CROSSFEED 4-98
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
HEALTH NEWS
by Larry Kline
AVOIDING LIGHT-HEADEDNESS - if you feel faint when you stand up suddenly, try raising your arms over your head, which will increase blood flow to the brain. This will help if the problem is orthostatic hypotension - low blood pressure that occurs when you suddenly change position. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter, 5/98.
THE POWER OF GREEN TEA - laboratory studies show that antioxidants in green tea help prevent the cell damage that can lead to cancer. Now it appears the leaves may hold even greater food fortune. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine had found that these compounds also kill cells once they’ve become cancerous, while leaving healthy cells unharmed. The researchers say green tea may soon be used in cancer treatment as well as prevention. Health 4/98.
PINK IS BETTER - pink grapefruit has about 25 times more beta carotene as white grapefruit, but about the same calories and vitamin C. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter, 10/97.
SMALLER IS BETTER - mealwise, that is. Older folks are more likely than young to store fat calories after eating big meals, a Tufts University study suggests. Smaller meals don’t seem to cause the same response. The researchers recommend that seniors older than 60 who want to maintain their weight try eating four or five mini-meals a day. Health 5/98.
LOW FAT DIET = LOWER SKIN CANCER RISK - a recent study found that subjects with a diet consisting of less than 21 percent fat developed one-quarter the number of actinic keratoses than the group with a diet closer to 40 percent fat. Actinic keratoses are premalignant lesions that can progress to squamous cell cancer.
Since this type of intervention works after the damaging UV exposure, it is never too late to benefit from a low-fat diet. Prime Health & Fitness, Summer/98.
BEATING DIABETES - if diabetes runs in your family, aerobic exercise can lower insulin resistance - a condition that often lead to diabetes - in one week! A study at the University of Pittsburgh compared subjects with insulin resistance and found that in just one week their insulin resistance dropped by 58 percent. Exercise may improve insulin function by increasing the muscles’ demand for glucose. The researchers concluded that aerobic exercise several times a week for at least 30 minutes a session may lessen diabetic risk. Men’s Health 5/98.
YET ANOTHER BENEFIT OF EXERCISE - you already know exercise (aerobic and strength training and stretching) is important, but it’s worth emphasizing again given a recent study. In a quest to finally separate the influences of heredity and exercise on longevity, researcher followed 16,000 twins for 19 years. They found that you can overcome genetic faults. Individuals who took brisk 30-minute walks just six times a month were 56 percent less likely to die than their more sedentary twin brothers or sisters. Men’s Health 6/98.
SLOWER IS BETTER - oatmeal is a great source of soluble fiber, the kind that protects against heart disease. But instant oatmeal only delivers about one-half the amount of soluble fiber (three grams for instant versus six grams) as the slow-cooking oats that require at least 15 minutes on the stove. Health 4/98.
YOGURT - THE WONDER FOOD - it’s low in fat, high in minerals and vitamins, and appears to boost immunity and relieve stomach distress. But the big bonus may be the live cultures, or bacteria, in yogurt that create its creamy texture and sour taste. These bacteria are called probiotics, which means “for life” and refers to any live organism in food that has benefits beyond simple nutrition. Two key bacteria in yogurt are Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, yogurt’s starter cultures. They turn milk into yogurt by converting lactose (milk sugar) into lactic acid (the same acid that collects in muscles after a tough workout). The lactic acid works the proteins into longer knots that causes the milk to curdle.
Besides the starter bacteria in yogurt (which generally do not survive stomach acid), a variety of Lactobacillus called acidophilus and another bacteria, Bifidobacterium (bifido for short) can survive stomach acid and will settle in the small and large intestines. There, they may help suppress some food-borne bacteria like salmonella or campylobacter. Antibiotic use may result in diarrhea, as the antibiotic will attack all bacteria in your digestive tract, good and bad. Consuming acidophilus and bifido bacteria in yogurt can restore your digestive “balance” after antibiotic use.
Acidophilus-rich yogurt also can combat vaginal yeast infections. A 1992 study showed that women who ate eight ounces of acidophilus-rich yogurt had significantly fewer infections than they had in the previous six months.
Probiotics in yogurt appear to boost immune system function. Both acidophilus and bifido increase the activity of phagocytes, blood cells that combat invading organisms. Some studies show that eating yogurt containing bifido bacteria switches off an enzyme associated with colon cancer.
The National Yogurt Association has standards that demand that any yogurt that has at least 100 million live bacteria per gram-the minimum believed to have any health benefit-may carry the LAC (live active cultures) seal. These bacteria may only be the starter bacteria, however, which would mainly benefit people with lactose intolerance. For greater health benefits, look for products that have the LAC seal and list acidophilus and bifido. There are even a few frozen yogurts that meet NYA standards - Dannon, for example, freezes its yogurt so fast that the live cultures aren’t destroyed, but held in suspended animation until the yogurt thaws.
Finally, yogurt is a great source of calcium, better than a comparable serving of milk or cheese. Health 5/98.
PROTECT YOUR LIVER - eating artichokes, which contain the antioxidant silymarin, may prevent liver damage. One study showed a 50 percent decrease in mortality rates of alcoholics with cirrhosis of the liver with treatment with silymarin. Men’s Health 5/98.
ONCE IS ENOUGH - when it comes to lifting weights, many folks believe more is better. But new American College of Sports Medicine research shows that might not be true. During a six-month study, exercise physiologist Michael Pollock found that performing three sets resulted in no strength gains over performing one set. Men’s Fitness 4/98.
SORRY, CHARLIE - tuna may be an American staple, but in a blind taste test at the University of Arkansas, more than 60 percent of participants preferred an Asian variety of carp. This is good news as the carp is lower in fat than white tuna packed in water and the carp is high in calcium and omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce risk of heart disease. Canned carp should be available within one year domestically. Health 4/98.
DECREASE STRESS FOR A DECADE - while not a true health item, telemarketers can certainly increase stress by interrupting mealtime with unsolicited sales. Next time your meal is disturbed by carpet cleaning specials, etc., tell the telemarketer to, “Put this number on your ‘Don’t-call list’.” This magic phrase forbids a company, by law, from soliciting you at that number for the next 10 years. Men’s Health 5/98.
WATER BOTTLE HAZARD - weeks-old water bottles may harbor dangerous bacteria. Pseudomonas bacteria, the same organisms that inhabit dishcloths, can thrive in reused bottles. To clean yours, empty it, wash with a detergent and let it air dry. Men’s Fitness 4/98.
POPEYE’S FAVORITE GAL IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEART - olive oil protects against cardiovascular disease. Researchers in England at the University of Surrey fed test subjects diets rich in olive oil (higher in monounsaturated fats), while control subjects consumed the typical British diet high in saturated fats (and lacking any taste). After several months, the group who had a diet higher in olive oil produced up to 20 percent less of the “sticky” molecules that glue white blood cells to artery walls - a precursor to atherosclerosis. Men’s Health 5/98.
TELLTALE PROTEIN MAY REVEAL PROSTATE CANCER RISK - recent research at Harvard Medical School has found that men with elevated levels of a natural growth protein, IGF-1, were four times more likely to have prostate cancer. The researchers do not know the connection between this protein and prostate-cancer risk now, but if more studies confirm the link, physicians may soon test a man’s IGF-1 along with his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) to help determine prostate-cancer risk. Researchers feel that if the link is proven, IGF-1 levels could be reduced by drugs to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
They additionally warn that consumption of human growth hormone (HGH) supplements (taken to speed muscle gains and by some for “anti-aging”) can boost IGF-1 levels and increase prostate-cancer risk. Men’s Health 5/98.
LESSENING THE EFFECTS OF A HIGH-FAT MEAL - eating a single fatty meal may temporarily boost your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Danish researchers found that subjects eating a meal with about 55 grams of fat increased their blood-clotting agents by 60 percent. A University of Maryland School of Medicine study found that taking 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C and 800 mg of vitamin E before consuming a high-fat meal may reduce heart attack and stroke risk by keeping blood-vessel function normal compared with men who skipped the supplements. Researchers also found that foods rich in these antioxidants (vit. C = strawberries, oranges, melons; vit. E = nuts and oils) may still have a protective effect when eaten with a high fat meal. Men’s Health 5/98.
From the Flight Surgeon:
"Heads and Tails"
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
FAA Medical Examiner
(edited for this publication-LK)
I thought it was time to give the “Medicine Show” a rest for a bit and get to a subject that I haven’t talked about - Headaches. These fall into three major groups:
1. Tension Headaches: These are most commonly located on the back of the neck but they can occur in the temple or forehead area. These headaches signal stress that you are not coping with adequately. (Else why would you have them?) Some require job change, divorce, disowning teenagers, etc...For alleviation, over-the-counter meds will do if they are not too bad or frequent. Muscle relaxants or tranquilizers may be prescribed but as you know these cannot be used by pilots. I told you what you must do to get rid of them if they become too severe or occur too frequently! Why these are called “headaches” I don’t know because they are most frequently caused by persons or situations that are most often referred to as pain in another part of our anatomy - pains-in-the-bleep.
2. Migraine Headaches: These are said to be caused by the expanding of blood vessels in the head and tend to be pulsating in nature. Some patients get a warning about the onset of these. An “aura” such as visual disturbance, tingling sensations, etc. Most patients don’t receive these warnings, however. Many “triggers” for these have been blamed: smoked meat, red wine, artificial sweeteners and colorings, chocolate, etc. It certainly makes sense to make a try at eliminating the intake of these things in the off chance that they may bother you. Again, our old buddy stress can set these off as well. Fortunately, there are newer meds that seem to help for many migraine patients. This type of headache is disqualifying for airmen, but you may be issued after demonstrating adequate control with meds, a six month freedom from the problem, and a negative neuro work-up.
3. Cluster Headaches: Perhaps “worse” than migraines are these. They are also vascular in nature. I think they’re rather weird in that they may occur daily for weeks at a time, can last several hours and then can “go away” for long periods. Migraine meds can be used to prevent attacks during the period of “cluster”. Inhalation of pure oxygen can stop these attacks, but I’m not smart enough to know exactly why. As you can imagine this type of headache is also disqualifying and understandably difficult to negotiate with the F.A.A.
4. “Scary” Headaches: I owe this list to Dr. Lipman, a real expert in this area.
a. Headaches that persist and grow worse with time.
b. Headaches that occur with high temperature, nausea and vomiting.
c. Headaches that are very sudden and last more than a day.
d. Headaches that occur with weakness in limbs, slurred speech, or changes in vision.
e. Headaches that occur while straining at stool or worsen when you bend over.
f. Headaches that are “weird” in the sense that you’ve never had one like it before!
Notice I haven’t said anything about eye strain (computers?) Or brain tumors. I think I read in mid school that over 200 medical problems can be associated with headache. I wanted to outline only the main categories of headache so we wouldn’t be here forever. My final advice is as always - “when in doubt, check it out!”
I wish I could think of a headache joke, but I can’t seem to. I’ll settle for what Bill said to Hillary after sex, “I should be home in 20 or 30 minutes!”
Best,
Joe
Wednesday, April 1, 1998
Sunday, March 1, 1998
Health News
CROSSFEED 3-98
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
HEALTH NEWS
by Larry Kline
SPINAL REPAIRS EASIER - herniated discs, which occur when the connective tissue between vertebra is torn, have traditionally meant days in the hospital and weeks of recovery. But a new procedure repairs herniated disks quickly and with only a half-inch incision. Doctors in Memphis have performed about 750 micro-endoscopic diskectomy procedures, usually on an outpatient basis. They believe that is new procedure allows for quicker recovery-at about the same cost. Men’s Health 12/97.
SAVING YOUR SICK LEAVE - working out just once a week could lower sick leave usage by half. Investigators in the Netherlands tracked 884 men and women who participated in a weekly employee fitness program for a year. The hour-long workouts included aerobic exercise and weight training. On average workers called in sick only five days that year, down from ten the previous year. Health 3/98.
PAINT YOUR HOUSE FOR HEALTH - a new antibacterial paint can kill 99 percent of bacteria and viruses within an hour of contact, for at least four years. Hospitals will be the main users of this calcium-hydroxide paint to reduce the almost 2 million infections contracted in hospitals each year. The inventors feel that the paint will be most beneficial in air-conditioning ducts, which transmit airborne bacteria and allergens. The antibacterial paint should be available country-wide by late summer. Men’s Health 4/98.
FRESH VS. FROZEN - in a recent study at the University of Illinois at Urbana, researchers compared the nutritional profiles of four fresh vegetables with their frozen counterpart. After almost one year of storage, the frozen samples had roughly the same amount of vitamin C - one of the least stable vitamins - as fresh green beans and corn at eight days, broccoli at 14 days, and carrots at 21 days.
There are two primary ways to sap nutrients from a vegetable: by letting it sit around after it’s been harvested and by cooking it. Fresh vegetables suffer the most from the first part of this rule. It may be a good two weeks from harvesting to serving for meals, during which time the vegetable may lose anywhere from 10 to 50 percent of some of their nutrients.
Frozen vegetables end up on ice within hours of being picked, so they are really about even in nutritional value as their fresh counterparts. While vitamin C is the most unstable of vitamins (it oxidizes easily), happily, fiber, beta-carotene, and all of its minerals are locked into the vegetable whatever treatment it receives.
Steaming or stir-frying is best for preserving the nutritional value of vegetables. Boiling seems to greatly diminish the fragile vitamins in vegetables. Health 3/98, and U.C. Wellness Letter, 5/98.
SOY TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL - many patients have discovered that regular soy consumption may significantly lower cholesterol and triglycerides. Some results have indicated that up to a 30% drop in cholesterol and up to a 40% drop in triglyceride levels have been recorded within three months of adding soy to their daily diet. Health 3/98.
INFANT WARNING - never give honey to children less than a year old. About 10% of honey contains dormant spores, which can cause botulism in infants. Infant botulism is the most common form of botulism in this country, with honey the cause in approximately 1/3 of all cases. The severity can range from mild illness to severe paralysis and sudden death. Honey is safe for older children. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter, 5/98.
BACK PAIN PATCH - a transdermal patch may be available soon that will relieve back pain for up to 72 hours. The Duragesic patch delivers a continuous dose of fentanyl, a painkiller. In a study at Baylor College of Medicine, 50 patients with back pain used the patch for one month, with 43 of the patients reporting significant relief.
If the patch passes further testing by the FDA, it should be available by prescription for about $10 each. Men’s Health 4/98.
GOOD VS. BAD...FAT-WISE - a Harvard University study indicates that the total amount of fat you eat may be far less important than the types you consume. A large-scale study involving more than 80,000 people over the course of 14 years showed that those who ate a great deal of saturated fat, found in meat and dairy foods, had higher than average rates of heart problems. But there was a larger risk from consumption of trans fatty acids, found in margarine, shortening, and commercially baked goods, like doughnuts, cookies, and crackers.
This study supports the growing consensus than trans fats are harmful, although most research has pegged them as less dangerous than the saturated kind. Some patients in the study actually were protected from heart disease by consuming fats - polyunsaturated (the type in corn and soybean oils) and mono-unsaturated (olive and canola oils). But some critics say the study’s results shouldn’t be taken as a license to load up on “good” fats. They cite that heart disease isn’t the only health problem related to fat intake; cancer is, too. The “good” fats are very heavy in calories.
Most experts recommend watching total fat, but work hardest to limit saturated and trans fats. Nutritional labels do not list trans fats, so to avoid them, cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated oils. Choose tub margarine or vegetable oil spreads over stick margarine or try the trans-fat-free margarine that have just come on the market.
FATS AND OILS COMPARED
Product Saturated Polyunsaturated Monounsaturated Trans Fats
(1 Tbsp.) (Bad Fat) (Neutral) (Grams) (Good Fatty Acids) (Bad Fatty Acids)
Canola oil* 0.9 4.5 7.6 0
Safflower oil 1.2 10.1 1.6 0
Sunflower oil* 1.4 5.5 6.2 0
Margarine, soft 1.5 6.0 2.5 1
Margarine, stick 1.5 3.0 2.5 3
Corn oil 1.7 8.0 3.3 0
Olive oil* 1.8 1.1 9.9 0
Sesame oil* 1.9 5.7 5.4 0
Peanut oil* 2.3 4.3 6.2 0
Cottonseed oil 3.5 7.1 2.4 0
Lard 5.0 1.4 5.8 0
Palm oil 6.7 1.3 5.0 0
Butter 7.1 0.4 3.3 0
Cocoa butter 8.1 0.4 4.5 0
Palm kernel oil 11.1 0.2 1.5 0
Coconut oil 11.8 0.2 0.8 0
* = good dietary choice
Health 3/98 and Hope Health Letter 6/98.
STICK-ON BIFOCALS - Optx 20-20 are plastic half-moon-shaped reading lenses that stick to the insides of sunglasses and peel off again. They come in nine corrective strengths and can be custom-fit to an frames. Prices are in the $25 range and they are sold in sporting goods stores, frame shops and some department stores. Phone number is 800-344-2020. Health 10/97.
PUT THE SQUEEZE ON CHEST PAIN - angina, which is severe chest pain caused by poor blood flow in the heart, usually requires a surgical fix. But some physicians have begun treating angina by inflating a series of cuffs on a patient’s lower body, to open clogged passageways in the heart. The procedure, known as “Enhanced External Counterpulsation” or “EECP” cut incidence of angina by half in a study at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. The study’s leader feels that the treatment may help expand the blood vessels around the heart. It is noninvasive, and the benefits last up to three years. EECP is available at 30 treatment centers in the United States. More information may be obtained at 800-455-3327, ext. 779. Men’s Health 4/98.
WHEY TO GO, DUDE...whey is the watery substance in yogurt or cottage cheese. Whey is rich in B vitamins and other minerals, so don’t toss it, but mix it back in and get more nutrition from yogurt. Men’s Fitness 5/98.
TOBACCO’S LEGACY - smoking kills more Americans every year than died in battle during World War II and the Vietnam War combined! Every day more than 1,200 Americans die from smoking-related causes, the equivalent of three or four fully loaded 747's crashing with no survivors. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter, 5/98.
BUT WILL YOU ACT LIKE RICHARD SIMMONS?...women may not be the only ones who can use estrogen for health benefits. A study at Johns Hopkins Hospital found that men with heart disease who took a 0.625 milligram shot of estrogen increased their blood flow by 32 percent. Estrogen dilates blood vessels and reduces the symptoms of heart disease by 50 percent in postmenopausal women. These studies indicate that it may have the same effect in men, but further research is necessary before this procedure may be recommended. Men’s Health 4/98.
BACK ALERT: THE RISK OF PROLONGED SITTING - extended periods of sitting fatigue back muscles, as these muscles work hard to keep your frame upright when sitting . Blood circulation slows down with extended sitting, with some ensuing harmful effects. When muscles stay in unchanged position, waste products, called metabolites, accumulate, causing inflammatory reactions in the muscles, which in turn causes pain. Metabolites are usually washed away by your blood flow, but if you don’t move much, they remain in the back area, causing more pain, which causes more contractions of the muscles, or spasms, which make you even less likely to want to move.
Poor circulation also means that the muscles don’t get the oxygen and other nutrients they need.
Extended sitting also puts constant pressure on the disks of the lower spine, the spongy cartilage that acts as a cushion between adjacent vertebrae. Sitting puts up to 40 percent more pressure on the disks then standing, because the pelvis rotates slightly when you sit, flattening the spine’s natural curve. Over time, the gel inside the disk seeps out and puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. Usually the disk will heal itself, but in the most severe cases surgery may be necessary.
To prevent the increased risk of damaging your back (and quality of your life) by extended sitting, there are several things which you may attempt to keep your back healthy:
1. Stand whenever you can, instead of sitting, duh! During turns, get out of the seat, help clean the cabin, or at least just take the load off the spinal disks and give the muscles a chance to recover.
2. Take minibreaks every once in a while. Even on longer flights, getting out of the seat to stretch will go a long way to help relieve the stress that your back endures during prolonged sitting. Just a minute or two up out of the seat gives your back a break by changing posture. Gentle back stretches periodically can relieve back stress.
3. Learn to fidget. Even when it is impractical to get out of the seat, shifting position in the seat is better than sitting still because it changes the load on the lower spine. Flexing and relaxing the buttocks helps also. Some doctors recommend leaning back in the chair to increase the angle of your back. This transfers the load to the backrest and reduces pressure on the disks by as much as 15 percent. Also make sure that you sit all the way back in the seat, otherwise you won’t reap the huge benefits of the chair’s lumbar support, which restores much of the curve to the spine.
4. Upgrade your seat. No we’re not talking about that magical move in seniority with the accompanying increase in hat size. We are talking about lumbar support. The -700 seat is a quantum leap in comfort and support. But if you are stuck with old “Mr. Mustard” (-200) all day, a strategically placed pillow or rolled towel can offer some lumbar support. Chairs at home should offer support as well.
5. Get fit. Strength training, especially in the opposing muscles groups of abs and lower back can reap benefits of longevity. Learn the proper stretches for lower back, gluteal maximus (your fanny), and hamstrings. These areas, when tight and not stretched properly, can lead to lower back strain. Health 3/98.
MUSCLE-CRAMP REMEDY - quinine, the tree-bark extract that flavors tonic water has long been used as a folk remedy for muscle cramps. Investigators in the Netherlands put it to the test by giving test subjects 300 mgs. of quinine a day for two weeks. The patients only experienced half as many cramps as usual, and the protection lasted a week or more after they stopped taking quinine. A glass of tonic water has 27 mgs of quinine. Health 10/97.
THE DANGERS OF FATIGUE - researchers at the University of South Australia have found that working tired results in a job performance worse than if the subject were intoxicated. After staying awake just 19 hours - until 3 a.m. - volunteers performed as poorly as when they’d had a couple of drinks. After 24 hours without sleep, their performance was as bad as when they were legally drunk. Health 10/97.
YET ANOTHER REASON FOR STRENGTH TRAINING - at rest, muscle burns about four times the energy fat does. Researchers at Tufts University put a group of elderly individuals on a program of weight training three days a week. The participants had to start eating an additional 300 calories each day simply to maintain their body weight - a demand created in equal measures by the workout itself, the boost in metabolism, and the enhanced vigor they displayed. Health 3/98.
AN APPLE A DAY... a study at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio found that eating pectin, a soluble fiber in the skin of fruits and vegetables, will make you feel full longer. Researchers gave subjects orange juice, some of which had been spiked with up to 20 grams of pectin. Those who drank the pectin-laced OJ felt significantly fuller, even four hours later. Researchers suggest that pectin may slow digestion and keep food in the stomach longer. Men’s Health 4/98.
From the Flight Surgeon:
"Flyer Buyer Beware!"
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
FAA Medical Examiner
(edited for this publication-LK)
It’s time (almost) for us to take a couple of weeks off from work and go back up to the Colorado Rockies. A little work around the place, some fishing. A little wandering around aimlessly. I don’t care how much we like our jobs, a little “R & R” is a good plan.
Before going I wanted to clean up a few items that I have left hanging in my agenda at the cost of continuity.
Melatonin - recent good study (“good” for a change) suggests effects are mild and do not appreciably lengthen sleep time - works in approximately 25% of users. Means to Joe that it doesn’t work three-fourths of the time. No control of manufacture. Long term results of use are not yet available.
Fat Stuff - I’ve written before about Olestra and Meridia. You know what I think about these compounds. Let’s not be doing these things.
Zinc for Colds - studies attempting to prove benefits have been inadequate, poorly controlled. Careful analysis of early studies failed to show benefits.
Hair Stuff - in my view a study of the sales promotion history of Rogaine should be required reading for every Marketing major. “Good” studies showed Rogaine to be ineffective 75% of the time. “Extra Strength Rogaine” very slightly more effective. Higher cost not justified by little improvement.
Propecia - very large ad campaign. This baby started out as Proscar which was offered as a control for prostate enlargement. Makers proposed a six month trial of the drug to see if it would help Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy on our “nickel” - approximately $500. Almost put out of the market by “Hytrin”, etc...that worked faster, cheaper and better for BPH: Propecia” alters PSA tests, throwing them off. May cause erectile dysfunction. Like Rogaine, long term effects are unknown. If Propecia works slightly better then Rogaine (which isn’t saying much) it costs three times as much as generic Rogaine.
What has this to do with Aviation Medicine directly? Nothing directly, of course. Then what good is this article in the first place? You know how deeply criticism wounds me so I’ll try to pull this note out of the fire a little by some direct relevance to flying. “Zyban”, offered as a smoking deterrent is exactly the same drug as “Wellbutrin” packaged differently only. It is a mood altering medication - an antidepressant. You may not use it and fly legally. Marketing, marketing!! What next? A nicotine containing rectal suppository? Why not - we’ve got almost every other delivery system!
Viagra - this is a real beauty from a sales point of view. Some of my overseas guys say it goes for $100 a pill in Japan where it hasn’t been officially approved yet. Sometimes I get “thank you” cards from some guys I’ve gone to bat for with certification problems. To date we’ve gotten three cards for Viagra. Aviation relevancy? You probably won’t pass a color test if all you can see is blue!
Here’s to snow-capped mountains, clear streams, rivers, and blue, blue, blue skies and lakes.
Best,
Joe
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
HEALTH NEWS
by Larry Kline
SPINAL REPAIRS EASIER - herniated discs, which occur when the connective tissue between vertebra is torn, have traditionally meant days in the hospital and weeks of recovery. But a new procedure repairs herniated disks quickly and with only a half-inch incision. Doctors in Memphis have performed about 750 micro-endoscopic diskectomy procedures, usually on an outpatient basis. They believe that is new procedure allows for quicker recovery-at about the same cost. Men’s Health 12/97.
SAVING YOUR SICK LEAVE - working out just once a week could lower sick leave usage by half. Investigators in the Netherlands tracked 884 men and women who participated in a weekly employee fitness program for a year. The hour-long workouts included aerobic exercise and weight training. On average workers called in sick only five days that year, down from ten the previous year. Health 3/98.
PAINT YOUR HOUSE FOR HEALTH - a new antibacterial paint can kill 99 percent of bacteria and viruses within an hour of contact, for at least four years. Hospitals will be the main users of this calcium-hydroxide paint to reduce the almost 2 million infections contracted in hospitals each year. The inventors feel that the paint will be most beneficial in air-conditioning ducts, which transmit airborne bacteria and allergens. The antibacterial paint should be available country-wide by late summer. Men’s Health 4/98.
FRESH VS. FROZEN - in a recent study at the University of Illinois at Urbana, researchers compared the nutritional profiles of four fresh vegetables with their frozen counterpart. After almost one year of storage, the frozen samples had roughly the same amount of vitamin C - one of the least stable vitamins - as fresh green beans and corn at eight days, broccoli at 14 days, and carrots at 21 days.
There are two primary ways to sap nutrients from a vegetable: by letting it sit around after it’s been harvested and by cooking it. Fresh vegetables suffer the most from the first part of this rule. It may be a good two weeks from harvesting to serving for meals, during which time the vegetable may lose anywhere from 10 to 50 percent of some of their nutrients.
Frozen vegetables end up on ice within hours of being picked, so they are really about even in nutritional value as their fresh counterparts. While vitamin C is the most unstable of vitamins (it oxidizes easily), happily, fiber, beta-carotene, and all of its minerals are locked into the vegetable whatever treatment it receives.
Steaming or stir-frying is best for preserving the nutritional value of vegetables. Boiling seems to greatly diminish the fragile vitamins in vegetables. Health 3/98, and U.C. Wellness Letter, 5/98.
SOY TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL - many patients have discovered that regular soy consumption may significantly lower cholesterol and triglycerides. Some results have indicated that up to a 30% drop in cholesterol and up to a 40% drop in triglyceride levels have been recorded within three months of adding soy to their daily diet. Health 3/98.
INFANT WARNING - never give honey to children less than a year old. About 10% of honey contains dormant spores, which can cause botulism in infants. Infant botulism is the most common form of botulism in this country, with honey the cause in approximately 1/3 of all cases. The severity can range from mild illness to severe paralysis and sudden death. Honey is safe for older children. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter, 5/98.
BACK PAIN PATCH - a transdermal patch may be available soon that will relieve back pain for up to 72 hours. The Duragesic patch delivers a continuous dose of fentanyl, a painkiller. In a study at Baylor College of Medicine, 50 patients with back pain used the patch for one month, with 43 of the patients reporting significant relief.
If the patch passes further testing by the FDA, it should be available by prescription for about $10 each. Men’s Health 4/98.
GOOD VS. BAD...FAT-WISE - a Harvard University study indicates that the total amount of fat you eat may be far less important than the types you consume. A large-scale study involving more than 80,000 people over the course of 14 years showed that those who ate a great deal of saturated fat, found in meat and dairy foods, had higher than average rates of heart problems. But there was a larger risk from consumption of trans fatty acids, found in margarine, shortening, and commercially baked goods, like doughnuts, cookies, and crackers.
This study supports the growing consensus than trans fats are harmful, although most research has pegged them as less dangerous than the saturated kind. Some patients in the study actually were protected from heart disease by consuming fats - polyunsaturated (the type in corn and soybean oils) and mono-unsaturated (olive and canola oils). But some critics say the study’s results shouldn’t be taken as a license to load up on “good” fats. They cite that heart disease isn’t the only health problem related to fat intake; cancer is, too. The “good” fats are very heavy in calories.
Most experts recommend watching total fat, but work hardest to limit saturated and trans fats. Nutritional labels do not list trans fats, so to avoid them, cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated oils. Choose tub margarine or vegetable oil spreads over stick margarine or try the trans-fat-free margarine that have just come on the market.
FATS AND OILS COMPARED
Product Saturated Polyunsaturated Monounsaturated Trans Fats
(1 Tbsp.) (Bad Fat) (Neutral) (Grams) (Good Fatty Acids) (Bad Fatty Acids)
Canola oil* 0.9 4.5 7.6 0
Safflower oil 1.2 10.1 1.6 0
Sunflower oil* 1.4 5.5 6.2 0
Margarine, soft 1.5 6.0 2.5 1
Margarine, stick 1.5 3.0 2.5 3
Corn oil 1.7 8.0 3.3 0
Olive oil* 1.8 1.1 9.9 0
Sesame oil* 1.9 5.7 5.4 0
Peanut oil* 2.3 4.3 6.2 0
Cottonseed oil 3.5 7.1 2.4 0
Lard 5.0 1.4 5.8 0
Palm oil 6.7 1.3 5.0 0
Butter 7.1 0.4 3.3 0
Cocoa butter 8.1 0.4 4.5 0
Palm kernel oil 11.1 0.2 1.5 0
Coconut oil 11.8 0.2 0.8 0
* = good dietary choice
Health 3/98 and Hope Health Letter 6/98.
STICK-ON BIFOCALS - Optx 20-20 are plastic half-moon-shaped reading lenses that stick to the insides of sunglasses and peel off again. They come in nine corrective strengths and can be custom-fit to an frames. Prices are in the $25 range and they are sold in sporting goods stores, frame shops and some department stores. Phone number is 800-344-2020. Health 10/97.
PUT THE SQUEEZE ON CHEST PAIN - angina, which is severe chest pain caused by poor blood flow in the heart, usually requires a surgical fix. But some physicians have begun treating angina by inflating a series of cuffs on a patient’s lower body, to open clogged passageways in the heart. The procedure, known as “Enhanced External Counterpulsation” or “EECP” cut incidence of angina by half in a study at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. The study’s leader feels that the treatment may help expand the blood vessels around the heart. It is noninvasive, and the benefits last up to three years. EECP is available at 30 treatment centers in the United States. More information may be obtained at 800-455-3327, ext. 779. Men’s Health 4/98.
WHEY TO GO, DUDE...whey is the watery substance in yogurt or cottage cheese. Whey is rich in B vitamins and other minerals, so don’t toss it, but mix it back in and get more nutrition from yogurt. Men’s Fitness 5/98.
TOBACCO’S LEGACY - smoking kills more Americans every year than died in battle during World War II and the Vietnam War combined! Every day more than 1,200 Americans die from smoking-related causes, the equivalent of three or four fully loaded 747's crashing with no survivors. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter, 5/98.
BUT WILL YOU ACT LIKE RICHARD SIMMONS?...women may not be the only ones who can use estrogen for health benefits. A study at Johns Hopkins Hospital found that men with heart disease who took a 0.625 milligram shot of estrogen increased their blood flow by 32 percent. Estrogen dilates blood vessels and reduces the symptoms of heart disease by 50 percent in postmenopausal women. These studies indicate that it may have the same effect in men, but further research is necessary before this procedure may be recommended. Men’s Health 4/98.
BACK ALERT: THE RISK OF PROLONGED SITTING - extended periods of sitting fatigue back muscles, as these muscles work hard to keep your frame upright when sitting . Blood circulation slows down with extended sitting, with some ensuing harmful effects. When muscles stay in unchanged position, waste products, called metabolites, accumulate, causing inflammatory reactions in the muscles, which in turn causes pain. Metabolites are usually washed away by your blood flow, but if you don’t move much, they remain in the back area, causing more pain, which causes more contractions of the muscles, or spasms, which make you even less likely to want to move.
Poor circulation also means that the muscles don’t get the oxygen and other nutrients they need.
Extended sitting also puts constant pressure on the disks of the lower spine, the spongy cartilage that acts as a cushion between adjacent vertebrae. Sitting puts up to 40 percent more pressure on the disks then standing, because the pelvis rotates slightly when you sit, flattening the spine’s natural curve. Over time, the gel inside the disk seeps out and puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. Usually the disk will heal itself, but in the most severe cases surgery may be necessary.
To prevent the increased risk of damaging your back (and quality of your life) by extended sitting, there are several things which you may attempt to keep your back healthy:
1. Stand whenever you can, instead of sitting, duh! During turns, get out of the seat, help clean the cabin, or at least just take the load off the spinal disks and give the muscles a chance to recover.
2. Take minibreaks every once in a while. Even on longer flights, getting out of the seat to stretch will go a long way to help relieve the stress that your back endures during prolonged sitting. Just a minute or two up out of the seat gives your back a break by changing posture. Gentle back stretches periodically can relieve back stress.
3. Learn to fidget. Even when it is impractical to get out of the seat, shifting position in the seat is better than sitting still because it changes the load on the lower spine. Flexing and relaxing the buttocks helps also. Some doctors recommend leaning back in the chair to increase the angle of your back. This transfers the load to the backrest and reduces pressure on the disks by as much as 15 percent. Also make sure that you sit all the way back in the seat, otherwise you won’t reap the huge benefits of the chair’s lumbar support, which restores much of the curve to the spine.
4. Upgrade your seat. No we’re not talking about that magical move in seniority with the accompanying increase in hat size. We are talking about lumbar support. The -700 seat is a quantum leap in comfort and support. But if you are stuck with old “Mr. Mustard” (-200) all day, a strategically placed pillow or rolled towel can offer some lumbar support. Chairs at home should offer support as well.
5. Get fit. Strength training, especially in the opposing muscles groups of abs and lower back can reap benefits of longevity. Learn the proper stretches for lower back, gluteal maximus (your fanny), and hamstrings. These areas, when tight and not stretched properly, can lead to lower back strain. Health 3/98.
MUSCLE-CRAMP REMEDY - quinine, the tree-bark extract that flavors tonic water has long been used as a folk remedy for muscle cramps. Investigators in the Netherlands put it to the test by giving test subjects 300 mgs. of quinine a day for two weeks. The patients only experienced half as many cramps as usual, and the protection lasted a week or more after they stopped taking quinine. A glass of tonic water has 27 mgs of quinine. Health 10/97.
THE DANGERS OF FATIGUE - researchers at the University of South Australia have found that working tired results in a job performance worse than if the subject were intoxicated. After staying awake just 19 hours - until 3 a.m. - volunteers performed as poorly as when they’d had a couple of drinks. After 24 hours without sleep, their performance was as bad as when they were legally drunk. Health 10/97.
YET ANOTHER REASON FOR STRENGTH TRAINING - at rest, muscle burns about four times the energy fat does. Researchers at Tufts University put a group of elderly individuals on a program of weight training three days a week. The participants had to start eating an additional 300 calories each day simply to maintain their body weight - a demand created in equal measures by the workout itself, the boost in metabolism, and the enhanced vigor they displayed. Health 3/98.
AN APPLE A DAY... a study at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio found that eating pectin, a soluble fiber in the skin of fruits and vegetables, will make you feel full longer. Researchers gave subjects orange juice, some of which had been spiked with up to 20 grams of pectin. Those who drank the pectin-laced OJ felt significantly fuller, even four hours later. Researchers suggest that pectin may slow digestion and keep food in the stomach longer. Men’s Health 4/98.
From the Flight Surgeon:
"Flyer Buyer Beware!"
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
FAA Medical Examiner
(edited for this publication-LK)
It’s time (almost) for us to take a couple of weeks off from work and go back up to the Colorado Rockies. A little work around the place, some fishing. A little wandering around aimlessly. I don’t care how much we like our jobs, a little “R & R” is a good plan.
Before going I wanted to clean up a few items that I have left hanging in my agenda at the cost of continuity.
Melatonin - recent good study (“good” for a change) suggests effects are mild and do not appreciably lengthen sleep time - works in approximately 25% of users. Means to Joe that it doesn’t work three-fourths of the time. No control of manufacture. Long term results of use are not yet available.
Fat Stuff - I’ve written before about Olestra and Meridia. You know what I think about these compounds. Let’s not be doing these things.
Zinc for Colds - studies attempting to prove benefits have been inadequate, poorly controlled. Careful analysis of early studies failed to show benefits.
Hair Stuff - in my view a study of the sales promotion history of Rogaine should be required reading for every Marketing major. “Good” studies showed Rogaine to be ineffective 75% of the time. “Extra Strength Rogaine” very slightly more effective. Higher cost not justified by little improvement.
Propecia - very large ad campaign. This baby started out as Proscar which was offered as a control for prostate enlargement. Makers proposed a six month trial of the drug to see if it would help Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy on our “nickel” - approximately $500. Almost put out of the market by “Hytrin”, etc...that worked faster, cheaper and better for BPH: Propecia” alters PSA tests, throwing them off. May cause erectile dysfunction. Like Rogaine, long term effects are unknown. If Propecia works slightly better then Rogaine (which isn’t saying much) it costs three times as much as generic Rogaine.
What has this to do with Aviation Medicine directly? Nothing directly, of course. Then what good is this article in the first place? You know how deeply criticism wounds me so I’ll try to pull this note out of the fire a little by some direct relevance to flying. “Zyban”, offered as a smoking deterrent is exactly the same drug as “Wellbutrin” packaged differently only. It is a mood altering medication - an antidepressant. You may not use it and fly legally. Marketing, marketing!! What next? A nicotine containing rectal suppository? Why not - we’ve got almost every other delivery system!
Viagra - this is a real beauty from a sales point of view. Some of my overseas guys say it goes for $100 a pill in Japan where it hasn’t been officially approved yet. Sometimes I get “thank you” cards from some guys I’ve gone to bat for with certification problems. To date we’ve gotten three cards for Viagra. Aviation relevancy? You probably won’t pass a color test if all you can see is blue!
Here’s to snow-capped mountains, clear streams, rivers, and blue, blue, blue skies and lakes.
Best,
Joe
Sunday, February 1, 1998
Health News
CROSSFEED 2-98
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
HEALTH NEWS
by Larry Kline
ANTIOXIDANT PROTECTION FROM TEAS - antioxidant chemicals founds in black and green teas appear to prevent artery damage that can lead to heart disease-in test tubes, at least. Japanese researchers tested 14 men, who were asked to consume three cups of tea per day for four weeks. Blood tests done before and after that period showed that the antioxidant chemicals did appear in the bloodstream and block harmful molecules.
Green tea has the biggest benefit. It’s antioxidant qualities are 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times better than vitamin E at preventing cell damage. Black and oolong tea contain about 40 percent of the compounds found in green tea. Health 11/97 and Men’s Health 12/97.
BLUEBERRIES - THE STRONGEST ANTIOXIDANT - blueberries top all other foods in their ability to neutralize free radicals, the highly reactive molecules thought to foster many health problems, including cancer and clogged arteries.
In studies at Tufts University last year, berries contained three times the antioxidant effect of spinach or oranges. The secret ingredient is contained in the color of the berry - blue pigments contain anthocyanins (also contained in smaller amounts in strawberries and other blue red fruits). Health 1/98.
DON’T LET YOUR PROSTATE GUARD DOWN - a study at the National Cancer Institute found that men who’ve been treated for testicular cancer have a slightly higher risk of developing a second tumor for as long as 20 years after initial treatment. It is felt that the chemotherapy or radiotherapy these men received may be responsible for the increased risk. However, current therapies used today may cause less risk as these treatments are less aggressive.
Also there is a new test that can determine whether prostate cancer has spread before the patient undergoes surgery. If the cancer has already spread beyond the prostate, surgery solves only part of the problem, so alternate therapies that don’t have as high a risk of causing side effects, impotence and incontinence, may be considered. The test, Prostascint, is simple, painless, FDA-approved and covered by most insurance. Men’s Health 3/98.
ASPIRIN AFTER, NOT BEFORE - aspirin can irritate the gastrointestinal system. So can running or any strenuous exercise. Together, University of Iowa research indicates, they can lead to stomach or intestinal inflammation, bleeding, or even ulcers. Only take aspirin after a workout, never before. Men’s Fitness 6/97.
ALLERGY TIP - if you are prone to allergies and have a mustache, wash it twice a day with liquid soap. In a recent study, eight patients who did this used fewer antihistamines and decongestants - cleaning the ‘stache got rid of stuck pollen grains. Men’s Health 3/98.
BOOZE + TYLENOL = TROUBLE - researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have reported that relatively small overdoses of acetaminophen (an active ingredient in “Tylenol”, “Excedrin”, and other nonprescription remedies) can lead to serious liver damage, especially when mixed with alcohol. Taking too much of such seemingly innocuous drugs was the leading cause of sudden liver failure at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas from 1992 to 1995.
According to researchers, acetaminophen has a narrower safety window than many nonprescription drugs. Many people assume they can take two or three times the recommended dosage and not be hurt by it. That is not true with acetaminophen. The body breaks down this drug into a product that is poisonous to the liver in large amounts.
Some authorities recommend only taking one-half the recommended dosage of acetaminophen if alcohol is going or has been consumed. Health 1/98.
SECONDHAND DANGER - nonsmokers who live with a smoker increase their heart disease and lung cancer risk by 25 percent. Even relatively minimal exposure to tobacco smoke appears to greatly impair cardiovascular health.
An independent study analyzed secondhand smoke and found that it contains approximately 200 poisons and 43 carcinogens. Men’s Fitness 2/98 and Men’s Health 3/98.
DELAYING CAN BE DEADLY - if you feel a persistent, uncomfortable pressure in your chest, don’t waste time - get it checked out. Head to the emergency room. A study of 2,404 heart-attack patients showed that 40% waited more than six hours before going to the hospital. The longer that treatment is delayed, the more heart muscle may be damaged. In a Scottish study, delaying treatment just one hour decreased survival chances by 20 percent. 70 percent of fatal heart-attack victims do not receive CPR. Men’s Health 9/97 and 12/97, and Men’s Fitness 2/98.
TAKE “C” TO SEE LONGER - cataracts eventually dim the vision of more than half of all Americans. A recent study shows that vitamin C can curtail that clouding. The key to prevention may not be merely how much of the vitamin you get each day but how many years you get it.
A study at Tufts and at Harvard universities found that those who had been taking vitamin C supplements for at least a decade were 77 percent less likely than the others to show lens clouding.
The lens of the eye contains delicate proteins that must be dispersed evenly if light is to pass through cleanly. When the lens of the eye is exposed to tobacco smoke or the ultraviolet rays of unfiltered sunlight, the proteins begin to clump. Too much clumping and the lens loses transparency - the start of cataracts. These studies suggest that vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing the molecules that initiate the clumping. Preliminary results indicate that the human lens becomes saturated with vitamin C at daily dietary levels of about 200 mgs. - the amount from two glasses of orange juice or a couple of pieces of broccoli. Health 1/98.
THE NEW FRONTIER IN CANCER TREATMENT - this country declared war on cancer in 1971. The last three decades of basic research has revealed the process that causes healthy cells to turn into killers. At least six separate genetic mutations have to occur before a cell can start growing out of control. Some people are born with genetic defects that make certain cells especially vulnerable to mutation. Cigarette smoke, ultraviolet radiation, and toxic chemicals all can damage cells as they divide. Other factors in increased cancer risk include large consumption of red meat (increased risk of colon cancer), junk food consumption (people who eat fruit and vegetables in quantity have reduced cancer rates), inactivity (active people seem to have about half the risk as sedentary folks), overeating (increased risk of colon, prostate, and breast cancer), and alcohol abuse (increased risk of liver, throat, and esophageal cancer).
In the past, doctors had to throw everything they had at cancer, scattershot, because they didn’t understand the disease. These options were the “slash, burn, and poison,” as some cancer victims refer to conventional methods of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
Surgery can eliminate some cancers, but it may be useless if malignant cells have broken loose and infiltrated other parts of the body. Radiation can shrink or destroy localized tumors, but often at the risk of injuring nearby healthy tissues.
When cancer spreads, or metastasises, the counterattack is usually chemotherapy - toxic chemicals that poison not only cancer cells, but other fast-growing cells, causing hair loss and lowered immunity. Because cancer cells mutate so quickly, they can rapidly grow resistant to drugs, causing chemotherapies to quickly lose their effectiveness.
But there are new weapons in the medical arsenal to combat cancer. Four of these new approaches promise to revolutionize cancer treatment in our lifetime.
1. MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES - “guided missiles” that seek out cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies are molecules designed to latch onto the surface of harmful cells and destroy them. It is a strategy borrowed from the immune system, which produces natural antibodies to seek and destroy invading bacteria and viruses. Researchers have found that malignant cells over-produce a protein, that in healthy cells signals cells to grow and divide in an orderly manner. A malignant cell may have as much as ten-times this protein on its surface, allowing the cell to reproduce out of control. These antibodies impair the ability of the cell to reproduce. Additionally, monoclonal antibodies have been paired with radioactive particles or toxic chemicals to deliver their lethal load to the heart of a cancer cell to increase their effectiveness with less collateral damage to healthy cells.
2. GENE THERAPIES - customized viruses sent to fix damage genes. Viruses are really nothing more than strands of genetic material - operating instructions for making new versions of themselves. Once viruses invade a cell, they insert their own genes into its DNA, turning the cell into a virus-producing factory. The hope of this therapy is to find ways to tame viruses and then engineer them to carry new or repaired genes into living cells, undoing the genetic mutations that might otherwise add up to cancer.
3. CANCER VACCINES - shots that incite the immune system to attack malignancies. Standard vaccines work in the body by placing harmless versions of bad viruses into our system, allowing the immune system to bolster its defenses to that virus if exposed in quantity. The immune system detects invaders like cold or flu viruses by way of telltale molecules on their surfaces - microscopic fingerprints. Once the system spots a foreign print, it attacks and eventually destroys the infectious agent.
In theory, the same approach could be used to prime the immune system to kill cancer cells. But, unlike viruses and bacteria, tumors aren’t foreign invaders; they’re our own cells gone awry, and they still look like family to the immune system. That’s why immune cells seldom disturb tumors. The trick is to identify key changes that occur when a normal cell becomes cancerous. The National Cancer Institute is currently testing a vaccine that detects defective genes that occur in colon cancer. They estimate that up to 20 percent of all cancers have defective R AS genes, so that the vaccine has promise beyond the treatment of colon cancer.
4. ANTI-ANGIOGENESIS DRUGS - therapies designed to starve tumors to death. To grow and spread, cancer cells have to trick the body into crating extra blood vessels to feed their burgeoning masses. Otherwise cancers would exist only as tiny specks, too small to do harm.
A melanoma may appear as a harmless mole on the skin for five or more years; a cluster of breast cancer cells may lurk for years without causing problems. But then trouble hits, through mutation, some of the malignant cells gain the ability to signal the body to begin producing new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis.
To stop the process, researchers have identified nearly a dozen anti-angiogenic factors - compounds that block blood vessel formation, effectively shutting off a tumor’s lifeblood. These drugs are currently being tested around the country, the most promising are angiostatin and endostatin.
Researchers originally assumed anti-angiogenic drugs would stop cancers from growing, but not shrink existing tumors; now it’s clear they do both. Better still, they appear to have few side effects. Since adults normally don’t produce new blood vessels, blocking the process doesn’t cause trouble. Also, cancer cells don’t become resistant to these drugs, as they do to chemotherapies.
These new therapies are likely to be cocktails that hit cancer cells from many directions - exactly the approach that has worked against AIDS. Health 3/98.
AVOIDING STONES - according to a 17-year study involving almost 100,000 people, taking supplemental calcium without food significantly increases the risk of developing kidney stones. An empty stomach may absorb too much calcium which leads to excess calcium in the kidneys and to possible kidney stone formation. Men’s Fitness 2/98.
CHRONIC HEARTBURN CAN BE DANGEROUS - many of the 25 million people who suffer from persistent heartburn actually have Barrett’s esophagus - a precancerous condition in the esophageal lining that develops from chronic stomach-acid damage. Worse, 95 percent of the people who develop cancer from Barret’s esophagus die from it! The incidence of esophageal cancer among white males has been increasing by 8 percent every year. Some researchers believe that men may be relying too heavily on over-the-counter medications. They recommend visiting a doctor if even mild heartburn strikes you three times per week. Men’s Health 3/98.
LOOK FOR THE BLUE FLAME - the flame on all gas appliances should be blue. If there is a trace of yellow, you could be breathing carbon monoxide. Prime Health & Fitness, Fall/97.
From the Flight Surgeon:
"The No-Tell Motel"
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
FAA Medical Examiner
(edited for this publication-LK)
One of my guys at Continental asked me to talk about what to “admit” or “not admit” to on a medical application form.
Of course we’re not going to talk here about whether you need to report visits to your orthodontist or massage parlor (for Physical Therapy, of course). We’re talking about whether or not you’re wondering if maybe what we have here is the talk show “I (possibly) Have a Secret”.
In the matter of motels, my advice is to Deny! Deny! Deny! In the matter of the history part of your medical application, my advice is 180 degrees opposite. Let’s start at the very beginning. First, on general principles you need an AME that you can trust and that trusts you-implicitly. If you’re not sure of that, then ask around and find an AME that will respond to anonymous phone calls from airmen. That should get you to the point of understanding whether you have a problem or not. Most of all the “problems” I encounter are solvable when directly faced down. Any amount of extra paperwork, additional medical opinions, delays, etc...are preferable to entering a bleeping contest with the F.A.A., or worse-a plaintiff’s attorney. It’s kinda like putting yourself in the position of telling the I.R.S. that you only made 5 grand a year for the past three years or so.
Everything will be hunky-dory until and unless they catch you. They (I.R.S.) May never catch you but if they do, you may have heard or read that the guy in question would have been better off fielding a live grenade. The F.A.A. is like the I.R.S.-they get bleeped at you and it’s your bleep. The list of violations that you can be charged with is amazing. Not just relative to the event in question, but the fact that you concealed matters from them as well.
How about some event that (God forbid) involves a plaintiff’s attorney? You’d better be sure that you and your estate are judgment proof. Ha! Nobody can know about any medical problems you’ve had if you don’t tell them. Sure, and there isn’t a computer manned central data bank that holds all the dope on medical claims. You weren’t some dumb enough to use your medical insurance, were you? Or were you?
Please keep things straight-I’m a pilot’s advocate. I’m not takin’ this position from the F.A.A.’s point of view. I think doing things “as I suggest” in this area is the best approach and I’ve had 30 years experience with these deals.
Bottom line-talk things over with your AME (preferably) or make an anonymous phone call to one if you’s feel better. Perhaps that would be better than taking a chance on your own. Of course, there are guys out there running without medicals, annuals, or recurrent flight tests. To think otherwise would be naive in the extreme. People make choices all the time. Some are wise, others not too smart.
I’ll list some mandatory denials again, those things that require remedy before issuance can be effected. These are physical and mental problems that could lead to sudden incapacity. You will note that some of these problems can, in time, usually be resolved.
-Diabetes requiring insulin or other medication
-Angina pectoris: chest pain due to heart disease
-Coronary disease that has required treatment or, if untreated, has been symptomatic or clinically significant
-Myocardial infarction, i.e. “heart attack”
-Psychosis (major mental disease)
-Severe personality disorders repeatedly manifested by overt acts
-Alcoholism or drug dependency
-Epilepsy
-Disturbances of consciousness lacking satisfactory medical explanation
Best,
Joe
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
HEALTH NEWS
by Larry Kline
ANTIOXIDANT PROTECTION FROM TEAS - antioxidant chemicals founds in black and green teas appear to prevent artery damage that can lead to heart disease-in test tubes, at least. Japanese researchers tested 14 men, who were asked to consume three cups of tea per day for four weeks. Blood tests done before and after that period showed that the antioxidant chemicals did appear in the bloodstream and block harmful molecules.
Green tea has the biggest benefit. It’s antioxidant qualities are 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times better than vitamin E at preventing cell damage. Black and oolong tea contain about 40 percent of the compounds found in green tea. Health 11/97 and Men’s Health 12/97.
BLUEBERRIES - THE STRONGEST ANTIOXIDANT - blueberries top all other foods in their ability to neutralize free radicals, the highly reactive molecules thought to foster many health problems, including cancer and clogged arteries.
In studies at Tufts University last year, berries contained three times the antioxidant effect of spinach or oranges. The secret ingredient is contained in the color of the berry - blue pigments contain anthocyanins (also contained in smaller amounts in strawberries and other blue red fruits). Health 1/98.
DON’T LET YOUR PROSTATE GUARD DOWN - a study at the National Cancer Institute found that men who’ve been treated for testicular cancer have a slightly higher risk of developing a second tumor for as long as 20 years after initial treatment. It is felt that the chemotherapy or radiotherapy these men received may be responsible for the increased risk. However, current therapies used today may cause less risk as these treatments are less aggressive.
Also there is a new test that can determine whether prostate cancer has spread before the patient undergoes surgery. If the cancer has already spread beyond the prostate, surgery solves only part of the problem, so alternate therapies that don’t have as high a risk of causing side effects, impotence and incontinence, may be considered. The test, Prostascint, is simple, painless, FDA-approved and covered by most insurance. Men’s Health 3/98.
ASPIRIN AFTER, NOT BEFORE - aspirin can irritate the gastrointestinal system. So can running or any strenuous exercise. Together, University of Iowa research indicates, they can lead to stomach or intestinal inflammation, bleeding, or even ulcers. Only take aspirin after a workout, never before. Men’s Fitness 6/97.
ALLERGY TIP - if you are prone to allergies and have a mustache, wash it twice a day with liquid soap. In a recent study, eight patients who did this used fewer antihistamines and decongestants - cleaning the ‘stache got rid of stuck pollen grains. Men’s Health 3/98.
BOOZE + TYLENOL = TROUBLE - researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have reported that relatively small overdoses of acetaminophen (an active ingredient in “Tylenol”, “Excedrin”, and other nonprescription remedies) can lead to serious liver damage, especially when mixed with alcohol. Taking too much of such seemingly innocuous drugs was the leading cause of sudden liver failure at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas from 1992 to 1995.
According to researchers, acetaminophen has a narrower safety window than many nonprescription drugs. Many people assume they can take two or three times the recommended dosage and not be hurt by it. That is not true with acetaminophen. The body breaks down this drug into a product that is poisonous to the liver in large amounts.
Some authorities recommend only taking one-half the recommended dosage of acetaminophen if alcohol is going or has been consumed. Health 1/98.
SECONDHAND DANGER - nonsmokers who live with a smoker increase their heart disease and lung cancer risk by 25 percent. Even relatively minimal exposure to tobacco smoke appears to greatly impair cardiovascular health.
An independent study analyzed secondhand smoke and found that it contains approximately 200 poisons and 43 carcinogens. Men’s Fitness 2/98 and Men’s Health 3/98.
DELAYING CAN BE DEADLY - if you feel a persistent, uncomfortable pressure in your chest, don’t waste time - get it checked out. Head to the emergency room. A study of 2,404 heart-attack patients showed that 40% waited more than six hours before going to the hospital. The longer that treatment is delayed, the more heart muscle may be damaged. In a Scottish study, delaying treatment just one hour decreased survival chances by 20 percent. 70 percent of fatal heart-attack victims do not receive CPR. Men’s Health 9/97 and 12/97, and Men’s Fitness 2/98.
TAKE “C” TO SEE LONGER - cataracts eventually dim the vision of more than half of all Americans. A recent study shows that vitamin C can curtail that clouding. The key to prevention may not be merely how much of the vitamin you get each day but how many years you get it.
A study at Tufts and at Harvard universities found that those who had been taking vitamin C supplements for at least a decade were 77 percent less likely than the others to show lens clouding.
The lens of the eye contains delicate proteins that must be dispersed evenly if light is to pass through cleanly. When the lens of the eye is exposed to tobacco smoke or the ultraviolet rays of unfiltered sunlight, the proteins begin to clump. Too much clumping and the lens loses transparency - the start of cataracts. These studies suggest that vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing the molecules that initiate the clumping. Preliminary results indicate that the human lens becomes saturated with vitamin C at daily dietary levels of about 200 mgs. - the amount from two glasses of orange juice or a couple of pieces of broccoli. Health 1/98.
THE NEW FRONTIER IN CANCER TREATMENT - this country declared war on cancer in 1971. The last three decades of basic research has revealed the process that causes healthy cells to turn into killers. At least six separate genetic mutations have to occur before a cell can start growing out of control. Some people are born with genetic defects that make certain cells especially vulnerable to mutation. Cigarette smoke, ultraviolet radiation, and toxic chemicals all can damage cells as they divide. Other factors in increased cancer risk include large consumption of red meat (increased risk of colon cancer), junk food consumption (people who eat fruit and vegetables in quantity have reduced cancer rates), inactivity (active people seem to have about half the risk as sedentary folks), overeating (increased risk of colon, prostate, and breast cancer), and alcohol abuse (increased risk of liver, throat, and esophageal cancer).
In the past, doctors had to throw everything they had at cancer, scattershot, because they didn’t understand the disease. These options were the “slash, burn, and poison,” as some cancer victims refer to conventional methods of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
Surgery can eliminate some cancers, but it may be useless if malignant cells have broken loose and infiltrated other parts of the body. Radiation can shrink or destroy localized tumors, but often at the risk of injuring nearby healthy tissues.
When cancer spreads, or metastasises, the counterattack is usually chemotherapy - toxic chemicals that poison not only cancer cells, but other fast-growing cells, causing hair loss and lowered immunity. Because cancer cells mutate so quickly, they can rapidly grow resistant to drugs, causing chemotherapies to quickly lose their effectiveness.
But there are new weapons in the medical arsenal to combat cancer. Four of these new approaches promise to revolutionize cancer treatment in our lifetime.
1. MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES - “guided missiles” that seek out cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies are molecules designed to latch onto the surface of harmful cells and destroy them. It is a strategy borrowed from the immune system, which produces natural antibodies to seek and destroy invading bacteria and viruses. Researchers have found that malignant cells over-produce a protein, that in healthy cells signals cells to grow and divide in an orderly manner. A malignant cell may have as much as ten-times this protein on its surface, allowing the cell to reproduce out of control. These antibodies impair the ability of the cell to reproduce. Additionally, monoclonal antibodies have been paired with radioactive particles or toxic chemicals to deliver their lethal load to the heart of a cancer cell to increase their effectiveness with less collateral damage to healthy cells.
2. GENE THERAPIES - customized viruses sent to fix damage genes. Viruses are really nothing more than strands of genetic material - operating instructions for making new versions of themselves. Once viruses invade a cell, they insert their own genes into its DNA, turning the cell into a virus-producing factory. The hope of this therapy is to find ways to tame viruses and then engineer them to carry new or repaired genes into living cells, undoing the genetic mutations that might otherwise add up to cancer.
3. CANCER VACCINES - shots that incite the immune system to attack malignancies. Standard vaccines work in the body by placing harmless versions of bad viruses into our system, allowing the immune system to bolster its defenses to that virus if exposed in quantity. The immune system detects invaders like cold or flu viruses by way of telltale molecules on their surfaces - microscopic fingerprints. Once the system spots a foreign print, it attacks and eventually destroys the infectious agent.
In theory, the same approach could be used to prime the immune system to kill cancer cells. But, unlike viruses and bacteria, tumors aren’t foreign invaders; they’re our own cells gone awry, and they still look like family to the immune system. That’s why immune cells seldom disturb tumors. The trick is to identify key changes that occur when a normal cell becomes cancerous. The National Cancer Institute is currently testing a vaccine that detects defective genes that occur in colon cancer. They estimate that up to 20 percent of all cancers have defective R AS genes, so that the vaccine has promise beyond the treatment of colon cancer.
4. ANTI-ANGIOGENESIS DRUGS - therapies designed to starve tumors to death. To grow and spread, cancer cells have to trick the body into crating extra blood vessels to feed their burgeoning masses. Otherwise cancers would exist only as tiny specks, too small to do harm.
A melanoma may appear as a harmless mole on the skin for five or more years; a cluster of breast cancer cells may lurk for years without causing problems. But then trouble hits, through mutation, some of the malignant cells gain the ability to signal the body to begin producing new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis.
To stop the process, researchers have identified nearly a dozen anti-angiogenic factors - compounds that block blood vessel formation, effectively shutting off a tumor’s lifeblood. These drugs are currently being tested around the country, the most promising are angiostatin and endostatin.
Researchers originally assumed anti-angiogenic drugs would stop cancers from growing, but not shrink existing tumors; now it’s clear they do both. Better still, they appear to have few side effects. Since adults normally don’t produce new blood vessels, blocking the process doesn’t cause trouble. Also, cancer cells don’t become resistant to these drugs, as they do to chemotherapies.
These new therapies are likely to be cocktails that hit cancer cells from many directions - exactly the approach that has worked against AIDS. Health 3/98.
AVOIDING STONES - according to a 17-year study involving almost 100,000 people, taking supplemental calcium without food significantly increases the risk of developing kidney stones. An empty stomach may absorb too much calcium which leads to excess calcium in the kidneys and to possible kidney stone formation. Men’s Fitness 2/98.
CHRONIC HEARTBURN CAN BE DANGEROUS - many of the 25 million people who suffer from persistent heartburn actually have Barrett’s esophagus - a precancerous condition in the esophageal lining that develops from chronic stomach-acid damage. Worse, 95 percent of the people who develop cancer from Barret’s esophagus die from it! The incidence of esophageal cancer among white males has been increasing by 8 percent every year. Some researchers believe that men may be relying too heavily on over-the-counter medications. They recommend visiting a doctor if even mild heartburn strikes you three times per week. Men’s Health 3/98.
LOOK FOR THE BLUE FLAME - the flame on all gas appliances should be blue. If there is a trace of yellow, you could be breathing carbon monoxide. Prime Health & Fitness, Fall/97.
From the Flight Surgeon:
"The No-Tell Motel"
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
FAA Medical Examiner
(edited for this publication-LK)
One of my guys at Continental asked me to talk about what to “admit” or “not admit” to on a medical application form.
Of course we’re not going to talk here about whether you need to report visits to your orthodontist or massage parlor (for Physical Therapy, of course). We’re talking about whether or not you’re wondering if maybe what we have here is the talk show “I (possibly) Have a Secret”.
In the matter of motels, my advice is to Deny! Deny! Deny! In the matter of the history part of your medical application, my advice is 180 degrees opposite. Let’s start at the very beginning. First, on general principles you need an AME that you can trust and that trusts you-implicitly. If you’re not sure of that, then ask around and find an AME that will respond to anonymous phone calls from airmen. That should get you to the point of understanding whether you have a problem or not. Most of all the “problems” I encounter are solvable when directly faced down. Any amount of extra paperwork, additional medical opinions, delays, etc...are preferable to entering a bleeping contest with the F.A.A., or worse-a plaintiff’s attorney. It’s kinda like putting yourself in the position of telling the I.R.S. that you only made 5 grand a year for the past three years or so.
Everything will be hunky-dory until and unless they catch you. They (I.R.S.) May never catch you but if they do, you may have heard or read that the guy in question would have been better off fielding a live grenade. The F.A.A. is like the I.R.S.-they get bleeped at you and it’s your bleep. The list of violations that you can be charged with is amazing. Not just relative to the event in question, but the fact that you concealed matters from them as well.
How about some event that (God forbid) involves a plaintiff’s attorney? You’d better be sure that you and your estate are judgment proof. Ha! Nobody can know about any medical problems you’ve had if you don’t tell them. Sure, and there isn’t a computer manned central data bank that holds all the dope on medical claims. You weren’t some dumb enough to use your medical insurance, were you? Or were you?
Please keep things straight-I’m a pilot’s advocate. I’m not takin’ this position from the F.A.A.’s point of view. I think doing things “as I suggest” in this area is the best approach and I’ve had 30 years experience with these deals.
Bottom line-talk things over with your AME (preferably) or make an anonymous phone call to one if you’s feel better. Perhaps that would be better than taking a chance on your own. Of course, there are guys out there running without medicals, annuals, or recurrent flight tests. To think otherwise would be naive in the extreme. People make choices all the time. Some are wise, others not too smart.
I’ll list some mandatory denials again, those things that require remedy before issuance can be effected. These are physical and mental problems that could lead to sudden incapacity. You will note that some of these problems can, in time, usually be resolved.
-Diabetes requiring insulin or other medication
-Angina pectoris: chest pain due to heart disease
-Coronary disease that has required treatment or, if untreated, has been symptomatic or clinically significant
-Myocardial infarction, i.e. “heart attack”
-Psychosis (major mental disease)
-Severe personality disorders repeatedly manifested by overt acts
-Alcoholism or drug dependency
-Epilepsy
-Disturbances of consciousness lacking satisfactory medical explanation
Best,
Joe
Thursday, January 1, 1998
Health News
CROSSFEED 1-98
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
HEALTH NEWS
by Larry Kline
SLIM UP WITH SOLUBLE FIBER - according to Ed Saltzman, Ph.D., a food scientist at Tufts University in Boston, eating a diet high in soluble fiber might help the body excrete up to 200 calories’ worth of undigested fat a day. Food sources include legumes, whole grains, many vegetables and some fruits, including prunes, pears, and apples. Men’s Fitness 2/97.
SALT MAY HARM BONES - it appears that a high-salt diet may cause calcium loss in bones. The body wants to maintain a balance of calcium and sodium. Eating too much salt results in the body leaching calcium from your bones to make up the difference.
Researchers in Australia followed 100 postmenopausal women for two years and discovered that those who ate the most sodium had lost the most bone in their hips and ankles. Currently the U.S. government recommends a daily maximum of 2,400 mgs. of sodium. In the study, women with the highest losses got more than 3,000 mgs/day of sodium.
The vast majority (about 75%) of the sodium in our diets comes from processed foods. Health 3/97.
DIETING MAY HARM IMMUNE SYSTEM - when researchers asked eight women to cut their calories in half for 15 weeks, the activity of their natural killer cells, which repel viruses, fell 20%. Health 11/97.
LUV-BITES ARE GOOD FOR YOU - peanuts can be a very nutritional snack. They are a good source of protein, fiber, several vitamins and minerals, and a substance called resveratrol. Resveratrol is part of a group of chemicals called phenolics that are powerful antioxidants. Red-wine contains an enormous amount of resveratrol, but peanuts can provide a decent amount of the beneficial antioxidant to your diet. (It takes 11 handfuls of peanuts to deliver the resveratrol contained in one glass of red wine - so watch the fat intake). Health 11/97.
THE RIGHT WAY TO TAKE ANTIBIOTICS - you get a bug; your doctor gives you a week’s prescription for antibiotics. A couple of days later, you feel better and stop taking the medication. Bad move!
The antibiotic is intended to be taken until the prescription runs out. Failing to utilize the full amount and stopping prematurely enables some of the “bugs” in your system to survive and possibly mutate and develop into a more resilient strain of bacteria. Many antibiotics that have been used for decades are now of little use in combating new strains of bacterial infections - they have become resistant to first-generation antibiotics.
A recent Gallup survey for the American Lung Association determined that 60% of Americans believe that antibiotics are effective against colds and flu. These conditions are caused by viruses, against which antibiotics are powerless.
Recommended responsible antibiotic use:
-Don’t ask your doctor for antibiotics if you have a cold.
-Don’t ask for the “newest” antibiotic; you probably don’t need it.
-Take the entire prescription, even if you feel better within the first day or two.
-Never take “leftover” antibiotics from past infections.
-Control infection by washing hands frequently and staying home when you are sick.
-Get a flu vaccine every year; and a pneumonia vaccine if over age 65. Prime Health & Fitness, Fall 1997 and Health 9/97, John Hopkins Medical Letter 9/97.
CAFFEINE VS. CALCIUM - one needs at least 800 mgs. of calcium daily or risk losing bone density as one ages, even if strength-training. Consuming caffeine causes calcium to be excreted in urine, so if you insist on coffee or coke instead of herbal tea or juice, remember to increase your intake of calcium-rich foods. Good sources of calcium, besides milk and other dairy products, include sardines, fortified orange, grapefruit, or apple juice, broccoli, tofu, collards or turnip greens. Men’s Fitness 8/97 and 1/98, Health 11/97.
HEADACHE RELIEF BOOSTER - next time you take ibuprofen for a headache, chase it with coffee. According to research at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, taking caffeine and ibuprofen relieves headaches more effectively than ibuprofen alone. Among 400 headache patients, 71% of those who took ibuprofen and the caffeine equivalent of two cups of coffee reported complete relief, compared to 58% of those who took ibuprofen alone. Researchers believe that this combination should also work with backaches and other muscle pain. Men’s Health 9/97.
PURIFIED WATER NEEDS FLUORIDE - if your main source of drinking water is purified water from a reverse-osmosis water filter or distiller, be aware that these water purification systems remove fluoride, which is added to most water supplies to reduce cavities in children. If you use such water (or drink only bottled water), you should make sure that you and your kids use fluoride toothpaste and/or a fluoride rinse. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter, 2/98.
ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF EXERCISE - because inactive people rarely give their muscles a workout, they may never feel relaxed enough to fall asleep easily. Those who perform aerobic exercise often have more energy because activity both decreases the time it takes to fall asleep and increases the amount of deep sleep. Harvard Health Letter 8/97.
GETTING BURNED IN BED - one-half an hour on a tanning bed exposes one to as much UVA radiation as a full day at the beach according to British dermatologist. Also, tanning lamps will soon be on the official government list of “known carcinogens” - those substances known to cause cancer. Men’s Fitness 8/97 and University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter 2/98.
TEA PRIMER - there are three basic types of teas-black, oolong, and green and all three come from the same leaf - camellia sinensis - in fact, each of the more than 3,000 varieties comes from this same plant. The difference lies in how they are processed.
Black teas - the preferred drink in Europe and the Americas - are partially dried, crushed, allowed to “ferment” or oxidize in heat for a few hours, then fully dried. The theory used to be that bacteria or fungi on the leaves caused them to turn black, but now it is known that certain enzymes in the crushed leaves blacken them - an auto-oxidation process. Oolong tea, or red teas, are also oxidized, but for a shorter time.
Green teas, the preferred drink in Asia, are not crushed and oxidized. Instead they are steamed, then rolled and dried. The steaming actually prevents oxidation by inactivating the enzymes in the leaves. Thus, green and black teas have different chemical properties.
Brewed tea contains no significant nutrients - no calories, no vitamins, and only one mineral in any significant quantity - fluoride. One cup of black tea has enough fluoride to help prevent tooth decay, and green tea has twice as much. Tea contains caffeine, about 40 mgs. per cup, less than half the amount in coffee.
Tea also contains phytochemicals known as polyphenols. Most of these act as antioxidants. Green tea contains 300 to 400 mgs. of polyphenols. One of these polyphenols, known as EGCG, (and is found in no other plant) constitutes half of all green tea polyphenols and is one of the most potent antioxidants yet discovered (stronger than vitamin E and C). Black tea is less potent, but still has some polyphenols. Polyphenols have been shown to protect against hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, and possibly stroke. Green tea polyphenols may protect against some types of cancer (colorectal and pancreatic).
In addition, the tea plant is a rich source of flavonoids, the same substances that are thought to help make foods such as oranges and broccoli potential disease fighters. These antioxidants appear to protect the heart by lowering cholesterol levels. They also may help fight some cancers.
Many herbal teas also contain the same healthful polyphenols, but with no caffeine. Some notable herbal teas are chamomile (aids digestion and upset stomach), peppermint (relieves indigestion), valerian (sleep aid), and ginger (quells nausea and motion sickness).
Tea is the second most popular beverage in the world (water is first). It appears to have some very beneficial traits that make it a good hot beverage choice. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter 12/97, Self 1/97, Health 11/96, Herbalgram Spring 1996..
SOY PROTEIN LOWERS CANCER RISKS - the National Cancer Institute, in an ongoing study that started in 1989, has found that a diet rich in soy protein may help lower cholesterol and other blood lipids and reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancer. The scientists on the project believe that genistein, one of the soy isoflavones, inhibits tumor growth.
Soy protein may be obtained in soy milk (can be used on breakfast cereal), or using soynut butter on toast.
Separate epidemiological studies evaluated for a report in Phytomedicine found that allium vegetables (onion and garlic) have a protective effect against gastrointestinal tract cancers. Prime, Spring 1998.
SO IT’S “HARD” TO QUIT - according to a study of California smokers aged 21 to 64 enrolled in a smoking-cessation program, those who gave up cigarettes or cigars averaged more than twice as much sex as those who don’t quit. Scientists say tobacco use reduces testosterone levels and constricts arteries, lowering sex drive and sapping erections. Men’s Fitness 1/98.
LIVE LONG AND PERSPIRE - according to an eight-year study from the Cooper Clinic and Aerobics Center in Dallas, a lack of exercising is as hazardous to your health as smoking. The study, which followed the fitness habits of 25,000 men and 7,000 women, showed that failing to exercise regularly takes more years off your life than high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels or obesity. Prime Health & Fitness, Fall 1997.
BACK BELTS WORK - a recent study reported in the U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter found that such devices helped reduce back injuries by one-third. Men’s Fitness 8/97.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING - at least with snacking. British researchers gave snacks to subjects 90 minutes before mealtime, with the subjects reporting less appetite and led them to eat fewer total calories over the course of the day. But snacking just 30 minutes before a meal had the opposite effect. Health 10/97.
TIMING ALSO HELPS BREAST EXAMS - according to research at the University of Toronto, mammograms were twice as likely to miss cancer if taken during the last two weeks of the menstrual cycle. Water retention and other monthly breast changes may be part of what’s obscuring the picture. Until more is known, mammograms should be scheduled no more that 14 days after the start of menstruation. Health 11/97.
From the Flight Surgeon:
"Whining Willy'"
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
FAA Medical Examiner
(edited for this publication-LK)
[insert Battersby article here]
(I will fax Battersby article to you later - LK)
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
HEALTH NEWS
by Larry Kline
SLIM UP WITH SOLUBLE FIBER - according to Ed Saltzman, Ph.D., a food scientist at Tufts University in Boston, eating a diet high in soluble fiber might help the body excrete up to 200 calories’ worth of undigested fat a day. Food sources include legumes, whole grains, many vegetables and some fruits, including prunes, pears, and apples. Men’s Fitness 2/97.
SALT MAY HARM BONES - it appears that a high-salt diet may cause calcium loss in bones. The body wants to maintain a balance of calcium and sodium. Eating too much salt results in the body leaching calcium from your bones to make up the difference.
Researchers in Australia followed 100 postmenopausal women for two years and discovered that those who ate the most sodium had lost the most bone in their hips and ankles. Currently the U.S. government recommends a daily maximum of 2,400 mgs. of sodium. In the study, women with the highest losses got more than 3,000 mgs/day of sodium.
The vast majority (about 75%) of the sodium in our diets comes from processed foods. Health 3/97.
DIETING MAY HARM IMMUNE SYSTEM - when researchers asked eight women to cut their calories in half for 15 weeks, the activity of their natural killer cells, which repel viruses, fell 20%. Health 11/97.
LUV-BITES ARE GOOD FOR YOU - peanuts can be a very nutritional snack. They are a good source of protein, fiber, several vitamins and minerals, and a substance called resveratrol. Resveratrol is part of a group of chemicals called phenolics that are powerful antioxidants. Red-wine contains an enormous amount of resveratrol, but peanuts can provide a decent amount of the beneficial antioxidant to your diet. (It takes 11 handfuls of peanuts to deliver the resveratrol contained in one glass of red wine - so watch the fat intake). Health 11/97.
THE RIGHT WAY TO TAKE ANTIBIOTICS - you get a bug; your doctor gives you a week’s prescription for antibiotics. A couple of days later, you feel better and stop taking the medication. Bad move!
The antibiotic is intended to be taken until the prescription runs out. Failing to utilize the full amount and stopping prematurely enables some of the “bugs” in your system to survive and possibly mutate and develop into a more resilient strain of bacteria. Many antibiotics that have been used for decades are now of little use in combating new strains of bacterial infections - they have become resistant to first-generation antibiotics.
A recent Gallup survey for the American Lung Association determined that 60% of Americans believe that antibiotics are effective against colds and flu. These conditions are caused by viruses, against which antibiotics are powerless.
Recommended responsible antibiotic use:
-Don’t ask your doctor for antibiotics if you have a cold.
-Don’t ask for the “newest” antibiotic; you probably don’t need it.
-Take the entire prescription, even if you feel better within the first day or two.
-Never take “leftover” antibiotics from past infections.
-Control infection by washing hands frequently and staying home when you are sick.
-Get a flu vaccine every year; and a pneumonia vaccine if over age 65. Prime Health & Fitness, Fall 1997 and Health 9/97, John Hopkins Medical Letter 9/97.
CAFFEINE VS. CALCIUM - one needs at least 800 mgs. of calcium daily or risk losing bone density as one ages, even if strength-training. Consuming caffeine causes calcium to be excreted in urine, so if you insist on coffee or coke instead of herbal tea or juice, remember to increase your intake of calcium-rich foods. Good sources of calcium, besides milk and other dairy products, include sardines, fortified orange, grapefruit, or apple juice, broccoli, tofu, collards or turnip greens. Men’s Fitness 8/97 and 1/98, Health 11/97.
HEADACHE RELIEF BOOSTER - next time you take ibuprofen for a headache, chase it with coffee. According to research at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, taking caffeine and ibuprofen relieves headaches more effectively than ibuprofen alone. Among 400 headache patients, 71% of those who took ibuprofen and the caffeine equivalent of two cups of coffee reported complete relief, compared to 58% of those who took ibuprofen alone. Researchers believe that this combination should also work with backaches and other muscle pain. Men’s Health 9/97.
PURIFIED WATER NEEDS FLUORIDE - if your main source of drinking water is purified water from a reverse-osmosis water filter or distiller, be aware that these water purification systems remove fluoride, which is added to most water supplies to reduce cavities in children. If you use such water (or drink only bottled water), you should make sure that you and your kids use fluoride toothpaste and/or a fluoride rinse. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter, 2/98.
ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF EXERCISE - because inactive people rarely give their muscles a workout, they may never feel relaxed enough to fall asleep easily. Those who perform aerobic exercise often have more energy because activity both decreases the time it takes to fall asleep and increases the amount of deep sleep. Harvard Health Letter 8/97.
GETTING BURNED IN BED - one-half an hour on a tanning bed exposes one to as much UVA radiation as a full day at the beach according to British dermatologist. Also, tanning lamps will soon be on the official government list of “known carcinogens” - those substances known to cause cancer. Men’s Fitness 8/97 and University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter 2/98.
TEA PRIMER - there are three basic types of teas-black, oolong, and green and all three come from the same leaf - camellia sinensis - in fact, each of the more than 3,000 varieties comes from this same plant. The difference lies in how they are processed.
Black teas - the preferred drink in Europe and the Americas - are partially dried, crushed, allowed to “ferment” or oxidize in heat for a few hours, then fully dried. The theory used to be that bacteria or fungi on the leaves caused them to turn black, but now it is known that certain enzymes in the crushed leaves blacken them - an auto-oxidation process. Oolong tea, or red teas, are also oxidized, but for a shorter time.
Green teas, the preferred drink in Asia, are not crushed and oxidized. Instead they are steamed, then rolled and dried. The steaming actually prevents oxidation by inactivating the enzymes in the leaves. Thus, green and black teas have different chemical properties.
Brewed tea contains no significant nutrients - no calories, no vitamins, and only one mineral in any significant quantity - fluoride. One cup of black tea has enough fluoride to help prevent tooth decay, and green tea has twice as much. Tea contains caffeine, about 40 mgs. per cup, less than half the amount in coffee.
Tea also contains phytochemicals known as polyphenols. Most of these act as antioxidants. Green tea contains 300 to 400 mgs. of polyphenols. One of these polyphenols, known as EGCG, (and is found in no other plant) constitutes half of all green tea polyphenols and is one of the most potent antioxidants yet discovered (stronger than vitamin E and C). Black tea is less potent, but still has some polyphenols. Polyphenols have been shown to protect against hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, and possibly stroke. Green tea polyphenols may protect against some types of cancer (colorectal and pancreatic).
In addition, the tea plant is a rich source of flavonoids, the same substances that are thought to help make foods such as oranges and broccoli potential disease fighters. These antioxidants appear to protect the heart by lowering cholesterol levels. They also may help fight some cancers.
Many herbal teas also contain the same healthful polyphenols, but with no caffeine. Some notable herbal teas are chamomile (aids digestion and upset stomach), peppermint (relieves indigestion), valerian (sleep aid), and ginger (quells nausea and motion sickness).
Tea is the second most popular beverage in the world (water is first). It appears to have some very beneficial traits that make it a good hot beverage choice. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter 12/97, Self 1/97, Health 11/96, Herbalgram Spring 1996..
SOY PROTEIN LOWERS CANCER RISKS - the National Cancer Institute, in an ongoing study that started in 1989, has found that a diet rich in soy protein may help lower cholesterol and other blood lipids and reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancer. The scientists on the project believe that genistein, one of the soy isoflavones, inhibits tumor growth.
Soy protein may be obtained in soy milk (can be used on breakfast cereal), or using soynut butter on toast.
Separate epidemiological studies evaluated for a report in Phytomedicine found that allium vegetables (onion and garlic) have a protective effect against gastrointestinal tract cancers. Prime, Spring 1998.
SO IT’S “HARD” TO QUIT - according to a study of California smokers aged 21 to 64 enrolled in a smoking-cessation program, those who gave up cigarettes or cigars averaged more than twice as much sex as those who don’t quit. Scientists say tobacco use reduces testosterone levels and constricts arteries, lowering sex drive and sapping erections. Men’s Fitness 1/98.
LIVE LONG AND PERSPIRE - according to an eight-year study from the Cooper Clinic and Aerobics Center in Dallas, a lack of exercising is as hazardous to your health as smoking. The study, which followed the fitness habits of 25,000 men and 7,000 women, showed that failing to exercise regularly takes more years off your life than high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels or obesity. Prime Health & Fitness, Fall 1997.
BACK BELTS WORK - a recent study reported in the U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter found that such devices helped reduce back injuries by one-third. Men’s Fitness 8/97.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING - at least with snacking. British researchers gave snacks to subjects 90 minutes before mealtime, with the subjects reporting less appetite and led them to eat fewer total calories over the course of the day. But snacking just 30 minutes before a meal had the opposite effect. Health 10/97.
TIMING ALSO HELPS BREAST EXAMS - according to research at the University of Toronto, mammograms were twice as likely to miss cancer if taken during the last two weeks of the menstrual cycle. Water retention and other monthly breast changes may be part of what’s obscuring the picture. Until more is known, mammograms should be scheduled no more that 14 days after the start of menstruation. Health 11/97.
From the Flight Surgeon:
"Whining Willy'"
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
FAA Medical Examiner
(edited for this publication-LK)
[insert Battersby article here]
(I will fax Battersby article to you later - LK)
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