REPORTING POINT EXPRESS 08-01
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
“Live healthy...live well”
HEALTH NEWS
by Larry Kline
SWAPA Voice Mailbox 511/email: skyguy737@cox.net
BEING FIT BEATS BEING SLIM - an 8-year study of 22,000 men by the National Institute on Aging found that men who were thin but not aerobically fit had a higher death rate from heart disease than overweight men who exercised regularly. According to the study’s author, Steven Blair, P.Ed., of the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, “Leanness is no guarantee of good health. Being fit is more important in predicting mortality...” Men’s Health 5/00.
GLUCOSAMINE WORKS - a study recently published in Lancet found that people with mild-to-moderate knee arthritis who took 1,500 mgs of purified standardized glucosamine once a day for three years had, on average, 20 to 25% less pain and disability than those taking a placebo. X-ray exams showed that in those taking glucosamine, arthritis progressed slowly or not at all, while the placebo group continued to lose cartilage at the expected rate. Glucosamine produced no adverse effects.
This well-designed study, lasting three years, showed that glucosamine helped slow deterioration of cartilage and relieved pain. At this time, the study did not recommend taking chondroitin sulfate for arthritis. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 5/01. (Note: a recent Aviation Medical Bulletin [4/01] stated that both glucosamine and chondroitin were effective for pain relief of osteoarthritis, and one study actually indicated that chondroitin was superior to glucosamine for relieving arthritis pain.)
EAT TO IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY - a study at Tufts University in Boston found that a diet rich in blueberries, strawberries, and spinach improved short-term memory. Did we mention it helps improve your memory? Men’s Health 5/00.
PULL A WEED, SAVE A BONE - gardening may be more effective at combating osteoporosis than some forms of cardio-exercise. Researchers at the University of Arkansas surveyed 3,300 women aged 50 and older what they did to stay active. They discovered that regular gardeners - people who hit the garden at least once a week - had higher bone-density readings than women who swam, jogged, walked, or did aerobics. Health 9/00.
SOUNDS LIKE A TYPICAL SWA DUTY DAY - eating under stress can cause a dangerous spike in cholesterol levels. When French researchers had people eat meals under various conditions, they found that cholesterol and triglyceride levels increased and, in some cases, doubled when the people were most stressed. The lead researcher has stated that stress slows down the rate at which fats are broken down, causing them to stay in the bloodstream longer. Since these fluctuations can increase the risk of heart disease, keeping stress levels in check during mealtimes could effect coronary risk. Men’s Health 4/00.
EATING VEGGIES MAY SAVE YOUR VISION - age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 55. There are few effective treatments, but studies suggest diet may help prevent it. Researchers writing in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science examined the tissues of donated eyes and found that those with the highest lutein and zeaxanthin levels had the lowest incidence of ARMD. These two yellow carotenes - abundantly found in yellow and orange vegetables - are thought to protect the macula from oxidative damage. Let’s Live 5/01.
GOT FLAT FEET? - if you already have flat-feet, you know that the fallen arches can cause joint and lower-back pain. Now new research shows that flat feet, or even just lower arches can increase the risk of exercise-related stress fractures. In a Mayo Clinic study of 449 Navy SEALS, the men with lower arches were two times more likely than those with normal arches to develop stress fractures in their feet or legs. According to the study’s author, this is the first evidence that suggests that flatter feet can cause stress fractures. Arch supports (orthotics) can help relieve this risk. Men’s Health 4/00.
ANOTHER PROSTATE CANCER RISK DEFINED - how old was your father when he had you? According to a Boston University study, men born to older fathers may have a greater risk of prostate cancer. Researchers studied 2,200 men over a period of 20 years and found that those born when their fathers were age 38 or older were 70 percent more likely to have prostate cancer than those born to younger dads. The study’s authors speculates that older men’s sperm may contain DNA abnormalities that cause prostate cancer. The study recommends that sons of older dads get screened for prostate cancer starting at age 40. Men’s Health 4/00.
SODAS = CHILD OBESITY? - all it takes is one serving of soda or sugar-sweetened drink daily to increase your child’s risk of obesity by 60%, according to a new study published in The Lancet. Researchers studied more than 500 ethnically diverse school children ages 11 and 12. They found that for every can or glass of sugar-sweetened beverage children drank daily, both their body-mass index and their odds of becoming obese increased measurably - the risk of obesity increasing by 60%. Soda is the leading source of sugar in American adolescent diets. Let’s Live 5/01.
CLUSTER HEADACHE RELIEF - know someone who suffers from cluster headaches? New research shows that a cool bedroom can prevent cluster headaches. Researchers interviewed 200 patients and determined that 75 of them had an increase in body temperature less than an hour before the onset of the headaches. The researchers speculate that the headaches occur when heat causes blood vessels to dilate. Men’s Health 1/00.
OLIVE OIL - NOT JUST FOR YOUR HEART - researchers in Greece report that eating olive oil may reduce the risk of arthritis. When the diets of 333 subjects were evaluated, the researchers found that those who consumed olive oil the most had a 62 percent lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis than those who ate it infrequently. It appears that the oleic acid in olive oil may combat the inflammatory changes that contribute to rheumatoid arthritis. To realize these benefits and improve your good-to-bad cholesterol ratio, substitute olive oil for a few of the other fats in your diet at least every other day. Men’s Health 4/00.
PREVENTING MUSCLE PULLS - proper warm-up of the muscle is the single most effective way of preventing pulled muscles. Jogging for 10 minutes gets blood pumping to your legs so they are better able to handle sudden stop-and-start moves. And it’s more effective than stretching. Two recent studies showed no difference in injury rates between those who stretched before a workout and those who did not.
Also, be sure to hydrate yourself before strenuous exercise. If you are not hydrated properly, your body will steal water from your muscles, leaving them vulnerable to pulls. Men’s Health 4/00.
HEART SAVER - heart disease is the number one killer of men. There is now evidence that taking CoQ10, an antioxidant, may reduce this risk. Atherosclerotic plaque is the major initiator of a heart attack. The journal Atherosclerosis reported that CoQ10 not only reduced plaque size, but also helped prevent plaque rupture. Let’s Live 5/01.
From the Flight Surgeon:
"A BURNING HEART"
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
FAA Medical Examiner
(edited for this publication-LK)
The latest in the Harlequin series of sweaty “romance” novels? Something worse? (How could there be?) No, I want to talk about the “heartburn” that some pilots might experience that might or might not scare the heck out of them when first experienced, or when sensations of discomfort become quite severe.
A little review: mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach. The cells lining the stomach are resistant to digestive acid. Otherwise, of course, the stomach would start the digestive process on its own tissue!
The esophageal cells are not acid resistant. A valve at the juncture of the esophagus and stomach tends to separate the two areas, allowing food to pass, but at the same time preventing stomach acids from backing up through the valve and attacking the cells of the esophagus. Simple enough, but common enough that over-the-counter sales of meds to alleviate the pain and discomfort that arises from heartburn is estimated at $1 billion dollars each year.
So why an article on a condition that can be fixed with a shot of Maalox, Pepto, Tums, or whatever? Why, because, although a textbook account of how a doc can differentiate between heart disease and “heartburn” sounds relatively cut and dried, it ain’t always that easy in the real clinical world.
If I ate six burritos, loaded them with real salsa and washed them down with a six pack of Dos Equis, maybe. If I were sweating, had squeezing chest pain radiating to the neck, shoulder or left arm, maybe.
Even the term heartburn should suggest the possibility of confusion. Heartburn has been replaced by the acronym GERD - Gastro-esophageal reflux disease. My dad’s doc would say heartburn. GERD is much less understandable at first, therefore, a more desirable addition to medical jargon.
My message for this sermon is just the above paragraph. You rule out heart disease and find out about the nature of the gastro-intestinal disease and act to fix it.
GERD should be fairly easy to control. You may read somewhere that diet and stress aren’t involved. That’s b.s. Sadly, one prescription drug (only one) used to treat GERD caused some unpleasant effects on the heart. It is no longer used.
By checking out these symptoms, you have nothing to lose and can gain peace of mind and a relatively simple “fix.” Anyone with half a mind should recognize the fact that when his monthly bill for Tums exceeds 50 percent of his grocery costs, something ain’t quite kosher! Again, check it out.
Best,
Joe
