Health Tip: Winter Running Safety

(HealthDay News) -- If you're an avid runner -- or are hitting the pavement for an occasional jog -- the onset of winter shouldn't force you to hang up your sneakers for the season.




Try these winter running safety tips from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:

• Warm up -- your body will take a little longer to warm up, so begin with a fast-paced walk for at least five minutes before you start to run.
• To help keep you warm, toss your clothes in the dryer for a few minutes before you put them on.
• Run with a shorter stride in the winter to reduce the risk of slipping and falling. Also, stay away from icy patches or packed snow.
• Dress in layers that you can peel off when you get too warm.
• If it gets too cold, run on a treadmill indoors.
• Don't forget to drink plenty of fluids -- before, during and after your run.

School-Based Efforts Boost Kids' Fruit, Vegetable Intake

(HealthDay News) -- Children will eat fruits and vegetables at school, if the school gives them a push, a new report says.

Researchers at the University of Maryland found three equally successful approaches based on teacher training with a tested curriculum and events that sometimes included parents. The biggest difference maker, though, was repeated exposure -- through taste testing -- to fruits and vegetables.

"Fruits and vegetables are a key contributor to children's health," lead investigator Bonnie Braun, an associate professor in the university's Department of Family Science, said in news release issued by the school. "Unfortunately, national reports indicate that children's consumption of these foods normally decreases from kindergarten to fifth grade. Students from low-income families are particularly at risk of inadequate intake."

Braun's team, which focused on elementary schools where at least half the population was eligible for the free or reduced lunch program, found that if schools increase fruits and vegetables on their cafeteria lines, children must be willing to eat them.

"Our hypothesis was that school-based interventions, focused on increasing children's preference for fruits and vegetables, would be associated with an increase in consumption both in school and at home," Braun said.

Prior to the interventions, not even one of 10 students (7 percent) was eating the recommended five fruits and vegetables a day. In fact, seven of 10 (70 percent) ate fewer than three servings of fruits and vegetables daily; of those, more than half (56 percent) ate fewer than two servings.

After the interventions, 60 percent of the students increased their taste for fruits and vegetables, and half either maintained their higher-than-average intake or increased intake.

More information
The Nemours Foundation has more about children, food and fitness.

Cheerleading Causes Majority of Female Athlete Injuries

(HealthDay News) -- Over the past 25 years, cheerleading accounted for two-thirds of all catastrophic sports injuries experienced by high school and college females in the United States, a much higher proportion than previously thought, a new report says.

Cheerleading accounted for 65.1 percent of female high school athlete injuries and for 66.7 percent of female college athlete injuries.

It was previously believed that cheerleading accounted for 55 percent of injuries among high school females and 59.4 percent of injuries among college females. But the percentages increased when new data was used for this year's report from the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Center director Frederick O. Mueller, a professor of exercise and sports science who's authored the annual report since it began in 1982, said catastrophic injuries to female athletes have increased over the years.

"A major factor has been the change in cheerleading activity, which now involves gymnastic-type stunts. If these cheerleading activities are not taught by a competent coach and keep increasing in difficulty, catastrophic injuries will continue to be a part of cheerleading," Mueller said in a university news release.

Between 1982 and 2007, there were 103 fatal, disabling or serious injuries recorded among female high school athletes. The vast majority of those (67) occurred in cheerleading, followed by nine in gymnastics and seven in track. During that same period, there were 39 such injuries among female college athletes, including 26 in cheerleading, three in field hockey and two each in lacrosse and gymnastics.

Last year, there were two catastrophic injuries among female high school cheerleaders, compared to 10 the previous year. Among college cheerleaders, there were three catastrophic injuries in 2007 and only one in 2006.

More information
The Nemours Foundation has more about sports and exercise safety for teens.

How Olympic athletes get their fuel

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- If carb-loading were an Olympic competition, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps would probably medal there, too. His day starts with three cheese-tomato-onion-fried egg sandwiches, an omelet, three powdered-sugar-covered slices of French toast, a bowl of grits and three chocolate chip pancakes to top it off, according to news reports.

Swimmer Michael Phelps, who set the men's 200-meter freestyle record at the Olympics, packs in the calories.

Phelps told reporters earlier this week he was instructed to eat between 8,000 and 10,000 calories every day. Other news reports put the total as high as 12,000 calories.
This sounds extreme, even to some dietitians. But Olympic athletes' nutritional needs do vary widely according to their sports and body sizes, and swimming for long periods of time will naturally burn a lot of calories, experts told CNN.

Phelps' intake is just what his appetite requires, said Nancy Clark, a sports nutritionist in Boston, Massachusetts. iReport.com: Phelps to answer your video questions"He's a limousine, he's tall. A limousine needs more gas than a Mini Cooper," said Clark, who has worked with Olympic athletes. "Hunger is simply a request for fuel." Watch what Phelps eats »

Continue Reading >>

Is Runner’s High a Religious Experience?

By Andrea Useem

A day after my 35th birthday this spring, I ran my first half-marathon. I expected it to be a grueling physical challenge, and it was. What I didn’t expect was this: Somewhere around mile 10, while listening to a favorite song on my iPod, I experienced a fantastic, expanding sense of joy. I could not restrain myself from reaching my arms up, palms to the sun, to celebrate the sheer pleasure of being alive and propelling myself forward through the humid morning air.

There is a quick diagnosis for my condition: runner’s high, a state that the latest research shows is related to the release of endorphins, the body’s natural opiate. While both runners and researchers have compared the experience of runner’s high to doing street drugs, my own moment in the sun felt more like feelings I have had while praying or meditating. Read More

Gym Etiquette: How to Cope With Naked Coworkers

By Theresa Tamkins

I have a coworker who’s frank, funny, and trying to get fit. She recently announced that she’s ready to make the leap and actually join a gym. I immediately began selling the virtues of the local workout spot, which is popular around the office. Quick lunchtime workouts! A billion branches!
She hemmed and hawed and finally said that while she wanted to go, she couldn’t bear the thought of running into anyone from the office. What could be more socially awkward than a semi-clad or buck naked conversation about work-related matters? Read More

Getting More Exercise, One Step at a Time

By Sean Kelley

Back when I had athletic street cred—as a soccer and rugby player and 5K specialist—I used to scoff at walkers. Although walking might be somewhat better than total lethargy, I failed to see how anyone could devote enough time to plodding around to get the benefit that one does with more aerobic activities. Besides, the mall, where such “exercisers” tended to hang out, is only open for so many hours a day.

At the height of this athletic snobbery, I likened walking for exercise to golfing as a sport: You can break a sweat doing either activity, but they’re not sports.

Of course, I was wrong. Golf is a sport, especially if you walk the course. (I’m still recovering from my last round; with 40 pounds of equipment on your back, walking from the clubhouse to the first tee burns a lot of energy). And walking, I’ve recently discovered, is substantially better for you than I thought. Read More

Countdown to Race Day, and Stress Levels Are High

Will more work and less running help or hinder my half marathon performance?
by Amanda MacMillan

Race week is finally here: This Saturday at 9 a.m. at Coney Island will be my first real attempt at running a half marathon.

When I began training back in November, I originally planned to be ready for a March 16 race. Then I got sick, lost a few weeks of training, and discovered the Brooklyn Half Marathon was going to be held just one month later and much closer to home.

As soon as I registered for this race, the organizers changed the date, pushing it back a week. Not that I'm complaining; I've appreciated every one of these extra training days—and just this past weekend, I actually reached my goal of an 11-mile run. (The experts say that adrenaline will carry you the last few miles, even if you haven't trained that far. I hope they're right!)

But as race day approaches, I can't decide if this is all happening at the best or worst possible time.

Even without race pressure, this would be one of the most stressful weeks of the year. We're relaunching Health.com in less than a month, and we've been working long days, late nights, and weekends. Lunch and dinner are eaten at our desks, and it's been harder and harder to sneak away for an evening run—or even an hour at the gym.

My sister, who's coming up Friday night and will run Saturday, is taking her finals for nursing school this week, working overtime at her part-time job, and trying to set up her summer internship plans. "If I can make it through exams and actually get to New York without losing my sanity, this race should be a piece of cake," she told me last week.

I'm hoping that her sentiment holds true on Saturday—that all of this week's stress and distraction will make my weekend run feel like a release of energy, a reward for my hard work, and a welcome change from sitting at my computer all week.

There is one good thing about this not-so-great timing: The week before a distance race is the perfect time to "taper," or reduce mileage and intensity, so you're recharged and feeling good for the big day. That means I'm only doing a couple of three-milers this week—and taking Thursday and Friday off completely. If nothing else, at least my legs will be well rested.

Regardless, I feel pretty well prepared. I'm drinking lots of water, checking the weather forecast obsessively (partly cloudy, high of 72, beautiful!), and planning a carb-loading pasta fest for Friday night.

I never thought that a 13-mile run would be the thing that gets me through the work week, but that's exactly what I'm looking forward to right now. Well, that and the massages we've scheduled for later Saturday afternoon.

Sticking With My Morning Workout

To make running a daily habit, I’m setting concrete goals
by Amanda MacMillan

I never thought I’d say this, but my long weekend runs have become the easiest part of my training program. Sure, it took me 98 minutes to run 9.5 miles on Saturday, but 98 measly minutes out of a full weekend of leisure is an easy sacrifice.

Trying to run three to five miles three days a week, on the other hand, is a different story. With long work days, dinner dates, and meet-ups with friends, I’ve been having trouble squeezing it in.

During the winter, I had no choice but to use the treadmill; that meant I could run on my lunch break or right after work. Now that the weather’s nicer, I’ve been spoiled—and suddenly, it just seems wrong (and really, really difficult) to run in the sticky, sweaty gym.

Running in midtown Manhattan isn’t an option I want to consider either, thanks to the crowded sidewalks and vehicle exhaust. And for safety reasons, I don't particularly like running anywhere after dark. So that means I have to either cut my day short and hightail it home to Brooklyn at a decent hour, or do the unthinkable: Wake up early.

I am not a morning person. But for the last two weeks, I’ve been trying desperately to haul my butt out of bed for a sunrise workout. I've marked my calendar. I've programmed “Gonna Fly Now” as my new cell phone alarm. I've asked my boyfriend to call me at 6 a.m. and scold me for being lazy. A few ambitious mornings I’ve made it out, but nothing’s been able to consistently beat out the allure of the snooze button.

I posed my dilemma to Walter R. Thompson, PhD, professor of kinesiology and health at Georgia State University and an expert in exercise adherence. Give it some time, he advised: It will probably take about a month of regular morning workouts before I start to notice their benefits and actually look forward to them. A big part of this, he explained, is breaking old routines and establishing new ones.

“You’ve spent the last 25 years getting out of bed and not even thinking about exercise,” he told me. “That’s a hard habit to break.”But my Monday-Wednesday-Thursday schedule is a good start, he added. “Sleeping in once or twice a week gives you a breather to look forward to, but you’re still exercising enough to meet your goals.”

Speaking of goals, he suggested setting both short-term (to keep from losing focus) and long-term ones (to remember the progress I've made, even in the event of setbacks along the way).

So for the remainder of my training, I’m doing just that: My long-term goal is to run the entire Brooklyn Half Marathon on May 3. And next week, maybe I’ll aim to shave another minute off my five-mile time.

This week? I’m just focusing on getting up and out the door when I say I will.

201,000 Ways to Change Up Your Running Routine

The USA Track & Field website is helping me discover new routes
by Amanda MacMillan

I spent the recent three-day Easter weekend at my grandparents' house in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a tiny town on the outskirts of Amish country with plenty of rural roads and open space for running. Problem is, I don’t know those rural roads and open spaces.

Before I left Brooklyn on Saturday, I squeezed in my long weekend run, so the only exercise I had planned for Sunday was stuffing my face with a Pennsylvania Dutch feast. But I was scheduled to run five miles on Monday, and I knew I’d be doing it in unfamiliar territory. Continue reading »

Arthroscopic Surgery Eases Tough-to-Treat Tennis Elbow

(HealthDay News) -- Arthroscopic surgery can offer long-term pain reduction and increased mobility for people with tennis elbow, U.S. researchers report.

Of the 30 patients who underwent the surgery and were followed by the researchers for almost 11 years, 93 percent said they would have the procedure again, according to a study slated for presentation Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

An arthroscope is a tiny tube with lenses, a video camera and a small light that allows surgeons to see and work inside a joint without making a big incision. According to the researchers, arthroscopic surgery speeds rehabilitation and has fewer complications than open surgery.

In the study, a team led by Dr. Champ L. Baker III, an orthopaedic resident at the University of Pittsburgh, followed 30 patients who underwent surgery for tennis elbow for 130 months. The patients were enrolled through Hughston Clinic in Columbus, Ga.

"This is the first longitudinal study of arthroscopic treatment of tennis elbow," said Baker in a prepared statement. "The initial success from our original short-term study was maintained long-term. I am happy to say that arthroscopic release is a good treatment option for lingering tennis elbow."

Baker recommends the surgery for people who have suffered with the condition for more than a year but have found no relief through other approaches, including rest.

Tennis elbow results from repetitive motions with the arm extended and the wrist moving up and down. In addition to playing tennis, lifting heavy boxes, long-term keyboard use and shaking hands on the campaign trail can all cause the condition.

More information
To learn more about elbow injuries and disorders, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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:

• 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.

Moderate Exercise Cuts Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

(HealthDay News) -- A brisk 30-minute walk most days of the week is enough to undo metabolic syndrome, a health condition that can lead to heart disease, diabetes and stroke, a new study suggests.

"What we found was a modest amount of moderate intensity exercise was very effective in improving metabolic syndrome risk," said study author Johanna L. Johnson, a clinical researcher at Duke University Medical Center's department of medicine.

At the start of the study, 41 percent of the 171 participants had metabolic syndrome; at the end, just 27 percent did. The study was published in the Dec. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.

About one-quarter of all U.S. adults have metabolic syndrome, a collection of risk factors that can eventually set you up for more serious health problems. While some experts debate the validity of considering metabolic syndrome a disease unto itself, the risk factors are potentially dangerous. They include a large waist circumference; high blood pressure; high levels of triglycerides; low levels of good (HDL) cholesterol; and high blood sugar. If you have three or more of the five risk factors, you have metabolic syndrome.

Johnson and her colleagues looked at the effects of different amounts and intensities of exercise.
The researchers assigned the 171 men and women to one of four groups. One was a control group, whose members continued to be sedentary. The other three groups included:

• A low amount/moderate intensity group. They did brisk walking three to five days a week, aiming for about 11 miles, and typically putting in about three hours a week.


• A low amount/vigorous intensity group. They did the same 11 or so miles but at a jogging pace, so they ended up getting about two hours of exercise a week.


• A high amount/vigorous intensity group. They jogged at a vigorous pace about 17 miles a week, putting in about three hours.

What was a bit surprising, Johnson said, was the benefits conferred to each group.
"What we found was that modest amounts of moderate intensity exercise [the low/moderate group] were very effective in improving metabolic syndrome," she said. Those who exercised the most, jogging 17 miles a week, gained a bit more benefit in terms of lowered metabolic syndrome scores, she said.

Those in the low amount/vigorous intensity group didn't improve their scores as much as those who did less-intense exercise for a longer period of time, the low amount/moderate intensity group.

Moderate intensity activity every day, or almost every day, may be better for metabolic syndrome risk reduction than more vigorous activity a few days a week, the researchers suggested.

All three groups of exercisers did have a reduction in their waistline circumference. Waist circumferences above 34.6 inches in women and 40.2 in men are a risk factor for metabolic syndrome, the researchers said.

The high amount/vigorous intensity group had the best reduction in body mass index (BMI, a ratio of weight to height). It went from an average of 29.2 to 28.4. A BMI of 30 and higher is termed obese.

So, the bottom line for middle-age, sedentary, overweight people? "If you tell them to go out for a brisk walk 30 minutes on most days of the week, they are highly likely to improve health and metabolic syndrome risk," Johnson said.

The new research confirms advice on exercise from the American College of Sports Medicine and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she added.

"It confirms that exercise is beneficial," said Kerry Stewart, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who also has done research on the topic.

"It confirms the benefit of exercise for reducing metabolic syndrome and all the risk factors that make up metabolic syndrome," he said. The surprise, he agreed, was that moderate activity may be enough.

More information
To learn more about metabolic syndrome, visit the American Heart Association.

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 information
To learn more about bone health, visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Alcohol Intake on Cardiovascular Health Reviewed

News Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
CME Author: Charles Vega, MD

The latest American Heart Association guidelines caution people not to start drinking alcohol if they do not already drink alcohol, according to a review of the advantages and disadvantages of alcohol intake on cardiovascular health published in the August 23 Online First issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

"Accumulating scientific evidence indicates that light to moderate drinking done on a daily basis may significantly reduce the risks of coronary heart disease (CHD) and all-cause mortality," write James H. O'Keefe, MD, FACC, and colleagues from the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri. "In contrast, excessive alcohol intake and binge drinking are toxic to both the heart and overall health and are the third leading cause of premature death among Americans.

The purpose of the present review is to:
1) outline the specific benefits and risks of alcohol, and the threshold of intake at which drinking becomes a health danger rather than an advantage;
2) detail the mechanisms whereby alcohol confers cardioprotection; and
3) discuss the ideal quantities, drinking patterns, and beverages, and which individuals are most likely to benefit."

Research to date has shown J-shaped relationships between alcohol consumption and several adverse health outcomes, including all-cause mortality, CHD, diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure, stroke, dementia, and Raynaud's phenomenon.

Some cardioprotective benefits have been demonstrated for light to moderate alcohol consumption (up to 1 drink daily for women and 1 or 2 drinks daily for men). Most studies have shown that light to moderate drinking is associated with risk reductions for CHD of approximately 30% to 35%.

Alcohol consumed in moderation seems to have an antiatherosclerotic effect, with decreased incidence of peripheral arterial disease and decreased atherosclerotic burden shown by coronary angiography, computerized tomography-detected coronary calcium, and carotid ultrasound.
Like exercise, alcohol consumption seems to be most cardioprotective when done daily and in moderation. However, increasingly excessive consumption is associated with proportional worsening of outcomes.

Because of the beneficial effects on high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, insulin action, and inflammation, light to moderate alcohol intake may be particularly helpful for patients with abnormal glucose metabolism and/or insulin resistance. Light to moderate alcohol intake may be associated with reductions in the prevalence and incidence of diabetes, and a large meta-analysis with 12-year follow-up showed a 30% reduction in new diabetes in those who consumed 1 to 2 drinks daily.

The cardiovascular benefits associated with alcohol consumption protection are thought to be mediated by improvements in insulin sensitivity and HDL cholesterol. The major protective component seems to be the ethanol itself, and not the other ingredients found in different types of alcoholic beverages.

In a meta-analysis incorporating data from more than 1 million participants, consumption of 1 drink daily by women and 1 or 2 drinks daily by men was associated with an 18% reduction in total mortality, but daily intakes of more than 2 drinks in women and 3 drinks in men were associated with dose-dependent increased mortality.

Although low-dose, daily alcohol consumption has been linked to better health than less frequent use, binge drinking increases cardiovascular events and mortality, even in otherwise light drinkers.

"Alcohol should not be universally prescribed for health enhancement to nondrinking individuals owing to the lack of randomized outcome data and the potential for problem drinking," the study authors note. "Alcohol (ethanol) consumption is analogous to the proverbial double-edged sword, and perhaps no other factor in cardiovascular (CV) health is capable of cutting so deeply in either direction depending on how it is used."

Guidelines from the United Kingdom suggest that middle-aged or elderly men and postmenopausal women who drink seldom or never might consider the possibility that light drinking would benefit their health. On occasion, the reviewers have made a similar recommendation to patients who do not smoke and who have no personal or family history of substance abuse and no history of depression or bipolar disorder. However, they argue that light to moderate drinking should not be universally recommended to the general public or even to patients with cardiovascular disease.

As an analogy, they point out that observational data and findings from randomized trials using surrogate endpoints suggested that hormone replacement therapy for women and antioxidant vitamins improved cardiovascular outcomes, whereas later randomized trials with larger samples led to the opposite conclusions. They note that no randomized trials of alcohol for improving clinical outcomes have yet been performed. In observational studies, residual unmeasured confounding factors could be contributing to apparent benefits that seem to be associated with light to moderate drinking.

The investigators further note that heavy drinking has caused significant individual and societal problems and morbidity. In the past 15 years, the rates of alcohol abuse and binge drinking have been increasing, according to the findings of some studies. Alcohol abuse causes 100,000 deaths each year in the United States, and it has been deemed the third largest preventable cause of death.

Excessive alcohol consumption has been associated with increased risks for all-cause mortality, motor vehicle crashes, stroke, cardiomyopathy, cardiac dysrhythmia, sudden cardiac arrest, suicide, cancer (particularly of the breast and gastrointestinal tract), cirrhosis, fetal alcohol syndrome and sleep apnea.

"Sobering statistics warn that moderate daily drinking is a slippery slope that many individuals cannot safely navigate," the study authors conclude. "The latest American Heart Association guidelines caution people not to start drinking if they do not already drink alcohol, because it is not possible to predict in which people alcohol abuse will become a problem. Until we have more randomized outcome data, and tools for predicting susceptibility to problem drinking, it would seem prudent to encourage physicians and patients to focus on more innocuous interventions to prevent CHD."

J Am Coll Cardiol. Published online August 23, 2007.
2007;50:1009-1014.

Most Asian Men Have Better Prostate Cancer Survival Rates

(HealthDay News) -- Your prognosis for surviving prostate cancer may depend on your racial and ethnic background, a new study suggests.

Asian men have better survival rates than white males, while South Asians have the worst survival rates, according to results of a study of men living in California.

"Nearly all Asians do far better when they get prostate cancer," said study lead author Dr. Anthony Robbins, of the California Cancer Registry in Sacramento. "But Indian men didn't do as well as other Asian men, and they did worse than all other men, including blacks and whites," he added.

The reasons for these racial and ethnic differences in prostate cancer survival aren't known, Robbins said, adding, "We just couldn't explain it."

Not only couldn't the researchers explain the finding, they were left with an apparent paradox. The Asian men were usually older and had more advanced disease at the time of diagnosis, Robbins said. "Based on their risk factors, you would think they were going to do worse," he said.

In the study, Robbins and his colleagues collected data on 116,916 men (108,076 whites and 8,840 Asians from the six largest represented Asian ethnicities -- Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, South Asian, and Vietnamese) diagnosed with prostate cancer. The researchers compared prognostic factors and survival rates among the men.

The researchers found that for Asians, risk profiles were worse compared with whites. For example, Asians were more likely to have more advanced disease and use non-curative therapies. But, for Asians -- except for South Asians -- survival rates were equal to or better than rates for whites.

Japanese-American men were 34 percent less likely to die from prostate cancer compared with whites. But South Asian men -- those from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan -- were 40 percent more likely to die from the disease, Robbins said.

The study was published online Monday in the journal Cancer.

Some of the factors that may influence the findings include diet, exercise and genetics, Robbins speculated.

"Doctors that are seeing patients for prostate cancer need to be aware that these differences can be used as factors in planning the patient's treatment and telling the patient what their survival might be," Robbins said.

Dr. Durado Brooks, director of prostate and colorectal cancer at the American Cancer Society, thinks this study demonstrates the need to better understand how different racial and ethnic groups respond to diseases.

"This study points out the potential misleading conclusions we can come to when we use these large groups to lump different subpopulations into," he said.

"If you lump in the South Asian subgroup with other Asians, as is traditionally done, you totally miss the fact that these folks have a strikingly higher chance of dying from prostate cancer," Brooks said.

Brooks said the study finding can provide a basis for research to try to understand why these differences exist between populations.

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer to strike American men, other than skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society, which estimates there will be about 218,890 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States in 2007, and about 27,050 men will die of the disease. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in males. While one in six men will get prostate cancer during his lifetime, only one man in 34 will die of the disease. The death rate for prostate cancer is declining, due in large part to earlier diagnoses, the society said.

Another paper in the same issue of the journal also found racial differences among women who survive breast cancer; with black women having poorer survival regardless of the stage of the disease.

It is known that black women had larger tumors and are more likely to have invasive breast cancer. But the study, lead by Dr. Alfred Neugut from Columbia University Medical Center and Russell McBride from Mailman School of Public Health, found that mortality among black women was up to 56 percent higher than whites.

Neugut's team says that the disparities in survival were surprising and suggest that non-clinical factors, such as access to and quality of care, may play a part.

More information
For more on prostate cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.

New Drug Fails to Improve Odds for Heart Failure Patients

(HealthDay News) -- A new drug is no more effective at improving the survival rates of people with decompensated heart failure than a widely used medication is, a new international study has found.

Decompensated heart failure is one form of the general condition in which the heart progressively loses the ability to pump blood. It is characterized by a set of symptoms including shortness of breath and intolerance to exercise.

There were hopes that the new drug, levosimendan, would improve survival, because it uses a unique mechanism that makes heart muscle cells more sensitive to the calcium that causes them to contract. However, the study of 1,347 persons with acute decompensated heart failure, done at 75 centers in nine countries between March 2003 and December 2004, found essentially the same death rate for participants who got levosimendan as those who received an established medication, dobutamine, said a report in the May 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The trial leaves cardiologists without a totally satisfactory treatment for decompensated heart failure, said Dr. Robert Hobbs, a Cleveland cardiologist specializing in treatment of the condition. Some 5 million Americans have one form or another of heart failure, and about 1 million of them are hospitalized for it each year.

"The original therapy, which is still basic, is diuretics," Hobbs explained. "They make the body lose water, so people feel better. In the 1980s, ACE inhibitors came along to make people feel better and live longer, and they were added for long-term benefit. The third group of drugs to be used were beta blockers."

Dobutamine is a positive inotropic agent that has been found to improve symptoms, but it has also been associated with an increased risk of death and cardiovascular problems. In the latest trial, participants with decompensated heart failure received levosimendan or dobutamine intravenously.

"The common practice has been to give dobutamine in the belief that the heart is like a battery that has lost its charge," Hobbs said. "By giving dobutamine, you would recharge it. That didn't actually happen [in previous studies]. It appeared to be associated with complications, longer hospital stays and more mortality."

In another previous study, careful analysis indicated that levosimendan was associated with a lower risk of death than dobutamine. "It did have the different mechanism of action, and it was felt that might translate into improved safety," Hobbs said. But it proved to be no better in the new trial.

In the 180 days after drug infusion, the death rate was 26 percent among patients who got levosimendan and 28 percent in those getting dobutamine. There was no statistical difference between other endpoints, such as incidence of breathing difficulties and days spent out of the hospital.

Participants who got levosimendan were less likely to experience cardiac failure but more likely to experience the abnormal heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, low blood levels of potassium, and headache.

"The bottom line on all of this is that it is hard to show benefit for what we do for acute decompensated heart failure," Hobbs said.

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All aspects of heart failure are explored by the American Heart Association .

Steam & Sauna Bathing Offers Multiple Rejuvenating & Healing Benefits

Written by The International Steam Therapy Association

Part 1
Most people laugh when they hear that the Finnish Olympic team lugs a portable sauna with them wherever they go. However, the fair-haired Nordic athletes might be doing more than simply acting out a home-sick longing for the slender birch trees and island dotted lakes of the homeland. They could be on to a secret, non-drug-induced means of giving themselves an edge in the fierce competition of modern-day Olympics.

Although most people simply consider it a pleasant means of relaxation, sweat therapy might in fact have powerful heath-enhancing effects.

In the test of time is any measure, steam bathing has certainly withstood it. For thousands of years people of all cultures have indulged in the soothing warmth of sweat baths. The Romans are well-known for their elaborate baths. The wealthy of 200 B.C. India did not consider their mansion complete unless it included a bathhouse with a steam room. The Muslim Hamman, or bathhouse, with its domed, central steam chamber is stall an integral part of life in Muslim countries. A derivation of the Hamman, the Turkish bath, has been popular in Europe for centuries.

Today, steam and sauna facilities are an integral part of the hydrotherapeutic offerings at European and American spas, and steam rooms and saunas are a common feature of health clubs and public pools. Yet, there is surprisingly little awareness of the wide ranging benefits of steam and sauna bathing. There is evidence that these sweat-inducing treatments stimulate the immune system, improve circulation, and help the body to purge itself of impurities.
Hippocrates, the founder of Western medicine more than two-thousand years ago said, "Give me the power to create a fever, and I shall cure any disease."

Although often misunderstood as a symptom of disease, fever actually is a part of the body's natural healing response. Steam baths, sauna, and other heat-inducing treatments elicit similar healing responses in the body, and consequently are often called "artificial fevers".

During a fever, the functioning of the immune system is stimulated, while the growth of bacteria and virus is forced to slow down. The production of white blood cells, the primary agents of the immune system, is increased, as is the rate of their release into the blood stream. The generation of antibodies speeds up, as does the production of interferon, an anti viral protein that also has powerful cancer-fighting properties.

Apart from stimulating the immune system, fever slows down the proliferation of invading organisms by creating an inhospitable environment. At 104 degrees F., for example, the growth rate of the polio virus is reduced up to 250 times; at 106 degrees pneumococcus, a bacterium responsible for pneumonia, dies.

Part 2
Before the advent of antibiotics, syphilitics were often infected with malaria to prevent the spread of the disease. In addition, there is evidence that the frequent fevers of malaria might function as a cancer-protecting factor. Dr. Paavo Airola in his book, Worldwide Secrets of Staying Young relates the story of the Pontine swamps near Rome in Italy, which, until a few decades ago, were a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitoes. The swamps were dried out, and the malaria disappeared. However, during the next decades, that area, which had before been almost free of cancer, saw an increase in cancerous diseases. After a generation, the cancer incidence level of that area had reached the level of the rest of Italy.

Malignant cells are selectively destroyed at temperatures of 106 to 110 degrees F., so the frequent fever attacks of people in the malaria-infected area might have mobilized the body's own defenses too frequently for a cancer to take hold.

Although the artificial fever induced by sweat therapy does not have the comprehensive effect of real fever, it still produces a striking effect on a number of bodily processes.

There is evidence that artificial fever works as an immune system stimulant by increasing the number of white blood cells in the body. In a 1959-review of studies on the effects of heat treatments, Mayo Clinic researcher Dr. Wakim and colleagues cite findings indicating that the number of white blood cells in the blood increased by an average of 58% during artificially induced fever. Researchers also have found increases in the activity of the white blood cells during induced fever.

In addition, as in the case of bodily induced fever, the raised temperature during the artificial fever reduces the growth rate of most bacteria and viruses, giving the immune system time to mobilize its own forces. Indeed, many regular steam or sauna bathers have experienced that a good, long sweat bath at the early onset of a cold or flu can help ward off the disease before in manifests as actual symptoms.

Apart from the immune system-stimulating effects of sweat therapy, many thought it as one of the most effective and painless detoxifying treatments available.

Dr. Veronica Butler, medical co-director at the Raj, a health center based on principles of Ayurveda, recommends herbalized steam baths, called swedenas, to clients as part of the ancient Ayurvedic purification treatment, known as panchakarma.

According to the classical Ayurvedic texts, for maximum results, a swedena or steam bath should be given while keeping the head cool and the client supine.

"A swedena clears the shrotas, the channels through which the biological intelligence flows," says Dr. Butler. "If impurities clog these channels, the flow of intelligence in the body becomes more susceptible to disease."

Part 3
Heat speeds up the chemical processes in the body, making steam and sauna bathing one of the simplest and most comfortable ways to rid the body of accumulated toxins. As the pores open up and the million of sweat glands start to excrete, the body rids itself of metabolic and other waste products. Sweat contains almost the same elements as urine, and for this reason, the skin is sometimes called the third kidney. It is estimated that as much as 30% of bodily wastes are eliminated by way of perspiration.

However, more than common metabolic waste products are secreted through the skin. Natural health practitioners often notice that when heavy smokers get a steam bath for a body wrap (where the body 'simmers' for up to 45 min. Under hot covers), they will leave a yellow residue on the towels. Reino Tarkianinen, President of Finlandia Sauna, reports that when the company replaces sauna benches from public baths, a thick, black layer of accumulated tar can be found underneath the benches.

In Finland, research is being done on the use of sweat therapy in the treatment of people who are chemically affected. The purifying effects of perspiration could also be behind claims that steam and sauna treatments can help cur or control such ailments as acne and arthritis.

Last but not least, steam and sauna bathing produces powerful therapeutic effects simply by increasing circulation. As the carrier of the rebuilding forces of the nutrients to all parts of the body, the bloodstream plays a crucial role in the maintenance of health.

Steam and sauna treatments have a stimulating effect on the cardiovascular system. The pulse rate increases from 75 beats per minute to between 100-150 beats per minute during a 15-20 minute treatment. This increases blood circulation, but not blood pressure, since the heat also causes the tiny blood vessel in the skin to expand, accommodating the increased blood flow. The dilation of the capillary vessels enables the bloodstream to carry great amounts of nutrients to the skin, enhancing the nutritive status of the skin. The flushed, youthful look that steam and sauna bathers maintain for up to several hours after treatment is due to this effect.

Which is the best way of taking a steam or sauna treatment?
First of all, it is good to be aware of the distinction between the two. Most people think of the heat of a sauna as dry heat and the heat of a steam room as wet, humid heat. This distinction is only partially correct. Sauna bathers in Finland splash water on the heated stones in the sauna, raising the humidity level to as much as 40%. Without that, the hot, dry sauna air can irritate the mucus membranes.

Part 4
In the hydrotherapeutic tradition used at European and America spas, sweat therapy is used in preparation for massage as a means of increasing the suppleness of the muscles and creating a deep sense of relaxation in body and mind. In the Ayurvedic tradition of India, which has gained popularity in the U.S. in recent years, steam treatments are part of the traditional purification treatment panchakarma, where they are used after massage to help the body get rid of toxins dislodged during the treatment.

Sweat treatments can also be enjoyed on their own, as a workout for the cardiovascular system, a deep-cleansing treat for the body, an immune system booster, and a soothing and invigorating refreshment for the mind.

There are a few precautions to keep in mind. Because of the increase in cardiovascular activity caused by the high heat, sweat therapy is not recommended for people with heart disease or other cardiovascular problems. Individuals with high blood pressure pressure should first consult their doctor.

In addition, the treatment is not advised for pregnant women, small children, or the elderly. Do not take a sweat treatment if you have a fever or an open wound. If you have been working out, be sure that your body has had time to cool down before exposing it to the heat of a sweat bath.

Limit treatment time to 10 to 15 minutes. Drink plenty of water of herbal tea before and after the sweat bath to replace fluids lost during the treatment. The sweat glands can secrete up to 30 grams of sweat per minute, or almost one pint per 15 minutes, so dehydration is a very real possibility, if you are not careful. Fatigue and other indications of dehydration can occur with as little as 1 to 2% loss in body weight.

The main thing to keep in mind is to enjoy the process. Do not push your body beyond its comfort level; the point is not to sweat it out the longest, but to allow your mind and body to luxuriate in this health-enhancing and invigorating miniature spa treatment.

Working up a sweat is one of our oldest folk remedies. "Give me an opportunity to create fever and I will cure any illness," said the Greek physician Paramenides two thousand years ago.

Today, besides creating a relaxing sense of well-being, relaxes and loosens muscles tissue, reducing daily buildup of tension and increasing muscle flexibility:
-boosts blood circulation, which helps aching and injured muscles to recover faster, because the stronger the flow of blood, the faster metabolic waste products are carried off. -stimulates vasodilatation of peripheral blood vessels, which relives pain and speeds healing of sprains and strains; -speeds up the metabolic processes of vital organs and endocrine glands resulting in a calorie loss of between 200 and 450 in a 20 minute session.

Part 5
According to Michael Marino, research associate at Lennox Hill Hospital's Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma in New York City:
"….. heat exposure stimulates the hypothalamus, the gland that normally maintains and stabilizes body temperature to dissipate the excess heat. Heart rate increases as more blood flow is diverted from the inner organs towards the extremities of the skin. This automatic "cooling" reaction is actually a form of beneficial stress, a passive kind of cardiovascular exercise that helps to keep the body's system alert and functioning well."

The beneficial stress of heat on the heart is confirmed by physical fitness expert Bernard Gutin, Professor of Applied Physiology and Education at Teacher's College, Columbia University:
"Heat acts as a form of mostly beneficial stress on the body that produces physiological changes in heightened blood pressure, stepped-up heart rate and an increase in stress hormones."
According to Dr. Paavo Aviola, an author in health matters:

"The sauna increases the eliminative, detoxifying and cleansing capacity of the skin by stimulation of sweat glands. A steam bath provides a mild cleansing process for the skin as certain body fluids are released through the skin. It also promotes healthy skin tone and texture due to increased blood circulation."

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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.

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Constipation and Acne

Constipation and acne are two problems affecting hundreds of thousands of people on a daily basis.

One hits you on the inside and the other on the outside. Could it be that more is going on with this unlikely pairing than you would first imagine?

When most people become constipated, they assume it’s just a momentary thing and they’ll soon become “regular” again. Likewise, when someone discovers a pimple or rash on their body, they usually throw some kind of drugstore cream on it and hope it goes away.

Usually, after a few days, the skin clears up and life turns back to normal. But it could very well be that constipation is leading to your skin blemishes, and that includes acne!

Constipation and Acne May Indicate Trouble
The human body is comprised mainly of water, about 55 to 60% in most adults. We already know it’s best to drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water a day.

If your body isn’t getting enough water, one of the first signs is constipation and acne or other skin blemishes.

Waste hardens within your colon and there are no fluids to lubricate its easy passage out of the body. You may also notice your skin begins to feel dry and cracks in certain places.

The lips, elbows and fingers are some of the first locations to notice the change. Spread all the moisturizer you want, but it’s not going to solve the problem because you must first hydrate from within.

Effects of Constipation
Another reason constipation and acne go hand in hand is the toxic effect constipation has on the body. When you’re constipated, your body isn’t getting rid of all the poisonous toxins normally expelled with a bowel movement. The toxins have nowhere to go, and they begin to accumulate before being reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

Then the toxins course through the body it goes into a state of emergency. The body senses these nasty poisons and begins trying to fight them off, trying to discover a way to detoxify itself. As a failsafe option, the toxins are expelled through the skin; but the acidic nature of the toxins causes the skin to become inflamed and thus develop acne.

If these toxins were left in the body indefinitely, they could eventually intensify to detrimental levels. Some signs you may be poisoning your system include bad breath and excess gas, bloating, depression, headaches, and “brain fog” or feeling like you can’t think clearly, and the aforementioned constipation and acne difficulties.

If your body is functioning properly and you are having regular bowel movements and eating the right foods, there is a very good chance acne can be reduced if not eliminated. Of course, the first step to changing your lifestyle involves becoming better educated. So, what foods, products or advice should one take to begin the transformation to better skin?

Positive Lifestyle Changes
Changing the way you look at food can be difficult, but it can be the most beneficial lifestyle shift you can make. Some foods aid in digestion and some can seize up the process. A high fiber colon healthy diet, with plenty of water consumption for the fiber to absorb in the colon, is one of the keys to controlling constipation and acne.

Foods Good for the Digestive System:
Fiber-rich fruits like apples, prunes, peaches, and raspberries
Fiber-rich vegetables like raw broccoli, cauliflower, kidney and lima beans, carrots, spinach, and Brussels sprouts
Whole grain cereals and breads (not enriched or bleached)
Protein-rich foods like fish, chicken, tofu, nuts, yogurt, and beans
Foods to Avoid:
You can’t have a good list without a bad list, so here are a few things you should avoid:
Caffeinated drinks
Foods with white flour or refined sugar (such as ice cream, cheese, processed foods, pizza, potato chips, etc.)
Heavy meats such as beef or pork
Alcohol
Chocolate

Cleansing the Colon
In order to regain control of your body, you need to clean it out and start fresh. The best way to accomplish this is with a thorough colon cleanse. Cleaning the colon, while it’s not a topic of everyday conversation, is one of the most important things you can do to help maintain your health and allow your body’s immune system to rebuild its strength. With a clean colon, your body can rid itself of the poisonous toxins causing constipation and acne as well as other health problems and skin conditions.

Oxy-Powder® is one of the most widely used colon cleansers; it gently cleans the colon with a unique formula of oxygenated magnesium, citric acid, and germanium-132. It thoroughly cleanses out deep-seated fecal matter, mucous, and sludge, leaving you feeling like a weight has been removed from your body. After removing all the garbage with Oxy-Powder®’s all-natural formula, your body can begin to rebuild a healthy environment within your colon for allowing good bacteria to grow in your digestive system.

As powerful as Oxy-Powder® is, it works gently enough so you don’t have to practically live in the bathroom. Once you finish the initial 7-day cleanse, you can help maintain your colon’s optimal health by following a regular maintenance program.

Helping to keep your body clean from the inside out offers many health benefits—mainly, reducing conditions such as bloating, excess gas, persistent fatigue, blurry vision, feeling heavy or lethargic, being overweight due to the accumulation of waste in the colon, and even chronic constipation.

So follow a healthful diet, stay well hydrated, get plenty of exercise, and be alert for signs such as constipation and acne symptoms as possible indicators something is not right in your normal digestive process.

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