Health News

REPORTING POINT 06-04

HEALTH NEWS

“Live healthy...live well”

by Larry Kline

SWAPA Voice Mailbox 4337/email: livehealthy-livewell@cox.net

(Past issues of “Health News” are available on my son’s website, which includes a word-search engine - just go to the site with your browser and insert the key word to find past articles: http://home.earthlink.net/~candace_ball/healtharticles/frameset.htm) - LK

CREATINE REVIEW - researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin recently reviewed more than 500 studies on creatine supplementation published over the past 40 years and found that men under the age of 36 who take creatine for just 2 to 3 months may be able to boost their maximum bench press by 15 pounds and their squat by 21 pounds. The researchers also found that creatine’s strength-boosting benefits taper off as you get older. Men’s Health 5/03.

CALCIUM TAKEN YOUNG CAN KEEP BONES HEALTHY - it is really important to get kids, especially girls, to consume enough calcium from milk and other sources, as it could affect their lives decades later. A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who drank little or no milk in childhood and adolescence have lower bone density and, after age 50, an increased risk of fractures. Increasingly, children are drinking soda and fruit punch instead of milk, particularly in school. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 4/03.

DIAGNOSING A MIGRAINE - less than 28 million Americans who suffer from migraines are ever diagnosed. The following symptoms are 93 percent effective in diagnosing migraine headaches:

-has a headache limited your activities for a day or more in the past three months?

-do you feel nauseated when you have a headache?

-does light bother you when you have a headache?

If you have these symptoms with your headache, see your physician for help.

If you suffer from migraines, there are two new alternative, over-the-counter products that may help relieve migraine pain:

“Lightmask”: this lightly padded device lets gently pulsing light shine onto the eyes for 15 minutes. The mask may regulate an overreaction to light in the optic nerve that is believed to cause migraines. Anecdotal evaluation from testers indicated that some subjects received relief from headaches, if the headache was relatively mild. However, full-blown migraine sufferers did not receive much relief. The “Lightmask” is available at www.riobeauty.com for $65.

“AcuBead” is an adhesive strip with titanium beads placed on the earlobe that is pressed firmly against the skin to stimulate acupressure points. The “AcuBead” inventor theorizes that the pressure may cause a release of endorphins. Testers of this product did receive relief after squeezing off-and-on for half an hour. The “AcuBead” is available at drugstores for $19.99. Health 11/03, Health 5/03.


GOOD FOODS FOR YOUR PROSTATE - besides selenium being a good mineral to reduce prostate cancer risk, boron is also beneficial. Researchers at UCLA found that those taking in the most boron had a 65 percent lower risk of prostate cancer than those consuming the least. American men have one of the lowest dietary boron intakes in the world. Raisins and almonds are both high in boron.

A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that the carotenoid neoxanthin (an antioxidant) was the most effective at killing prostate cancer cells in a test tube. Spinach is a good source of this antioxidant. Men’s Health 5/03.

NUTRITIONAL QUIZ 7- Flaxseeds are a good source of alpha-linolenic acid, a heart-healthy polyunsaturated fat. To get the nutritional benefits of the seeds, you should

a) toast them thoroughly

b) grind them, or else chew them very well

c) buy yellow seed, not brown ones

Answer is below.

FIGHTING FIBROIDS - as many as 70% of women will develop fibroids at some time in their lives, and 25 percent of them will experience troublesome symptoms. Fibroids can interfere with fertility, cause debilitating pain, and bring about heavy periods. They are the top three reasons women undergo hysterectomies, the most common treatment for the tumors. It has also been estimated that up to 100,000 women a year are unable to have children because of fibroids.

In the past decade, several new medical procedures have had measured success. Myomectomy, a surgical technique in which fibroids are removed while keeping the uterus intact, appeals to women who want to have children. In as many as 50 percent of cases, however, the growths come back. More recently, uterine-artery embolization (UAE) has gained popularity. In this minimally invasive procedure, small particles are injected into arteries that supply blood to fibroids, stunting the tumors’ growth. But studies published last year in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology found that UAE may be less effective than previously believed and can cause complications in women who later become pregnant.

Alternative approaches are being researched, but have not yet been embraced by traditional medicine, which still favors surgery as the primary treatment choice.

Also, new and different theories as to the origins of fibroids are surfacing. One theory believes that certain reproductive hormones, such as estrogen, may become unbalanced, causing these benign tumors to develop in and on the uterus. Besides a genetic link, traditional medicine cannot explain why some women get fibroids and others do not. Some alternative medicine practitioners believe that unhealthy foods, stress and lack of exercise and sleep may alter the female hormonal balance and lead to fibroids.


Many women will experiment with alternative approaches to fibroids. The only potentially life-threatening danger is if the bleeding is heavy and persistent and the woman becomes anemic. Some of the alternative approaches involve dietary changes, acupuncture, and herbs. Some alternative therapies suggest eating salmon, tuna, and halibut, as well as nuts, seeds, beans and tofu. Others suggest quitting smoking, limiting alcohol, exercising at least three times a week, doing yoga to lower stress, and getting regular sleep.

Some herbal supplements that have been recommended to treat fibroids include black cohosh, evening primrose oil, red raspberry, and vitex (chaste berry). Some of these herbals may be strong and potentially dangerous. Consultation with a physician should be mandatory before consuming any of these products. Health 5/03.

TEA FOR SENSITIVE TEETH - drinking tea on a regular basis may help reduce your teeth’s sensitivity to hot and cold temperature. The benefit comes from tannic acid, a compound in black tea that clogs microscopic holes in teeth. Filling these holes helps keep hot and cold liquids from irritating the roots of teeth. For people with sensitive teeth, a couple of cups of tea each day may be enough to eliminate tooth pain. Men’s Health 5/03.

THE “SILVER BULLET” OF DISEASE PREVENTION – “...there is no drug in current or prospective use that holds as much promise for sustained health as a lifetime program of physical exercise.” This is the statement by Dr. Walter Bortz, professor of Medicine at Stanford University. It reflects the understanding of researchers who are beginning to grasp the enormous benefits of exercise. One recent study at the University of Pennsylvania found that exercise actually does act on the blood vessels in a similar way that medication does. It reduces inflammation in blood vessel walls; inflammation has been identified as a key factor in hardening of the arteries, clots, and heart attacks. The researchers are not talking about just extreme exercisers receiving the exercise-benefit, but just exercising enough to get the blood flowing faster seems to reap the health benefit. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 4/03.

WASH THAT FRUIT - according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of food-poisoning outbreaks caused by eating contaminated fruits and vegetables has more than doubled in the past 10 years. Salmonella and E. coli, along with Norwalk and hepatitis A viruses can infect almost all types of fruit and vegetables. Washing these foods before eating them can prevent a very unpleasant episode. Men’s Health 5/03.

EAT MORE OFTEN TO WEIGH LESS - researchers in France studies the diets, weights, and body-mass indexes of test subjects and found that those who ate small, frequent meals were significantly thinner and healthier than those who ate larger meals just once or twice a day.

NUMBER OF MEALS/DAY AVERAGE BMI WAIST TO HIP RATIO

1-2 28.7 0.98

3 26.2 0.95

4 26.4 0.94

5 24.5 0.93

Men’s Health 5/03.


NUTRITIONAL QUIZ ANSWER: b) whole seeds simply pass through the body. If you purchase whole seeds, use a spice grinder or food processor to reduce the seeds. Pre-ground seeds are more convenient, but may turn rancid faster. Store ground flaxseeds in the freezer in an air-tight container to delay oxidation of the seeds. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 6/03.

AN APPLE A DAY... - researchers at the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki, Finland, studied the diets of 60,000 men and women over a year and found that individuals who ate apples the most frequently were 12 percent less likely to die during the course of the study than those who ate the least. They also were less likely to develop the following diseases by the following amounts:

Asthma reduced risk by 48%

Type-2 diabetes reduced risk by 27%

Stroke reduced risk by 25%

Lung cancer reduced risk by 60%

Heart disease reduced risk by 29% Men’s Health 1/03.

WHAT’S THE BEEF? - besides Mad Cow dangers, should you be concerned what is in your pork chops, hamburger, and chicken wings? Many health experts and groups, including the American Medical Association and World Health Organization, and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which represents cattle ranchers and beef producers, has begun looking into some of the farming practices of its members, including the use of growth hormones.

Of particular concern is the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in beef, pork, and poultry production. The AMA is supporting legislation that calls for more restrictions on the practice. Most animals raised for food in the United States receive regular doses of antibiotics in their feed or water, to protect them from injury and diseases they might receive while being raised in crowded, confined conditions.

Once cattle reach a certain size, they are moved from grazing fields into large pens called feedlots. Such conditions pose an increased risk of injury and illness. As a preventative measure, all of the animals, not just the sick ones, are given antibiotics.

These drugs also accelerate growth, maximizing production so that meat gets to market cheaper and faster.

According to recent medical studies, nontherapeutic dosing may exacerbate the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including such food-borne germs as salmonella and campylobacter, and also the bacteria that cause urinary-tract infections and pneumonia. This means that the once powerful antimicrobial drugs commonly prescribed for these illnesses may no longer work as well as they used to. Many once-powerful antibiotics have become less effective; Cipro, which was recommended for the anthrax scare after 9/11, has become 13% less effective in the last decade. Cipro is part of a family of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones commonly given to animals like chickens. Many researchers believe that the evidence is compelling that using antibiotics on animals contributes to resistance in humans. Human overuse is also a major factor in the resistance of bacteria to commonly-used antibiotics.

Such evidence has led the World Health Organization to repeatedly recommend that antibiotics used on humans not be prescribed to promote animal growth. Most developed countries in the world, except for Canada and the United States, restrict their use.


Health experts in the United States and abroad are also raising concerns abut growth hormones. Poultry farmers discontinued the drug’s use several decades ago. But the practice remains standard in the beef industry. To help cattle bulk up quickly with less feed, producers routinely implant a pellet into its ear that releases a continual hormonal stream.

These substances can find their way into water and soil, and residues can remain in meat. Some researchers believe that it is reasonable to make the link between the increased incidence of certain cancers, such as those of the breast and prostate, to the increased amount of estrogen-like hormones in our environment. The most common source for these substances is pesticides, plastics that shed synthetic estrogens, and the use of hormones in beef production. To date, the USDA says that hormone-treated beef is safe, provided cattle are drug-free for a given length of time before slaughter.

But the European Union has banned imported American beef for more than a decade because of concerns about growth hormone residues.

Concern about these issues is bringing more choices to supermarkets and changing the way many farmers raise animals. Organic options are available in most markets and more consumers are demanding these alternatives. Health 5/03.