When we are sick we don't feel like running all around trying to pick up the things we need to help us feel better. It is so much easier if we keep these things on hand. Many of these foods we use on a regular basis, and it could help you from getting sick or if you do get sick you won't be sick for long. You can either refrigerate them or keep them in your kitchen cabinets.
1. Fresh Garlic - It's good for high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar - Aids in digestion and helps acid reflux or heartburn.
3. Flax seeds or Flax oil - Helps with breast cancer, prostrate cancer, and is good for constipation due to it's high fiber content.
4. Lemons - Good for coughs and colds adds great flavor to tea's.
5. Honey - Also, good for coughs, colds, flu, diarrhea if mixed with hot water.
6. Ginger root - Is good for colds, coughs, flu, digestion, cholesterol and is also a natural blood thinner.
7. Black Seed - It is good for many health ailments as Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) says it is good for everything except death.
8. Turmeric - It's uses include coloring food. It is also good for cuts, burns and bruises.
9. Molasses - Is a source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron.
10. Oatmeal - Helps lower cholesterol.
11. Cranberry Concentrate - Helps with urinary tract infections.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
HEART SURGERY (for children) - FREE OF COST
HEART SURGERY (for children) - FREE OF COST - Pass it to all, it will help some one
This is done at Sri Sathya Sai Institute Of Higher Medical Sciences, E.P.I.P. Area, WhiteField, Bengalore, India
Children who are having heart problems, those parents who could't afford for their children's operation, please pass on this email it mightbe help somebody.
For any kind of heart surgery for children - free of cost ..
Write to us:
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences
EPIP Area, Whitefield,
Bangalore 560 066,
Karnataka , INDIA .
Call us :
Telephone: +91- 080- 28411500
Fax +91 - 080- 28411502
Employment related +91- 080- 28411500 Ext. 415
Email us: General Queries: adminblr@sssihms. Org.in
This is done at Sri Sathya Sai Institute Of Higher Medical Sciences, E.P.I.P. Area, WhiteField, Bengalore, India
Children who are having heart problems, those parents who could't afford for their children's operation, please pass on this email it mightbe help somebody.
For any kind of heart surgery for children - free of cost ..
Write to us:
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences
EPIP Area, Whitefield,
Bangalore 560 066,
Karnataka , INDIA .
Call us :
Telephone: +91- 080- 28411500
Fax +91 - 080- 28411502
Employment related +91- 080- 28411500 Ext. 415
Email us: General Queries: adminblr@sssihms. Org.in
For more details refer to
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Counseling May Improve Breast Cancer Survival
Research increasingly supports the notion that emotional, mental and physical health are very closely linked and that psychological therapy can improve a person’s overall health by effectively decreasing depression, anxiety and related symptoms, such as pain, fatigue and nausea. It can also have a positive effect on the body’s immune system. Nine out of 10 Americans surveyed by Consumer Reports said that psychological counseling helped them. Counseling is used in many situations including smoking cessation, weight management, pain management, and coping with a chronic illness. Counseling has been found to increase survival time for heart surgery patients, and a new study shows that may hold true for breast cancer patients as well.
Dr. Barbara L. Andersen and colleagues at the Ohio State University followed 227 breast cancer patients for an average of 11 years. At the start of the study, all had undergone breast surgery, but the cancer had not spread. All patients received their usual medical treatment, but half were also randomly assigned to psychological intervention groups. Led by a psychologist, the 26 sessions were held over the course of a year and included relaxation techniques, advice on how to avoid becoming too tired and how to approach family and friends for support. The sessions also included some diet and exercise advice and information on how to cope with the side effects of cancer treatment.
Overall, by the end of the follow-up period, cancer had recurred in 62 of the 212 women for whom data was available and 54 of the total group had died. Patients receiving counseling had about half, 55 percent, the risk of recurrence compared with the control group. Those who did suffer a recurrence had been cancer-free for an average of six months longer than the patients in the control group, a 45 percent risk reduction. And among the 54 women who died, those who took part in the counseling sessions lived longer than the others. The study also found patients receiving counseling had less than half the risk, 44 percent, of death from breast cancer compared to those who did not receive the intervention, as well as a reduced risk of death from all causes, not just cancer. “Many of the strategies patients learned in the intervention program, such as stress reduction, may have protected them from heart disease and other causes of death,” Dr. Andersen said.
In a follow-up analysis, the researchers excluded people who were put in the intervention group, but who attended fewer that 20 percent of the sessions (16 of 114 participants fit this requirement). When the infrequent attendees were excluded, the remainder had a 68 percent reduced risk of breast cancer death, compared to the 55 percent risk reduction for the whole participant group.
Cancer patients undergo a great deal of stress before, during and after treatment. The researchers theorize that psychological interventions may affect immune system changes that are secondary to stress hormones and that may promote cancer growth or metastasis. They recommend that, in addition to powerful antitumor medications, cancer patients should be treated for psychological distress as well. “If efficacious psychological interventions to reduce stress are delivered early, they will improve mental health, health and treatment-relevant behaviors, and potentially, biologic outcomes,” the authors wrote. “If so there is the possibility for improved survivorship and survival for cancer patients.”
However, other experts are wary. Dr. Michael Stefanek, of the American Cancer Society, said other studies had come to the opposite conclusion. “Psychological interventions have been found in the majority of well-controlled studies to enhance quality of life and reduce distress. It would not be reasonable for patients to participate in psychological interventions with the goal of extending survival,” he said in a statement. “We should not conclude that psychological interventions increase survival among women with early stage breast cancer,” he added.
There are many approaches to outpatient psychological counseling and various ways for it to take place, including individual, group or family sessions. But regardless of where it takes place, sessions that concentrate on mood improvement, effective coping and health behavioral changes appear to reduce stress and help breast cancer patients live longer. “The results suggest that we can help breast cancer patients make positive steps that may help them live longer and make recurrence less likely,” Dr. Andersen said in a prepared statement. “We already knew a psychological intervention program could help breast cancer patients to handle their stress, function more effectively, and improve their health. Now we know it does even more.”
The study will be published in the December 15 issue of the journal Cancer, and is currently available to subscribers online.
Dr. Barbara L. Andersen and colleagues at the Ohio State University followed 227 breast cancer patients for an average of 11 years. At the start of the study, all had undergone breast surgery, but the cancer had not spread. All patients received their usual medical treatment, but half were also randomly assigned to psychological intervention groups. Led by a psychologist, the 26 sessions were held over the course of a year and included relaxation techniques, advice on how to avoid becoming too tired and how to approach family and friends for support. The sessions also included some diet and exercise advice and information on how to cope with the side effects of cancer treatment.
Overall, by the end of the follow-up period, cancer had recurred in 62 of the 212 women for whom data was available and 54 of the total group had died. Patients receiving counseling had about half, 55 percent, the risk of recurrence compared with the control group. Those who did suffer a recurrence had been cancer-free for an average of six months longer than the patients in the control group, a 45 percent risk reduction. And among the 54 women who died, those who took part in the counseling sessions lived longer than the others. The study also found patients receiving counseling had less than half the risk, 44 percent, of death from breast cancer compared to those who did not receive the intervention, as well as a reduced risk of death from all causes, not just cancer. “Many of the strategies patients learned in the intervention program, such as stress reduction, may have protected them from heart disease and other causes of death,” Dr. Andersen said.
In a follow-up analysis, the researchers excluded people who were put in the intervention group, but who attended fewer that 20 percent of the sessions (16 of 114 participants fit this requirement). When the infrequent attendees were excluded, the remainder had a 68 percent reduced risk of breast cancer death, compared to the 55 percent risk reduction for the whole participant group.
Cancer patients undergo a great deal of stress before, during and after treatment. The researchers theorize that psychological interventions may affect immune system changes that are secondary to stress hormones and that may promote cancer growth or metastasis. They recommend that, in addition to powerful antitumor medications, cancer patients should be treated for psychological distress as well. “If efficacious psychological interventions to reduce stress are delivered early, they will improve mental health, health and treatment-relevant behaviors, and potentially, biologic outcomes,” the authors wrote. “If so there is the possibility for improved survivorship and survival for cancer patients.”
However, other experts are wary. Dr. Michael Stefanek, of the American Cancer Society, said other studies had come to the opposite conclusion. “Psychological interventions have been found in the majority of well-controlled studies to enhance quality of life and reduce distress. It would not be reasonable for patients to participate in psychological interventions with the goal of extending survival,” he said in a statement. “We should not conclude that psychological interventions increase survival among women with early stage breast cancer,” he added.
There are many approaches to outpatient psychological counseling and various ways for it to take place, including individual, group or family sessions. But regardless of where it takes place, sessions that concentrate on mood improvement, effective coping and health behavioral changes appear to reduce stress and help breast cancer patients live longer. “The results suggest that we can help breast cancer patients make positive steps that may help them live longer and make recurrence less likely,” Dr. Andersen said in a prepared statement. “We already knew a psychological intervention program could help breast cancer patients to handle their stress, function more effectively, and improve their health. Now we know it does even more.”
The study will be published in the December 15 issue of the journal Cancer, and is currently available to subscribers online.
Spinal Anesthesia Doesn’t Cause Restless Leg Syndrome
Spinal anesthesia won’t cause or worsen restless legs syndrome.
That’s the conclusion of a new study published as a letter to the editor in the Nov. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study compared people undergoing general anesthesia to those undergoing surgery with spinal anesthesia and found no difference in restless legs syndrome symptoms between the groups.
"Our study was designed to test the hypothesis that spinal anesthesia would worsen the symptoms of restless leg syndrome," said the study’s lead author, Dr. Thomas Crozier, an associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Gottingen Medical School in Germany. "This is important, because restless legs syndrome is a very unpleasant condition that affects up to 10 percent of the population," he added.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder that causes people to feel a compelling need to move their legs, especially when they’re lying down. An observational study in 2002 had suggested that spinal anesthesia was responsible for transient restless legs syndrome after surgery, the researchers said.
"The study that prompted this one found new onset RLS that lasted six weeks and then abated," said Dr. Sam Awada, chief of family medicine at St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital in Warren, Mich.
The current study included 359 people undergoing surgery. One hundred and forty-seven had spinal anesthesia, and the remaining 212 had general anesthesia. Thirty-two people said they had RLS symptoms before the study began.
The study volunteers filled out questionnaires before surgery, and then again at one and four weeks after surgery.
No one in either group reported new onset restless legs syndrome, and no one that had RLS at the start of the study reported a worsening of symptoms.
"Restless legs syndrome arising after surgery probably has more to do with the surgery itself or with the forced immobilization in the hospital," Crozier said. "We think that it is important for people suffering from restless legs syndrome to know that there is, at worst, only a very small likelihood that spinal anesthesia, which is the best choice for a number of surgical procedures, will worsen their condition," he added.
Awada called the new study’s findings "interesting," but said more research should be done to definitively rule out a relationship between spinal anesthesia and restless legs syndrome.
Another recent finding -- this one presented at the Neuroscience 2008 meeting in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 16 -- linked restless legs syndrome with the use of allergy medications.
That’s the conclusion of a new study published as a letter to the editor in the Nov. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study compared people undergoing general anesthesia to those undergoing surgery with spinal anesthesia and found no difference in restless legs syndrome symptoms between the groups.
"Our study was designed to test the hypothesis that spinal anesthesia would worsen the symptoms of restless leg syndrome," said the study’s lead author, Dr. Thomas Crozier, an associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Gottingen Medical School in Germany. "This is important, because restless legs syndrome is a very unpleasant condition that affects up to 10 percent of the population," he added.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder that causes people to feel a compelling need to move their legs, especially when they’re lying down. An observational study in 2002 had suggested that spinal anesthesia was responsible for transient restless legs syndrome after surgery, the researchers said.
"The study that prompted this one found new onset RLS that lasted six weeks and then abated," said Dr. Sam Awada, chief of family medicine at St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital in Warren, Mich.
The current study included 359 people undergoing surgery. One hundred and forty-seven had spinal anesthesia, and the remaining 212 had general anesthesia. Thirty-two people said they had RLS symptoms before the study began.
The study volunteers filled out questionnaires before surgery, and then again at one and four weeks after surgery.
No one in either group reported new onset restless legs syndrome, and no one that had RLS at the start of the study reported a worsening of symptoms.
"Restless legs syndrome arising after surgery probably has more to do with the surgery itself or with the forced immobilization in the hospital," Crozier said. "We think that it is important for people suffering from restless legs syndrome to know that there is, at worst, only a very small likelihood that spinal anesthesia, which is the best choice for a number of surgical procedures, will worsen their condition," he added.
Awada called the new study’s findings "interesting," but said more research should be done to definitively rule out a relationship between spinal anesthesia and restless legs syndrome.
Another recent finding -- this one presented at the Neuroscience 2008 meeting in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 16 -- linked restless legs syndrome with the use of allergy medications.
Assisted Reproduction May Increase Risk of Birth Defects
Advances in medical science now allow limbs to be reattached, organs to be replaced, and babies to be born to women with fertility issues who had previously been unable to conceive. These advances prolong and provide life, but at times there is a cost to these medical miracles. One such cost is that infants conceived through the use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) are at two to four times greater risk of being born with certain birth defects when compared to babies who are conceived naturally.
According to a report from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children conceived through ART have a greater likelihood of having heart wall defects, gastrointestinal defects and a condition known as cleft lip. ART refers to any procedure involving the surgical removal of eggs from a woman`s womb followed by combining the eggs with sperm in a lab, and then returning them to the woman`s body or donating them to another woman.
The study centered on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and the effects were observed solely in single births. This could be due the fact that high risks for birth defects are already associated with multiple births, according to the researchers led by Jennita Reefhuis, Ph.D., of the CDC`s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. The findings of the CDC study were recently published in the advance online edition of Human Reproduction.
The use of ART is becoming more and more common. In a news release, Reefhuis stated, “Today, more than 1% of infants are conceived through ART and this number may continue to increase.” Reefhuis noted that the chances of birth defects for babies conceived through the use of ART are low yet “it is still important for parents who are considering using ART to think about all of the potential risks and benefits of this technology.” The CDC is not making any recommendations about the use of ART.
According to the CDC, the use of ART in the United States began in 1981 and the number of infants conceived through ART doubled from 1996 through 2004. About 12 percent of U.S. women between the ages of 15 and 44 reported using infertility services in 2002. In 2005, over 134,000 ART procedures were performed in the United States that resulted in about 52,000 births.
During the study, the researchers evaluated data from the mothers of babies born on or after Oct. 1, 1997, and on or before Dec. 31, 2003. About 13,500 of the babies were born with birth defects and just over 5,000 of the babies were born without birth defects. Mothers of the infants were interviewed by telephone between six months and two years after the date of delivery. The infants were born throughout 10 states including Arkansas, California, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Utah, and Texas.
Of the babies who were conceived through ART, 2.4 percent had birth defects while only about 1percent had no birth defects, according to interviews with the mothers. Among the ART babies, Septal heart defects were found to be twice as common, Cleft lip and/or cleft palate was found to be 2.4 times as common, Esophageal atresia (birth defect of the esophagus) was found to be 4.5 times more common and Anorectal atresia (birth defect in the anal/rectal area) was 3.7 times more common than in normally conceived children.
It must be noted that the study does not prove that ART actually causes the birth defects. The authors of the study report acknowledged this by stating, “Sub-fertile women might have a higher risk of having a child with a birth defect regardless of whether infertility treatments are used.” Additional research will be necessary to determine whether or not ART has an impact on birth defect risk.
According to a report from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children conceived through ART have a greater likelihood of having heart wall defects, gastrointestinal defects and a condition known as cleft lip. ART refers to any procedure involving the surgical removal of eggs from a woman`s womb followed by combining the eggs with sperm in a lab, and then returning them to the woman`s body or donating them to another woman.
The study centered on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and the effects were observed solely in single births. This could be due the fact that high risks for birth defects are already associated with multiple births, according to the researchers led by Jennita Reefhuis, Ph.D., of the CDC`s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. The findings of the CDC study were recently published in the advance online edition of Human Reproduction.
The use of ART is becoming more and more common. In a news release, Reefhuis stated, “Today, more than 1% of infants are conceived through ART and this number may continue to increase.” Reefhuis noted that the chances of birth defects for babies conceived through the use of ART are low yet “it is still important for parents who are considering using ART to think about all of the potential risks and benefits of this technology.” The CDC is not making any recommendations about the use of ART.
According to the CDC, the use of ART in the United States began in 1981 and the number of infants conceived through ART doubled from 1996 through 2004. About 12 percent of U.S. women between the ages of 15 and 44 reported using infertility services in 2002. In 2005, over 134,000 ART procedures were performed in the United States that resulted in about 52,000 births.
During the study, the researchers evaluated data from the mothers of babies born on or after Oct. 1, 1997, and on or before Dec. 31, 2003. About 13,500 of the babies were born with birth defects and just over 5,000 of the babies were born without birth defects. Mothers of the infants were interviewed by telephone between six months and two years after the date of delivery. The infants were born throughout 10 states including Arkansas, California, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Utah, and Texas.
Of the babies who were conceived through ART, 2.4 percent had birth defects while only about 1percent had no birth defects, according to interviews with the mothers. Among the ART babies, Septal heart defects were found to be twice as common, Cleft lip and/or cleft palate was found to be 2.4 times as common, Esophageal atresia (birth defect of the esophagus) was found to be 4.5 times more common and Anorectal atresia (birth defect in the anal/rectal area) was 3.7 times more common than in normally conceived children.
It must be noted that the study does not prove that ART actually causes the birth defects. The authors of the study report acknowledged this by stating, “Sub-fertile women might have a higher risk of having a child with a birth defect regardless of whether infertility treatments are used.” Additional research will be necessary to determine whether or not ART has an impact on birth defect risk.
FDA Approves Drug for Severe Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a brain disorder caused by abnormal brain signals which manifests itself in physical symptoms. During the episodes, or seizures, the neuronal signals may occur as many as 500 times a second compared to the normal rate of about 80 times per second. The symptom that most people recognize during the seizures is the muscle spasms that cause the patient to shake or twitch, sometimes including convulsions and unconsciousness.
There are more than 2 million people in the United States who have had seizures or have been diagnosed with epilepsy. The exact cause of epilepsy has not been discovered but it is somehow related to the electrical impulses of the brain. The cause could be related to genetics, caused by injury, illness, or some aspect of brain development.
Some types of epilepsy respond to treatment better than others. Lennox-Gastaut is severe epilepsy which usually manifests itself before the age of 4, and includes several different types of seizures including atonic. Atonic seizures include sudden falls sometimes called drop attacks. Some types of childhood epilepsies become benign or stop entirely during adolescence, but Lennox-Gastaut is usually present for a lifetime. More than 30 percent of this type of epilepsy does not have a recognized cause.
Hope has come in the form of the drug Banzel (rufinamide), which has just been approved for the treatment of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome by the FDA. A four-month clinical trial included patients aged 4 to 30. The patients on the drug, as compared to a placebo group, had 41 percent fewer atonic seizures and 20 percent less seizures of any type, the agency said in a news release.
The warning label on the drug will include the increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior. Other side effects include headache, dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness, double vision, nausea, vomiting and problems walking. As with all antiepileptic drugs, the patients who are taking Banzel will receive a patient medication guide that describes the risks.
The drug is manufactured by Eisai Medical Research, Inc. and was approved under the "orphan drug status." The designation is given to a drug intended to treat a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States.
There are more than 2 million people in the United States who have had seizures or have been diagnosed with epilepsy. The exact cause of epilepsy has not been discovered but it is somehow related to the electrical impulses of the brain. The cause could be related to genetics, caused by injury, illness, or some aspect of brain development.
Some types of epilepsy respond to treatment better than others. Lennox-Gastaut is severe epilepsy which usually manifests itself before the age of 4, and includes several different types of seizures including atonic. Atonic seizures include sudden falls sometimes called drop attacks. Some types of childhood epilepsies become benign or stop entirely during adolescence, but Lennox-Gastaut is usually present for a lifetime. More than 30 percent of this type of epilepsy does not have a recognized cause.
Hope has come in the form of the drug Banzel (rufinamide), which has just been approved for the treatment of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome by the FDA. A four-month clinical trial included patients aged 4 to 30. The patients on the drug, as compared to a placebo group, had 41 percent fewer atonic seizures and 20 percent less seizures of any type, the agency said in a news release.
The warning label on the drug will include the increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior. Other side effects include headache, dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness, double vision, nausea, vomiting and problems walking. As with all antiepileptic drugs, the patients who are taking Banzel will receive a patient medication guide that describes the risks.
The drug is manufactured by Eisai Medical Research, Inc. and was approved under the "orphan drug status." The designation is given to a drug intended to treat a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States.
Lung Cancer Pill an Effective Alternative to Chemotherapy
Breathing in the cool, crisp fall air serves as a reminder of how important lung health is; a perfect time to bring attention to a disease that each year kills more Americans than breast, prostate, colon and pancreas cancers combined. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, there will be approximately 215,000 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed in 2008, and close to 162,000 people will die from the disease. There is currently no screening tool that effectively detects lung cancer early, so the disease is rarely found in its early stages, greatly limiting the treatment options available. For advanced-stage lung cancer, chemotherapy offers modest improvements in median survival, though side-effects usually have a negative impact on the quality of life. However, there may be another option as a second-line treatment for lung cancer—a pill that works as well as chemotherapy with far fewer side effects.
In an international Phase III clinical trial involving 1,466 lung cancer patients from 24 countries who had undergone previous chemotherapy, researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center compared daily doses of the cancer-fighting pill Iressa to docetaxel, a chemotherapy drug that’s administered by IV every three weeks. While the survival for both groups was about the same, 7.6 months for those taking Iressa compared with eight months for patients receiving docetaxel, there were significant differences in the side effects. Among patients taking Iressa, the most common side effects were rash or acne, compared with fatigue, personality disorders, hair loss, severe diarrhea and a blood disorder called neutropenia for patients receiving docetaxel. “This is the largest study in lung cancer comparing an oral biologic therapy to chemotherapy, and shows, for the first time, that an oral biologic therapy is just as effective as chemotherapy,” said lead researcher Dr. Edward Kim, an assistant professor in M. D. Anderson`s Department of Thoracic Head and Neck Medical Oncology. These findings should offer physicians reassurance that they are not compromising effective therapy by using a pill, Kim said.
“There are now two options that one can select from for patients in order to offer treatment that helps a bit following failure of first-line chemotherapy,” said Dr. Michael Cullen, from the University Hospital Birmingham in the United Kingdom, author of a journal comment accompanying the study results. “Survival overall is very poor, and, in fact, it’s almost certainly the case that only a small minority of patients respond to either of the two treatments.” Cullen noted that Iressa is far less toxic than chemotherapy and believes that, because survival time is short, doctors might want to decide which treatment to use based on how well the patient tolerated chemotherapy. “If they didn’t tolerate chemotherapy very well, maybe the oncologist would opt for the oral therapy, whereas if they responded well to chemotherapy, the best choice might be to go with the chemotherapy.”
Iressa is not available in the United States, but a similar drug, Genentech’s Tarceva, is. First developed by AstraZeneca, Iressa was the first in a new class of cancer-fighting drugs known as EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) to become commercially available. After two Phase II trials found the drug to be efficacious, Iressa was fast-tracked to the FDA and received approval May 5, 2003 as a treatment for patients whose advanced lung cancer had continued to progress despite treatment with platinum-based and docetaxel chemotherapy. However, after Iressa failed a large randomized trial in 2005, the drug’s labeling was altered by the FDA and since then only patients who were already taking the medicine or those enrolled in clinical trials that were under way at the time were allowed to continue taking the drug. “Based on our findings, I’m hopeful that Iressa can return as a treatment for lung cancer in the United States, offering some patients a therapy with far fewer side effects,” said Dr. Kim, adding that “Chemotherapy will never be eliminated, but we are getting more options for targeted therapy; and people can live as normal a life as they can bearing the weight of lung cancer.”
In an international Phase III clinical trial involving 1,466 lung cancer patients from 24 countries who had undergone previous chemotherapy, researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center compared daily doses of the cancer-fighting pill Iressa to docetaxel, a chemotherapy drug that’s administered by IV every three weeks. While the survival for both groups was about the same, 7.6 months for those taking Iressa compared with eight months for patients receiving docetaxel, there were significant differences in the side effects. Among patients taking Iressa, the most common side effects were rash or acne, compared with fatigue, personality disorders, hair loss, severe diarrhea and a blood disorder called neutropenia for patients receiving docetaxel. “This is the largest study in lung cancer comparing an oral biologic therapy to chemotherapy, and shows, for the first time, that an oral biologic therapy is just as effective as chemotherapy,” said lead researcher Dr. Edward Kim, an assistant professor in M. D. Anderson`s Department of Thoracic Head and Neck Medical Oncology. These findings should offer physicians reassurance that they are not compromising effective therapy by using a pill, Kim said.
“There are now two options that one can select from for patients in order to offer treatment that helps a bit following failure of first-line chemotherapy,” said Dr. Michael Cullen, from the University Hospital Birmingham in the United Kingdom, author of a journal comment accompanying the study results. “Survival overall is very poor, and, in fact, it’s almost certainly the case that only a small minority of patients respond to either of the two treatments.” Cullen noted that Iressa is far less toxic than chemotherapy and believes that, because survival time is short, doctors might want to decide which treatment to use based on how well the patient tolerated chemotherapy. “If they didn’t tolerate chemotherapy very well, maybe the oncologist would opt for the oral therapy, whereas if they responded well to chemotherapy, the best choice might be to go with the chemotherapy.”
Iressa is not available in the United States, but a similar drug, Genentech’s Tarceva, is. First developed by AstraZeneca, Iressa was the first in a new class of cancer-fighting drugs known as EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) to become commercially available. After two Phase II trials found the drug to be efficacious, Iressa was fast-tracked to the FDA and received approval May 5, 2003 as a treatment for patients whose advanced lung cancer had continued to progress despite treatment with platinum-based and docetaxel chemotherapy. However, after Iressa failed a large randomized trial in 2005, the drug’s labeling was altered by the FDA and since then only patients who were already taking the medicine or those enrolled in clinical trials that were under way at the time were allowed to continue taking the drug. “Based on our findings, I’m hopeful that Iressa can return as a treatment for lung cancer in the United States, offering some patients a therapy with far fewer side effects,” said Dr. Kim, adding that “Chemotherapy will never be eliminated, but we are getting more options for targeted therapy; and people can live as normal a life as they can bearing the weight of lung cancer.”
Physical inactivity raises cancer risk, says study
Regular exercise or physical activity reduces risk of cancer, according to a new study led by James McClain of the National Cancer Institute and colleagues and reported at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
The study of 5,968 women in Maryland confirmed previous studies that have shown people who did physical exercise regularly were at lower risk of developing cancer.
The study also found among women who were in the upper half with regard to the amount of physical activity each week, those who slept less than seven hours per night were 47 percent more likely to develop cancer than those who slept longer.
Physical activity has also been associated with reduced risk of breast cancer risk in many previous studies.
One study led by Michael F Leitzmann and colleagues at the National Cancer Institute and published in the Oct. 2008 issue of Breast Cancer Research found that postmenopausal women with body mass index lower than 25 kg/m2 who engaged in vigorous physical activity were 23 percent less likely to develop breast cancer.
But no such association was found in overweight and obese women.
The researchers followed up 32,000 women who enrolled in the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project Follow-up Study to examine if there was an association between risk of breast cancer and physical exercise.
Another study led by Freedman DM and colleagues from National Cancer Institute and published in Oct 21, 2008 issue of Cancer Causes and Control found physical activity like walking and hiking for 10 or more hours per week rendered the greatest protection against breast cancer in women, a 43 percent reduction in the risk.
Coyle YM from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center says in a report published in the Dec 2008 issue of Cancer Causes and Control that physical activity is a protective factor for breast cancer.
The author says "Animal studies suggest that physical activity decreases breast tumor growth by promoting changes in cellular proliferation and apoptosis. Human studies provide some support for exercise producing favorable changes in estrogen metabolism that may lead to reduced breast epithelial cell proliferation."
The study of 5,968 women in Maryland confirmed previous studies that have shown people who did physical exercise regularly were at lower risk of developing cancer.
The study also found among women who were in the upper half with regard to the amount of physical activity each week, those who slept less than seven hours per night were 47 percent more likely to develop cancer than those who slept longer.
Physical activity has also been associated with reduced risk of breast cancer risk in many previous studies.
One study led by Michael F Leitzmann and colleagues at the National Cancer Institute and published in the Oct. 2008 issue of Breast Cancer Research found that postmenopausal women with body mass index lower than 25 kg/m2 who engaged in vigorous physical activity were 23 percent less likely to develop breast cancer.
But no such association was found in overweight and obese women.
The researchers followed up 32,000 women who enrolled in the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project Follow-up Study to examine if there was an association between risk of breast cancer and physical exercise.
Another study led by Freedman DM and colleagues from National Cancer Institute and published in Oct 21, 2008 issue of Cancer Causes and Control found physical activity like walking and hiking for 10 or more hours per week rendered the greatest protection against breast cancer in women, a 43 percent reduction in the risk.
Coyle YM from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center says in a report published in the Dec 2008 issue of Cancer Causes and Control that physical activity is a protective factor for breast cancer.
The author says "Animal studies suggest that physical activity decreases breast tumor growth by promoting changes in cellular proliferation and apoptosis. Human studies provide some support for exercise producing favorable changes in estrogen metabolism that may lead to reduced breast epithelial cell proliferation."
An Apple a Day for Asthma
Growing up, asthma affected my life in the form of the family pet. Instead of getting an adorable kitten or lovable puppy, my parents and my brother were all asthmatics and unable to have a house full of fur. The good news is we got a bird instead and he is still entertaining us eighteen years later and we have never looked back with regrets. However, living with asthma isn’t just about a debate over puppies and kittens, but how to adapt to an affliction which restricts a person’s breathing and their quality of life. Budding research along with previously published studies are trying to show that consumption of apples may help lower the risk of asthma symptoms in both adults and children.
The London National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College investigated 2,640 children ages 5 to 10 monitoring their fruit intake and recording the data. Of the children who drank apple juice from concentrate at least one time per day, they lowered their risk of wheezing due to asthma by 47 percent over those children who only drank apple juice once a month or less.
Based on previous studies which showed that lung function was improved by higher fruit intake, apple juice and apples were studied on children following the results made by Imperial College with adults. In the prior study using adults, Dr. Seif O. Shaheen found that eating more apples had a direct correlation to the lowered risk of reactionary asthmatic symptoms, "It would be wrong to say that our data suggest that drinking apple juice reduces the risk of asthma," Dr. Shaheen continues in an interview, "We`ve only shown an association, and we`ve yet to provide definitive evidence that the link is causal."
While eating apples versus apple juice drinking had no immediate effect on children’s lung functions, researchers say that there is a possibility of juice having a higher concentration of antioxidants than the whole fruit. The London study also found that children who ate bananas daily were also at a lower risk for asthma symptoms over those who ate bananas monthly. Although a bunch of studies have proven positive results of using the antioxidants in fruit, mainly apples, to curb the aftereffects of an asthma attack, the researchers say there are still more studies to be conducted for further proof.
Published in the European Respiratory Journal, this study was partially conducted by the parents by having them keep a record of their child’s fruit intake alongside their symptom kind and frequency. Wheezing, characterized by a continuous whistling from the lungs alerting the body that the airflow of the respiratory tract is obstructed—is the most common indicator of asthma that can, but not always, lead to the condition.
Lead researcher of the children’s study, Dr. Peter Burney thinks apples may be helpful in keeping airways clear because of the chemicals and acids inside the fruit that prevent problem inflammation which leads to wheezing as well as asthma. Dr. Burney wasn’t sure of the exact connection between apples and the lowered rate of asthma symptoms but claims that more specific research needs to be done with fruit intake in the future, “Further studies are needed to confirm the protective effects of apple juice from concentrate and bananas.”
Past research from London has also suggested that pregnant women were trying to protect their children while still inside the womb from asthma later in life by eating a lot of apples. Dr. Shaheen explained that the antioxidants in fruit counteract the damaging oxidative stress from air pollution and researchers and doctors alike think it’s a good idea to prescribe a diet rich in antioxidants, such as fruits like bananas and apples, on a regular basis to enjoy general health. Even though as an adult, I still don’t have a puppy or a kitten, at least the rest of my asthmatic family didn’t have to suffer but if we had known about this new research maybe we could have had our own fur ball to love, if only our backyard had room for an apple tree.
The London National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College investigated 2,640 children ages 5 to 10 monitoring their fruit intake and recording the data. Of the children who drank apple juice from concentrate at least one time per day, they lowered their risk of wheezing due to asthma by 47 percent over those children who only drank apple juice once a month or less.
Based on previous studies which showed that lung function was improved by higher fruit intake, apple juice and apples were studied on children following the results made by Imperial College with adults. In the prior study using adults, Dr. Seif O. Shaheen found that eating more apples had a direct correlation to the lowered risk of reactionary asthmatic symptoms, "It would be wrong to say that our data suggest that drinking apple juice reduces the risk of asthma," Dr. Shaheen continues in an interview, "We`ve only shown an association, and we`ve yet to provide definitive evidence that the link is causal."
While eating apples versus apple juice drinking had no immediate effect on children’s lung functions, researchers say that there is a possibility of juice having a higher concentration of antioxidants than the whole fruit. The London study also found that children who ate bananas daily were also at a lower risk for asthma symptoms over those who ate bananas monthly. Although a bunch of studies have proven positive results of using the antioxidants in fruit, mainly apples, to curb the aftereffects of an asthma attack, the researchers say there are still more studies to be conducted for further proof.
Published in the European Respiratory Journal, this study was partially conducted by the parents by having them keep a record of their child’s fruit intake alongside their symptom kind and frequency. Wheezing, characterized by a continuous whistling from the lungs alerting the body that the airflow of the respiratory tract is obstructed—is the most common indicator of asthma that can, but not always, lead to the condition.
Lead researcher of the children’s study, Dr. Peter Burney thinks apples may be helpful in keeping airways clear because of the chemicals and acids inside the fruit that prevent problem inflammation which leads to wheezing as well as asthma. Dr. Burney wasn’t sure of the exact connection between apples and the lowered rate of asthma symptoms but claims that more specific research needs to be done with fruit intake in the future, “Further studies are needed to confirm the protective effects of apple juice from concentrate and bananas.”
Past research from London has also suggested that pregnant women were trying to protect their children while still inside the womb from asthma later in life by eating a lot of apples. Dr. Shaheen explained that the antioxidants in fruit counteract the damaging oxidative stress from air pollution and researchers and doctors alike think it’s a good idea to prescribe a diet rich in antioxidants, such as fruits like bananas and apples, on a regular basis to enjoy general health. Even though as an adult, I still don’t have a puppy or a kitten, at least the rest of my asthmatic family didn’t have to suffer but if we had known about this new research maybe we could have had our own fur ball to love, if only our backyard had room for an apple tree.
Short sleep raises breast cancer risk
A new study published in a British journal of cancer suggests that sleeping for less than six hours per night may increase risk of breast cancer in women.
Early studies show that night shift female workers are more likely than those who work daytime to acquire breast cancer due probably to the poor sleep quality.
The study led by Kakizaki M and colleagues from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Senkai Japan found women who slept 6 or fewer hours per day were 62 percent more likely to develop breast cancer.
The researchers did not explain why because their study was not meant to explore the reason why there is an association between shorter sleep duration and higher breast cancer risk.
Kakizaki`s study involved 23,995 Japanese women and was intended to examine the correlation between sleep duration and risk of breast cancer. During the follow-up, 143 women were diagnosed with the disease.
In the United States, breast cancer is diagnosed in 185,000 women and kills 45,000 each year. The disease is largely preventable and sufficient sleep is known to boost immunity against cancer. Physical activity or exercise is also known to reduce the risk.
Early studies show that night shift female workers are more likely than those who work daytime to acquire breast cancer due probably to the poor sleep quality.
The study led by Kakizaki M and colleagues from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Senkai Japan found women who slept 6 or fewer hours per day were 62 percent more likely to develop breast cancer.
The researchers did not explain why because their study was not meant to explore the reason why there is an association between shorter sleep duration and higher breast cancer risk.
Kakizaki`s study involved 23,995 Japanese women and was intended to examine the correlation between sleep duration and risk of breast cancer. During the follow-up, 143 women were diagnosed with the disease.
In the United States, breast cancer is diagnosed in 185,000 women and kills 45,000 each year. The disease is largely preventable and sufficient sleep is known to boost immunity against cancer. Physical activity or exercise is also known to reduce the risk.
Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Symptoms—Does Light Therapy Help?
onditions in America is the development of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms, also called dementia, or senile dementia. Most common symptoms of elderly people with dementia are a decrease in mental function (cognitive decline or persistent confusion), change in mood (usually depression), altered behaviors (which are frequently aggressive), reduced memory (usually for recent events or people) and/or sleep disturbances. Importantly, several FDA-approved medications are recommended and prescribed for this condition, and they have a small but definite effect on reducing the progression of Alzheimer-type symptoms. These medications include Aricept (denepezil) and Namenda (memantine).
However, many physicians believe that some of these symptoms may be related to changes in the natural time clock of the brain that changes mood, behavior, and sleeping patterns, a clock called the “circadian pacemaker.” This time-keeping system is sensitive to outside light. For this reason, many people from Northern latitudes (for example Alaska, Canada, and Northern states) have a condition called light deprivation, often with severe depression, and these individuals improve after undergoing light therapy.
An important study was recently published by Dr. Rixt Riemersma-Van Der Lek and co-workers from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (JAMA, Volume 299, page 2642, 2008). These authors treated 189 elderly patients in group care facilities between 1999 and 2004 with either whole day bright light exposure, evening melatonin, the combination, or just inactive placebos. They treated patients for an average of 15 months (some patients for up to 3.5 years).
The results were very impressive! The natural history of dementia with progressive reduction in mental functioning was improved with daylight exposure by 5%. Mental deterioration was reduced by 5% on exposure to whole day bright light. Also, light reduced depression by 19%. The patients had a 53% improvement in functional activity according to nurses if they were exposed to light. Melatonin increased sleep duration by 6%, but also increased depression, but not if patients also were exposed to light in addition to the melatonin. The combined treatment of light and melatonin reduced aggressive behaviors by 9% and increased sleep efficiency by 3.5%.
These studies have very important conclusions for all of us. We will either suffer ourselves from dementia as we grow older, or we may currently be caring for family and/or friends who are suffering from early or advanced dementia. At one time or another, it affects all families and people!
The more we know about the symptoms of dementia, the standard treatments of this problem, and the supportive measures that can benefit such individuals, the more that each of us can recognize people who should be tested, and the better we are able to help them get the best care from their doctors.
Therefore, we should learn from this important article that exposure to light and use of mild treatment with melatonin can be highly beneficial. We should suggest that caregivers discuss these findings with physicians who are caring for those individuals. Also, when choosing a chronic care facility for patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, reviewing daylight exposure activities with the staff is important to make certain that these patients are afforded the benefits of daylight exposure. Continuing care of these individuals can result in improved relationships with family and friends, if the severity of symptoms and progression of symptoms are minimized.
However, many physicians believe that some of these symptoms may be related to changes in the natural time clock of the brain that changes mood, behavior, and sleeping patterns, a clock called the “circadian pacemaker.” This time-keeping system is sensitive to outside light. For this reason, many people from Northern latitudes (for example Alaska, Canada, and Northern states) have a condition called light deprivation, often with severe depression, and these individuals improve after undergoing light therapy.
An important study was recently published by Dr. Rixt Riemersma-Van Der Lek and co-workers from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (JAMA, Volume 299, page 2642, 2008). These authors treated 189 elderly patients in group care facilities between 1999 and 2004 with either whole day bright light exposure, evening melatonin, the combination, or just inactive placebos. They treated patients for an average of 15 months (some patients for up to 3.5 years).
The results were very impressive! The natural history of dementia with progressive reduction in mental functioning was improved with daylight exposure by 5%. Mental deterioration was reduced by 5% on exposure to whole day bright light. Also, light reduced depression by 19%. The patients had a 53% improvement in functional activity according to nurses if they were exposed to light. Melatonin increased sleep duration by 6%, but also increased depression, but not if patients also were exposed to light in addition to the melatonin. The combined treatment of light and melatonin reduced aggressive behaviors by 9% and increased sleep efficiency by 3.5%.
These studies have very important conclusions for all of us. We will either suffer ourselves from dementia as we grow older, or we may currently be caring for family and/or friends who are suffering from early or advanced dementia. At one time or another, it affects all families and people!
The more we know about the symptoms of dementia, the standard treatments of this problem, and the supportive measures that can benefit such individuals, the more that each of us can recognize people who should be tested, and the better we are able to help them get the best care from their doctors.
Therefore, we should learn from this important article that exposure to light and use of mild treatment with melatonin can be highly beneficial. We should suggest that caregivers discuss these findings with physicians who are caring for those individuals. Also, when choosing a chronic care facility for patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, reviewing daylight exposure activities with the staff is important to make certain that these patients are afforded the benefits of daylight exposure. Continuing care of these individuals can result in improved relationships with family and friends, if the severity of symptoms and progression of symptoms are minimized.
Eating Eggs Daily May Not Be Risky for Heart
Adding an egg here or there to your diet may not raise your risk of heart disease even though it may raise your "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, according to a new study.
LDL cholesterol is divided into several types. Researchers found adding up to three eggs per day does raise some types of LDL cholesterol, but it didn't significantly raise levels of the types of LDL known to clog arteries.
"We found that the dietary cholesterol in eggs does raise the LDL-1 and LDL-2 [types] but it does not impact the small, dense LDL-3 through LDL-7 particles that are the greatest threat for cardiovascular disease risk," says researcher Maria Luz Fernandez, PhD, of the University of Connecticut, in a news release.
Fernandez says the findings may help explain why previous studies haven't shown a consistent relationship between increases in LDL cholesterol levels, such as those associated with eating eggs, and an increasing risk of heart disease.
In the past decade, research has shown that LDL cholesterol particles vary with respect to their potential to clog arteries and cause heart disease. The particles have been classified according to their size and density, from LDL-1 to LDL-7, with LDL-1 being the largest and LDL-7 being the smallest in diameter.
Researchers say that having predominantly smaller, dense LDL particles (greater than LDL-3) is considered to be more dangerous to heart disease-related health than having mostly larger, more buoyant particles.
In this study, researchers examined the effects of adding the liquid equivalent of three whole eggs per day or a cholesterol-free, fat-free substitute to the diets of about 50 men and premenopausal women for 30 days. A large egg contains about 213 mg of cholesterol.
The study showed that eating the additional cholesterol contained in the eggs increased the proportion of large, LDL particles but did not significantly increase the proportion of the more dangerous, smaller particles.
"We also found that egg cholesterol did not impact the small, dense LDL particles among a sub-set of participants who were generally predisposed to being most sensitive to dietary cholesterol," says Fernandez.
But the study also showed that men had a higher concentration of the more harmful, small LDL particles than women regardless of the diet they followed.
The study appears in the June issue of the journal Metabolism and was supported by the American Egg Board and the University of Connecticut Research Foundation.
LDL cholesterol is divided into several types. Researchers found adding up to three eggs per day does raise some types of LDL cholesterol, but it didn't significantly raise levels of the types of LDL known to clog arteries.
"We found that the dietary cholesterol in eggs does raise the LDL-1 and LDL-2 [types] but it does not impact the small, dense LDL-3 through LDL-7 particles that are the greatest threat for cardiovascular disease risk," says researcher Maria Luz Fernandez, PhD, of the University of Connecticut, in a news release.
Fernandez says the findings may help explain why previous studies haven't shown a consistent relationship between increases in LDL cholesterol levels, such as those associated with eating eggs, and an increasing risk of heart disease.
In the past decade, research has shown that LDL cholesterol particles vary with respect to their potential to clog arteries and cause heart disease. The particles have been classified according to their size and density, from LDL-1 to LDL-7, with LDL-1 being the largest and LDL-7 being the smallest in diameter.
Researchers say that having predominantly smaller, dense LDL particles (greater than LDL-3) is considered to be more dangerous to heart disease-related health than having mostly larger, more buoyant particles.
In this study, researchers examined the effects of adding the liquid equivalent of three whole eggs per day or a cholesterol-free, fat-free substitute to the diets of about 50 men and premenopausal women for 30 days. A large egg contains about 213 mg of cholesterol.
The study showed that eating the additional cholesterol contained in the eggs increased the proportion of large, LDL particles but did not significantly increase the proportion of the more dangerous, smaller particles.
"We also found that egg cholesterol did not impact the small, dense LDL particles among a sub-set of participants who were generally predisposed to being most sensitive to dietary cholesterol," says Fernandez.
But the study also showed that men had a higher concentration of the more harmful, small LDL particles than women regardless of the diet they followed.
The study appears in the June issue of the journal Metabolism and was supported by the American Egg Board and the University of Connecticut Research Foundation.
Vitamin D Deficiency Could Put Your Heart at Risk
A new risk factor for heart disease has been discovered, although this time it is something that can easily be corrected. Scientists say that a growing body of evidence has suggested that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of heart disease and is also linked to other well-known risk factors for heart disease such as diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.
Several large studies have shown that people that had low vitamin D levels were twice as likely to have a stroke, heart attack, or other heart-related event during follow-up, compared to the people that had higher levels of vitamin D. Researcher James H. O’Keefe, M.D. and director of preventative cardiology at the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, MO., stated, “Vitamin D deficiency is an unrecognized, emerging cardiovascular risk factor, which should be screened for and treated. Vitamin D is easy to assess, and supplementation is simple, safe and inexpensive.”
The skin, in response to exposure to the sun, meets most of the body’s requirements for vitamin D. Other less potent sources of vitamin D include foods such as cod liver oil, sardines, and salmon. Also, vitamin D can also be found in D-fortified foods milk and some cereals. If you do not get enough vitamin D you can also take vitamin D supplements on a daily basis.
A deficiency of vitamin D is traditionally associated with muscle and bone weakness, but in recent years a number of studies have shown that the low levels of vitamin D may predispose the body to congestive heart failure, blood pressure, and chronic blood vessel inflammation (which is associated with the hardening of the arteries). It can also alter hormone levels, which will increase insulin resistance, which can raise the risk of diabetes.
In an article that was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the researchers surveyed recent studies on the link between heart disease and vitamin D deficiency to come up with some practical advice on screening and treatment. They also concluded that the vitamin D deficiency is much more common that they previously thought, and could be affecting up to half of adults and children in the United States.
The researchers say that higher rates of vitamin D deficiency could be due in part to people spending more time indoors and in the effort to reduce sun exposure through the use of sunscreens. If you use a sunscreen that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15, you should know that it blocks nearly 99% of vitamin D synthesis by our skin.
Americans are spending less time outside now than previous generations, and older adults and people that are obese or overweight are less efficient at making vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. A little bit of sunshine each day is good, but the use of sunscreen to protect against skin cancer is important if you plan out staying outside for more than 15 to 30 minutes of intense sunlight exposure.
You can find out what your vitamin D levels are via a blood test that looks at a specific form of vitamin D called 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D). A deficiency of vitamin d can be defined as a blood 25(OH)D level of below 20 ng/dL. A normal level is considered to be above 30 ng/dL.
The researchers recommend a 25(OH)D screening for that that have known risk factors for a deficiency of vitamin D including:
• Reduced exposure to the sun due to variation or by living far away from the equator
• Old age
• Liver or kidney disease
• Obesity
• Skin that is darkly pigmented
• Smoking
The government’s current recommendation daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is 200 international units (IU) daily for individuals that are under the age of 50. For those that are between 50 and 70, it is recommended to take 400 IU daily, and for those that are over the age of 70, the RDA is 600 IU. Most experts believe that these recommended does are still too low, and that somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily is necessary to maintain adequate levels of vitamin D. The upper limit of vitamin D that is safe to take on a daily basis is 10,000 IU.
Vitamin D supplements are available now in two different forms: Vitamin D3 and Vitamin D2. Although both types appear to be effective in raising the levels of vitamin D, Vitamin D3 supplements appear to result in a boost in the levels of vitamin D that is longer-lasting. However, there are no current guidelines for restoring and maintaining a healthy level of vitamin D in people that are at risk for heart disease, for those that are vitamin D deficient, the researchers recommend an initial treatment with 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 or D3 once weekly for eight to 12 weeks, that is followed by maintenance with one of the following strategies:
• 50,000 IU vitamin D2 or D3 bi-weekly
• 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 every day
• Sunlight exposure for at least 10 minutes for white patients (longer for people that have increase skin pigmentation) between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Once the maintenance therapy has been initiated, rechecking 25(OH)D blood levels is highly recommended after three to six months of ongoing supplementation.
O’Keefe stated, “Restoring vitamin D levels to normal is important in maintaining good musculoskeletal health, and it may also improve heart health and prognosis. We need large, randomized, controlled trials to determine whether or not vitamin D supplementation can actually reduce future heart disease and deaths.”
Several large studies have shown that people that had low vitamin D levels were twice as likely to have a stroke, heart attack, or other heart-related event during follow-up, compared to the people that had higher levels of vitamin D. Researcher James H. O’Keefe, M.D. and director of preventative cardiology at the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, MO., stated, “Vitamin D deficiency is an unrecognized, emerging cardiovascular risk factor, which should be screened for and treated. Vitamin D is easy to assess, and supplementation is simple, safe and inexpensive.”
The skin, in response to exposure to the sun, meets most of the body’s requirements for vitamin D. Other less potent sources of vitamin D include foods such as cod liver oil, sardines, and salmon. Also, vitamin D can also be found in D-fortified foods milk and some cereals. If you do not get enough vitamin D you can also take vitamin D supplements on a daily basis.
A deficiency of vitamin D is traditionally associated with muscle and bone weakness, but in recent years a number of studies have shown that the low levels of vitamin D may predispose the body to congestive heart failure, blood pressure, and chronic blood vessel inflammation (which is associated with the hardening of the arteries). It can also alter hormone levels, which will increase insulin resistance, which can raise the risk of diabetes.
In an article that was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the researchers surveyed recent studies on the link between heart disease and vitamin D deficiency to come up with some practical advice on screening and treatment. They also concluded that the vitamin D deficiency is much more common that they previously thought, and could be affecting up to half of adults and children in the United States.
The researchers say that higher rates of vitamin D deficiency could be due in part to people spending more time indoors and in the effort to reduce sun exposure through the use of sunscreens. If you use a sunscreen that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15, you should know that it blocks nearly 99% of vitamin D synthesis by our skin.
Americans are spending less time outside now than previous generations, and older adults and people that are obese or overweight are less efficient at making vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. A little bit of sunshine each day is good, but the use of sunscreen to protect against skin cancer is important if you plan out staying outside for more than 15 to 30 minutes of intense sunlight exposure.
You can find out what your vitamin D levels are via a blood test that looks at a specific form of vitamin D called 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D). A deficiency of vitamin d can be defined as a blood 25(OH)D level of below 20 ng/dL. A normal level is considered to be above 30 ng/dL.
The researchers recommend a 25(OH)D screening for that that have known risk factors for a deficiency of vitamin D including:
• Reduced exposure to the sun due to variation or by living far away from the equator
• Old age
• Liver or kidney disease
• Obesity
• Skin that is darkly pigmented
• Smoking
The government’s current recommendation daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is 200 international units (IU) daily for individuals that are under the age of 50. For those that are between 50 and 70, it is recommended to take 400 IU daily, and for those that are over the age of 70, the RDA is 600 IU. Most experts believe that these recommended does are still too low, and that somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily is necessary to maintain adequate levels of vitamin D. The upper limit of vitamin D that is safe to take on a daily basis is 10,000 IU.
Vitamin D supplements are available now in two different forms: Vitamin D3 and Vitamin D2. Although both types appear to be effective in raising the levels of vitamin D, Vitamin D3 supplements appear to result in a boost in the levels of vitamin D that is longer-lasting. However, there are no current guidelines for restoring and maintaining a healthy level of vitamin D in people that are at risk for heart disease, for those that are vitamin D deficient, the researchers recommend an initial treatment with 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 or D3 once weekly for eight to 12 weeks, that is followed by maintenance with one of the following strategies:
• 50,000 IU vitamin D2 or D3 bi-weekly
• 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 every day
• Sunlight exposure for at least 10 minutes for white patients (longer for people that have increase skin pigmentation) between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Once the maintenance therapy has been initiated, rechecking 25(OH)D blood levels is highly recommended after three to six months of ongoing supplementation.
O’Keefe stated, “Restoring vitamin D levels to normal is important in maintaining good musculoskeletal health, and it may also improve heart health and prognosis. We need large, randomized, controlled trials to determine whether or not vitamin D supplementation can actually reduce future heart disease and deaths.”
Monday, December 8, 2008
Mobiles can damage memory
Swedish researchers have found memory impairment in rats exposed to cellphone radiation for two hours every week for more than a year.
The rats subjected to a memory test were released into a box with four objects. These objects were changed on two occasions and their position was also altered both the times. The actual test trial was the third occasion. This time the rats encountered two of the objects from the first occasion and two of the objects from the second.
The rats, used as control, spent more time exploring the objects from the first occasion, which they considered more interesting since they had not seen them for some time. The experiment rats, on the other hand, evinced a lesser pronounced difference in interest.
Henrietta Nittby and her supervisor Leif Salford, of the neurosurgery division of Lund University, Sweden, believe that the findings may be related to the team's earlier findings, that microwave radiation from cellphones can affect the so-called blood-brain barrier. This is a barrier that protects the brain by preventing substances circulating in the blood from penetrating into the brain tissue and damaging nerve cells.
The rats subjected to a memory test were released into a box with four objects. These objects were changed on two occasions and their position was also altered both the times. The actual test trial was the third occasion. This time the rats encountered two of the objects from the first occasion and two of the objects from the second.
The rats, used as control, spent more time exploring the objects from the first occasion, which they considered more interesting since they had not seen them for some time. The experiment rats, on the other hand, evinced a lesser pronounced difference in interest.
Henrietta Nittby and her supervisor Leif Salford, of the neurosurgery division of Lund University, Sweden, believe that the findings may be related to the team's earlier findings, that microwave radiation from cellphones can affect the so-called blood-brain barrier. This is a barrier that protects the brain by preventing substances circulating in the blood from penetrating into the brain tissue and damaging nerve cells.
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