Healthy News Archive: Issue #3

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THE HEALTHY NEWSLETTER
Your Weekly Health Prescription
8th August 2007
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Once a month, I will be focusing in more depth on one particular subject, and as the holiday spirit is still in full swing, I have some suggestions for a natural medicine kit for your travels. Most items are easily available from pharmacies, health shops and Boots the Chemist. Wishing you the very best of good health - AnnA

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Natural Remedies when travelling
- Eat slowly - live longer
- Handsome is as handsome does?

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My Natural Remedies Travel Kit
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No matter if I am going to the farthest corner of the Gobi desert, or a weekend in Grimsby, I like to take my own personal travel kit on the basis that whatever you are comfortable using will automatically make you feel better. Everyone has their own particular mix of things that they must have, and my personal basic travel kit consists of these:

Travella - the wonderful homoeopathic remedy for travel sickness that has got me through a horrendous ferry crossing to France, through the Bay of Biscay and even withstood the worst mini cab driver in the world in New York. Also good to use if you have overindulged in rich food as it contains Nux. Vom, the remedy for nausea, as I mentioned in the last newsletter.

Tea tree oil - the mainstay of the Australian soldiers first aid kit it is both antiseptic and antifungal. Use it to wash wounds, as a mouthwash to prevent build up of bacteria that cause plaque and gum disease, in a foot bath to head off athletes foot l so can be used (diluted always in water) to clean wounds, and as a gargle sore throats. This oil is very powerful and must never be taken internally. For most general purposes you use only 4 drops diluted in half a cup of warm water, the only exception is for cold sores where you can very sparingly dab it on neat.

Lavender oil - so many uses it's hard to know where to start but it is essentially calming and soothing. A few drops in the bath or on your pillow can help you to sleep, dabbed neat on burns and insect bites it relieves pain and itching, and for headaches dab one drop behind each ear, at the base of the skull and on either side of the temple or simply inhale from the bottle, it helps lift the spirits. Keep well away from your eyes and again NEVER take it internally.

Aloe vera - this cactus extract is available both as a gel for external use on the skin and as a liquid to drink for internal cleansing and detoxing the body. Aloe vera gel was used to treat radiation burns after Hiroshima and it is very effective at quickly reducing heat and keeping the skin supple and moisturised. Use it for both burns or sunburn as it contains natural extracts to relieve pain, reduce swelling and keeps the skin moist to facilitate faster healing

Arnica - available as homoeopathic tablets, or in a cream form, it is invaluable for bruises and shock. If you have taken a tumble, take arnica tablets or rescue remedy and put the cream on the affected area, but only if the skin is unbroken, as it will bring the bruising out faster. Very useful to use the tablets to restore emotional balance as it helps the body adjust faster to trauma.

Calendula ointment - as someone who is forever getting cuts and scrapes, this herbal cream contains calendula and comfrey, both of which are traditional remedies for cuts and sores. For maximum effect, clean the wound first with a tea tree wash and then apply the cream, this rids the wound of infection and help even deep cuts heal quickly. It can also be used on burns to reduce scarring, but never on raw skin. Use once the skin has begun to heal over.

Rescue remedy - an original mixture of floral and herb extracts devised by Dr Edward Bach it is helps restore emotional balance, used either neat as a few drops put under the tongue, sipped in a glass of water and now also available as a pastille to suck. Use whenever there is injury or emergency to reduce shock and to calm nerves. I often use it before a speaking engagement to calm the 'butterflies' arnica, peppermint oil or tea sorts out most digestive problems and the rescue remedy is for emotional upsets from stress and anxiety to the shock following an accident.

Peppermint tea - this is usually very readily available in most countries but it is probably worth packing a couple of tea bags in your case as this herb provides the most simple and effective treatment for digestive upsets or simple cases of overeating, or trapped wind. Sip the tea slowly, or if you prefer, you can suck very strong peppermints instead.

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Eat slowly - live longer
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On holiday, we generally take our time and leisurely meals are the order of the day. If you want to bring back a healthy holiday souvenir, then that habit would definitely be top of the list. What are the top three benefits from eating more slowly?

1 It can help you lose weight as eating slowly gives your body the time it needs to register that it's full, which curbs overeating.

2 Your digestion will improve, because the more slowly you eat, the more you chew. This means that your stomach has less work to do because chewing more will start to release the digestive enzymes in the mouth that begin the process of breaking down your food and chewing also helps stimulate intestinal digestive enzyme release as well.

3 You will reduce your stress levels by taking your time to relax and spend more time on your meal. It also enables you to spend more time socially in talking to your dining companions, and communication and sociability are key elements to a stress-free life.

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Handsome is as handsome does?
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August is known as the 'silly season' in the papers, so I thought I would contribute my bit. This is actually a real piece of research, though it makes you wonder who funded it and why. Surgeons are traditionally thought of - at least by themselves - as the 'Gods' of the medical profession and now it appears they have all the other gifts of the gods as well. The University of Barcelona Hospital conducted research on doctors and published it in the British Medical Journal. They found that surgeons are taller and more handsome than physicians. Apparently it starts in medical school where the tallest and most handsome male students were more likely to go for surgery, and the shortest (and perhaps not so good looking) ones were more likely to become physicians. Did these people never watch George Clooney as the dishy doctor in ER, or further back that dream of the wards, Dr Kildare? Honestly, you couldn't make it up could you?

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I hope you have found this information useful, and please feel free to pass it on to others. Remember, I am not a doctor and cannot give you medical advice, so please always take appropriate action by consulting your own medical advisor if you have concerns about your health.
Wishing you the best of good health, AnnA
 

www.catalystonline.co.uk
 

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Healthy News Archive: Issue #4
 

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THE HEALTHY NEWSLETTER

Your Weekly Health Prescription  16 August 2007

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Every time a drug becomes popular it is hard to separate the truth from the hype, but that is exactly what you have to do in order to benefit from it. In the 1950's it was antibiotics the so-called magic bullet, in the 1960's it was the Pill, later it was HRT. At the time all these drugs were praised for their ability to tackle a serious problem, but with time and extended use all of these have presented serious medical problems. Over use of antibiotics means they are now very limited in their effectiveness. The Pill led to deaths from thrombosis and can seriously disrupt a woman's normal menstrual cycle which can take years to right itself. HRT is linked to breast and uterine cancer so all of these potential 'saviours' come with a price tag.

This month statins have been in the news, so I wanted to round up the various points of view so you can make up your own mind. It makes for a longer item than usual, but as they have been praised as the saviour of those with the potential for heart disease, but and also damned as potentially life threatening I felt the issue deserved a full airing. With over 3.4 million people in Britain taking them on a daily basis it is obviously a serious issue, but as ever, I want to give you the facts so you can make up your own mind. Wishing you the very best of good health - AnnA

IN THIS ISSUE:

* Pets are good for your health!
* Statins - good or bad?
* Mushrooms defend against tumours

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Pets are good for your health!

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We all love our pets, but did you know they can actually improve your health? A 1999 study at State University of New York in Buffalo looked at two groups of stockbrokers all of whom were already taking medication for hypertension. One group had pets, the other did not and both groups were put into simulated stressful situations. The systolic blood pressure of those with pets went from 120 to 126 but those who had no pets had a much bigger rise from 120 to about 148. A study by Dr Deborah Wells, from the Canine Behaviour Centre of Queens University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, confirms those findings and says that dog ownership can prevent people from getting ill, recover more quickly when they do fall ill, and give warning of early signs of cancer, seizures and hypoglycaemia. Owning a dog is will apparently improve your physical and mental wellbeing more than having a cat, although as the owner of two Tonkinese I would beg to differ, though when they are in full cry, I do admit my stress levels can rise. And another UK study suggested that the companionship of a dog helped children with chronic illnesses endure painful treatment. Dr Wells also found strong evidence to suggest that dog owners have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and are less likely to have minor and serious health problems. In fact it is claimed that dog owners have an 8.6 higher one year survival rate after a heart attack compared to people who did not have a dog and that children with chronic illnesses are able to withstand treatment better when they have a pet.

Pets also benefit us when we are in hospital and certainly dogs are well known and accepted as beneficial hospital visitors. Many local health authorities support such visiting schemes and Anne Doherty, director of the Companion for Animal Studies, a Glasgow based research programme is clear as to why. "Humans need to touch and to give and receive love. Pets help to fulfil that need. They offer companionship, love and unqualified approval. They make you feel wanted." Certainly being in hospital you need all the love and support you can get, and if you feel your dog would make a great visitor then for further information about dog visiting, contact Eve Waring of Canine Concern.
Tel: 01823 664300; or contact Pets As Therapy on 01732 872222.

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Statins good or bad?

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Statins lower cholesterol and, according to the British Heart Foundation, reduce the risk of dying from coronary heart disease by 25 per cent and their use has also been associated with improved function of the lining of blood vessels, less plaque in the blood vessels, general anti-inflammatory action and even the prevention of blood clots. This 'wonder drug' is also being studied to see whether they are also helpful they are in fighting dementia, cancer and cataracts.
Their use is also set to increase now the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has unveiled new guidelines stating that statins should be prescribed to people with a 20 per cent risk of developing heart disease. That means that as many as 14 million people aged 40 or over could be eligible to take them. The British Heart Foundation has no doubts, stating that statins are not only effective in saving lives, but are also easily tolerated by the majority of people.
On the other side of the argument are dissenters like Malcolm Kendrick, a Cheshire GP with a special interest in cholesterol and heart disease, and author of The Great Cholesterol Con.. Dr Kendrick believes that, for most people, statins are at best pointless and at worst highly dangerous. And he claims that those who prescribe them and those who take them are victims of clever global marketing. Living healthily for longer is a goal for most of us but that market is a highly lucrative one so it is not surprising if sometimes truth, fact and a desire to believe are on a collision course.
The marketing budget for just one statin, Crestor, was $1 billion for one year alone but it is not just the money that worries Dr Kendrick. He is concerned that the trials and studies done so far have presented the results in a very oblique way. All medical trials have to be looked at very carefully, it is not just the results that matter, but how the test is carried out and how the result is presented. According to Dr Kendrick, a major trial in western Scotland showed that a man who had suffered a mild heart attack had a 96.8 per cent chance of being alive after taking statins for five years. If he was on a placebo, that fell to just 95.9 per cent. Dr Kendrick commented "you might live a few days longer if you take statins for five years than if you don't. And this was in a high-risk population."

His view is supported by a recent report in the Lancet found that in men who did not already have heart disease, and in all women, there was no evidence that taking statins increased their life by a single day. The Medical Research Council also produced figures which show that if a man took statins for 30 years he might get another nine months of life. However, no one has been on them that long and statins do carry a risk of side effects, among them are amnesia, cognitive problems, irritability and impotence.

Dr Kendrick feels their figures are too generous, as his calculations show an increase of only two months longer life, and again women get no benefit at all. He has support from an international audience of cardiologists, neurologists and biochemists who are also concerned that statins are not just a huge waste of money, estimated at £5 billion a year to the NHS, but more importantly that taking statins regularly could be putting your health at risk from numerous side effects, some potentially fatal.

At particular risk could be the elderly and frail who are affected significantly, and in Dr Kendricks own patients, he has found muscle damage to be a common side effect, which manifests as muscle pains and weakness. This may not sound too serious, but it can be fatal if the patient develops rhabdomyolysis (muscle wastage that can lead to kidney failure).
The World Health Organisation is currently examining reports that taking statins can lead to amyotrophic lateral dystrophy, a devastating neurological condition which rapidly progresses to death. Dr Kendrick has analysed figures from the US Food and Drug Administration which he says show that there have been a total of 416 deaths between 1997 and 2004 directly attributable to the drug simvastatin (Zocor) alone.

There are many ways to tackle potential heart disease, cholesterol and high blood pressure and it may be wise, in light of the current findings, to examine all your options very carefully.


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Mushrooms defend against tumours

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This does conjure up a vision of a rather extraordinary army and a dimunitive one at that as it is button mushrooms that are being shown to be beneficial. Penn State Unviersity has shown that white button mushrooms are a rich soiurce of the super-antioxidant ergothioneine. In their tests, button mushrooms boosted the activity of the cells that kill off tumours and also stimulated production of those cells that kill off tumours. NK cells, it stands for Natural Killer, are a vital part of the immune system and where they are low in the body they are associated with increased cancer risk and higher susceptibililty to colds and infections. In laboratory tests, they have also been show to kill cancer cells. The lead researcher, Dayong Wu summed it up by saying that eating more of these mushrooms can benefit us by promoting the body's own anti-microbial and anti-tumour defences.

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I hope you have found this information useful, and please feel free to pass it on to others. Remember, I am not a doctor and cannot give you medical advice, so please always take appropriate action by consulting your own medical advisor if you have concerns about your health.

Wishing you the best of good health, AnnA

 

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