Health News Blog provides coverage of current health news.

ARE YOU AT RISK FOR DIABETES?

admin — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:27:12 +0000

YOUR CHANCES of developing diabetes are higher if you:Have a family history of this disorder. If you have a close relative — parent, sister or brother—with Type I diabetes, your risk of getting it is two and a half times higher than normal. In the case of Type II diabetes, your risk goes even higher — 10 to 12 times more than normal.If one identical twin has diabetes, the other twin has a 62 per cent chance of having it too. The corresponding figure for non-identical twins is only 12 per cent.In a reversal of earlier medical thinking, health researchers to-day believe that Type II (adult-onset) diabetes has a stronger genetic basis than Type I in which the loss of pancreatic cells isthought to be the result of auto-immune processes or viralinfections such as viral hepatitis, German measles, mumps orchicken pox. —Are overweight — 20 per cent heavier than your recommended weight. A growing volume of evidence suggests that it is more specifically those with abdominal obesity who are at risk for Type II diabetes. These are people who store their excess fat on their waistline rather than on their hips.Suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension)Are a long-time smokerAre a woman with a history of deliveries of large babies, usually over 3.5 kg.*62\332\2*

EATING DISORDERS: ANOREXIA AND BULIMIA /BIOCHEMICAL ROOTS – THE POSITIVE ASPECT OF THE ZINC LINK TO EATING DISORDERS

admin — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 14:22:16 +0000

The positive aspect of the zinc link to eating disorders is that a majority of individuals with these disorders respond to a simple solution— the addition of liquid zinc to the diet. Prominent eating disorders researcher Dr. Alexander Schauss, of Tacoma, Washington, is part of a research team that has carefully studied the zinc-eating-disorder connection for years. In the following case history, Schauss illustrates why he is convinced of the value of this nutrient in the treatment of bulimia:”We were doing blinded studies, which means that neither I nor the patient were aware of whether they were receiving a placebo or liquid zinc. [One of our subjects] was a forty-seven-year-old psychotherapist with a doctoral degree in psychology who had been treating patients with eating disorders for the past fifteen years and who herself had bulimia—about five binge-purge episodes per day for the past thirty-four years. She could hardly recount a single day in the last thirty-four years when she did not engage in bulimic activity. She was referred to us by a local hospital because of a particular risk factor for chronic bulimia— the esophageal flap can tear and result in a person choking to death.”We give a small amount (about 5 or 10 milliliters [ml], which is less than a tablespoon) of liquid zinc to a person, ask them to swirl it around the mouth for a few seconds and tell us what they taste. The inability to detect any taste is evidence of a systemic zinc deficiency. [This woman] couldn’t taste anything. The protocol consisted of giving her 120 ml of the solution spaced throughout the day in 30- to 40-ml doses on an empty stomach.”A few days later the woman called back to say that she had no desire to binge or purge that day. It was the first time she could recall feeling that way in thirty-four years. This was very interesting to us. When you’ve engaged in an obsessive/compulsive behavior for thirty-four years, you have to wonder how it would be possible for it to disappear in a few days.”It has been five years now, and she has never gone back to bingeing and purging. More important, she was provided no therapy. This is very similar to the experience of hundreds of bulimics that we’ve studied. We’re quite convinced that it was the liquid zinc that was effective.”*62\233\8*

MIGRAINE ATTACKS AND FOOD

admin — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:17:49 +0000

Tea and coffee. One patient suffered repeated severe attacks of migraine, resistant to all forms of treatment. He was found to be highly sensitive to tea and when this was excluded from his diet he improved.Another sufferer who used to get severe pains had been labeled neurotic but, when given tea or coffee by a tube into her stomach (so that she could not taste it), she developed the pains and her pulse doubled in rate, whilst giving water through the tube had no such effect. After stopping these offending substances she had no further attacks.The active constituents of tea and coffee include caffeine and theophylline, substances which prevent the breakdown of a high energy compound, cyclic AMP. The build-up of this substance makes the body far more sensitive to the action of the sympathetic nervous system. This type of food allergy is an increased sensitivity of stimulation after taking tea or coffee.
Alcohol. This is the commonest ‘food’ taken. It is well known for its capacity to widen blood vessels. The ‘hangover’ headache following excessive intake is well known, but many migraine sufferers are particular sensitive to alcohol, especially red wine and port. This cannot be solely due to the content of pure alcohol but may well be related to other substances (higher esters) which accumulate during long-term storage.
Other foodsAlmost every other food has been said to cause migraine, the commoner examples being citrus fruits and meat.One migraine subject always had an attack of headache some hours after eating pork, but only when tired or under emotional stress, and could eat pork with impunity if in ‘good condition’. With skin tests he was found to be sensitive to pork but also many other types of food.Here we have an illustration of the fact that it is not necessarily a single factor that induces an attack. In addition to the sufferer having the propensity to develop the attack, one single stimulus-in this case, pork-may not be enough but another-in this case, fatigue-had to be present.
Food allergy’Allergy’ is a vague term but when used in its medical sense means an altered reactivity of the body to a stimulus in the environment. Because so many disorders are said to be allergic in origin, scientists are reluctant to accept this explanation unless confirmation is obtained by immunological tests. With migraine this is not often the case, partly because the allergic substance in the food is difficult to isolate.
*27/152/5*

SKIN CARE: APPLICATIONS ON THE HEALTHY SKIN

admin — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 15:29:12 +0000

Speaking as a general rule, it is better not to apply any kind of concoction to the healthy skin. There are, as everybody knows, all kinds of powders, creams, oils and other forms of cosmetics advertised for this purpose, but whilst they may hide blemishes they have very little power to help the skin. Some people are under the impression that certain things may be used as skin foods, but this is clearly fallacious; and whilst the skin may have some little power of absorption, we do not even know what the ultimate effect may be on the system. Therefore those who advocate such things have no real scientific evidence to back up their claims. As we have already pointed out, the skin is a self-healing, self-repairing and self-regenerating organ of the body, and it should be treated as such. It has its own special functions to fulfill, and it can do this without hindrance if the rest of the body is functioning normally also. Its health depends on proper food, exercise, breathing and other environmental factors just as much as the stomach, the lungs, or any other organ in the system, and we should bear this important fact in mind when we take care of it in both health and disease.
*17/154/5*

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE BACKBONE: CURVATURE – ABNORMAL CURVES DURING CHILDHOOD

admin — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 14:27:53 +0000

As the child learns to raise its head or stand erect, the secondary curves or compensation curves appear to compensate for the weight put on the spine. Thus the cervical curve appears when the child raises its head and tries to hold the head up. The weight of the relatively heavy head creates this curve, by caving in (concave). The lumbar curve appears when the weight of the trunk or upper part of the body is required to be supported by the lumbar spine. This happens as the child learns to stand erect and walk. At age ten all four curves of the spine appear.Several abnormal curves may appear during childhood and adolescence. During this developmental stage, nutritional problems, abnormal weight gain, stress, posture problems, trauma etc may cause one or other of the abnormal curves. The main ones are:Kyphosis (Ki-fo-sis)which is an exaggerated thoracic curvature (‘hunchback’ type of curve).Anatomy and Physiology of the BackboneLordosiswhich is an exaggerated lumbar curvature (people with huge bellies may have this)Scoliosiswhich is an abnormal lateral curvature. This can be noticed not from the sides but from the back. Instead of the spine being more or less straight, it produces curves to the sides. There are several reasons for this type of abnormal lateral curvature. Psychological problems in childhood or adolescence are the most common. *66\330\8*

IBS AND CANDIDA ALBICANS: KILLING OFF THE CANDIDA – HOW OTHERS HAVE COPED – TRACY’S CASE

admin — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 14:03:26 +0000

Tracy was very tearful when she came for help. She had been off hard drugs for two years and was struggling to get fit; she had also given up smoking and alcohol, but could not understand why she felt so awful. She looked pale and bloated, she lacked energy and felt so irritable just before her period that to avoid company (she had never been violent but feared it was a possibility) she would stay in bed. She had suffered from cystitis twice and thrush three times in the preceding six months. She had a lot of dandruff; there was a scaly red rash around her hairline. She went on to a strict anti-Candida programme and gave up tea. She used Selsun (anti-fungal) shampoo and had two short sessions on a sunbed weekly. This cleared the rash on her face. Her room-mate complained loudly about the smell of garlic so she changed to Kyolic. At the end of the first week change was visible; she was not so bloated and said she was not bursting into tears all the time. After the third week she had lost several pounds in weight and was glowing with health.*77\326\8*

PAIN DURING HEART ATTACK

admin — Wed, 25 May 2011 13:44:38 +0000

People experience heart pain in different ways. Some persons describe the pain as having the quality of a pressure or weight upon the chest. It may feel as if someone were kneeling on the person’s chest or worse yet, as if an elephant were standing there. To other people the pain may have more of a quality of burning, piercing, or squeezing. Some people associate this pain with a pressure or feeling of distention, as if gas had built up around the heart. The pain might be temporarily relieved by belching but it always returns. Over a period of minutes or hours the pain may vary in intensity, but it has a persistent, agonizing quality.Most people have not previously experienced such distress. This is usually a new and frightening experience. An afflicted person may feel weak and faint as he tries to stand or walk. Some will try to get relief by lying down, others by rolling around on their beds. There may or may not be a sense of suffocation accompanying the pain. If there is, the person feeling it is likely to sit up, pant for breath, loosen his collar or even walk to a window and throw it open in an attempt to get more air into his lungs.It should be obvious to people in this predicament that something is drastically wrong. The condition is so different from indigestion and so painful that it should be clear at once that medical attention is urgently needed.At least half of the deaths caused by a heart attack occur within the first few hours because by this time the heart has undergone an extreme injury. A damaged heart may not be able to beat properly. It may not be able to pump blood to the brain and other vital organs, and a complete state of cardiac collapse can occur within a matter of seconds or minutes. The greatest chance for survival under these circumstances is to seek immediate medical attention, preferably, in a hospital. An examination by a doctor and an electrocardiogram (ECG) can frequently establish a diagnosis within a matter of minutes. If the pain is coming from an ailment in the abdomen instead of the heart, the chances are very great that medical attention would be required for pain of this severity in that location. If you are fortunate enough and no serious condition exists, at least the medical attention can relieve your pain, so you are still better off than if you had struggled through the problem by yourself at home.Perhaps 20 percent of people who have a heart attack have minimal symptoms. Some people who have had a heart attack are never aware that something has happened. These “silent” coronaries are usually picked up in routine physical examinations by the electrocardiogram. There are certain definite signs in the ECG that are almost positive evidence of a prior heart attack. Autopsy examinations on large numbers of patients have confirmed this evidence. The probable reason for the lack of symptoms is that a blood vessel in the heart closed off gradually over a period of weeks or months rather than suddenly over a period of minutes or hours.*3/309/5*

BACH FLOWER REMEDIES: CLEMATUS TYPE OF PEOPLE

admin — Mon, 16 May 2011 13:26:05 +0000

Inattentive, Indifferent, Daydreamer, Lives more in air-castles than on earth. Absent-minded. A far-off look which rarely sees anything.He always dreams of a very rosy future and lives in it, and appears to have no connection with the present. No body would grudge a person having high ideals, and working towards achieving that goal.But the negative Clematus type assumes he has reached the pinnacle without rising one step. He does not work to reach his goal. Infact he is totally unconcerned with the present. He is so un-realistic with his approach to practical life, that if he has visualised that he would become a very rich man after a lottery ticket is declared in his favour, he starts spending money like a very rich person, and if he does not possess the money, he borrows from others. If his lottery gamble fails, he is still unconcerned. He goes on borrowing with some excuse or other to spend as a rich man.When he has nothing to do, he sits with a vacant far-off look in his eyes dreaming of the bright future and making further plans in his visionary schemes.*91\308\8*

LIVING WITH DIABETES: BENEFITS OF EXERCISES

admin — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:55:59 +0000

Regular exercise will enable you to become physically fit (for a Person of your age, sex and physical status). When you’re physically fit, you will feel better about yourself and about your looks.Regular exercise will enable you to improve the control of your blood glucose. It will help, along with your diabetes meal plan and medication, if prescribed, to normalize your blood glucose levels.Regular exercise will help you lower your blood fat levels and blood pressure. By doing this, you will decrease your risks for future heart and circulatory system problems. When combined with a reduced-kilojoules diet, regular exercise will help you lose excess weight. Exercise burns kilojoules that otherwise would be stored as fat and helps reset your metabolic clock to your reduced-kilojoules diet.Regular exercise will help you slow down the progress of aging. It will keep your muscles built up and your joints flexible and may even make your bones stronger.Regular exercise will help you perform the physical tasks required for pleasant, independent living. This ability will become more valuable to you as the years go by. You will be fitter, stronger, more energetic and more flexible when your non-exercising peers become less mobile and more dependent on the help of others.
Exercise choicesThere is not one “perfect” exercise for all persons who have been diagnosed as having a touch of diabetes. What works for you may not work for one of your friends or even for other members of your family.There are many exercise choices you may make and some that you shouldn’t make.You need to select an exercise or a couple of exercises that fun for you, that fit your lifestyle and budget, and that little risk of potential harm. For instance, if you have problems with your knees along with your diabetes, you may not want to choose an exercise that will put further strain on your feet and knees, such as jogging or skipping.Before you get to choices, it’s a good idea to discuss exercise with the doctor treating your diabetes.*23/210/5*

TREATMENT OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS

admin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:06:56 +0000

The preferred antitubercular regimen in susceptible cases consists of an initial 2-month treatment with four drugs (isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, and either ethambutol or streptomycin) followed by a 4-month phase of isoniazid and rifampin. Total treatment time is typically 6 months. If the local prevalence of isoniazid resistance is less than 4%, and the patient is not from an area with a high prevalence of drug resistance, then ethambutol (or streptomycin) may be withheld from the first phase. If cultures show that the organism is fully drug susceptible, then the ethambutol (or streptomycin) may be discontinued.Prior to the initiation of therapy, patients should have sufficient material obtained for culture to particularly ensure that susceptibility testing can be undertaken. In addition, baseline laboratory studies should be performed, including measurement of liver-associated enzymes, total bilirubin, and a complete blood cell count. All patients diagnosed with tuberculosis should be offered HIV testing. If treatment with pyrazinamide is considered, a baseline uric acid level should be obtained, and if ethambutol is to be used, both visual acuity and color perception should be evaluated.
Directly Observed TherapyStudies have shown that clinicians are unable to predict patient compliance. Patient compliance is one of the key factors in treatment success and in the prevention of drug resistance. Directly observed therapy implies that a health care provider is present when the patient takes the medications. Although labor intensive, directly observed therapy is effective, especially when intermittent dosing regimens are chosen. It may take place in an office or clinic setting, or may consist of outreach workers who travel to the patient’s residence. If the patient remains noncompliant with therapy, the local health department should be contacted to mobilize additional resources.
HIV InfectionTreatment of tuberculosis in the HIV-infected patient is complicated by drug interactions, particularly for patients on antiretroviral therapy. The administration of rifampin with certain protease inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors can cause elevations in levels of rifampin, and sub-therapeutic levels of the antiretroviral agents. One should not discontinue antiretroviral therapy so that rifampin can be used to treat tuberculosis. Instead, rifabutin can be substituted for rifampin and used in combination with the protease inhibitors indinavir or nelfinavir as well as most available non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Rifabutin should not be used with the protease inhibitor ritonavir or the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor delavirdine. If a regimen that does not contain rifabutin or rifampin is desired, a regimen consisting of isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and streptomycin for 9 months, with ethambutol added for the first 2 months, is recommended. Given the complexities of antiretroviral therapy and the potential for drug interactions, patients with HIV infection and tuberculosis should be referred to clinicians who are experienced in the treatment of both infections.
PregnancyPregnant women diagnosed with tuberculosis should be treated promptly. The preferred initial regimen is isoniazid, rifampin, and ethambutol. Streptomycin should not be used because of known teratogenic effects. The safety of pyrazinamide in pregnancy is unknown, and this drug should be avoided. Once the organism is known to be susceptible, ethambutol can be discontinued. The duration of treatment with regimens without pyranzinamide is typically 9 months.*62/348/5*