media
consumption and children's health problems.
This is not the usual concerns about too much violence, though
they have their place, this is specifically focused on the
effects on childrens health and the 'new media' area has not
so far been put under the spotlight. Just what is 'new media'?
Well it encompasses everything from the internet to mobile
phones, texting, video games, and social networking sites
like YouTube and Twitter. Many youngsters organise their
whole social lives on YouTube and one local family near me
had their home trashed when their teenage daughter posted
her birthday invitations on the site and got 100 gatecrashers
instead.
The researchers found that the greater the exposure to the
internet, TV, movies, music and technology a child has then
they have correspondingly higher health risks. So what are
they risking? Primarily obesity but they also are more likely
to smoke, drink and use drugs - three other key health risks.
There is of course a follow on effect and they are also likely
to be poor performers at school as well.
What's the cure? Well, back to the family - limit the amount
of time spent on this media at home. You can have little impact
outside it so it's important to have home boundaries and don't
add to the electronic stockpile this Christmas - don't buy them
an Xbox, think outside it.
BREAST CANCER TREATMENT OPTIMISM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News from Greece has confirmed that the new chemotherapy agents
are cutting advanced breast cancer mortality in half. This
reassuring news comes from a review of published studies,
by John P. A. Ioannidis, M.D., of the University of Ioannina,
and reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
They looked at 122 clinical trials involving 26,031 patients
and 22 different types of therapy.
Their conclusion was that the advent of the new anthracycline
drugs led to a 22% reduction in mortality risk compared with
older nonanthracycline drugs, and that the introduction of
taxanes resulted in a 33% risk reduction compared with older
single-agent therapy. Taken together this means that the newer
taxane-based combination treatments such as those involving
capecitabine (Xeloda), or gemcitabine (Gemzar), have reduced
mortality by 51% compared to the single-agent treatment in use
35 years ago.
Now I know chemotherapy is not the favoured option for many
people and they choose to go on any of the alternative routes
from Chinese Medicine to Spiritual healing, however, if you are
undergoing chemotherapy there is an excellent homoeopathic
remedy that can help alleviate some of the side effects. Many
homoeopathic chemists have their own variation so ask locally
or I can recommend an excellent chemist in Dorset who make their
own tablets and are happy to speak with you on the phone about
your requirements. They are the Galen pharmacy and their
telephone number is 01305 263996 or if you would like to read
more about natural treatments for cancer a book I recommend is
'Say No To Cancer' by Patrick Holford and an interesting website
to check out is http://www.cancertruth.net/ which is American
but will give you some food for thought.
PS - if you or someone you know has been affected by cancer,
then here's a chance to walk, jog, run and have fun at 5k
events across the UK, to help raise as much money as possible
to beat cancer. Women only can run, but men are very welcome
as supporters, coaches and fundraisers at Cancer Research UK's
Race for Life events taking place in 2009. If you are
interested,
they are open for entries on 19 January and for more information
visit www.raceforlife.org or call 0871 641 2282
HELP FOR HORMONE HEADACHES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have ever suffered from hormone headaches triggered by
periods then you know how badly they can affect you - and those
around you. Resorting to painkillers is not always the best
answer and if you are looking for a more natural treatment
then there is one that has been clinically proven to effectively
deal with the pain for 96% of hormone headache sufferers.
It may be put down to your 'moods' but in reality it's those
fluctuating hormones that can cause the problem and they can
occur at any point in a woman's life from puberty to menopause.
Hormone headaches generally affect only one side of the head,
and the pain is often described as throbbing and can be
accompanied by nausea and vomiting and may be made worse by
bright light and loud noise.
A small study of 50 women aged 18 to 45 who reported regularly
having hormone headaches were asked to test 4head, a natural
plant-based, licensed medicine, to see if it helped reduce their
headaches. On average, the volunteers had regularly suffered
from hormonal headaches for more than 12 years, with a minimum
of one year and a maximum of 30 years. An amazing 96% of the
women in the study reported that the treatment relieved the
pain,
and in most cases the headache began to ease within 15 minutes.
A previous clinical trial found it could begin working in just
two minutes, and this was backed by this latest study.
Another point in 4head's favour is the fact that up to a
third of women don't like taking tablets for headaches, and
this product is applied directly to the forehead either as a
stick or a patch. The active ingredient is pure levomenthol,
which gives it a minty aroma when applied to the skin and the
cooling/tingling effect effectively diverts the body's attention
away from the less bearable painful stimulus of the headache and
blocks the pain signals. At the same time, the levomenthol helps
to relax tense muscles in the head that are associated with
tension type headaches.
Given the symptoms of hormone headaches, it ought to prove
helpful for migraines as well. Available at pharmacies and
many supermarkets.
OH REALLY?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't know, you do one of these items and along comes another
- this one for the chaps. More in the category of 'well we could
have guessed that' comes the news that men who were have an
increased risk for prostate cancer are almost twice as likely
to undergo screening for the disease if married or living
with a partner. As most men are far more reluctant to consult
doctors for anything, this is no surprise so if you want to
have a healthy prostate don't stay single seems to be the
advice and comes from no less a body than the University of
Michigan.
They found that although prostate cancer screening programmes
specifically target men with a high risk for the disease,
little is known about the factors that influence these men
to take the decision to get tested. But, apparently, one of
the factors that gets them to the screening is fear - no
surprise there - and accompanied by a relationship where
they are 'persuaded' (read nagged) into going for checkups
is the most effective of all.
NB - the item below on the benefits of selenium for bladder
cancer, do not apply to prostate cancer. A new trial in the
USA has found that a combination of using selenium and vitamin
E is not effective in preventing prostate cancer in high risk
individuals.
HEALTH BITES:
Selenium is an essential trace element that we need for health,
and now it seems it could play an important role in preventing
high risk-bladder cancer for certain groups of people.
Researchers from Dartmouth Medical School this month reported
in a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research
that although not true for everyone some groups who had been
newly diagnosed with bladder cancer showed significant
reductions
in their cancer when they were found to have higher rates of
selenium than average in their bodies.
The groups affected were women, moderate smokers and those
with p53 positive cancer. While other studies have shown a
similar association between selenium and bladder cancer among
women, this study is one of the first to show an association
between selenium and p53 positive bladder cancer. Selenium is
a trace element found widely in the environment and good food
sources include Brazil nuts, bread, fish, meat and eggs
Christmas excess - be prepared!.
Now I know you are going to be entirely sensible over the
next few weeks, and those Christmas parties and drinks won't
tempt you to overindulge. But, if you do then it's as well to
be prepared. If you get an upset stomach that remains
sensitive then slippery elm is a good supplement to help
soothe any irritation - it's also a good thing to line your
stomach with if you know you are going to be faced with food
or drink that might be a bit much for your system. If you are
offered coffee after the meal, see if you can't get peppermint
or green tea instead as they will help you digest better. If
by any mischance you need more help then there is a very good
Ayurvedic recipe for tea which will help those feelings of
being bloated and sluggish from too many mince pies or slices
of Christmas cake. It is a blend of aniseed, fennel, cardamom,
coriander and celery seeds to help purify your system, clear
your mind and help your body to recover it's normal balance.
You can find Ayurvedic teas in many supermarkets and health
stores, and if you have a Whittard of Chelsea's store near
you then their own Ayurvedic Detox tea will put you on the
road to recovery for a very reasonable £2.30 for 20 teabags.
Health(ier) Presents for the Girls:
1 NON-NIFFY NAILVARNISH and SWEET HAIRSPRAY
A major drawback to nail polish, and remover, to me is the
terrible acetone smell, plus the fact that many of the chemicals
they contain dry out your nails. If you want to give a natural
present then Suncoat Water-based Nail Polish costs £10.95 8ml
and is part of a range of eco-friendly and primarily vegan
products from Canada.
These revolutionary and award-winning products are fast-drying,
long-lasting and have a wonderful range of colours using natural
mineral pigments to produce pearlised, matt and soft metallic
finishes. They don't smell like conventional nail polish because
water vapour is released instead of fumes from chemical solvents
and, uniquely, they do not contain any harmful chemicals such as
phthalates, formaldehyde, toluene, alcohol or even acetates and
are non-flammable. You can then take them off with no fumes
either
as their Nail Polish Remover, can be used for both Suncoat water
-based and conventional nail varnishes. It is gentle,
moisturising
and virtually odour free and will costyou £12.95 for 60ml.
If you don't do nail varnish, another great natural idea from
the same people is a Sugar-based Hair Spray, which I admit
doesn't sound immediately appealing but has some great benefits.
It has all the long-lasting hold, volume and versatility of a
conventional hairspray but without synthetic resins or alcohol.
Enriched with vitamin E so it will not dry the hair, brushes out
easily and is suitable for all hair types. And the sugar? Well
it uses sugar-biopolymers (polysaccharides) to give body and
medium hold to hair, without harming us or the environment and
provides antioxidant protection for hair and scalp. A sweet
price too at 8.95 for 60ml.
These products are only available by mail order from Simply
Nature, so if you want to buy a great stocking filler give
them a ring on 01580 201 687 and cross one more person off
your list!
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I hope you have found this information useful, but do 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 my website.
Best wishes for a healthy week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healthy Newsletter from AnnA
Your Weekly Health Prescription - 3 December, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Even more good news for all those wanting to make the best
of their bones, and are now eating red grapefruit daily
after last week's issue! Plus a subtle hint to all perfume
wearers before it's too late, and how to help a complete
stranger to live longer and of course some more interesting
and healthy Christmas options for those last-minute presents
- you have already done most of your shopping, right?
May I wish you the very best of continuing good health.
Best wishes from AnnA
In this issue:
- IMPORTANT NEW FINDING ON BONE HEALTH!
- STEADY ON THE SPRAY!
- THE HEALTHIEST SEASONAL FRUIT
- OH REALLY?
- HELP A STRANGER TO LIVE
HEALTH BITES:
- Say Om, not Ah
- What's In Your Lip Balm?
HEALTH(IER) PRESENTS:
- Natural Perfumes
- Oxfam goodies
IMPORTANT NEW FINDING ON BONE HEALTH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the first time ever, a link has been made between the
body's production of serotonin in the gut and the production
of osteoblasts, the cells that create new bone. Normally we
associate serotonin with the brain and its role in our 'feel
good' moods, but apparently a new study has found that 95%
of the body's supply of this molecule is produced in the gut
and it is acting as a hormone to regulate bone mass,"
In an online paper published in the Journal Cell, a team led
by Dr. Gerard Karsenty, chairman of the department of genetics
and development at Columbia University in the USA have
uncovered what could be a new way to control bone formation
and treat could osteoporosis.
Dr. Karsenty has found that gut serotonin is released into
the blood, and the more serotonin that reaches bone, the
more bone is lost. The reverse also applies; the less
serotinin in the bloodstream then the denser and stronger
bones become. As part of his study Dr. Karsenty was able
to prevent menopause-induced osteoporosis in mice by
slowing serotonin production. Osteoporosis is often dubbed
'the silent killer' because it is rarely diagnosed until the
condition is established and bones start to break and fracture
under little pressure. Conventional osteoporosis treatment has
focused on preventing bone loss, such as with bisphosphonate
drugs like Didronel, Fosamax and HRT, but unless action is
taken to build bone then the situation eventually deteriorates.
There are two more natural alternatives to such osteoporosis
drugs, one of which is made known to us through this new study.
Its findings have huge implications for osteoporosis treatment,
as it could be a simple matter of regulating your diet. The
basic building block for serotonin in the body is the amino
acid tryptophan, which is found in red meat and turkey and
in chocolate, oats, bananas, milk, yogurt, eggs, fish, poultry,
sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and peanuts. So if you have a
tendency to osteoporosis in your family, which is one of the
biggest risk factors, then aim for a diet low in tryptophan
foods to help minimise your bone loss.
The other approach, that has been tried and tested by many
osteoporosis sufferers, is to use the hormone that is essential
for bone-building and that is progesterone. Its levels decline
with age and it is a simple matter to supplement with natural
progesterone cream, patches or tablets. Though notionally
available on the NHS in the UK, it is more likely to be offered
as a private prescription and it cannot be bought over the
counter in the UK, though it is perfectly legal to import it
for your own use. If you want to know more about this hormone,
the book Natural Progesterone by Dr Shirley Bond and myself
will answer all your questions (you will find it on my website)
and you can find plenty of suppliers of the cream that Dr John
Lee recommended including Wellspring who operate out of Guernsey
and have a helpful website at www.progesterone.co.uk
STEADY ON THE SPRAY!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To my mind, perfume adds a great deal of pleasure to life - but
like most things a little moderation is not a bad idea - and the
fact I have one for each day of the week seems pretty moderate
to
me. However, we have probably all suffered in the proximity of
someone who has overdone it and extends the wearing of it to
everyone in a 6 foot radius. I was working in London at the time
Christian Dior launched his perfume Poison, and my daily journey
up the escalator at Green Park was an exercise in holding my
breath and trying not to feel faint at the overpowering waves
it that surrounded me.
It's not pleasant for the passive receiver, but it may actually
legally constitute at health hazard - it has just been found
guilty in the USA and a case is going forward as we speak. A
Judge in Detroit heard a case where city planner Susan McBride
alleged that perfume from a co-worker was so overwhelming she
couldn't breathe properly. This she claims created a hazardous
work environment and actually prevented her from working
properly.
The city council went to court to have the claim dismissed, but
the Judge agreed with McBride that her breathing difficulties
had a legitimate basis and so qualified for protection under
federal laws that protect the disabled from workplace
discrimination. I don't know what the court case is based on,
but certainly synthetic perfume chemicals have been linked to
asthma, infertility and cancer. Because they are applied
directly
to the skin they are absorbed into the bloodstream and then have
to be processed by the liver, where they can do damage.
We are already exposed to a number of toxic chemicals in our
everyday environment from air fresheners to hairspray, and
the day might come when perfume in the workplace might be
banned on health grounds in the same way that smoking was.
You might also wonder why it went to court and they didn't
just have a quiet word with the offender, but maybe - as is
often the case when wearing perfume - she (or perhaps he for
all I know) was just immune to the smell and kept putting on
more.
If you want to be sure you are not poisoning the atmosphere,
what about switching to natural perfumes with no nasty
chemicals? You will find some ideas in our Christmas present
feature at the end.
THE HEALTHIEST SEASONAL FRUIT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whatever their eating habits for the rest of the year, Christmas
seems to bring out the desire to load our sideboards with
groaning
bowls of fruit. Usually satsumas and clementines are favourites,
and they certainly are healthy, but there is another winter
fruit
that I associate with this dark time of year and that is the
pomegranate. As a child I was diverted for hours by being given
my mother's old hatpin and a pomegranate. It was ceremoniously
cut in half and then I focused on winkling out the seeds and
pulling ugly faces if by any mischance I got some of the bitter
yellow pith.
Pomegranates have become the fashionable fruit over the past
year
and now you can find its juice in every chiller cabinet so I
thought a reminder of its benefits might encourage you to add
them to your shopping trolley. As this is a spiritual time of
year, you might like to know that ancient scholars believed
that:
the number of seeds (roughly 613) found in a single fruit
corresponded to the 613 commands of the Hebrew Torah. Now, that
could keep the kids quiet as they counted every one before they
ate it!
Health wise, the pomegranate contains at least a dozen known
anti-inflammatory phytochemicals and around 36 antioxidants.
Studies have suggested that both the fruit and its juice are
beneficial to help treat or prevent heart disease, high
cholesterol,
prostate cancer and Alzheimer's. However, if you don't like the
taste then stock up on other fruits such as cherries,
blueberries,
and raspberries, as they also give you similar health benefits.
OH REALLY?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Haven't done one of these for a while, but sometimes one comes
along that is irresistible. Are you ready for this earth
shattering
revelation? John P. Robinson and Steven Martin are the happy
sociologists from the University of Maryland who were given real
money by apparently sane people to find out what activities
contribute most to a happy life.
Now lots of people have already written many books on this
subject,
but as always there is still more to learn. They ploughed
through
the diaries of over 30,000 adults over a 30 year period and
analysed
what they did and how pleasurable they found it.
What their research has shown them is that people who described
themselves as happy were more socially active, attended more
religious services and read more newspapers. Unhappy people,
however, watched more television. As one of the prime symptoms
of depression and unhappiness is withdrawal from the society of
others this doesn't strike me as a major breakthrough, but what
do I know.
Apparently television watching provides temporary pleasure to
unhappy people; but, in the long run is a waste of time and not
particularly fulfilling. The others compare it to an addiction
where you get momentary pleasure and long-term misery. They must
have been watching Strictly Come Dancing, but they did come up
with a neat catch phrase, that 'tuning in' can be an easy way of
'tuning out' so I can forgive them for making me feel like a
social outcast because of my addiction to brilliant US drama
series like Boston Legal and The Closer. "
So, stun your family by letting them know that happy people
read and socialize while unhappy people watch TV. If that
doesn't get them playing charades or monopoly after Christmas
dinner, then nothing will.
Anyone interested in paying me to study whether breathing is
a necessary evil?
HELP A STRANGER TO LIVE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are very focused on presents for friends and families, but
there is one way you can give the most incredible gift of life
to someone you will never meet, or even know their name. Please
think about becoming a blood donor this month, as there is a
projected critical 50% drop in donations over Christmas and
New Year.
We know how vital blood is in hospitals for operations, and
emergency treatment and the Christmas period usually means a
greater number of road accidents. In critical cases a
transfusion
may not be able to save a life, but it can keep someone alive
long enough for their family to reach them in hospital.
It's also not well known that terminal patients in the last
stages of their lives can also benefit from a blood transfusion.
It can help to improve their quality of life during their final
months, weeks or even days. These transfusion are often given in
the patient's own home and can give them the energy and ability
to enjoy this precious, final time with their families. If you
would like to donate please contact the national blood
transfusion
service and enrol at the website or ask at your doctor's surgery
as they usually have the dates when the next event is in your
area.
http://www.blood.co.uk/
HEALTH BITES:
Say Om, not Ah. If the Christmas season does not fill you with
cheer and you find yourself getting low then, rather than head
to the doctor, do heed a new piece of research. Published this
week in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology it has
found that meditation beats antidepressants both short and long
-term. Professor Willem Kuyken, from the Mood Disorders Centre
at the University of Exeter, found that Buddhist meditation
techniques (which are similar to mindfulness-based cognitive
therapy) can be just as effective at not only combating
depression
but enabling participants to have lower rates of relapse than
those
on medication.
The aim of all such meditation is to keep your focus in the
present, not dwelling on the past or future. The trial lasted
8 weeks, and fifteen months afterwards they found that 47%pc of
people with long-term depression (who had done the meditation)
had relapsed, compared to 60% of those taking anti-depressant
drugs. What those people gained from just 8 weeks of meditation
was life skills that powerfully supported them to stay well.
For details of a group in your area, contact the network of
buddhist organisations in the UK who may be able to help.
Their website is www.nbo.org.uk/ and if you don't have access
locally, or prefer to meditate at home, you might find my
mediation CD useful. It's in the marketplace section of my
website at www.catalystonline.co.uk/potential.htm and contains
a simple everyday meditation (Blue Sky) to help you stay focused
in the present and let go of any worries and anxieties you may
have.
What's In Your Lip Balm?
Now the winter winds are biting, and you are probably licking
your lips more than usual to keep them moist, many people use
a lipbalm. There are literally hundreds on the market, but some
of them contain an ingredient which can actually make your dry
lips worse. Why? Because then you have to keep using the lip
balm to keep your lips moisturized. Clever, huh?
So what's the mystery ingredient? It's phenol and as it is an
antibacterial agent you might think that was a good thing, but
unfortunately it can also destroy the top layer of skin on your
lips and you will be trapped into keeping using it so keep your
lips moist and supple.
Healthier alternatives abound, so look for non-phenol balms with
ingredients like coconut oil, honey, jojoba oil, and shea
butter.
A great site for organic lip balms, and I couldn't resist
because
they are called Naturally Barmy, will give you plenty of lip
-smacking ideas and they even have a kit for making your own.
Get cracking now and you can have 10 complete balms in gift
tins as stocking fillers. Visit their website at
www.naturallybalmy.co.uk
Health(ier) Presents:
1 NATURAL PERFUMES.
After reading my views on perfume overload,
you might want to go for a natural, gentler alternative that
still smells wonderful. Tsi~La (pronounced chee-la), is a
collection of delicate, sophisticated, 100% natural perfumes
with no alcohol, preservatives, artificial fragrances or
colourings. Just pure, natural perfumes made from the world's
finest essential oils and plant botanicals, and if you were
wondering, the name means "flower" in Cherokee.
You have a choice of six different and distinctive scents,
you just have to decide which is the most appropriate - though
for most women buying at least two for our varying moods would
be a good idea. You will know what will suit them best: Fiori
d'Arancio (flirtatious), Fleur Sauvage (alluring), Ilang Ilang
(exotic), Kesu (mysterious), Kizes (spontaneous) and Saqui
(sensual). Personally, as a woman of many and diverse moods,
I am asking Santa for the Tsi-La mini collection because a) I
get four of them, and b) they come in a handy roll on so no
spillage in the dark cavernous recesses of my handbag. To have
a look at these, and other wonderful natural fragrances, visit
http://www.puresha.com/
2 OXFAM GOODIES.
The first of these I really wanted for myself,but as
the picture shows it fits two small children with ease
I am not sure if once in, I could get out again.
What am I talking about? A wonderful recycled Cardboard
Rocket called a Paperpod rocket which they can play in, decorate
both inside and out and soar off to far-distant
galaxies and not miss out on the jelly and trifle
on boxing day. It comesflatpacked and can be folded
away for easy storage. Space travel is a snip at
only £29.99.
Not into space travel and what all year round value from
present,
and know someone who is into Good Life living? Then what about
a goat, for a mere £25 you will get milk, your lawn kept short,
fertilizer for the garden and something to keep the kids busy
as they try and round it up. The goat is supplied locally, and
I don't see how you could resist - take a look at the picture
on the website and your heart will melt.
See both these online at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have found this information useful, but do 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 my website.
Best wishes for a healthy week - AnnA
www.catalystonline.co.uk
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