The American Academy of Dermatology has launched a “Don’t Seek the Sun” campaign, reminding us of grim statistics: 1 million cases of skin cancer annually associated with the sun. Yet, in one issue of the National Cancer Institute’s Journal two independent studies suggested that sunlight may reduce the risk of certain cancers. Now, some scientists are “wondering if warning people away from solar rays is doing more harm than good. Are we inviting some diseases – including common cancers – to avoid skin cancers?
Michael Thun, M.D., chief epidemiologist for the American Cancer Society, told the Associated Press that the recent findings have caused the society to review the vitamin D evidence as part of an on-going evaluation of its sun-protection guidelines: “There is now intriguing evidence that vitamin D may have a role in the prevention as well as treatment of certain cancers.”
One reason sunlight is considered important is that vitamin D is relatively scarce in foods. Vitamin D is contained in milk, fortified cereals and juice, and a few types of fish, but is probably not consumed at sufficient levels to meet the recommended daily requirements for vitamin D, and certainly not at levels needed to ward off cancer. On the other hand, just 15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure at midday is enough to make 20,000 IUs of vitamin D.
Ultimately, more research is needed. “The proof for a cancer benefit of vitamin D is not airtight,” says Dr. Edward Giovannucci, one of the researchers defending the sun.
SOURCE: TUFTS UNIVERSITY HEALTH & NUTRITION LETTER Aug. 2005, Vol. 23, No. 6 pp4-5
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Does Lack of Vitamin D Cause Winter’s Deadly Toll
With abundant documentation, it is evidence that more people die in winter than any other season. It doesn’t seem to matter where people live. They can live in the colder northern states or in warmer climes.
This puzzle was presented at the International Congress of Biometeorology where a study was released claiming that people do not die because it is cold, but because it is winter. The study was presented by Robert E. Davis, a University of Virginia environmental scientist.
One theory is that winter mortality might be related to vitamin D deficiencies, from lack of sunlight. “It may be a contributing factor,” said Peter Hoeppe, an environmental scientist with Ludwigs-Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. Yet, Heoppe could not explain how vitamin D deficiency might kill at a specific time of year.
Biometeorology disciples have long considered winter to be a time full of aches, and pain, and blahs. But, Davis’ study of mortality rates has cast an even darker shadow on the season.
There are many factors to consider: the frigid cold and heart disease; climatic factors such as El Nino and resulting warmer weather and storms; wind chill and frostbite; and being indoors and passing on diseases. SOURCE: PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Dec. 22, 2002, n.p. & KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS. Distributed by KNIGHT-RIDDER/
This puzzle was presented at the International Congress of Biometeorology where a study was released claiming that people do not die because it is cold, but because it is winter. The study was presented by Robert E. Davis, a University of Virginia environmental scientist.
One theory is that winter mortality might be related to vitamin D deficiencies, from lack of sunlight. “It may be a contributing factor,” said Peter Hoeppe, an environmental scientist with Ludwigs-Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. Yet, Heoppe could not explain how vitamin D deficiency might kill at a specific time of year.
Biometeorology disciples have long considered winter to be a time full of aches, and pain, and blahs. But, Davis’ study of mortality rates has cast an even darker shadow on the season.
There are many factors to consider: the frigid cold and heart disease; climatic factors such as El Nino and resulting warmer weather and storms; wind chill and frostbite; and being indoors and passing on diseases. SOURCE: PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Dec. 22, 2002, n.p. & KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS. Distributed by KNIGHT-RIDDER/
Friday, December 19, 2008
Are Alternative Therapies Effective Against Depression
If you are thinking about alternative therapies to fight depression, you need to be discriminating. Following is a summary of study results from five different alternative therapies in the treatment of depression.
Acupuncture – The needles placed at certain point in the body are believed to enhance the flow of energy and relieve emotional problems. A 1995 study found that three quarters of depressed women having acupuncture said they felt “significantly” better after eight weeks.
Herbal Remedies – If taken correctly, herbal compounds taken as teas, tinctures, or pills have been said to alleviate many conditions including depression. Few herbs have been studied as antidepressants, but Saint John’s Wort seemed to work against moderate depression with few side effects in a German study.
Exercise – It lessens anxiety and other negative emotions for hours, or if done regularly, for days and weeks. According to a 1970’s study of men who reported moderate depression, those who took up exercise were 12 times less likely than non-exercisers to remain depressed two years later.
Meditation – The “relaxation response” of meditation is said to decrease pain and reduce anxiety and depression. Based on dozens of studies, doctors have been urged to accept meditation as an effective treatment for chronic pain, anxiety, and panic attacks.
Nutrition – Some alternative practitioners recommend a fast to purge “toxins” from the body; types of food are then gradually re-introduced to track how patients respond. There is no reliable scientific literature on the psychological value of abstaining from food.
SOURCE: HEALTH - JAN / FEB 1997 PP 72-78
Acupuncture – The needles placed at certain point in the body are believed to enhance the flow of energy and relieve emotional problems. A 1995 study found that three quarters of depressed women having acupuncture said they felt “significantly” better after eight weeks.
Herbal Remedies – If taken correctly, herbal compounds taken as teas, tinctures, or pills have been said to alleviate many conditions including depression. Few herbs have been studied as antidepressants, but Saint John’s Wort seemed to work against moderate depression with few side effects in a German study.
Exercise – It lessens anxiety and other negative emotions for hours, or if done regularly, for days and weeks. According to a 1970’s study of men who reported moderate depression, those who took up exercise were 12 times less likely than non-exercisers to remain depressed two years later.
Meditation – The “relaxation response” of meditation is said to decrease pain and reduce anxiety and depression. Based on dozens of studies, doctors have been urged to accept meditation as an effective treatment for chronic pain, anxiety, and panic attacks.
Nutrition – Some alternative practitioners recommend a fast to purge “toxins” from the body; types of food are then gradually re-introduced to track how patients respond. There is no reliable scientific literature on the psychological value of abstaining from food.
SOURCE: HEALTH - JAN / FEB 1997 PP 72-78
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Alopecia Areata – An Autoimmune Disease
Alopecia Areata, a disorder which prompts the immune system to attacks an individual’s hair follicles, causes hair to fall from the scalp, face, and other parts of the body. It is an autoimmune disease in that it is caused by the immune system mistaking the body’s very own cells as foreign invaders. It is one of many autoimmune diseases that can strike various body systems.
It is not known why the immune system reacts to body systems in this way. But, most scientists believe that genes and environmental factors play a role. The disease itself, however, needs a trigger.
If the skin is the target, you may have skin rashes, blisters, or color changes. In Alopecia Areata, the hair follicles are attacked. In diagnosing an autoimmune disease, blood tests may help in the diagnosis, but not always. Your doctor may be able to diagnose your condition quickly based on your medical history, exam, and test results, but the process often takes time.
Autoimmune diseases are treated in various ways. Treatments aim at relieving symptoms, preserving organ function, and targeting the disease mechanisms themselves. Different autoimmune diseases may require different treatments and different doctors. In some cases, only one doctor is necessary to manage the disease. In other cases, you may require a team of doctors to treat the disease. Individuals with Alopecia Areata should consult a dermatologist as this specialist treats problems of the skin, hair, and nails.
Persons with Alopecia may face problems with self-esteem, but treatments can help. SOURCE: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT…AUTOIMMUNITY (JAN. 2002
PAGES 1-30) HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin DiseasesSuDoc Number: HE20.3917:AU8
It is not known why the immune system reacts to body systems in this way. But, most scientists believe that genes and environmental factors play a role. The disease itself, however, needs a trigger.
If the skin is the target, you may have skin rashes, blisters, or color changes. In Alopecia Areata, the hair follicles are attacked. In diagnosing an autoimmune disease, blood tests may help in the diagnosis, but not always. Your doctor may be able to diagnose your condition quickly based on your medical history, exam, and test results, but the process often takes time.
Autoimmune diseases are treated in various ways. Treatments aim at relieving symptoms, preserving organ function, and targeting the disease mechanisms themselves. Different autoimmune diseases may require different treatments and different doctors. In some cases, only one doctor is necessary to manage the disease. In other cases, you may require a team of doctors to treat the disease. Individuals with Alopecia Areata should consult a dermatologist as this specialist treats problems of the skin, hair, and nails.
Persons with Alopecia may face problems with self-esteem, but treatments can help. SOURCE: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT…AUTOIMMUNITY (JAN. 2002
PAGES 1-30) HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin DiseasesSuDoc Number: HE20.3917:AU8
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Alternative Arthritis Remedies Go Mainstream
Environmental Nutrition Offers Primer
Those seeking relief from the pain, stiffness and inflammation of arthritis are not alone. A recent survey reveals that half of the 43 million Americans with arthritis have lost faith in conventional remedies. With no cure in sight, it is not surprising that two-thirds of sufferers have tried alternative treatments like diet, vitamins, and herbs.
For chronic diseases such as arthritis, the benefits from certain dietary changes and some supplements may outweigh the risks, says William J. Arnold, M.D., a rheumatologist and chair of the Arthritis Foundation’s Task Force on Complementary and Alternative Therapies.
Following is a look at some promising therapies:
Glucosamine is one-half of the “arthritis cure” popularized by a 1997 book. A growing body of evidence supports its role in relieving pain, swelling and tenderness of Osteoarthritis (OA). Researchers are optimistic about glucosamine’s ability to relieve symptoms as effectively as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but without the serious gastrointestinal side-effects. In addition, glucosamine may also halt the breakdown of cartilage.
Chondroitin is the other half of the “arthritis cure”. This substance acts as a “liquid magnet,” drawing fluid into cartilage, making it spongy and protecting it from destructive enzymes. Yet, there is no clear clinical evidence to support the theory that chondroitin rebuilds cartilage. Chondroitin is also expensive.
Glucosamine/Chondroitin Combo – In his 1997 book, The Arthritis Cure, and in Maximizing the Arthritis Cure, Jason Theodosakis, MD, a sports and preventive medicine specialist at the University of Arizona in Tuscon, advocates a combination of these two substances to treat OA. He speculates that the two together have a synergistic effect. The National Institutes of Health recently launched a study to determine the short-term effectiveness and safety of glucosamine and chondroitin, both individually and in combination.
SAM-e or S-adenosylmethionine is a substance that occurs naturally in the body. Researchers believe supplemental amounts relieve pain and improve joint mobility by increasing cartilage thickness. However, like chondroitin, this supplement is very expensive.
Antioxidant Vitamins and Minerals - Antioxidant nutrients like vitamins C and E, beta carotene and the mineral selenium may offer some protection to joints. People with OA who eat an antioxidant-rich diet, especially one high in Vitamin C, may reduce cartilage loss and slow disease progression.
Vitamin D – It has long been known that inadequate Vitamin D can lead to rickets and other bone problems. A Boston University study showed that older people with low D intakes and low blood levels of D were three times more likely to experience worsening of OA of the knee.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids – found in fish, canola oil, flaxseed and avocado may be protective. More than 20 clinical trials have described improvement in tender joints, fatigability, and morning stiffness in people taking fish oil supplements.
GLA – Certain oils – black current oil, borage seed oil and evening primrose oil, all contain gammalinolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid that acts more like Omega-3. The studies vary on showing a benefit from GLA.
Arthritis Diets – There is a slew of dietary advice for arthritis sufferers. However, there is no proven miracle diet or cure. If you simply eat right – lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains, plus maintain a healthy weight, you can probably alleviate some arthritis symptoms. Not only is being overweight a strain on the joints, but people with arthritis often become sedentary as a result of their limited mobility. Exercise can be beneficial, helping to maintain weight and reduce stiffness.
Herbal Remedies – Many herbal remedies recommended to alleviate arthritis may not be familiar to westerners. Turmeric contains the yellow pigment curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. When mixed with Boswellia, a gum from an Asian tree, and zinc, it has been shown in test tube and animal studies to inhibit prostaglandins that trigger inflammation.
The bottom line is that people with arthritis need to be especially vigilant when assessing the benefits of alternative remedies. Since the chronic symptoms of arthritis typically wax and wane over time, it is difficult to tell what has actually helped.
(Summarized from Environmental Nutrition, April, 2000; article by Betsy Keller, M.S., R.D. – Copyright© 2000 by Environmental Nutrition, Inc. and R.L. Polk& Co. All rights reserved)
Those seeking relief from the pain, stiffness and inflammation of arthritis are not alone. A recent survey reveals that half of the 43 million Americans with arthritis have lost faith in conventional remedies. With no cure in sight, it is not surprising that two-thirds of sufferers have tried alternative treatments like diet, vitamins, and herbs.
For chronic diseases such as arthritis, the benefits from certain dietary changes and some supplements may outweigh the risks, says William J. Arnold, M.D., a rheumatologist and chair of the Arthritis Foundation’s Task Force on Complementary and Alternative Therapies.
Following is a look at some promising therapies:
Glucosamine is one-half of the “arthritis cure” popularized by a 1997 book. A growing body of evidence supports its role in relieving pain, swelling and tenderness of Osteoarthritis (OA). Researchers are optimistic about glucosamine’s ability to relieve symptoms as effectively as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but without the serious gastrointestinal side-effects. In addition, glucosamine may also halt the breakdown of cartilage.
Chondroitin is the other half of the “arthritis cure”. This substance acts as a “liquid magnet,” drawing fluid into cartilage, making it spongy and protecting it from destructive enzymes. Yet, there is no clear clinical evidence to support the theory that chondroitin rebuilds cartilage. Chondroitin is also expensive.
Glucosamine/Chondroitin Combo – In his 1997 book, The Arthritis Cure, and in Maximizing the Arthritis Cure, Jason Theodosakis, MD, a sports and preventive medicine specialist at the University of Arizona in Tuscon, advocates a combination of these two substances to treat OA. He speculates that the two together have a synergistic effect. The National Institutes of Health recently launched a study to determine the short-term effectiveness and safety of glucosamine and chondroitin, both individually and in combination.
SAM-e or S-adenosylmethionine is a substance that occurs naturally in the body. Researchers believe supplemental amounts relieve pain and improve joint mobility by increasing cartilage thickness. However, like chondroitin, this supplement is very expensive.
Antioxidant Vitamins and Minerals - Antioxidant nutrients like vitamins C and E, beta carotene and the mineral selenium may offer some protection to joints. People with OA who eat an antioxidant-rich diet, especially one high in Vitamin C, may reduce cartilage loss and slow disease progression.
Vitamin D – It has long been known that inadequate Vitamin D can lead to rickets and other bone problems. A Boston University study showed that older people with low D intakes and low blood levels of D were three times more likely to experience worsening of OA of the knee.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids – found in fish, canola oil, flaxseed and avocado may be protective. More than 20 clinical trials have described improvement in tender joints, fatigability, and morning stiffness in people taking fish oil supplements.
GLA – Certain oils – black current oil, borage seed oil and evening primrose oil, all contain gammalinolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid that acts more like Omega-3. The studies vary on showing a benefit from GLA.
Arthritis Diets – There is a slew of dietary advice for arthritis sufferers. However, there is no proven miracle diet or cure. If you simply eat right – lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains, plus maintain a healthy weight, you can probably alleviate some arthritis symptoms. Not only is being overweight a strain on the joints, but people with arthritis often become sedentary as a result of their limited mobility. Exercise can be beneficial, helping to maintain weight and reduce stiffness.
Herbal Remedies – Many herbal remedies recommended to alleviate arthritis may not be familiar to westerners. Turmeric contains the yellow pigment curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. When mixed with Boswellia, a gum from an Asian tree, and zinc, it has been shown in test tube and animal studies to inhibit prostaglandins that trigger inflammation.
The bottom line is that people with arthritis need to be especially vigilant when assessing the benefits of alternative remedies. Since the chronic symptoms of arthritis typically wax and wane over time, it is difficult to tell what has actually helped.
(Summarized from Environmental Nutrition, April, 2000; article by Betsy Keller, M.S., R.D. – Copyright© 2000 by Environmental Nutrition, Inc. and R.L. Polk& Co. All rights reserved)
Monday, December 1, 2008
Arthritis Advice
There are many different kinds of arthritis, each with different symptoms and treatments. Arthritis can attack joints in almost any part of the body. Some forms of arthritis cause changes you can see and feel – swelling, warmth, and redness in your joints. In some cases, the pain and swelling lasts only a short-time, but may be very painful. Other types cause less severe symptoms, but nevertheless, still slowly damage your joints.
The most common type of arthritis is Osteothritis (OA). It usually affects older people, and starts when cartilage begins to become ragged and wears away. Cartilage is the tissue that pads bones in a joint. OA symptoms can range from stiffness and mild pain that comes and goes with activity to severe joint pain that stays even when you are at rest.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease. This means your body attacks the lining of a joint just as it would if it was trying to protect you from injury or disease. RA leads to inflammation in your joints. This inflammation causes pain, swelling, and stiffness that last for hours, and it may occur in many different joints at the same time. People with RA often do not feel well. They may be tired and run a fever. People of any age can develop RA, and it is more common in women.
Gout is one of the most painful forms of arthritis. It begins when crystals of uric acid form in the connective tissue and / or joint spaces. These deposits lead to swelling, redness, heat, pain and stiffness. Gout attacks often strike after eating foods like shellfish, liver, dried beans, peas, anchovies, or gravy. Also, being overweight and certain medications can make Gout worse. Most often Gout presents in the big toe, but it can affect other joints.
Other forms of arthritis include psoriatic arthritis (in people with the skin condition psoriasis), ankylosing spondylitis (affecting the spine), reactive arthritis (occurring as a result of another condition in the body), and arthritis in the temperomandibular joint (where the jaw joins the skull).
Warning Signs
You might have some form of arthritis if you have:
Lasting joint pain
Joint swelling
Joint stiffness
Tenderness or pain when touching a joint
Problems moving the joint normally
Warmth and redness in a joint
If any of these symptoms persist, you should see your doctor. If you have these symptoms and also a fever, or feel physically ill, you should see your doctor sooner.
Treating Arthritis
Each kind of arthritis is handled differently, but there are also some common treatment choices. Rest, exercise, eating a healthy, well balanced diet, and learning the right way to protect your joints are keys to living with any type of arthritis.
Regarding medicines for arthritis, there are Acetaminophens which can safely ease arthritis pain, and NSAIDS, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The may be sold over the counter, but stronger doses must be sold with a prescription. In 2005, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) warned people about the dangers of NSAIDS. It is important you understand the potential side effects and discuss with your doctor the side effects and how to take this medicine. You can also check with the FDA on the latest information about these drugs and their risks.
Specific treatments for each arthritis-type are the following:
Osteoarthritis – Medicines, as noted above, can help relieve pain from OA, and diet and exercise will make it easier for you to move your joints. Sometimes your doctor might give you injections in the site, and some might require repair or replacement of damaged joints.
Rheumatoid Arthritis – In addition to pain medications, your doctor may suggest antirheumatic drugs called DMARDs (disease modifying antirheumatic drugs). These drugs can slow progression of the disease. In addition to DMARDs, drugs like prednisone can ease swelling until the DMARDs take effect. There are also biologic response modifiers that block damage done by the immune system.
Gout – In gout, you need to discuss with your doctor the possible reason for your gout, and how to prevent future attacks. While in the acute stage, you might be given NSAIDs or corticosteroids, such as prednisone. The attacks usually last only a few days.
Exercise can help many forms of arthritis, along with taking the right medicine and properly resting your joints. Exercise keeps muscles strong, and controls arthritis symptoms. There are various types of exercises that can help including: range-of-motion, strengthening exercises, and aerobic or endurance exercises. You can contact the National Institute of Aging (NIA) for an 80-page booklet on how to treat and stick with a safe exercise program.
Beware of unproven remedies that have not been thoroughly tested. Keep up with future research. Some promising therapies such as acupuncture may ease OA pain for some people, and the use of glucosamine and chondroitin, two dietary supplements, may help lessen your OA pain. Scientists are currently studying these alternative supplements.
Most importantly, talk to your doctor about your symptoms and possibly remedies, so that you can work together to safely lessen pain and prevent more serious damage to your joints.
For further information, check on these resources about arthritis:
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicines
888-644-6226 (toll-free)
866-464-3615 (TTY toll-free)
www.nccam.nih.gove
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
877-226-4267 (Toll free)
301-565-2966 (TTY)
www.niams.nih.gov
American College of Rheumatology / Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals
404-633-3777
www.rheumatology.org
Arthritis Foundation
800-568-4045
www.arthritis.org
National Institute on Aging Information Center
800-222-2225 (Toll free)
800-222-4225 (TTY Toll free)
To order publications (in English or Spanish) or sign up for regular e-mail alerts, visit www.niapublications.org.
The National Institute of Aging website is: www.nia.nih.gov
Also visit the NIH Senior Health website: www.nihseniorhealth.gov, a senior-friendly website from the National Institute on Aging. It features popular health topics for older adults. It also has large type and a “talking” function that reads the text out loud.
(Summarized from AGE PAGE, May 2005, pgs 1-14. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) and National Institute of Aging (NIA)
SuDoc Number: HE 20.3861:AR 7/2005)
Article 2 (759 Word w/o Resources – 810 w/ resources)
The most common type of arthritis is Osteothritis (OA). It usually affects older people, and starts when cartilage begins to become ragged and wears away. Cartilage is the tissue that pads bones in a joint. OA symptoms can range from stiffness and mild pain that comes and goes with activity to severe joint pain that stays even when you are at rest.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease. This means your body attacks the lining of a joint just as it would if it was trying to protect you from injury or disease. RA leads to inflammation in your joints. This inflammation causes pain, swelling, and stiffness that last for hours, and it may occur in many different joints at the same time. People with RA often do not feel well. They may be tired and run a fever. People of any age can develop RA, and it is more common in women.
Gout is one of the most painful forms of arthritis. It begins when crystals of uric acid form in the connective tissue and / or joint spaces. These deposits lead to swelling, redness, heat, pain and stiffness. Gout attacks often strike after eating foods like shellfish, liver, dried beans, peas, anchovies, or gravy. Also, being overweight and certain medications can make Gout worse. Most often Gout presents in the big toe, but it can affect other joints.
Other forms of arthritis include psoriatic arthritis (in people with the skin condition psoriasis), ankylosing spondylitis (affecting the spine), reactive arthritis (occurring as a result of another condition in the body), and arthritis in the temperomandibular joint (where the jaw joins the skull).
Warning Signs
You might have some form of arthritis if you have:
Lasting joint pain
Joint swelling
Joint stiffness
Tenderness or pain when touching a joint
Problems moving the joint normally
Warmth and redness in a joint
If any of these symptoms persist, you should see your doctor. If you have these symptoms and also a fever, or feel physically ill, you should see your doctor sooner.
Treating Arthritis
Each kind of arthritis is handled differently, but there are also some common treatment choices. Rest, exercise, eating a healthy, well balanced diet, and learning the right way to protect your joints are keys to living with any type of arthritis.
Regarding medicines for arthritis, there are Acetaminophens which can safely ease arthritis pain, and NSAIDS, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The may be sold over the counter, but stronger doses must be sold with a prescription. In 2005, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) warned people about the dangers of NSAIDS. It is important you understand the potential side effects and discuss with your doctor the side effects and how to take this medicine. You can also check with the FDA on the latest information about these drugs and their risks.
Specific treatments for each arthritis-type are the following:
Osteoarthritis – Medicines, as noted above, can help relieve pain from OA, and diet and exercise will make it easier for you to move your joints. Sometimes your doctor might give you injections in the site, and some might require repair or replacement of damaged joints.
Rheumatoid Arthritis – In addition to pain medications, your doctor may suggest antirheumatic drugs called DMARDs (disease modifying antirheumatic drugs). These drugs can slow progression of the disease. In addition to DMARDs, drugs like prednisone can ease swelling until the DMARDs take effect. There are also biologic response modifiers that block damage done by the immune system.
Gout – In gout, you need to discuss with your doctor the possible reason for your gout, and how to prevent future attacks. While in the acute stage, you might be given NSAIDs or corticosteroids, such as prednisone. The attacks usually last only a few days.
Exercise can help many forms of arthritis, along with taking the right medicine and properly resting your joints. Exercise keeps muscles strong, and controls arthritis symptoms. There are various types of exercises that can help including: range-of-motion, strengthening exercises, and aerobic or endurance exercises. You can contact the National Institute of Aging (NIA) for an 80-page booklet on how to treat and stick with a safe exercise program.
Beware of unproven remedies that have not been thoroughly tested. Keep up with future research. Some promising therapies such as acupuncture may ease OA pain for some people, and the use of glucosamine and chondroitin, two dietary supplements, may help lessen your OA pain. Scientists are currently studying these alternative supplements.
Most importantly, talk to your doctor about your symptoms and possibly remedies, so that you can work together to safely lessen pain and prevent more serious damage to your joints.
For further information, check on these resources about arthritis:
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicines
888-644-6226 (toll-free)
866-464-3615 (TTY toll-free)
www.nccam.nih.gove
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
877-226-4267 (Toll free)
301-565-2966 (TTY)
www.niams.nih.gov
American College of Rheumatology / Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals
404-633-3777
www.rheumatology.org
Arthritis Foundation
800-568-4045
www.arthritis.org
National Institute on Aging Information Center
800-222-2225 (Toll free)
800-222-4225 (TTY Toll free)
To order publications (in English or Spanish) or sign up for regular e-mail alerts, visit www.niapublications.org.
The National Institute of Aging website is: www.nia.nih.gov
Also visit the NIH Senior Health website: www.nihseniorhealth.gov, a senior-friendly website from the National Institute on Aging. It features popular health topics for older adults. It also has large type and a “talking” function that reads the text out loud.
(Summarized from AGE PAGE, May 2005, pgs 1-14. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) and National Institute of Aging (NIA)
SuDoc Number: HE 20.3861:AR 7/2005)
Article 2 (759 Word w/o Resources – 810 w/ resources)
Thursday, November 27, 2008
AN INVISIBLE RIVER
In the Oriental Tradition, Meditation Can Detect the Elusive Energy-Flows that Sustain the Body
In order to understand the East Asian idea of the body, particularly that of the Chinese and Japanese, we must imagine that instead of having a body, we are our body –and more importantly, that our body lives us. The East Asian tradition also recognizes a dimension of being that escapes our everyday understanding.
The idea of the body which has been cherished in the East Asian tradition is based on the philosophy of self-cultivation, derived mainly from experience obtained through meditation. A characteristic image of the East Asian meditational perspective is that of the “flowing body.” The body is likened to a river whose water is, ideally, in pristine condition and transparent but cannot be seen by the naked eye. It can, however, be detected through heightened awareness during meditation.
When the threshold of self-consciousness is lowered in conjunction with the reduction of respiration, an advanced meditator can become aware of a subtle flow of energy throughout his or her body. This energy, which is called ki in Japanese (qi, in Chinese) is the source from which both the psychological and the physiological emerge.
Ki-energy flows through a network of circuits, or “Ki-meridians,” beneath the skin. According to psychologist Motoyama Hiroshi, this network is located in the water-rich area of the connective tissues of the dermis, the deep inner layer of the skin. Ki-energy literally flows beneath the psycho-physiological body of which we are ordinarily aware.
The flowing body knows no boundary between the interior and exterior, between mind and matter. For this reason, acupuncture medicine maintains that absorption and release of ki-energy occurs, unconsciously, between the flowing body and its surroundings, as well as between one flowing body and another.
The second idea of the body which is relevant for religious healing within the East Asian tradition is that of the spirit-body. Each human spirit-body has a certain form which is different from that of the individual’s physical body and also from other spirit bodies. It is defined by the pattern of emotions such as love, hate and anger, and their existential repercussions. Whereas the flowing body is confined to the immediate ambiance of its physical body, the spirit-body is believed to possess relative freedom from spatial and temporal confinement.
The most significant point about these different ideas of the body is that the “visible” and “invisible” aspects are, in principle, reversible. Without this reversibility, no religious healing is possible.
The crucial difference between religious healing and other kinds of healing is in their respective goals. In religious healing, a pathological condition is regarded as a necessary step on the way to spiritual growth. The pathological condition that calls for religious healing is functional in nature and not an organic disorder.
Acupuncture medicine is particularly effective in treating both functional and chronic disease. It considers that a pathological condition is engendered by the stagnation of ki-energy flowing in the meridians. The “water” in the flowing body becomes polluted, accumulates debris, and departs from its natural pristine condition.
Three factors may contribute to this stagnation: (1) a psychological condition brought about by emotional instability; (2) environmental conditions, especially climatic conditions, and (3) our attitude towards our health, including such factors as irregular lifestyles, negligence, and exhaustion.
Another category of healing involves the manipulation of the flowing body and the spirit-body by means of visualization or image-experience. Religious healing in Daoism, Buddhism, and to some extent, Shintoism, uses visualization techniques. A general feature of visualization is to learn to experience a “sacred” image, initially by creating it within one’s psyche. This psychological approach, based on the curative effect an image can have on the body, is employed because a religious image carries transformative power.
Another kind of religious healing in the East Asian tradition is the Kharmic reconfiguration of the ripe, kharmic body. This is predicated on an Indian belief that a human being comes into this world in virtue of his / her own kharma, and dies in virtue of the same. This kind of healing, however, is reserved only for the “god-men,” or those who have achieved the highest enlightenment (satori), by transcending the temporal demarcation.
In summary, the philosophical background to the idea of the body and healing in the East Asian tradition is that human beings inhabit the world of nature with other living beings. By transforming their everyday mode of consciousness, they can become one with the creative activity of nature and awaken in themselves a natural healing power.
(Summarized from UNESCO COURIER, April 1997 pp15-20, by Shigenori Nagatomo)
In order to understand the East Asian idea of the body, particularly that of the Chinese and Japanese, we must imagine that instead of having a body, we are our body –and more importantly, that our body lives us. The East Asian tradition also recognizes a dimension of being that escapes our everyday understanding.
The idea of the body which has been cherished in the East Asian tradition is based on the philosophy of self-cultivation, derived mainly from experience obtained through meditation. A characteristic image of the East Asian meditational perspective is that of the “flowing body.” The body is likened to a river whose water is, ideally, in pristine condition and transparent but cannot be seen by the naked eye. It can, however, be detected through heightened awareness during meditation.
When the threshold of self-consciousness is lowered in conjunction with the reduction of respiration, an advanced meditator can become aware of a subtle flow of energy throughout his or her body. This energy, which is called ki in Japanese (qi, in Chinese) is the source from which both the psychological and the physiological emerge.
Ki-energy flows through a network of circuits, or “Ki-meridians,” beneath the skin. According to psychologist Motoyama Hiroshi, this network is located in the water-rich area of the connective tissues of the dermis, the deep inner layer of the skin. Ki-energy literally flows beneath the psycho-physiological body of which we are ordinarily aware.
The flowing body knows no boundary between the interior and exterior, between mind and matter. For this reason, acupuncture medicine maintains that absorption and release of ki-energy occurs, unconsciously, between the flowing body and its surroundings, as well as between one flowing body and another.
The second idea of the body which is relevant for religious healing within the East Asian tradition is that of the spirit-body. Each human spirit-body has a certain form which is different from that of the individual’s physical body and also from other spirit bodies. It is defined by the pattern of emotions such as love, hate and anger, and their existential repercussions. Whereas the flowing body is confined to the immediate ambiance of its physical body, the spirit-body is believed to possess relative freedom from spatial and temporal confinement.
The most significant point about these different ideas of the body is that the “visible” and “invisible” aspects are, in principle, reversible. Without this reversibility, no religious healing is possible.
The crucial difference between religious healing and other kinds of healing is in their respective goals. In religious healing, a pathological condition is regarded as a necessary step on the way to spiritual growth. The pathological condition that calls for religious healing is functional in nature and not an organic disorder.
Acupuncture medicine is particularly effective in treating both functional and chronic disease. It considers that a pathological condition is engendered by the stagnation of ki-energy flowing in the meridians. The “water” in the flowing body becomes polluted, accumulates debris, and departs from its natural pristine condition.
Three factors may contribute to this stagnation: (1) a psychological condition brought about by emotional instability; (2) environmental conditions, especially climatic conditions, and (3) our attitude towards our health, including such factors as irregular lifestyles, negligence, and exhaustion.
Another category of healing involves the manipulation of the flowing body and the spirit-body by means of visualization or image-experience. Religious healing in Daoism, Buddhism, and to some extent, Shintoism, uses visualization techniques. A general feature of visualization is to learn to experience a “sacred” image, initially by creating it within one’s psyche. This psychological approach, based on the curative effect an image can have on the body, is employed because a religious image carries transformative power.
Another kind of religious healing in the East Asian tradition is the Kharmic reconfiguration of the ripe, kharmic body. This is predicated on an Indian belief that a human being comes into this world in virtue of his / her own kharma, and dies in virtue of the same. This kind of healing, however, is reserved only for the “god-men,” or those who have achieved the highest enlightenment (satori), by transcending the temporal demarcation.
In summary, the philosophical background to the idea of the body and healing in the East Asian tradition is that human beings inhabit the world of nature with other living beings. By transforming their everyday mode of consciousness, they can become one with the creative activity of nature and awaken in themselves a natural healing power.
(Summarized from UNESCO COURIER, April 1997 pp15-20, by Shigenori Nagatomo)
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Qigong for Optimum Health
The word Qigong is a new term established in the 1950’s by Dr. Guizheng Liu who founded the Beidaihe Quigong Institute in 1956. The actual practice of Qigong dates back to at least 5000 years to its conception under different names.
The work Qigong (pronounced chi gung) is composed of two concepts: Qi means air, breath of life, or vital energy of the body, and gong means the skill of working with, or time for cultivating, self-discipline and achievement or mastery.
The word Qi originated from ancient Chinese philosophy, which holds that the Qi is the foundational substance of the universe, and all the phenomena are produced by the changes and movement of Qi. In ancient China, Qi was thought to be the basic elements of the entire universe.
Although the word Qigong was first used by a Chinese Daoist monk in 300 BC, the word was not mentioned again until the early 19th century in a chapter called Qigong Supplementary of a book titled Yuan He Pin. Special Therapy for Tuberculosis – Qigong Therapy, written by Donghao. It was in the 1950s when Liu Guizeng wrote and published a book called Practice in Qigong Therapy that Qigong was given a full explanation and recognized as a formal name instead of various terms.
In Practice in Qigong Therapy, Qi was identified as breath, while gong means “continuous regulation of breathing and postures.” In light of medical knowledge, different styles of Qigong exercise have been created and studied, and the efficacy in curing diseases and preservation of health proven. Qigong therapy has become more widely accepted and has enjoyed popularity throughout the country.
The distinctive features of Qigong are the following:
Qigong is an exercise based upon the ancient Chinese philosophy of at least two aspects. One is that the framework of Qigong originated from philosophy, rather than different schools of religion. Secondly, the methodology on Qigong is different from modern science on which the biomedical model is still based.
Qigong is characterized by its unique method mainly based on a triple coordination of body, breath, and mind activity, all of which the orderly training of mental activity is the core part assisted by the body adjustment and breathing exercises.
The aim of Qigong practice is the optimal state and waking up the potential abilities of human beings. The optimal state is defined as the “pre-natal” state.
In ancient China, Qigong masters divided the mind into two different types: the post-natal mind and the pre-natal spirit. The characteristics of the post-birth mind are extroverted, scattered, and disordered. The prenatal spirit, on the other hand, is highly ordered and harmonized to keep our life process in a homeostatic condition.
The mind regulation of the Qigong practitioner involves the procedural training from the post-birth mind to the prenatal spirit by slightly concentrating within, or upon a single object, proceeding from the many to the one. As the prenatal mind is awoken, the prenatal Qi would be cultivated, bringing about an optimal state. Practitioners can use this state for different purposes, including maintaining health, treating illness, and promoting vitality and spiritual awareness and insight.
(Summarized from POSITIVE HEALTH (Portsmouth, England) Issue 114. Aug, 2005, pp42-45. Article by: Dr. Lianting Zhao, Copyright© 2005 Positive Health. )
The work Qigong (pronounced chi gung) is composed of two concepts: Qi means air, breath of life, or vital energy of the body, and gong means the skill of working with, or time for cultivating, self-discipline and achievement or mastery.
The word Qi originated from ancient Chinese philosophy, which holds that the Qi is the foundational substance of the universe, and all the phenomena are produced by the changes and movement of Qi. In ancient China, Qi was thought to be the basic elements of the entire universe.
Although the word Qigong was first used by a Chinese Daoist monk in 300 BC, the word was not mentioned again until the early 19th century in a chapter called Qigong Supplementary of a book titled Yuan He Pin. Special Therapy for Tuberculosis – Qigong Therapy, written by Donghao. It was in the 1950s when Liu Guizeng wrote and published a book called Practice in Qigong Therapy that Qigong was given a full explanation and recognized as a formal name instead of various terms.
In Practice in Qigong Therapy, Qi was identified as breath, while gong means “continuous regulation of breathing and postures.” In light of medical knowledge, different styles of Qigong exercise have been created and studied, and the efficacy in curing diseases and preservation of health proven. Qigong therapy has become more widely accepted and has enjoyed popularity throughout the country.
The distinctive features of Qigong are the following:
Qigong is an exercise based upon the ancient Chinese philosophy of at least two aspects. One is that the framework of Qigong originated from philosophy, rather than different schools of religion. Secondly, the methodology on Qigong is different from modern science on which the biomedical model is still based.
Qigong is characterized by its unique method mainly based on a triple coordination of body, breath, and mind activity, all of which the orderly training of mental activity is the core part assisted by the body adjustment and breathing exercises.
The aim of Qigong practice is the optimal state and waking up the potential abilities of human beings. The optimal state is defined as the “pre-natal” state.
In ancient China, Qigong masters divided the mind into two different types: the post-natal mind and the pre-natal spirit. The characteristics of the post-birth mind are extroverted, scattered, and disordered. The prenatal spirit, on the other hand, is highly ordered and harmonized to keep our life process in a homeostatic condition.
The mind regulation of the Qigong practitioner involves the procedural training from the post-birth mind to the prenatal spirit by slightly concentrating within, or upon a single object, proceeding from the many to the one. As the prenatal mind is awoken, the prenatal Qi would be cultivated, bringing about an optimal state. Practitioners can use this state for different purposes, including maintaining health, treating illness, and promoting vitality and spiritual awareness and insight.
(Summarized from POSITIVE HEALTH (Portsmouth, England) Issue 114. Aug, 2005, pp42-45. Article by: Dr. Lianting Zhao, Copyright© 2005 Positive Health. )
Monday, November 17, 2008
CAN ARTISTS REALLY HEAL THEMSELVES THROUGH ART?
Anyone who has been under anesthesia knows the peculiar feeling of emerging from its effects – the heavy lifting from an imposed unconsciousness, the strange struggle to reorient yourself.
But this happens not only in the recovery room. It takes place in the art studio too. Plunging into work, artists are “going under” in a way. They succumb to creative ether. Many say they lose track of time and place amidst their brushes, pencils, and tubes. They enter another state of consciousness. And when they are done for the day, and emerge from their creative cocoons, something has changed. And often that transformation does not just happen on the surface of the canvas, but within the artist themselves.
What happens when artists are faced with illness? Does their artmaking help them heal automatically? Is it just a momentary escape from their physical problems, or does something deeper happen?
Art did not grant immunities for artists like Deryl Mackie suffering from AIDS.
Deryl Mackie woke from a sudden brain seizure, his doctors said. But far more serious, they had discovered that he was HIV positive. That was 10 years ago. The painter and former curator of fine art at the Afro-American Museum in Philadelphia says, “I’m still here, thank God.” But the years since then haven’t been easy. Mackie explained that his diagnosis caused a certain kind of sudden isolation. In this environment of isolation, Mackie’s work, always an important part of his life, has become even more vital. He said “It becomes more important because it’s the one thing that won’t forsake me. Now, at age 50, I’ve suddenly realized that my art is the one thing that has been consistently wonderful.” Mackie said his work has evolved. It has become more personal, more biographical, more about how he feels about life.
Ken Ruffin, another artist, went into the hospital for a simple exploratory procedure, expecting to be home by the next afternoon. But during the procedure, his intestines were punctured. As a result, he spent three months in the hospital and had to undergo five major surgeries. For months after, he could barely walk. When he and his family moved from Atlanta to Las Vegas, he started taking a few pictures of the landscape. He stated, “I was using my eyes and seeing things in a different light than I had before,” he says. “I think that I’m seeing the details of life,” he says. “Just doing these photos gives me a relaxed feeling, an expressive feeling, a healing feeling. I’m expressing the beauty that is in nature, and it makes me feel better inside which is healing me.”
(Summarized from the INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OR AFRICAN ART, Vol. 16, No. 4, 2000, pp 3-15. © published by the Hampton University Museum)
But this happens not only in the recovery room. It takes place in the art studio too. Plunging into work, artists are “going under” in a way. They succumb to creative ether. Many say they lose track of time and place amidst their brushes, pencils, and tubes. They enter another state of consciousness. And when they are done for the day, and emerge from their creative cocoons, something has changed. And often that transformation does not just happen on the surface of the canvas, but within the artist themselves.
What happens when artists are faced with illness? Does their artmaking help them heal automatically? Is it just a momentary escape from their physical problems, or does something deeper happen?
Art did not grant immunities for artists like Deryl Mackie suffering from AIDS.
Deryl Mackie woke from a sudden brain seizure, his doctors said. But far more serious, they had discovered that he was HIV positive. That was 10 years ago. The painter and former curator of fine art at the Afro-American Museum in Philadelphia says, “I’m still here, thank God.” But the years since then haven’t been easy. Mackie explained that his diagnosis caused a certain kind of sudden isolation. In this environment of isolation, Mackie’s work, always an important part of his life, has become even more vital. He said “It becomes more important because it’s the one thing that won’t forsake me. Now, at age 50, I’ve suddenly realized that my art is the one thing that has been consistently wonderful.” Mackie said his work has evolved. It has become more personal, more biographical, more about how he feels about life.
Ken Ruffin, another artist, went into the hospital for a simple exploratory procedure, expecting to be home by the next afternoon. But during the procedure, his intestines were punctured. As a result, he spent three months in the hospital and had to undergo five major surgeries. For months after, he could barely walk. When he and his family moved from Atlanta to Las Vegas, he started taking a few pictures of the landscape. He stated, “I was using my eyes and seeing things in a different light than I had before,” he says. “I think that I’m seeing the details of life,” he says. “Just doing these photos gives me a relaxed feeling, an expressive feeling, a healing feeling. I’m expressing the beauty that is in nature, and it makes me feel better inside which is healing me.”
(Summarized from the INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OR AFRICAN ART, Vol. 16, No. 4, 2000, pp 3-15. © published by the Hampton University Museum)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
FORMS OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN HOLISTIC HEALING
A Harvard University study found that Americans spent $27 billion on alternative treatments and made more than 600 million visits to complementary health practitioners (compared to 368 million visits to their primary care physicians) - an increase of almost 50 percent since 1990. Many individuals visiting these complementary health practitioners were looking for holistic healing modalities that take comprehensive treat the entire human system, not just the physical body.
Holistic healing also targets subtle bodies and the life force of chi. There are numerous holistic healing modalities. Some use substances in their therapies, and others work on different parts of the body to promote healing and well-being. These modalities include: Acupuncture, Acupressure, Aromatherapy, Qigong, Chiropractic, Chromotherapy, Crystal/Gemstone therapy, Flower remedies, Herabalism, Homeopathy, Hypnotherapy, Massage, Osteopathy, Reflexology, Reiki, Sound Healing, Visualization and Yoga.
A few of the most common and accepted holistic practices in the West today are Acupuncture, Chiropractic, and Yoga. Chiropractic involves manually adjusting the spine - and in some cases other parts of the skeletal system, to alleviate pain.
Acupuncture uses fine needles to activate and balance Chi. A practitioner inserts needles at certain points along the body's meridians to remove blockages and restore the flow of energy through the body.
Yoga combines physical movement and deep, rhythmic breathing to produce overall health. The most popular form of Yoga in the United States is “Hatha” which involves holding various postures or asanas to strengthen the body, increase balance and improve flexibility.
(THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CHI, 2004, pp48-63. Reprinted with permission by the author: Skye Alexander.)
Holistic healing also targets subtle bodies and the life force of chi. There are numerous holistic healing modalities. Some use substances in their therapies, and others work on different parts of the body to promote healing and well-being. These modalities include: Acupuncture, Acupressure, Aromatherapy, Qigong, Chiropractic, Chromotherapy, Crystal/Gemstone therapy, Flower remedies, Herabalism, Homeopathy, Hypnotherapy, Massage, Osteopathy, Reflexology, Reiki, Sound Healing, Visualization and Yoga.
A few of the most common and accepted holistic practices in the West today are Acupuncture, Chiropractic, and Yoga. Chiropractic involves manually adjusting the spine - and in some cases other parts of the skeletal system, to alleviate pain.
Acupuncture uses fine needles to activate and balance Chi. A practitioner inserts needles at certain points along the body's meridians to remove blockages and restore the flow of energy through the body.
Yoga combines physical movement and deep, rhythmic breathing to produce overall health. The most popular form of Yoga in the United States is “Hatha” which involves holding various postures or asanas to strengthen the body, increase balance and improve flexibility.
(THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CHI, 2004, pp48-63. Reprinted with permission by the author: Skye Alexander.)
Friday, November 7, 2008
New Government Study Reveals Prayer as a Major Part of Complementary and Alternative Therapies
According to a nationwide government survey, 36% of U.S. adults aged 18 years of age and over use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM is defined as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine. With the inclusion of prayer for health reasons, 62% of Americans utilize CAM.
The survey, administered to 31,000 representative U.S. adults, was conducted as part of the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention’s (CDC) 2002 National Health Interview Survey (HNIS). The survey included questions on 27 types of CAM therapies commonly used in the United States.
The study showed that a sizable percentage of the public puts their personal health into their own hands. The survey revealed that CAM use was greater among a variety of population groups, including women; the highly educated; those recently hospitalized; and former smokers. The study was also the first survey to yield substantial information on CAM use by minorities.
Among the 10 most commonly used CAM therapies, prayer was used more often than all other CAM therapies combined. There were three therapies relating to prayer: Prayer for one’s own health; prayer by others for the respondent; and participation in a prayer group for one’s own health.
43% of respondents used prayer for their own health, 24% had prayer by others, and 10% participated in a prayer group for their own health. Right behind the use of prayer was the use of natural products, such as herbs and enzymes, which accounted for 19% of use. Other therapies included deep breathing exercises (12%); meditation (8%); chiropractic care (8%); yoga (5%); massage (5%) and diet-based therapies (such as Atkins, Pritikin and others) (4%).
Regarding specific populations using CAM, it was found that African American adults were more likely than white or Asian adults to use CAM when megavitamin therapy and prayer were included in the definition of CAM.
The survey results revealed new patterns of CAM use among various population groups, and provide a rich source of data for future research.
(Summary of NIH News Release, May 27, 2004; Health and Human Services Department (HHS); National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The survey, administered to 31,000 representative U.S. adults, was conducted as part of the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention’s (CDC) 2002 National Health Interview Survey (HNIS). The survey included questions on 27 types of CAM therapies commonly used in the United States.
The study showed that a sizable percentage of the public puts their personal health into their own hands. The survey revealed that CAM use was greater among a variety of population groups, including women; the highly educated; those recently hospitalized; and former smokers. The study was also the first survey to yield substantial information on CAM use by minorities.
Among the 10 most commonly used CAM therapies, prayer was used more often than all other CAM therapies combined. There were three therapies relating to prayer: Prayer for one’s own health; prayer by others for the respondent; and participation in a prayer group for one’s own health.
43% of respondents used prayer for their own health, 24% had prayer by others, and 10% participated in a prayer group for their own health. Right behind the use of prayer was the use of natural products, such as herbs and enzymes, which accounted for 19% of use. Other therapies included deep breathing exercises (12%); meditation (8%); chiropractic care (8%); yoga (5%); massage (5%) and diet-based therapies (such as Atkins, Pritikin and others) (4%).
Regarding specific populations using CAM, it was found that African American adults were more likely than white or Asian adults to use CAM when megavitamin therapy and prayer were included in the definition of CAM.
The survey results revealed new patterns of CAM use among various population groups, and provide a rich source of data for future research.
(Summary of NIH News Release, May 27, 2004; Health and Human Services Department (HHS); National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Are Some Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies Just Based on “Magic”?
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (November 11, 1998), American’s use of homeopathic preparations more than doubled between 1990 and 1997 (Eisenberg et al. 1998). Most homeopathic texts are careful to emphasize homeopathy’s limitations and to advise consultation with a physician if symptoms persist. However, most texts insist that homeopathy accords with proven principles of science, citing its basis on experimentation, principles of vaccination, and discoveries in symptomatology and immunology, and the body’s reactions to physical and emotional stressors.
For those that study alternative and complementary medicine, homeopathy is one of several alternative therapies that use “magical” principles. The terms “magic” and “magical” have a wide range of meanings, but there are five basic principles that drive ritual practices, and these are similar among all peoples in the world, in all stages of recorded history.
These five principles include: (1) forces in nature separate from those measured in science, (2) power – the belief that the forces, and everything else is energized by a mystical power, (3) a coherent interconnected cosmos – where everything is actually or potentially interconnected, (4) symbols – the words, thoughts, things or actions that represent other things and can take on the qualities of things they represent; and (5) Frazer’s principles, in which he identifies two types of sympathetic magic.
Sir James George Frazer, in his book The Golden Bough, from early part of the 20th century, describes the two types of sympathetic magic: “Homeopathic magic” that works according to the “law of similarity” – things that resemble other things or actions have a causal connection, and “contagious magic” which obeys the “law of contact” - things that have been either in physical or spatial or temporal contact with other things retain that connection after they are separated.
The fundamental principle of Homeopathy’s founder, Samuel Hahnemann is “let likes cure likes.” This is an explicit expression of a magical principle. The allegedly active ingredients in homeopathic treatments were “proved” effective against a particular disease when they produced in healthy people symptoms similar to those caused by the disease. Hahnemann was aware that his theories might be relegated to the realm of “mere magic,” and he sought to explain homeopathy’s effects by reference to established science of the time. Hahnemann’s appeal then, and today, was enhanced because he was a well-educated physician and made legitimate criticisms of certain practices of his day. However, three fundamental principles of magic are involved in homeopathy: similarity, power and contact.
For now, the best explanation for claimed successes with homeopathic cures – assuming the original ailment was clinically genuine are: (1) as they are completely inert, homeopathic remedies allow nature to run its course, and / or (2) the placebo effect, which currently is the subject of renewed interest to medical research.
Other “alternative” and “New Age” beliefs also fall in the realm of “magic.” One of these is the belief in Crystals. Crystals have long been believed to contain concentrated power. Also, the magical healing of colors seems universal. Studies of how people take pills point to a preponderance of individuals over the ages willing to take red pills over white pills because of the expected benefits of the color.
Some of the most highly educated scholars believe that there are real connections in the universe – between the symbol and the referent, and that potentially measurable power flows between them.
Dr. Elisabeth Targ stunned the scholarly community when she received two million dollars in funds to study “distance healing.” Methods in her 1998 study, as reported in the Western Journal of Medicine (Sicher et al., 1998) involved forty American “experienced distance healers” from several different religious traditions. They were each given “five subject information packets” containing personal data of those they were to “heal.” Healers were instructed to open their packets on certain dates and “to work on the assigned subject for approximately one hour per day, for six consecutive days with an instruction to ‘direct an intention for health and well-being.’ to the subject. We recognize that this modern test of healing involved at least four of the classic principles of magical thinking: power, interconnections in nature, symbols, and similarity.
(Summarized from the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Nov/Dec 2001 pp32-37; Article by Phillips Stevens, Jr. – used by permission of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Amherst, NY.)
For those that study alternative and complementary medicine, homeopathy is one of several alternative therapies that use “magical” principles. The terms “magic” and “magical” have a wide range of meanings, but there are five basic principles that drive ritual practices, and these are similar among all peoples in the world, in all stages of recorded history.
These five principles include: (1) forces in nature separate from those measured in science, (2) power – the belief that the forces, and everything else is energized by a mystical power, (3) a coherent interconnected cosmos – where everything is actually or potentially interconnected, (4) symbols – the words, thoughts, things or actions that represent other things and can take on the qualities of things they represent; and (5) Frazer’s principles, in which he identifies two types of sympathetic magic.
Sir James George Frazer, in his book The Golden Bough, from early part of the 20th century, describes the two types of sympathetic magic: “Homeopathic magic” that works according to the “law of similarity” – things that resemble other things or actions have a causal connection, and “contagious magic” which obeys the “law of contact” - things that have been either in physical or spatial or temporal contact with other things retain that connection after they are separated.
The fundamental principle of Homeopathy’s founder, Samuel Hahnemann is “let likes cure likes.” This is an explicit expression of a magical principle. The allegedly active ingredients in homeopathic treatments were “proved” effective against a particular disease when they produced in healthy people symptoms similar to those caused by the disease. Hahnemann was aware that his theories might be relegated to the realm of “mere magic,” and he sought to explain homeopathy’s effects by reference to established science of the time. Hahnemann’s appeal then, and today, was enhanced because he was a well-educated physician and made legitimate criticisms of certain practices of his day. However, three fundamental principles of magic are involved in homeopathy: similarity, power and contact.
For now, the best explanation for claimed successes with homeopathic cures – assuming the original ailment was clinically genuine are: (1) as they are completely inert, homeopathic remedies allow nature to run its course, and / or (2) the placebo effect, which currently is the subject of renewed interest to medical research.
Other “alternative” and “New Age” beliefs also fall in the realm of “magic.” One of these is the belief in Crystals. Crystals have long been believed to contain concentrated power. Also, the magical healing of colors seems universal. Studies of how people take pills point to a preponderance of individuals over the ages willing to take red pills over white pills because of the expected benefits of the color.
Some of the most highly educated scholars believe that there are real connections in the universe – between the symbol and the referent, and that potentially measurable power flows between them.
Dr. Elisabeth Targ stunned the scholarly community when she received two million dollars in funds to study “distance healing.” Methods in her 1998 study, as reported in the Western Journal of Medicine (Sicher et al., 1998) involved forty American “experienced distance healers” from several different religious traditions. They were each given “five subject information packets” containing personal data of those they were to “heal.” Healers were instructed to open their packets on certain dates and “to work on the assigned subject for approximately one hour per day, for six consecutive days with an instruction to ‘direct an intention for health and well-being.’ to the subject. We recognize that this modern test of healing involved at least four of the classic principles of magical thinking: power, interconnections in nature, symbols, and similarity.
(Summarized from the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Nov/Dec 2001 pp32-37; Article by Phillips Stevens, Jr. – used by permission of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Amherst, NY.)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Critical Links: Population, Health and the Environment
The impact of the world’s 6.3 billion people on the environment is unprecedented. Humans had a negligible effect on the environment 3,000 years ago when fewer than 100 million people lived on Earth, but by the early 21st century, we have altered more than one-third of Earth’s ice-free surface, and threatened the existence of many plant and animal species.
However, the number of people is just one factor driving environmental change. Where people live, and the rate of population growth are important, as well as other forces such as public policies, technological developments, and culture. All of these can ease or worsen the pressures that demographic factors place on society and the environment.
There is a relationship among population, health, and environment, but it is a complex one. It encompasses the study of human population growth, consumption, and resource use, as well as the study of the natural world, its climatology, genetics, biochemistry, and population biology. Cooperation between natural and social scientists has been complicated by major differences in paradigms, assumptions, and definitions.
Among the many questions scientists have investigated when studying the relationship among population, health, and the environment, is the question of whether population growth is good or bad for the environment and human well-being. The answer to this question is neither straightforward nor simple.
Consider the case of urbanization. A population shift toward urban areas means that a larger share of people will have access to health care, education, and other services, and living standards are likely to improve. At the same time, dense urban populations may produce more waste than the environment can absorb, leading to significant air and water pollution and a greater incidence of infectious and parasitic diseases.
Environmental conditions affect the spread of communicable diseases, which account for about one-fifth of annual deaths worldwide. An estimated 60 percent of the global burden of disease from acute respiratory infections, 90 percent from diarrheal disease, 50 percent from chronic respiratory conditions, and 90 percent from malaria could be avoided by simple environmental interventions. More than 60% of the diseases associated with respiratory infections are linked to air pollution. Most of this pollution comes from the burning of fossil fuels.
Outdoor air pollution has stabilized or declined in Western Europe and North America since 1970, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality standards, while it has continued to increase in the less developed countries. Overall, children are at greater risk from environmental health problems than adults. Children under age 5 breathe more air, drink more water, and eat more food per unit of body weight than adults do, so they may experience higher rates of exposure to pathogens and pollutants.
Indoor air pollution also poses serious health risks. Half of the world’s households use biomass fuels such as wood, animal dung, or crop residues that produce particulates, carbon monoxide and other pollutants. Studies in less developed countries have linked indoor air pollution to lung cancer.
In addition to air pollution, new threats have been posed by industrialization. Since 1900, modern industry has introduced almost 100,000 previously unknown chemicals into the environment. Many have found their way into the air, water, soil and food. Many of these chemicals are cancer producing, promulgate genetic damage, and brain and bone damage.
Efforts to understand and manage the relationships between population, health and the environment, and to enact appropriate public policies are underway through field studies; university programs to educate policy-makers about population, health and environment relationships; international projects to document, evaluate, and disseminate information; and international conferences and working groups. These efforts contribute to a knowledge base, test methods for appropriate field interventions, engage policy makers in concrete action, and capitalize on human ingenuity to balance human needs with environmental protection.
(Summarized from POPULATION BULLETIN, Sept. 2003 pp3-43, Article by Roger-Mark DeSouza, John S. Williams, and Frederick A.B. Meyerson. Copyright© Population Reference Bureau, Inc., September, 2003.
However, the number of people is just one factor driving environmental change. Where people live, and the rate of population growth are important, as well as other forces such as public policies, technological developments, and culture. All of these can ease or worsen the pressures that demographic factors place on society and the environment.
There is a relationship among population, health, and environment, but it is a complex one. It encompasses the study of human population growth, consumption, and resource use, as well as the study of the natural world, its climatology, genetics, biochemistry, and population biology. Cooperation between natural and social scientists has been complicated by major differences in paradigms, assumptions, and definitions.
Among the many questions scientists have investigated when studying the relationship among population, health, and the environment, is the question of whether population growth is good or bad for the environment and human well-being. The answer to this question is neither straightforward nor simple.
Consider the case of urbanization. A population shift toward urban areas means that a larger share of people will have access to health care, education, and other services, and living standards are likely to improve. At the same time, dense urban populations may produce more waste than the environment can absorb, leading to significant air and water pollution and a greater incidence of infectious and parasitic diseases.
Environmental conditions affect the spread of communicable diseases, which account for about one-fifth of annual deaths worldwide. An estimated 60 percent of the global burden of disease from acute respiratory infections, 90 percent from diarrheal disease, 50 percent from chronic respiratory conditions, and 90 percent from malaria could be avoided by simple environmental interventions. More than 60% of the diseases associated with respiratory infections are linked to air pollution. Most of this pollution comes from the burning of fossil fuels.
Outdoor air pollution has stabilized or declined in Western Europe and North America since 1970, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality standards, while it has continued to increase in the less developed countries. Overall, children are at greater risk from environmental health problems than adults. Children under age 5 breathe more air, drink more water, and eat more food per unit of body weight than adults do, so they may experience higher rates of exposure to pathogens and pollutants.
Indoor air pollution also poses serious health risks. Half of the world’s households use biomass fuels such as wood, animal dung, or crop residues that produce particulates, carbon monoxide and other pollutants. Studies in less developed countries have linked indoor air pollution to lung cancer.
In addition to air pollution, new threats have been posed by industrialization. Since 1900, modern industry has introduced almost 100,000 previously unknown chemicals into the environment. Many have found their way into the air, water, soil and food. Many of these chemicals are cancer producing, promulgate genetic damage, and brain and bone damage.
Efforts to understand and manage the relationships between population, health and the environment, and to enact appropriate public policies are underway through field studies; university programs to educate policy-makers about population, health and environment relationships; international projects to document, evaluate, and disseminate information; and international conferences and working groups. These efforts contribute to a knowledge base, test methods for appropriate field interventions, engage policy makers in concrete action, and capitalize on human ingenuity to balance human needs with environmental protection.
(Summarized from POPULATION BULLETIN, Sept. 2003 pp3-43, Article by Roger-Mark DeSouza, John S. Williams, and Frederick A.B. Meyerson. Copyright© Population Reference Bureau, Inc., September, 2003.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Asthmatic Kids and their “Dust” Cloud
Recent research has shown that no matter how clean kids are kept, they are wreathed in invisible halos of dirt and dust that can be detected using small personal monitors. Just like the Peanuts character PIG-PEN who said, “I have affixed to me the dirt and dust of countless ages,” the dust and dirt adhering to children each day can make them sick.
According to Nathan Rabinovich of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, “Each kid has his own individual pollution cloud. What’s in it depends on what’s in their house, their school, and what their daily experience is.”
Scientists have known for a long time that dust and dirt make allergies worse, especially in inner-city urban areas. Studies have focused on measuring the efforts of counseling families on cleaning their houses and buying supplies, such as impermeable mattress and pillow covers. Yet, these studies have focused on allergens in the home, and not on what children carry with them.
Rabinovitch chose to focus his study of what he and other scientists have coined the “Pigpen Effect” on an allergenic protein called endotoxin. Endotoxin, a component of the pollution cloud, comes from bacteria that are everywhere in the environment.
What the researchers hoped to answer was why children’s asthma gets better or worse from day to day. In addition, they wanted to answer how pets may complicate a child’s asthma, even when the child is involved in activities away from home. Although the “hygiene hypothesis,” in which children exposed to endotoxin from animals and insect dust from an early age may be protected from allergies, has found favor with many researchers, it doesn’t explain why some children are allergic from an early age with such early exposure.
The research Rabinovitch conducted with children at the National Jewish Kunsbeg School found that personal exposures to endotoxin, as measured by monitors worn by the children, were significantly higher than the levels kids were exposed to in the environment. Therefore, they were definitely surrounded by a personal cloud, akin to the Pigpen illustration.
This may explain why a child who is exposed to a pet in the home can still can have an asthma attack from that pet while outside the home. As the researchers have reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the more endotoxin that surrounds a child, the more airway obstruction he or she will have to endure.
(Summarized from USA Today: Article by Steve Sternberg)
According to Nathan Rabinovich of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, “Each kid has his own individual pollution cloud. What’s in it depends on what’s in their house, their school, and what their daily experience is.”
Scientists have known for a long time that dust and dirt make allergies worse, especially in inner-city urban areas. Studies have focused on measuring the efforts of counseling families on cleaning their houses and buying supplies, such as impermeable mattress and pillow covers. Yet, these studies have focused on allergens in the home, and not on what children carry with them.
Rabinovitch chose to focus his study of what he and other scientists have coined the “Pigpen Effect” on an allergenic protein called endotoxin. Endotoxin, a component of the pollution cloud, comes from bacteria that are everywhere in the environment.
What the researchers hoped to answer was why children’s asthma gets better or worse from day to day. In addition, they wanted to answer how pets may complicate a child’s asthma, even when the child is involved in activities away from home. Although the “hygiene hypothesis,” in which children exposed to endotoxin from animals and insect dust from an early age may be protected from allergies, has found favor with many researchers, it doesn’t explain why some children are allergic from an early age with such early exposure.
The research Rabinovitch conducted with children at the National Jewish Kunsbeg School found that personal exposures to endotoxin, as measured by monitors worn by the children, were significantly higher than the levels kids were exposed to in the environment. Therefore, they were definitely surrounded by a personal cloud, akin to the Pigpen illustration.
This may explain why a child who is exposed to a pet in the home can still can have an asthma attack from that pet while outside the home. As the researchers have reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the more endotoxin that surrounds a child, the more airway obstruction he or she will have to endure.
(Summarized from USA Today: Article by Steve Sternberg)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
New studies point to the environment as having a larger role in the epidemic growth of allergies
Ft. Lauderdale veterinarian Al Brunz faced losing the occupation he loved as wheezing episodes filled his days. A visit with an allergist showed him what he suspected. “Animals are my No. 1 allergy—I’m allergic to cats,” he said.
The incidence of allergies is rising quickly, and scientists use words like “epidemic” to describe the growth. Eight percent of children age 6 or younger have some type of food allergy, while only 1 to 2% of adults are affected, the National Institutes of Health reports.
Other allergic conditions are on the rise: Eczema --itchy allergic skin rash- is the most common skin condition in children younger than 11. Incidence has increased from 3% in the 1960’s to 10% in the 1990’s, according to the NIHs.
The allergic response remains full of paradox. Filth can cause disease and asthma attacks. Yet, new studies suggest clean living probably unleashes allergies. The thinking is that clean homes, food, and water have deprived us of the constant exposure to germs and parasites that our ancestors survived. Dr. Marc Rothenberg, chief of Allergy and Clinical Immunology for the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital refers to it as the immune system’s “delinquency problem.” He states that “The immune system has too much free time, and it is getting into things that it shouldn’t.”
Other theories abound including: the rise of allergy, asthma and autoimmune diseases, as whooping cough and measles diminished; childhood vaccines; antibiotic use in babies; environmental pollutants; and, finally, Western diets that include trans-fats. For Al Brunz, who loves jogging almost as much as animals, running through downtown Ft. Lauderdale, with all of its traffic and trucks, set off his wheezing. He suspects truck and car exhaust makes his animal allergy worse.
There is mounting evidence that immunotherapy -- allergy shots -- work well for treating inhaled allergies and insect-venom allergies, and these shots can prevent new allergies and asthma, especially in children. For Al Brunz, allergy shots have freed him to return to the things he loves – jogging, yard work, and most of all, animals. Immunotherapy – allergy shots – works by exposing an allergic person to progressively greater doses of the substance they are allergic to over a period of years. That is basically a cure for many people, said Ft. Lauderdale allergist Dr. Linda Cox. “Medications work, but when you stop the meds, the allergies come back, she said. “Immunotherapy is the only intervention that can modify the allergic disease.” (Summarized from SUN-SENTINEL, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Feb. 2003, by Health Correspondent, Stacey Singer)
The incidence of allergies is rising quickly, and scientists use words like “epidemic” to describe the growth. Eight percent of children age 6 or younger have some type of food allergy, while only 1 to 2% of adults are affected, the National Institutes of Health reports.
Other allergic conditions are on the rise: Eczema --itchy allergic skin rash- is the most common skin condition in children younger than 11. Incidence has increased from 3% in the 1960’s to 10% in the 1990’s, according to the NIHs.
The allergic response remains full of paradox. Filth can cause disease and asthma attacks. Yet, new studies suggest clean living probably unleashes allergies. The thinking is that clean homes, food, and water have deprived us of the constant exposure to germs and parasites that our ancestors survived. Dr. Marc Rothenberg, chief of Allergy and Clinical Immunology for the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital refers to it as the immune system’s “delinquency problem.” He states that “The immune system has too much free time, and it is getting into things that it shouldn’t.”
Other theories abound including: the rise of allergy, asthma and autoimmune diseases, as whooping cough and measles diminished; childhood vaccines; antibiotic use in babies; environmental pollutants; and, finally, Western diets that include trans-fats. For Al Brunz, who loves jogging almost as much as animals, running through downtown Ft. Lauderdale, with all of its traffic and trucks, set off his wheezing. He suspects truck and car exhaust makes his animal allergy worse.
There is mounting evidence that immunotherapy -- allergy shots -- work well for treating inhaled allergies and insect-venom allergies, and these shots can prevent new allergies and asthma, especially in children. For Al Brunz, allergy shots have freed him to return to the things he loves – jogging, yard work, and most of all, animals. Immunotherapy – allergy shots – works by exposing an allergic person to progressively greater doses of the substance they are allergic to over a period of years. That is basically a cure for many people, said Ft. Lauderdale allergist Dr. Linda Cox. “Medications work, but when you stop the meds, the allergies come back, she said. “Immunotherapy is the only intervention that can modify the allergic disease.” (Summarized from SUN-SENTINEL, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Feb. 2003, by Health Correspondent, Stacey Singer)
Saturday, October 18, 2008
WHY HAS ALLERGY BECOME EPIDEMIC
Heredity plays a role, but genes cannot explain the sharp increase over the past 30 years, particularly in developed countries.
Allergy is becoming epidemic in the United States. Up to 30% of adults and 40% of children now suffer from allergic rhinitis. Yet, despite their ubiquity, allergies remain mysterious. Genes are a factor, but they alone cannot account for the significant rise in allergies in the last 30 years, especially in the developed countries.
Many culprits have been proposed, including pollution and changes in lifestyle. The most startling possibility: Allergy may be caused by the success of civilization. As modern life has become more hygienic, with indoor plumbing, immunizations, and antibiotics, the human immune system is not kept running at its fullest capacity. Thus, the immune system attacks allergens to keep itself busy.
Fortunately, for the first time in decades, completely new allergy treatments are in the works. Using tools from molecular biology and genetics, researches are devising once-a-month allergy shots and vaccines that could make life virtually allergy free for millions.
The problem is not just pollen, but a host of triggers, including nuts and latex. With people spending 90 % of their time indoors, allergies to cats, molds and dust mites have become a serious health concern. Most adults work in climate controlled offices, and children play indoors after school instead of riding bikes around the neighborhood. As a result, indoor allergens have become a larger problem.
Finding out what sets off a person’s allergies isn’t too hard. An allergist can perform a skin-prick test, and blood tests are sometimes used to detect antibodies to allergens. It’s figuring out what to do next that’s difficult.
The primary weapon remains antihistamines. Although allergy shots are effective, they can cause reactions that are dangerous. There are new medications in the pipeline, such as an “anti-IgE” drugs, monoclonal antibody and anti-leukotriene drugs - such as Accolate and Singular that have proved useful for treating asthma and allergies since 1996. Scientists are working hard to create more medications. But the ultimate goal in allergy treatment may be to convince the body right from the outset that allergens are not worthy of an immune response at all.
Among the many allergies, food allergies are rare, but they are also the most dangerous, affecting mostly children. For now, the only way to evade the risk is to avoid the food.
Throughout the house, frequent cleaning with a HEPA vacuum is recommended. A HEPA or electrostatic filter on your heating and air-conditioning system will also help capture some of the dust.
There are plenty of other ways to rid one’s house of allergy triggers. As Jayne Ruppenkamp, author of 101 WAYS TO REDUCE ALLERGENS IN YOUR HOME, puts it, “Do as much or as little as it takes to make you feel better.”
(Summarized from U.S. News & World Report, May 8, 2000 pp46-53. Article by Nancy Shite)
Allergy is becoming epidemic in the United States. Up to 30% of adults and 40% of children now suffer from allergic rhinitis. Yet, despite their ubiquity, allergies remain mysterious. Genes are a factor, but they alone cannot account for the significant rise in allergies in the last 30 years, especially in the developed countries.
Many culprits have been proposed, including pollution and changes in lifestyle. The most startling possibility: Allergy may be caused by the success of civilization. As modern life has become more hygienic, with indoor plumbing, immunizations, and antibiotics, the human immune system is not kept running at its fullest capacity. Thus, the immune system attacks allergens to keep itself busy.
Fortunately, for the first time in decades, completely new allergy treatments are in the works. Using tools from molecular biology and genetics, researches are devising once-a-month allergy shots and vaccines that could make life virtually allergy free for millions.
The problem is not just pollen, but a host of triggers, including nuts and latex. With people spending 90 % of their time indoors, allergies to cats, molds and dust mites have become a serious health concern. Most adults work in climate controlled offices, and children play indoors after school instead of riding bikes around the neighborhood. As a result, indoor allergens have become a larger problem.
Finding out what sets off a person’s allergies isn’t too hard. An allergist can perform a skin-prick test, and blood tests are sometimes used to detect antibodies to allergens. It’s figuring out what to do next that’s difficult.
The primary weapon remains antihistamines. Although allergy shots are effective, they can cause reactions that are dangerous. There are new medications in the pipeline, such as an “anti-IgE” drugs, monoclonal antibody and anti-leukotriene drugs - such as Accolate and Singular that have proved useful for treating asthma and allergies since 1996. Scientists are working hard to create more medications. But the ultimate goal in allergy treatment may be to convince the body right from the outset that allergens are not worthy of an immune response at all.
Among the many allergies, food allergies are rare, but they are also the most dangerous, affecting mostly children. For now, the only way to evade the risk is to avoid the food.
Throughout the house, frequent cleaning with a HEPA vacuum is recommended. A HEPA or electrostatic filter on your heating and air-conditioning system will also help capture some of the dust.
There are plenty of other ways to rid one’s house of allergy triggers. As Jayne Ruppenkamp, author of 101 WAYS TO REDUCE ALLERGENS IN YOUR HOME, puts it, “Do as much or as little as it takes to make you feel better.”
(Summarized from U.S. News & World Report, May 8, 2000 pp46-53. Article by Nancy Shite)
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
The Asthma Epidemic: Unraveling a Mystery
New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the nation, is an interesting study of epidemic asthma rates across the United States. Asthma rates have climbed 75% in the United States since 1980 and almost doubled among children. Officially, 20 million Americans suffer from asthma, one third of them under age 18. In the city of Passaic, New Jersey, 22% of the children are suffering from Asthma, nearly three times the national average. Yet, fifty miles west of Passaic, in a bucolic town named Belvidere, asthma rates have soared. It has been a mystery to scientists.
Most asthma attacks are allergic reactions. The body protects itself from what it sees as a foreign invader. Something like stray particles of smoke from a nuclear plant, or a bit of rat droppings, finds its way into the air passages. An overeager immune system counterattacks, flooding the lungs with antibodies. The immune response swells the lungs, narrowing tunnels through which oxygen reaches blood vessels. Mucus clogs the remaining air spaces, the respiratory system seizes.
While scientists know what triggers asthma, such as pollution, dust and mold, the reason why people develop asthma remains unclear. Still, there is evidence that youngsters growing up in smoggy cities are three times as likely to develop asthma as other children. This was the conclusion of an 11 year old University of Southern California study tracking thousands of youngsters in nearby cities. Later, USC also reported that the lungs of children in more polluted areas grow more slowly and move air less efficiently.
On the other hand, as Beijing, China continues to industrialize, only 8% of school children have asthma, according to Noreen Clark, dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health. By contrast, the air is cleaner and people smoke less in Detroit, yet 20% of the city’s students have asthma.
The answer may lie in the fact that while suburbs may not have the belching factories and smoggy interstates common to urban areas, urban pollution eventually drifts outside city limits. This may explain why Belvidere, New Jersey, located on the Delaware River, is experiencing so much asthma. A large power plant across the river is belching sulfur dioxide on the prevailing westerly winds. There are other, huge plants in Pennsylvania whose emissions can reach Belvidere.
Whatever the specific causes of asthma, people need to know whether they have it, or other respiratory conditions. Shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain or tightness; coughing, especially at night; sputum production; excessively rapid breathing or gasping; exhaustion; insomnia due to shortness of breath; or intolerance to the smell of chemicals may all be signs of asthma. You need to see your doctor with any of these symptoms and get a formal diagnosis.
(Summarized from THE RECORD, Hackensack, NJ; copyright Knight-Ridder Newspapers: Distributed by Knight-Ridder / Tribune Information Services.)
Most asthma attacks are allergic reactions. The body protects itself from what it sees as a foreign invader. Something like stray particles of smoke from a nuclear plant, or a bit of rat droppings, finds its way into the air passages. An overeager immune system counterattacks, flooding the lungs with antibodies. The immune response swells the lungs, narrowing tunnels through which oxygen reaches blood vessels. Mucus clogs the remaining air spaces, the respiratory system seizes.
While scientists know what triggers asthma, such as pollution, dust and mold, the reason why people develop asthma remains unclear. Still, there is evidence that youngsters growing up in smoggy cities are three times as likely to develop asthma as other children. This was the conclusion of an 11 year old University of Southern California study tracking thousands of youngsters in nearby cities. Later, USC also reported that the lungs of children in more polluted areas grow more slowly and move air less efficiently.
On the other hand, as Beijing, China continues to industrialize, only 8% of school children have asthma, according to Noreen Clark, dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health. By contrast, the air is cleaner and people smoke less in Detroit, yet 20% of the city’s students have asthma.
The answer may lie in the fact that while suburbs may not have the belching factories and smoggy interstates common to urban areas, urban pollution eventually drifts outside city limits. This may explain why Belvidere, New Jersey, located on the Delaware River, is experiencing so much asthma. A large power plant across the river is belching sulfur dioxide on the prevailing westerly winds. There are other, huge plants in Pennsylvania whose emissions can reach Belvidere.
Whatever the specific causes of asthma, people need to know whether they have it, or other respiratory conditions. Shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain or tightness; coughing, especially at night; sputum production; excessively rapid breathing or gasping; exhaustion; insomnia due to shortness of breath; or intolerance to the smell of chemicals may all be signs of asthma. You need to see your doctor with any of these symptoms and get a formal diagnosis.
(Summarized from THE RECORD, Hackensack, NJ; copyright Knight-Ridder Newspapers: Distributed by Knight-Ridder / Tribune Information Services.)
Saturday, October 11, 2008
What Needs to be Done to Make Asthma Manageable
While asthma has grown in epidemic proportions across the United States, the disease has also become a manageable one for those that seek medical care and receive the proper education about their condition.
The problem is that still too many asthma patients lurch from asthma crisis to asthma crisis. An on-going Harvard University study of asthma patients at more than 100 emergency rooms found that one in five ended up in the ER at least six times a year, and as many as one in three suffered a relapse within three weeks of their visit.
Regular, daily use of prescription medicine is needed to prevent crises and poor breathing for people with moderate to severe asthma, but many people lack health insurance, or the coverage for drugs. Insurance is no guarantee, however, that asthma patients will get the right medications from their doctors. Some physicians, who are not allergy specialists or pulmonologists, may not prescribe the needed medications.
In addition, patients must be motivated to follow an action plan that includes lifestyle changes: quitting smoking, ridding the home of carpeting and pet dander, and dust. Some HMOs bolster the physician's educational efforts with regular phone calls from a national bank of trained nurses. Others mail reminder cards and asthma information to patients.
A combination of prescribing proper medication, motivating patients to modify their lifestyle – such as including HEPA air filters in their homes – and educating disadvantaged populations readily available ways to make asthma a manageable disease.
Summarized from THE RECORD, Bergen County, NJ; Article by Lindy Washburn and Alex Nussbaum)
The problem is that still too many asthma patients lurch from asthma crisis to asthma crisis. An on-going Harvard University study of asthma patients at more than 100 emergency rooms found that one in five ended up in the ER at least six times a year, and as many as one in three suffered a relapse within three weeks of their visit.
Regular, daily use of prescription medicine is needed to prevent crises and poor breathing for people with moderate to severe asthma, but many people lack health insurance, or the coverage for drugs. Insurance is no guarantee, however, that asthma patients will get the right medications from their doctors. Some physicians, who are not allergy specialists or pulmonologists, may not prescribe the needed medications.
In addition, patients must be motivated to follow an action plan that includes lifestyle changes: quitting smoking, ridding the home of carpeting and pet dander, and dust. Some HMOs bolster the physician's educational efforts with regular phone calls from a national bank of trained nurses. Others mail reminder cards and asthma information to patients.
A combination of prescribing proper medication, motivating patients to modify their lifestyle – such as including HEPA air filters in their homes – and educating disadvantaged populations readily available ways to make asthma a manageable disease.
Summarized from THE RECORD, Bergen County, NJ; Article by Lindy Washburn and Alex Nussbaum)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Unusual and Promising Approaches to Allergy Prevention and Treatment
As strange as it may seem, a child's exposure to peanuts, pets, and intestinal worms might actually be good for the immune system. Doctors are trying to make use of novel approaches to retrain the immune system once it's too late and allergies set in.
Allergy shots work, but they're costly and often must be continued for years. Then the protection fades over time. There are two new strategies being developed that may improve treatment.
One strategy, pioneered by researchers in Berkeley California, involves disguising a key ragweed protein with DNA from a bacterium. The goal is to create a short course of allergy shots that tricks the immune system into permanently thinking that ragweed is a bacterium, so it will attack it like a germ and not mount an allergic response.
A second strategy being developed at UCLA involves fusing a cat allergen with a snippet of a powerful antibody call IgG. Researchers hope the combo will turn off histamine-producing cells, eventually retraining the immune system to accept that cats are harmless. Other researchers believe a low-grade infection with intestinal worms - pig whipworms because they cannot reproduce in humans - can restore the immune system.
Whether it is endotoxin or worms, scientists continue to investigate all of the factors that can confer protection against allergy and other immune diseases. For less extreme measures, or at least ones that are proven, choosing a HEPA air filter can reduce the allergens in your home, thus lowering triggers of allergic reactions.
(Summarized from: USA TODAY, March 19, 2006, article by: Steve Sternberg; Copyright© 2006 USA TODAY. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services. March 19, 2006.)
Allergy shots work, but they're costly and often must be continued for years. Then the protection fades over time. There are two new strategies being developed that may improve treatment.
One strategy, pioneered by researchers in Berkeley California, involves disguising a key ragweed protein with DNA from a bacterium. The goal is to create a short course of allergy shots that tricks the immune system into permanently thinking that ragweed is a bacterium, so it will attack it like a germ and not mount an allergic response.
A second strategy being developed at UCLA involves fusing a cat allergen with a snippet of a powerful antibody call IgG. Researchers hope the combo will turn off histamine-producing cells, eventually retraining the immune system to accept that cats are harmless. Other researchers believe a low-grade infection with intestinal worms - pig whipworms because they cannot reproduce in humans - can restore the immune system.
Whether it is endotoxin or worms, scientists continue to investigate all of the factors that can confer protection against allergy and other immune diseases. For less extreme measures, or at least ones that are proven, choosing a HEPA air filter can reduce the allergens in your home, thus lowering triggers of allergic reactions.
(Summarized from: USA TODAY, March 19, 2006, article by: Steve Sternberg; Copyright© 2006 USA TODAY. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services. March 19, 2006.)
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in African American Women
Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus is an increasingly serious health problem among African American women. Consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks was associated with an increased risk of diabetes in 2 studies but not in a third; however, to our knowledge, no data are available on African Americans regarding this issue. Our objective was to examine the association between consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, weight gain, and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in African American women.
Methods A prospective follow-up study of 59 000 African American women has been in progress since 1995. Participants reported on food and beverage consumption in 1995 and 2001. Biennial follow-up questionnaires ascertained new diagnoses of type 2 diabetes. The present analyses included 43 960 women who gave complete dietary and weight information and were free from diabetes at baseline. We identified 2713 incident cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus during 338 884 person-years of follow-up. The main outcome measure was the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Results The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus was higher with higher intake of both sugar-sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks. After adjustment for confounding variables including other dietary factors, the incidence rate ratio for 2 or more soft drinks per day was 1.24 (95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.45). For fruit drinks, the comparable incidence rate ratio was 1.31 (95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.52). The association of diabetes with soft drink consumption was almost entirely mediated by body mass index, whereas the association with fruit drink consumption was independent of body mass index.
Conclusions Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in African American women. While there has been increasing public awareness of the adverse health effects of soft drinks, little attention has been given to fruit drinks, which are often marketed as a healthier alternative to soft drinks.
Julie R. Palmer, ScD; Deborah A. Boggs, MS; Supriya Krishnan, DSc; Frank B. Hu, MD; Martha Singer, MPH; Lynn Rosenberg, ScD
Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(14):1487-1492.
Author Affiliations: Slone Epidemiology Center, Boston University (Drs Palmer, Krishnan, and Rosenberg and Ms Boggs), Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health (Dr Hu), and Section of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine (Ms Singer), Boston, Massachusetts.
Methods A prospective follow-up study of 59 000 African American women has been in progress since 1995. Participants reported on food and beverage consumption in 1995 and 2001. Biennial follow-up questionnaires ascertained new diagnoses of type 2 diabetes. The present analyses included 43 960 women who gave complete dietary and weight information and were free from diabetes at baseline. We identified 2713 incident cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus during 338 884 person-years of follow-up. The main outcome measure was the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Results The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus was higher with higher intake of both sugar-sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks. After adjustment for confounding variables including other dietary factors, the incidence rate ratio for 2 or more soft drinks per day was 1.24 (95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.45). For fruit drinks, the comparable incidence rate ratio was 1.31 (95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.52). The association of diabetes with soft drink consumption was almost entirely mediated by body mass index, whereas the association with fruit drink consumption was independent of body mass index.
Conclusions Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in African American women. While there has been increasing public awareness of the adverse health effects of soft drinks, little attention has been given to fruit drinks, which are often marketed as a healthier alternative to soft drinks.
Julie R. Palmer, ScD; Deborah A. Boggs, MS; Supriya Krishnan, DSc; Frank B. Hu, MD; Martha Singer, MPH; Lynn Rosenberg, ScD
Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(14):1487-1492.
Author Affiliations: Slone Epidemiology Center, Boston University (Drs Palmer, Krishnan, and Rosenberg and Ms Boggs), Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health (Dr Hu), and Section of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine (Ms Singer), Boston, Massachusetts.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Qigong for Optimum Health
The word Qigong is a new term established in the 1950’s by Dr. Guizheng Liu who founded the Beidaihe Quigong Institute in 1956. The actual practice of Qigong dates back to at least 5000 years to its conception under different names.
The work Qigong (pronounced chi gung) is composed of two concepts: Qi means air, breath of life, or vital energy of the body, and gong means the skill of working with, or time for cultivating, self-discipline and achievement or mastery.
The word Qi originated from ancient Chinese philosophy, which holds that the Qi is the foundational substance of the universe, and all the phenomena are produced by the changes and movement of Qi. In ancient China, Qi was thought to be the basic elements of the entire universe.
Although the word Qigong was first used by a Chinese Daoist monk in 300 BC, the word was not mentioned again until the early 19th century in a chapter called Qigong Supplementary of a book titled Yuan He Pin. Special Therapy for Tuberculosis – Qigong Therapy, written by Donghao. It was in the 1950s when Liu Guizeng wrote and published a book called Practice in Qigong Therapy that Qigong was given a full explanation and recognized as a formal name instead of various terms.
In Practice in Qigong Therapy, Qi was identified as breath, while gong means “continuous regulation of breathing and postures.” In light of medical knowledge, different styles of Qigong exercise have been created and studied, and the efficacy in curing diseases and preservation of health proven. Qigong therapy has become more widely accepted and has enjoyed popularity throughout the country.
The distinctive features of Qigong are the following:
Qigong is an exercise based upon the ancient Chinese philosophy of at least two aspects. One is that the framework of Qigong originated from philosophy, rather than different schools of religion. Secondly, the methodology on Qigong is different from modern science on which the biomedical model is still based.
Qigong is characterized by its unique method mainly based on a triple coordination of body, breath, and mind activity, all of which the orderly training of mental activity is the core part assisted by the body adjustment and breathing exercises.
The aim of Qigong practice is the optimal state and waking up the potential abilities of human beings. The optimal state is defined as the “pre-natal” state.
In ancient China, Qigong masters divided the mind into two different types: the post-natal mind and the pre-natal spirit. The characteristics of the post-birth mind are extroverted, scattered, and disordered. The prenatal spirit, on the other hand, is highly ordered and harmonized to keep our life process in a homeostatic condition.
The mind regulation of the Qigong practitioner involves the procedural training from the post-birth mind to the prenatal spirit by slightly concentrating within, or upon a single object, proceeding from the many to the one. As the prenatal mind is awoken, the prenatal Qi would be cultivated, bringing about an optimal state. Practitioners can use this state for different purposes, including maintaining health, treating illness, and promoting vitality and spiritual awareness and insight.
(Summarized from POSITIVE HEALTH (Portsmouth, England) Issue 114. Aug, 2005, pp42-45. Article by: Dr. Lianting Zhao, Copyright© 2005 Positive Health. )
The work Qigong (pronounced chi gung) is composed of two concepts: Qi means air, breath of life, or vital energy of the body, and gong means the skill of working with, or time for cultivating, self-discipline and achievement or mastery.
The word Qi originated from ancient Chinese philosophy, which holds that the Qi is the foundational substance of the universe, and all the phenomena are produced by the changes and movement of Qi. In ancient China, Qi was thought to be the basic elements of the entire universe.
Although the word Qigong was first used by a Chinese Daoist monk in 300 BC, the word was not mentioned again until the early 19th century in a chapter called Qigong Supplementary of a book titled Yuan He Pin. Special Therapy for Tuberculosis – Qigong Therapy, written by Donghao. It was in the 1950s when Liu Guizeng wrote and published a book called Practice in Qigong Therapy that Qigong was given a full explanation and recognized as a formal name instead of various terms.
In Practice in Qigong Therapy, Qi was identified as breath, while gong means “continuous regulation of breathing and postures.” In light of medical knowledge, different styles of Qigong exercise have been created and studied, and the efficacy in curing diseases and preservation of health proven. Qigong therapy has become more widely accepted and has enjoyed popularity throughout the country.
The distinctive features of Qigong are the following:
Qigong is an exercise based upon the ancient Chinese philosophy of at least two aspects. One is that the framework of Qigong originated from philosophy, rather than different schools of religion. Secondly, the methodology on Qigong is different from modern science on which the biomedical model is still based.
Qigong is characterized by its unique method mainly based on a triple coordination of body, breath, and mind activity, all of which the orderly training of mental activity is the core part assisted by the body adjustment and breathing exercises.
The aim of Qigong practice is the optimal state and waking up the potential abilities of human beings. The optimal state is defined as the “pre-natal” state.
In ancient China, Qigong masters divided the mind into two different types: the post-natal mind and the pre-natal spirit. The characteristics of the post-birth mind are extroverted, scattered, and disordered. The prenatal spirit, on the other hand, is highly ordered and harmonized to keep our life process in a homeostatic condition.
The mind regulation of the Qigong practitioner involves the procedural training from the post-birth mind to the prenatal spirit by slightly concentrating within, or upon a single object, proceeding from the many to the one. As the prenatal mind is awoken, the prenatal Qi would be cultivated, bringing about an optimal state. Practitioners can use this state for different purposes, including maintaining health, treating illness, and promoting vitality and spiritual awareness and insight.
(Summarized from POSITIVE HEALTH (Portsmouth, England) Issue 114. Aug, 2005, pp42-45. Article by: Dr. Lianting Zhao, Copyright© 2005 Positive Health. )
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Meditation and the Traditions of East Asian Healing
The cherished East Asian idea of the body is built on a foundation of of self-cultivation - derived mostly from meditation. In Buddhism, Daoism and Shintoism, meditation is a technique for observing and becoming attuned to the intricate workings of the life-supporting energy system that exists beyond or beneath the psych-physiological activity of the living human body.
In the East Asian meditational perspective, the "flow body" is compared to a river with pristine and transparent water. The body that flows is invisible to the senses in everyday life, and most of us are relatively unconscious of it, unless we are engaging in the heightened state of awareness from meditation.
Ki-energy is that which is tapped through acupuncture, as ki-energy travels through circuits or “ki-meridians” underneath the skin. For example, the practice of acupuncture manages the absorption process and release of the energy - for most of us - unconsciously, between the comprehensive body and its environment.
According to East Asian tradition, then, healing occurs in several ways: (1) religious healing, (2) acupuncture, (3) visualization and (4) enlightenment.
The East Asian traditions of meditation and related healing practices transform one's daily consciousness, allowing the individual to develop harmony with creative energies of nature, awakening their spirit and body to natural, healing powers.
(Summarized from UNESCO COURIER, April 1997 pp15-20, by Shigenori Nagatomo)
In the East Asian meditational perspective, the "flow body" is compared to a river with pristine and transparent water. The body that flows is invisible to the senses in everyday life, and most of us are relatively unconscious of it, unless we are engaging in the heightened state of awareness from meditation.
Ki-energy is that which is tapped through acupuncture, as ki-energy travels through circuits or “ki-meridians” underneath the skin. For example, the practice of acupuncture manages the absorption process and release of the energy - for most of us - unconsciously, between the comprehensive body and its environment.
According to East Asian tradition, then, healing occurs in several ways: (1) religious healing, (2) acupuncture, (3) visualization and (4) enlightenment.
The East Asian traditions of meditation and related healing practices transform one's daily consciousness, allowing the individual to develop harmony with creative energies of nature, awakening their spirit and body to natural, healing powers.
(Summarized from UNESCO COURIER, April 1997 pp15-20, by Shigenori Nagatomo)
Sunday, August 3, 2008
TREAT THE BODY HEAL THE MIND
As every psychiatrist knows, miracle drugs don’t always lead to miracle cures. Sometimes the inevitable side effects of psychiatric drugs – ranging from chronically dry mouth to panic attacks- become too much for a patient.
One practitioner, James S. Gordon, has a radical new approach to depression. Gordon is certainly well-acquainted with the nuances of depression. But for the past 15 years, as founder of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Gordon has helped patients replace their drug prescriptions with a program of alternative therapies. He’s convinced that holistic medicine can be as effective as antidepressants. Most people with chronic depression, he believes, don’t need drugs to feel good.
Gordon’s approach is quite controversial in psychiatry, where the ability of antidepressants to correct abnormal brain chemistry isn’t questioned, and the idea of asking seriously depressed patients to gamble on unproven alternatives is viewed with alarm. Yet, Gordon has had many successes. Jim Norman, an epidemiologist at the National Institutes of Health suffered from depression. He tried for years to stabilize himself with tranquilizers, and then he tried Gordon’s recommended therapies. Five years later, Norman finally feels he can control his moods without drugs. “The ups and downs still exist,” he says, “but they’ve leveled out.”
Should you try mind-body medicine? Depression is not an illness to fool with. If you are depressed and haven’t consulted a psychiatrist or psychologist, go see one. But if your depression is mild, or if you’re already being treated for it, but find you have other ailments, you can consider the approach of James Gordon. But, be discriminating. Two alternative practitioners rarely have the same training or philosophy, let alone the same track record.
Following are some of the alternative therapies to consider:
(1) Acupuncture – Employs the use of needles inserted at certain points in the body. Some experiments suggest needle treatment spur higher levels of serotonin and endorphins in the brain. These chemicals may be involved in improving mood and lessening pain. However, there’s little evidence that acupuncture mental anguish.
(2) Herbal Remedies – Need to be suited to one’s needs by someone trained in Chinese or botanical remedies. Few herbs have been studied as antidepressants, but a review of research in Germany involving the use of St. John’s Wort showed that it worked against moderate depression as well as synthetic drugs. However, herbal remedies are unregulated in this country, and must be used under the supervision of a physician or pharmacist who has studied herbs.
(3) Exercise – By focusing mind and body on a rhythmic activity, exercise lessens anxiety and other negative emotions. Seriously depressed people, though, have a hard time making the effort to exercise on their own.
(4) Meditation – Regularly taking ten to 20 minutes to focus thoughts on a single phrase or image can lower blood pressure, decrease pain and reduce anxiety. However, there’s no direct evidence that meditating helps seriously depressed people. Yet, it does induce a “relaxation response”, a calm state that turns off the “fight or flight” reaction that is part of many anxious and depressed patients.
(5) Nutrition – Gordon and other alternative medicine physicians believe that certain foods, particularly caffeine and sugar, strain the endocrine system and promote depression. No one should fast without a doctor’s supervision; some people are too run down to stop eating. For most people, the best food therapy may come down to good nutrition.
(Summarized from HEALTH Jan. / Feb. 1997 pp 72-78. Article by: Peter Carlin, Reprinted from HEALTH, Copyright © 1997.)
One practitioner, James S. Gordon, has a radical new approach to depression. Gordon is certainly well-acquainted with the nuances of depression. But for the past 15 years, as founder of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Gordon has helped patients replace their drug prescriptions with a program of alternative therapies. He’s convinced that holistic medicine can be as effective as antidepressants. Most people with chronic depression, he believes, don’t need drugs to feel good.
Gordon’s approach is quite controversial in psychiatry, where the ability of antidepressants to correct abnormal brain chemistry isn’t questioned, and the idea of asking seriously depressed patients to gamble on unproven alternatives is viewed with alarm. Yet, Gordon has had many successes. Jim Norman, an epidemiologist at the National Institutes of Health suffered from depression. He tried for years to stabilize himself with tranquilizers, and then he tried Gordon’s recommended therapies. Five years later, Norman finally feels he can control his moods without drugs. “The ups and downs still exist,” he says, “but they’ve leveled out.”
Should you try mind-body medicine? Depression is not an illness to fool with. If you are depressed and haven’t consulted a psychiatrist or psychologist, go see one. But if your depression is mild, or if you’re already being treated for it, but find you have other ailments, you can consider the approach of James Gordon. But, be discriminating. Two alternative practitioners rarely have the same training or philosophy, let alone the same track record.
Following are some of the alternative therapies to consider:
(1) Acupuncture – Employs the use of needles inserted at certain points in the body. Some experiments suggest needle treatment spur higher levels of serotonin and endorphins in the brain. These chemicals may be involved in improving mood and lessening pain. However, there’s little evidence that acupuncture mental anguish.
(2) Herbal Remedies – Need to be suited to one’s needs by someone trained in Chinese or botanical remedies. Few herbs have been studied as antidepressants, but a review of research in Germany involving the use of St. John’s Wort showed that it worked against moderate depression as well as synthetic drugs. However, herbal remedies are unregulated in this country, and must be used under the supervision of a physician or pharmacist who has studied herbs.
(3) Exercise – By focusing mind and body on a rhythmic activity, exercise lessens anxiety and other negative emotions. Seriously depressed people, though, have a hard time making the effort to exercise on their own.
(4) Meditation – Regularly taking ten to 20 minutes to focus thoughts on a single phrase or image can lower blood pressure, decrease pain and reduce anxiety. However, there’s no direct evidence that meditating helps seriously depressed people. Yet, it does induce a “relaxation response”, a calm state that turns off the “fight or flight” reaction that is part of many anxious and depressed patients.
(5) Nutrition – Gordon and other alternative medicine physicians believe that certain foods, particularly caffeine and sugar, strain the endocrine system and promote depression. No one should fast without a doctor’s supervision; some people are too run down to stop eating. For most people, the best food therapy may come down to good nutrition.
(Summarized from HEALTH Jan. / Feb. 1997 pp 72-78. Article by: Peter Carlin, Reprinted from HEALTH, Copyright © 1997.)
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Does Lack of Vitamin D Cause Winter’s Deadly Toll
With abundant documentation, it is evidence that more people die in winter than any other season. It doesn’t seem to matter where people live. They can live in the colder northern states or in warmer climes.
This puzzle was presented at the International Congress of Biometeorology where a study was released claiming that people do not die because it is cold, but because it is winter. The study was presented by Robert E. Davis, a University of Virginia environmental scientist.
One theory is that winter mortality might be related to vitamin D deficiencies, from lack of sunlight. “It may be a contributing factor,” said Peter Hoeppe, an environmental scientist with Ludwigs-Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. Yet, Heoppe could not explain how vitamin D deficiency might kill at a specific time of year.
Biometeorology disciples have long considered winter to be a time full of aches, and pain, and blahs. But, Davis’ study of mortality rates has cast an even darker shadow on the season.
There are many factors to consider: the frigid cold and heart disease; climatic factors such as El Nino and resulting warmer weather and storms; wind chill and frostbite; and being indoors and passing on diseases.
Summarized from: PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER (Philadelphia, PA)
Dec. 22, 2002, n.p. © KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS. Distributed by KNIGHT-RIDDER/
This puzzle was presented at the International Congress of Biometeorology where a study was released claiming that people do not die because it is cold, but because it is winter. The study was presented by Robert E. Davis, a University of Virginia environmental scientist.
One theory is that winter mortality might be related to vitamin D deficiencies, from lack of sunlight. “It may be a contributing factor,” said Peter Hoeppe, an environmental scientist with Ludwigs-Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. Yet, Heoppe could not explain how vitamin D deficiency might kill at a specific time of year.
Biometeorology disciples have long considered winter to be a time full of aches, and pain, and blahs. But, Davis’ study of mortality rates has cast an even darker shadow on the season.
There are many factors to consider: the frigid cold and heart disease; climatic factors such as El Nino and resulting warmer weather and storms; wind chill and frostbite; and being indoors and passing on diseases.
Summarized from: PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER (Philadelphia, PA)
Dec. 22, 2002, n.p. © KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS. Distributed by KNIGHT-RIDDER/
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Doctors Change Stance - Now Recommend Daily Vitamin
AMA to Change Stance; Doctors Now Urging Adults to Take Multivitamin Every Day
Reversing a longstanding anti-vitamin policy, the Journal of the American Medical Association is advising all adults to take at least one multivitamin pill each day. Scientists’ understanding of the benefits of vitamins has rapidly advanced, and it now appears that people who get enough vitamins may be able to prevent common chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis, according to Drs. Robert H. Fletcher and Kathleen M. Fairfield of Harvard University, who wrote JAMA’s new guidelines.
The last time JAMA made a comprehensive review of vitamins, about 20 years ago, it concluded that normal people shouldn’t take multivitamins because they felt people received all of the nutrients they need from their diet. They added that only pregnant women and chronically sick people may need certain vitamins. Researchers now hope that JAMA’s endorsement will result in more people benefiting from a daily vitamin.
Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, chief of antioxidant research at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging said, “It’s nice to see this change in philosophy that’s saying we can make public health recommendations based on this really compelling set of data.”
Blumberg said the JAMA recommendations are also important because they underscore a growing concept among nutrition experts that the recommended daily allowances, or RDAs, for many vitamins are set too low. RDAs essentially were established to prevent symptoms of vitamin deficiency disorders, he said. But there is growing evidence that higher levels of many vitamins are necessary to achieve optimum health. The National Academy of Sciences is revising its recommendations based on the new evidence.
Dr. Michael Sitrin, director of the University of Chicago’s clinical nutrition research center, said there is a growing conviction that taking a multiple vitamin a day would improve overall health. Fletcher and Fairfield said efforts to get people to eat healthier diets have not been very successful. The nation’s doctors need to upgrade their nutrition knowledge and tell patients to take multivitamins.
The Harvard researchers reviewed more than 150 studies to determine the health benefits of nine vitamins. They concluded that suboptimal levels of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 are a risk factor for heart disease, neural tube defects and colon and breast cancer; low levels of vitamin D contribute to osteoporosis and fractures; and inadequate levels of the antioxidant vitamins, A, E, and C may increase the risk of cancer and heart disease.
Although the articles did not specifically recommend vitamins for children, Fletcher said they probably should take a daily multivitamin for the same reason as adults. “The old advice was that you ought to take a vitamin pill while you’re growing up, but once you are an adult, you don’t need to take them anymore,” he said. “The new evidence counters that advice.”
Fletcher said most popular over-the-counter brands of multivitamins are sufficient and cheap, costing $20 to $30 per year. However, men and non-menstruating women should probably avoid multivitamin tablets that contain iron, because it may increase the risk of hemochromatosis, a blood disorder caused by excessive iron.
High potency vitamins should also be avoided because excessive amounts of fat-soluble vitamins, such as A and K can accumulate in the body and become toxic.
Source: CHICAGO TRIBUNE June 19, 2002, n.p. © 2002, Knight-Ridder Newspapers. Distributed by Knight-Ridder / Tribune Information Services
Reversing a longstanding anti-vitamin policy, the Journal of the American Medical Association is advising all adults to take at least one multivitamin pill each day. Scientists’ understanding of the benefits of vitamins has rapidly advanced, and it now appears that people who get enough vitamins may be able to prevent common chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis, according to Drs. Robert H. Fletcher and Kathleen M. Fairfield of Harvard University, who wrote JAMA’s new guidelines.
The last time JAMA made a comprehensive review of vitamins, about 20 years ago, it concluded that normal people shouldn’t take multivitamins because they felt people received all of the nutrients they need from their diet. They added that only pregnant women and chronically sick people may need certain vitamins. Researchers now hope that JAMA’s endorsement will result in more people benefiting from a daily vitamin.
Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, chief of antioxidant research at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging said, “It’s nice to see this change in philosophy that’s saying we can make public health recommendations based on this really compelling set of data.”
Blumberg said the JAMA recommendations are also important because they underscore a growing concept among nutrition experts that the recommended daily allowances, or RDAs, for many vitamins are set too low. RDAs essentially were established to prevent symptoms of vitamin deficiency disorders, he said. But there is growing evidence that higher levels of many vitamins are necessary to achieve optimum health. The National Academy of Sciences is revising its recommendations based on the new evidence.
Dr. Michael Sitrin, director of the University of Chicago’s clinical nutrition research center, said there is a growing conviction that taking a multiple vitamin a day would improve overall health. Fletcher and Fairfield said efforts to get people to eat healthier diets have not been very successful. The nation’s doctors need to upgrade their nutrition knowledge and tell patients to take multivitamins.
The Harvard researchers reviewed more than 150 studies to determine the health benefits of nine vitamins. They concluded that suboptimal levels of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 are a risk factor for heart disease, neural tube defects and colon and breast cancer; low levels of vitamin D contribute to osteoporosis and fractures; and inadequate levels of the antioxidant vitamins, A, E, and C may increase the risk of cancer and heart disease.
Although the articles did not specifically recommend vitamins for children, Fletcher said they probably should take a daily multivitamin for the same reason as adults. “The old advice was that you ought to take a vitamin pill while you’re growing up, but once you are an adult, you don’t need to take them anymore,” he said. “The new evidence counters that advice.”
Fletcher said most popular over-the-counter brands of multivitamins are sufficient and cheap, costing $20 to $30 per year. However, men and non-menstruating women should probably avoid multivitamin tablets that contain iron, because it may increase the risk of hemochromatosis, a blood disorder caused by excessive iron.
High potency vitamins should also be avoided because excessive amounts of fat-soluble vitamins, such as A and K can accumulate in the body and become toxic.
Source: CHICAGO TRIBUNE June 19, 2002, n.p. © 2002, Knight-Ridder Newspapers. Distributed by Knight-Ridder / Tribune Information Services
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Dont lose the Message
July 10, 2008
Pain (any pain--emotional, physical, mental) has a message. The information it has about our life can be remarkably specific, but it usually falls into one of two categories: "We would be more alive if we did more of this," and, "Life would be more lovely if we did less of that." Once we get the pain's message, and follow its advice, the pain goes away.
Peter McWilliams, Life 101
Every pain and ailment we experience may
indeed carry with it a deeply needed answer
to a problem we are currently experiencing
in life. When you lose, dont lose the lesson.
Be still enough to listen.............
-DJW
Pain (any pain--emotional, physical, mental) has a message. The information it has about our life can be remarkably specific, but it usually falls into one of two categories: "We would be more alive if we did more of this," and, "Life would be more lovely if we did less of that." Once we get the pain's message, and follow its advice, the pain goes away.
Peter McWilliams, Life 101
Every pain and ailment we experience may
indeed carry with it a deeply needed answer
to a problem we are currently experiencing
in life. When you lose, dont lose the lesson.
Be still enough to listen.............
-DJW
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Summer Sizzling Stress
“Drag your thoughts away from your troubles… by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.” - Mark Twain
Health tips: Fighting stress (Sarasota, FL, July 8, 2008)
You can have a major impact on reducing stress's adverse effects by spending time with friends, meditating, keeping physically active and joining groups that share your interests. In fact, these will give back 30 of the 32 years that a really bad run of major life stresses can steal from you.
And you can get some back by simply enjoying yourself: Laughing a lot, which reduces anxiety, tension and stress, can make you between 1.7 and 8 years younger than your calendar age.
-- Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz
These are stressful times. The economy is squeezing our extra
cash right out of our pockets. But lets not forget friends family and
laughter. These are the things that matter most. They also keep
us healthy. So lets have a summer of fun, and sizzle the stress away.
-Dr. White
Health tips: Fighting stress (Sarasota, FL, July 8, 2008)
You can have a major impact on reducing stress's adverse effects by spending time with friends, meditating, keeping physically active and joining groups that share your interests. In fact, these will give back 30 of the 32 years that a really bad run of major life stresses can steal from you.
And you can get some back by simply enjoying yourself: Laughing a lot, which reduces anxiety, tension and stress, can make you between 1.7 and 8 years younger than your calendar age.
-- Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz
These are stressful times. The economy is squeezing our extra
cash right out of our pockets. But lets not forget friends family and
laughter. These are the things that matter most. They also keep
us healthy. So lets have a summer of fun, and sizzle the stress away.
-Dr. White
Monday, July 7, 2008
Self Hypnosis for pain
As I see it, you do one of two things: You build health or you produce disease in yourself
-Adelle Davis
(bbc news) July 7, 2008 Patient undergoes arthroscopic knee surgery without anesthesia
Self-hypnosis patient undergoes op
9 hours ago
A pensioner who went under the surgeon's knife using self-hypnosis as her only pain relief insisted she was not brave.
Bernadine Coady, 67, of March, Cambridgeshire, underwent a one-hour knee operation at the private Orthopaedics and Spine Specialist Hospital, in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.
She allowed television crews to film the surgery, performed by Ahmed Shair.
Afterwards, in an interview with the BBC, she described the procedure as "absolutely wonderful" and said she only felt "tugging and pulling".
"It wasn't painful," she said. "I just feel the tugging."
She added: "It's not bravery. Anyone can do it if you could just train your mind. It's all in there."
A hospital spokeswoman said the exploratory operation, aimed at curing Ms Coady's knee pain, was the third time she had been under the surgeon's knife without painkillers.
"The first two were for foot problems," she said. "She has known Mr Shair for a long time and she came with the express wish that she wanted to be operated on using self hypnosis. She has gone home looking very happy so I presume it was a success."
The spokeswoman added: "Ms Coady is the only patient we've operated on in this way. If anyone else wanted to come along and have the procedure we would look at it on an individual basis."
Now that is a powerful mind
If Ms. Coady can have surgery (cutting and sawing) on her body surely we
can use mind techniques to improve our daily health.........
The Mind is Super Powerful>>>>I think we can manage many our pains/health
concerns with meditation and you might check into "Self-Hypnosis"
-Dr. White
-Adelle Davis
(bbc news) July 7, 2008 Patient undergoes arthroscopic knee surgery without anesthesia
Self-hypnosis patient undergoes op
9 hours ago
A pensioner who went under the surgeon's knife using self-hypnosis as her only pain relief insisted she was not brave.
Bernadine Coady, 67, of March, Cambridgeshire, underwent a one-hour knee operation at the private Orthopaedics and Spine Specialist Hospital, in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.
She allowed television crews to film the surgery, performed by Ahmed Shair.
Afterwards, in an interview with the BBC, she described the procedure as "absolutely wonderful" and said she only felt "tugging and pulling".
"It wasn't painful," she said. "I just feel the tugging."
She added: "It's not bravery. Anyone can do it if you could just train your mind. It's all in there."
A hospital spokeswoman said the exploratory operation, aimed at curing Ms Coady's knee pain, was the third time she had been under the surgeon's knife without painkillers.
"The first two were for foot problems," she said. "She has known Mr Shair for a long time and she came with the express wish that she wanted to be operated on using self hypnosis. She has gone home looking very happy so I presume it was a success."
The spokeswoman added: "Ms Coady is the only patient we've operated on in this way. If anyone else wanted to come along and have the procedure we would look at it on an individual basis."
Now that is a powerful mind
If Ms. Coady can have surgery (cutting and sawing) on her body surely we
can use mind techniques to improve our daily health.........
The Mind is Super Powerful>>>>I think we can manage many our pains/health
concerns with meditation and you might check into "Self-Hypnosis"
-Dr. White
Music as an Alternative Therapy for Pain
“Pain is a silent epidemic,” said Celeste Johnston, past president of the Canadian Pain Society and associate director for research at the McGill School of Nursing. About 17% of Canadians suffer chronic pain from such ailments as osteoarthritis, lower back pain, fibromyalgia, migraines and menstruation.
Last year alone, Canadians spent more than $2 billion purchasing prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal medication to alleviate their pain. However, recent reports about the side-effective of COX-2 inhibitors like Vioxx and Celebrex and the addictive potential of Oxycontin have spurred public interest in alternatives.
Researchers are studying alternative therapies, ones that traditionally were thought to be taboo by medical experts, said Dr. Marc Ware of the McGill University Pain Centre. Beyond drug therapy, other alternative treatments can include relaxation techniques, physiotherapy psychotherapy, acupuncture, yoga, massage, and even music therapy.
A University of Montreal study measured the effects of music on pain relief. The results of the study showed that music triggers emotional reactions in listeners, and these feelings can decrease their pain up to15%. In the study, university students were exposed to painful stimuli while listening to different types of music. The degree of pain relief was directly related to the musical tastes of the subjects. When the study subjects listened to music they liked, their pain was eased more than if they listened to music they disliked or to no music at all.
In addition to music therapy, researchers are studying other alternative, non-pharmaceutical ways to reduce pain.
Summarized from: SPECTATOR (Hamilton, Canada) Jan. 14, 2005, p.A10
(Original article by Ross Marovits)
Last year alone, Canadians spent more than $2 billion purchasing prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal medication to alleviate their pain. However, recent reports about the side-effective of COX-2 inhibitors like Vioxx and Celebrex and the addictive potential of Oxycontin have spurred public interest in alternatives.
Researchers are studying alternative therapies, ones that traditionally were thought to be taboo by medical experts, said Dr. Marc Ware of the McGill University Pain Centre. Beyond drug therapy, other alternative treatments can include relaxation techniques, physiotherapy psychotherapy, acupuncture, yoga, massage, and even music therapy.
A University of Montreal study measured the effects of music on pain relief. The results of the study showed that music triggers emotional reactions in listeners, and these feelings can decrease their pain up to15%. In the study, university students were exposed to painful stimuli while listening to different types of music. The degree of pain relief was directly related to the musical tastes of the subjects. When the study subjects listened to music they liked, their pain was eased more than if they listened to music they disliked or to no music at all.
In addition to music therapy, researchers are studying other alternative, non-pharmaceutical ways to reduce pain.
Summarized from: SPECTATOR (Hamilton, Canada) Jan. 14, 2005, p.A10
(Original article by Ross Marovits)
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Back pain has many causes, treatments
Back pain is almost as inevitable as taxes and death. At some point in life we may have back pain due to overuse, injury, strain, bone loss, aging, illness, automobile accident or falls.
It may be acute, recurring, or last a lifetime. It will always cause physical misery and mental strain. The good news is that most back pain will go away over time with self care. But there are times when a professional is needed. I advises someone who has recently experienced a back injury to seek professional help as soon as possible.
Non-surgical treatment of back pain utilizes a combination of many resources, including chiropractic adjustments, massage, exercise, physical therapy, and even some meditation techniques.
Self care treatment could be a simple as walking tall to relieve putting too much pressure on your spinal disks. Back strain may be relieved by keeping activities to a minimum for a few days and even bed rest. Back support cushions or rolls that take pressure off the spine can help. If cold doesn’t give your back relief, try heat. Soak in a hot bath tub for 20-30 minutes a few times a day or apply a hot pack. For back pain from a saggy mattress slip a sheet of plywood between the mattress and box spring. Pillows between the knees while sleeping on your side may help. When getting out of bed, roll out carefully and slowly using side muscles.
Being overweight and having back pain are inseparable, especially when the weight is around the waste. This added weight stresses soft back tissues and compresses disks.
Practice mind techniques to alleviate pain such as yoga. It is a good way to relax muscles. Biofeedback and progressive relaxation training can help the pain.
Feel free to post any questions you may have on back pain.
It may be acute, recurring, or last a lifetime. It will always cause physical misery and mental strain. The good news is that most back pain will go away over time with self care. But there are times when a professional is needed. I advises someone who has recently experienced a back injury to seek professional help as soon as possible.
Non-surgical treatment of back pain utilizes a combination of many resources, including chiropractic adjustments, massage, exercise, physical therapy, and even some meditation techniques.
Self care treatment could be a simple as walking tall to relieve putting too much pressure on your spinal disks. Back strain may be relieved by keeping activities to a minimum for a few days and even bed rest. Back support cushions or rolls that take pressure off the spine can help. If cold doesn’t give your back relief, try heat. Soak in a hot bath tub for 20-30 minutes a few times a day or apply a hot pack. For back pain from a saggy mattress slip a sheet of plywood between the mattress and box spring. Pillows between the knees while sleeping on your side may help. When getting out of bed, roll out carefully and slowly using side muscles.
Being overweight and having back pain are inseparable, especially when the weight is around the waste. This added weight stresses soft back tissues and compresses disks.
Practice mind techniques to alleviate pain such as yoga. It is a good way to relax muscles. Biofeedback and progressive relaxation training can help the pain.
Feel free to post any questions you may have on back pain.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
What's About Vitamin D and Sunshine?
Vitamin D Gets Its Day in the Sun
Researchers struggle to balance the potential benefits of the “sunshine” vitamin with proven skin cancer risks.
For years now, dermatologists have taught us to slather on sunscreen at ever-higher SPF levels, don hats, and dodge deadly solar rays. Recently, however, the scientific community has been split by a debate over a startling claim: Maybe a little sunshine is good for us, because those same ultraviolet rays we’ve been warned against also enable the skin to make Vitamin D. And Vitamin D, which can be difficult to obtain in adequate amounts from food or pills, has been linked to possible protection from colon and prostate cancer, as well as osteoporosis.
In a single issue of the National Cancer Institute’s Journal (Feb, 2005), two epidemiological studies suggested that sunlight may reduce the risk of non-Hodgins Lymphoma and may be associated with increased survival rates in patients with – of all things – early stage melanoma. At least a dozen studies are under way to test vitamin D’s effectiveness at cancer prevention, according to Peter Greenwald, M.D., chief of cancer prevention for the NCI. Other researchers are looking at vitamin D as a potential treatment for prostate and lung cancer.
It’s far too soon to declare vitamin D a wonder drug. However, Dr. Edward Giovannucci, a professor of medicine and nutrition at Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, co-authored an NCI-funded study that found a relationship between blood levels of vitamin D and subsequent risk of colon cancer among older women. The women, ages 60 and up, with the highest level of vitamin D showed a 46% lower risk than those with the lowest levels of the vitamin.
Does that mean it’s OK to – cautiously – venture back out into the sun for a natural dose vitamin D? According to the dermatology academy, the answer is still a resounding “No!” According to Vincent DeLeo, M.D., a dermatologist at Columbia University, “Under no circumstances should anyone be misled into thinking that natural sunlight or tanning beds are better sources of vitamin D than nutritional supplements.”
Some researchers, and even a few dermatologists, are cautiously disagreeing because dietary sources of vitamin D are relatively scarce. They include fortified milk, fortified brands of cereals and orange juice, and only fish such salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines. Vitamin D is one reason you may have been made to take cod-liver oil as a kid.
An eight-ounce glass of fortified glass of fruit or juice contains only about 100 IUs of vitamin D. The National Academy of Sciences’ recommended daily dietary intake of vitamin D varies by age: 200 IU for ages 19 to 50; 400 IU for ages 51 to 70; and 600 IU for 70 and older. Many experts also think those levels should be set higher. Dr. Giovannucci, for example, says his research show as much as 1,500 IU daily might be needed to have an anti-cancer effect.
Bess Dawson-Hughes, M.D., director of Bone Metabolism Laboratory at Tufts’ Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, suggests older adults need at least 800 IUs of vitamin D as part of a program of osteoporosis prevention. “Vitamin D promotes the absorption of dietary calcium,” she explains. “You need an adequate vitamin D level to make use of calcium.”
Supplements can help, but they’re no panacea. Taking “extra” multivitamins to boost vitamin D can mean getting too much vitamin A. Also, taking too much vitamin D in pill form can cause an unhealthy build-up of calcium in the body.
There’s no such limit on the body’s natural vitamin D, which the skin makes from cholesterol when exposed to ultraviolet light. So, Dawson-Hughes is among those who think it’s a good idea to get a little sun – up to 15 minutes – before applying sunscreen. “It doesn’t take a lot of sun to get vitamin D protection, without getting so much as to be toxic in terms of skin cancer.”
Whether you side with the dermatology establishment or are persuaded by researchers like Dr. Giavannucci, a few things are clear: First, avoid sunburn, a known risk factor for melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer. Second, there’s no prescription for tanning beds. Ultimately, more research will be needed to answer the questions about vitamin D. According to William J. Blot, Ph.D, of the International Epidemiology Institute, “In view of the major potential public health consequence of these results, further studies of sunlight and the vitamin D connection to cancer are certainly warranted.”
Source: TUFTS UNIVERSITY HEALTH & NUTRITION LETTER
Aug. 2005, Vol. 23, No. 6 pp4
Researchers struggle to balance the potential benefits of the “sunshine” vitamin with proven skin cancer risks.
For years now, dermatologists have taught us to slather on sunscreen at ever-higher SPF levels, don hats, and dodge deadly solar rays. Recently, however, the scientific community has been split by a debate over a startling claim: Maybe a little sunshine is good for us, because those same ultraviolet rays we’ve been warned against also enable the skin to make Vitamin D. And Vitamin D, which can be difficult to obtain in adequate amounts from food or pills, has been linked to possible protection from colon and prostate cancer, as well as osteoporosis.
In a single issue of the National Cancer Institute’s Journal (Feb, 2005), two epidemiological studies suggested that sunlight may reduce the risk of non-Hodgins Lymphoma and may be associated with increased survival rates in patients with – of all things – early stage melanoma. At least a dozen studies are under way to test vitamin D’s effectiveness at cancer prevention, according to Peter Greenwald, M.D., chief of cancer prevention for the NCI. Other researchers are looking at vitamin D as a potential treatment for prostate and lung cancer.
It’s far too soon to declare vitamin D a wonder drug. However, Dr. Edward Giovannucci, a professor of medicine and nutrition at Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, co-authored an NCI-funded study that found a relationship between blood levels of vitamin D and subsequent risk of colon cancer among older women. The women, ages 60 and up, with the highest level of vitamin D showed a 46% lower risk than those with the lowest levels of the vitamin.
Does that mean it’s OK to – cautiously – venture back out into the sun for a natural dose vitamin D? According to the dermatology academy, the answer is still a resounding “No!” According to Vincent DeLeo, M.D., a dermatologist at Columbia University, “Under no circumstances should anyone be misled into thinking that natural sunlight or tanning beds are better sources of vitamin D than nutritional supplements.”
Some researchers, and even a few dermatologists, are cautiously disagreeing because dietary sources of vitamin D are relatively scarce. They include fortified milk, fortified brands of cereals and orange juice, and only fish such salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines. Vitamin D is one reason you may have been made to take cod-liver oil as a kid.
An eight-ounce glass of fortified glass of fruit or juice contains only about 100 IUs of vitamin D. The National Academy of Sciences’ recommended daily dietary intake of vitamin D varies by age: 200 IU for ages 19 to 50; 400 IU for ages 51 to 70; and 600 IU for 70 and older. Many experts also think those levels should be set higher. Dr. Giovannucci, for example, says his research show as much as 1,500 IU daily might be needed to have an anti-cancer effect.
Bess Dawson-Hughes, M.D., director of Bone Metabolism Laboratory at Tufts’ Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, suggests older adults need at least 800 IUs of vitamin D as part of a program of osteoporosis prevention. “Vitamin D promotes the absorption of dietary calcium,” she explains. “You need an adequate vitamin D level to make use of calcium.”
Supplements can help, but they’re no panacea. Taking “extra” multivitamins to boost vitamin D can mean getting too much vitamin A. Also, taking too much vitamin D in pill form can cause an unhealthy build-up of calcium in the body.
There’s no such limit on the body’s natural vitamin D, which the skin makes from cholesterol when exposed to ultraviolet light. So, Dawson-Hughes is among those who think it’s a good idea to get a little sun – up to 15 minutes – before applying sunscreen. “It doesn’t take a lot of sun to get vitamin D protection, without getting so much as to be toxic in terms of skin cancer.”
Whether you side with the dermatology establishment or are persuaded by researchers like Dr. Giavannucci, a few things are clear: First, avoid sunburn, a known risk factor for melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer. Second, there’s no prescription for tanning beds. Ultimately, more research will be needed to answer the questions about vitamin D. According to William J. Blot, Ph.D, of the International Epidemiology Institute, “In view of the major potential public health consequence of these results, further studies of sunlight and the vitamin D connection to cancer are certainly warranted.”
Source: TUFTS UNIVERSITY HEALTH & NUTRITION LETTER
Aug. 2005, Vol. 23, No. 6 pp4
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Do HEPA Air Purifiers Help Allergies & Asthma?
Unusual and Promising Approaches to Allergy Prevention and Treatment
As strange as it may seem, a child's exposure to peanuts, pets, and intestinal worms might actually be good for the immune system. Doctors are trying to make use of novel approaches to retrain the immune system once it's too late and allergies set in.
Allergy shots work, but they're costly and often must be continued for years. Then the protection fades over time. There are two new strategies being developed that may improve treatment.
One strategy, pioneered by researchers in Berkeley California, involves disguising a key ragweed protein with DNA from a bacterium. The goal is to create a short course of allergy shots that tricks the immune system into permanently thinking that ragweed is a bacterium, so it will attack it like a germ and not mount an allergic response.
A second strategy being developed at UCLA involves fusing a cat allergen with a snippet of a powerful antibody call IgG. Researchers hope the combo will turn off histamine-producing cells, eventually retraining the immune system to accept that cats are harmless. Other researchers believe a low-grade infection with intestinal worms - pig whipworms because they cannot reproduce in humans - can restore the immune system.
Whether it is endotoxin or worms, scientists continue to investigate all of the factors that can confer protection against allergy and other immune diseases. For less extreme measures, or at least ones that are proven, choosing a HEPA air filter can reduce the allergens in your home, thus lowering triggers of allergic reactions.
(Summarized from: USA TODAY, March 19, 2006, article by: Steve Sternberg; Copyright© 2006 USA TODAY. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services. March 19, 2006.)
As strange as it may seem, a child's exposure to peanuts, pets, and intestinal worms might actually be good for the immune system. Doctors are trying to make use of novel approaches to retrain the immune system once it's too late and allergies set in.
Allergy shots work, but they're costly and often must be continued for years. Then the protection fades over time. There are two new strategies being developed that may improve treatment.
One strategy, pioneered by researchers in Berkeley California, involves disguising a key ragweed protein with DNA from a bacterium. The goal is to create a short course of allergy shots that tricks the immune system into permanently thinking that ragweed is a bacterium, so it will attack it like a germ and not mount an allergic response.
A second strategy being developed at UCLA involves fusing a cat allergen with a snippet of a powerful antibody call IgG. Researchers hope the combo will turn off histamine-producing cells, eventually retraining the immune system to accept that cats are harmless. Other researchers believe a low-grade infection with intestinal worms - pig whipworms because they cannot reproduce in humans - can restore the immune system.
Whether it is endotoxin or worms, scientists continue to investigate all of the factors that can confer protection against allergy and other immune diseases. For less extreme measures, or at least ones that are proven, choosing a HEPA air filter can reduce the allergens in your home, thus lowering triggers of allergic reactions.
(Summarized from: USA TODAY, March 19, 2006, article by: Steve Sternberg; Copyright© 2006 USA TODAY. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services. March 19, 2006.)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The Sleep Monster
A lot of patients have been complaining about lack of sleep or inability to get deep restful sleep. This is really a bugger of a problem:::::: "Please let me escape the sleep monster". How can we get the sleep that refreshes, beautifies, cleanses, nurishes, and really lets us wake up feeling GREAT?
Here are a few bullet point tips:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
1) Absolutely no caffeine after 2:00 PM
2) Find a way to unwind - reading, walking, yoga, meditation, even a hot bath with a candle
3) AT LEAST - 10 MIN of Exercise - even if push-ups/jumping jacks in the house
4) Turn off TV - constant bombardment of STUFF = more stress
5) Air purifier in the bedroom
6) Get rid of CARPET - lots of dust=less O2 to the lungs
7) Dont oversleep or undersleep (I think 6-8 hrs is ideal)
Wishing you all great health and prosperity - Let these simple changes get your body back
to that deep sleep that we all require for optimal rejuvination!!!
Dont let the sleep monster get the best of you!
Here are a few bullet point tips:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
1) Absolutely no caffeine after 2:00 PM
2) Find a way to unwind - reading, walking, yoga, meditation, even a hot bath with a candle
3) AT LEAST - 10 MIN of Exercise - even if push-ups/jumping jacks in the house
4) Turn off TV - constant bombardment of STUFF = more stress
5) Air purifier in the bedroom
6) Get rid of CARPET - lots of dust=less O2 to the lungs
7) Dont oversleep or undersleep (I think 6-8 hrs is ideal)
Wishing you all great health and prosperity - Let these simple changes get your body back
to that deep sleep that we all require for optimal rejuvination!!!
Dont let the sleep monster get the best of you!
Does Magnet Therapy Really Work?
Magnetic Therapy
Magnetic therapy is defined as the use of magnets to relieve pain in various areas of the body. Magnetic therapy dates as far back as the ancient Egyptians. Magnets have long been believed to have healing powers associated with muscle pain and stiffness. Chinese healers as early as 200 B.C. were said to use magnetic lodestones on the body to correct unhealthy imbalances in the flow of qi, or energy. The ancient Chinese medical text known as The Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Internal Medicine, describes this procedure.
The word “lodestone” or leading stone, came from the use of these stones as compasses. The word “magnet” probably stems from the Greek Magnes lithos, or “stone form Magnesia”, a region of Greece rich in magnetic stones.
Sir William Gilbert’s 1600 treatise, De Magnete, was the first scholarly attempt to explain the nature of magnetism and how it differed from the attractive force of static electricity. Gilbert allegedly used magnets to relieve the arthritic pains of Queen Elizabeth I. Contemporary American interest in magnetic therapy began in the 1990’s, as several professional golfers and football players offered testimony that the devices seemed to cure their nagging pains and aches.
There are two theories that are used to explain magnetic therapy. One theory maintains that magnets produce a slight electric current. When magnets are applied to a painful area of the body, the nerves in that area are stimulated, thus releasing the body’s natural painkillers. The other theory maintains that when magnets are applied to a painful area of the body, all the cells in that area react to increase blood circulation, ion exchange, and oxygen flow to the area. Magnetic fields attract and repel charged particles in the bloodstream, increasing blood flow and producing heat. Increased oxygen in the tissue and blood stream is thought to make a considerable difference in the speed of healing.
Some of the benefits that magnetic therapy claims to provide include: pain relief; reduction of swelling; improved tissue alkalinization; more restful sleep; increased cellular and tissue oxygenation; relief of stress; improved blood circulation; and anti-infective activity.
It is an interesting fact that many centuries ago, the earth was surrounded by a much stronger magnetic field than it is today. Over the past 155 years, scientists have been studying the decline of this magnetic field and its effect on human health. When the first cosmonauts and astronauts were going into space, physicians noted that they experienced bone calcium loss and muscle cramps when they were out of Earth’s magnetic field for an extended period of time. After this discovery, artificial magnetic fields were placed in space capsule
SOURCE: Magnetic Therapy - Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine by Kim Sharp
Magnetic therapy is defined as the use of magnets to relieve pain in various areas of the body. Magnetic therapy dates as far back as the ancient Egyptians. Magnets have long been believed to have healing powers associated with muscle pain and stiffness. Chinese healers as early as 200 B.C. were said to use magnetic lodestones on the body to correct unhealthy imbalances in the flow of qi, or energy. The ancient Chinese medical text known as The Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Internal Medicine, describes this procedure.
The word “lodestone” or leading stone, came from the use of these stones as compasses. The word “magnet” probably stems from the Greek Magnes lithos, or “stone form Magnesia”, a region of Greece rich in magnetic stones.
Sir William Gilbert’s 1600 treatise, De Magnete, was the first scholarly attempt to explain the nature of magnetism and how it differed from the attractive force of static electricity. Gilbert allegedly used magnets to relieve the arthritic pains of Queen Elizabeth I. Contemporary American interest in magnetic therapy began in the 1990’s, as several professional golfers and football players offered testimony that the devices seemed to cure their nagging pains and aches.
There are two theories that are used to explain magnetic therapy. One theory maintains that magnets produce a slight electric current. When magnets are applied to a painful area of the body, the nerves in that area are stimulated, thus releasing the body’s natural painkillers. The other theory maintains that when magnets are applied to a painful area of the body, all the cells in that area react to increase blood circulation, ion exchange, and oxygen flow to the area. Magnetic fields attract and repel charged particles in the bloodstream, increasing blood flow and producing heat. Increased oxygen in the tissue and blood stream is thought to make a considerable difference in the speed of healing.
Some of the benefits that magnetic therapy claims to provide include: pain relief; reduction of swelling; improved tissue alkalinization; more restful sleep; increased cellular and tissue oxygenation; relief of stress; improved blood circulation; and anti-infective activity.
It is an interesting fact that many centuries ago, the earth was surrounded by a much stronger magnetic field than it is today. Over the past 155 years, scientists have been studying the decline of this magnetic field and its effect on human health. When the first cosmonauts and astronauts were going into space, physicians noted that they experienced bone calcium loss and muscle cramps when they were out of Earth’s magnetic field for an extended period of time. After this discovery, artificial magnetic fields were placed in space capsule
SOURCE: Magnetic Therapy - Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine by Kim Sharp
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
You still have ALLERGIES?
Get rid of those allergies now.......Heres how::::::::
1) NO carpet,, get rid of it.. hardwood or tile or laminate
2) At home and work-- Have a air purifier running 24/7
3) Cut out as much of the sugar and caffeine in the diet
4) Take This product-- I stumbled upon it by accident>>>>>>
SUPER ALBUMIN made by Vital. It is usually sold at Korean/chinese supermarkets or you can look it up on the internet. It contains albumin, royal jelly, bee pollen, bee propolis. All of which help to decrease the histamine reaction in the body that causes allergies...>> u know all of the sneezing/itchy eyes/runny nose symptoms we all hate!!!! Try this it will really help. It has helped me reduce my allergies from a scale of 8/10 severity down to a 1/10. I am serious and I have had serious allergies in the past. But not now after doing these 4 steps. I do not sell this on my website. This is purly a bonus to all of you TO GET RID OF YOUR ALLERGIES NOW!!!!!!
P/S : take 2 per day 1 morning 1 night
I also found it helps you sleep better too!!!!!!
Now you can through away all of that lunarest, sombien, etc....
1) NO carpet,, get rid of it.. hardwood or tile or laminate
2) At home and work-- Have a air purifier running 24/7
3) Cut out as much of the sugar and caffeine in the diet
4) Take This product-- I stumbled upon it by accident>>>>>>
SUPER ALBUMIN made by Vital. It is usually sold at Korean/chinese supermarkets or you can look it up on the internet. It contains albumin, royal jelly, bee pollen, bee propolis. All of which help to decrease the histamine reaction in the body that causes allergies...>> u know all of the sneezing/itchy eyes/runny nose symptoms we all hate!!!! Try this it will really help. It has helped me reduce my allergies from a scale of 8/10 severity down to a 1/10. I am serious and I have had serious allergies in the past. But not now after doing these 4 steps. I do not sell this on my website. This is purly a bonus to all of you TO GET RID OF YOUR ALLERGIES NOW!!!!!!
P/S : take 2 per day 1 morning 1 night
I also found it helps you sleep better too!!!!!!
Now you can through away all of that lunarest, sombien, etc....
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
FORMS OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN HOLISTIC HEALING
A Harvard University study found that Americans spent $27 billion on alternative treatments and made more than 600 million visits to complementary health practitioners (compared to 368 million visits to their primary care physicians) - an increase of almost 50 percent since 1990. Many individuals visiting these complementary health practitioners were looking for holistic healing modalities that take comprehensive treat the entire human system, not just the physical body.
Holistic healing also targets subtle bodies and the life force of chi. There are numerous holistic healing modalities. Some use substances in their therapies, and others work on different parts of the body to promote healing and well-being. These modalities include: Acupuncture, Acupressure, Aromatherapy, Qigong, Chiropractic, Chromotherapy, Crystal/Gemstone therapy, Flower remedies, Herabalism, Homeopathy, Hypnotherapy, Massage, Osteopathy, Reflexology, Reiki, Sound Healing, Visualization and Yoga.
A few of the most common and accepted holistic practices in the West today are Acupuncture, Chiropractic, and Yoga. Chiropractic involves manually adjusting the spine - and in some cases other parts of the skeletal system, to alleviate pain.
Acupuncture uses fine needles to activate and balance Chi. A practitioner inserts needles at certain points along the body's meridians to remove blockages and restore the flow of energy through the body.
Yoga combines physical movement and deep, rhythmic breathing to produce overall health. The most popular form of Yoga in the United States is "Hatha" which involves holding various postures or asanas to strengthen the body, increase balance and improve flexibility.
(Summarized from THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CHI, 2004, pp48-63)
Holistic healing also targets subtle bodies and the life force of chi. There are numerous holistic healing modalities. Some use substances in their therapies, and others work on different parts of the body to promote healing and well-being. These modalities include: Acupuncture, Acupressure, Aromatherapy, Qigong, Chiropractic, Chromotherapy, Crystal/Gemstone therapy, Flower remedies, Herabalism, Homeopathy, Hypnotherapy, Massage, Osteopathy, Reflexology, Reiki, Sound Healing, Visualization and Yoga.
A few of the most common and accepted holistic practices in the West today are Acupuncture, Chiropractic, and Yoga. Chiropractic involves manually adjusting the spine - and in some cases other parts of the skeletal system, to alleviate pain.
Acupuncture uses fine needles to activate and balance Chi. A practitioner inserts needles at certain points along the body's meridians to remove blockages and restore the flow of energy through the body.
Yoga combines physical movement and deep, rhythmic breathing to produce overall health. The most popular form of Yoga in the United States is "Hatha" which involves holding various postures or asanas to strengthen the body, increase balance and improve flexibility.
(Summarized from THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CHI, 2004, pp48-63)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Bye Bye Prilosec
Would you like some acid reflux with that meal sir? Stomach acid or heart burn is not a problem with too much acid!!! The issue is a mal -(BAD) position of the stomach itself popping into the wrong space. Which space??????? The space right next to the heart------image that "heart burn"... should be called heart pressure!!! What happens is when we overeat the stomach has no place else to go but up and it slips past the diaphram muscle creating a hiatal hernia. This causes the stomach acid to come right on up because the diapham "door" or spincter cannot close any more. Thus the result : ACID REFLUX ! So its not an acid problem , it's a mechanical problem-- things in the wrong place.
The solution: EAT smaller meals and have the distraction manuever done on the OUT of POSITION stomach. Most chiropractors will be able to assist you with this concern. Mention Hiatal Hernia and reflux and they will know how to help.
Many patients find it much easier to breath afterward and you might even be able to save some money on all that ACID REFLUX medicine in the future -- by not needing It!!!!
PS: reseach has shown that people with HH(hiatal hernia) have an increase chance for heart disease!!!!! That is the last thing we need to increase the chance of the #1 killer getting to us sooner than we expect......Take care of that stomach problem now!!!! Now you know...........
The solution: EAT smaller meals and have the distraction manuever done on the OUT of POSITION stomach. Most chiropractors will be able to assist you with this concern. Mention Hiatal Hernia and reflux and they will know how to help.
Many patients find it much easier to breath afterward and you might even be able to save some money on all that ACID REFLUX medicine in the future -- by not needing It!!!!
PS: reseach has shown that people with HH(hiatal hernia) have an increase chance for heart disease!!!!! That is the last thing we need to increase the chance of the #1 killer getting to us sooner than we expect......Take care of that stomach problem now!!!! Now you know...........
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