REPORTING POINT 03-01
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
“Live healthy...live well”
HEALTH NEWS
by Larry Kline
SWAPA Voice Mailbox 511/email: skyguy737@cox.net
LESS REST = GREATER STRENGTH - a study conducted by Oklahoma State University found that shorter rest intervals during weight training produce greater strength gains. The researchers measured the strength of both men and women test subjects both before and after they completed a 12-week resistance training program. The subjects who took 30-second breaks between sets gained 6 percent more strength than those who rested for 90 seconds. Less rest may force different muscle fibers into action, resulting in improved overall strength. Men’s Health 10/98.
HOW TO KEEP IT HARD - peak bone mass is reached between the ages of 20 and 30. After that, we start losing bone. By age 70, nearly 50% of American women have had at least one brittle bone fracture.
Antidote?...get at least 1,300 mgs. of calcium a day, get regular exercise and don’t smoke. Hope Health Letter 12/98.
REASON SWA CREWS SELDOM HAVE KIDNEY STONES - in a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers calculated that each daily glass of beer men drank lowered their kidney-stone risk by 40 percent. The hops may help keep calcium from accumulating in the kidneys. Men’s Health 9/00.
WHEAT BRAN IS BEST - wheat bran may be a better colon-cancer fighter than oat bran or corn bran. Ideally, the fiber in bran should stay in the colon long enough to attach to and move out any cancer-causing compounds, but not so long that it causes gas and bloating. Lab tests performed with corn, oat, and wheat brans showed that wheat bran was the best at colon cleansing and digestive comfort. Kellogg’s All-Bran and Post Raisin Bran cereal are good sources of wheat bran. Men’s Health 1/99.
FATIGUE CAN KILL YOU - a recent study indicated that exhaustion may impair the body’s ability to breakdown blood clots. When researchers screened the blood of rested test subjects and compared those results with subjects classified as chronically fatigued, they noted levels of PAI-1 (a chemical that stops clots from being dissolved) were twice as high in the fatigued subjects. This is significant as most heart attacks are caused by a blood clot in one of the coronary arteries, as well as increasing the risk of a stroke. If you know of someone who is chronically tired and fatigued, a physician can recommend a blood test to have PAI-1 levels measured. Men’s Health 10/98.
CUTTING DIGESTIVE CANCER RISK - a 14-year study found that men whose daily diets were highest in fruits and vegetables had a 70 percent lower risk of digestive tract cancers. Yet according to a National Cancer Institute survey, only 23 percent of Americans consume the recommended five-a-day goal.
Also, regular exercise has been shown to reduce risks for a number of cancers, including those of the prostate and colon. One Harvard study of nearly 48,000 subjects founds that those who ran a total of 4.5 miles a week at a 10-minute/mile pace had about half the colon-cancer risk of sedentary subjects. Your goal should be at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week. Men’s Health 9/98.
A BETTER COLONOSCOPY PREP - there is a new way to clear your colon prior to a colonoscopy exam, the most effective form of early colon cancer detection. Instead of chugging a gallon of laxative before the colonoscopy; you can now down three pills every 15 minutes with an 8-ounce glass of water or apple juice for 90 minutes the night before the procedure, then the same number the next morning. A lower dose is promised within a year. Men’s Journal 2/01.
GETTING ENOUGH CALCIUM? - THEN CHECK YOUR ZINC - if you have been good about consuming calcium to minimize your colon cancer risk and osteoporosis risk, be aware that calcium may cut zinc absorption in half, according to researchers at Tufts University in Boston. When trial participants took a 600-mg calcium supplement with a meal supplying 7.3 mg of zinc, zinc absorption was greatly decreased. A zinc deficiency may weaken the immune system and cut sexual drive and potency. Researchers don’t know yet if extra calcium will reduce zinc levels in the body over the long haul. To safeguard your health eat plenty of foods rich in zinc, such as lean meat, or take a supplement containing about 8 mg of zinc. Men’s Health 1/98.
CHECK IT ALL - malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, can turn up on parts of the body rarely exposed to the sun, such as the buttocks and soles of the feet. Thus, it’s important to examine your entire body on a regular basis. Any mole that changes shape, color, or size, any sore that doesn’t heal, or any persistent patch of irritated skin may be a sign of cancer and needs professional evaluation. There are advantages to a professional checkup, including early detection of thin melanomas, which are most treatable, especially on less-visible parts of the body. University of California Wellness Letter 1/01.
USE “A” AGAINST MELANOMA - a Brown University study suggests that vitamin A supplements may help treat malignant melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer that strikes more than 40,000 people a year. According to researchers, high doses of vitamin A encapsulated the cancerous tumors of mice and made the tumors easier to remove through surgery. Future studies will attempt to replicate the findings in human beings. Men’s Health 1/98.
Healthfact - PMS cure? - several studies in Denmark have found that foods rich in both vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids have been linked with a lack of symptoms such as headaches and cramps. A great source of these nutrients is salmon teriyaki. (So take her out for a great dinner - it'll make you both feel better!) (Self 3/96)
HEARING LOSS? - a drug under development may speed the ear’s recovery from noise-induced hearing loss. Loud noises spur the production of free radicals in the inner ear. In response, the body boosts production of the antioxidant glutathione. The drug, R-PIA, helps this process along by increasing the activity of glutathione. Researchers tested the drug on chinchillas, whose auditory range is similar to that of humans. Men’s Health 1/98.
PREVENTING INCONTINENCE - as many as one in four men who undergo radical prostatectomy loses some bladder control. But doctors say that a simple procedure can prevent urinary incontinence in men who undergo removal of the prostate. When the prostate is removed, the bladder can fall into the newly created cavity, causing incontinence. Doctors using this new technique tie tissue to the bladder and lift it back into place. The procedure adds about 10 minutes to the prostatectomy. Men’s Health 1/98.
RELIEF FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE - sufferers of osteoarthritis, a painful joint disease, don’t always find relief through therapy and traditional painkillers. A new synthetic fluid injection seems to relieve osteoarthritic pain, without side effects. Synvisc, now FDA approved, works by replacing a natural lubrication fluid in the knee that is damaged through osteoarthritis. A treatment course of three injections may protect the joint for more than eight months. Men’s Health 1/98.
