Health News and Information

DEFEATING DISEASE: HEART DISEASE

2009-04-23T06:15:56+0000">April 23, 2009 – 6:15 am

Nearly half a million guys die from cardiovascular disease each year-more than the next eight leading causes of death combined.

Scary stuff, right? It doesn’t have to be. Quite simply, your cardiovascular system is an amazingly powerful and resilient engineering marvel. Consider the statistics: About the size of two clenched fists, your heart pumps roughly 21,000 gallons of blood a day. In a year, it will beat 3 million times; over 70 years, 2.5 billion times. Stretched end to end, the vessels of your circulatory system-arteries, capillaries, and veins-would measure 60,000 miles. Extremely compact, incredibly reliable, with horsepower to spare. It’s like having a Ferrari engine in a Volkswagen Beetle. If you allow yourself to look like a Volkswagen Beetle.

The main point, experts say, is to take care of your heart and it will take care of you. Abuse it and it will still take care of you-for a while. But let’s face it, even the finest piece of craftsmanship will succumb to abuse over time.

“What you really have to come to grips with is that what you’re putting into your body impacts how your heart and body function. It matters. What you do over the long run matters. How active you are, not one day but over the long run, really matters,” says Alice Lichtenstein, D.Sc, spokesperson for the American Heart Association and associate professor at the Jean Meyer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.

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By admin | Posted in General health | Tagged General health | Comments (0)

WEIGHT LOSS: WHO HAS AN EATING DISORDER?

2009-04-23T04:40:15+0000">April 23, 2009 – 4:40 am

Depending on the population studied, between 2 percent and 1 percent of teenage females have had anorexia. Bulimia is more common. Estimates range from upward of 1 percent of adolescent and young adult females in the general population to 4 percent of female college students.

Typically, anorexia strikes between the ages of fourteen and eighteen; most of my patients range between ages twelve and thirty-five. Yet anyone, from a small child to a postmenopausal woman, can become a self-starver. In these cases a metabolic problem other than anorexia may be present. The onset of bulimia usually occurs later in life than anorexia: The average age is around sixteen to twenty.

Statistics can give us some idea of how widespread these illnesses are, but there are problems with the accuracy of these numbers.

For one thing the criteria doctors use to diagnose eating disorders keep changing. As these guidelines narrow, the number of people who fit them changes. People with milder cases may be grouped with severe cases and thus distort the picture. Also, the incidence among certain groups of people is changing. True, many eating-disordered people fit the stereotype of the white, upper-class teenager, but a growing number of patients do not match this description. The disorders are now more equally distributed among social classes-evidence that cultural pressure to be thin permeates all levels of society.

Over the last decade, there has been greater public awareness about eating disorders. There may simply be more victims. Or perhaps the number is the same, but more people are seeking help, inspired by media coverage of these illnesses.

Another possibility is that the number of reported cases is lower than it should be. Many people think eating disorders, like other psychiatric illnesses, are shameful or embarrassing, not just to the victim but to the family as well. Some people with these problems, particularly men, may choose not to get help.

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By admin | Posted in Weight Loss | Tagged Weight Loss | Comments (0)

END EMOTION-DRIVEN EATING: SHE MAKES INDULGING FEEL LIKE A BIG EVENT

2009-04-23T03:53:41+0000">April 23, 2009 – 3:53 am

For Rosemary Chiaverini, weight loss and gain had been a lifetime struggle. “I tried everything short of getting my stomach stapled and my mouth wired shut,” says the 50-year-old Sherman Oaks, California, resident. In 1995, when she reached 241 pounds, she decided to join Weight Watchers. There, she learned the principles of healthy eating and the tools for changing her eating habits. But she found that she needed some personalized strategies to make all that she learned work for her.

One of her strategies is to associate foods with special occa-

Q sions. She eats hamburgers and hot dogs only at barbecues, popcorn § only at the movies, and pasta only on nights when she goes to the “g theater. “I incorporate eating into the ambience of what I’m doing,” (§ she explains. “It gives the food officialness and meaning.” It also “g gives Rosemary license to indulge without going overboard.

On those occasions when she allows herself treats, Rosemary doesn’t settle for inferior-quality foods. If she craves chocolate, she doesn’t gobble down a cheap candy bar. She treks to a local Godiva shop, chooses six fancy chocolates, and has them wrapped, two to a box. Then, she eats only one box at a sitting. Likewise, if she wants ice cream, she doesn’t sit down with a pint container and a spoon. She heads for the local ice cream parlor and has her favorite flavor served to her in a pretty dish. “All of this reminds me that I’m being good to myself, that I’m giving myself a gift,” she says.

By turning her indulgences into events and using the portion-control skills and other tools that she learned through Weight Watchers, Rosemary lost 87 pounds in only 18 months. “This is the only thing that worked for me,” she says. “I’m an emotional eater, so I had to change my mindset toward food. Now, when I think about food and losing weight, I don’t think ‘deprivation,’ I think ‘indulgence and pleasure.’”

WINNING ACTION

Think quality, not quantity. Rosemary is really onto something here! Instead of taking a “sneaking” or “cheating” attitude toward indulging her cravings, Rosemary celebrates the pleasure of the occasional treat. Give yourself

permission to do the same. Enjoy your favorite foods— buy the absolute best quality for yourself and savor every single bite.

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By admin | Posted in Weight Loss | Tagged Weight Loss | Comments (0)

THE ILLNESS CAUSED BY TRANQUILLIZER WITHDRAWAL

2009-04-21T05:18:42+0000">April 21, 2009 – 5:18 am

This can be severe if a careful reduction plan is not followed. So many people throw their pills down the lavatory when they realize they are dependent. They then have to rush off to the doctor for more when they cannot cope with the withdrawal symptoms. This is not because they lack willpower, nor because they imagine they need the support of the drugs, it is because they are chemically dependent.

If a steady reduction plan is followed, the symptoms will be much less severe. The aim is to avoid sudden drops in the level of the drug in the blood. This is when the symptoms are at their worst. Slow withdrawal is safe. Whilst there still may be some discomfort, and you may get impatient, the results will be worth your efforts.

The symptoms mentioned on pages 28 to 75 are mainly the experiences of people who have tried to reduce too quickly without medical help. If you understand what is temporarily happening to your body and mind, you will not get so anxious about withdrawal. The support of your doctor and family is most important at this time.

Dependence on any substance can be degrading, but you must remember that this is a therapeutic dependence, and therefore you should not feel ashamed. These drugs were given to you as a medicine. Suppose penicillin had dependence-producing properties, and it was given to you for some life-threatening disease. Would you feel guilty about the resulting dependence?

It is a sad fact that many people feel guilty, not only about their dependence on the drugs, but also about the nervous illness for which the drug was originally prescribed.

Some of the ‘addicts’ do not have a history of nervous illness. It may be they were prescribed for a temporary life problem, or back injury, and were then given years of un-queried repeat prescriptions. So many times a tearful person will say, ‘What can I do? I feel confused and emotionally dead on the pills, but I am afraid to stop them in case my original illness comes back.’ The truth is that if the drugs have been taken continuously for more than 3-4 months, they may be having very little therapeutic effect on the original symptoms. The user may only be avoiding withdrawal symptoms by continuing medication, and still suffer the toxic effects of the drugs into the bargain!

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By admin | Posted in Anti Depressants-Sleeping Aid | Tagged Anti Depressants | Comments (0)

FOOD ALLERGY IN BABIES

2009-04-21T05:07:32+0000">April 21, 2009 – 5:07 am

Food allergy usually shows itself in childhood, and the most common problem is a reaction to cow’s milk among babies and young children. Babies who are bottle-fed are obviously at greater risk of developing a sensitivity to cow’s milk, but atopic babies who are breast-fed can react badly to foods that the mother is eating, because minute quantities get into the breast milk. Again, cow’s milk is a common problem, but it is certainly not the only one – any food that the mother eats may act as an allergen for the breast-fed baby, especially if eaten in large quantities.

Babies may react immediately to their allergen, with symptoms such as vomiting, urticaria, and swelling of the lips, face and eyes. In such cases there is usually a positive skin-prick test. Once the allergen has been identified it must be avoided, for a while at least (see p218). Some babies grow out of the allergic reaction in time.

Not all babies react to their allergen immediately. Some have a delayed reaction with symptoms such as eczema, diarrhoea, asthma or rhinitis. Irritability, restlessness and crying are also reported, although most doctors would not accept these as allergic symptoms. Infants with delayed symptoms often fail to give a positive skin-prick test, and the link with food may not be at all obvious, either to the mother or the doctor.

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By admin | Posted in Allergies | Tagged Allergies | Comments (0)

HIGH COST OF PAIN: COST OF MEDICATION

2009-04-21T05:06:56+0000">April 21, 2009 – 5:06 am

In Australia as in the USA, more money is spent on analgesics than on any other of the other most prescribed drugs including cardiovascular drugs and antibiotics. In the United States approximately $1 billion is spent annually on over-the-counter pain killing medications. Another $10 billion is spent each year in prescribed medication and operations to relieve chronic pain.Many American patients have been found to take five or more pain-relieving medications.

Half of these see more than one doctor for prescriptions and take over-the-counter drugs at the same time as their prescription drugs. At least 100,000 Americans are hospitalised for the treatment of addiction and other drug-related complications. Many other patients probably have the same problems but are un-reported. Many others die of the complications of taking pain medication.

The University of Washington Pain Clinic found that many of the patients treated there had already spent over $40,000 on their health care. Such an astronomical cost causes a tremendous drain on the national treasury. To put the figures on aspirin into perspective, just consider that Americans swallow some 20,000 tons of aspirin a year, or 225 tablets for every man, woman and child!

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By admin | Posted in Pain Relief-Muscle Relaxers | Tagged Pain Relief | Comments (0)

HIGH COST OF PAIN

2009-04-21T05:06:47+0000">April 21, 2009 – 5:06 am

Pain disables more of the world’s population than cancer or heart disease. This not only results in hospitalisation, out-patient treatment, medication and the costs of surgery, but also causes loss of productivity, loss of income, disability and sometimes huge legal settlements as well.

Australia’s statistics on chronic and acute pain are staggering. As far as can be estimated, about 40 per cent of Australians are afflicted, at a cost of no less than $7200 million annually, according to Sydney health consultant, Mr Paul Gross. That constitutes 40 per cent of Australia’s gross health care bill. Moreover, he predicts that if the problem is not tackled, the total health bill will rise to $30,000 million by 1991 compared with the present $17,000 million.

Half the present figure of $7200 million goes to the indirect costs such as working time lost and sick-leave payments. His estimates include the direct costs of treatment and care but do not take into account legal costs in settling claims for illnesses.

Mannheimer and Lampe in their 1984 textbook of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (see recommended reading) stated that on any given day chronic pain can disable one million American workers. Thirty-five to 50 million people have chronic pain in some form or another. Of these 25 million are severely disabled. In America there are 20 to 40 million doctors surgery visits per year for back pain alone. Headaches of one kind or another afflict 25 million Americans and some 12 million physician hours are taken up each year in the treatment of migraine headaches.

Dr John Bonica writing in a 1980 book on pain speculated that chronic pain affected nearly 35% of Americans. At that time he stated that over 50 million were partially or completely disabled by pain for periods ranging from a few days per year to permanently. He stated that over 18 million had low back pain and another 5 million had thoracic or neck pain. Of those over 10 million were said to be partially or completely disabled. Bonica indicated that the implications were that a staggering 280 million work days were lost at a cost of $17.6 billion, then, in lost wages, health insurance, compensation, etc.

The 1980 paper by Bonica suggested that the total cost of pain in the USA was 10% of the US National Budget.

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By admin | Posted in Pain Relief-Muscle Relaxers | Tagged Pain Relief | Comments (0)

TREATING CLASSICAL ALLERGIES: ELIZABETH’S STORY

2009-04-20T11:04:18+0000">April 20, 2009 – 11:04 am

As a schoolgirl, Elizabeth suffered from a rather odd type of nettle-rash that only came on when she was cold. It made her very miserable in winter with an unbearably itchy rash on any exposed part of her body. She found this difficult to live with because she was very keen on sport, and could not play hockey, netball or other outdoor games in winter. Cold-induced urticaria, as her problem is known, can indicate more serious underlying problems, but medical tests showed that this was not the cause of the symptoms in her case. The standard test for cold-induced urticaria is to place an ice

cube on the patient’s arm for three minutes. When the doctor tried this on Elizabeth she reacted with nettle-rash on the arm. Purely as an experiment, the doctor . decided to try Elizabeth on an elimination diet. After five days excluding all commonly eaten foods she did not react to the ice-cube test. But when she reintroduced milk, and later eggs, she reacted in the same way as before. By avoiding these foods in winter, or only eating them occasionally, she is free from the nettle-rash. This has allowed her to do something she never thought possible before – to go on a skiing holiday!

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By admin | Posted in Allergies | Tagged Allergies | Comments (0)

HONEY — ITS SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC EFFECT

2009-04-09T05:31:36+0000">April 9, 2009 – 5:31 am

It is interesting to study how that little wonder, the bee, makes its honey. We marvel, too, at the bee’s body and how this small and delicate structure is able to manufacture a substance that would need such cumbersome machinery if done by humans. Then we marvel at the diligent industry of the bee as we watch its flight over the flowering countryside – but these aspects are not what I wish to speak about right now. Our interest, at the moment, lies in the remedial value of honey, which has earned a high mark for itself in natural medicine.

In the ancient world honey was well known and appreciated for its healing properties but as time went on that knowledge fell into oblivion. The rediscovery and scientific explanation of the value of honey, however, has enabled it once more to assume its rightful place among natural remedies.

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By admin | Posted in Herbal | Tagged Herbal | Comments (0)

VARIOUS DIETS AND TREATMENTS – THE BAUNSCHEIDT METHOD

2009-04-09T05:25:40+0000">April 9, 2009 – 5:25 am

The Baunscheidt method is similar to the Chinese treatment just described. However, Baunscheidt did not take it from the Chinese but developed his treatment based on his own experience and conclusions. This method achieves a simulation or irritation of the skin by means of an apparatus known in German as Lebenswecker (life reviver). After pricking the skin, Baunscheidt oil is rubbed in, the area is covered with cotton wool and the ingredients are left to work overnight. The following day the treatment is continued with the application of a lanolin cream (Bioforce Cream).

This therapy has given good results in the treatment of chronic ailments, even multiple sclerosis. The application is made on the left and right side along the patient’s spine. However, it is not advisable to undertake a Baunscheidt revulsion treatment on the off-chance that it might work, but without being really familiar with it. If you want to use this method it is absolutely essential that you know the correct way of applying it. The same rule applies to any stimulation therapy and it is better to let a physiotherapist or biologically oriented doctor with the necessary experience give the treatment. The needles have to be used with great care and only on the muscles; never touch the glands or periosteum, which must not be irritated.

Stimulation therapies can be used successfully in cases where medicines fail to give results because the circulation in the affected parts is insufficient and the remedies do not reach them. The stimulation provided by these therapies is then an alternative and welcome means of assistance.

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