(HeathDay News) -- There's a good chance that while playing or stepping on an uneven surface, you will sprain your ankle. More than 25,000 people do it every day, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Depending on how severe the sprain is, your ankle might swell and hurt too much to stand on it. You might even have felt a "pop" when the injury happened.
Tell your doctor what you were doing when you sprained your ankle. An X-ray may be necessary to make sure no bones are broken.
For a minor sprain, rest your ankle by not walking on it, ice it to keep the swelling down, use compressive bandages to support your injury, and elevate your ankle above your heart level for 48 hours.
For severe ankle sprains, your doctor may treat you with a short leg cast for up to three weeks or a cast-brace.
And for people who sprain an ankle repeatedly, there's also the possibility of surgical repair to tighten the ligaments.
Showing posts with label Bones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bones. Show all posts
Monday, July 21, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Health Tip: Risk Factors for Osteoporosis
(HealthDay News) -- Osteoporosis -- caused when the body can't replace bone calcium as fast as it is lost -- is common as people age, particularly among women.More than 1.5 million Americans each year sustain a bone fracture related to osteoporosis.
Here are common risk factors for osteoporosis, courtesy of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:
- Getting older.
- Not doing enough weight-bearing exercises.
- Insufficient estrogen levels after menopause.
- Not getting enough calcium or vitamin D in your diet.
- Certain hormonal imbalances.
- Heredity, including being white or Asian.
- Drinking alcohol or smoking.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Build Better Bones and Prevent Osteoporosis
How people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s can fend off osteoporosis
by Ross Weale
Strong bones are important for healthy aging. To avoid osteoporosis and up your bone density, eat leafy greens, quit smoking, and drink your milk! Watch Health magazine contributor Samantha Heller's appearance on the Today show on March 26 to learn more.
SAMANTHA HELLER
Samantha Heller, RD, is the nutrition coordinator at the Fairfield Connecticut YMCA. A certified dietitian/nutritionist and exercise physiologist, Heller earned her master's degree in nutrition and applied physiology from Teachers College at Columbia University. She served as the senior clinical nutritionist and exercise physiologist at NYU Medical center in New York City for almost a decade and created and ran the outpatient nutrition program for the NYU Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. She has also been a fitness instructor for 15 years. Heller specializes in nutrition, wellness, stress management, and fitness for people who are fighting heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.
A contributing editor to Health magazine, her writing has also appeared in numerous other magazines, including Men's Fitness, Men's Health, and Glamour, as well as sites such as Fitness.com.
by Ross Weale
Strong bones are important for healthy aging. To avoid osteoporosis and up your bone density, eat leafy greens, quit smoking, and drink your milk! Watch Health magazine contributor Samantha Heller's appearance on the Today show on March 26 to learn more.
SAMANTHA HELLER
Samantha Heller, RD, is the nutrition coordinator at the Fairfield Connecticut YMCA. A certified dietitian/nutritionist and exercise physiologist, Heller earned her master's degree in nutrition and applied physiology from Teachers College at Columbia University. She served as the senior clinical nutritionist and exercise physiologist at NYU Medical center in New York City for almost a decade and created and ran the outpatient nutrition program for the NYU Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. She has also been a fitness instructor for 15 years. Heller specializes in nutrition, wellness, stress management, and fitness for people who are fighting heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.
A contributing editor to Health magazine, her writing has also appeared in numerous other magazines, including Men's Fitness, Men's Health, and Glamour, as well as sites such as Fitness.com.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Heart Failure Raises Risks After Non-Cardiac Surgeries
(HealthDay News) -- Older people with heart failure face heightened odds of complications and death after non-cardiac surgeries, according to the largest study ever conducted on the issue."We're trying to draw attention to this major problem," said lead researcher Dr. Adrian F. Hernandez, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University in Durham, N.C.
Heart failure, the progressive loss of the heart's ability to pump blood, is widespread among older Americans, but it sometimes is overlooked as a risk factor when surgery is needed, he said.
"Most physicians focus on whether [older patients] have coronary artery disease or have a risk of heart attack," Hernandez said. "Heart failure is by far a more important risk factor, but it doesn't usually have greater weight when they want to identify patients at risk of complications or consider how they want to treat them after surgery."
Symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, fatigue and swelling of the legs.
Hernandez' group published the study in the April issue of Anesthesiology. They used Medicare data on more than 159,000 people undergoing major surgery not involving the heart, such as hip replacement operations. Past estimates have put the incidence of heart failure in the older population between 5 percent and 12 percent, but the new study found the condition in almost 20 percent of those having surgery.
The study divided the participants into three groups: those with heart failure, with or without coronary artery disease; those with only coronary artery disease; and those with neither condition.
Nearly 98 percent of all those who had surgery were discharged soon afterward from the hospital. But 17.1 percent of those with heart failure had to be re-hospitalized within 30 days, compared to 10.8 percent of those with coronary artery disease and just 8.1 percent of those with neither ailment.
In the month after a surgery, 1.6 percent of those with heart failure died, compared to 0.5 percent for those with coronary artery disease and 0.3 percent of those with neither condition, the study found.
Steps can be taken to reduce the toll, Hernandez said.
"The first thing is to check on what the conditions are that might influence the patients outcomes," he said. "We have to identify therapies that lower the risk of a poor outcome and assure that all patients, when they have surgery, are carefully monitored."
Close attention should be paid to be sure that symptoms of heart failure are kept to a minimum, Hernandez said. Medications such as beta blockers and diuretics can be used to keep heart failure under control, he added.
But he noted that it's not certain how effective such measures might be in reducing risks -- only a rigorous, controlled study could answer that question definitively.
"We are planning to do such studies, but our planning is still in the early stages," he said. "We still need to identify sponsors of such a study."
One expert applauded the new research.
The increase in surgery risk due to heart failure has been noted before, but "this is a big study that involves a lot of people. It solidifies that the risk is real, and the risk is substantial," said Dr. Robert Hobbs, a staff cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic whose work covers heart failure and transplant medicine.
Measures that can be taken to reduce the risk include simply not performing surgery, if possible, on someone whose life might be endangered, Hobbs said. "If surgery is necessary for someone with heart failure, there should be targeted use of heart failure medications before the operation and an effort to avoid overloading the body with intravenous fluid during the procedure," he said.
"And we would certainly watch them more carefully in the postoperative period," Hobbs added.
More information
Learn about heart failure, its symptoms and treatment, from the U.S. Library of Medicine.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Chemotherapy After Breast Cancer Surgery Effective for Older Women, Too
HealthDay News) -- It's clear that chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery increases survival rates. But many older women aren't being offered this potentially lifesaving treatment.
But, age shouldn't be a deciding factor -- an older woman's general health appears to be a better predictor of positive results after chemotherapy, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"Age alone should not be a contraindication to the use of optimal chemotherapy regimens in older women who are in good general health," the study authors said.
About half of all breast cancers in the United States occur in women older than 65. Past studies have shown that chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery increases the odds of disease-free survival in women between the ages of 50 and 69. But little information has been available for treating women over 70, the study authors said.
One important concern is that older women may experience more toxic side effects from chemotherapy. That's because the kidneys often function less effectively with age, and there's not as great a bone marrow reserve for generating new blood cells in older people.
"There's always been a concern that older women with breast cancer might be under-treated," said Dr. Yelena Novik, an oncologist at New York University Medical Center in New York City. "In clinical trials, the proportion of women over 70, and especially over 75, is very small, so it's hard to know the benefits and the risks. It's understood that older women are more likely to have other medical problems, such as heart disease, hypertension and diabetes, so the question is, should they be offered the same treatment as younger women?"
To answer that question, researchers from cancer centers around the country reviewed data from four previous trials that included almost 6,500 women with lymph-node positive breast cancer. Five hundred and forty-two of the women in the studies were over 65, and 159 were over age 70.
Each of the studies looked at various doses and regimens of chemotherapy, including regimens considered to be potentially more toxic than the others.
A number of factors influenced survival rates, including smaller tumor size, fewer positive lymph nodes, having more chemotherapy, and using the breast cancer drug tamoxifen. Age alone, however, didn't appear to influence survival rates, the study authors found.
Women over 65 were more likely to die of causes other than breast cancer. And they were slightly more likely to die as a result of the treatment than younger women were. Overall treatment-related mortality was 0.5 percent, and 1.5 percent for those women over 65.
"What this study basically showed is that we shouldn't prejudice our treatment decisions based on chronological age," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology and oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. "We have a lot of very healthy, older individuals, and to simply preclude someone from taking potentially lifesaving therapy because they've reached some chronological age is just wrong. Would you tell someone who's 68 with coronary vessel disease not to get a bypass?"
Both Novik and Brooks said that recent advances in tailoring breast cancer treatments to the individual patient have likely made the age disparity less of an issue.
"We're hopefully getting smarter in understanding cancer behaviors, which gives us better insight into which drugs to use," Novik said.
Brooks advised older women with breast cancer to "sit down and talk with their doctor about what their individualized risk of recurrence is. We have good tools to offer individualized treatment options, whatever your age."
More information
To learn more about chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.
But, age shouldn't be a deciding factor -- an older woman's general health appears to be a better predictor of positive results after chemotherapy, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"Age alone should not be a contraindication to the use of optimal chemotherapy regimens in older women who are in good general health," the study authors said.
About half of all breast cancers in the United States occur in women older than 65. Past studies have shown that chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery increases the odds of disease-free survival in women between the ages of 50 and 69. But little information has been available for treating women over 70, the study authors said.
One important concern is that older women may experience more toxic side effects from chemotherapy. That's because the kidneys often function less effectively with age, and there's not as great a bone marrow reserve for generating new blood cells in older people.
"There's always been a concern that older women with breast cancer might be under-treated," said Dr. Yelena Novik, an oncologist at New York University Medical Center in New York City. "In clinical trials, the proportion of women over 70, and especially over 75, is very small, so it's hard to know the benefits and the risks. It's understood that older women are more likely to have other medical problems, such as heart disease, hypertension and diabetes, so the question is, should they be offered the same treatment as younger women?"
To answer that question, researchers from cancer centers around the country reviewed data from four previous trials that included almost 6,500 women with lymph-node positive breast cancer. Five hundred and forty-two of the women in the studies were over 65, and 159 were over age 70.
Each of the studies looked at various doses and regimens of chemotherapy, including regimens considered to be potentially more toxic than the others.
A number of factors influenced survival rates, including smaller tumor size, fewer positive lymph nodes, having more chemotherapy, and using the breast cancer drug tamoxifen. Age alone, however, didn't appear to influence survival rates, the study authors found.
Women over 65 were more likely to die of causes other than breast cancer. And they were slightly more likely to die as a result of the treatment than younger women were. Overall treatment-related mortality was 0.5 percent, and 1.5 percent for those women over 65.
"What this study basically showed is that we shouldn't prejudice our treatment decisions based on chronological age," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology and oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. "We have a lot of very healthy, older individuals, and to simply preclude someone from taking potentially lifesaving therapy because they've reached some chronological age is just wrong. Would you tell someone who's 68 with coronary vessel disease not to get a bypass?"
Both Novik and Brooks said that recent advances in tailoring breast cancer treatments to the individual patient have likely made the age disparity less of an issue.
"We're hopefully getting smarter in understanding cancer behaviors, which gives us better insight into which drugs to use," Novik said.
Brooks advised older women with breast cancer to "sit down and talk with their doctor about what their individualized risk of recurrence is. We have good tools to offer individualized treatment options, whatever your age."
More information
To learn more about chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Gain a Foothold on Winter Walking Safety
(HealthDay News) -- Staying on your feet in the snow, slush and ice of winter requires special walking tactics, health and safety experts say.
"You can never be too careful, particularly since we haven't had this type of weather in quite awhile," Dr. Ronald Grelsamer, a hip and knee specialist at Mount Sinai's Department of Orthopaedics in New York City, said in a prepared statement. "People should also pay special attention when exiting trains, buses and cars, because you never know what the surface will be like until your feet hit the ground, especially at night."
Grelsamer offered three key techniques to safe winter walking:
"You can never be too careful, particularly since we haven't had this type of weather in quite awhile," Dr. Ronald Grelsamer, a hip and knee specialist at Mount Sinai's Department of Orthopaedics in New York City, said in a prepared statement. "People should also pay special attention when exiting trains, buses and cars, because you never know what the surface will be like until your feet hit the ground, especially at night."
Grelsamer offered three key techniques to safe winter walking:
- Move feet slightly apart while walking. This provides better balance. A very slippery street can also be better managed with slightly bent knees.
- Walk sideways down an incline. While many people may be tempted to cross one foot over another going downhill, Grelsamer warned this actually makes balancing more difficult. As with slippery surfaces, slightly bent knees can help maintain balance on a steep slope.
- Plan to protect the dominant arm -- that's the right one for right-handed people, the left for lefties. Falls are unpredictable, but holding a coat over that dominant arm or a package in that hand may force the use of the other, weaker arm in the event of a fall.
More information
For more winter weather safety and planning tips, visit Ready.America.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Abdominal Fat Tied to High Risk for Coronary Trouble
(HealthDay News) -- Abdominal fat is a strong independent risk factor for heart disease, say British researchers who also concluded that checking the waist-hip ratio is a better predictor of heart disease risk than waist measurement alone.The study, published Dec. 11 in the journal Circulation, included 24,508 men and women, ages 45 to 79, who were followed for an average of 9.1 years. During that time, 1,708 men and 892 women developed coronary heart disease. Those with the highest waist-to-hip ratio had the highest risk.
"The size of the hips seems to predict a protective effect. In other words, a big waist with comparably big hips does not appear to be as worrisome as a big waist with small hips," lead author Dr. Dexter Canoy, a research fellow in epidemiology and public health at the University of Manchester, said in a prepared statement.
Among the findings:
- Men with the biggest waists in relation to their hips had a 55 percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease than those with the smallest waists in relation to their hips.
- Women with the highest waist-to-hip ratio were 91 percent more likely to develop heart disease than women with the smallest waists in relation to their hips.
- Compared to waist-to-hip ratio, waist-only measurements underestimated heart disease risk by 10 percent.
- When waist-only, body mass index (BMI) and coronary heart disease risk factors were considered, there was a 20 percent lower risk of heart disease for every 6.4 centimeter increase in hip circumference in men and for every 9.2 centimeter hip circumference increase in women.
"People whose abdominal fat puts them at higher risk for heart disease do not always appear overweight or obese," Canoy said. "However, the overriding message from this and other studies about heart disease risk is that, despite the different measures and risk estimates, the bottom line is that many of us need to lose excess weight. Doctors should start looking beyond weight, height, simple waist circumference and BMI to assess heart disease. A simple waist-hip ratio measurement is a strong predictor of heart disease."
More information
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers advice on how to keep your heart healthy.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Depression Linked to Bone Loss in Younger Women
(HealthDay News) -- Premenopausal women struggling with depression have lower bone mass than do non-depressed women in the same age range, a new study found.The bone loss was most pronounced in certain regions of the hip, which is troubling given that hip fractures are one of the most serious -- and potentially fatal -- consequences of osteoporosis.
The level of bone loss seen in the depressed women was the same or higher than that associated with other, established risk factors for osteoporosis, including smoking, low calcium intake and lack of physical exercise, the researchers said.
The findings, published in the Nov. 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, could have implications for the prevention of osteoporosis.
"Premenopausal women with depression should be screened for low bone mass," said Dr. Giovanni Cizza, senior author of the study who conducted the research while at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. "They should do a bone mineral density measurement, because osteoporosis is a silent condition. Until someone fractures, you don't know you have osteoporosis."
Cizza is now a staff clinician at the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
A woman's bone mass peaks during youth then thins after menopause. Previous, preliminary studies had suggested that depression might be a risk factor for low bone mass in older women.
For this study, Cizza and his colleagues looked at 89 women with depression and 44 women without depression. The women ranged in age from 21 to 45. The depressed women were taking antidepressant medications.
Seventeen percent of the depressed women had thinner bone density in the femoral neck, a vulnerable part of the hip. Only 2 percent of non-depressed women, by contrast, had thinner bone in this area.
Twenty percent of depressed women also had low bone density in the lumbar spine, compared with 9 percent of the non-depressed women.
Blood and urine samples also revealed that the depressed women had lower levels of "good" proteins called cytokines. "The bad cytokines that may cause bone loss are higher," Cizza said.
It's not clear what role antidepressants might play, but by relieving the depression, the drugs may also help bone mineral density, the researchers said.
more discussion: Forum
· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Back Pain Constipation
Defining Constipation
Constipation is a term used to describe infrequent bowel movements and affects many people every year.
However, surpassed only by cold and flu symptoms as “motivators,” having a sore back is the second most common reason people visit their doctors.
While the most obvious symptom of constipation is difficulty in having regular bowel movements, another prevalent symptom is back pain.
Most of us will experience some sort of pain or discomfort in our backs at some point in our lives, and constipation could be the cause.
Structure and Function of the Back
The back has many muscles attached to, intersecting, or covering the spine. The spine itself is made up of an elongated, curved stack of bones called vertebrae. These vertebrae are basically round and between each of them is a special disc.
These discs are composed of rubber-like tissue and provide flexibility of the spine. Without this flexibility, we wouldn’t be able to bend over, twist, sit, or walk. However, we wouldn’t want to be as flexible as a snake either. Along with the discs, we have strong ligaments spanning from vertebrae to vertebrae for more support.
The spine also has the critical job of protecting the spinal cord, which sends messages back and forth to the body and the brain, so we can see the logic of having spinal “armor” shielding it.
It’s no wonder people end up with sore back muscles, “slipped discs,” and other lower back problems because we have so many different parts to twist, pull, tear, and strain!
Back pain can be caused by lifting something too heavy, twisting too suddenly, or even sleeping in an awkward position and it can even be related to something unusual like constipation. The lower back also feels impact from walking, running, and many other everyday motions.
Constipation only worsens the situation as the lower back feels greater strain when natural movement is obstructed or hindered by an over-full or impacted colon.
Incredibly, even children can experience back pain constipation. You see—constipation is really just the body not getting rid of waste often enough. If waste remains in the colon too long, the body can reabsorb the water and thus the stool becomes too dry.
If a child is trying to pass a stool that is hard, dry, or very large, they have to strain to manipulate the intestinal muscles. As a result, they may experience lower back pain from all that extra effort. Children may experience additional pain in the anus from it getting stretched open for the large, dry stool to get pushed out.
When to See a Doctor
People with severe or chronic constipation can also develop a condition known as fecal impaction. This occurs when the rectum is blocked by a hardened bowel movement and it can lead to back pain and cramps, bloating, and even feelings of lethargy from the waste remaining inside the body too long.
Most people endure these types of problems without realizing a solution can be obtained; they find ways to work around any lower back pain they might be experiencing and just trudge along with the added difficulty. Nonetheless, it can be a sign that something else is wrong. If you have any of the following symptoms, consult a qualified physician:
The pain is constant and doesn’t improve by resting your back or lying down.
The pain developed suddenly and you are under 20 years old or over 55 years old.
The pain travels up the back and into the chest area.
The pain came on slowly and gradually became worse (most back pain comes on quickly from some injury or stress).
Recurrent nausea or loss of appetite affects your normal diet patterns.
You experience weakness or numbness in your legs or feet or any part of your buttock region.
You are also experiencing problems with your bladder or bowel function.
Of course, if you’re experiencing back pain constipation, once you begin having regular bowel movements again the pain should subside. But what if you’ve had back pain recently, and it feels better now, yet you are still constipated? Surprisingly, back pain constipation can also be related to medications you're taking such as painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs.
Medications and Constipation
Stronger painkillers, like Codeine, have a tendency to constipate, as do non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Here are some medications or drugs you may not recognize as potential causes of constipation:
Antacids containing aluminum hydroxide
Anti-depressants
Anti-diarrhea products
Anti-spasmodic drugs
Diuretics
Medications for Parkinson’s disease
Iron supplements
Calcium channel blockers (high blood pressure treatments)
Decongestants and anti-histamines
Pain Relief
Helpful Hints for Reducing Back Pain Constipation
Some people are surprised to learn constipation could be causing lower back pain, but the truth is—constipation can cause all sorts of aches, pains, and general malaise. Abdominal pain pain and nausea are common symptoms, as well as a loss of appetite.
If there is fecal impaction associated with your back pain constipation, it can cause rectal cramps. Fecal impaction may occur in the elderly; and because liquid stool tends to ooze out around blockages, it can often be mistaken for diarrhea.
If you are suffering from the discomfort of back pain constipation here are some resolutions you can try:
Dehydration can be a major cause of back pain constipation. Drink lots of water, or hot teas and broths.
Begin exercising more. Easy, relaxed swimming or walking are excellent choices.
Cut back on eating refined foods and get back to the healthful basics such as fresh fruits and green, leafy vegetables.
Raise your feet with a footstool when you are sitting on the toilet. It puts the bowel at a better angle for passing the stool more easily.
Try using a natural oxygen-based intestinal cleanser, like Oxy-Powder®.
Take the time to thoroughly research your sleeping conditions. Invest in not just an “okay” bed but the best one you can afford. Getting a great night’s rest is critical to keeping the body in proper working order.
Back pain constipation is a detriment to health we may all have to face someday. If you find it’s happening more often, it's probably a good time to change your routine.
Focus on exercises strengthening both stomach and back muscles such as good old-fashioned sit-ups, rowing, back extensions, leg lifts, or the afore-mentioned aquatic activities. Be aware of potential side effects from any medication you are taking. Make sure you're sleeping well on a comfortable mattress;
some people prefer firmer and some prefer softer, but everyone should feel refreshed in the morning. And, perhaps most beneficial, begin eating a healthful, well-balanced diet with plenty of fruit, whole grains (for fiber), and vegetables.
Back pain constipation can be a debilitating, painful condition but can be alleviated with a little common sense and preventative measures. Be good to your back—it’s really the foundation of a body’s strength and must be maintained for overall good health.
more info at: oxypowder
more discussion: Forum
· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
Monday, November 27, 2006
Stretch Away the Pain of Plantar Fasciitis
(HealthDay News) -- Something as simple as a stretch could ease the pain of plantar fasciitis, a condition that causes heel pain and difficulty walking.
The newly developed stretch targets the plantar fascia, the flat band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the plantar fascia is strained, resulting in weakness, inflammation and irritation.
A study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found that the stretch was 75 percent successful in relieving pain and enabling patients to return to full activity within three to six months. After doing the exercise, about 75 percent of patients needed no further treatment, the study said.
The stretch was developed by Dr. Benedict DiGiovanni, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Rochester, and Deborah Nawoczenski, professor of physical therapy at Ithaca College.
Here's how it works: Patients sit with one leg crossed over the other and stretch the arch of the foot by taking one hand and pulling the toes back toward the shin for a count of 10. The stretch needs to be repeated 10 times, and patients need to do at least three stretching sessions a day.
"Plantar fasciitis is everywhere, but we really haven't had a good handle on it. The condition often causes chronic symptoms and typically takes about nine to 10 months to burn itself out, and for people experiencing this pain, that's way too long to suffer through it," DiGiovanni said in a prepared statement.
The condition is common in middle-aged people and young people who spend a lot of time on their feet.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about plantar fasciitis.
The newly developed stretch targets the plantar fascia, the flat band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the plantar fascia is strained, resulting in weakness, inflammation and irritation.
A study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found that the stretch was 75 percent successful in relieving pain and enabling patients to return to full activity within three to six months. After doing the exercise, about 75 percent of patients needed no further treatment, the study said.
The stretch was developed by Dr. Benedict DiGiovanni, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Rochester, and Deborah Nawoczenski, professor of physical therapy at Ithaca College.
Here's how it works: Patients sit with one leg crossed over the other and stretch the arch of the foot by taking one hand and pulling the toes back toward the shin for a count of 10. The stretch needs to be repeated 10 times, and patients need to do at least three stretching sessions a day.
"Plantar fasciitis is everywhere, but we really haven't had a good handle on it. The condition often causes chronic symptoms and typically takes about nine to 10 months to burn itself out, and for people experiencing this pain, that's way too long to suffer through it," DiGiovanni said in a prepared statement.
The condition is common in middle-aged people and young people who spend a lot of time on their feet.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about plantar fasciitis.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Testosterone Could Keep Older Men From Falls
(HealthDay News) -- Higher testosterone levels may help protect elderly men from dangerous falls, a new study finds.Researchers found that older men with the lowest levels of testosterone in their blood were 40 percent more likely to fall and to have multiple falls than men with the highest levels of testosterone. Falls are a leading cause of bone fracture in older populations.
The association between falls and testosterone levels was strongest in men aged 65 to 69. The link was not apparent in men over age 80.
Testosterone levels naturally decline as men age.
Reporting in the Oct. 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, a team from Oregon Health & Science University, in Portland, studied nearly 2,600 men, ages 65 to 99, who enrolled in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study between 2000 and 2002.
Researchers obtained blood samples from the men, who also filled out questionnaires on their medical history, medications, and lifestyle habits. The men also did a number of physical performance tests.
By the end of the study, in March 2005, 56 percent of the men had fallen at least once. The link between falls and testosterone levels was apparent, even after the researchers factored in the men's scores on the physical performance tests.
That suggests that low testosterone levels may raise falling risk in other ways, including impairment of vision, thinking, and coordination, the researchers said.
"These findings strengthen the link between testosterone and the health of older men, the team wrote. They added that testosterone measurements might be useful for identifying men at higher risk for adverse events."
"Moreover, these results provide additional justification for trials of testosterone supplementation in older men and should aid in the design of those studies, they said.
More information
The Endocrine Society-Hormone Foundation have more about low testosterone.
Balancing Your Hormones Without Drugs... You Can Feel Good Again$19.95  Hormone imbalance can be reversed! Look and feel better than ever, just take the time to learn about yourself and read the information contained in this just released e-book about reversing hormone imbalance. Are you ready to finally look and feel great? If so... read on... - E-Book Version.(BH) |
Minorities Less Likely to Receive Care at High-Volume Hospitals
(HealthDay News) -- Race matters, at least when it comes to medical care received in big hospitals and Medicare managed-care plans.
Two studies in the Oct. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that racial minorities generally received lower quality care than whites or had less access to better care.
According to the first paper, black, Asian and Hispanic patients, as well as uninsured patients, were less likely to undergo complex surgery at high-volume hospitals that specialize in that type of surgery. These hospitals are thought to produce better results because they perform so many of the procedures.
To see who was actually using high-volume hospitals, the authors looked at the characteristics of 719,608 patients who underwent 10 inpatient procedures in California from 2000 to 2004.
The procedures were: elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; coronary artery bypass grafting; carotid endarterectomy; esophageal cancer resection; hip fracture repair; lung cancer resection; cardiac valve replacement; coronary angioplasty; pancreatic cancer resection; and total knee replacement.
Overall, nonwhites, Medicaid recipients and uninsured patients were less likely to receive care at high-volume hospitals and more likely to go to low-volume hospitals.
Blacks were "significantly" -- 28 percent to 60 percent -- less likely than whites to receive surgical care at high-volume hospitals for six of the 10 operations. Asians were 9 percent to 40 percent less likely to receive care at high-volume hospitals for five of the procedures, while Hispanics were 12 percent to 54 percent less likely to receive care at high-volume hospitals for nine of the procedures.
Medicaid patients were 34 percent to 78 percent less likely than Medicare patients to receive their surgical care at high-volume hospitals for seven of the operations, while uninsured patients were 19 percent to 80 percent less likely to be treated at high volume hospitals for nine of the surgeries.
Right now, the goal is to send all patients in need of a specific type of procedure to hospitals that routinely perform such procedures and have the best results. But this might not be feasible or equitable. Rather than try to refer nonwhites and Medicaid recipients to high-volume hospitals, "the question becomes how to improve the quality of low-volume hospitals, raise the tide and lift all the boats," said Dr. Clifford Ko, senior author of the study and professor of surgery and director of the center for surgical outcomes and quality at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"There is no single, perfect way to improve quality and, even though we've put a lot of stock into volume, it is not perfect," Ko continued. "We need to find additional ways that hospitals can improve quality."
The second study found that black enrollees in Medicare managed-care plans do less well when it comes to managing conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol, compared to white patients. The study authors looked at 431,573 individual-level observations in 151 Medicare health plans from 2002 to 2004. They were interested in gauging how well the plans performed on key clinical measures -- controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.
"If people have those measures under control, they're less likely to have heart attacks, strokes and are less likely to die prematurely," said study lead author Dr. Amal N. Trivedi, assistant professor of community health at Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I. "These are very important clinical outcomes." Trivedi started the research while at Harvard Medical School.
"There were large racial disparities in performance in the system as a whole with an absolute gap of 7 percent for blood pressure control all the way up to 14 percent for controlling cholesterol after a heart attack," Trivedi said.
The real question was whether there was any connection between these disparities and the overall quality of the plans. The answer was no, Trivedi said.
"There was basically no connection between the overall quality of the plan and how big its racial disparity, so this isn't an issue that affects just a few low-performing plans," Trivedi said. "We found that it's basically universal among Medicare managed care."
The bottom line is that managed-care plans need to start collecting this information, Trivedi said.
Stephen Thomas is director of the Center for Minority Health at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. He said, "These articles tell us more of the same. The fundamental question is what are we going to do? What we need now is third generation health disparity research that is focused on solutions. Institutions need to be accountable to implementing solutions."
More information
The Kaiser Family Foundation has more on race, ethnicity and health care.
Two studies in the Oct. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that racial minorities generally received lower quality care than whites or had less access to better care.
According to the first paper, black, Asian and Hispanic patients, as well as uninsured patients, were less likely to undergo complex surgery at high-volume hospitals that specialize in that type of surgery. These hospitals are thought to produce better results because they perform so many of the procedures.
To see who was actually using high-volume hospitals, the authors looked at the characteristics of 719,608 patients who underwent 10 inpatient procedures in California from 2000 to 2004.
The procedures were: elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; coronary artery bypass grafting; carotid endarterectomy; esophageal cancer resection; hip fracture repair; lung cancer resection; cardiac valve replacement; coronary angioplasty; pancreatic cancer resection; and total knee replacement.
Overall, nonwhites, Medicaid recipients and uninsured patients were less likely to receive care at high-volume hospitals and more likely to go to low-volume hospitals.
Blacks were "significantly" -- 28 percent to 60 percent -- less likely than whites to receive surgical care at high-volume hospitals for six of the 10 operations. Asians were 9 percent to 40 percent less likely to receive care at high-volume hospitals for five of the procedures, while Hispanics were 12 percent to 54 percent less likely to receive care at high-volume hospitals for nine of the procedures.
Medicaid patients were 34 percent to 78 percent less likely than Medicare patients to receive their surgical care at high-volume hospitals for seven of the operations, while uninsured patients were 19 percent to 80 percent less likely to be treated at high volume hospitals for nine of the surgeries.
Right now, the goal is to send all patients in need of a specific type of procedure to hospitals that routinely perform such procedures and have the best results. But this might not be feasible or equitable. Rather than try to refer nonwhites and Medicaid recipients to high-volume hospitals, "the question becomes how to improve the quality of low-volume hospitals, raise the tide and lift all the boats," said Dr. Clifford Ko, senior author of the study and professor of surgery and director of the center for surgical outcomes and quality at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"There is no single, perfect way to improve quality and, even though we've put a lot of stock into volume, it is not perfect," Ko continued. "We need to find additional ways that hospitals can improve quality."
The second study found that black enrollees in Medicare managed-care plans do less well when it comes to managing conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol, compared to white patients. The study authors looked at 431,573 individual-level observations in 151 Medicare health plans from 2002 to 2004. They were interested in gauging how well the plans performed on key clinical measures -- controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.
"If people have those measures under control, they're less likely to have heart attacks, strokes and are less likely to die prematurely," said study lead author Dr. Amal N. Trivedi, assistant professor of community health at Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I. "These are very important clinical outcomes." Trivedi started the research while at Harvard Medical School.
"There were large racial disparities in performance in the system as a whole with an absolute gap of 7 percent for blood pressure control all the way up to 14 percent for controlling cholesterol after a heart attack," Trivedi said.
The real question was whether there was any connection between these disparities and the overall quality of the plans. The answer was no, Trivedi said.
"There was basically no connection between the overall quality of the plan and how big its racial disparity, so this isn't an issue that affects just a few low-performing plans," Trivedi said. "We found that it's basically universal among Medicare managed care."
The bottom line is that managed-care plans need to start collecting this information, Trivedi said.
Stephen Thomas is director of the Center for Minority Health at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. He said, "These articles tell us more of the same. The fundamental question is what are we going to do? What we need now is third generation health disparity research that is focused on solutions. Institutions need to be accountable to implementing solutions."
More information
The Kaiser Family Foundation has more on race, ethnicity and health care.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Trendy Hormone Treatments No Passage to Graceful Aging
(HealthDay News) -- Forget the fountain of youth, at least for now, and at least in the form of hormone supplements.
Neither DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) nor low-dose testosterone replacement had any beneficial effect in elderly people, including quality of life, new research has found.
"I don't find any reason for older people to take DHEA based on this study and no reason to do any extensive studies on it," said study author Dr. K. Sreekumaran Nair, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. His report is published in the Oct. 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Others, however, feel differently.
"This particular study is a small study, and it's only over two years, so I don't think it's the end of the story. We have to wait for more," said Dr. Barbara Paris, vice chairwoman of medicine and director of geriatrics at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City.
That being said, Paris also warned that people need to be careful of taking DHEA, in particular, as it is sold as a dietary supplement without need of a prescription.
"You don't know what you're getting with the pill," she said. "I don't think they're benign even though they're available without a prescription."
Both DHEA and testosterone have become celebrity hormones and are widely touted as anti-aging remedies. Best-selling author Gail Sheehy (Passages) profiled DHEA as a possible anti-aging miracle in Vanity Fair in 1996.
In 2002, however, gerontology experts issued a statement essentially calling supplements such as DHEA a waste of money.
The idea is simple: Because levels of growth hormones decline starting at about age 30, researchers have speculated that hormone replacement would have a slowing effect on aging.
Long-living humans are also known to have relatively high levels of DHEA, but the bulk of research has been done in animals, and it's unclear how the findings might apply to humans.
The new study reports on a two-year-long, randomized, double-blind study involving 87 elderly men with low levels of DHEA and testosterone and 57 elderly women with low levels of DHEA. All participants had to be at least 60 years of age.
The men were randomly assigned to receive DHEA, testosterone or a placebo. The women were randomly assigned to receive either DHEA or a placebo.
Although DHEA and testosterone levels were increased to what would be considered the "high normal" range for young people, there were no appreciable changes in volume of oxygen consumed per minute, muscle strength, sensitivity to insulin or quality of life, the study reported. There were no major adverse effects, either.
Men receiving testosterone had a small increase in fat-free mass, and men receiving either testosterone or DHEA had an increase in bone mineral density at the femoral neck. Women taking DHEA had an increase in bone mineral density at the wrist but nowhere else.
Wrist bone mineral density is probably less important than other locations. "If you break your wrist, it's not the end of the world," Paris said. "The real concern in an 80-year-old is breaking your hip. That can be a death sentence, so even if I take a supplement and I don't get a wrist fracture, that's not really so significant."
Another problem, said Dr. Bernard Roos, director of the geriatric institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is that "nobody's ever found that DHEA ever did anything that wasn't a secondary effect of either testosterone or estrogen." But, even here, the results can be highly variable. "It's unpredictable because different people convert DHEA to active hormones differently. It's almost like going to a lottery," Roos added.
In any event, experts called for more of this kind of study on anti-aging products in general.
"There are a lot of people who are buying and selling products under the banner of anti-aging medicine, and prematurely, because they haven't been evaluated in any style," said S. Jay Olshansky, professor of public health at the University of Illinois and senior research scientist at the Center on Aging at the University of Chicago. "It's important that clinical trials be done and that they make these kinds of assessments," he said.
More information
To learn more, visit the U.S. National Institute on Aging.
Neither DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) nor low-dose testosterone replacement had any beneficial effect in elderly people, including quality of life, new research has found.
"I don't find any reason for older people to take DHEA based on this study and no reason to do any extensive studies on it," said study author Dr. K. Sreekumaran Nair, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. His report is published in the Oct. 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Others, however, feel differently.
"This particular study is a small study, and it's only over two years, so I don't think it's the end of the story. We have to wait for more," said Dr. Barbara Paris, vice chairwoman of medicine and director of geriatrics at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City.
That being said, Paris also warned that people need to be careful of taking DHEA, in particular, as it is sold as a dietary supplement without need of a prescription.
"You don't know what you're getting with the pill," she said. "I don't think they're benign even though they're available without a prescription."
Both DHEA and testosterone have become celebrity hormones and are widely touted as anti-aging remedies. Best-selling author Gail Sheehy (Passages) profiled DHEA as a possible anti-aging miracle in Vanity Fair in 1996.
In 2002, however, gerontology experts issued a statement essentially calling supplements such as DHEA a waste of money.
The idea is simple: Because levels of growth hormones decline starting at about age 30, researchers have speculated that hormone replacement would have a slowing effect on aging.
Long-living humans are also known to have relatively high levels of DHEA, but the bulk of research has been done in animals, and it's unclear how the findings might apply to humans.
The new study reports on a two-year-long, randomized, double-blind study involving 87 elderly men with low levels of DHEA and testosterone and 57 elderly women with low levels of DHEA. All participants had to be at least 60 years of age.
The men were randomly assigned to receive DHEA, testosterone or a placebo. The women were randomly assigned to receive either DHEA or a placebo.
Although DHEA and testosterone levels were increased to what would be considered the "high normal" range for young people, there were no appreciable changes in volume of oxygen consumed per minute, muscle strength, sensitivity to insulin or quality of life, the study reported. There were no major adverse effects, either.
Men receiving testosterone had a small increase in fat-free mass, and men receiving either testosterone or DHEA had an increase in bone mineral density at the femoral neck. Women taking DHEA had an increase in bone mineral density at the wrist but nowhere else.
Wrist bone mineral density is probably less important than other locations. "If you break your wrist, it's not the end of the world," Paris said. "The real concern in an 80-year-old is breaking your hip. That can be a death sentence, so even if I take a supplement and I don't get a wrist fracture, that's not really so significant."
Another problem, said Dr. Bernard Roos, director of the geriatric institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is that "nobody's ever found that DHEA ever did anything that wasn't a secondary effect of either testosterone or estrogen." But, even here, the results can be highly variable. "It's unpredictable because different people convert DHEA to active hormones differently. It's almost like going to a lottery," Roos added.
In any event, experts called for more of this kind of study on anti-aging products in general.
"There are a lot of people who are buying and selling products under the banner of anti-aging medicine, and prematurely, because they haven't been evaluated in any style," said S. Jay Olshansky, professor of public health at the University of Illinois and senior research scientist at the Center on Aging at the University of Chicago. "It's important that clinical trials be done and that they make these kinds of assessments," he said.
More information
To learn more, visit the U.S. National Institute on Aging.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Clinical Trials Update: July 21, 2006
(HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of Thomson CenterWatch:
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
A clinical trial is seeking subjects with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in either first complete remission with poor prognostic features or second complete remission to participate in a clinical study to test an experimental drug.
Those who qualify for this study should be at least 18-years-old who have not received a marrow, blood, cord blood transplant, or solid organ transplant and who are not taking corticosteroids at doses equivalent to or greater than 10 mg/day of prednisone.
The research site is in New York City.
More information
Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/cat660.html.
-----
Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) or Obesity
People with a serious heart condition are asked to participate in this research study.
Successful candidates should be at least 55-years-old, male and have a waistline of over 40 inches or female and have a waistline of over 35 inches, and have had at least one significant heart condition including -- but not limited to -- heart attack, chest pain, peripheral artery disease (PAD), type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol.
You may not participate in this study if you have had weight loss surgery (stomach stapling, etc.) within the past 6 months or participated in a research trial involving the study drug rimonabant.
The research site is in the Bronx, New York.
More information
Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/cat463.html or http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/cat107.html.
-----
Osteoarthritis
If you have osteoarthritis (OA) pain of the knee or hip, you may be eligible for a research study of an investigational pain medication.
Volunteers between the ages of 21 and 80 who are currently taking pain medication for osteoarthritis may be eligible for this study. Qualified participants may receive investigational study medication, study-related physical exams and lab tests, and compensation for time and travel.
Research sites are located throughout the United States.
More information
Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/cat109.html.
-----
Copyright 2006 Thomson CenterWatch. All rights reserved.
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
A clinical trial is seeking subjects with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in either first complete remission with poor prognostic features or second complete remission to participate in a clinical study to test an experimental drug.
Those who qualify for this study should be at least 18-years-old who have not received a marrow, blood, cord blood transplant, or solid organ transplant and who are not taking corticosteroids at doses equivalent to or greater than 10 mg/day of prednisone.
The research site is in New York City.
More information
Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/cat660.html.
-----
Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) or Obesity
People with a serious heart condition are asked to participate in this research study.
Successful candidates should be at least 55-years-old, male and have a waistline of over 40 inches or female and have a waistline of over 35 inches, and have had at least one significant heart condition including -- but not limited to -- heart attack, chest pain, peripheral artery disease (PAD), type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol.
You may not participate in this study if you have had weight loss surgery (stomach stapling, etc.) within the past 6 months or participated in a research trial involving the study drug rimonabant.
The research site is in the Bronx, New York.
More information
Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/cat463.html or http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/cat107.html.
-----
Osteoarthritis
If you have osteoarthritis (OA) pain of the knee or hip, you may be eligible for a research study of an investigational pain medication.
Volunteers between the ages of 21 and 80 who are currently taking pain medication for osteoarthritis may be eligible for this study. Qualified participants may receive investigational study medication, study-related physical exams and lab tests, and compensation for time and travel.
Research sites are located throughout the United States.
More information
Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/cat109.html.
-----
Copyright 2006 Thomson CenterWatch. All rights reserved.
Weight Loss Plan Kit$172.80 Includes: Oxy-Powder, Slimirex (180 Count), Weight Loss Secrets Revealed, Ten Super Secrets for Weight Loss |
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Quitting Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Provided by: DrWeil.com
Q: I'm currently on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and have been for 10 years. I would like to get off. How do I do this? Do I just quit, or do I need to back it down? -- Terri M.
A: Conventional medical wisdom holds that since you've been on HRT for so long, it would be best to wean yourself off slowly. However, the few studies on this subject suggest that it really doesn't matter whether you go cold turkey or withdraw from the hormones gradually: there seems to be no difference in the incidence of menopausal symptoms that develop as a result.
One study, published in the December 2003 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, found that about one-quarter of the women participating were unable to discontinue hormone therapy because of the withdrawal symptoms they experienced.
The women who had the most trouble quitting had begun taking estrogen after a hysterectomy, and had been on it for 10 years or more. Of the women in the study who succeeded in withdrawing from HRT, 71 percent quit abruptly and 29 percent tapered off HRT.
There was no difference in the incidence of menopausal symptoms between the two groups. Another study, published in the May, 2004 issue of the Journal of Women's Health, also found no difference in symptoms between women who quit abruptly and those who tapered off. If you decide to wean yourself off HRT, discuss your plan with your doctor. I suggest cutting back on HRT over the course of two months.
You can do this by taking decreasingly lower doses of estrogens. You're probably taking 0.625 mg of estrogen daily. You want to bring this down to 0.4, then 0.3 mgs daily. Either ask your physician to prescribe lower-dose estrogen or start taking your pills every other day, instead of daily. Continue taking your full dose of progestin whenever you take estrogen. If your HRT prescription is for a pill that combines both hormones, ask your physician for separate prescriptions so that you can slowly lower your estrogen dose.
Once you're off the hormones, you may experience hot flashes, night sweats or mood swings, and within two or three months you're likely to notice vaginal dryness and loss of fullness of your breasts. Hormonal changes can also lead to some temporary hair loss. If vaginal dryness becomes problematical, try Replens, a non-hormonal gel, which should be applied three times a week, or use the lubricant Astroglide at the time of intercourse. Both are available over-the-counter. Alternatively, speak to your physician about prescription estrogen creams that can be applied vaginally or the vaginal ring (Estring) that time-releases estradiol (a natural form of estrogen) daily; the ring has to be replaced every 90 days.
If you were taking HRT to protect against osteoporosis, make sure that you're getting 1,500 mg of calcium daily from your diet and, if necessary, from supplements. Weight-bearing exercise, such as brisk walking, along with strength training can protect your bones. If a bone density test shows that you're at high risk of osteoporosis, you may want to consider taking Fosamax (alendronate sodium), Actonel (risedronate sodium) or Evista (raloxifene), prescription medications that can help strengthen bone.
Many women find relief from hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness by taking black cohosh (Cimifiuga racemosa) plus 800 IUs of vitamin E daily. Alternatives include the supplements dong quai and evening primrose oil, which work for some women. Two to three daily servings of whole soy foods (tofu, tempeh, edamame, and soy milk) will give you some safe plant estrogen (phytoestrogens) that may help relieve symptoms. If these natural approaches don't help, talk to your physician about Effexor (venlafaxine) or other drugs that can relieve hot flashes.
Andrew Weil, MD
Q: I'm currently on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and have been for 10 years. I would like to get off. How do I do this? Do I just quit, or do I need to back it down? -- Terri M.
A: Conventional medical wisdom holds that since you've been on HRT for so long, it would be best to wean yourself off slowly. However, the few studies on this subject suggest that it really doesn't matter whether you go cold turkey or withdraw from the hormones gradually: there seems to be no difference in the incidence of menopausal symptoms that develop as a result.
One study, published in the December 2003 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, found that about one-quarter of the women participating were unable to discontinue hormone therapy because of the withdrawal symptoms they experienced.
The women who had the most trouble quitting had begun taking estrogen after a hysterectomy, and had been on it for 10 years or more. Of the women in the study who succeeded in withdrawing from HRT, 71 percent quit abruptly and 29 percent tapered off HRT.
There was no difference in the incidence of menopausal symptoms between the two groups. Another study, published in the May, 2004 issue of the Journal of Women's Health, also found no difference in symptoms between women who quit abruptly and those who tapered off. If you decide to wean yourself off HRT, discuss your plan with your doctor. I suggest cutting back on HRT over the course of two months.
You can do this by taking decreasingly lower doses of estrogens. You're probably taking 0.625 mg of estrogen daily. You want to bring this down to 0.4, then 0.3 mgs daily. Either ask your physician to prescribe lower-dose estrogen or start taking your pills every other day, instead of daily. Continue taking your full dose of progestin whenever you take estrogen. If your HRT prescription is for a pill that combines both hormones, ask your physician for separate prescriptions so that you can slowly lower your estrogen dose.
Once you're off the hormones, you may experience hot flashes, night sweats or mood swings, and within two or three months you're likely to notice vaginal dryness and loss of fullness of your breasts. Hormonal changes can also lead to some temporary hair loss. If vaginal dryness becomes problematical, try Replens, a non-hormonal gel, which should be applied three times a week, or use the lubricant Astroglide at the time of intercourse. Both are available over-the-counter. Alternatively, speak to your physician about prescription estrogen creams that can be applied vaginally or the vaginal ring (Estring) that time-releases estradiol (a natural form of estrogen) daily; the ring has to be replaced every 90 days.
If you were taking HRT to protect against osteoporosis, make sure that you're getting 1,500 mg of calcium daily from your diet and, if necessary, from supplements. Weight-bearing exercise, such as brisk walking, along with strength training can protect your bones. If a bone density test shows that you're at high risk of osteoporosis, you may want to consider taking Fosamax (alendronate sodium), Actonel (risedronate sodium) or Evista (raloxifene), prescription medications that can help strengthen bone.
Many women find relief from hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness by taking black cohosh (Cimifiuga racemosa) plus 800 IUs of vitamin E daily. Alternatives include the supplements dong quai and evening primrose oil, which work for some women. Two to three daily servings of whole soy foods (tofu, tempeh, edamame, and soy milk) will give you some safe plant estrogen (phytoestrogens) that may help relieve symptoms. If these natural approaches don't help, talk to your physician about Effexor (venlafaxine) or other drugs that can relieve hot flashes.
Andrew Weil, MD
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Cystic Fibrosis and Nutrition
Cystic Fibrosis and NutritionJune 2, 2006 02:55:02 AM PST
Cystic fibrosis (CF), called "65 Roses" by many of the 30,000 children and adults in the United States with the inherited genetic disease, particularly affects the respiratory and digestive systems.
CF makes children sick by disrupting the normal function of epithelial cells - cells that make up the sweat glands in the skin and that also line passageways inside the lungs, liver, pancreas, and digestive and reproductive systems.
A defect in these cells causes problems with the balance of salt and water in the body, leading it to produce thick mucus, which clogs the lungs, setting the stage for infections and other breathing problems. In children with CF, this mucus can also prevent the normal absorption of key nutrients and fat in the intestines, leading to poor digestion, slow growth, difficulty gaining weight, greasy bowel movements, and a decreased ability to fight infection.
About 85% to 90% of CF patients have pancreatic insufficiency by the time they're 8 or 9 years old. This means that the enzymes created in the pancreas that digest fat, starch, and protein aren't properly passed into the intestines. This causes problems in absorbing the necessary amounts of several important nutrients.
Important ways that you can help your child with CF grow healthy and strong include providing good overall nutrition along with extra fat and calories and prescribed enzymes (see the section Beyond Food - Enzymes and Tube Feeding).
Your Child's Nutritional NeedsIn general, children with CF may need 30% to 50% more of the recommended daily allowance of calories for their age group. This means that:
A toddler with CF may need 1,700 to 1,950 calories daily.
A child with CF may need 2,300 to 3,000 calories daily.
A teen with CF may need 2,900 to 4,500 calories daily.
These calorie needs may be even higher when a child is ill (even a low-grade infection can greatly increase your child's calorie needs).
Every child with CF has different nutritional needs. You'll work with your child's CF dietitian to determine how many calories he or she needs each day. The dietitian will track your child's growth and weight gain over time and will provide you with a nutrition plan.
Some parents of children with CF (and the kids as well) find that counting calories is bothersome. For this reason, it may be more helpful to focus more generally on your child's growth pattern and on adding calorie boosters with fat in them to the foods your child normally eats. That's because gram for gram, fat has more than twice the number of calories as protein and carbohydrates.
In addition to calories, kids with CF have some specific nutritional needs to help them thrive:
Calcium. Patients with pancreatic insufficiency have difficulty absorbing calcium and are especially at risk for developing osteoporosis (weak, brittle bones).
Even patients who don't have pancreatic insufficiency have a greater risk of developing the condition. All dairy products are good sources of calcium (and the full-fat varieties are good sources of fat and calories as well). Many juices also now include calcium.
Essential fatty acids. The body needs to get these particular types of fat from the diet. Found in plant oils, safflower oil, and soybean oils, they help in the building of cell membranes and may play a role in lung function.
Fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K). Important for growth and healing, these vitamins are absorbed along with fat. And because most children with CF have trouble digesting fat, they often have low levels of fat-soluble vitamins and need to take supplements.
Iron. Many children (both with and without CF) are at risk for developing iron deficiency anemia, which can cause fatigue and poor resistance to infection. Fortified cereal, meats, dried fruits, and deep green vegetables are good sources of iron.
Salt. Children with CF lose a lot of salt in their sweat, especially during hot weather and when they exercise. Your CF dietitian may ask you to add salt to your infant's formula and to give your older child salty snacks. During hot weather and when your child plays sports, the dietitian may recommend sending sports drinks to school for activities and physical education class.
Zinc. Important for growth, healing, and fighting infection, zinc is found in meats, liver, eggs, and seafood.
Meals at Home and Away. You'll need to work with your child's CF dietitian to create meal plans that include plenty of snacks, especially for toddlers who eat smaller meals. (Toddlers with or without CF may eat as many as six small meals a day.) When your child is older, schedule snacks so that he or she is eating enough, but isn't simply snacking all day.
Yahoo! Health: Children's Health News
more discussion: Forum
· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Believing Cancer Myths?
Believing Cancer Myths?
Provided by: DrWeil.com
Q: I have been told that the smell of burnt coffee means you have cancer. I've also heard other cancer myths. Can you debunk some common ones? -- Georgie J.
A: I've never heard the one about burnt coffee and haven't been able to track it down. But there are plenty of other cancer myths in circulation:
Cancer spreads when exposed to air during surgery: This is false but widely believed. A survey by researchers at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center among patients with lung cancer and with other types of pulmonary disease in five hospitals across the United States showed that 45 percent had heard this myth and 37 percent believed it to be true. Results of the study were published in the October 7, 2003 Annals of Medicine.
Drug companies are withholding the cure for cancer because they would lose the money that they get from treating patients with today's drugs: This conspiracy theory is nonsense. First of all, cancer is not one disease but many.
It is unlikely that any single "cure" would work for all of them. Besides, there has been impressive progress. The American Cancer Society notes that only a few decades ago, fewer than one in 10 children with leukemia survived 10 years after diagnosis.
Today's treatment has raised the cure rate to almost 80%. Similar advances have been made in curing Hodgkin's lymphoma, bone and kidney cancers in children, and testicular cancer. Just ask Lance Armstrong.
Injuries can lead to cancer: This old wives tale has been around for more than a century. It was disproved a long time ago. The only known instances where cancer can stem from injuries are related to chemical burns. Swallowing caustic liquids is a risk factor for cancer of the esophagus, and skin cancer sometimes develops in scars caused by chemical or thermal burns.
Antiperspirants cause breast cancer: This persistent Internet hoax warns that antiperspirants or deodorants contain substances that can be absorbed through the skin or enter the body through nicks caused by shaving.
There's no evidence to support this idea, and, in fact a study published in the Oct. 16, 2002 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found no increased breast cancer risk among women who reported using underarm deodorants or antiperspirants, those who used these products after shaving with a blade razor and those who used the products within one hour after shaving with a blade razor. Other studies have reported similar results.
Andrew Weil, MD
Provided by: DrWeil.com
Q: I have been told that the smell of burnt coffee means you have cancer. I've also heard other cancer myths. Can you debunk some common ones? -- Georgie J.
A: I've never heard the one about burnt coffee and haven't been able to track it down. But there are plenty of other cancer myths in circulation:
Cancer spreads when exposed to air during surgery: This is false but widely believed. A survey by researchers at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center among patients with lung cancer and with other types of pulmonary disease in five hospitals across the United States showed that 45 percent had heard this myth and 37 percent believed it to be true. Results of the study were published in the October 7, 2003 Annals of Medicine.
Drug companies are withholding the cure for cancer because they would lose the money that they get from treating patients with today's drugs: This conspiracy theory is nonsense. First of all, cancer is not one disease but many.
It is unlikely that any single "cure" would work for all of them. Besides, there has been impressive progress. The American Cancer Society notes that only a few decades ago, fewer than one in 10 children with leukemia survived 10 years after diagnosis.
Today's treatment has raised the cure rate to almost 80%. Similar advances have been made in curing Hodgkin's lymphoma, bone and kidney cancers in children, and testicular cancer. Just ask Lance Armstrong.
Injuries can lead to cancer: This old wives tale has been around for more than a century. It was disproved a long time ago. The only known instances where cancer can stem from injuries are related to chemical burns. Swallowing caustic liquids is a risk factor for cancer of the esophagus, and skin cancer sometimes develops in scars caused by chemical or thermal burns.
Antiperspirants cause breast cancer: This persistent Internet hoax warns that antiperspirants or deodorants contain substances that can be absorbed through the skin or enter the body through nicks caused by shaving.
There's no evidence to support this idea, and, in fact a study published in the Oct. 16, 2002 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found no increased breast cancer risk among women who reported using underarm deodorants or antiperspirants, those who used these products after shaving with a blade razor and those who used the products within one hour after shaving with a blade razor. Other studies have reported similar results.
Andrew Weil, MD
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Avoid a Hip Replacement By Fighting Obesity Early
Childhood obesity is a precursor to all sorts of terrible health risks that can last way into your middle years. Carrying all that extra weight during your first 20-25 years of your life may lead to one more serious problem -- a total hip replacement due to severe arthritis -- later on.European researchers compared the health of some 1.2 million Norwegians screened for tuberculosis from 1963-75 to data on total hip replacement procedures performed between 1987-2003.
A patient's rising body mass index correlated to a greater risk of hip replacements or that being overweight or obese as much as tripled one's odds of such a procedure, and this was especially true among those who were overweight as young adults. In fact, obese women under age 25 increased their odds of hip replacement surgery by a factor of three in their later years.
The best things you can do if you're a parent who wants to help his or her child get a good healthy start:
Switch their preferred liquids from sugary juices and soft drinks to clean water.
Limit their TV time and get the "glow box" out of their bedrooms today!
Get them moving today to help them build healthier, stronger bones.
Arthritis and Rheumatism, Vol. 54, No. 3, March 2006: 802-807
Yahoo News April 12, 2006
DrEddyClinic
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Osteoporosis: A Deadlier Risk Factor For Coronary Disease
Here's one more reason you should optimize your health with exercise and diet to prevent osteoporosis: Patients who suffer from that painful, bone-thinning disease have an increased risk for coronary artery disease (CAD).After testing more than 200 men and women over the course of a year, Michigan researchers found more than half of their patients had clear signs of CAD. The difference from previous studies: Patients were catheterized, allowing scientists to get a far better read on any blockages.
What's more, osteoporosis patients were six times more prone to have coronary disease than those who didn't. In fact, folks, osteoporosis was a stronger indicator of coronary heart disease than a family history of the disease, high blood sugar levels or elevated blood pressure.
Besides diet and exercise, getting the right amount of vitamin D is another natural weapon at your disposal to prevent osteoporosis and fight diseases like Parkinson's.
Yahoo News November 24, 2005
American Journal of Cardiology, Vol. 96, No. 8, October 15, 2005: 1059-1063
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Get Your Calcium From Natural Sources
A new study on healthy pre-teen girls demonstrates just how important getting the right amount of calcium -- and where you get it -- can be.
Researchers measured the calcium's effects on some 200 Finnish girls (ages 10-12), either by taking various supplements or a placebo or eating low-fat cheese.
Although the low-fat cheese group enjoyed more health benefits than those taking supplements, these results are a mixed blessing, because processed dairy foods are some of the worst things you can eat. Your best natural sources for calcium:
Finding an authentic raw milk source. (Visit the Real Milk Web site to find one near you.)
Increasing your intake of vegetables, ideally through juicing. Vegetable juice is also rich in vitamin K, which serves as the biological glue that plugs calcium into your bone matrix.
Getting the right amount of sunshine, your best source for vitamin D, every day.
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 82, No. 5, November 2005: 1115-1126
Yahoo News November 22, 2005
Researchers measured the calcium's effects on some 200 Finnish girls (ages 10-12), either by taking various supplements or a placebo or eating low-fat cheese.
Although the low-fat cheese group enjoyed more health benefits than those taking supplements, these results are a mixed blessing, because processed dairy foods are some of the worst things you can eat. Your best natural sources for calcium:
Finding an authentic raw milk source. (Visit the Real Milk Web site to find one near you.)
Increasing your intake of vegetables, ideally through juicing. Vegetable juice is also rich in vitamin K, which serves as the biological glue that plugs calcium into your bone matrix.
Getting the right amount of sunshine, your best source for vitamin D, every day.
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 82, No. 5, November 2005: 1115-1126
Yahoo News November 22, 2005
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Balancing Your Hormones Without Drugs... You Can Feel Good Again$19.95 Hormone imbalance can be reversed! Look and feel better than ever, just take the time to learn about yourself and read the information contained in this just released e-book about reversing hormone imbalance. Are you ready to finally look and feel great? If so... read on... - E-Book Version.(BH) |