Sep 03 2010 - BCP (birth control pill) an un-natural fix for menstrual problems
It is a white wash to prescibe a high dose non-natural estrogen and synthetic progestin [the Pill] to treat fundamental disturbance of menstural cycle or ovulation. The current Pill has four to five times higher than normal synthetic estrogen...replacing a flexible, natural rhythm with an un-natural pharmaceutical one.
<ww.hans .org>

Sep 02 2010 - Ovulation - new information
Doctors incorrectly believe that regular menstrual cycles mean a woman is ovulating normally. This is not true, many women have silent ovulation distrubances where there is no ovulation or a weak ovulation with a very short second half of the menstrual cycle. These distrubances cause too little of the reproductive hormone progesterone to be produced. When progesterone is low the natural balance with estrogen hormone is affected and the risks of bone loss and heart disease increase.
<www.hans.org/magazine Love your period. period.>

Sep 01 2010 - Flawed media messages re menstruation
Big pharma is positioning menstruation as an undesirable, treatable condition. This is to market "cycle stopping" oral contraceptives. Drug companies further distort by indicating menstruation is an artifact of modern civilization and suggesting that over evolutionary time women were chronically pregnant and rarely mensturated. It is important to recognize that big pharma are for-profit concerns that need to sell drugs first and foremost.

[How safe drugs are, is actually determined by present and future users. A very few drugs are worth taking, most are not.]
<www.hans.org.magazine 'Love your period, period.'>

Aug 31 2010 - Magic elixir promotes weight loss in 55 -75 age group
The magic elixir is 375-500 ml of plain water thirty minutes before a meal. Water, a zero-calorie high-volume substance, pre-loads the stomach modifying perceptions of hunger and fullness. The researcher Brenda M. Davy and colleagues at Viginia Tech found that pre-meal water consumption reduces meal intake in older but not younger subjects.

Soup and salads, low-calorie and high water volume substances, also pre-load the stomach and reduce food consumption.
<Obesity 2007:15:1:93-99, Obesity 2010:18:2:300-7, Economist Aug 28/10 p71>

Aug 30 2010 - Celiac disease common
An estimated three million Americans have celiac disease and the vast majority don't know it. These people cannot digest the gluten in wheat, they suffer bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation and early onset osteoporosis. Skin rashes, chronic fatique, bone and joint pain, neurological problems, liver problems, diabetes, infertility and cancer are also seen. An estimated 20 million Americans have a sensitivity to gluten without developing full blown celiac disease. Hard to pin down psycho-neuro symptoms such as depression, fogginess, mood swings are seen. This group is not well studied. A strict gluten free diet can reverse many of the symptoms of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.
<Wall Street Journal pD2 Aug 24/10>

Aug 29 2010 - Before accepting medication for high blood pressure...
demand that your renin peptide hormone level be tested. Few doctors measure renin levels despite it being a known bio-marker for the selection of the best type of anti-hypertensive medication since the 1970s.

[Renin is secreted by the kidneys and dysregulation of its expression and secretion leads to downstream inappropriate stimulation of the renin-angiotensin system and is associated with high blood pressure/hypertension.

Also, before accepting a medication, demand a nutrition consultation as in-adequate calcium and Vitamin D in diet might be causing the renin dysregulation. Team calorie and/or carbohydrate restriction, with or without weight lose, plus chronic daily exercise and you might get a medication-free lowering of blood pressure.]
<Wall Street Journal August 24/10 pD3>

Aug 28 2010 - Medical drug management of high blood pressure wanting
"Our current prescribing methods are very primitive. We haven't increased the success rate [in treating hypertension] in 35 years," says Michael Alderman of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Alderman is co-author of a study appearing in the latest issue of American Journal of Hypertension which demonstrates the crude and un-knowledgeable prescibing practices of physicians. Five types of drugs are commonly used to treat high blood pressure or hypertension - beta blockers, diuretics, alpha blockers, ACE inhibitors, and calcium channel blockers. Almost no research has focused on matching specific drug(s) to specific types of hypertension. Patients often receive in-effective medications.
<WSJ Aug 24/10 pD3>

Aug 27 2010 - Tia chi for fibromyalgia
Tia chi - the rhythmic Chinese exercise and martial-art system - appears to reduce the pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia. In a random controlled study 33 patients took tai chi lessons for two hours twice a week and practiced independently for 20 minutes per day. The other 33 patients did wellness education and stretching instead. After 12 weeks the tia chi patients had significantly better scores on over all well-being.
<Wall Street Journal Aug 24/10 pD2>

Aug 26 2010 - Quality carbohydrates
Much of the controversy over the amount of carbohydrates we are eating stems from the fact that many of us are eating most of our calories from highly processed, refined carbohydrates - cookies, cakes, soda etc. We should be eating our carbohydates primarly from nutrient-rich whole grains such as brown rice, bulgur, quinoa, oats, and corn to include popcorn.
<Volumetrics 2007 p215>

Aug 25 2010 - Medical radiation risks not understood by MDs
Dr. Deborah Rhodes, internist at the Mayo Clinic, states the radiation risk from various screening proceduces is not well understood by the public or doctors. Dr. R. Edward Hendrick, physicist, had similar concerns after attending international radiology and breast screening meetings.. "no body [physicians] had a clue about what the doses and risks were."

Mammography screening increases the risk of breast cancer as the breast is exposed to a small about of radiation. Breast specific gamma imaging (BSGI) and positron emission mammography (PEM) increase the risk of cancer in other organs - intestines, kidneys, gall bladder, uterus, ovaries, and colon - because of higher amounts of radiation exposure.

Over all, the US population annual radiation dose from medical procedures increased sevenfold between 1980-2006. [It is more than likely that physicians are not knowledgeable and do not keep track of patient's life time exposure to radiation from various medical screenings. These screening tests are prescibed willy-nilly.]
<New York Times August 26/10 pD5>

Aug 24 2010 - Do neurobics work?
Neurobics or the $125 million a year brain-training products industry are not science-based and there is no reliable evidence that they work.

Proven brain improving techiques are learning a new language, playing a musical instrument, or signing up for a math class. The best practice for brain improvement, stretching and cerebral health is chronic/daily physical exercise.
<Winner's Brain 2010 p190.>

Aug 23 2010 - White coat, black art
Dr. Brain Goldman, host of CBC radio show of the above captioned name and emerg physician at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, thinks "...physicians have been the single greatest impediment to patient safety in Canada."
"I am not saying they actively block the search for truth in some evil and nefarious way. But they tend to feel a powerful sense of shame at any insinuation that they are less than competent."
<Maclean's Mag Aug 23/10 p16-19>

Aug 22 2010 - Adverse events or medical mistakes/errors
2004 research from the U of Calgary and the U of Toronto found 2.5 million people admitted to Canadian hospitals each year suffer adverse events. 9,250 to 23,750 people paid for avoidable mistakes with their lives in 2000. Misdiagnosis, surgical infections, and wrong medications are a few examples of adverse events.
<Maclean's Mag Aug 2010 p16-19>

Aug 21 2010 - Doctors not washing hands and neckties dirty
Durning a five month study in an Australian hospital children's intensive care ward doctors were asked to track their hand washing or clean technique behavior. They self-reported hand washing between patients etc., 73% of the time. Observers (nurses) recorded that the same doctors actually washed their hands 9% of the time. Failure at hand hygiene doesn't affect the doctor but is potentially lethal to the next patient treated. The UK department of health found neckties that doctors wear colonized with pathogens because they are seldom laundered.
<Superfreakenomics 2009 p205 & p207>

Aug 20 2010 - RateMDs.com
The paternalistic relationship between doctors and patients is changing dramatically. While still viewed as highly skilled individuals, public trust in doctors is plummeting. RateMDs.com is a California-based site that went live in 2004 and has doubled its traffic every year since.

Canadians are one of RateMDs.com most enthusiastic consituencies [just because Canadians have socialized/free medical care doesn't mean its any good]. 85 % of Canadian doctors are user-rated and 45% of the site's 1.2 million monthly visits originate from Canada.
<Maclean's Magazine August 23, 2010 p16-19>

Aug 18 2010 - Mortality (death) rates decline when doctors go on strike
The evidence that when physician-to-patient interactions are decreased less patients die comes from a series of doctor strikes in Los Angeles, Israel and Columbia. The death rate dropped from 18 to 50 percent when doctors stopped working. This decline in patient mortality was again observed in the Washington area by Dr. Craig Feied. He noted that when a lot of the doctors left town at the same time for a medical convention there was an across-the-board drop in mortality.
<Superfreakonomics 2009 p89.>

Aug 17 2010 - The considerable economic price to pay for being female
For American women 25 and older who hold at least a bachelor's degree and work full time, the national median income is about $47,000. Similar men, meanwhile make more than $66,000, a premium of 40%. Even if a woman attends an elite university the pay inequity still remains. The economist Claudia Goldin and colleague found that women who attended Harvard earned less than half as much as the average Harvard man.
<Super Freakonomics 2009 p21>

Aug 16 2010 - Can exercise moderate anger?
A study presented at the most recent annual conference of the American College of Sports Medicine suggests exercise can reduce rage in men. Women were not part of the study group. Sixteen young men with high trait anger had their brain patterns analyzed when subjected to hostility-provoking slides. The results suggested that even a single bout of exercise had a robust prophylatic effect of improved anger management.
<New York Times Magazine Aug 15/10 p21>

Aug 15 2010 - Ketogenic diet slows mitochondrial dysfunction
[Mitochondria are organelles in cells that process nutrients from food into energy or ATP.] Mitochondrial dysfunction is a major cause of neuro-degenerative and neuro-muscular disease.[Evidence is mounting that depression might be a novel form of degenerative disease.] It appears that the ketogenic diet, with low glucose and high fat content, can protect and improve mitochondrial function in mice. Specifically the ketogenic diet improves respiratory chain efficiency in the mitochondria by decreasing the amount of cytochrome c oxidase, an enzyme facilitating cell death.
<Human Molecular Genetics 2010:19:10:1974-1984>

Aug 14 2010 - Perimenopausal gain of belly fat
In a four year study at Louisiana State U tracking healthy middle-aged women, every one of them put on some sub-cutaneous (just beneath the skin) belly fat. Those who entered menopause added significant amounts of visceral fat (or intra-abdominal fat beneath the abdominal wall).

To get ride of belly fat keep moving, chronic daily exercise is key. A healthy diet high in calcium is associated with less tummy fat. Hydrogenated vegetable oils and fructose sweetened foods and beverages may increase accumulation of stomach fat. Don't smoke as it facilitates fat storage. Get adequate sleep as this seems to ameliorate fat accumulation. Stress management may also be useful as high levels of the stress hormone cortisol appear to enhance fat mass.
<Harvard Womens Health Watch August 2010.>

Aug 13 2010 - Americans watch TV 200 billion hours/year
Television absorbs the lion's share of free time available to citizens of the developed world. According to Clay Shirky, a scholar at New York U, for the vast majority of us TV watching amounts to essentially a part time job. The time we might free up by ditching TV is what Shirky calls "cognitive surplus" - an ocean of hours that society could contribute to endeavours far more useful and fun than television.
<New York Times Book Review Aug 8/10 p11>

Aug 12 2010 - Progesterone effective for hot flushes
A randomized controlled trail of 133 women with a mean age of 55 has demonstrated progesterone effective in reducing vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes. The lead researcher, Dr. Jerilynn C Prior MD and UBC professor of endocrinology, stated this is the first evidence of oral micronized progesterone or prometrium, molecularly identical to natural hormone, to be effective for hot flashes/flushes.
<www.endocrinetoday.com June 20/10>

Aug 11 2010 - Drink milk to improve acne vulgaris
Lactoferrin, a whey milk protein, has a prominent activity as an anti-inflammatory. Lacto-ferrin enriched fermented milk was tested in acne patients 18-30 years old. The group receiving the enriched milk, at the end of 12 weeks, had decreased triacylglycerols (a lipid content in skin) and decreased acne lesions.
<Nutrition 2010:26:9:902-909>

Aug 10 2010 - Animal protein protective against hip fracture
A study by Harvard Medical School examined the daily protein intake of 1,000 seniors. Those with the higher protein intake were significantly less likely to suffer a hip facture. In the 85 and over age group hip fracture results in a mortality rate of 36%. The study recommends 46 grams of protein/day for older women.
<Zoomer Mag Sept 2010 p28>

Aug 09 2010 - Peaches
One medium peach contains 60 calories, two grams of fiber, Vitamin C, beta carotene and potassium - a nurtri-pharmaceutical in terms of antoxidant protection.
<Runner's World Sept 2010 p58>

Aug 08 2010 - Ideas for carbohydate meals before workouts
Cereal - cold or hot - with fruit and low-fat milk. French toast or pancakes with maple sryup. Toast with jam and low fat yogurt. Breakfast burrito, bagel, english muffin, pasta, or vegetable pizza slice. Chicken, turkey, beef, or fish sandwich.
<Sports nutrition for distance running by Power Bar>

Aug 07 2010 - Carbohydrate fuels essential to exercise
Fat and carbohyrates are primary as muscle fuels to allow exercise. Even the leanest individuals have plenty of fat reserves tucked away. Carbohydrates are different. At best humans have about 2,000 calories of carbohydrates on reserve in two forms, glucose and glycogen. Glucose circulates in the blood stream. Glycogen is stored as bundles of glucose in liver and muscle. Durning intense exercise it is possible to burn through fuel supplies from the last meal. Human physiology then goes after glycogen stores in the liver and then in muscle to keep going. Once this metabolic supply is used fatique sets in, the pace slows considerably and the body starts to burn fat stores, a less effective fuel.
<Sports nutrition for distance running by Power Bar>

Aug 06 2010 - Gyms dirty, sources of disease and infection
There is an alarming increase in MRSA, a potentially lethal bacterial infection, amoung people using commerical gyms and Y's. Also the viral infection molluscum contagiosum is on the rise among athletes.

An individual's main/best protection against contamination is one's personal hygiene behaviors. Clean workout equipment before using it. Probably bring one's own exercise mat. Shower after a workout and use soap. Dirty workout clothes isolated to one bag and washed before using again. Clean replacement clothes from another bag. Shower shoes are more than wise if using facility showers.
<NYT Aug 3/10 pD7>

Aug 05 2010 - Exercise for heartburn
A 2004 study reported on 3,000 people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or heartburn. A half hour of exercise once a week or more, a higher fiber diet, avoiding food two hours before working out and avoidance of high carbohydrate sports drinks improved GERD. Also exercise choices that were less whole-body agitating - stationary bike riding for example - were perferrable to runinng and surfing. Running can induce GERD in people not prone to GERD.
<New York Times July 27/10 pD5>

Aug 04 2010 - Vitamin D, can you get too much?
"As a species, we do not get as much sun exposure as we used to, and dietary sources of vitamin D are minimal," wrote Dr. Edward Giovannucci, nutrition researcher Harvard School of Public Health.

If aquired naturally through the skin from sunlight, human physiology has a built-in shut off mechanism when enough Vitamin D has been synthesized. This is not so with ingested Vit D supplements. However according to Dr. Giovannucci it is very hard to reach toxic Vit D levels. Healthy adults have taken up to 10,000IU a day for six months with no adverse effects.
<July 27/10 pD7 NYT>

Aug 03 2010 - Type 2 diabetes affects brain function
[Adult onset diabetes or type 2 is largely considered to be a manifestation of un-healthy diet, obesity and sedentary life-style.] The kidneys, eyes and peripheral circulation to feet can be pathologically affected. A new question in the literature is "Is the brain affected by diabetes type 2?". Diabetics have an increased risk of cognitive impairments and dementia. A recent study in rats shows that synthesis of neuro-transmitters in brain becomes compromised. Diabetes type 2 appears to dysregulate metabolic fuels to asytrocytes and neurons for the production of neuro-transmitter acids.
<Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism 2010:30:1527-37>

Aug 02 2010 - Best time of the day to work out?
Late afternoon. Matt Fitzgerald, co-author of 'The Runner's Body: How the latest Science Can Help you Run Stronger, Longer, and Faster' states aerobic capacity is lowest in the morning. Late afternoon, the body is naturally the strongest and most flexible. Emotional moods and motivation are also at their peak. Why this is true is un-researched
<Runner's World Sept 2010 p76.>

Aug 01 2010 - Cosmetic surgery to look good in high heel sandal-type shoes
Tabbed the "Cinderalla procedure" orthopedic surgeons and podiatrists are shortening and lengthing toes, straightening toes, narrowing feet with bunion removal.. all to improve appearance in high heels where the foot is held in place by straps. Botox injections are being used to curb excess foot sweating and fat fillers are being injected into thinning balls of the feet to replace deminished padding.

Because of the exteme physiologic complexity of feet the above treatments should only be offered or made available if there is pain. 26 bones, 30 joints and complex of nerves and tendons make up a foot, meaning a lot can go wrong with surgeries. To demand foot surgery for cosmetic reasons is deeply flawed.
<Wall Street Journal July 27/10 pD3>

Jul 31 2010 - Canned salmon...performance booster
Canned salmon has less than detectable levels of mercury, making it one of the safest seafoods available. It is packed with protein, four ounzes delivering 20 grams of protein and just 170 calories. The same serving gives 100% of the daily value for omega-3 fatty acids, which have a multiple anti-inflammatory actions at the cellular level and increase oxygenation of tissues. It is rich in Vitamin D providing 300% of the daily value in one serving. Low intake of Vitamin D is linked to weak bones, some cancers, poor immunity and heart disease. Canned salmon with bones can provide as much as 20% of daily calcium requirements.
<Runner's World Sept 2010 p54>

Jul 30 2010 - A memoir of insommia...Wide Awake
Patricia Morrisroe has written the above book about her personal experience and research with sleep disorder.

She reveals the fatal flaw in modern medicine - student doctors are taught a narrow band of knowledge and sleep [like womens' health outside of baby production] is simply not covered. Asking your doctor is pointless.

Also doctors are legendary consumers of substances to induce wakefulness and sleep. This underscores a profound social and political question of the relationship between medicine and money.


<New York Times Book Review July 11/2010>

Jul 29 2010 - Story of Provigil....a wakfulness promoting drug
The drug company Cephalon paid $431,000,000 in criminal and civil fines over the manner in which it promoted Provigil. The FDA approved Provigil as an orphan drug only for use with "excessive sleepiness associated with narcolepsy" needed by a very small number of patients. Thanks to illegal marketing and promotion by Cephalon - recorded secretly at a sales meeting by someone wearing a wire - Provigil become a crossover pharmaceutical hit.

Provigil was un-hurt by the $400 million penalty. It continues to be sold all over the world under various names -- Vigil, Moalert, Provake,Modiodal, Modavigil and Alertec.
<New York Times Book Review July 11/10>

Jul 28 2010 - What causes humans to age?
Ageing seems to be associated with low level, chronic inflammation of many of the body's tissues. Insulin, a hormone that regulates the metabolism of glucose, appears intwined with ageing and inflammation. Near-starvation diets in mice and fruit flies extends their life span by as much as 40%. The theory is low calorie diets activate genes designed to help animals and possibly humans endure hard times and improve cell functioning and repair.

<The Youth Pill: Scientists at the Brink of an Anti-Ageing Revolution>

Jul 27 2010 - Sleep and central nervous system (CNS) dysregulation
Normal brain function and the generation of sleep are linked by common neurotransmitter systems and regulatory pathways. Disruption of sleep-wake timing, destablizes physiology and promotes a range of cognitive and metabolic defects/dysfunctions/symptoms. These symptoms are rarely mapped back to sleep disruption by treating physicians.

CNS dysregulation [of any kind - pms, postpartum depression, difficult peri-menopausal transition, neuro-degenerative diseases, affect disorders - ]and abnormal sleep probably have common mechanistic origin. Likely many of the co-morbidities of CNS dysregulation arise from destablization of sleep mechanisms.
<Nature Reviews Neuroscience 2010:11:589-599>

Jul 26 2010 - Immune function..still not well understood
The May 3, 2010 obituary of the Japanese Immunologist Tomio Tada reveals the emerging and recent state of immunology. In 1970 Dr. Tada hypothesized the existence of white blood cells specialized in neutralizing the immune system. Twenty years later the suppressor T cells were finally isolated and Tada's scorned theory confirmed. In 1967 Tada was part of the team that identified the antibody IgE which is the culprit in allergic reactions. In 1989 he founded the journal International Immunology.
<New York Times May 3/10 pB11>

Jul 25 2010 - DCIS rare before the 1980s and mammograms
Today ductile carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is diagnosed in more than 50,000 US women a year. 30% of the time these tiny milk duct tumors turn into cancer and can take decades to do so. DCIS is stage 0 cancer or non-invasive cancer and a very rare diagnosis before mammograms became widely used in the 1980s.

[Before consenting to surgery and radiation, consider a wait, monitor and see approach with DCIS as it may well amount to nothing in 70% of cases.]
<New York Times July 20/10 pA1 & A14>

Jul 24 2010 - Misdiagnosis of breast cancer
In 2006, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization, released a startling study. It estimated that 90,000 women who received a diagnosis of Ductile Carcinoma In Situ (tiny tumors in breast milk ducts) did not actually have cancer. These errors appear to stem from pathologists not well enough trained in spotting real pathological breast tissue changes. They make in-accurate diagnoses from the specimen slides they read.

Should you receive a diagnosis of DCIS, immediately check the credentials of the pathologist. If that pathologist reads under 50 slides per year of DCIS do not trust his/her diagnosis.
<New York Times July 20/10 pA1 & A14>

Jul 23 2010 - Incompetent doctors un-reported by colleagues
A study, reported in the Journal of American Medical Association, found one in three doctors reluctant to report incompetent colleagues. Physicians are allowed the privilege of controlling entry into their profession. This implies a moral duty and responsiblity to uphold the highest standard of self-regulation. Non-reporting of mentally ill, out of date, alcoholic or drug abusing physicians is a troubling and serious quality control issue.
<New York Times July 20/10 pD6>

Jul 22 2010 - Exercise increases mitochondrial content of muscle
Mitochondria are organelles in the cytoplasm of cells that transform nutrients from food into ATP (metabolic fuel/energy) essential for human physiology to function. Skeletal muscle mitochondria deterioration are implicated with age-related loss of function and insulin resistance. Research at the U of Pittsburgh examined the effects of exercise on skeletal muscle mitochondria in older men and women. Exercise increases the production of mitochondria in the cell and improves activity within the mitochrondria providing the cell and eventually the human with more energy.
<J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2006:61:534-540>

Jul 21 2010 - Emerging science shows female metabolism differs greatly from men
A New Zealand researcher, Dr. David Rowlands, found that protein food aided the up-take of carbohydrates in male cyclists and improved performance. Inquiries from female cyclists prompted Dr. Rowlands to investigate nutrients and performance enhancement in women. The results in women were completely different. Performance deteriorated with protein, their legs felt more tired and sore than women who consumed only carbohydrates.
<well.blogs.nytimes 2010/june/30>

Jul 20 2010 - High heels do permenant damage to tendons
Legs persistently subjected to high heels have shortened calf muscles. Dr. Narici and colleagues report in the Journal of Experimental Biology that the permenant contraction of the calf muscles leads to non-reversible ridgity, shortening and thickening of Achilles' heel tendons. When the chronic high heel wearer tries to walk with her feet flat there will be pain.
<Economist July 17/10 p84>

Jul 19 2010 - Minimize time spent sitting
Even in adults who exercise regularly, hours spent sitting can increase risk of cardiovascular disease. This un-expected finding comes from a study in the May issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, lead author Tatiana Warren. Commuting, sitting jobs, 23+hours/wk of leisure TV watching etc., inter-mingled with exercise and active lifestyle is not enough to offset heart disease. Long periods of sitting lead to lack of muscle contraction, cellular changes from lack of increased blood flow, insulin resistance and serum fatty acid build-up. Ameliorate the dangers of inactivity by breaking it up with movement - pacing, standing, cleaning etc.
<New York Times Magazine July 18/10 p18>

Jul 18 2010 - Most exercisers can forego heart rate monitoring
Dr. Tim Church, director of at Louisanna's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, thinks that except for elite athletes heart rate monitoring is usless. Everyone has their own natural pace and its important to find what works for each individual. He suggests finding an exercise that works for you and stick with it, don't be distracted with measuring heart rate. A 2001 U of Colorado confirms Church's beliefs when it concluded that the standard heart rate equation was in-accurate for both men and women.
<Wall Street Journal July 6, 2010 pD5>

Jul 17 2010 - Exposure to trees, forests, parks improves immunity
Phytonics are airborne chemicals given off by plants, trees and vegetation etc., to protect them from rotting and insects. It appears that phytonics also protect humans from inflammation and boost immune function. A 2010 Japanese study found that people instructed to walk through a forested wooded area for a few hours has lower concentrations of the stress hormone cortisol, lower blood pressure and pulse than others instructed to walk in the city.
<Wall Street Journal july 6/10 pD5>

Jul 16 2010 - Parents wonder about toxic offspring
A patient of Dr. Richard Friedman, a psychiatry professor, was in great distress. She has one unkind, verbally abusive and unsympathetic 17 year old son and two well adjusted nice sons. Was she and her husband the cause of the problem kid? Another patient had a 35 year old son and despite his many advantages was short tempered and rude to his parents - refusing to be contacted when his mother was gravely ill. Friedman points out that such character traits may be hard wired and cannot be changed, parental failure and impoverished environment are not always the cause of toxic offspring.
<New York Times July 13/10 pD6>

Jul 15 2010 - Glucosamine useless
Many people with chronic pain from osteoarthitis take glucosamine for relief. A study reported in the July Journal of the American Medical Association found glucosamine confers no benefit beyond placebo effect. 125 Norweigan patients took 1,500 mg of glucosamine for six months while a similar group took dummy pills. No difference was found in the level of pain, disability or quality of life between the two groups.
<New York Times July13/10 pD6>

Jul 14 2010 - Reducing sugar intake lowers blood pressure
Researchers analyzed data for 4,000+ adults with no history of hypertension who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Survey of 2003-6. Those who consumed at least 2.6 ounces a day of fructose from table sugar or high fructose corn syrup were found to have almost double the risk for systolic blood pressure higher than 160. Mounting evidence is suggesting that increased intake of sugars might raise blood pressure.
<New York Times July 6/10 pD6>

Jul 13 2010 - Chronic, lifelong exercise = mental health in women
Laura E. Middleton, lead author of a study published in the Journal of American Geriatrics, states "People often separate the body and the mind, and forget that physical activity is actually controlled by the brain...A large portion of the brain is dedicated towards coordinating and controlling movement." Middleton and colleagues studied 9,000+ women over 65, finding those who been active regularly at any age had lower risk of cognitive impairment in later life.
<New York Times July 6/10 pD6>

Jul 12 2010 - To keep weight off once lost
The weight-reduced individual(WRI) faces a whole new physiological ordeal in maintaining weight loss. Recent research shows that weight reduction achieved by exercise and reduced calorie consumption causes muscle tissue to become much more efficient. The WRI now burns significantly less calories to preform the same tasks as when s/he was fat = increased muscle efficiency. To escape the paradox of increased efficiency contributing to weight regain, the WRI must chronically keep up a higher intensity execise program.
<J Appl Physiol 2008:105:825-31>

Jul 11 2010 - Re-thinking stretching
The hallowed tradition of pre-exercise stretching has come under attack. Recent studies show that extending muscle to the edge of its range of motion and then holding it there causes a temporary decrease of strength and power that can last for hours. At Florida State U male runners who did not stretch before a race ran faster than stretchers. Stiffness in muscles and tendons represents stored energy that is best used for intensive exercise.
<Canadian Running July & August 2010 p33>

Jul 10 2010 - Rational sense ignored in hospitals
A U of Penn study found that smaller workloads per nurse can lower the risk of patient death during sugergy. So far hospitals across the nation have resisted patient-to-nurse ratios, calling them un-needed and impractical. Last month 12,000 Minnesota nurses went on strike over this issue of capping the number of patients to nurse. This is the largest nurses strike in US history. [ A remarkably assertive action by an occupational group that can be characterized as being a low self-esteem employment ghetto.]
<Newsweek July 12/10 p8>

Jul 08 2010 - Incivility, rudeness in the workplace...
may influence a worker's concentration and consequently affect the safety of high risk tasks. Two airline pilots were so ingrossed in a dispute that they overshot the airport by 150 miles. This loss of situational awareness was treated as a serious safety violation and both pilots had their licences revoked.
<BMJ 2010:340:c2480>

Jul 07 2010 - Diet and ice.. cheapest/best management of hemorrhoids
An over the counter product CryoSTAT promises with four treatments amounting to $65 to releave hemorrhoids. An ice pack, according to medical specialists, will give the same relief to acute pain and itching symptoms. Long term management with a higher fiber diet of whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables and plenty of water might end the problem entirely.
<Consumer Reports August 2010 p12>

Jul 06 2010 - Gender difference in the efficacy of statin meds
Cholesterol lowering medications like atorvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin [are being prescribed like water], 22% of Americans over 45 are taking statins. Statins first appeared on the market in 1987 with the introduction of lovastatin. Several studies have shown statins to not be effective in women. If elevated LDL Cholesterol is the only symptom try improving nutrition, increased regular exercise and weight reduction first.
<Dr. John Santa Consumer Reports Health August 2010 p12>

Jul 05 2010 - Television Time increases with Age
It has been found that adults over age 65 spent almost 3 times more of their waking hours watching TV than younger adults.
This excess TV watching is also associated with poorer cardiovascular and bone health, a higher risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes, lower life satisfaction, less frequent engagement in social and physical recreation and increased risk for dementia.
Turn it off get out of the chair and go for a walk.
<American Journal of Preventive Medicine, August 2010 issue>

Jul 02 2010 - Ignorance and its effects on decisions
The less people know, the more over confident they tend to be in their abilities. In a German study 80% of those surveyed described themselves as confident in answers on a questionnaire, yet only 42% got even half the questions right. This is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect: people who don't know much tend not to recognize their ignorance, and so fail to seek better information. A study by the Atlantic Federal Reserve Bank found that the least financially knowledgeable people were also the least likely to do research before getting a mortgage and end up in foreclosure.
<The New Yorker July 5/10 p23>

Jul 01 2010 - Eat soup to reduce food intake
A Penn State study has shown that soup consumption of any type reduces meal energy intake by 20%.
<Appetite 2007:49:3:626-34>

Jun 30 2010 - Eat water-rich foods for weight reduction
Vegetables and fruits have high water content. This means they are high in volume or are filling/satiating but low in calories. It appears that calorie or energy dense diets contribute to obesity. Dietary energy density can be reduced by increasing intake of water-rich foods such as fruit and vegetables.
<Proc Nutr Soc 2010:69:1:70-9>

Jun 29 2010 - Use liquids to reduce calories
Dr. Barbara Rolls a nutrition researcher at Penn State and the author of 'Volumetrics' and colleagues have demonstrated that people consume fewer calories when their meals and snacks have high liquid content - eg soup. Drinks consumed with and between meals do not have the same satiating effect.
<New York Times June 29/10 pD7>

Jun 28 2010 - Biking for weight control
Harvard's Nurses' Health Study found that bicycling was better than slow walking for weight maintenance and reduction. Over a 16 year period those women who bicycled for 30 minutes per day had better outcomes than those who bicycled for for less than 15 minutes per day.
<New York Times June 29/10 pD6>

Jun 27 2010 - Bioavailability of catechins in various chocolate confections
[The performance of the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine may be enhanced by eating chocolate. Chocolate contains molecules of catechins or catechols which bind with biogenic amines or amino acids to form the above neurotransmitters.] Adding sugar and or milk to chocolate changes the bio-availability of catechins slightly. The neuro effects of dark chocolate, and chocolate with sugar and or milk added may not be that different.
<Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 2010:58:11:6685>

Jun 26 2010 - Healthy effects of diet rich in fruits and vegetables
A diet rich in fruit and vegetables is associated with reduced chronic disease risk because of high content of polyphenolic acids. Apples, especially the apple peel, represent a major source of fruit polyphenols in the Western diet. Potatoes are the largest source of vegetable phenolics in the American diet. Beets, broccoli and red pepper have the highest phenolic content of vegetables and highest cellular antioxidant protective effect.
<Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2010:58:11:6621 & 6636>

Jun 25 2010 - Same-day surgery centers can be dirty
The Journal of the American Medical Association recently reported that lax anti-infection practices may prevade more than 5,000 outpatient surgery centers. State inspectors visited 68 centers in Maryland, North Carolina, and Oklahoma where procedures such as colonoscopies and esophagus examinations were preformed. 57% were cited for deficiencies such as failure to wash hands, wear gloves, and clean glucose monitors after use.
<New York Times June 9/10 pA16>

Jun 24 2010 - Vitamin pills may raise cancer risks
Multivitamin use is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in a cohort of Swedish women, Susanna Larsson and colleagues have found. "Many people believe that taking [vitamin] supplements will reduce their risk of chronic disease, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease," say Larsson and colleagues.
<Nature Reviews Endocrinology 2010:6:355>

Jun 23 2010 - Do you crave ice cubes?
It could be that you are anemic. In addition to fatigue and weakness, cravings for ice have emerged as a sign of iron deficiency anemia. The mouth becomes inflammed with iron deficiency anemia and ice relieves the discomfort. Intestinal by-pass surgeries for weight loss which causes reduced absorption of iron and other minerals can also cause anemia and ice cravings.
<New York Times June 22/10 pD5>

Jun 22 2010 - Building brain tissue
A study of London taxi drivers using MRI scans found the hippocampus part of the brain was larger in cab drivers than controls. The longer the driver had been working at the job the larger the hippocampus. The hippocampus is involved with navigation and spatial relationships. A study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical center found that the motor cortex in the brains of 32 professional musicians was larger than controls. It appears that chronic physical practice - navigating places driving a car or playing an instrument - enlarges the brain.
<Winner's Brain Harvard Health Newletter 2010>

Jun 21 2010 - Market for plus sizes
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 28 percent of adult Americans were obese last year, the highest percentage yet. Almost two-thirds of women are either overweight or obese.
<New York Times June 19/10 p1>

Jun 20 2010 - Medical radiation can kill you
A 2007 Columbia Unversity study estimated as much as 2% of future cancers in the US will be from CT scan radiation. A CT scan involves 10-20 milisieverts versus .01-.1 for ordinary chest X-ray, or less than 1 for mammogram and .005 for a dental X-ray. CT scans of the chest and abdomen should be sparsely permitted.
<Wall Street Journal June 15/10 pD9>

Jun 19 2010 - Brown rice eaters reduce risk of diabetes
Harvard researchers concluded that replacing 50 grams of cooked white rice or a third of a serving, with brown rice seems to cut the risk of diabetes by 16%. Replacing white rice with other whole grains - whole wheat, barley etc., - appears to lower the risk by 36%. The findings appear in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.
<Wall Street Journal June 15/10 pD4>

Jun 18 2010 - Milk products lower blood pressure
A major component of milk and dairy products is the mineral calcium. At the molecular level calcium balance inside and outside of the cell is vital to optium human physiological function. A calcium deficient-diet magnified by high salt intake increases calcium excretion, upsetting calcium balance with increased calcium and magnesium outside the cell. This imbalance or flux affects vascular smooth muscle cells and there is increased resistance for blood to flow causing high blood pressure. Adequate consumption of milk re-balances calcium intra and extra cellular concentrations and reduces blood pressure.
<Hilpert KF et al., Journal of Am Coll Nutr 2009:28:142-49>

Jun 17 2010 - Salt restriction inferior single strategy for blood pressure control
Dietary salt restriction produces only modest changes in high blood pressure. The best key effective strategies for reducing blood pressure are weight loss, exercise, a diet high in fruit & vegetables (8-10 servings per day), and three servings per day of dairy products (primarily low fat or no fat milk).
<Spotlight on Nutrition Spring 2010 www.dairynutrition.ca>

Jun 16 2010 - Increased lung cancers in women due to reproductive hormones?
Exposure to tobacco smoke appears to increase the enzyme (cytochrome P450) that synthesizes estrogens. High levels of estrogens can be carcinogenic to target tissues. In female mice exposed to tobacco smoke, lung tissue was found to have detectable estrogen levels.
<Cancer Prevention Research 2010:3:6:707>

Jun 15 2010 - Smoker or not, women more susceptible to lung cancer than men
Lung cancers rates are rising in women... from 25 cases per 100,000 in 1975 to 53.02 per hundred thousand in 2005. Women who have never smoked are three times more likely than men who have never smoked to get lung cancer.
<Wall Street Journal June 8/10 pD1&2>

Jun 14 2010 - Winner's brain
Sleep, exercise and nutrition are basic to cultivating a winner's high functioning brain. These behaviours provide the substrates for resiliency at the level of the neuron/brain cell fostering optimal mental processes and health.
<Harvard mental health letter May 2010>

Jun 13 2010 - Milk proteins prevent decline in glutamine levels & increase muscle strength
Two proteins found in milk - whey and casein - prevent decline in plasma glutamine (amino acid from which proteins are synthesized in the body)levels. Also both proteins appear to increase stength when exercising. Whey is the thin serum of milk remaining after casein and fat is removed. Whey contains proteins (lactoalbumins and lactoglobulins), vitamins and minerals. Casein is the principle protein of milk.
<Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 2002:34:5:s299>

Jun 12 2010 - Cold drinks fight dehydration best
Dehydration causes blood volumes to drop, which lowers your body's ability to transfer heat and forces your heart to beat faster, making it difficult to keep exercising. In a study in 2008 in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, cyclists who drank cold beverages exercised nearly 12 minutes longer than those drinking warm beverages.
<Runner's World July 2010 p39>

Jun 11 2010 - Swelling from heat
Heat edema (swelling) causes extremities to enlarge - foot size can increase up to two sizes. The body's natural cooling response dilates blood vessels and sends more fluid to extremities. Because of gravity the heart is unable to pump the extra fluid back out of the feet.
<Runner's World July 2010 p78>

Jun 10 2010 - Gender bias in medical research
Biomedical research continues to use male subjects predominately in animal and human studies and trials. Some 5.5 male animal models are used for every female in neuroscience. Differences in the physiology of males and females is now well documented. Women have a higher susceptibility to adverse drug reactions - [because the drugs were developed for male physiology in the first place?] compared to men. Monthly and chronological ovarian hormonal tides are known to influence symptoms in a range of diseases. Researchers use male models to escape the variablity [and extra work] that menstrual cycling, pregnancy and menopausal female models cause to studies.
<Nature 2010:465;7299;665>

Jun 09 2010 - Diet , neurogenesis and mental health
One of the brain's structures associated with learning, memory and mood is the hippocampus. The hippocampus is one of the two structures in adult brain to form new neurons or neurogenesis.[Ten years ago it was in-accurately held that adult brain did not produce new brain cells/neurons.] The level of neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus had been linked directly to cognition and mood. Evidence is accumulating that modulation of adult hippocampus neurogenesis by diet is a possible mechanism by which quality nutrition improves mental health.
<Genes Nutr 2009:4:271-282>

Jun 08 2010 - Impact of diet on adult brain and heart
Diet has an impact on cardiovascular health, cancer risks, longevity and mental health. Research over the past five years has now clearly established that learning, memory, and mood can be influenced by diet during development and adulthood. Low intake of omega-3 fatty acids is associated with several forms of cognitive decline in the elderly. A diet rich in omega-3s is preventative and or restorative of cognitive decline.
<Genes Nutr 2009:4:271-282>

Jun 07 2010 - Fats and brain health
DHA, docosahexaenoic acid, is found in large quantities in fatty fish. DHA is a component of brains, particulary the synpatic junctions between nerve cells, and its displacement by modern cooking oils such as soya, maize and rape is cause for worry. Many researchers think the shift - and the change in brain chemistry that it causes - explains the rise in recent times of depression, manic-depression, memory-loss, schizophrenia and attention-deficit disorder. It may also be responsible for the rising levels of obesity and thus heart disease which often accompany being overweight.
<Economist May 29/10 p81>

Jun 06 2010 - Fats and the evolution of the human central nervous system(CNS)
Micheal Crawford, a researcher at London's Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, suggests the CNS (brain and spinal cord) evolved due to the fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Dr. Crawford believes DHA first evolutionary job was to convert light into electricity in single cell organisms. This gave crude forms of light sensitivity and electrical potential which underpins the CNS.
<Economist May 29/10 p81>

Jun 05 2010 - Nervous breakdown...no such thing
The vagueness of the phrase 'nervous breakdown' made it imposible to survey the prevalence of specific mental problems. Nervous breakdown or nervous exhaustion could mean anything from depression to mania to drunkenness. Glossing over these details left people who suffered from what are well known afflictions like postpartum depression, entirely in the dark, wondering if they were alone in their misery.
<New York Times June 1/10 pD6>

Jun 04 2010 - Tanning beds, a human carcinogen
Indoor tanning beds double the risk of skin cancer. This research appears in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention this week online. Frequent users - who had 50 hours of indoor tanning over 10 years - were at 2.5 times the risk of skin cancer than non-users.
<New York Times June 1/10 pD6>

Jun 03 2010 - Calorie restriction, carbohydrate restriction and exercise..
all reduce the amount of carbohyrate/glucose available to the brain as its primary/preferred energy supply to function. Fatty acids are then partially oxidized to ketones that can be used by the brain as an alternative fuel source. This shift in substrate from glucose to ketones as a metabolic fuel for brain function has neuro-protective/restorative features.
<J Cereb Blood Flow 2008:28:1:1-16, Epilepsia 2008:49:supp8:111-113, Diabetes Metab Rev 1989 5:3:247-70>

Jun 02 2010 - Home cooking benefit
Better nutrition results from home cooking. One study showed that meals prepared at home are more likely to meet dietary objectives for fat, calcium, fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. Less fried foods, soft drinks, sweets and fasts foods are consumed when home cooking dominates meal planning.
<dairynutrition.ca>

Jun 01 2010 - Checking up on doctors
Melinda Beck, Wall Street Journal reporter, in her May 25/10 column with the above captioned title, reported on the general health status of doctors. Diet, exercise, alcohol, obesity etc., were reviewed. The Wall Street Journal has long held that its mission is to publish news on the basis of being a public trust or trustworthy.

Omitted from Beck's article is the mental health fact that physicians have the highest suicide rate of all the professions. One doctor a day takes his or her self out. The PBS documentary "Struggling in Silence", aired nationwide in the spring of 2008, gives an in-depth look at this enormous but seldom reported or talked about travesty. Visit DoctorsWithDepression.org for more information.
<opinion Heather Ewart>

May 31 2010 - Ten biggest choking hazards for children
Hot dogs, peanuts, carrots, boned chicken, candy(including marshmallows), meat, popcorn, fish with bones, sunflower seeds and apples pose the highest choking risk for young children. Cut hot dogs length-wise before slicing into smaller pieces. Simply slicing hot dogs into nickle size chucks makes it more dangerous to children. Cut grapes in quarters. Flat lollipops are safer than ball-shaped suckers.

Care-givers [parents]should know CPR - little brains can't do without oxygen as is caused by choking.
<NYT May 25/10 pD6>

May 30 2010 - Water in swimming pools..how clean?
Michele Hlavsa, Healthy Swimming Program chief at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a few tips. Take your own test strips to swimming pools to check water quality before you jump in. The pool inspectors can't be there every day to check for you. Bathers should not swim if they have had diarrhea. Never swallow pool water. Parents should frequently toilet their children.

One in eight public pools inspected in 2008 were closed immediately because of serious health code violations according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pools at child care facilities were the worst with one in five shut immediately. Hotels, motels and apartment complexes were next at one in seven.
<New York Times May 25/10 pD6>

May 29 2010 - Walgreen's to sell [usless] genetic test kits
Genetic self-test kits are available for purchase from various internet sites. Walgreen's will be the first bricks & mortar outlet. These tests largely reveal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which means a deletion, insertion or exchange causing a tiny difference or anomaly at the level of the gene. These SNPs have largely not mapped back to predicting heritable disease risk. Also these kits are un-regulated, lack accuracy standards, are without clinical benefit and are misleading.
<N Engl Med 2010:362:21:2028>

May 28 2010 - Glutamine-rich foods
Dietary sources of glutamine (a non-essential amino acid) are animal proteins (beef, pork and poultry), dairy products (milk, yogurt, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese), and raw vegetables (spinach, cabbage, parsley, beets).

The body can manufacture glutamine (a building block of protein). Extra glutamine from diet or supplementation maybe necessary when the body is under stress.
<www.umm.edu - University of Maryland Medical Center >

May 27 2010 - Oral L-glutamine has anti-anxiety properties
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the major inhibitory neuro-transmitter in the human brain. All anti-anxiety, sedative-hypnotic and tranquilizing drugs act by potentiating/enchaning GABA levels in brain. The amino acid precursor, once removed to GABA, is glutamine. In brain glutamine is synthesized to large quantities of glutamate which is the major excitatory neuro-transmitter in brain. Glutamate is then in turn synthesized to smaller quantities of GABA.

Oral glutamate and oral GABA do not cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) but oral L-glutamine does. In an experiment using rats the elevation of blood and brain levels of glutamine did not increase the level of glutamate. But GABA levels were increased. Increased GABA in brain can be a useful adjunct for treating anxiety, seizures etc.
<FASEB J 2007:21:1227. Bochem Soc Trans 2009:37:1317>

May 26 2010 - Cultural stress on female appearance..costly
Twenty years ago Naomi Wolf argued in her book the "Beauty Myth" that deep-seated & crippling discimination exists in terms how a woman looks. Appearance matters so much as to distort a woman's success in work, love and almost everything else. The gains in feminist liberation were being sacrificed on the alter of breast implants and diets.

All this cruel and unfair emphasis on female appearance has not changed according to Stanford law professor Deborah L. Rhode in her book "The Beauty Bias". Cosmetic surgery has quadrupled over the past decade. Women still wear stiletto heels that hobble gait and injury the spine. Useless anti-wrinkle skin creams are snapped up at any price. Fatness in the female has the same stigma as AIDS. Meanwhile men are largely un-plagued by their imperfections and do not suffer.
<New York Times Book Review May 23/10 p8>

May 25 2010 - Appearance discrimination
In 2002 Jennifer Portnick, five-foot-8 and 240 pounds, taught exercise classes and worked out everyday. Jazzercise turned down her franchise application because their instructors "must have a high muscle-to-fat ratio and look leaner than the public".

Portnick won a San Francisco human rights complaint under a 2000 local law that prevented discrimination on the basis of appearance. Nationally Jazzercise no longer demands thinness from instructors.
<New York Times Book Review May 23/10 p8>

May 24 2010 - Glutamine, a non-essential amino acid, may be essential
Glutamine has recently been the focus of nutrition science interest. There is growing evidence that when humans experience physiological stessors (ageing, disease, injury, stress, trauma..)glutamine may be a "conditionally essential" amino acid.

Non-essential amino acids are synthesized by the body, essential amino acids must be derived from diet.
<The Journal of Nutrition 2008:138:2025s>

May 23 2010 - GABA capsules revisited..useful for high blood pressure?
Oral GABA in capsules such as Webber Naturals sells may have some positive effect in lowering high blood pressure. Three studies have shown that exogenously administered GABA (oral or injection) has a significant effect in lowering blood pressure in people who were hypertensive. People with normal blood pressure (BP) who took GABA as part of the research had no change in BP.

While oral GABA doesn't cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) which surrounds the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system), GABA may be able to act on the peripheral nervous system (PNS). In the PNS GABA appears to act at GABA-B receptors to inhibit the release of noradrenaline from sympathetic nerve fibers. In rats this reduces perfusion pressure in the mesenteric arterial beds and reduces blood pressure in hypertensive rats.
<European J of Pharmacology 2002:438:107-113>

May 22 2010 - GABA capsules...waste of money
A bottle of fifty Webber Naturals GABA hundred milligram capsules costs $19.89 (Can). The bottle label and website indicate this Webber product helps to reduce over-firing neurons in the brain to help promote relaxation, clamness and alterness while easing nervous tension.

The Webber website goes on to state GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) and is essential to improving mood and reducing anxiety.

GABA is a four carbon, non-protein amino acid and Webber is correct that it is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in brain. The brain and spinal cord are surrounded by the blood-brain-barrier (BBB). Extra GABA from capsules cannot cross the BBB. GABA is synthesized locally in the brain.

Therefore the stress relief claim on the Webber label and website re GABA capsules is patently false. Don't waste your money.
<FASEB J 2007:21:1227-1232, Am J Clin Nutr 2009:90:876s,>

May 21 2010 - Guilt-free meat
A new study from Harvard School of Public Health suggests that the heart attack risk long associated with red meat comes mostly from processed varieties such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs and cold cuts. Steak, hamburgers and other non-processed cuts may not pose a risk even though high in saturated fat.

A meta-analysis of 20 different studies, appearing in Tuesday's Circulation Journal, found four ounzes of red meat from hamburger, beef, pork, lamb, or game wasn't linked to increased risk of heart disease.
<Wall Street Journal May 18/10 pD1>

May 20 2010 - Milk proteins, elite macronutrients
Dairy proteins are much higher than meat or plant foods in the branch chain amino acids (BCAA), especially leucine. Leucine appears central to food intake regulation and promoting lean body mass.

The two principal proteins in milk are casein and whey. Casein is slowly digested and contributes to feeling full for a long time. Whey contributes to short term satiety.
<J Nutr 2004:134:774s & J Am Coll Nutr 2007:26:6:704s>

May 19 2010 - UK Database of Uncertainties about the effect of treatments
Sir Iain Chalmers, coordinator of the Cochrane Collaboration, has written people suffer and die unnecessarily from uncertainties of treatments not being addressed.

To ensure that administered treatments do more good than harm, gaps in knowledge about their effects - uncertainties -must be identified and sufficiently addressed.

The UK Database of Uncertainties about the Effects of Treatments (DUETS)- www.library.nhs.uk/duets - harvests and publishes treatment uncertainties. The Cochrane Reviews library (told about below May 17/10) is a rich source for DUETS.

Anyone can go to the Cochrane Reviews or DUET, where there is generally a plain language summary.
<www.thecochranelibrary.com Sir Iain Chalmers May 12/10 >

May 18 2010 - Stress incontinence surgeries.....no randomized control trials
Stress incontinence - leakage of urine associated with increased intraadominal pressure - is common in women. Only a fraction of women seek treatment. For many the problem is intermittent, comes and goes.

In 1996 and 2001 two new surgical procedures were introduced and widely performed without any evidence from randomized control trials. A 2010 report in the May 17/10 New England Journal of Medicine found the two different procedures essentially the same in terms of outcomes. Bladder perforations, dysfunction voiding requiring more surgery and one third of women require a second procedure later on in life are some of the negative outcomes.

[Probably unknown to them, women who underwent these new procedures formed the pool of test cases to determine efficacy of surgeries.]
<NEJM May 17, 2010 -10.1056/NeJMe1005367>

May 17 2010 - Medical practices frequently not evidence-based
In 1972 Archie Cochrane's book "Effectiveness and Efficiency" highlighted a fatal flaw in modern medicine, of which most health care consumers are un-aware. The flaw is that a vast amount of clinic practice - drugs, treatments, tests, surgeries etc., - are NOT based on reliable research evidence.

Cochrane challenged the medical profession to assemble "a critical summary, adapted periodically, of all..relevant randomized trails." [ This reflects the high probability of most doctors not being up-to-date, not current in the evolving and best research evidence and practicing with old/dated knowledge/information or unthinkingly doing what colleagues do.]

In 1993 the Cochrane Collaboration was set up and from inception was a computerized data base of systematic reviews on any bio-medical subject. Most importantly these reviews are updated when new information becomes available or when mistakes or other ways of improving them are identified.

The Cochrane reviews are frequently dissatisfying for those looking for certainty of effectiveness. That is because there is simply inadequate research evidence [few or no random control trials] to provide reliable information to guide treatment choices. [Consumers are un-aware of what a rickety, unsafe, harm-filled environment medical practice actually is.]
<www.thechocranelibrary.com May 12,2010 Sir Iain Chalmers>

May 16 2010 - Two servings of nuts per day needed for health benefit
Loma Linda University researchers have found that two serivngs of tree nuts did a better job of reducing blood cholesterol and triglycerides than one serving.

These finding include walnuts, almonds, pistachios, macadamias, and hazelnuts. Peanuts are also included, they are actually a legume but have similar properties to the preceeding tree nuts.

The lead author of this latest report, Dr. Joan Sabate, was one of the orginial researchers to link nut consumption to lower risk of heart attack several years ago.
<Wall Street Journal May 11/10 pD3>

May 15 2010 - Caffeine helps shift workers stay alert
Sleepiness leads to a deterioration in performance and is associated with errors and injury. Shift workers struggle with sleepiness because normal night/day sleep/awake cycles are dysregulated.

Four British researchers review 13 trails for the Cochrane Collaboration, which only considers the best evidence available. They concluded caffeine [caffeine drinks?] was an effective intervention for improving performance in shift workers.
<Cochrane database of systematic reviews 2010:5>

May 14 2010 - Exercise therapy, especially yoga, for schizophrenia
The Cochrane Collaboration, which summarizes the best biomedical evidence on any subject, had two U of Toronto researchers look at the above captioned. Three randomized controlled trials met the Cochrane inclusion criteria. The overall results show that regular exercise programmes are possible in this population, and that they can have healthful effects on both physical and mental health well-being of individuals with schizophrenia.

Yoga was found to have an even better outcome for mental health than exercise. Yoga groups also had significantly better quality of life scores.
<Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews 2010:5>

May 13 2010 - Some humans part Neanderthal
The sequencing of the Neanderthal genome at the Max Planck Institute has confirmed that interbreeding did go on between homo sapiens (modern humans) and Neanderthals (hominin)about 45,000-80,000 years ago. Genomes of modern humans contain from 1-4% of DNA sequence inherited from Neanderthals. Only the modern African genome lacks the inheritance indicating the interbreeding of the two groups occurred after humans migrated from Africa.
<Nature 2010:465:148-149>

May 12 2010 - Progesterone for treatment of PCOS
Probably the world's best medical authority on hormone physiology in women is Dr. Jerilyn C. Prior, physician-researcher and University of British Columbia (UBC) professor of endocrinology (study of hormones).

Her goal in treating ovulatory disturbances such as polycysitic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is to restore a normal balance of estrogen to progesterone. Prior advocates taking 300 mg of oral micronized progesterone/Prometrium for the second half of the menstrual cycle - roughly day 14 to day 27. Thereby mimmicking the missing normal progesterone secretion.

At her website www.cemcor.ubc.ca Prior has renamed PCOS as Anovulatory Androgen Excess (AAE). This is to refocus on the highly treatable hair, acne, pregnancy and weight problems associated with this phenomenon.
<Centre for menstrual cycle and ovulation research. UBC. >

May 11 2010 - Self-prescribing of nutritional supplements
1102 people who exercised in 50 gyms were part of a cross sectional study to assess their use of nutritional supplements. 36.8% took supplements. Highest intake was in men. Five products were consumed daily: proteins and amino acid rich products (58%), isotonic drinks (32%), carbohydrate-rich products (23%), natural/phytotherapeutic products (20%) and multivitamin/mineral pills (19%).

More than half of supplement users (55%) reported using these products without any specialized professional guidance. Self-prescribing nutrition supplements without physician or nutritionist oversight can harm your health.
<Nutrition 2010:26:6:604>

May 10 2010 - Bred-in-bone human predisposition for high calcium intake
Modern humans are almost physiologically identical to Stone Age ancestors. Anthropologists believe these first humans to have consumed 1,800 mg of calcium per day from uncultivated plant food and some wild game. The diet of evolving humans was extremely calcium-rich.

Today, the ameliorating effect that adequate calcium has on hypertension, premenstrual syndrome, postpartum depression, polycystic ovary syndrome, osteoporosis and obesity demonstrates a bred-in-the-bone human predisposition for high calcium intake.

By cows eating calcium rich plants, the benefit is passed on to humans in the form of milk and dairy products.
<Fatness in Women. wwwfemalebrain.com 2006>

May 09 2010 - Regulation of body fat
According to George N. Wade a researcher at the Center for Neuroendocrine Studies U of Mass., humans are best at responding to unfeeding.

In an editorial he points out "Throughout evolution.. humans and other animals have not been endangered from a surfeit of calories. Thus there would have been selective pressure to develop mechanisms to combat obesity..Indeed..counter-productive.On the other hand, obtaining enough calories for survival and reproduction has often been a challenge, developing mechanisms for coping with energy deficits would be highly beneficial."

In short, the brain is hardwired to prevent starvation and has no evoluntary mechanisms to prevent obesity.
<Am J Physio Reg Integ Comp Physio 2004:286:R14-15>

May 08 2010 - Infertile? Examine your diet
In lean and obese women (premenopausal and never pregnant) adequate consumption of simple carbohydrates foods - cold cereals, white rice and potatoes - can disrupt ovulation. The ovaries are apparently insulin sensitive and can dysfunction with high sugar/glucose from carbohydrates. Changing diet composition without weight loss can re-commence ovulation. Eating the more complex harder to break-down carbohydrates such as brown rice, whole wheat or whole grain products can result in fertility and pregnancies.

[Emerging neurosicence research on the tie between diet and fertility will not be mentioned to you at fertility clinics. No money in that simple solution.]
<European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009:63:78-86>

May 07 2010 - Brain aging and Vitamin D
Brain aging and brain injury have similar features. Increased oxidative stress, altered protein accumulation, nucleic acid damage, and dsyfunction of energy homeostatis are cell/neuron changes of normal aging. These changes parallel brain injury dynamics such as decreasing resistance to excitotoxic damage from ion pump impairment, calcium ion dysregulation, and decreased mitochondrial (energy) function.

Adquate intake of vitamin D appears protective against brain aging. Vitamin D is actually metabolized to a steroid hormone - vitamin D hormone - and is a known potent modulator of cell cycle, immune function, and calcium homeostatis.
<Neurotherapeutics 2010:7:81-90>

May 06 2010 - Good for you..eat now..Alaskan salmon
Every spring and summer Alaska's rivers overflow with the return of wild coho, sockeye and king salmon. These fish are rich in protein, Vitamin D, and inflammation reducing omega-3 fatty acids. And they are fished in an environmentally sustainable way that does not contribute to pollution, says Sheila Bowman of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program.
<Runners World June 2010 p48>

May 05 2010 - Inflammaging & Vitamin D
With aging there is a general increased activation of the inflammatory response and this becomes the basis for the onset of virtually all age-associated diseases. This change to the immune system with increased age has been dubbed 'inflammAGING'.

The aged brain appears to exist in a chronic state of inflammation that is associated with increased immune reactivity and continuous low-level production of central inflammatory cytokines.

An increase in neuroinflammatory cytokine response in the elderly can disrupt neuronal synaptic plasticity, establishing a CNS environment predisposed to long-lasting complications.

Vitamin D, which is not a vitamin but a seco-steroid hormone, as pointed out in NEWS yesterday is endemically deficient in the elderly. When Vitamin D status from diet, sun and/or supplementation is adequate immune system function is improved and inflammaging suppressed.
< Neurotherapeutics 2010:7:81-90>

May 04 2010 - Taking Vitamin D supplementation equivalent to wearing a seat belt
Seat belts and safety helmets have decreased traumatic brain injury (TBI) in most age groups. However TBI has increased in people over 65 by 21%. An older person with TBI is twice as likely to die compared to a younger TBI person.

Studies are showing that elderly populations have endemic Vitamin D deficiency. Anywhere from 40% to 100% deficiency rates have been shown in populations of American and European older men and women.

Adequate Vitamin D from diet, sun and/or supplementation is preventive of cancer and heart disease. It now appears the outcome for an elderly person with TBI and normal Vitamin D status is better than for the Vitamin D deficient elder.
<Neurotherapeutics 2010:7:81-90>

May 03 2010 - To slim down, eat less meat
If you want to lose weight, consider eating more fruits, veggies, grains, and legumes than meat. A flexitarian diet means taking in less saturated fat and cholesterol and it can help save on groceries.
<runnersworld.com/flex June 2010>

May 02 2010 - Cognitive dissonance, chasing losses, not learning from history...
are the reasons such poor performers as Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Merrill Lynch are still in business. Merrill's advice helped to bankrupt Orange County in 1994. Over the internet bubble its clients lost huge sums. In the credit crisis more than 50 Billion disappeared. Yet plenty of people still trust Merrill with their money.
<New Yorker May 3/10 p25>

May 01 2010 - Walmart gender-bias working conditions
A 2001 class action lawsuit brought by more than one million women accuses Walmart of systematically paying women less than men, giving them smaller raises and offering women fewer opportunities for promotion. While 65% of Walmart's hourly employees are women, only 33% are managers. Walmart is the USA's largest private sector employer with 1.4 million people. On April 26/10 a federal appeals court ruled that sex discrimination case against Walmart can go ahead - the biggest such case in history.
<New York Times April 27/10 pB7>

Apr 30 2010 - Seroquel handed out like water
AstraZeneca has completed a deal to pay $520 million to settle US Justice Department investigations into the marketing of the drug seroquel. AstraZeneca becomes the fourth pharamacuetical giant in the last three years to admit to illegal marketing of antipsychotic drugs, a lucrative catagory of medications that have quickly risen to the top of US sales charts.

[This inferes that drugs companies and doctors artifically grew the market for these drugs by prescibing them for people who did not really need them.]

Seroquel, Geodon, and Zyprexa are new generation anti-psychotics which have surpassed cholesterol-lowering drugs to become the nation's top selling category of medications. According to the research firm IMS Health these drugs account for $14.6 Billion of the USA's $300 billion in drug spending last year.

Seroquel is $4.00 a pill and taken twice a day. It was the fifth best-selling drug in the US last year. 25,000 civil suits content Seroquel causes diabetes. The company buried/concealed a 1997 study that showed Seroquel users gained 11 pounds per year.
<New York Times April 27/10 pB3>

Apr 29 2010 - Chocolate is good for you
Dr. Beatice Colomb, associate professor of medicine U of California, tells patients "..chocolate is a vegetable". Chocolate is made from beans of cocoa trees. Colomb recommends moderate consumption of real chocolate which is high in cocoa butter. A serving of chocolate is one ounce, slightly less than a chocolate bar. Chocolate may have blood pressure lowering and anti-depressant properties.
<Wall Street Journal April 27/10 pD3>

Apr 28 2010 - DASH dietary pattern dramatically improves metabolic syndrome
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet -8-10 servings/day of fruits & vegetables, and three servings of milk products -is well recognized for prevention and management of hyertension and now appears to assist in preventing diabetes type 2.

116 Iranian adults with metabolic disease (high blood pressure, obese &/or diabetic) were randomized to three diets and compared at six months. The control diet was typical Iranian - 2-3 servings fruit, three servings vegetables and one serving milk products. The other two diets were a weight reducing diet emphasizing healthy foods and the DASH diet. Compared to the control diet the weight reducing diet resulted in significant decreases in triglcerides, systolic blood pressure, and weight.

The Dash diet improved these metabolic measures even more and also resulted in higher HDL cholesterol and lower diastolic blood pressure and fasting glucose.
<Diatetes Care 2005:28:2823>

Apr 27 2010 - Mayo clinic study of aging, dementia and exercise
The frequency of physical exercise among 198 subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was compared to 1126 normal subjects. In this population-based case-control study, any frequency of moderate exercise performed in mid life or late life was associated with a reduced odds of having MCI/dementia.
<Archives of Neurology 2010:67:1:80>

Apr 26 2010 - Exercise reduces dementia
17 women and 16 men (mean age 70) with mild forgetfullness and cognitive impairment were randomized to either a high intensity aerobic exercise group or stetching group. The aerobic group exercised with a fitness trainer for 45-60 minutes per day four days a week for six months, getting their heart rate up to 75-85% of reserve. The stretching group exercised to the same schedule but didn't get their heart rates up.

[Don't wait for your doctor to mention this non-pharmalogical intervention to you. Most post graduate physician education comes from drug companies. Drug companies will not be telling MDs about exercise being as effective as a drug, no money in that.]

Women in the aerobic group showed dramatic improvement that the rest did not. Multiple tasks of executive function (organizing, memory etc.,) glucose metabolism, insulin and cortisol levels, and brain derived neurotrophic factor were improved in the aerobic women.
<Archives of Neurology 2010:67:1:71-79>

Apr 25 2010 - Appalling failure to breast feed
A national survey has found that less than 75% of women breast feed at all, and by year one only about a fifth are still nursing their babies. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breast feeding exclusively for the first six months of life, and continued nursing for one year. Breast feeding confers enormous health benefits - if 90% of mothers breast fed exclusively for at least six months, the US could save $13 billion in medical costs.

[If you are not going to properly breastfeed, why have children? Given emerging neuro-science it's clearly an early indication of child neglect.]
<New York Times April 20/10 D7>

Apr 24 2010 - Lower risk of dementia with diet
Research out of the U of Columbia has identified a dietary pattern strongly associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer disease, a progressive form of (brain) neuro-degeneration. 2,148 adults, living in Manhattan NY, with average age of 77 were followed for four years. The following dietary pattern was strongly protective against Alzheimer's:
(a)HIGHER consumption of salad dressing, nuts, fish, tomatoes, poultry, cruciferous vegetables, fruits, dark and green leafy vegetables and;
(b)LOWER consumption of high fat dairy, red meat, organ meat, and butter.
<Scarmeas N. et al Arch Neurol 2010:67:6:E1-E7>

Apr 23 2010 - No science behind computer tests to improve brain function
Brain training to improve cognitive function through the regular use of computerized tests is a multimillion dollar industry. Scientific evidence to support the efficacy of these computerized brain training programs is lacking.
A study of 11,430 people for six weeks used computer training programs to improve reasoning, memory, planning, visuospatial skills and attention. While improvements occurred there was no evidence of transferablity to other untrained tasks.
<Nature April 20/10 online dio:10.1038>

Apr 22 2010 - Undetected, some cancers might regress
A six year study in Norway found more invasive breast cancers in women screened every two years than women who were not screened until the sixth year. The study suggests that significant numbers of cancers in the control group regressed and went away without treatment, but would have been detected with more frequent screening.
<Should I be tested for Cancer? (2004). New York Times Nov 25/08 pA14>

Apr 21 2010 - Doctors not listening to you
On average, a doctor will interrupt a patient descibing her symptoms with in 18 seconds. In that short time, many doctors decide on the likely diagnosis and best treatment.
<How Doctors Think (2007)>

Apr 20 2010 - Doctors not reading your medical record, treating without information
Hospitals are rife with confusion. Patient records are routinely kept in multiple places, with CT scans and X-rays in one department and medical records in another. With shift changes and patients moving to different wards or floors critical information is regularly lost. The science writer Shannon Brownlee in her book 'Overtreated' reports the preceding and tells of an incident where doctors had not read the chart. A medical team meeting, with patient and husband present, review success of lumpectomy and chemo. In the meeting one doctor asks if anyone had looked at the results of the recent liver scan. Everyone departs, 40 minutes later oncologist returns to say patient is terminal.
<Overtreated (2007)>

Apr 19 2010 - Why are there no great women chefs?
In the above captioned Grastronomica article Charlotte Druckman notes if a male chef serves a plate of spaghetti bolognese, it is lauded for its 'in-your-face, rich, intense, bold flavours'. While a female chef's plateful of the same indicates 'homey, comforting fare, prepared with love'. These same gender-based expectations probably are ubiquitous.
<Newsweek April 19/10 p62>

Apr 18 2010 - Measurement of interpersonal skills of physicians
A recent survey conducted by the Arnold P.Gold foundation, advocay for respectful bedside manner, asked 600 people to describe their interactions with doctors. 12% said their attending doctors didn't know their names. 20% found their interaction with doctors "rude or condescending". 47% felt rushed by the doctors.
<Wall Street Journal April 13/10 pR7>

Apr 17 2010 - Troubled doctors
Harvard university patient safety expert Dr. Lucian Leape estimates that as many as 10% of the USA's 750,000 MDs will demonstrate "significant deficiencies in knowledge skills" at some point in their careers. Combine that with other problems including abusive behaviour toward colleagues and patients, drug and alcohol dependency, stress related mental health issues [highest suicide rate of all the professions]and age-related cognitive decline...at least one third of physicians will have a problem that poses a threat to safe patient care.
<Wall Street Journal April 13, 2010 pR5>

Apr 16 2010 - Smoking bans reduce heart attacks
Policies that restrict smoking in public, have reduced the exposure to second hand smoke and reduced the number of people who have heart attacks.
<Cochrane Library issue 4:2010>

Apr 15 2010 - Aspirin effective for migraine
A single dose of 900-1000 mg aspirin can substantially reduce migraine headache pain within two hours, for about half of people who take it. It also reduces any associated nausea, vomiting,and photophobia or phonophobia. Aspirin with antiemetic such as 10 mg of metoclopramide are better than placebo at reducing symptoms.
<Cochrane database of systematic Reviews 2010:4:CD008041>

Apr 14 2010 - Protective effect of fruit and vegetable consumption
The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition followed 400,000 men and women for nine years. Fruit and vegetable consumption of five servings a day lowered incidence of cancer only minimally. However heart disease and stroke incidence was 30% lower in those consuming five or more servings of fruit and vegetables per day compared to those eating less than 1.5 servings per day.
<Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2010:102:8:1-2>

Apr 13 2010 - Exercise does not cause missed mentrual cycles/periods
It is a myth that exercise causes un-predictable menstrual cycles. Women's menstrual cycles are controlled by the brain's hypothalamus. If the brain is cued that not enough energy is being delivered from food it will shut down ovulation and menstrual cycles. [If you are missing periods and an exerciser, see a sports nutritionist/registered dietitian for the best advice.]
<cemcor.ubc.ca>

Apr 12 2010 - Norovirus & cruise ships
Dr. Herbert L. Dupont, past president of the Infectious Dieases Society of America has these comments on norovirus; It's very easy to spread when someone has it. That's why when it gets on a cruise ship, it tends to stay there recurrently. The virus is pretty resistant, [causing severe gastrointestinal symptoms]. The is only one really good, effective way to clean, and that is with Clorox bleach. Use a quarter cup of bleach to two and quarter cups of water to clean toilets and surfaces subject to splatters. With a more dilute solution clean everything else.
<New York Times April 6/10 pD7>

Apr 11 2010 - Sugar drinks & health
A Harvard study following 88,000 women for 24 years found that independent of body weight the risk of developing heart disease increased by 20% among those who drank at least two sugar sweetened drinks per day.

Fructose, which represents half the sugar in soda and other drinks, raises blood levels of fats after meals and also produces a gain in abdominal fat.
<New York Times April 6/10 pD7>

Apr 10 2010 - Women over 50 need how much exercise to prevent weight gain?
The answer appears to be 60 minutes per day of moderate-intensity exercise. Harvard researchers followed 34,000+ US women with an average age of 54 years from 1992 to 2007.
<JAMA 2010:303:12:1173>

Apr 09 2010 - Health-survival paradox
With rising age women make up an increasing share of the population. For example in Sweden in 2008 there were three women for every two men by age 80 and six women for every man among 100 year olds. In terms of health and disability men generally do better than women. This is the health-survival paradox: men seem to be healthier than women, but die younger. Males tend to believe their health is better than it actually is and do not seek medical care as frequently as females. Males have fewer appointments with doctors but require more emergency treatment more often. Females seem to be better able to survive with poor health.
<Nature 2010:464:25:536>

Apr 08 2010 - Humans are living a decade longer
Thanks to better nutrition, education, and improved public health conditions people are living a decade longer as first documemted in 1994. In countries with high life expectancy children born since 2000 will celebrate their 100th birthday.
<Nature 2010:464:25:536>

Apr 07 2010 - Alcohol's role in health and nutrition
Approximately 85,000 deaths per year in the USA are attributed to alcohol. Excessive drinking is a leading cause of death after tobacco, diet and physical inactivity. Alcohol has three characteristics depending on the amount consumed : nutrient, toxin, or psychoactive drug.
<Present Knowledge in Nutrition 2006>

Apr 06 2010 - Can the vegetarian athlete get adequate energy from diet?
Energy intakes among vegetarians are typically lower than non-vegetarians, in part because foods tend to have lower energy density. Large amounts of energy are needed for chronic intense training and a vegetarian especially a vegan will be challenged to consume enough food to meet energy needs. Lean tissue maintenance, immune and reproductive functions and optimal performance all need adequate energy from food.
<Present Knowledge in Nutrition 2006.>

Apr 05 2010 - Radishes..
are a cousin to broccoli! They contain antioxidant properties called indoles which are potent anti-cancer fighters. A good source of Vitamin C as well.
<Runners' World April 2010 p38>

Apr 04 2010 - One cup of pineapple..
contains more than 100% of your daily Vitamin C requirement necessary for immune-boosting antioxidant work. It is also an excellent source of bromelain, an enzyme that fights inflammation and aids digestion.
<Runners' World April 2010 p40>

Apr 03 2010 - Doctors killing patients with out-of-date treatments
Chris Cates is family doctor based in Hertfordshire England. He became interested in evidenced-based medicine in 1995 after reading an article in the Times newspaper about how doctors were killing patients with out of date treatments. Two epidemics, in the 1960s and 1980s, of asthma deaths have been linked to use of short-acting beta-agonist drugs - ioprenaline forte and fonterol. Two currently available inhaled long-acting beta2-agonists, regular salmeterol and formoterol have safety concerns. If you have chronic asthma, it is worth a trip to Dr. Cates website www.nntonline.net for more info.
<cochranejournalclub.com>

Apr 02 2010 - Ovulating not pregnancy protects against breast cancer
In the days before effective birth control it was noted that women who never got pregnant where at higher risk of breast cancer. It now appears that these women were infertile because they were not ovulating. Non-ovulation means that insufficient levels of progesterone were being produced to counter-balance or oppose normal levels of estrogen. This lack of progesterone could be implicated in the development of breast cancers.
<Estrogen Errors (2009)>

Apr 01 2010 - Strength and power training
As you age, muscle tissue and strength dwindles. Weight or strength training can reverse this process. The heart's workload is reduced, good cholesterol is elevated, mobility improved and a host of chronic diseases are contained or prevented with strength training.
<Harvard Health letter 2007>

Mar 31 2010 - The development of the drug Inderal
In 1946 James W. Black graduated from medical school, U of St. Andrews in debt. Teaching physiology overseas gave him entry to the world of research. In 1950 he became head of physiology U of Glasgow veterinary school. Because he had no formal training in experimental science, he picked it up as he went along and made his own laboratory equipment. Black came across the ignored theory of Dr. R Ahlquist, that the heart muscle had two different receptors alpha and beta. Blocking the beta receptors, he thought, might calm the heart and relieve angina. By 1964 Black and colleagues had developed Inderal (propanolol) which has been used in treating heart attack, angina, blood pressure, migraine and anxiety continously since discovery.
<New York Times March 24/10 pB15>

Mar 30 2010 - Lower cholesterol with plant foods
Cholesterol is a fat of animal origin in the food supply. Fats derived from plants contain phytosterols, compounds structually related to cholesterol. Recently, a dietary strategy aimed specifically at the process of cholesterol absorption has involved addition of plant sterols to foods. Because cholesterol and plant sterols are similar they compete for absorption in the gut. Plant sterols are effective at stopping cholesterol absorption from both diet and bile.
<Present Knowledge in Nutrition 8th edition (2001) p101>

Mar 29 2010 - Neuronal damage and protection in the pathophysiology of depression
The discovery that depression is characterized by atrophy and loss of neurons and glia is causing a sea change in the understanding and management of same. Neuro-protective and neurotrophic pathways are now understood to be dysregulated, disrupting signalling mechanisms necessary for maturation, growth and survival of neurons and glia. Behavioral and therapeutic interventions [similar to preventing heart disease eg healthy diet and exercise] can reverse dysregulation by blocking damaging, excitotoxic, and inflammatory effects of stress and depression.
<Dialogues Clin Neurosci 2009:3:239>

Mar 28 2010 - Anti-wrinkle cream that does work
For many years gynecologists have been prescibing topical progesterone skin cream without any clinical scientific evidence that it is effective and safe. In 2005 Dr. G Holzer and colleagues at the Medical University of Vienna tested 2% progesterone skin cream in 40 women between the ages of 45 and 60. The study was a double blind random control trial where one group receives treatment and the other a placebo. The group using progesterone cream for 16 weeks had significant improvement in skin elasticity, wrinkle counts & wrinkle depth around the eye, and nasolabial wrinkle depth.
<British Journal of Dermatology 2005:153:626-634>

Mar 27 2010 - Gender equality - a myth
"Contemporary young women enter the workplace full of enthusiasm, only to see their hopes dashed" says historian Barbara J. Berg "Because for the first time they're slammed up against gender bias."

A decade out of college, full time working women who don't have children still make 77 cents on the male dollar. 43% of women are employed in pink ghetto low paying jobs - secretary, registered nurse, teacher, and cashier.
<Newsweek March 29/10 p43-46>

Mar 26 2010 - No permenant cure for wrinkles
A facelift reverts in less than a decade. Botox lasts for six months. Laser resurfacing, dermabrasing, micro-dermabrasion, and chemical peels may leave a boiled egg appearance. Injectable fillers last for up to a year.
<New Yorker March 29/10 p58>

Mar 25 2010 - Something in milk protects against colon cancer...
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is an age related disease, with half of all cases occurring in the over 60 age group. 70% of CRC might be prevented with changes in diet and lifestyle. Obesity, inactivity, smoking, alcohol use, and low fruit, vegetable and fiber consumption increase CRC risk.

Numerous studies have demonstrated adequate daily consumption of milk significantly reduces risk of CRC.[Four measured cups of low or no fat milk per day delivers the adequate amount of 1,200mg of calcium and 400IU of Vitamin D.]

The chemopreventive components of milk are possibly calcium, Vitamin D, butyric acid, conjugated linoleic acid, sphingolipids and probiotic bacteria in yogurt.
<Nutrition Research Reviews 2008:21:56-67>

Mar 24 2010 - Bio-identical progesterone anti-hypertensive action
Progesterone relaxes both uterine and peripheral smooth muscle by sequestering intracellular calcium and reducing gamma adreno-receptors. This is believed to lower blood pressure. In a study of eight men (mean age 55) and four women (mean age 55) blood pressure was significantly lowered after two weeks of treatment with various doses of oral progesterone (Ultrogestan).
<British Medical Journal 1985: 290:13-14>

Mar 23 2010 - Moderate alcohol consumption affects synthesis of female hormones
For women, of any age, the more alcohol (of any type to include wine) you drink the higher your estrogen levels are going to be. Enzymes involved in breaking down and neutralizing estrogens appear to be diverted to metabolizing alcohol. Alcohol also appears to increase the production of testosterone from which estrogen is synthesized. Because estrogens are not broken down and their synthesis increased the net result is higher circulating blood levels.

Again, because enzymes are diverted to metablolizing alcohol, the production of progesterone is suppressed. It has also been noted at the molecular level that alcohol prevents the entry of cholesterol into the cell organelles. Cholesterol is the substance from which all steroid hormones (estrogens, progesterone, testosterone etc.,)are synthesized.

[As alcohol appears to upset normal estrogen and progesterone balances, it might be prudent for women at risk of PMS, postpartum depression, depression, difficult transition, heart, bone or breast problems to not drink alcohol.]
<Alcohol & Alcoholism 2000:35:5:417>

Mar 22 2010 - Floaters or spots in vision
While in utero the eye is feed by a large blood vessel. At birth the vessel breaks up but some pieces are not absorbed and remain floating around in the vitreous or ball-like area behind the lens. Other causes of visual debris are old age, injury, bleeding, and inflammation.
<Expositor March 22/10 pA6>

Mar 21 2010 - The safest estrogen-antagonist drug
Estrogen either naturally produced (endogenous -ovarian) or taken as a pill (exogenous - HRT) stimulates cell proliferation in breast tissue and can result in cancer. Progesterone produced during the second half of the menstrual cycle is a natural antagonist to estrogen in cells of the uterus. Progesterone transforms and reduces cell proliferation/growth. Research is showing that progesterone is also effective in stopping cell proliferation in breast tissue. Exogenous administration of bio-identical oral progesterone/prometrium is possibly the safest first step in managing non-invasive breast cancers.
<Estrogen Errors (2009) Chapter 7 Breasts, Beast Cancer, and Overcoming Our Fears>

Mar 20 2010 - Mammograms futile as screening tool
Evidence is mounting that cancer cells have two ways of progressing. One is rogue and lethal, death being imminent. The other is non-invasive, small, slow growing, if left un-detected and/or undistrubed will amount to nothing, may even be re-absorbed and disappear. With lethal fast growing cancers mammograms are useless because the woman dies in the interval between scheduled screenings. Mammograms routinely find small non-invasive cancers called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) which until ten years ago were not classified as cancer. There is little evidence that DCIS goes on to become invasive breast cancer. DCIS is probably best left undetected and undistrubed. Dr. Gilbert Welch at Dartmouth Medical School states colonoscopies, body scans and PSA checks are equal in futility to mammograms for the same reason - fast or slow cancer growths.
<Estrogen Errors (2009) & Should I be Tested for Cancer (2004)>

Mar 19 2010 - Safety of bisphosphonates to treat bone loss
In the mid 1980s a clinical program was undertaken at Proctor & Gable to determine the efficacy and safety of a cyclical regime of etidronate (a bisphosphonate) in the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. As with all new drugs brought to market their benefits are exaggerated and side effects downplayed. Current and future users are the true testers of such drugs. Gastro-intestinal, vascular, neurological, and laboratory abnormalities have shown up in people taking bisphosphonates.

Finnish researchers have pointed out that falling is the major cause of fracture in older people not osteoporosis/bone loss. Are bisphosphonates necessary at all?
<J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact 2007:7:1:2 & Estrogen Errors (2009)>

Mar 18 2010 - Discovery of Bisphosphonates
Bisphosphonates were first synthesized in 1865 and found use as industrial de-scaling agents. They could inhibit calcium phosphate build-up in machinery used in textile, fertilizer and oil industries. Human bone is nearly 50% protein by volume and 50% calcium phosphate.

In 1968 a Swiss researcher, Herbert Fleisch, found a similar substance in human plasma and urine called inorganic pyrophosphate. Because this compound was destroyed by enzymes he looked for analogs that lasted long enough to affect bone remodeling. He found the descaling agent bisphosphonates blocked the degredation of both bone and cartilage, stopping the resorption of bone and made the bone more dense.

In 1969 Fleisch met Marion D. Francis PhD a Proctor & Gamble (P&G) researcher at the International Conference on Dental Research in Miami. The Swiss and the P&G labs continued on to explore the biological properties of bisphosphonates to treat bone diseases and develop toothpastes that reduced dental calcium phosphate and carbonate build-up (commonly known as plaque).
<Breast Cancer Res 2002:4:30, J Musculosketel Neuronal Interac 2007:7:1:2, Estrogen Errors (2009), Drug Discovery (2005)>

Mar 17 2010 - Strong bones at midlife and beyond..
is a function of peak mass of bones achieved in a person's teens and twenties. Heredity, childhood activity, nutrition and calcium intake and in women ovulation and menstruation determine peak mass achievement. Menstrual cycles without ovulation because of low progesterone production contribute to bone loss. Perimenopause also can cause bone loss because of high estrogen levels and low progesterone. Therefore if the original peak achieved in young life was low, there is no way to go back and change it. This doesn't mean the woman at fifty with low bone density is diseased. Nor is she in need of bisphosphonate drugs. It does mean that preventing falling, exercise and muscle strengthening, and diet with adequate calcium and Vitamind D are acutely important for the rest of her life.
<Estogen Errors (2009) Chapter 6 Basics of Bone>

Mar 16 2010 - If you have any kind of cardiac/heart /blood pressure problem...
Before 1986, outside of baby production, minimal attention and research went into understanding human female physiology.

Until recently most studies and clinic trails were done on men, extending study results to women is deeply flawed. Before the 1950s the medical specialty of cardiology didn't exist.

Before accepting aggressive drugs and surgeries(hysterectomy), tests and scans consider that your high blood pressure, menstrual flooding, fatness, insulin resistance, & elevated triglycerides might be due to high estrogen of a decade (plus/minus)of perimenopausal transition.

[Carbohydrate restriction to improve insulin sensitivity and therefore optimize fat and carbohydrate metabolism might be a safer starting point. Nutrition & Metabolism 2008:5:9 doi10.1186/1743-7075-5-9]
<Estrogen Errors (2009) Chapter 5 Hearts & Minds>

Mar 15 2010 - No evidence for salt restriction
A rigorous test of the health benefits of a low salt diet has never happened. The gold standard of tests is the randomized control trial which is time consuming and expensive. Public health salt reformers want the food industry to cut back on hidden salt in processed foods without evidence that people are actually consuming too much salt. Urinalysis studies done over years have shown no upward trend in salt levels. The is no evidence to say that Americans today are eating more salt than they used to.
<New York Times Feb 23/10 pD2>

Mar 14 2010 - First woman with Ph.D in meteorology tells the truth
Joanne Simpson is dead at 86. She studied meteorology at the U of Chicago but was refused a fellowship to get a doctorate because it "was totally inappropriate for a woman to be a meteorologist". She persevered by teaching and developing the first mathmatical models of clouds using a slide rule. She also researched and developed the "hot tower" theory of storm formation.

Dr. Simspon contradicted a 1958 news story that reported her life was perfectly balanced, able to manage a home with children and husband plus work. She stated her personal life suffered from her professional activities. She was divorced twice and then married Robert Simpson, head of the National Hurricane Center.
<WSJ March 12/10 pA5>

Mar 13 2010 - Natural saturated fatty acids (SFA) do not affect cholesterol
A diet rich in saturated fatty acids [from animal protein] results in desirable lower or a steady state concentration of total and LDL cholesterol. An increase in the concentration of HDL cholesterol, regardless of whether the diet has a reduced energy content is another benefit of SFA in the diet.

What does affect blood cholesterol is the carbohydrate content of diet. A low carbohydrate/glucose diet increases insulin sensitivity improving both carbohydrate and fat metabolism.

The demonizing of natural sources of saturated fats - animal protein - is not based on evidence.
< The Am J of Clin Nutrition 2006:84:1550>

Mar 12 2010 - What women will spend money on for beauty...
There were 10 million surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures done in the US in 2009. Breast augmentation beat out liposuction as the most popular surgical procedure. In 2006 the FDA lifted the ban on silicone breast implants, a business stimulant. 311,957 breast augmentations and 283,735 liposuctions were preformed last year. 8.5 million non-surgical procedures - botox or hyaluronic acid to fill wrinkles for example - were done in 2009. Various buttock re-shaping surgeries are surging in popularity with close to 8,000 procedures last year. This data is from a survey of 928 board-certified doctors by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
<Wall Street Journal March 9/10 pD3>

Mar 11 2010 - High cholesterol not bad for you
Old people with high cholesterol live longer than those with low cholesterol. High cholesterol is not a risk factor for women, patients with renal failure, diabetic patients or old people. In cohorts of families with high cholesterol (hypercholesterolaemia), cholesterol is not associated with the cardiovascular disease, and their average lifespan is similar to other people's. Lowering cholesterol has never succeeded in lowering cardiovascular related death rates.
<U. Ravnskov, Hypercholesterolaemia (letters) BMJ 2008:337:a1681>

Mar 10 2010 - Cholesterol-cardiac connection un-proven
Recently in Norway, one of the healthiest nations in the world, 85% of men and 20% of women over 40 would be in-accurately classified as having high cholesterol or low density lipoprotein (LDL). The new classification of a healthy LDL below 1.81 mmol/l could potentially put most of the Western world's adult population on statin therapy. One of the safest ways to modify LDL is to lower carbohydrate consumption and lose weight which will improve insulin sensitivity and lipid (LDL) profiles.
<U. Ravnskov et al., BMJ 2006:332:1330 & Am J of Clin Nutr 2006:6:1550>

Mar 09 2010 - What happened to 100 million missing baby girls?
Answer: gendercide. 'Son/male perference' particularly in East and South Asia has lead to the wholesale slaughter of infant baby girls. Thanks to sex determining technology [available to remote areas where there isn't even running water,] female fetuses are routinely aborted. Or at birth they are drowned or intentionally strangled with the ambilical cord. The world's sex ratios have become distorted with 100 million females missing from the population.
<Economist March 6/10 p77-80>

Mar 08 2010 - Treating brown ageing skin spots
Bleaching creams are inexpensive, and only mildly effective. Retinoid creams are moderately effective in lightening the spots and are somewhat expensive. Chemical peels are effective, expensive and recovery time is matched to the strength of the solution.
<Harvard Health News 2010>

Mar 07 2010 - One brazil nut
One brazil nut delivers more than 100% of your daily selenium needs. [Selenium is a trace mineral or micro-nutrient necessary in the human diet.] Whole grains, beef, fish, poultry and walnuts are also rich sources.
<Runner's World April 2010 p35>

Mar 06 2010 - Soiled doves
The 1848 California gold rush brought many Chinese men to the American West by choice. Female Chinese children, girls and women were imported as sex slaves. They arrived in San Francisco, were held in holding pens and auctioned off in the flourishing sex trade. During the early 1890s a one year old went for $100 and a 14 year old for $1,200. These "daughters of joy" or "100 men's wives" were kidnapped in China or sold by impoverished families. Female infants in China were worthless, chronic victims of infanticide. The streets of Chinese cities littered with abandoned babies.
<The Poker Bride, New York Times Book Review p12 Feb 21/10>

Mar 05 2010 - The selfish brain: competition for energy resources
The brain occupies a special hierarchial position in the organism. The brain controls both its own and peripheral organ energy supply. The brain gives priority to its energy needs.

It is separated from general circualtion by the blood-brain barrier, has high energy consumption requirements, low energy storage capacity, & uses only specific substrates (nutrients, eg glucose, fatty acids).

The brain's limbic-hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) system specifically controls allocation and intake of nutrients and therefore energy supply - which is ATP concentration.

The LHPA system operates by two feedback mechanisms, at a certain setpoint of activity. Extreme stress, starvation, exercise, infectious diseases, hormones, drugs, substance abuse, chemicals can alter the setpoint. Body mass changes (weight) are downstream from these events.
<Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews 2004:28:2:143>

Mar 04 2010 - Exercise protects against dementia
People who are physically active seem less likely than sedentary people to experience cognitive decline and dementia in later life. The Nurses' Health Study reported that higher activity levels over two years among 18,000+ nurses was associated with improved cognitive scores. A study by Abbott et al., reported that men who walk at least two miles a day are 1.8 times less likely than sedentary men to develop dementia over a six year follow-up.
<JAMA 2008:300:9:1027>

Mar 03 2010 - Dairy and bone health II
The mechanisms by which milk products benefit bone amd prevent osteoporosis and fractures remains to be clarified. Several studies have identified mechanisms related to calcium and Vitamin D in relation to bone remodeling and turnover. Other nutrients in dairy products support bone mineralization and collagen formation.
<www.dairynutrition.ca>

Mar 02 2010 - Dairy and bone health I
Bone health is the resultant of bone mass, bone architecture, and body mechanics. Nutrition supports all three components, with the principle nutrients concerned being calcium, protein, and vitamin D. Potassium, magnesium, zinc, and several vitamins are also involved to varing extents. It is difficult to devise a diet that is "bone healthy" without including three servings of dairy per day, not just because of calcium, but dairy protein and potassium as well.
<R.P. Heaney, J Am Coll Nut 2009:28:suppl 1:82s>

Mar 01 2010 - Eat probiotic yogurt for digestive health
To confer probiotic character yogurt must contain bifidobacteria or bactobacilli bacteria strains. These strains of bacteria reach the colon and provide healthy intestinal flora, immune system reinforcement, decrease lactose intolerance, decrease cholesterol, & anticancer activity.
<Cooking with foods that fight cancer (2007)>

Feb 28 2010 - Anti-cancer properties of citrus fruits
Consumption of citrus fruits reduces by half the risk of developing digestive cancers. This is largely due to two molecules present in citrus; monterpenes and flavanones. These molecules interfere with cancer cell growth and reduce inflammation. Also citrus increases the level of other anti-cancer compounds present in food.
<Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer (2007) >

Feb 27 2010 - A practical self-care measure to take if you are depressed
A Beligum researcher, Michael Maes, colleagues and others, over the past twenty years, have amassed compelling evidence that depression is a novel form of neuro-degenerative disease ignited or enhanced/potentiated by inflammation.

Inflammation is the body's immune system responding to anything it preceives as foreign or abnormal. Macrophage cells engulf foreign matter and secrete cytokine proteins which regulate moleclular immune response. This response induces stressors which dysregulate the metabolism of fatty acids.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been routinely found to be depleted in people with depression. Fatty acids are an essential component of the cell membrane which gives the cell structural integrity and also lines various cellular component membranes.

Omega-3 fatty acids are derived from plant and marine origins. [SELF CARE MEASURE:-If you are depressed it makes bio-sense to increase the amount of mercury-lite fish and vegetables, nuts, pulses, grains, fruit etc (plant food) in your diet right away. Have your doctor refer you to a qualified registered dietitian (designation protected by law, must have university degree in nutrition science).]
<Journal of Affective Disorders 2009:dio:10.1016,& 2010:120:231-234 Biol Psychiatry 2009:65:9:723-741>

Feb 26 2010 - Properties of milk beyond nutritious
Besides being the best dietary source of the micronutrients calcium and Vitamin D milk has other features. They are as follows: anti-microbial in controlling gut flora, antiviral, anticancer, immunomolulation, antioxidation, bone protective, appetite suppressant, and anti-hypertensive.
<dairynutrition.ca 9th annual syposium report>

Feb 25 2010 - Women excluded from olympic ski jumping -outright gender bias and discrimination
Gian Franco Kasper, the president of the International Ski Federation, in 2005 told a National Public Radio reporter that the sport "seems to be inappropriate for ladies from a medical point of view". To put the lie to that statement Vic Method, an advocate and vice president of Women's Ski Jumping USA said that over the past three years 30 women from nine nations have finished in the top six at Continental Cups, the highest available level of competition for women in ski jumping.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) states women's ski jumping does not have enough elite female competitors to warrant inclusion. Vic Method says there are more than 160 women from 18 countries registered with the National Ski Federation.

A Canadian Supreme court ruled against 15 women who sued to have women's ski jumping included in this year games.
<New York Times Feb 22/10 pD1&D6>

Feb 24 2010 - Nutrient-rich foods (NRF) index
The U of Washington has developed the NRF index to help people get the most nutrients from their calories. The current fact panels on foods are complicated, NRF indexes will provide "nutrition at a glance". North Americans are not consuming enough protein, fiber, vitamins A,C and E, calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. These nutrients are the top weighted ones in the NRF index or foods high in these macro and mirco nutrients score well. While some nutrient rich foods can be very expensive, the best sources of nutrients per dollar are eggs, milk, pulses, pasta and potatoes.
<dairynutrition.ca 9th annual symposium>

Feb 23 2010 - How marijuana affects the brain
THC, a key ingredient of marijuana, attaches to cannabinoid receptors throughout the body. Several areas of the brain have high densities of these receptors which explain the psycho-neuro phenomenon of "getting high".
<Wall Street Journal Jan 19/10 pD1>

Feb 22 2010 - Pregnancy affects the mother's brain
The physiology of the pregnant woman undergoes multiple changes, most of which are for benefit of the fetus/baby/autograft. One major change is the stress responding hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (H-P-A). In women and mice the H-P-A is remarkedly suppressed to physical and psychological stressors in late pregnancy. [Women often remember this has the most blissful time of their lives.]

These changes are controlled by dramatic elevations in reproductive hormones which are neural/brain based. Sudden withdrawal of reproductive hormones at delivery results in acute postpartum/delivery depression in at least 50% of women. Within three months 10-15% of women continue to have a chronic problem of postpartum depression.
<Nature Reviews Neuroscience 2008:9:11-25>

Feb 21 2010 - The cytokine hypothesis of depression
For twenty years a Belgium researcher, M. Maes, and colleagues have been gathering evidence that inflammation is a cause of depression. Cytokines are proteins (pro & con) that regulate inflammatory response.

Inflammation is feature of the human immune system that responds to anything within the body preceived as foreign. At the cellular level there is a dilatation of small vasculature - arterioles, capillaries and venules - to increase permeability and blood flow to the area of insult/injury/cancer.

Inflammation combined with free radicals caused by oxidative and nitrosative stress and leaky gut which allows gram-negative bacteria to escape into circulation access the brain. These processes are neuro-degenerative and believed to result in depression and other pathophysiological dysfunction.
<Biol Psychiatry 2009:65:9:732 & Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2008:29:3:287>

Feb 20 2010 - Depression can be caused by inflammation
In 1991 a researcher, R.S. Smith, submitted an article to the journal Medical Hypotheses titled "The Macrophage Theory of Depression". Macrophages are cells that engulf foreign matter and secrete cytokines which are proteins that regulate inflammatory response. Smith found that the pro-inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-1(IL-1) could provoke the hormone abnormalities linked with depression. Many diseases where there is inflammatory action - heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, stroke - have a significant association with depression. The 3:1 female/male incidence of depression ratio is accounted for by estrogen's ablility to activate macrophages. Japan's low national rate of depression is consistent with high omega-3 fatty fish consumption having a suppressive effect on macrophage activity.
<Med Hypo 1991:36:2:178, Nature Reviews Neuroscience 2008:9:46>

Feb 19 2010 - Flexible working conditions improve health
The Cochrane Database, the repository of the best available studies, found flexible working conditions benefited workers. There were significant improvements in blood pressure and heart rate, tiredness, mental health, sleep duration, sleep quality, and alertness. Overall, the findings indicate that flexibility in work patterns which give employees more choice and control are likely to have positive effects on health and wellbeing.
<Pabayo, JC et al., Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews 2010:2>

Feb 18 2010 - Lactose-intolerant doesn't mean dairy-intolerant
Dr. Eric Sibley of Stanford U and others have discovered that most adults deteriorate in their ability to digest milk and dairy products. This appears to be caused by a decrease in the body's production of lactase, an enzyme that breaks down milk sugar called lactose. Dr. Gilman Grave counsels adults not to give up milk and dairy products because the gut can be conditioned to processing lactose even with less lactase. Grave also points out milk consumption is the most efficient/effective way to met dietary calcium requirements.

Lactose-intolerance which is the decreased production of lactase with age is totally different from milk allergy. Some children are allergic to the protein in milk, this typically fades in adulthood.
<WSJ Feb 16/10 pD3>

Feb 17 2010 - Working out in dry cold air
Even in people who don't normally suffer from asthma, breathing winter air can hamper lung function. According to Dr.K W Rundell, director of respiratory research at Marywood U, asthma is common for those who exercise hard outdoors in winter. Cold air is very dry, sucking moisture from bronchial passages and creating inflammation which narrow airways. Symptoms included coughing, gasping, mucus production and chest tightening. For relief check out various cold weather masks ranging from $20-$90.
<WSJ Feb 16/10 p.D3>

Feb 16 2010 - Olympic atheletes often have cognitive edge
Jimmie Heuga, dead at 66, was the first American to win an Olympic bronze medal in downhill skiing at the 1964 games in Innsbuck, Austria. Six years later, at the age of 26, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), an incurable neuro-degenerative disease.

He was advised to conserve energy and not to exercise as that could exacerbate symptoms. Heuga found that following this medical advice was causing him deteriorate. He contravened the instructions and swam daily, rode a bike, and adapted to a new style skiing.

He founded what is now called the "Can Do Multiple Sclerosis" organization. His program of physical activity etc., improved his physical condition, keeping him out of wheelchair longer, and improved his outlook. The program runs for 10,000 people annually.

[ He brilliantly made rational sense out of the situation for himself. The available medical advice at the time was wrong.]
<New York Times Feb 12/2010 p B14>

Feb 15 2010 - Something you might want to know about health care..
Hospitals and doctors have largely avoided the information technology of the computer age. The health care industry has been quick to adopt breakthrough technology in medical devices, procedures and treatments. However, far less attention has been focused on networking and communication innovations.

[No computers to look up anything in patient examining rooms - just jar of tongue depessors, blood pressure cuff, cotton swabs etc. Nothing has really changed in those examining rooms for half a century. Patient files are still paper based, although technology exists to digitalize and automate the whole system. Banks commenced the automation process 40 years ago.]
<Wall Street Journal Oct 20/08 pR6>

Feb 14 2010 - Diagnostic manuals flawed - not science based
"To date, the diagnosis of mental disorders has been based on clinical observation, specifically: the identification of symptoms. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and the International Classification of Disease, are currently undergoing revision. It is thus timely to ask whether neuroscience has progressed to the point that the next editions of these manuals can usefully incorporate information about brain structure and function." quoted from 'Can neuroscience be integrated into the DSM-V' by S.E.Hyman
<Nature Rev Neuroscience 2007:8:9:25>

Feb 13 2010 - Is psychiatry quackery, a pseudo-science?
The January 3, 2005 New Yorker magazine carried an article about the un-scientific way the 'Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' (DSM) was complied.

Starting in 1974, and over the next 16 years, Dr. Robert Spritzer fattened the DSM from 150 pages to 900 pages. He appears to have added items to the DSM based on what he alone thought was appropriate. Conversations and notes taken at committee meetings largely underpin the 200 mental disorders Spritzer added to the manual.

In the article Spritzer admits to "creating" the DSM. This dubious creation is what the insurance industry uses as an authority.
<New Yorker Magazine Jan 3/05 p56-63>

Feb 12 2010 - Kick start to psychoanalysis in America
It wasn't Sigmund Freud's 1909 visit to the barbaric (as he termed it) United States that popularized psychoanalysis on this side of the Atlantic. Until World War II mental illness was not discussed and a highly stigmatized phenomenon. The event that changed the American perception of metal illness was the draft. 12 percent of draftees or two million men were rejected for "neuropsychiatric" reasons. Psychiatric problems were shown to be common.
<'American Therapy' New York Times Book Review p16-17 Dec 21/08>

Feb 11 2010 - Tougher for women to quit smoking than men
Women find it more difficult to quit smoking than men and are more likely to start again. Female smokers are more likely to develop lung cancer and twice as likely to have a heart attack. Nicotine replacement therapies appear to not work as well for women as men. Women who timed quiting smoking to the follicular or early part of their menstrual cycle were more successful than women who waited until post ovulation or the luteal phase.
<Harvard Health Publications Jan 2010>

Feb 10 2010 - Alcohol addiction in women..differs from men
It was only in the early 1990s that investigators started to notice gender differences in addictions. Women tend to develop alcohol dependence more quickly than men do. Brain atrophy and liver damage occur more rapidly in women. Female body tissues contain less water and more fatty tissue causing higher retention of alcohol. Organs sustain more exposure to alcohol's damaging effects. Also women do not metabolize alcohol as well as men causing more alcohol to enter the blood stream.
<Harvard Health Publications Jan 2010>

Feb 09 2010 - Breast cancer and Vitamin D
Studies have reported an inverse relation between Vitamin D intake and breast cancer. Improvements in survival after a diagnosis of breast cancer are found with higher levels of Vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is found in up to 75% of women with breast cancer. Data is indicating Vitamin D affects up to 200 genes that influence resiliency and healthy function at the cellular/molecular level. Adequate Vitamin D also improves bone mineral density, mood and quality of life generally.
<Nutrition 2010:26:3:255-262>

Feb 08 2010 - Mechanism of how plant foods lower cholesterol
Two sterol metabolites found in plant food - phytosterols and stanols - significantly lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL). 2 grams/day of plant sterols have an antioxidant effect by inhibiting lipid peroxidation and reducing oxidative stress at the molecular/cellular level.Several other studies have shown sterol/plant/vegetable consumption to be protective against cardiovascular disease, colon and breast cancer.
< Nutrition 2010:26:3:296-304>

Feb 07 2010 - What gives you a second wind in the middle of exercising?
Your body relies on both carbs and fats for fuel during exercise. Carbohydrates are the most accessible energy source, while fats are the most abundant. In the beginning of a run or exercise yor primary fuel source is carbohydrates. After about 30-40 minutes of moderately intense work out, your body also starts tapping into your stored fat. That's when you may get a surge in energy - second wind - because the simultaneous use of both energy sources temporarily makes the exercise effort seem easier.
<Runners' World March 2010 p34>

Feb 06 2010 - Heart-healthy tap water
Cardiovascular disease rates may be inversely related to hardness of tap water. Rates of cardiac mortality and sudden death are 10-30% greater in soft water area (low magnesium and calcium mineral concentrations) than in hard water areas (high magnesium and calcium). Adequate dietary magnesium (220-410 mg/day) appears to prevent arrhythmias(irregular heart beat) Adequate dietary calcium (800 mg/day) also helps regulate smooth cardiac-muscle contractions (heart beats).
<The American Journal of Medicine 1998:105:125-30>

Feb 05 2010 - Some doctors have questionable ethical compass - whirling out of control
The US Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) has recently sent a warning letter to Dr. Leslie Baumann, a well known dermatologist and researcher in Miami Beach. The doctor was cited for expressing premature enthusiasm in the media for Dysport, an injectable anti-wrinkle cream not yet approved by the FDA. The FDA contends the doctor violated restrictions on drug promotion - drugs cannot be promoted before the agency approves them. In 2007 in fashion magazines and on various TV shows Dr. Baumann promoted un-approved Dysport as being better than Botox.
<New York Times pB1 & B6>

Feb 04 2010 - Bottled mineral water, source of calcium
Besides Warren Buffet, there is another oracle from Omaha NE and he is Robert P Heaney. His publications in the scholary research literature, on the subject of the micronutrient calcium, span more than 50 years.

A report from his lab in 2006 found naturally occurring calcium-rich mineral waters an alternate to milk. In the results he states all high-calcium mineral waters had absorbabilities equal to milk or slightly better.

Calcium intake in North America is subtantially below recommended amounts. Heaney concludes with while bottled mineral water can help close the gap, it doesn't compare to the broad array of nutrients plus calcium that milk delivers.
<Am J Clin Nutr 2006:84:371-4>

Feb 03 2010 - Study finds fish oil preventive of early psychotic symptoms
Monday's issue of Archives of General Psychiatry reports on a study of 81 people 13-25 years of age with psychotic symptoms. The people were sleeping more or less than usual, growing suspicous of others, believing someone was putting thoughts in their heads or believing they had magical powers.

Half the group received four fish oil pills a day for three months and the other half received dummy pills. After a year of being monitored only TWO in the fish oil group went on to full psychosis. ELEVEN in the dummy pill group became psychotic.

The theory is that people with schizophrenia don't process fatty acids correctly, leading to damaged brain cells. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil may be helping brain cells/neurons repair and stablize.
<Wall St Journal pD3 Feb 3/10>

Feb 02 2010 - Emerging treatment for brain injury, stroke and degenerative disease
In pregnant mammalian females, to include women, progesterone levels increase more than 10-fold and remain high throughout gestation of the fetus. Within one hour of delivery progesterone levels drop dramatically.

Progesterone appears to have evolved to primarily protect the developing fetus against oxidative stress and immune inflammatory rejection. Progesterone also appears crucial to normal neural development of fetus brain.

Many of the processes of central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) repair recapitulate the steps taking place during fetal development. Progesterone appears to be a central key factor in repair of nervous tissue and a promising agent to treat traumatic brain injury, stroke, and various degenerative diseases.
<AJR:2010:194:20-21>

Feb 01 2010 - What's in your drinking water?
It might be an idea to contact your local municipal water authority and inquire about the mineral content of your drinking water.

Tap water is an important source of mineral intake because they are in an ionic (molecular) form, they are easily absorbed by the gut. Not alot is known about the beneficial health effects of trace and ultra-trace minerals/metals in the human diet. (More is known about deficiencies of minerals.)Regions of Texas and Japan with slight tap water elevations in Lithium have lower suicide rates.

Nutrition science chronically works towards improving knowledge of metals in the diet by establishing recommended daily allowances (RDA) and recommended daily intakes (RDI) where there is enough evidence.
<J Gen Intern Med 2001:16:168-175, The Jn Nutr 1996;126:2377s-2385s, Present Knowledge in Nutrition 2005 >

Jan 31 2010 - How to secure federal dollars for research
In 1981 North Dakota Senator Andrews and his wife paid an imprompu visit to the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center. Mrs. Andrews was especially interested in research that discovered that daily intake of 26 grams of Waldon strain hard red spring wheat bran in leavened bread prepared from low-extraction wheat flour reproducibly (reliably)decreased LDL cholesterol and improved blood sugar levels. The senator and Mrs. Andrews commenced eating muffins prepared with the Waldron bran. At her next annual check-up Mrs. Andrews's serum cholesterol concentration was remarkably lower. Senator Andrews shared the wheat bran with several senatorial colleagues and they too lowered their serum cholesterol levels.
<Neilsen FH et al The Journal of Nutrition 2009:139:173-177>

Jan 30 2010 - Nix negative thoughts
Being pessimistic can promote a surge of hormones like cortisol, which divert the body's energy away from healing an injury and instead cause further stress on the body. If you find yourself thinking about doomsday scenarios (I'll never run/workout again) you could picture a red stop sign that would remind you to move away from that negative thinking.
<Runners' World March 2010 p57>

Jan 29 2010 - Women's risk of heart disease never equals that of men
There is no increase in heart disease for women starting at menopause and never has been according to Hugh Tunstall-Pedoe of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit in Dundee Scotland. As he states in The Lancet medical journal..It is unarguable that risk of myocardial infraction and coronary death is lower in women than in men in middle age. However, there is a myth that risk in women is held low until menopause, around 50 years, when it rebounds, equaling, and later surpassing that in men. Although challenged over 30 years by different mortality data and in reviews this MYTH persists..
<The Estrogen Errors 2009 p120-121 see Nov 26/09 news item>

Jan 28 2010 - Healthy dietary fats
There is wisdom in including healthy fats even in a low-fat diet according to Dr. Sheldon S. Hendler, co-editor of PDR for Nutritional Supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids may decrease the risk of cardiovascular and degenerative diseases. These include the omega-3 in fish oils called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentanenoic acid). Also includes the omega-3 in plant fats such as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) found in flaxseed oil and olive oil. The phytosterols and phytostanols derived from plant foods lowers cholesterol levels.
<New York Times Jan 26/10 pD2>

Jan 27 2010 - Strength training improves brain function in older women
Jan 25/10 the Archives of Internal Medicine reported on 155 women, ages 65-75, randomly assigned to strength training or balance and toning exercises. A year later those women doing stength training saw significant improvement in their executive brain function - decision making, conflict resolution, and ability to concentrate. Those doing toning etc saw a slight deterioration.
<New York Times Jan 26/10 pD6>

Jan 26 2010 - FDA to study effects of medication during pregnancy
About two-thirds of women who give birth take a least one prescription medication during pregnancy. However very few clinical trials test the safety of medications in pregnancy due to concerns about health of mother and child.

The US government Food and Drug Administration (FDA)will collaborate with the HMO Research Network Centre for Education and Research in Therapeutics (CERT), Kaiser Permanente, and Vanderbilt University to study medication in pregnancy.

This study is to overcome the challenges presented by the lack of clinical trial data about the use of medications during pregnancy.
<www.inpharm.com/news 20/01/10 >

Jan 25 2010 - Mechanisms of alcohol induced cancers
Chronic ethanol/alcohol consumption is a strong risk factor for the development of cancers of the digestive tract, liver, large intestine, and female breast. Multiple mechanisms are involved in alcohol mediated carcinogenesis. Two cohorts of humans have been found to have genetic defects in metabolizing alcohol which strongly increases their risk of the above cancers.

The genetic defects involve the metabolism of the first metabolite of ethanol oxidation known as acetaldhyde (AA). AA is highly toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic. Up to 40% of Asian populations have a genetic enzyme defect which does a poor job of metabolizing AA. This defect results in elevated concentrations of AA in tissues and increase risk of cancers. In Caucasian populations a genetic defect has been isolated that causes increased synthesis of AA in tissues and therefore increases risk of cancers.

[If you have first degree relatives with cancer, suggesting genetic predisposure, don't drink alcohol.]
<Genes Nutr October 22, 2009 >

Jan 24 2010 - An apple a day..
Eating one Red Delicious apple a day can result in an 8% decrease in an LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Cornell Universtiy researchers also found that Red Delicious are the most antioxidant rich apples followed by Granny Smith and Galas. Eat the whole apple as more than two thirds of the heart-healthy fibre and almost all the antioxidants are found in the peel/skin.
<Zoomer Canada March 2010 p36>

Jan 23 2010 - The potential of dietary fatty acids to improve neuro-transmissions in the ageing brain
The neuro-transmitter acetylcholine (ACh) appears to decline with ageing, causing motor (movement) and cognitive (thinking) impairment and dysfunction. ACh is rapidly in-activated by the enzyme AChE (acetylcholinesterase). Evidence is accumulating that a dietary intake adequate in fatty acids can inhibit the action of AChE, potentiating/enchancing the action of ACh. Fatty acids may also improve the synthesis and release of ACh.

It appearings likely that the older/ageing brain can maintain/improve motor and cognitive function by getting adequate fatty acids from diet. Vegetable oils, fish, green leafy vegetables, and nuts are the best sources of poly-unsaturated fatty acids. Walnuts are the richest whole food source of alpha-linoleic acid an omega-3 fatty acid which strongly implicated as an AChE inhibitor.
<Genes Nutr 2009:4:309-314>

Jan 22 2010 - Mechanisms of ethanol/alcohol induced liver injury
Acute and chronic consumption of alcohol have multiple toxic effects at the molecular level on liver cells. It's appearing that ethanol, acting itself as a fuel for mitochondria, replaces in a "competitive way" fatty acids. Under normal conditions fatty acids represent the major source of energy for the liver cell. The mitochrondria reacts badly to this change in metabolic fuel - by enlarging, swelling, shortening and disorganizing - and consequently function poorly.
<Genes Nutr online Dec 24/09>

Jan 21 2010 - British 19th Century Queen Victoria on motherhood and marriage
Queen Victoria loathed being pregnant. She felt more like a pig or cow than a queen she said..unfortunate given she had nine children. 81 months of pregnancy intermingled with pain and postnatal depression, her description of infants as ugly and froglike and her statement that "I think our sex is an unenviable one" sums up her experiences and views on motherhood as negative.

..she was also cynical about "very selfish men" and marriage. She told her daughter she was tired of congratulating brides: "The poor woman is bodily and morally the husband's slave. That sticks in my throat. When I think of a merry free happy young girl - and look at the ailing, aching state a young wife is doomed to, which you can't deny is the penalty of marriage."
<Newsweek Jan 25/10 p17>

Jan 20 2010 - Olive oils - healthiest choice
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine 2006 found that minimally processed olive oils such as virgin or extra-virgin contain the most antioxidant polyphenols (see news item below). They also did a better job of improving cholesterol levels than nonvirgin or light refined oils.
<Runners World Feb'10 p37>

Jan 19 2010 - Eat plant foods for healthy brain function
Foods of plant origin are rich sources of phytochemicals called phenolic or polyphenolic compounds. The most common sub-classification of phenols are called flavonoids and the major dietary sources are fruits, vegetables, and tea. Recently there has been intense interest in the neuroprotective effects that flavonoid metabolites (from consumed plant food) appear to impart to brain function. In particular grapes (vitis vinifera), tea (camellia sinensis), cocoa (theobbroma cocoa) and blueberries (vaccinin spp) have been demonstrated to improve vascular (blood circulation) and brain function.
<Genes Nutr 2009:4:225-226>

Jan 18 2010 - How one company created/grew its panty liner market
Seasonale is a newly available contraception pill that offers months of having no menstrual cycle or suppression/stopping of menstruation. Unfortunately it doesn't work. Predictable monthly menses/flow is stopped only to replaced by unpredictable/unexpected and without warning flow/bleeding.

With this situation of unpredictable bleeding women taking Seasonale can be sold on wearing panty liners every day. Proctor and Gamble, makers of panty liners, now co-market Seasonale.
<The Estrogen Errors 2009 - see Nov 26/09 News item>

Jan 17 2010 - Mercury-rich fish to avoid
Blood mercury levels were found to be predictable by the quantity and type of fish consumed. Albacore (white) tuna, swordfish, shark,and king mackerel have US federal advisories due high mercury levels. The US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2004)found blood mercury levels high amoung women of affuence, eating mercury-rich fish, and of Asian or island ethnicity.
<Environmental Health Perspectives 2009:117:1;47-53>

Jan 16 2010 - Mercury-lite tuna
Accoding to the FDA canned light tuna has lower mercury levels than solid white tuna. White tuna comes from albacore, a large predatory species, which accumulates three times the mercury in its tissues than does the smaller skipjack (light) tuna. Evaluation of the most commonly consumed fish as sources of mercury and omega-3 fatty acids indicate that salmon followed by shrimp are the principal sources of heart/brain healthy omega-3s and are lesser sources of mercury.
<Runners World Feb 2010 p37. Environmental Research 2008;107:1:20-29>

Jan 15 2010 - Regular vs free range eggs
"Free range" eggs only means uncaged chickens. It doesn't necessarily mean the eggs have higher beta-carotene, omega-3 fatty acids or Vitamin D. Its cheapest to just buy regular eggs.
<Runners World Feb 2010 p 37>

Jan 14 2010 - Humans evolutionarly programmed for chronic movement
Austrialian researchers tracked 8,800 people who said they watched TV for more than four hours per day. 46% of those people were more likely to die of any cause and 80% were more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than people spending less than two hours TV watching.

One of the most surprising findings is that couch potatoes and exercisers alike increased their risk of death with excessive TV watching.

The results support the emerging hypothesis that sedentary inactive lifestyles are at the core of chronic diseases. And prolonged periods of inactivity can affect the body's processing of fats and other substances that contribute to heart risk. People can mitigate risk simply by avoiding extended periods of sitting.

This study is to be published Tuesday in the American Heart Association journal called Circulation.
<Wall Street Journal Jan 12/10 pD1 & D4>

Jan 13 2010 - Water down your calories
A typical 12 oz. sugared beverage = 140+ calories. Water = 0 calories. Replacing just one sugared beverage a day, with water can trim 50,000 plus calories a year from your diet.
<From the label of a PolandSpring bottle of water bought Jan 12/10>

Jan 12 2010 - Lifestyle behaviors associated with lower risk of metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors that predispose to cardiovascular disease and diabetes in 25% of Americans. Evidence is accumulating that risk factors for developing metabolic syndrome are also self-modifiable lifestyle choices. Diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption appear to be the key pivotal factors in risk control.

Reseachers at the Medical College of Wisconsin analyzed data from the US government Third National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES III). Low physical activity, high carbohydrate consumption and current smoking were associated with significant risk of having metabolic syndrome.
<Metabolism Clinical and Experimental 2004:53:11:1503-1511>

Jan 11 2010 - For violent, rageing, agressive behaviors etc., try mineral water and vegetables
A dietary intake high in grains and vegetables and mineral water can boost your intake of the trace mineral lithium. Lithium is found in soils, from which it is taken up by plants and enters the food chain. Because animals eat plants, dairy products and meat are also a source of lithium. A 1989 report on the composition of various bottled mineral waters revealed that upwards of 2mg per day of lithium could be achieved from these products. A 1990 study in Texas and 2009 Japanese study (see Dec 15/09 News item below) have shown lithium naturally occurring in drinking water significantly reduced suicidal behaviors.
<Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2002:21:1:14-21 & Nutrtion Research Newsletter May 1989, H.E. Allen et al.>

Jan 10 2010 - Natural anticarcinogens - functional foods
The following foods offer a protective effect against cancer. Broccoli, spinach, lettuce etc.,due to folic acid content. Milk and dairy products due to calcium content. Green and black teas due to catachins content. Broccoli, cauliflower and cruciferae vegetables due to metabolites that decrease bio-availablity of estrogen. Soy and derivatives also decrease estrogen in target tissues. Lemon and citric fruits due to limonene content. Oils and fats due to Vitamin D and Vitamin E content. Soil rich vegetables due to Vitamin E and selenium content. Green leaf vegetables and oils due to retinoids content.
<Ferrari C.K.B et al Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy 2003:57:251-260 & Maturitas 2007:58:327-339>

Jan 09 2010 - The oldest continously published science journal
Since 1665 the British Royal Society has continously published the science journal Philosophical Transactions. The Royal Society was founded in 1660 to discuss the ideas of Francis Bacon. Bacon basically proposed that aquiring new knowledge was power and could advance/improve the human condition. Math, science, and printing were evolving rapidly at this point creating an exciting atmosphere of new ideas (electricity), new inventions(telescope, microscope, barometer) and new perceptions of social order (building codes, personal hygiene) shaped by science.
<Melvin Bragg BBC 4 History of the Royal Society Jan/10>

Jan 08 2010 - Evidence based neuroscience to replace psychiatry's pseudo-science
Thomas R. Insel MD and director of US National Institute of Mental Health writes "Much of what I learned as a resident in psychiatry 30 years ago has been proven utterly wrong."

He goes on to state "I believe that this science will revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness and that it will transform psychiatry, ultimately realigning it with neurology and potentially creating a new discipline of neuroscience."

Understanding the brain through applied neuroscience of neural circuits, cortical maturation, neural substrates etc., will be a major improvement in treating disorders. Psychoanalysis never helped anyone's ulcers, autism etc.
<The Journal of Clinical Investigation 2009:119:700-705>

Jan 07 2010 - Medicine does poor job of diagnosis
A Dutch study has revealed that unexplained complaints are common in primary care, and often remain without diagnosis a year later. 444 patients of whom 73% were women with a median age of 42 were enrolled in the study. The most common chief complaints were fatigue (69%), musculoskeletal (17%), and abdominal (14%). About half the patients received a label for their complaint that can only be characterized a nebulous - depression, stress etc. Of 254 patients whose complaints remained unexplained at one year 40% were asymptomatic (whatever it was had cleared up) and 43% still had the same complaint. The rest were lost to follow-up.
<Fam Pract 2009:26:6:455-65>

Jan 06 2010 - MRI scans for breast cancer refused - reason?
Claustrophobia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) requires thirty minutes in a closed machine, unable to leave/exit. Of 1,214 women eligible for MRI because of breast cancer risk 42.1 % declined. Claustrophobia and time constraints were the given reasons for refusals.
<New York Times Jan 5/10 pD6>

Jan 05 2010 - Why it might be a good idea for women to hang on to their reproductive organs: Harvard's Nurses' Health Study
Bilateral oopherectomy (surgical removal of both ovaries) and hysterectomy (removal of uterus) for benign disease ( eg. fibroids or heavy flow)are co-procedures that 300,000 US women have each year.

Oopherectomy before menopause leads to an abrupt reduction in endogenous (naturally occurring) estrogen and androgen hormone production. Postmenopausal ovaries continue to produce significant androgen hormones (testosterone and androstenedione) which are converted to estrogen peripherally (extra-glandular, adipose/fat tissues).

Late age of menopause (meaning reproductive organs are intact and functioning) has been associated with a reduced risk of death from coronary heart disease and stroke. Studies show that preserving ovarian function is associated with a lower risk of coronary disease.

Per year cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of death among US women (not breast cancer). CVD annually kills 324,900 women and stroke kills another 86,000. Ovarian cancer, which is the main rationale for oopherectomy, is rare at 14,700 deaths per year. Harvard's Nurses' Health Study showed conservation of ovaries appears protective against heart disease, decidely outweighing the small risk of ovarian cancer.

[using 'single citation matcher' download this article (pdf) free from www.pubmed.gov. Journal info below.]
<Parker WH. Obstetrics and Gynecology 2009:113:1027-37>

Jan 04 2010 - Ancient humans sought oblivion with alcohol
As early as nine thousand years ago, before the wheel invention, Neolithic village inhabitants in China were brewing a type of mead. Mead is a honey and fruit mixture that ferments producing a 10% alcohol content.

Dr. Patrick McGovern, a biomolecular archaeologist U of Penn. Museum, made the mead discovery. The discovery fits with his thesis that the development of agriculture was the result of an irrepressible urge toward drinking and intoxication - "consuming high energy sugar and alcohol was a fabulous solution for surviving in hostile environments with few natural resources".

[It is known that modern humans have physiologically changed very little from their stone age ancestors.]

<New York Times Jan 3/10 p4 The World>

Jan 03 2010 - How much exercise do you really need?
According to Frank Booth professor of biomedical sciences U of Missouri, any activity is better than none because activity protects so many organs from disease. Inactivity is looking like one of the underlying causes of chronic diseases.

The US Department of Health and Human services have produced the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines based on the most current evidence available. Two and a half hours per week of walking (150 minutes) equals 500 Metabolic Equivalents of Task (MET). [METs are science terms/measures for energy metabolism at rest and are used as multiples for activity above resting.] That amount of walking per week or equivalent is basically what you need to get a health benefit. At the upper end physical activity for seven hours a week provides a 40% lower risk of early death than those who are active for less than 30 minutes per week.
<New York Times Dec 30/09 >

Jan 02 2010 - Why exercise make you less anxious
Exercise appears to cause the birth of new neurons in rat brain and most probably humans. These new neurons seem to be biochemically buffered or resilent to stress at the molecular level. Oxidative stress did less damage to these neurons and the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin were not dysregulated (which normally happens with anxiety/stress).

When exercise is chronic and of set duration - eg., running every second day for one hour for months - the biochemical/anti-anxiety effect is maximized. The message from Benjamin Greenwood Ph.D of University of Colorado is "don't quit" , keep running, cycling or swimming and you will build to "profound" changes in your brain's molecular biochemical activity
<New York Times Magazine Nov27/09 p16>

Jan 01 2010 - Antidepressants and effect on infants
In a well designed Danish study over a twenty year period 57,000 pregnant women were followed. 329 of these women took antidepressants called serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during their pregnancies. The infants of these women had higher rates of preterm deliveries, higher rates of admission to neonatal intensive care units, and higher rates of poor/low Apgar scores. [An Apgar score is a numeral expression of the newborn's state at one minute after delivery - a thriving healthy baby gets a high score. A baby with survival and other problems gets a low score.]
<www.essentialevidenceplus.com>

Dec 31 2009 - Drinking milk: a recent evolution in humans
It was only with the domestication of sheep, goats and cows nine thousand years ago that milk became accessible as a food. Pastoral peoples adopted drinking milk because of a genetic mutation which enabled them to digest milk. The mutation was that they continued to produce the enzyme lactase throughout adult life and were able to breakdown the milk sugar lactose without discomfort in the gut. Today about 50% of the world's population descend from these herders and shepards and can drink milk. The other 50% suffer bloating and flatulence with milk drinking because they have evolved without the lactase enzyme.
<Eating Well, Living Well. 2009>

Dec 30 2009 - Threshold theory of breast cancer
In 2003 breast cancer rates in women over 50 fell 15% after steadly rising since 1945. The pattern held into 2004. The dropping rates of cancer appear to be linked to a dramatic plunge in the sales of Prempro (synthetic estrogen and synthetic progestin). In 2002 Prempro, often called hormone replacement therapy, was found by the Womens Health Initiative study to increase the risk of heart disease and breast cancer. The theory is evolving that breast cancers that would have remained small, undetected and not a problem became lethal under the influence of Prempro.
<New York Times Dec 29/09 pA1 & A16>

Dec 29 2009 - First study of cancer prevention
In 1775 the Englishman Percivall Pott came to a conclusion about the epidemic of scrotal cancer killing young chimmey sweeps in Europe. He believed it was due their draconian working conditions. Starting at the age of five chimmey sweeps were chronically exposed to hydrocarbons from coal combustion/burning. Toxic particles accumulated on never-washed skin and were absorbed. The recommendation by the Chimmey Sweeps' Guild to have a daily bath as opposed to annually proved to be an effective measure in containing the disease.
<Eating Well, Living Well. 2009>

Dec 28 2009 - Hysterectomy - un-necessary?
Making an adequate living from a medical practice is primary to most doctors, and rightly so. The physician in clinical practice is paid on a piece-work basis or fee-per-service. Insurers and governments pay doctors per procedure, surgery or consultation. The more piece-work performed, the greater the payments. Un-necessary surgeries and over-servicing can result.

Hysterectomy, for example is a sugical procedure to remove the uterus with or without the cervix, and with or without the ovaries. Every day in the United States 3,000 women undergo hysterectomies or approximately 600,000 per year. The peak incidence of hysterectomy is between 45 and 52 years of age, coinsiding with peak incidence of heavy menstrual flow (menorrhagia, which contributes to poor iron status and hair loss). Frequently post operative specimens show no abnormality, suggesting the vast majority of hysterectomies are un-necessary.
<Heather Ewart, What to do about losing your hair. 2007 p25>

Dec 27 2009 - Cleanliness, a relatively recent thing
For the past four hundred years bathing was largely distrusted. Medical opinion was that water and washing carried disease/plague into the skin and pores clogged with dirt were a means of blocking it out. The court physician for the young French King Louis XIII, born in 1601, noted he was not given a bath until he was almost seven. Elizabeth I of England bathed once a month. James I her successor washed only his fingers. In 1884 France's ministry of public education reported that ".. cleanliness does not always extend beyond the visible body parts." In 1937 George Orwell pointed out "The habit of washing yourself all over every day is a very recent one in Europe.." In 1940 just over half of American households had a proper bathroom. In 1951 nearly two-fifths of English households lacked a bath.
<Economist Dec 16/09 p139>

Dec 26 2009 - Fibroids & menstrual flooding during perimenopause
Fibroids are not tumors and they are not commonly cancerous. They are harmless nubbins of muscle tissue that grow in the uterus walls. Fibroids and heavy menstrual flow (flooding) frequently occur together during the perimenopausal transition but the fibroids are not bleeding. The bleeding is from the monthly sloughing off the uterine wall. The higher estrogen levels of transition and the lower progesterone levels cause both the fibroids and the flooding.

Menorrhagia (heavy periods) can be managed with Ibuprofen which will decrease the flow by 30% and one iron table per day for one year. If un-treated perimenopausal fibroids and menorrhagia will completely resolve over five years or so and be gone in the post menopause.

A neuro-molecular-hormonal cross-talk is believed to go on between the ovaries and brain, even in the post-menopausal years. When the uterus and one or both ovaries are removed before the age of 45 and the cross talk is severed, there is significant increased incidence of dementia.
<Neurology 2007:69:11:1074-1083, Endocrine Reviews 1998:19:397-428, cemcor.ubc.ca>

Dec 25 2009 - Season's greatings
Happy holidays and new year.
<femalebrain.com>

Dec 24 2009 - TV watching promotes obesity
Overweight adults who cut their TV watching in half for three weeks used about 120 more calories a day then a match group of TV viewers. 120 calories is equivalent to the number of calories burned in walking one mile. Over a year that might prevent a gain of 12 pounds. The participants did not eat less but spent time being active - TV watching is the most sedentary of all pastimes. This study is published in the Dec 14-28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. J.J. Otten was the lead author.
<New York Times Dec 22/09 pD6>

Dec 23 2009 - Gender, trauma, stress hormones and depression
Depressive disorders occur twice as commonly in women than in men. Why is that? The major difference between men and women is the enourmous monthly hormonal swings and childbirth/perimenopausal tidal waves of female physiology. This continually changing hormonal milieu specific to women, and not to men, is now believed to be a major dysregulator of the close-by stress-responding hypothalamic-pitutary-adrenal axis (HPA).The HPA is more sensitized to malfunction in women at the neuro-molecular level.

[Seldom do research articles of this type mention the fact that over the past 100 years men have been four times as suicidal as women.Would it be that women cope better?]
<Molecular Psychiatry 2010:15:23-28 online>

Dec 22 2009 - High fish diet reduces chronic depression in women
Over 3000 men and women were followed for twenty years in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study. A pronounced inverse relationship was found in women participants who had the highest intake of fish with depressive symptoms. [ The high omega-3 fatty acid content of fish is believed to protect the brain from oxidative stress, neuron death and therefore depressive disorders.]
<Nutrition 2009:25:10:1011-19>

Dec 21 2009 - The best food choices to make a meal heart healthy
Franco and colleagues found the following daily meal components reduced cardiovascular disease by 75%. Wine (150ml/day), fish (114g/wk), dark chocolate (100g/day), fruit and vegetables (400g/day), garlic (2.7g/day), and almonds (68g/day. These are functional foods, with pharmaceutical properties to prevent or amelioate heart disease.
<The Polymeal:.. British Medical Journal 2004:329:1447-1450>

Dec 20 2009 - Health benefits of eating fish
Communities/countries that can be characterized as fish eaters generally have lower heart disease and depression rates. Fish consume the under-water plants plankton and algae. The fatty acids contained in these plants are metabolized by fish through a process of desaturation and chain elongation. The fish become a rich source of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fat acids eicospaentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexenoic (DHA).

EPA and DHA are believed to improve the function of mitochondria (sources of energy/fuel of cells and neurons) at the molecular level in a number of ways. Improved energy supply to tissues and organs benefits the health of the whole human.
<Prevention and Treatment of Age-related Diseases (2006) & Arterioscler Throm Vasc Biol 2007:27:2499>

Dec 19 2009 - Consumption of three or more drinks of alcohol per week increase breast cancer recurrence
ML Kwan, a scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Research division, and colleagues reported a 30% increase in recurrence of breast cancer with three to four alcohol drinks per week.

The Life After Cancer Epidemiology Study followed 1,897 breast cancer suvivors for eight years. 50% of the study population were drinkers. The most at risk were moderate plus drinkers who were overweight and postmenopausal.

Animal studies have shown alcohol of any type to increase circulating estrogen levels. [Obesity is an extra-glandular source of estrogen. Estrogen is carcinogenic in target tissues.]
<New York Times Dec 15/09 pD6, Kaiser Permanente Division of Research News 12/10/09>

Dec 18 2009 - Over 65 and falling?
Each year one in three people aged 65 and over experience at least one fall. These are not accidents or caused by tripping. The most likely cause is myopathy or muscle weakness and pain from Vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D binds to nuclear receptors in muscle tissue facilitating the de novo (new) synthesis of protein needed for bone renewal and turn-over. Oral daily supplemental doses of Vitamin D3 of 700-1000IU reduced falls by up to 26% in this age group. A blood/serum level of 25(OH)D (Vitamin D) of 60nmol/L should be achieved for optimal bio-availability to muscle.
<British Medical Journal 2009:339:b:3692 online>

Dec 17 2009 - Eggs, cheese, potatoes, meat and nuts are good for you
Eating the whole egg provides a perfect protein, Vitamins A and D and minerals such as zinc and iron. In most cases eating eggs will not raise cholesterol levels. Cheese is a rich source of calcium, magnesium, and high-quality protein. Potatoes contain four grams of fiber, 35% of daily Vitamin C requirement, 20% of potassium requirement, and a wealth of metabolites that fight chronic diseases. Red meat is a rich source of protein (3 ounces = 22 grams protein) and the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, and B6. Nuts are rich in heart healthy monounstaturated fat and are packed with vitamins and minerals such as manganese.
<Runner's World Jan 2010 p39-40 >

Dec 16 2009 - Anti-depressant effect of vegetables
Micromolar concentrations of Lithium can be detected in various vegetables. The Lithium content of vegetables varies from 6.1-24.5 mucmol of lithium/kg dry weight, with the exception of spinach and aubergines which have much higher concentrations.
<Clin Sci (Lond) 1987:72:1:81-6.>

Dec 15 2009 - Anti-suicide effect of Lithium in water supply
Lithium often occurs naturally, in trace amounts, in water supplies particularly in areas with a high concentration of granite. The British Journal of Psychiatry has reported that communities in Japan's Oita Prefecture with higher levels of naturally occurring lithium in their water supplies have fewer suicides than those with lower levels. The amounts range from 0.7 to 59 micrograms per liter. These exceedingly low levels are believed have a cumulative effect over time and build resistance to mood swing in the same way that much higher pharmaceutical doses (600-700 mg) of lithium do for bipolar disorder.
<The New York Times Magazine Dec 13/09 p50>

Dec 14 2009 - Get milk
Low fat or no fat milk contains proteins, carbs, and vitamins and minerals that are key agents for fueling the active person. Milk supplies 30% of the Daily Value (DA) for calcium requirement, 10% for potassium, and 25% for Vitamin D. Milk has 25% of the DV for B3 especially necessary for women runners/exercisers.
<Runner's World Jan 2010 p42>

Dec 13 2009 - Physician knowledge gaps
Because so many doctors don't know that breast MRIs are influenced by the menstrual cycle, says oncologist Julie Cralow of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, about 15% of the diagnoses for which she provides a second opinion are wrong.
<Newsweek Oct 26/09 p43-44>

Dec 12 2009 - Beans to the rescue
Studies show that people who eat beans four times a week have a 22% lower risk of heart disease than non-bean eaters. Beans are a good source of cholesterol lowering soluble fiber and folate, a B vitamin that lowers damaging homocysteine. [When blood levels of homocysteine are elevated it is a bio-marker for low Vitamin B12 and folate status, smoking, high alcohol consumption, depression and ageing.]

One cup of beans is equivalent protein to two cups of milk. A combining of grains and beans provides all the essential amino acids (proteins) not synthesized by the body. One cup of cooked beans is a rich source of complex carbohydrates ideal for rebuilding energy after long runs and extensive exercise.
<Runner's World Oct'09 p 44>

Dec 11 2009 - Fears - phobic, post-traumatic, stress-related - erased!
Well not quite, but Elizabeth A. Phelps NYU professor of psychology and colleagues have discovered an exciting adaptive mechanism of brain function. From their research there appears to be a window of opportunity to change a fear memory every time it is remembered. Timing of the therapeutic invention, which is extinction, is the key effective agent. If the intervention is started within the six hours following the retrieval of the fear memory, called reconsoliation, new information from extinction therapy can diffuse/neutralize/erase the fear.
<New York Times Dec 10/09 pA24>

Dec 10 2009 - Never married individuals as happy as married people
Data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the US has found that people never married and over 40 are well adjusted and happy. Never-marrieds who are high on mastery of their lives and self-sufficiency actually have better emotional well-being than married people.

The study suggests marriage inculcated as the best lifetime relationship goal is flawed. Because a certain level of interdependency is necessary for marriages to work, individual self-sufficiency is eroded.
<Journal of Social and Personal Relationships Nov 30/09 from Medline Plus>

Dec 09 2009 - Do alternative cancer therapies work?
The short answer is NO. For a more definitive answer the American Cancer Society has recently released the 'Complete Guide to Complementary and Alternative Cancer Therapies'. This massive reference book spells out the evidence, or lack of it, for hundreds of therapies, as well as side effects.
<StayHealthy by Dr Ranit Mishori Parade Dec6/09 p18>

Dec 08 2009 - So you want a Tattoo? Think about it!
According to the American Academy of Dermatology there can be complications. Such complications that could occur are getting a staph or other skin or tissue infection, getting a bloodborne disease such as hepatitis or developing an allergic reaction or sensitivity to the inks used. Also there could be a flawed reading of an MRI or similar imaging test due to iron oxide and heavy metal pigments used in some tattoos.
Remember dermatologists are making a fortune removing unwanted tattoos.
If you do want a tattoo make sure to use an approved tattoo artist who is issued regular inspection certificates.
<American Academy of Dermatology, Dec, 08,2009>

Dec 07 2009 - Physicians are not some favored class, brighter than the rest
The head of emergency medicine (EM) at Dartmounth General Hospital, Pat Croskerry is enormously concerned with improving how EM doctors and allied professionals think. Dr. Croskerry's numerous scholarly publications basically suggest that patient outcomes could be improved if doctors etc., were to become mindful of their cognitive/thinking styles. [For example many physicians are un-aware that they have less intrinsic value for women than they do men - gender bias.]
<Academic Emergency Medicine 2000:7:11:1223-1231>

Dec 06 2009 - Tomatoes great for brain
Considerable scientific interest has been shown in the antioxidant lycopene. This phytochemical is found in tomatoes, tomatoe products, watermelons, pink grape fruits, apricots and pink guavas. It is one of the most potent antioxidants against the damaging singlet oxygen free radicial, having ten times the quenching ability of Vitamin E. Lycopene from tomatoe products is easily absorbed and increases serum/blood levels. A 1999 study showed that lypcopene and Vitamin E were significantly decreased in Parkinson's disease and vascular dementia.
<Nutritional Neuroscience 2002:5:5:291-309>

Dec 05 2009 - Endogenous antioxidants
The enzymes catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and the protein glutathione are antioxidants naturally present in human tissues at the molecular level. Chronic alcohol intake and/or intoxication decreases the level of the last three antioxidants and reduces their ability to protect against cell/neuron damage.
<Chart of neuro-protective/restorative agents 2009>

Dec 04 2009 - Antioxidants may protect against neurodegenerative diseases (NDD)
Accumulation of oxidative damage in neurons either primarily or secondarily may account for the increased incidence of stroke, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's etc., in aged populations. Growing evidence implicates free radical toxicity and genetic/heritable mitochondrial dysfunction in clinic manifestations in NDD.

Recent research interest has focused on antioxidants which are substances that prevent or repair oxidative damage cells/neurons. A healthy balanced diet can provide the following antioxidants - Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, phenolic compounds. Curcumin, found in turmeric, the yellow spice traditional to Indian cooking is a phenolic compound. Curcumin was reported to be several times more powerful than Vitamin E as a free radical scavenger or antioxidant. [India has an extremely low incidence of Alzheimer's.]
<Nutritional Neuroscience 2002:5:5:291-309>

Dec 03 2009 - The Decade of the Brain
Neuro-science is a field that has grown exponentially during the last decade, the so called decade of the brain.

As the essential fatty acids linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) cannot be synthesized by the human body, they must be gotten from diet. Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil contains considerable amounts of LA and
ALA. This diet is advisable as the nutritional base for adults and children to meet fatty acid requirements in cell/neuron membranes to maintain healthy function.

Data is growing about the relationship between nutrients and synthesis of neuro-transmitters (molecular highways that conduct the business of brain and spinal cord function). It's now in-escapable that a strong and direct relationship exists between food and brain function.

[Well into the 1970s it was falsely believed that no relation existed between nutrients from food and the brain. This can be a severe knowledge gap amoung physicians now in practice who are 50-65+ years old.]
<Nutritional Neuroscience 2002:5:311-320>

Dec 02 2009 - Can vegetable soup promote healthy brain function/mental health?
Phenolic acids are metabolites synthesized in plants. These chemicals give plants anti-oxidant capacity to resist/diminish damaging oxidative stress at the molecular level. When humans consume plant foods (fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds) the anti-oxidant pharmaceutical properties are passed on.

In 1937 Tracy Putnam, co-developer of the world's first EEG lab at Boston City Hospital, tested phenolic compounds for anti-seizure properties. Convulsion/seizure is the most visible example of excito-toxic brain dysfunction. The anti-seizure drug Dilantin (Phenytoin) first available from Parke, Davis in 1938 was the result.

[Just how therapeutic to brain is a bowl of vegetable soup?]

<Drug Discovery, A History. 2005>

Dec 01 2009 - Healthy brain function related to fruit and vegetable consumption
In 2007 researchers at the U of South Carolina made an interesting discovery in data collected by the US government called the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). They found that the serum/blood levels of vitamins and carotenoids (anti-oxidants) were low in the portion of adults who attempted suicide. Low consumption of fruit and vegetables has been reported in individuals with psychiatric disorders. Adequate consumption of anti-oxidant rich fruit and vegetables may reduce oxidative stress in neurons and protect mental health/healthy brain function.
<Nutritional Neuroscience 2007:10:1&2:51-58.>

Nov 30 2009 - Why is HRT given to protect heart, When there is a lack of Proof?
It was found that by 2003-2004 there were still 6 million US women taking HRT. Of that it was noted that 8 percent (480,000) women with heart disease and 14 percent of women with two or more heart disease risk factors were still taking hormone replacement therapy.
The findings suggested that women with heart disease or at the highest risk for heart disease were likely getting hormone replacement therapy to reduce heart risks, even though the therapy was never proven for this indication and ultimately found to be ineffective.
<American Journal of Public Health, December 2009>

Nov 29 2009 - Food in the Kitchen can help boost Immunity
Choosing the right foods can help you fight off disease and build a strong immune system.
In the field of nutritional immunology, scientist are finding evidence of the role nutrition plays in fighting infectious disease such as influenza.
Experts say that diets rich in vitamin A, found in the colorful fruits and vegetables, and zinc, found in seafood, whole grains and nuts, can provide critical fuel that is needed by the body to fight off disease, heal injuries and survive illness when it strikes.
<WSJ. Personal Journal, Laura Landro, Nov. 24, 09>

Nov 28 2009 - An unquiet mind
The heading is the title to a book by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison. She is a medical doctor and professor of psychiatry at John Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 1995 she wrote the above book revealing that she suffers from bipolar disorder. In a recent book 'Nothing was the Same' she states "I had studied and written about depression and bipolar illness for 20 years..If I couldn't be public about it, it was scarcely reasonable to hope others would."
<New York Times Book Review Nov 15/09 p19>

Nov 27 2009 - My Stroke of Insight
On December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a 37 year old Harvard trained neuro-scientist, experienced a massive stroke to the left side of her brain. The above title is the name of the book she has written about the events and her stroke experience.

As the left hemisphere of her brain is filling with blood and her right side becomes paralyzed she thinks "Remember, please remember everything you are experiencing!.." Her instinct as a scientist over-riding her critical state to be able to report back and help others.
<A brain scientist's personal journey. 2006>

Nov 26 2009 - The Estrogen Errors: Why Progesterone is Better for Women's Health
The above title is a book by Dr. Jerilynn C. Prior, physician-researcher and UBC professor of endocrinology (study of hormones).

Dr.Prior is probably the world's leading authority on female hormone physiology as it relates to perimenopausal transition. Her expertise is possibly related to the fact that she personally has just completed a decade-plus transition from hell.

Similar to the neuro-scientist, Jill Bolte Taylor in 'My stroke of Insight', Prior's first instinct was to research & report back so that others could be helped.

The book is expensive but a portion of the proceeds go to Dr Prior's non-profit Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research.
<www.cemcor.ubc>

Nov 25 2009 - New female viagra drug
"Sad and randy" is how the comedian Sue Perkins described the effects of this new drug on BBC's News Quizz last Friday.

The drug, called flibanserin, was being tested by Boehringer Ingelheim as an anti-depressant in women and men. While found ineffective as an anti-depressant, women reported increased sexual desire as a side effect.

Three clinical trials later, involving 1,900 women, has confirmed ONE addtional satisfying sexual event a month results from taking daily doses of flibanserin for weeks.

Eyeing the 1.9 billion Pfizer made from Viagra last year, Boehinger Ingelheim is hotly pursuing drug approval of [almost useless] flibanserin.
<Economist Nov 21/09 p82>

Nov 24 2009 - Cancers that are...not cancerous
The medical science reporter for the New York Times, Gina Kolata, recently wrote a column based on a report in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Data from two decades of screening breast and prostate cancer calls into question what is known about cancer. Many small tumors if not found and/or left alone would not be a problem. They are apparently destined to stop growing, shrink, or even disappear.

[Is Barbara Ehrenreich (below) aware of this research? Has she read Sharon Begley's Newsweek report of serious physician knowledge gaps and non-standardized oncology care/treatment problems? Did she ask her oncologist if she was a candidate for a 'wait and see' approach? Is the New York Times the last place you might expect to find optimistic ideas about breast cancer?]
<New York Times Oct 27/09>

Nov 23 2009 - Optimism is not positive thinking
Barbara Ehrenreich, author of best seller 'Nickel and Dimed' in a new book reveals wholly appropriate anger at having a bout with breast cancer. She found the pink ribbon, think positive and smile ethos choking and outrageous.

Hanna Rosin, of DoubleX, reviewed 'Bright-sided' for the New York Times. Of concern is the reviewer may not be clear that learned optimism - or unlearning a pessimistic cognitive and declarative style - is not positive thinking.

Existing in a state of preparedness, alert to ideas/openings/opportunities where you don't expect to find them is not positive thinking. It is the resiliency to/or containment of blinding pessimism, the precursor to black depression.

<opinion Heather Ewart>

Nov 22 2009 - Holy dodo
Human gut is full of bacteria that aids digestion and provides immunity. Its now emerging that some gut bacteria evolved to facilitate fattness to carry early humans through times of famine and food scarcity. It may be that fat people have a higher portion of bacteria called firmitcutes and thin people have more bacteroidetes.

The theory was tested in mice by trans-planting lean bacteroidetes bacteria into fat mice to see if it made them thinner and vice versa. A report in this week's Science Translation Medicine confirmed the role of fat inducing human firmitcutes and lean inducing bacteroidetes in mice.
<Economist NOV 14/09 p98>

Nov 21 2009 - Survival of grandchildren
A report in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B gives evidence of genetic relatedness affecting longevity of grandchildren. Because of the XX female and the XY male chromosomes paternal grandmothers are more genetically related to their granddaughters. Maternal grandmothers are more genetically related to their grandsons.

A study of 43,000 children in seven different societies has revealed that granddaughters with paternal grandmother nearby have a 4.5 fold improved chance of survival. A boy was found to have his chances of living increased if his maternal grandmother lived nearby.
<Newsweek Nov 23/09 p25>

Nov 20 2009 - Vitamin D and it implications for musculosketal health in women
Vitamin D is actually a hormone that controls phosphorus, calcium and bone metabolism and neuro-muscular function. Vitamin D deficiency, common in women, worsens the risk of muscle weakness, falls and fractures. The simplest way to correct hypovitaminosis is adequate Vitamin D in diet and supplements (D3 1,000-2,000 IU/day) over winter months when sunlight is weakest. However few patients with osteoporosis and fractures receive adequate supplements. A blood test is the only way to check Vitamin D status and you are looking for a level between 30-60 ng/mL.
<Maturitas 2007:58:117-137>

Nov 19 2009 - Food for the Brain
It needs a diet rich in unsaturated fats. DHA, the omega-3 fatty acid found in fish such as salmon and mackerel, is essential for brain development, and helps slow the growth of lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Canola, soybeans, flax and walnuts are rich sources of alpha-linolenic acid, a plant omega-3. Omega-6, another essential fat, is found in all plant oils and any cooking oil.
Blueberries, the ideal brain berry, contains potassium, vitamin C and folate, a B vitamin.They also have anti-oxidants that enhance cognitive abilities and anti-inflammatory properties.
Dark green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale, are rich in folate and other B vitamins.
Vitamin B12 is found in animal protein, milk and dairy products and eggs, but there are no plant sources of it.
Get your vitamins and minerals from foods not supplements. Studies show those who use supplements come up short.
And remember exercise. A variety of exercises several times a week will increase circulation of blood and nutrients to the brain.
<Windsor Star, Nov, 19,2009>

Nov 18 2009 - Oncologist uncovers gender bias in supports to tumor patients
Dr. Marc Chamberlain, chief of oncology at the elite Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, has detected and confirmed a pattern of male preference. Male brain cancer patients typically receive much-needed support from their wives. However, a number of his women patients were going it alone, ending up separated or divorced.

A study of 515 patients appearing in the journal Cancer confirms that women with serious illness are seven times more likely to be separated or divorced [off-loaded when they become a burden] than men with similar problems.
<New York Times Nov 17/09 pD8>

Nov 17 2009 - New Guidlines for Mammograms and Breast Self Exam
Isn't it interesting to see how the self serving American College of Radiology is outraged over these new recommendations. Do you think this outrage comes from the thought that they may be losing a lucrative source of income? Yes sir/mam keep the women in fear. They sound like a bunch of Drug Companies.
Follow the new guidelines that women aged 50 to 74 years old have screening mammograms every other year rather than annually. Those aged 40 to 49 don't need routine screening.

<US Preventive Services Task Force, Monday Nov 16, 2009>

Nov 16 2009 - Ex Smokers have Speedier recoveries from Surgery
Quitting smoking will make it more likely that you'll recover from an operation without anything going seriously wrong. This is a recommendation of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
The group also said:
Within hours after you quit, your body will begin to heal.
Within less than a day, blood flow throughout the body will get better, thus boosting the chances of avoiding complication from surger.
<American Society of Anesthesiologist, news release, Nov. 9, 2009>

Nov 15 2009 - Yo-Yo dieting compared to Addiction
Y0-yo dieting is a common habit of many chronic dieters, that generates dependence. It was found that a history of dieting and relapse generates anxiety. The next attempt to avoid junk foods is going to be more painful and stressful than the previous one, and therefore the likelihood of relapse is going to be progressively higher and higher.
<Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Online>

Nov 13 2009 - As you age, Walk Faster
A study of 3208 men and women, ages 65 to 85 over 5 years found that seniors with the slowest walking speed were 44% more likely to die than the fastest walkers. The slowest walkers also had a three-fold higher risk or cardiovascular death.
<BMJ, news release, Nov. 10,2009>

Nov 12 2009 - MS risk increased in Women who were obese as teens
This information is from the Nurses Health Study and the Nurses Health 11 study.
Women who were obese at age 18 had a 2.25 times greater risk of developing MS. Being overweight vs obese seemed to increase the risk slightly, but not to a level that was statistically significant.
There were 238,000 women in the study.
<Neurology, Nov 10, 2009>

Nov 11 2009 - Eating Veggies during pregnancy good for child?
A study of 6,000 5 year olds found that 3 percent either had fully developed type 1 diabetes or had elevated levels of antibodies that indicate a risk of developing the disease. This risk was twice as high in children whose mothers rarely ate vegetables during pregnancy, and lowest among children whose mothers ate vegetables every day of their pregnancy.
I suspect that the children of the vegetable eaters continued to get plenty of vegetables from birth to age 5.
<Pediatric Diabetes, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.>

Nov 10 2009 - Cruise Lines need to improve Restroom Cleaning Practices
A study that checked 273 cruise-ship restrooms on 1,546 occasions, found that only 37 percent of them were cleaned daily. Toilet seats were the best-cleaned objects and baby changing tables were the least thoroughly cleaned objects. Toilet area handholds were largely neglected and accounted for more than half of the uncleaned objects on 11 ships.
The thoroughness of restroom cleaning didn't differ by cruise line.
<Clinical Infectious Diseases, Nov 1, 2009>

Nov 09 2009 - Lower Alzheimer risk - Increase your muscle power
It has been found that older people with stronger muscles are at reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to their weaker peers.
The findings in this study support the link between physical health and cognition in aging and the importance of maintaining good physical function and strength.
<Archives of Neurology, November 2009>

Nov 08 2009 - Peanut Butter Good for you?
Actually yes. Nuts that are unsalted and roasted in their own oils, and peanut and other nut butters, contain polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These can help lower LDL (bad cholesterol) without lowering healthy cholesterol (HDL).Make sure you are using the no-sugar varieties of peanut butter.
What about Nuts? In a study of 80,000 women, those who ate nuts two or more times a week were less likely to pack on the pounds through the years, even though nuts are fairly high in calories.
<Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov 3, 2009>

Nov 07 2009 - Obesity causes 100,000 US cancer cases each year
Not only that but the federal and other research estimated that obesity-related diseases account for nearly 10% of all medical spending in the United States or an estimated $147 billion per year.
Estimates of cancer types that could be prevented annually if Americans stayed slender.
Esophageal - 35% or 5800 people
Pancreatic - 28% or 11,900 people
Colon - 9% or 13,200 people
Breast - 17% pr 33,000 people
Endometrium - 49% or 20,700 people

<Medline Plus, 11/05/09>

Nov 06 2009 - Want to keep weight off? Your Home Matters
Researchers found that people's home environment mattered when it came to keeping weight off. They found that the weight loss maintainers had fewer TVs in their homes, and were less likely to be stocking their shelves with fatty foods.
The weight loss maintainers also had more exercise equipment than the control groups.
<Annals of Behavioral Medicing, Oct, 2009>

Nov 05 2009 - PAP Test overprescribed
New screeening guidelines were introduced in 2002 and 2003 for the Pap Test(cervical cancer-detecting test). A study has now found that fewer than one-third of U.S. primary care doctors follow those guidelines.
Only 28% of internal medicine doctors, 21% of general practitioners and 16% of obstetricians/gynecologists use the Pap screen in the recommended way.
Bottom line,"patients should be their own advocate. Sit down with your doctor and ask what's the recommendation for you?" Get them to show you the actual report.
<Medline plus, 05/11/09>

Nov 04 2009 - World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report 2009
There is a website: www.weforum.org where a report on the condition of women around the world is detailed.
When it comes to the equality of women vs men North Americans may be surprised to find that Canada ranks 25th and the United States ranks 31st.
The wage gap between men and women is extreme with women earning only 65% of what men do and the Political Empowerment of women is extremely low.
<World Economic Forum, Gender Gap Report 2009>

Oct 31 2009 - Body Image Charter for Modelling industry in Quebec
In Quebec about 3% of females aged 12 to 30 suffer bull-blown bulimia; another 10% have a constant preoccupation with their weight and body image. That translates to about 30,000 young Quebec women with anorexia or bulimia, and three times that many who are seriously affected.
The Charter states:"We recognize that beauty ideals based on extreme thiness can harm self-esteem," and sets in motion seven action by which signatories hope to promote a more realistic image of women in the media-and by which to fight an epidemic or eating disorders.
<Windsor Star,Oct 31, 2009 >

Oct 30 2009 - Diet and Breast Cancer
According to a review by the American Cancer Society, body weight is the one factor next to alcohol consumption that is clearly linked to breast cancer.
Researchers estimate a balanced diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and low in fat and sugar, could reduce breast cancer incidence by a least 30%.
<Windsor Star, Oct 30,2009>

Oct 28 2009 - Why don't We know who the best Doctors and Cancer Centers Are?
"The disparities in treatment don't reflect who has the newest multimillion-dollar machine, but who gets the diagnosis right and minimizes the chance of recurrence."
"Little delays with a nonaggressive cancer might not matter, but a two-week delay with an aggressive cancer can mean the difference between life and death."
Why do cancer centers not publish their outcomes data so that we know which are the best centers for treatment. Published records would likely be an inducement for the under achievers to sharpen up.
Key point "There are vast differences in outcomes between many cancer centers."
<Newsweek, Oct. 26,2009 Begley and Interlanci>

Oct 27 2009 - Vitamin D Again
According to Dr. Carlos A. Camargo, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Harvard Medical School, Vitamin D boosts the activity of a gene that makes cathelicidin, a natural antimicrobial compound that is part of the body's defenses against infection.
There is growing evidence that Vitamin D does protect against a number of respiratory infections and it is also clear that many Americans do not get enough of the vitamin.
<Boston Globe, Oct 26,2009>

Oct 26 2009 - Warren Buffett on Wall Street and the Financial Industry
The idea that the people who move money around are some favored class--is getting pretty far away from where we should be."
"I was lucky at birth," Buffett said. "I shouldn't delude myself into thinking I am some superior individual. Most of the rich people in the United States and the U.K., they wouldn't have done quite as well if they were in Bangladesh or some place like that."
<BBC, Radio 4, Oct 26, 2009>

Oct 25 2009 - Health Literacy and Health Outcomes
Choosing a healthy lifestyle, knowing how to seek medical care, and taking advantage of preventive measures require that people understand and use health information. The ability to obtain, process, and understand health information needed to make informed health decisions is known as health literacy.
Given the complexity of the healthcare system, it is not surprising that limited health literacy is associated with poor health.
<Fact sheet/www.gov/communication>

Oct 24 2009 - Decoding the Numbers
A news report says that something doubles your risk of getting a disease. Does that mean you should be scared? Only if your chances of getting the disease are already high. News report can make medical problems seem more common than they are. If your risk "doubles" from 1 in 1,000 to 2 in 1,000 that's still a pretty small risk. And if you have a 1% chance of getting a disease, that means you have a 99% chance of not gettin it.
<Figuring out Health News, Nemours Foundation>

Oct 23 2009 - Chocolate Milk, not Just for Kids
Chocolate milk, loaded with carbohydrates and protein, refuels muscles, reduces muscle breakdown and rehydrates the body. From studies at Indiana University, George Mason and other campuses the suggestion is that drinking low-fat chocolate milk after exercise is just as effective in helping tired muscles recover as a high-carbohydrate sports drink.
Milk also contains vitamins A,D,B-6 and B-12;niacin;riboflavin;thiamin;
calcium;magnesium;phosphorus;and zinc.
Not a bad health food.
<Omaha World-Herald. Oct 22, 2009>

Oct 22 2009 - Benefits of Screening for Some Cancers Overstated
The American Cancer Society is now saying that the benefits of detecting many cancers, especially breast and prostate have been overstated.
The fact is that some cancers are not dangerous and some might actually go away on their own. It was finding these insignificant cancers that led to the soaring rates of breast and prostate cancer. According to one doctor this overdiagnosis is pure, unadulterated harm.
With more research into how to distinguish between innocuous tumors and dangerous ones, people hopefully will be more realistic about what screening can do.
<WSJ, Oct 21, 2009, Pg A1 and A24>

Oct 21 2009 - Controlling some fall allergies
Try staying indoors as much as possible, especially on sunny, windy days and early in the morning during peak pollen times, will decrease symptoms. Close your windows and use the air conditioning. Antihistamines may also help decrease symptoms.
<BismarkTribune.com, Sept 13, 2009>

Oct 20 2009 - Soy Formula or Breast Milk?
Soy contains plant estrogens, thus there are concerns about the health effects on babies raised on soy formula.
Part of the concern about soy formula is that there is not a great deal of good data on it yet.
Some rat studies involving soy formula have detedted changes in the way the body metabolizes drugs, which might make them less effective.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has backed away from giving soy its whole-hearted endorsement.
Bottom Line: consider that soy formula comes with an unspoken "drink at your own risk warning"
<Health and Fitness News, Oct 20, The Oregonian>

Oct 19 2009 - Fresh Pumpkin instead of Butternut or Acorn Squash
Just make sure that you are using sugar pumpkins, not those intended for carving.

Pumpkins are loaded with the antioxidant beta-carotene, potassium and fiber. Plus, with only 49 calories per cup(cooked) this tasty squash is a great fit for a healthy diet.
<Denver Post, fitness, 10/19/2009>

Oct 18 2009 - Smoking bans reduce heart attack risks among non smokers
A report from the Institute of Medicine should influence the debate on smoking bans.
Heart disease is a more immediate consequence of smoking or breathing others smoke than is lung cancer. About a third of all heart attacks in the U.S. are related to smoking. Both actively smoking and breathing others smoke can damage blood vessels and increase heart attack-causing blood clots.
So do bans help? This study found drops in the number of heart attacks that ranged from 6 percent to 47 percent.
<Institute of Medicine, Oct 15, 2009>

Oct 17 2009 - Media multitaskers are not good at it!
In a study by Stanford University researchers to determine what skills helped these multitaskers stay on task the results astonished them.
The media multitaskers are these people who seem to be able to chat over the phone, listen to music, surf the Net, text, e-mail, read, write, play computer games and watch video etc all at once.
The researchers assessed three key cognitive skills: filtering out extraneous information, recalling important information from memory and switching easily from one task to another.
To quote one of the study's authors, Professor Clifford Nass, "we were trying to figure out what they were good at, and it turns out: nothing"
He also said,"In fact, the more likely you are to multitask, the worse you are at it."It turned out that the high multitaskers overly focus on the irrelevant, keep their memory very sloppy, and they're very bad at switching from one task to another."
<Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct 13, 2009>

Oct 16 2009 - The violation of Sexual and emotional boundaries of Adult Women by Catholic Priests
A landmark study in 1990 by the scholar A.W. Richard Sipe, a former Benedictine, found that 20 percent of Catholic priests were involved in continuing sexual relationships with women, and an additional 8 percent to 10 percent had occasional heterosexual relationships.
If you think things have changed ask the group Good Tidings, founded by a woman and her husband a former priest.
She has said that in 25 years they have been contacted by nearly 2000 women who said they were involved with priests, with many of the women having signed child support and confidentiality agreements.
<New York Times Oct 16,2009>

Oct 15 2009 - Some tips on keeping teeth white
Keep the teeth clean. Brush or at least rinse right after eating particularly if you've consumed food or drink that stains teeth easily. Floss daily.
The major tooth stainers are berries, chocolate, coffee, tea, colas, root beer, red wine and tobacco. Where possible use a straw or swallow quickly to limit the fluids contact with the front teeth.
Hard raw fruits and vegetables such as carrots, broccoli and apples will help scrape away plaque, which makes teeth look dull.
<Atlanta Constitution Journal/New Town Dental Arts of james City County, Va>

Oct 14 2009 - 5 Indicators that a Restaurant is serving safe Food
1. The dining room is clean. If the tables, chairs, utensils and glasses aren't clean chances are things aren't clean in the kitchen either.
2. Restrooms are clean. This is an important indicator. Attention to detail is a very good thing.
3. Staff are dressed neat and clean. Food handlers should wear clean gloves and not touch their face or hair.
4. The health inspection sanitation certificate should be displayed. If they don't make the grade, make tracks for the door.
5. The cold food should be cold and the hot food hot. Lukewarm foods lurk in the danger zone, where bacteria love to grow- 40 degrees to 140 degrees.

<AtlantaConstitution Journal -better health, 2009/10/14>

Oct 13 2009 - Promising Research regarding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Two thirds of patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in a trial conducted by a team led by Judy Mikovits at the Whittemore Peterson Institute were found to have tested positive for XMRV genes, compared with just eight out of 218 healthy controls. Although this group of investigators suspect that XMRV causes CFS there will need to be more work done to prove conclusively that this is so.
<Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.1179052>

Oct 12 2009 - Why don't We Exercise?
We can always find an excuse for not exercising but here are some ways to counteract these excuses.
If you feel you don't have time, just go out for a 10 minute walk. You'll be surprised how soon you'll want to increase that amount.
When you feel you are too tired at the end of the day to exercise, try doing it over the lunch break or in the morning before work.
If you don't like to exercise with others do it alone. Go for a walk or work with a DVD class or TV class.
We do get aches and pains so do some stretching before and after.
If the weather is too cold or hot, make use of your local mall.
Mix your routines in order to remove the boredom of those that you like.
It costs little to exercise. You can use canned goods as weights and a run or walk cost little.
<Womenshealth.gov. October 12, 2009>

Oct 11 2009 - Shoe Choice can Affect the Future of your Feet
In a study reported in Arthritis Care and Research it was documented how shoe choice affects the feet of women.
Shoes were classified into Good"(sneakers, athletic shoes), average(hard soled leather shoes or rubber-soled shoes), and Poor (heels or pumps, sandals, or slippers).
It was found for women, wearing "good shoes" reduced the likelihood of having pain in the heel, ankle and lower Achilles tendon-know collectively as the "hindfoot"-by two thirds.
The question then becomes "what price fashion?"
<Arthritis Care &Research, October 15, 2009>

Oct 10 2009 - During Flu season eat right
From the Ohio State University extension service the following advice regarding boosting your immune system.
Stay hydrated. Eat lots of vegetables, fruit and whole grains, which are loaded with vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants and phytonutrients. Moderate exercise boosts the immune system,while too much or too little can weaken it. In addition, you might consider consuming more yogurt and other foods containing probiotics, or "good bacteria".
<Cincinnati Enquirer, Oct 7, 2009>

Oct 09 2009 - Canned Salmon Very Healthful
Maybe it's even more healthful than fresh salmon if you canned choose canned salmon with bone in.
It is high in omega-3 fatty acids that makes skin and hair look more youthful. It's also good for your brain and heart. It contains acarotenoid that improves skin's elasticity, and canned with bone provides 231 mg of calcium vs 15 mg with fresh salmon.
<Health and Fitness, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct, 06,2009>

Oct 08 2009 - Osteoporosis. Who gets it?
The following list or risk factors for osteoporosis is from the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
-Being older or female
-Having osteoporosis in the family
-Having a small stature or thin frame
-Being white, Asian or Hispanic
-Having a prior bone fracture
-Having low sex hormones
-Getting insufficient exercise
-Getting insufficient dietary calcium and vitamin D
-Eating a diet that's high in caffeine, sodium and protein
-Using alcohol or tobacco
-Having eating disorders or rheumatoid arthritis
-Using certin drugs, such as steroids
<Health Day July 13, 2009>

Oct 07 2009 - Womeans Health USA
The following are some stats from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the Health Status of Women.
14% of women 18 years and over are in fair or poor health
Womens Health Risk Factors:
30% of women 18 years and over engaged in regular leisure-time physical activity
18% of women 18 years and over currently smoke
14% of women 18 years and over had 5 or more drinks in 1 day at least once in the past year
35% of women 20 years and over are obese
33% of women 20 years and over have hypertension
<Fastats, womens health. CDC. >

Oct 05 2009 - Warning Signs of Dehydration
The following is a list of warning signs of dehydration compiled by the U.S. National Library of Medicing.
-Dryness or a sticky feeling in the mouth
-Urine that is a dark yellow color
-Not urinating as much as usual or not at all
Inability to produce tears
Eyes that appear sunken
-Feeling tired or having no energy
<Health Day, sept, 17, 2009>

Oct 04 2009 - Tips to Cavity Prevention
The following are tips by the National Library of Medicine on how to help prevent cavities.
-Practice good oral hygiene, whichmeans flossing each day, brushing at least twice daily and getting a professional teeth cleaning twice a year
-Minimize snacking, which increases acid production in the mouth
-if you want something sticky, sweet or chewy, eat it with other foods as part of a meal instead of alone. Brush your teeth or rinse you mouth with water afterward.
-Avoid high-sugar drinks, chewinggum with sugar, or sucking on sugary candy.
-use mouth wash and toothpaste with flouride
<HealthDay News Sept, 22, 2009>

Oct 03 2009 - Strong Thighs May Mean Less Knee Pain for Women
Stronger thigh muscles can help protect women, but not men, from the pain or arthritic knees.
This study finds that "stronger quadricep(thigh) muscles may protect older adults from developing the combination of osteoarthritis on X-ray and daily pain or stiffness in their knees".
One implication of these new findings is that quadricep strength may protect against developing symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.
Exercises that people can do, and tend to do correctly, and can do on their own, are climbing stairs - up and down.
Climb stairs slowly, making the best use of the thigh muscles. You can go up and down even one or two steps at a time- that helps strengthen the leg muscles. Strong leg muscles not only support knee health, but they support your indeendence as you get older.
<Medline Plus, Health Day, August 27, 2009>

Oct 02 2009 - Varicose Vein Prevention
The following are things you can do to help prevent these swollen, dark veins that commonly appear in the leg.
-Apply sunscreen to help protect your skin
-Get regular exercise that focuses on strengthening the legs and improving circulation. Walking or running are good choices
-If you are overweight, lose weight to reduce pressure on the legs
-Sit with your feet on the floor, rather than crossing your legs. And when you can, prop up your feet.
-Avoid sitting or standing for too long
-Support the legs with elastic support stockings, but avoid tight-fitting clothing
-Stick to a diet that's low in salt and high in fibre
<Health Day News, Oct. 1, 2009>

Oct 01 2009 - Use 2% of the total minutes in a Day for Exercise
There are 1440 minutes in a day. Use 30 of these for some physical exercise. Why not try walking briskly for 30 minutes?
<Medline Plus, Sept 29, 2009>

Sep 28 2009 - Health Benefits of Physical Activity
Regular physical activity may help control your weight and may help
1. Reduce your risk of or manage chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, and some cancers.
2. Build strong muscles, bones and joints.
3. Improve flexibility.
4. Ward off depression.
5. Improve mood and sense of well-being.
<Weight control Information Network>

Sep 27 2009 - 10 Tips to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity For You
1. Start your day with breakfast
2. Get Moving
3. Snack smart
4. Work up a sweat
5. Balance your food Choices-don't eat too much of any one thing
6. Get fit with friends or family
7. Eat more grains, fruits and vegetables
8. Join in physical activities
9. Foods aren't good or bad
10.Make healthy eating and physical activities fun

<The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports>

Sep 26 2009 - Vitamin D and healthy brain and immune function
For 20+ years it has been known that vitamin D exerts marked effects on immune and neural cells. Diminished Vitamin D levels are associated with autoimmune diseases and various brain diseases.

At the molecular level Vitamin D is a substrate necessary for immune and neural cells to be produced. The vitamin is actually a seco-steroid hormone produced photochemically in the skin as long as sunlight is adequate.

Vitamin D deficiency may lay at the foundation of various brain pathologies - Parkinson's, epilepsy, depression. The immune-mediated disorder of multiple sclerosis (MS) is a strong candidate of Vitamin D deficiency. (Moving towards the equator MS drops in prevelance to zero). Rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, lupus and inflammatory bowel disease may also have a Vitamin D deficiency related etiology.

[Vitamin D, a neuro-immunomodulator: implications for neurodegenerative and autoimmune disease.]
<Psychoneuroendocrinology online July 2009>

Sep 25 2009 - Risk factors for Vitamin D deficiency
From November through to February humans living above the latitude of Boston receive an in-adequate strength of sun light to metabolize Vitamin D in skin.

Non-milk drinkers are not receiving the benefit of the Vitamin D fortification in milk. Babies only getting breast milk don't get Vitamin D.

Ageing reduces skin production of Vitamin D and so do fat malabsorption syndromes such as Crohn's disease.

Dark skin pigmentation, medications, sunscreen, vegetarianism and obesity all reduce bio-availablility of Vitamin D.
<www.dairynutrition.ca >

Sep 24 2009 - Nutrition and brain health
Nutrition directly affects wiring(neuro-circuitry) of the brain. Among other processes nutrition affects myelination - the coating of neural axons allowing trafficking, signaling, cross talk, synapsis, and information flow between neurons.

Adequate intake of calories, protein, iron, iodine and folate are essential in the formation of neural substrates for healthy brain/neural function. Recent evidence suggests a pivotal role for Vitamin B12, zinc and Omega-3 fatty acids for optium neural health. Dairy products, animal protein, nuts, seeds, eggs, fortified cereals are food choices that meet nutrient requirements of the brain. To further upgrade omega-3 consumption choose oils such as canola, flaxseed, walnut, and soybean oils.
<www.milknutrition.org 'Food for thought' spring 2005.>

Sep 23 2009 - Two strategies to prevent or survive bowel cancer
Get adequate Vitamin D from sun exposure and diet. Get adequate exercise/physical activity. 1000IU of Vitamin D and a diet rich in calcium and Vitamin D should induce an adequate blood level of 30ng/ml. Daily exercise, especially outside, is a stong protective factor against bowel cancer.
<Journal of Clinical Oncology 2008:26:18:2937-9.>

Sep 22 2009 - Benefit of adequate Vitamin D
Evidence is accumulating that adequate Vitamin D impoves bone, brain, and heart health. The vitamin also improves immune system function and protects against some cancers. Get your blood level checked for Vitamin D, the value should be between 30 to 100 ng/ml. Expose your skin to sun, eat salmon and fortified dairy products and take 1000IU of Vitamin D daily to get an adequate blood level.
<Dr. Mark Liponis in Parade Sept 20/09 p14>

Sep 21 2009 - The indignity of being born female
The New York Times husband and wife reporting team of Kristof and WuDunn in a new book tell of the atrocities human females of the second and third worlds suffer. In 'Half the Sky' they state gendercide, the daily slaughter of girls in the developing world, steals more lives in any decade than all genocides of the 20th century. From sex trafficking to maternal mortality, from obstetric fistulas to acid attacks, the authors reveal the shocking draconian conditions most of the world's females endure.
<New York Times Book Review Sept 8/09 p6>

Sep 20 2009 - Inappropriate medications Increase the risk of falls in older women and men
A four year study in France involving 6343 women and men who were on average 74 years old found the following:
Use of long-acting benzodiazepine led to 1.4 times risk of falling versus those not using this type of anti-anxiety medication.
They also identified similar risks amongst the elderly reporting regular use of tranquilizers, muscle relaxants and anti-spasmodics.

Definition:
Inappropriate Medication: drugs likely to have a greater effect on elderly individuals than on their yourger counterparts, as well as medications (taken singly or with other drugs) with side effects (dizziness and drowsiness) potentially associated with increased risk for falling.
<BMC Geriatrics, July 23, 2009>

Sep 19 2009 - The purpose of sleep
It has yet to be determined why humans and four thousand other mammalian species require some form of sleep. Jerome M. Siegel, Department of Psychiatry U of California, proposes that sleep be viewed as an adaptive state of inactivity which reduces brain and body metabolism.

There is a 30% reduction in cerebral/brain energy consumption during non-Rapid Eye Movement (non-REM)phase of sleep. This is a phenomenal conservation of energy considering that the brain constitutes only 2% of total body weight yet uses 20% of the body's caloric fuel or energy. During this phase of sleep the human brain is still able to process sensory signals and trigger wakefulness within milliseconds if need be.

The other phase of sleep, Rapid Eye Movement (REM) is the deepest part of human sleep and evolved interwoven with non-REM probably to facilitate alertness upon awakening.
<Nature Reviews Neuroscience 2009:10:747-753>

Sep 18 2009 - What women of the third world endure
Since India began to really grow it economy in the 1990s it has become necessary to accept women into the urban workforce. The number of working women has roughly doubled in 15 years.

Always a nation of strong male dominance and male-child preference with low intrinsic value for women, atrocities against women are now evident. Voilence against women has increased, rape has increased by 30%, kidnapping and abduction by 50% and torture and molestation have also sharply jumped.

The new minister of India Railways, a female named Uttar Pradesh, has commenced providing women commuters with female-only trains. This is to free them from being taunted, harassed, pinced, groped and verbally abused by men on their daily treks to and from work.
<New York Times Sept 16/09 pA1 & A12>

Sep 17 2009 - The truth about cancer
For forty years it has been predicted that a cure for cancer is near. But cancer deaths have hardly budged. Most new cancer drugs cost a fortune while only giving patients few, if any, added weeks of life. Dr Richard Pazdur, the director of the US Food and Drug Administration's cancer drug office, is subject to constant pillory for a situation he has no control over. He demands only that drug makers prove with near certainty that their products are beneficial. The sad fact is the industry is not producing many good cancer treatment drugs.
<New York Time Sept 16/09 pA1 &A23>

Sep 16 2009 - Cardiac benefit of chocolate
Researchers in Sweden have found evidence that people who eat chocolate have increased survival rates after a heart attack. Compared with people who ate none, those who ate chocolate less than once a month had a 27% reduction in risk of cardiac death. Those who ate it up to once a week had 44% reduction, and those who indulged twice or more a week had 66% reduction of dying of a heart attack. This study followed 1,169 men and women hospitalized for a heart attack for 12 months. The type of chocolate they ate was not screened for but it is known that dark chocolate has more of the protective flavonoid factor than milk chocolate.
< New York Times Sept 15/09 pD6>

Sep 15 2009 - Sex hormones and depression in women
Variations in the reproductive/sex hormones in women during reproductive years are bound to affect the neural stress system or the hypothalamic/pituitary/adrenal system. Overlap/neural cross-talk with the hypothalamic/pituitary/ovarian system of reproduction because of proximity is un-avoidable. The prevalence of depression increases during reproductive years, especially during times when sex hormone levels show rapid fluctations. Premenstrual, antepartum, postpartum, perimenopausal transition phase and menopause are all times of enormous hormone fluctation and of potential neuro-psychic-emotional upheaval.
<Ageing Research Reviews 2005:4:141-194>

Sep 14 2009 - Are you taking your Medications Safely?
To prevent problems with medications the University of Virginia offers the following suggestions:
1.Understand that even vitamins, herbs, supplements and over-the-counter medications can have adverse effects if taken incorrectly.
2.Always follow label instructions, paying particular attention to any warnings.
3.Learn how other medications and foods interact with a particular medicine.
4.Don't be afraid to ask questions of your doctor or pharmacist if your prescription changes or if you take a new medicine.
5.Learn about any potential side effects of medications you take, and always call your doctor if you have any problems.
6.Keep medications stored safely, and keep a record of all medications you take.
7.Make sure all of your doctors have a complete list of your medications.
<Medline Plus, Sept 10,2009>

Sep 13 2009 - Runner's World Magazine - great advice
Even if you are not a runner, Runner's World contains about the best nutrition advice available for adults. In the October'09 issue the New York Times food journalist shares his brilliant but simple healthy, tasty and quick meal ideas. The regular "Frigde Wisdom" column by Liz Applegate, professor of Nutrition U of California and a runner, is cutting edge current with healthy eating advice. October's "Fuel" column shares how to cut the calories of favorite comfort foods. For five or so dollars you could not get a better lifestyle improvement reference than buying Runner's World.
<Runner's World Oct'09.>

Sep 12 2009 - Silion valley legend, Andy Grove, critical of modern medicine
Andrew Grove, former CEO of Intel computer chip maker, is 73, has Parkinson's and is a prostate cancer survivor. He has come away from his interactions with the health care service system with the following complaints. The industry innovates much too slowly. There is a complete lack of electronic medical records and smart clinical decision systems. Clinical trials are slow moving with bureaucratic weight.

In the current health care system he sees no evidence of quick 'knowledge turns' that the computer industry uses. Knowledge turns are accelerated cycles of learning and innovation to produce a profit generating item (eg., ipod) to take to market. A knowledge turn in the computer chipmaking business is around 18 months, in medicine its 10-20 years.
<Economist Sept 5/09 p35-36>

Sep 11 2009 - Thin thighs associated with heart disease
Researchers took detailed measurements and evaluated the body composition of 1,436 men and 1,380 women in Denmark. They tracked the health of the subjects for a decade. People with the thinnest thighs had two times greater risk of heart disease. Fat and sugar metabolism are muscle dependent. Too little muscle mass in the thigh area may affect metabolism and predispose to heart disease.
<reported in British Medical Journal as cited by bloomberg.com>

Sep 10 2009 - Humans evolved from monkeys
The sequencing of the human genome in 2003 revealed that we have 98% plus of the same DNA as monkeys. It is an incontrovertable scientific fact that humans and monkeys share a commom ancestor. Yet the scientist and author Richard Dawkins states in his recent book (The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution) 40% of Americans still refuse to accept that human beings share a common ancestry with animals. These people believe in intelligent design or are creationists, thinking that humans just appeared in their present form 10,000 years ago.
<Economist Sept 6/09 p90>

Sep 09 2009 - Erasing fear memories
Italian researchers may have found a way to disrupt consolidation or re-collection of fear memories in adult mice. After a certain age, net like molecules of proteins and sugars in the amygadala - storing/retrival memory brain region - make fears resistant to being erased. Researchers used an enzyme to break-up the net-like protein/sugar structures in the amygadala. One month later the mice receiving the memory desolving enzyme seemed to completely forget the shock experience they had been conditioned to fear.
<WSJ Tuesday Sept 8/09 pB10 & Science 2009:325:5945:1214-1215>

Sep 08 2009 - Two way street between head and heart
What's going on in your heart and arteries can, in turn, affect your mental health. Positive emotions, personal connections, stress-busting techniques like exercise and meditation, anger-management etc., can protect the heart and brain. Feed your brain and body with more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and other lean proteins, and vegetable oils. These healthy lifestyle and nutrition choices reduce the release of stress hormones that constrict blood vessels, dysregulate heart beat and affect vascularization of the brain. Important, simple, cheap behavioural strategies totally within your control, no doctor necessary.
<www.health.harvard.edu>

Sep 07 2009 - Exercise as treatment for parkinsonism
Would a program of motor therapy retard the neurodegeneration process that occurs with Parkinson's disease (PD)? Clinical evidence going back to 1956 and through to 2000 supports such a conjecture. The influence of motor activity on neurodegeneration may be relevant to the progressive nature of the disease itself.

As movement becomes more difficult inactivity becomes more prominent. Patients making behavioural choices of less activity exacerbate the condition promoting further degeneration.

Forced exercise in rodent models reduced destruction of dopamine neurons. Also neuro-protection and restoration were promoted from increased availability of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a potent survival factor for dopamine neurons.
<Experimental Neurology 2003:184:31-39>

Sep 06 2009 - Effects of diet on aging rat heart mitochondria
Two supplements - carnitine and lipoic acid - were hypothesized to improve mitochondrial function in heart cells. A study in rats showed come cardiac improvement with the supplements. [A balanced diet with adequate fat and fruit and vegetables might be one way to achieve healthy heart function -see below article]
<Ann NY Acad Sci 2002:959:491-507>

Sep 05 2009 - Effects of diet on brain mitochondria
Older dogs were feed an antioxidant or vegetable and fruit rich diet. Dogs develop cognitive decline from progressive accumulation of oxidative damage which deteriorates mitochondrial function. A similar sequences of neural events happens in ageing humans.

In a U of California study an antioxidant diet was found to improve mitochondrial function and therefore brain function in elderly dogs. A balanced diet, rich in plant foods, is thought to deliver adequate Vitamins E and C and lipoic acid (a fat) and carnitine ( plant metabolite) which are protective of the cell's or neuron's mitochondrial organelle.
<Experimental Neurology 2009 e-Pub ahead of print>

Sep 04 2009 - Eric Kandel reframes psychiatry
Eric Kandel is a Columbia U neuroscientist and psychiatrist and he has this to say about his training "In the summer of 1960 ...began residency at Harvard's Massachusetts Mental Health Center. I was trained with 20-odd other now prominent young doctors..and there was no required or even recommended readings. We were assigned no textbooks, rarely was there a reference to scientific papers in conferences or in case studies. Much of this attitude came from our teachers..They made a point of encouraging us not to read." He shares this story to emphasize the need to train psychiatrists in the structure and function of the brain (neuro-sicence, neurobiology, neuro-physiology). The current training is in-adequate and minimal.
<Am J Psychiatry 1998:155:4:457-469.>

Sep 03 2009 - Health literacy
About 50% of adult Americans - 90 million - do not understand basic health information and services. Being un-informed and illerate in terms of human physiology (relating to diagnosis, medications, healing/proactive behaviors etc.,)is associated with poorer outcomes form common chronic diseases such as asthma and depression.

A study of 172 hospital patients discharged from an internal medicine floor revealed that 15% didn't know that they had been prescribed new medication. Only half knew specific information about their drugs such as dosage, schedule and purpose.

An appalling disconnect between patients and doctors was demonstrated in terms of adverse effects of medications. Only 11% of patients recalled being told about adverse effects. Physicians routinely report the belief that almost all of thier patients understood adverse drug side effects.

[TAKE HOME MESSAGE - if you are prescribed a drug go to drugs@FDA and find out about it for yourself.]
<Mayo Clinic Proceedings May 2008:83:554-558>