Health Topic

[C. Breezy]

Beat Blood Pressure with Beets

The smells I remember most when reminiscing about my grandmother are fresh rye bread she would buy from the German bakery and her homemade beet soup. Pink and watery, I remember staring down at the bowl with various facial expressions of disgust. I did not like her beet soup when I was a child, but as I got older I grew a fondness for it because it was a rare and special occurrence when we got to eat it. It turns out, the bright beets that dare you to wear white around them, are actually helpful in cleaning your blood and thereby keeping your pressure low and your heart healthy.

According to Science Daily, new research in 2008 was presented in support of beets helping the heart. Researched at Barts and The London School of Medicine, trials were done experimenting with patients consuming a certain amount of beet juice every day.



The recommended dosage is 500 milliliters of beet juice (equivalent to just over 16 fluid ounces or 2 cups) daily to see significant results in lowering blood pressure. However, this and other studies warn that drinking more than an ounce of straight beet juice can be harmful to your system. If you own a juicer, doctors and nutritionists generally advice against consuming straight beet juice and recommend mixing it with other vegetable juices such as carrot or fruit juices like apple for dilution purposes.

The study, lead by William Harvey Research Institute (WHRI) at Barts Professor Amrita Ahluwalia and Ben Benjamin, a professor at Peninsula Medical School, shows that the difference is caused by a dietary nitrate found in beet juice—along with other leafy, green vegetables known for their antioxidant activity—that causes blood pressure to drop. During the study, Ahluwalia found that healthy volunteers had an almost immediate reduction in blood pressure after just one hour while better results were seen after a time lapse of 3 or 4 hours and levels can continue to drop within a monitored period of 24 hours.



The process sounds simple: The nitrate contained in the beet juice converts into the active ingredient in the saliva by bacteria found on your tongue. Once swallowed, the acid in the stomach helps the nitrate enter the circulation of the blood therefore reducing pressure when the nitrate is fully in circulation throughout the body. To plot the difference, a placebo group of volunteers also drank beet juice but refrained from swallowing their saliva for up to 3 hours following the start of the experiment.

Professor Ahluwalia says their results could mean success down the line for lowering the risks and number of occurrences of heart disease especially in the United Kingdom and the United States, “Our research suggests that drinking beetroot juice, or consuming other nitrate-rich vegetables, might be a simple way to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, and might also be an additional approach that one could take in the modern day battle against rising blood pressure.”

Besides having some adverse effects on the body such as dizziness, beet juice can cause more serious problems like temporary vocal chord paralysis, so be careful, even though beet juice has a great ability to purify the blood, it works very fast and efficiently and can catch you off guard.

Researchers agreed that their study of beet juice could greatly help natural treatments for cardiovascular disease, the number one killer in the United States and Europe based on statistics from the last few years. It may not be my grandmother’s beloved beet soup recipe, but if it saves your heart, you might want to look into adding beet juice to your diet in a healthy way but please remember to always consult your doctor first.

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[C. Breezy]

Marijuana testicular cancer link

Frequent or long-term marijuana use may raise a man's risk of testicular cancer, American research suggests.



Regular smoking was linked to the most aggressive form

The study of 369 men, published in the journal Cancer, found being a regular marijuana user doubled the risk compared to those who never smoked it.
The results suggest that it may be linked to the most aggressive form of the cancer.
A spokesman for Cancer Research UK said that no previous studies had found a link between marijuana and the disease.







Testicular cancer is one of the most common cancers in younger men, with approximately 2,000 new cases each year in the UK.
Incidence in Europe and North America is far higher than in some other parts of the world, and has been rising steadily for no apparent reason.
Known risk factors for the cancer include previous injuries to the testicles, a family history of the disease, or suffering from undescended testicles as a young child.
The study from scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle is the first to look specifically at marijuana use in relation to the disease.







They studied 369 men aged 18 to 44, who had been diagnosed with testicular cancer, and quizzed them about marijuana use.
Their replies were compared to those from almost 1,000 apparently healthy control subjects.
Even after adjusting the figures to take account of the other known risk factors, marijuana use remained a clear risk factor for testicular cancer.
Just being a marijuana smoker seemed to carry a 70% extra risk, while those who smoked it regularly, or had smoked from an early age, had twice the risk compared to those who had never smoked it.
A connection was made to nonseminoma, a fast-growing form of testicular cancer which accounts for approximately 40% of all cases, and tends to strike younger.




Cancer Sell


Puberty chance
Dr Janet Daling, one of the authors, said that puberty might be a "window of opportunity" during which boys were more vulnerable to environmental factors such as the chemicals in marijuana.

"This is consistent with the study's findings that the elevated risk of nonseminoma-type testicular cancer in particular was associated with marijuana use prior to 18," she said. Another research, Dr Stephen Schwartz, said: "What young men should know is first, we know very little about the long-term health consequences of marijuana smoking, especially heavy marijuana smoking, and second, our study provides some evidence that testicular cancer could be one adverse consequence."
The next step, he said, would be to look more closely at cells in the testicles to see if any of them had receptors set up to respond to cannabis chemicals.







Henry Scowcroft, from Cancer Research UK, said: "As the researchers themselves point out, this is the first inkling that there is any association between chronic marijuana use and testicular cancer.
"But the researchers only interviewed a relatively small number of men.
"So before we can reach any firm conclusions about whether this is a cause-and-effect relationship, rather than a statistical blip, the result needs to be replicated in a much larger study."

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By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Published: February 9, 2009

THE FACTS

Leif Parsons

Blowing your nose to alleviate stuffiness may be second nature, but some people argue it does no good, reversing the flow of mucus into the sinuses and slowing the drainage

.Counterintuitive, perhaps, but research shows it to be true

To test the notion, Dr. J. Owen Hendley and other pediatric infectious disease researchers at the University of Virginia conducted CT scans and other measurements as subjects coughed, sneezed and blew their noses. In some cases, the subjects had an opaque dye dripped into their rear nasal cavities

Coughing and sneezing generated little if any pressure in the nasal cavities. But nose blowing generated enormous pressure — “equivalent to a person’s diastolic blood pressure reading,” Dr. Hendley said — and propelled mucus into the sinuses every time. Dr. Hendley said it was unclear whether this was harmful, but added that during sickness it could shoot viruses or bacteria into the sinuses, and possibly cause further infection

The proper method is to blow one nostril at a time and to take decongestants, said Dr. Anil Kumar Lalwani, chairman of the department of otolaryngology at the New York University Langone Medical Center. This prevents a buildup of excess pressure

THE BOTTOM LINE

.Blowing your nose can create a buildup of excess pressure in sinus cavities

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If you have decided that you want to lose weight, and you have a goal weight in mind, use this calculator to determine the recommended daily caloric intake. You can adjust the goal date to reach a manageable level of calories. Or leave the goal date blank to have one automatically selected for you

Tools: Body Mass Index

B.M.I. is a reliable indicator of total body fat, which is related to the risk of life-threatening diseases. The score is valid for both men and women, but it may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build. It may also underestimate body fat in older people and others who have lost muscle mass.

To determine your B.M.I.:

enter your weight and height using standard measures

click on "Calculate" and your B.M.I. will appear in the calculator

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Considerations for Weight Loss

If your B.M.I. is greater than 25, the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute recommends losing weight, particularly if you have a high waist measurement or other risk factors for disease (see below). Even a small weight loss (just 10 percent of your current weight) will help to lower your risk of developing diseases associated with obesity. If you are overweight, but do not have a high waist measurement and have fewer than two risk factors, you may need to prevent further weight gain rather than lose weight.

Waist Circumference

According to the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, waist circumference is a good indicator of abdominal fat, which is another predictor of your risk for developing hypertension, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and other conditions.
Determine your waist circumference by placing a measuring tape snugly around your waist. Risk increases with a waist measurement greater than 40 inches (102 centimeters) in men and greater than 35 inches (88 centimeters) in women. The risk is considered high to extremely high for people with excessive waist circumference, particularly when their B.M.I. is in the overweight or obese range. Some people who are not classified as overweight may also be at risk if their waist measurements exceed the limit noted above.

Other Risk Factors

Besides having a B.M.I. over 25 or a high waist circumference, there are additional disease risk factors to consider:

(high blood pressure (hypertension
(high LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol
(low HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol
high triglyceridesIT
(high blood glucose (sugar
family history of premature heart disease
physical inactivity
cigarette smoking

[C. Breezy]

Regular eggs 'no harm to health'

Limiting egg consumption has little effect on cholesterol levels, research has confirmed.




Eggs are packed full of nutrients


A University of Surrey team said their work suggested most people could eat as many eggs as they wanted without damaging their health.
The researchers, who analysed several studies of egg nutrition, said the idea that eating more than three eggs a week was bad for you was still widespread.
But they said that was a misconception based on out-of-date evidence.

Writing in the British Nutrition Foundation's Nutrition Bulletin, they said eating saturated fats was far more likely to cause health problems. Researcher Professor Bruce Griffin said eggs were actually a key part of a healthy diet, as they were particularly packed full of nutrients.



Ingrained misconception
He said: "The ingrained misconception linking egg consumption to high blood cholesterol and heart disease must be corrected.
"The amount of saturated fat in our diet exerts an effect on blood cholesterol that is several times greater than the relatively small amounts of dietary cholesterol.
"The UK public do not need to be limiting the number of eggs they eat - indeed they can be encouraged to include them in a healthy diet as they are one of nature's most nutritionally dense foods."
While elevated blood cholesterol levels increase the risk of heart disease, only around a third of the cholesterol in the body comes from the diet.
Other factors such as smoking, being overweight and physical activity can influence blood fat and cholesterol levels and heart disease risk.







The British Heart Foundation (BHF) dropped its advice to limit egg consumption to three a week in 2007 in light of new evidence.
However, research by the British Egg Information Service suggests 45% of consumers still believe it was sensible to limit consumption.
Victoria Taylor, a senior BHF dietician, said: "We recommend that eggs can be eaten as part of a balanced diet.
"There is cholesterol present in eggs but this does not usually make a great contribution to your level of blood cholesterol.
"If you need to reduce your cholesterol level it is more important that you cut down on the amount of saturated fat in your diet from foods like fatty meat, full fat dairy products and cakes, biscuits and pastries."






In 2007 the Egg Information Service was banned from re-running a television commercial from the 1950s which urged viewers to "go to work on an egg" to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre said the slogan went against the principle of eating a varied diet.

[C. Breezy]

Time to 'reclaim the night' for sleep


By Neil Stanley
Sleep researcher, University of East Anglia

We all know the health risks of smoking, drinking and eating too much. But sleep expert Neil Stanley says we don't pay attention to the risks of having too little sleep.
In this week's Scrubbing Up health column, he warns it is time to "reclaim the night".




Shift work can have a particularly detrimental impact on sleep patterns

Good sleep is vital for good physical mental and emotional health - but unfortunately we seem to live in a society that has forgotten this fact. In terms of healthy living, sleep is as important as good diet and exercise.







Poor or inadequate sleep can have serious consequences on overall health and wellbeing and has been shown to lead to lower immunity, poor performance and mood changes.
In the longer term, inadequate sleep is associated with a greater risk of a number of diseases, such as heart disease, depression and diabetes.
There are also important consequences of poor or inadequate sleep which negatively affect the way we feel and perform during the day.





Round the clock
We are living in an increasingly "tired" society. Think about how you feel at the moment with one as very tired and 10 as feeling wide awake.
I reckon very few of you are a seven, let alone a 10. Why do we go through life feeling this tired?
One reason is the increasing extension of the daytime activities into the night.


Sleeping like a baby is something too few of us are doing

When I was growing up in the 1970s, Tomorrow's World each week promised us a future where, due to advances in technology, there would be so much leisure time that we would have to come up with new ways of amusing ourselves.
Unfortunately what was created by all this new technology was the 24/7 society.
Technology never sleeps, and thus people can work around the clock - whether they are in the office or at home.







The long hours, information overload and stresses associated with 21st Century living negatively affect our sleep which, in turn, is detrimental to our health, work performance and even our relationships.




Convenience brings risks
As a society we need to give much more serious consideration to our work/life balance particularly with regards to sleep.
For example it has been estimated that in future a third of the workforce will be working shifts, mainly in the service sector.
However there is a large body of evidence which shows that working shifts is bad for health and increases accidents at work.
So, whilst it is of course important for some workers to work around the clock, does the convenience of paying a bill at 2am really outweigh the health risks of having so many people doing shifts?



It has been reported that tired drivers now cause more deaths on European roads than drunk drivers, and yet whilst it has become socially unacceptable to be drunk behind the wheel or in the workplace it is almost a matter of pride that we believe we can function properly when tired.
Yet you would not want a drunken surgeon operating on you or a drunken train driver taking you to work, so why would you accept a tired one?







The problem of poor sleep is perhaps even more important in children as it has been linked with increased risk of - amongst other things - obesity, diabetes, poor academic performance and behavioural problems.
You only have to watch an episode of Supernanny to see how profound the positive effect of a good night's sleep can be on the behaviour of children.







Over the past decade there has been an increasing body of evidence that shows that sleep plays an important role in regulating weight and controlling appetite, and so I find it surprising that when earlier this year the government started its Change 4 Life healthy living campaign there is no mention of the importance of good sleep.
Isn't it about time we reclaimed the night for sleep?

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[C. Breezy]

Statins Don’t Cut Cancer Risk

THURSDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) — Statins have clearly proven their mettle against heart disease, but the cholesterol-lowering drugs don’t appear to possess cancer-fighting powers, a new animal study shows.



“We certainly didn’t see any positive effects,” said Ronald Lubet, program director in the division of cancer prevention at the National Cancer Institute. He led the study using mice and rats, which was published in the February issue of Cancer Prevention Research.

Lubet and his colleagues studied the effects of two popular cholesterol-lowering drugs, atorvastatin (Lipitor) and lovastatin (Mevacor), in warding off breast cancer. “The initial dose was about twice as high as what a person would typically use,” he said. “The second dose was even higher.”



Some researchers were hoping statins might have a double-edged effect, reducing heart disease risk as well as guarding against cancer. For instance, one recent study found that men who took statins had lower blood levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a biomarker for prostate cancer risk.

And in a report published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 2006, researchers found statins were associated with lower breast cancer incidence among women in the large-scale Women’s Health Initiative trial and called for further study of the possible link.

Exactly how statins might fight cancer isn’t certain. But Lubet’s group did not see any such potential with the statins it tested.

The researchers gave Lipitor at a dose of either 125 milligrams or 500 milligrams per kilogram of body weight to the animals, mixing it into their diet, but it showed no anti-cancer effect.

They also compared the use of the anti-cancer drugs tamoxifen and bexarotene by themselves and with atorvastatin. The anti-cancer drugs reduced breast tumors in the animals, but adding the statin did not improve the effect.

The researchers also gave lovastatin at 100- and 500-milligram per kilogram of body weight to the animals but again did not uncover any cancer-fighting effects.

“In these two relatively standard animal models, [the statins] were not effective in preventing the development of tumors,” Lubet said.



Lubet’s group conducted the study, because the data to date has been mixed, with some studies showing the statins helped prevent cancer but others not. They wanted to see if clinical trials with humans, which are expensive, were warranted.

“To go to a large-scale trial, this [study] would not support it,” Lubet said.

The new finding reflects the evidence to date from human studies, said Eric J. Jacobs, strategic director of pharmacoepidemiology at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta.

“The totality of the evidence from human studies also indicates that statins are unlikely to reduce the risk of breast cancer,” Jacobs said. “While statins are proven effective in saving lives from heart disease, they should not be used in the hope of reducing the risk of cancer.”

What would help?

“Maintaining a healthy weight will reduce a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, as well as many other serious health problems,” he said.



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[C. Breezy]

Healthy Hair at Any Age

Has your hair lost its luster? Blame your age. Truth is, after 30, hormonal ups and downs and everyday wear-and-tear can do a number on your locks, leaving them coarser or thinner. As you grow older, your hair also starts to disappear where you want it most—on your head—and suddenly appear in places you really wish it wouldn’t (like on your chin). To protect what you’ve got and deal with what you don’t want, try this age-specific advice.

Your 30s

Your 40s

Your 50s And Beyond

Hair-Friendly Foods For Any Ages

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I will write the last one ( Hair-Friendly Foods For Any Ages ) tomorrow. I don't have the time now

[C. Breezy]

Healthy Hair: Your 30s

Baby your hair. The 30s are prime reproductive years for many women, which can be good and bad news for hair. The combo of prenatal vitamins (which keep both hair and body brimming with nutrients) and all those hormonal changes (which keep hair in the growing phase) can add up to thicker, faster-growing hair during pregnancy. But a few months after giving birth, it’s normal to lose much of that extra hair as your body returns to normal, says Eliot Ghatan, MD, a dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon in private practice in New York City. Fortunately, simple changes can help during this time. Go light on styling gels, sprays, lotions, and mousses: Buildup from these products can weigh down and dry out hair. And when shampooing, gently massage your scalp for five minutes to encourage better blood circulation to the area.



Check your iron. Month after month of menstruating can deplete your body’s iron supply due to blood loss, and that’s why women need about 10 more milligrams of iron per day than men—18 milligrams daily. Too little is a common trigger for thinning hair. “When I see a patient in her 30s for hair loss, I often find that she’s iron-deficient,” says Heather Wickless, MD, MPH, professor of dermatology at Northwestern University and a dermatologist specializing in hair disorders at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Eating more iron-rich foods like spinach (2 milligrams of iron per half-cup serving, twice the amount in most veggies) and red meat (3 milligrams per 3-ounce serving) can help, but sometimes a change in diet alone won’t do the trick. Ask your doctor to do a simple blood test if you suspect that you may be iron-deficient; if you are, she may prescribe an iron supplement.



De-stress for your hair’s sake. Balancing a career, your family, and everything else can boggle your brain—and affect the hair growing on top of it. Normally, about 90% of your hair is growing, while 10% rests. But stress can cause the amount of hair growing to dip as low as 60%, says Peter Panagotacos, MD, head of the department of dermatology at St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco and author of Hair Loss Answers by the Hair Doc. For garden-variety stress, a regular yoga class, meditation session, or anything you find relaxing (like taking a weekly hot bath or reading a good book) may keep life’s challenges from putting your hair to sleep. But if large clumps of hair are falling out (sometimes the result of big-time stress like losing a job, fighting off a severe illness, or dealing with postpartum depression), see your doctor or dermatologist.



Try the Pill. Pesky upper-lip hair may become more of a problem now for women with a genetic predisposition to facial-hair growth. How to keep it at bay? “If you’re a nonsmoker, taking an oral contraceptive may do the trick by boosting your estrogen levels,” says John Romano, MD, a dermatologist at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City and an assistant professor of dermatology at the Weil Medical College of Cornell University. Already on the Pill and still noticing excess hair growth? Eat whole-wheat breads and pastas. Studies show that whole grains contain phytochemicals, which also help regulate estrogen.

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[C. Breezy]

Healthy Hair: Your 40s

Skimp on styling. In your 40s, you may find that years of exposure to curling irons, hot blow dryers, and other gadgets have left your hair dried-out and brittle. The follicles at the front of your scalp can actually stop growing new hair from all the punishment, says dermatologist John Romano. The good news: The damage is reversible. Simply limit any hair-styling tool that puts off a lot of heat to special occasions or a few days a week. If you use a hair dryer every day, switch to a cooler or no-heat setting. And avoid excess brushing and washing, too, experts say.



Take your vitamins. It’s normal to experience major fluctuations in hormone levels as you enter perimenopause, the 6 to 10 years before menopause. During this time, your hair may become finer and thinner. To counteract such changes, it can’t hurt to ramp up your daily vitamin regimen. Start by adding 2,500 micrograms of biotin (some multivitamins contain this amount; check the label), a B vitamin that may strengthen the integrity of hair follicles and make strands less prone to breakage. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids, abundant in fish like salmon and tuna, may help stimulate hair growth; aim for two servings per week. Not a huge fish fan? Fish- or flaxseed-oil capsules also work well, says Heather Wickless, a dermatologist specializing in hair disorders. And if you’re not already popping a women’s multi, most docs say you should. The essential nutrients—like vitamins C, D, and E, and folic acid—will help keep your body and hair in good shape.



Talk about hair loss. Each strand of hair usually grows about an inch every two months for four years, then it falls out and is replaced by a new one. But in female pattern baldness, which affects up to 40% of women, hair begins to thin on the top of the scalp and sometimes all over the head. The problem is often inherited, but a hormone imbalance can also be a culprit. Fortunately, your doctor can recommend Women’s Rogaine ($50 for a three-month supply), a topical solution that’s applied directly to the area where thinning is occurring, or she can suggest other treatments to help stimulate new growth, says Peter Panagotacos, head of the department of dermatology at St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco.



Pack in protein. While you’re making smart moves to protect your skin and bones from the natural effects of aging, keep your hair in mind, too. Protein goes a long way toward maintaining the strength and pliability of your hair—and most women don’t get the recommended 37 to 50 grams per day. Get more protein from foods like tofu, lean meat, and eggs. Also, try a protein-infused styling product.

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