REPORTING POINT EXPRESS 08-02
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
Live healthy...live well”
HEALTH NEWS
by Larry Kline
SWAPA Voice Mailbox 511/email: skyguy737@cox.net
AVOIDING FAST- FOOD DISASTERS - fast-food restaurants offer very few “light” choices these days, but there are ways to avoid fat and calorie-dense meals by ordering wisely. Anything with mayonnaise should be avoided (100 calories per spoonful), as well as cheese, sugar or double-sized portions. Fried chicken or fish patties can be just as full of saturated fat as beef. Here are a few alternatives that can be healthier choices:
BURGER KING
Instead of: Fish Sandwich, King-size onion rings, chocolate shake = 1,700 calories, 73 grams of fat, 26 saturated fat;
Try: Broiler Chicken Sandwich, no mayo, small fries, large diet coke = 620 calories, 19 grams of fat, 5 grams saturated fat.
McDONALD’s
Instead of: Big Mac, large fries, large coke, oreo McFlurry = 2,010 calories, 80 grams of fat, 27 grams saturated fat;
Try: Hamburger, garden salad with fat-free vinaigrette, orange juice, fruit ‘n yogurt parfait = 775 calories, 20 grams of fat, 9 grams saturated fat.
Even these alternatives are fairly heavy in fat and calories. A 700 calorie lunch is not a light meal, and these fast-food meals are very high in sodium. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 12/01.
AN APPLE A DAY...- the apple is one of the best snack foods you can eat. Scientists at Cornell University recently found that one apple - with the skin left on - has “unbelievably high antioxidant activity,” surpassing that of 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C. The researchers are studying apple extracts, which are rich in phenolic acids and flavonoids, for their potential to stave off cancer, heart disease and other age-related conditions. Men’s Fitness 11/00.
INTERNET RUMORS - we all have seen emails concerning something allegedly commonplace in our lives that insidiously places us and our loved-ones at risk. Receiving this unsubstantiated information over the internet, one needs to be skeptical before accepting these rumors as fact. NO, antiperspirants do not cause breast cancer, NO, canola oil is not toxic, nor is aspartame. NO, tampons are not contaminated by asbestos and dioxin.
For information concerning these health rumors, visit the special section of the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/hoax_rumors.htm. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 12/01.
YOU CAN REDUCE CANCER RISK - the American Institute for Cancer Research estimates that 30 to 40 percent of cancers are directly linked to poor eating and exercising habits. Health 1/01.
BIGGER, BETTER BICEPS - when it comes to biceps training, most people complete a full-repetition - concentric through eccentric phase - in about two or three seconds. To increase intensity and enlist even deeper fibers in the biceps, significantly slow down your barbell or dumbbell curls. Take a full six-seconds on the upward phase, pause, squeeze the biceps in the contracted position, then take six seconds to return to the starting position. Do four slow sets, then proceed with the rest of your biceps routine, returning to your usual biceps-routine speed. The biceps will be sore for several days after utilizing this approach, but that is just a sign that the biceps are working to the fullest. Men’s Fitness 5/00.
DO WHAT COWS DO - grazing, or eating smaller meals more frequently, is an excellent way to control your weight and keep your energy level high. New research shows it may also be an effective way of lowering your cholesterol. In the study, middle-aged and older adults who ate frequently throughout the day had lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels than those who ate one or two large meals a day. Runner’s World 4/02.
TREATING MUSCLE SORENESS FROM TRAINING - seeking pain relief for muscle soreness caused by exercising strenuously may be tough. Researchers at Coventry University in England found that common pain relievers had no effect on exercise-induced muscle pain. Test subjects who exercised their biceps to exhaustion using free weights, then sought relief using either aspirin, codeine, acetaminophen, or a placebo for 11 days reported no decrease in muscle aches. Time is the only pain reliever for such soreness, a sign that you have worked the muscles hard enough to cause microtrama to the fibers. Men’s Fitness 3/01.
SMART SNACKING - berries and other fruits may be one of the best snack choices you can make. Along with a high water content, berries have lots of fiber, so they have fewer calories than other snacks. Ten jelly beans, 18 fat-free pretzels, or 2 3/4 cups of fresh strawberries are all 100 calories snacks. You are more likely to be satisfied with the berries as a snack and stop there, rather than continue to munch on the sugary snack or pretzels.
In a ten-year study of heart disease risk factors published in 1999 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, scientists analyzed diet and weight-gain patterns in 3,000 people. Dietary fiber had a very strong protective effect against weight gain - the amount of fiber people ate was more important in determining who did or did not add pounds than the quantity of fat they ate. Health 1/01.
ADVICE FROM BEN FRANKLIN - in 1732, a 26-year old Ben Franklin launched Poor Richard’s Almanac, which contained the following health tip: “To lengthen thy Life, lessen thy Meals.” This advice, backed by absolutely no peer-reviewed studies or double-blind tests, came from a man known for wit, wisdom, and the foresight to help found a nation. Men’s Health 12/00.
REDUCING HEART DISEASE RISK - taking both vitamin E and aspirin every day may significantly lower the risk of heart disease - even if your cholesterol level is high. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that the antioxidant and blood-thinner combination helped to reduce levels of plaque in clogged arteries by more than 80 percent. The study’s author stated, “The benefit of the two treatments together is so great it may help...prevent atherosclerosis even if they can’t lower their cholesterol levels.” Men’s Health 3/02.
THE PLACEBO EFFECT - in the mid-1950's a Harvard University professor concluded that 35 percent of those suffering from a number of common problems would respond to faux treatment. Since then, placebos have become a staple in randomized “double-blind” drug trials in which neither patients nor physicians know whether their medications are real or fake. (For a drug to get approved by the FDA, its effect must be demonstrated to be superior to that of a placebo.)
An early theory about placebos believed that it was a conditioned response, i.e., people who have experienced relief in medical settings or from ingesting a pill are primed to do the same again. This is considered a psychological phenomenon without actual physiological impact. For a long time, the mind and body were considered to work separately.
New brain-imagery techniques support the theory that thoughts and beliefs not only effect one’s psychological state, but also cause the body to undergo actual biological changes.
Some researchers believe the body is interwined with biochemical pathways that have one end in the mind and the other in the body. These pathways make up what one scientist calls the body’s “inter-pharmacy,” which can be controlled somewhat depending on your mental state.
One example is endorphins, which are potent pain-relief chemicals, similar to morphine, produced by positive brain stimulus - runners and weight lifters often experience endorphin highs while training or competing. Then, there is psychoneuroimmunology, a field based on the immune system’s ability to fight off infections using the power of affirmative thinking. A third pathway is the relationship between stress and hormones - once the mind reaches a state of deep relaxation in which stress levels decline as blood pressure and heart rates drop, the body is able to recharge its healing energy.
Several factors seem to contribute to a placebo’s effectiveness, including the patient’s hope level and commitment. Also, the attitude of the medical personnel can contribute to the efficacy of a placebo. While a strong doctor-patient relationship is a placebo’s foundation, it is not always necessary. People can generate some of the placebo effect if they use a treatment that they believe works, whether or not in the presence of a doctor. It is even possible for a placebo to continue being effective after a patient becomes aware of it.
Likewise, negative thoughts can disrupt the healing process, causing a negative placebo. Keeping positive thoughts can enhance the healing process and aid the body’s recovery. Men’s Fitness 11/00.
THE DANGER OF INACTIVITY - after 10 to 15 days of inactivity, the body’s cells forget how to use energy as efficiently as before the period of inactivity. After three weeks of inactivity, significant fitness declines set in. A study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research by Randy Wilber, Ph.D., director of human performance at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, found evidence of large-scale “detraining.” Aerobic capacity was down 8 percent, stroke volume of the heart was down 10 percent, muscle-capillary density was down 7 percent, and use of fat for fuel during exercise dropped 52 percent.
This all means that the cells are not getting as many nutrients as before, and then not making good use of the ones they do get. The radical decline in the cells’ ability to break down fat is a major blow, since the body has a very limited store of carbohydrates. Since the body is not using as much fat, it is harder to lose weight during these periods of physical inactivity.
Remedy?...for the average fit male, one hard workout a week stops most of the decline in aerobic endurance, while two hard workouts can stop muscle atrophy. Other studies have shown that three hard workouts per week can maintain even world-class fitness levels. Staying strong is even easier: one hard session a week - of at least moderate intensity. Men’s Fitness 12/00.
KEEP WASHING YOUR HANDS - there’s more evidence that frequent hand-washing reduces the risk of colds and the flu. A large study of Naval recruits at the training center in Illinois found that when the recruits washed their hands at least five times a day, they cut the rate of respiratory illnesses by 45%.
Many health professionals, who are exposed to many pathogens during their work day, are required to wash their hands frequently and keep the hands away from their face. The hands carry various germs, and frequent washing and keeping them away from the face has proven to be the best defense against infection. A Purdue University study of day-care workers and children compared rigorous hand washers to non-washers. The researchers found that 50 percent more people in the non-washing group caught colds over 21 weeks. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 12/01, Today’s Health & Wellness 11/00.
