Urine Test May ID Unhealthy Diets

(HealthDay News) -- Someday, a doctor's office assessment of the overall quality of your diet may come from a simple $8 urine test, researchers report.

Levels of urinary potassium correlate closely with nutrition in general, said study author Dr. Alexander Logan, a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto.

"We can identify people who are eating a poor quality diet by a simple urine test and can recommend an intervention," said Logan, who is also senior scientist at the university's Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute.

Simply questioning people about their diet isn't as foolproof, he added. "One can get a general idea of [intake of] fruits, vegetables and dairy by asking," he said. But self-reports are notoriously inaccurate. So, Logan's team evaluated 24-hour urine samples from 220 people, aged 18 to 50, all diagnosed with kidney stones.

The participants answered food questionnaires about their food intake and had their weight, height and blood pressure measured.

Logan's team then looked to see if urinary potassium and sodium levels could correlate to diet quality.

They found that the higher the potassium level in urine, the higher the intake of recommended healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products.

The lower the potassium, the more likely the food reports were to include more red meat, fast food and sugary, high-calorie drinks.

Those with the highest levels of urinary potassium also tended to have a lower body mass index (BMI), lower diastolic blood pressure and a lower heart rate than did those with lower levels. For instance, people with the highest potassium levels averaged a BMI of 26.5 (under 25 is desirable), while those with the lowest potassium levels had an average BMI of 28.7 (a BMI of 30 is the accepted threshold for obesity).

Sodium levels were not associated with any of those variables, the team found.

The study is published in the April 2009 issue of The Journal of Nutrition.

The Logan research is "an excellent study," said Judith Stern, a distinguished professor of nutrition at the University of California at Davis, who was not involved in the study but reviewed it. Consumers might ask their physician for the test to see if their diet is as healthy as they might think, she said.

"This study supports the [medical] literature that the amount of potassium in urine may objectively measure diet quality," added Jeannie Gazzaniga-Moloo, a dietitian in Roseville, Calif., and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "However, the study looked at 24-hour urine collections, which are cumbersome, time-consuming and impractical for some patients," she said.

Moloo called for more research to further validate the findings.

Logan said his team can probably simplify the test to make it a one-time measurement. In the meantime, he advises consumers to pay attention to their fruit and vegetable intake and to follow other healthy dietary guidelines, such as eating three servings of dairy products a day, choosing either low- or no-fat varieties if weight control is a concern.

Logan said his team also plans to study the value of the test in people besides those with kidney disease, including those with Irritable bowel syndrome, many of whom eat a poor diet.

More information
To learn more about the dietary guidelines, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Family-friendly foods

Tracy Seaman and Tanya Wenman Steel, authors of the cookbook “Real Food for Happy Kids,” show TODAY hosts how to get your kids to eat healthier meals.

Kids of Stressed, Low-Income Moms Prone to Weight Problems

(HealthDay News) -- Younger children from low-income families who pick up the stress of their anxious mothers often respond by developing poor eating habits that raise their risk of becoming overweight, a new study says.

"Most low-income children in the U.S. are food secure, meaning they have access to a sufficient amount of food," said study lead author Craig Gundersen, an associate professor of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois. "And we found that children who experience maternal stress and can access food if they're feeling anxious tend to go for the so-called 'comfort foods,' which may not be the most healthy."

About 17 percent of American children between the ages of 2 and 19 are obese, and another 16.5 percent are overweight, the study authors noted.

The new findings, published in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics, were based on a survey of 841 children -- between the ages of 3 and 17-- and their mothers. Statistics collected between 1999 and 2002 by the National Health Nutrition Examination Survey were also reviewed.

All the mothers had incomes below 200 percent of the poverty line. They were asked about maternal stressors such as depression, child-care problems, family and financial difficulties, and health impediments to working. A household's routine access to food was also assessed.

Thirty-seven percent of the children were found to be either overweight or obese; 20 percent to 25 percent lived in low-income families with inadequate access to food -- so-called "food insecure" homes. The researchers found no apparent link between a mother's stress levels and any increased risk of weight problems in "food insecure" households.

But a risk for weight problems was found for children between the ages of 3 and 10 who lived in "food secure" homes, where there was enough food for family members. No such link was found among teens 11 through 17, leaving the researchers to suggest that these children may be more resourceful at finding non-food sources of comfort through school and friends.

So what's a stressed-out, financially strapped mother to do?

"Not to absolve all personal responsibility, but we have to acknowledge that there are some factors that may be beyond an individual's ability to control," Gundersen said. "So with a focus on public policy, there are three important things that can be done. First, we can have a firm social safety net for such households. Second, we can offer financial education to enable people to better understand how to manage their money. And third, we can focus on the importance of making sure everyone has health insurance. So instead of saying here's what mothers can do to alleviate the stress, we're saying here's what we can do as a society."

Lona Sandon, a registered dietitian and assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, agreed that a broad societal response could help address the links between poverty, stress, and poor childhood nutrition.

"It's a big problem because, quite frankly, for many [people] eating healthy is a kind of luxury," she said Sandon, who is also a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "Those with a limited income -- even food secure families -- find that often it's cheaper to go to fast food than to buy fresh produce or fresh meat. Or they perceive that to be the case, because they don't know how to purchase healthier foods on a low budget. So, they end up consuming high-fat, high-calorie items."

"The last thing you're going to worry about is whether your child is obese if you're busy trying to take care of physical needs first, like simply putting a roof over your head," she added.

More information
For more on childhood nutrition, visit the National Institutes of Health.

Does Your VItamin Company Follow These Safe Practices?

Make sure your supplement comes from a company with the highest quality standards!

Health Tip: Help Control Irritable Bowel

(HealthDay News) -- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic illness of the digestive tract. There are two main types: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says.

The agency offers these suggestions to help keep IBD under control:

• Take certain Nutritional supplements. Discuss options with your doctor.


• Reduce the amount of dairy products in your diet.


• Eat a low-fat diet recommended by your doctor.


• Stay away from foods high in undigestible fiber, as well as highly seasoned foods.


• Eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day.

Health Tip: Questions to Ask Your Doctor When You're Pregnant

(HealthDay News) -- When you head to the doctor for your first prenatal visit after learning that you're pregnant, you should prepare a list of questions.

The American Pregnancy Association offers this list of topics for discussion:

• Is there a phone number or nurse line that I can call when I have questions?
  Who should I call if I start bleeding or cramping?


• What should I consider an emergency?


• Now that I'm pregnant, do I need to make changes to my nutrition, exercise routine and sexual activity?


• How often will I have prenatal visits?

Most Astonishing Health Disaster of the 20th Century

For over 100 years conventional medicine has seized control of the US health care system and as a result we have over 800,000 people who are killed by interacting with this system. It is likely that over 50 million Americans have died prematurely from this abuse.

Watch: Blind Faith in Medicine...
So get always at least a second opinion and asking questions...

When We’re All Fat, What Does the Ranking Matter?

By Sean Kelley

Whenever a list comes out that ranks my state close to the bottom for something good (or close to the top for something bad), we Alabamans like to look west and say, “Thank God for Mississippi.” The Magnolia state tends to be one or two slots below us on everything from education rankings to per capita earnings. And last week they surpassed us in obesity.

The Centers for Disease Control reported July 17 that three southern states had rates of obesity greater than 30%. By merely a point or two, Mississippi was chunkier than Alabama and Tennessee. Thank God for Mississippi. It’s held the top spot in the CDC’s ranking (based on telephone surveys of 350,000 Americans) since 2004. Read More

Food-Allergy Challenge: Putting Comfort Food Back on the Menu

By Sean Kelley

There is nothing like sharing comfort food with family, especially children. In our house, the two staples of comfort—peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and mac ‘n’ cheese—have taken a beating since our son Graeme’s food allergies were diagnosed.

PB&J seems completely beyond our reach (since Graeme is violently allergic to peanuts), but we’ve been working on the latter. A reader of this blog suggested we try Amy’s Rice Mac & Cheese (which doesn’t contain any ingredients that Graeme is allergic to), but I was skeptical. First, we had already tried using rice pasta, but it was not popular with Graeme (some is still stuck to the ceiling near his eating area, where he launched it in protest), and it was not popular with me, either (I resisted throwing it, but I thought about it!). Read More

Day-Care Dilemma: Keeping Our Allergic Son Safe

By Sean Kelley

For a toddler, my son is gaining an unusual amount of notoriety. There’s already a sort of “Wanted” poster of him at the local YMCA, where he drops by a few times a week. And it’s not because he’s prone to biting when hungry or tired. The nursery signs (there are three of them): “Only give Graeme Kelley the snack or food or drinks from his bag. He has allergic [sic] reactions to certain foods. Thank you.”
Graeme’s Y visits constitute the only time his child-care needs are out of our control. The rest of the time he is with one of his grandmothers or my wife and me.
Like many parents, we were obsessive in our selection of caregivers for Graeme’s older sister. And when we found out Graeme had severe allergies—both food and environmental—our obsession turned to paranoia. First, we drilled his grandmothers with a short list of don’ts: Don’t give him anything with peanuts, corn, soy, wheat, eggs, or chicken. Don’t let him near any cats. Read More

All This Talk of Diabetes Mortality Is a Downer

By Sean Kelley

Last week I went to San Francisco for the American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions, a huge annual gathering of endocrinologists, scientists, nurse educators, and pharmaceutical companies. The latest research on type 1 and type 2 diabetes was delivered, theories discussed, and news announced.

There was much discussion of uncomfortable subjects: neuropathy, nephropathy ,cardivascular disease, hypoglycemia , death. While not fatal itself, diabetes has lots of excellent ways to kill you through related conditions: stroke, heart disease, and kidney failure spring immediately to mind. Read More

Diabetic Dilemma: Dinner With an Endocrinologist

By Sean Kelley

When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I learned to avoid dining with two types of health professionals: nurses who specialize in diabetes and nutritionists. Both could quickly become food cops.

The best examples of this were my mother and the woman who is now my wife. Having had plenty of experience nursing diabetics, they quoted low carb verse and scripture every time we dined. Over the years they have all but muted their comments, and I rarely object to their company at the dinner table. Read More

Meltdown on Aisle 6: Finding Processed Food for Our Allergic Son

By Sean Kelley

On my first trip to the grocery store after my son, Graeme, was diagnosed with food allergies, I did something I’ve never done in a food store before: I cried.

I’m usually happiest around food, but it was a moment of rare negative emotion, and my breakdown happened in front of God, my 4-year-old daughter, Elise, and the boy who was stocking aisle six.

I had been reading my way through the store, checking every item before tossing it in the basket for foods that are now verboten in my house: peanuts, corn, wheat, soy, egg whites, and chicken. I knew I had to avoid those, but it was finding the derivatives of them in almost every product that was sending me into a state of panic and sadness. Read More

Health Magazine Ranks the Healthiest Convenience Foods

By Ross Weale

The holy grail of healthy eating is a meal or snack that is tasty, easy to prepare, and good for you. As part of Health magazine’s crusade to find America’s healthiest products and places, our staff and team of experts tested more than 500 new foods found at your local grocer.
Health senior food and nutrition editor Frances Largeman-Roth went on NBC’s Weekend Today on May 31 to talk with Amy Robach about four foods that made the cut.




Read More

Green Tea Antioxidant May Help Prevent Alzheimer's

(HealthDay News) -- An antioxidant found in green tea appears to prevent the development of amyloid fibrils, a toxic protein associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, a new study finds.

Amyloid plaque is commonly seen in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and appears to disrupt the function of cells. Strategies to prevent the development of amyloid plaque are one avenue being explored in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's.

Now, a German team says the tea antioxidant, called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has potent anti-plaque ability.

"We can use small molecules like EGCG to convert certain misfolded structures of a protein into a new type of molecule, which is less toxic or not toxic for cells," said lead researcher Erich Wanker, from the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin.

The findings are published in the May 30 online edition of Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

The accumulation of amyloid plaque in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's, are thought to be caused by the misfolding of certain proteins, which then become toxic to cells. The way proteins fold is key to their function, the researchers explained.

In experiments in the laboratory, the German team found that EGCG seems to change potentially harmful proteins into proteins that are not detrimental to brain cells. "We are able to convert a toxic structure into a less toxic structure," Wanker explained.

Because EGCG binds to unfolded proteins -- which are not associated with Alzheimer's -- the discovery could lead to medications that recognize the more troublesome proteins and convert them to harmless substances.

"This method could be more generally used to get rid of or remove the concentration of misfolded proteins in cells," Wanker said. "This strategy should be tested with patients. If treated early on, it could prevent the formation of amyloid plaque," he speculated.

Whether this type of treatment could reverse plaques that have already formed in the brain isn't known, Wanker said.

He noted that the study remains basic science, and he was cautious about recommending green tea as a way of preventing Alzheimer's disease. "I don't want to do a lot of speculating which could point people in the direction that could be harmful," Wanker said. "We have to go step-by-step."

One expert believes the approach could yield real results, however.

"Red wine, yellow curry and green tea have suspected health benefits because of high content of antioxidants," said Greg M. Cole, a neuroscientist at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, and associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. He was not involved in the study.

"This study provides evidence that a compound called EGCG, one of the major polyphenols in green tea, may be useful for diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, because it can block the formation of the filament-forming protein aggregates implicated in causing disease," Cole said.

One novel aspect of the study is the authors' demonstration that EGCG prevents toxic filament formation by redirecting the aggregating proteins to make non-toxic proteins, Cole said.

"This is surprising, because similar protein aggregate spheres called amyloid oligomers can be highly toxic to neurons and synapses," Cole said. "It will be important for the authors to prove that the EGCG-directed proteins also lack toxicity to synapses which were not present in the systems used to test toxicity," he said.

Assuming that the green tea compound has a stable effect and chronically blocks toxicity to real neurons and synapses, it could have genuine potential for Alzheimer's patients, Cole said.

"The major caveat is the very poor absorption and delivery of EGCG seen in some studies," Cole said. The fact that EGCG isn't available for patenting by pharmaceutical companies might be a problem, too, he said, since it could "limit the investment needed for clinical trials of sufficient size to prove that it really works."

In related research, a team of American scientists said that interrupting a key signaling pathway in immune system cells allowed those cells to enter the brain and attack and remove amyloid plaque.

Reporting May 30 in Nature Medicine, a team led by research scientist Terrence Town, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, conducted their study in genetically engineered mice. The group blocked a molecule that typically suppresses a portion of the immune response. Once the system was freed up, immune cells called macrophages made their way to the brains and devoured up to 90 percent of amyloid plaques, the team said.

"If these experimental animals are representative of the clinical syndrome of Alzheimer's disease, we may have a therapeutic target that we did not have before," study co-author Dr. Jun Tan, of the University of South Florida, said in a statement.

More information
For more about Alzheimer's disease, visit the Alzheimer's Association.

Turning My Black Thumb Against Diabetes

Year 2 in my quest to use my organic garden as a tool for better health
by Sean Kelley When my wife and I bought our farm eight years ago, it seemed out of place for us. Despite growing up in rural Alabama, I know more about Gianni Versace than John Deere. Patti owns horses, but having livestock (or 1,200-pound lawn ornaments) does not make you a farmer. Neither does owning a farm.

In fact, most of the growth on our farm in recent years is due more to neglect than intervention on our part. Nature is reclaiming our eight-acre plot.

If owning a farm is out of character, gardening is anathema. Not only do I associate digging in the earth with constant adolescent battles with my father (whose idea of a father-son activity was often limited to early morning turns with a spade and hoe), but I have inherited my mother's black thumb.

(She once killed an entire household of Christmas cacti by feeding them what she thought was plant food, but was—in fact—bleach; I swear I heard plants screaming.)

Against these natures, I tilled up soil on the property last year to plant an organic garden. I had two goals: Make the farm work for us for a change and get more fresh vegetables into our diet. It wasn't a complete disaster, but our harvest of heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces, and herbs was modest.

Now I'm back at it with renewed purpose. I'm still trying to stick to organic farming principles, but my primary goal is exercise. At the same time, that exercise will (hopefully) produce healthy fare for our table that's in line with my diabetic diet. The strategy has lots of benefits:

• A garden requires constant attention, meaning more exercises. Gardening can burn 300 calories an hour;
• Eating fruits and vegetables lowers diabetes risks and helps you lose weight
• A 2007 study by Saint Louis University found children eat more fruits and veggies when they're home grown—something we proved with our daughter (pictured with me above) last summer when she began to actually eat things we grew that she wouldn't eat from a store.

Monday night I put in 20 tomato bushes, a variety of peppers, leeks, basil, and eggplant. Trailing clumps of soil back into the house, I thought about all the energy I expended fighting the tiller, breaking up clay, and clomping around the property. I still hate digging in the dirt, but the benefits I can harvest for my health have potential that may turn my black thumb green.

What is Fucoxanthin?

From Cathy Wong,


Fucoxanthin is a type of carotenoid found naturally in edible brown seaweed such as wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) and hijiki (Hijikia fusiformis), which are used widely in Asian cuisine. Wakame is the seaweed used in miso soup.

Fucoxanthin is also found in much smaller amounts in red seaweed (the kind typically used in Japanese sushi rolls) and green seaweed.

Both wakame and hijiki are available at Japanese specialty food stores, some health food stores and online. Although brown seaweed is the richest source of fucoxanthin, you would have to eat an unrealistic amount of it daily to get fucoxanthin levels close to those used in research studies.

Fucoxanthin is also available as a nutritional supplement in capsule form and can be found in some health food stores and online.

Why Do People Use Fucoxanthin?
Weight Loss
Fucoxanthin is being explored for weight loss.

So far, only animal studies have been done. Japanese researchers have found that fucoxanthin (isolated from wakame) promotes the loss of abdominal fat in obese mice and rats. Animals lost five to 10% of their body weight.

Although it's not fully understood how fucoxanthin works, it appears to target a protein called UCP1 that increases the rate at which abdominal fat is burned. Abdominal fat, also called white adipose tissue, is the kind of fat that surrounds our organs and is linked to heart disease and diabetes. Fucoxanthin also appears to stimulate the production of DHA, one of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish such as salmon.

Although it's promising and already a popular nutritional supplement, more research is needed to determine if fucoxanthin will work in the same way in humans. If it does prove to be effective, fucoxanthin could be developed into a diet pill for obesity.

Diabetes

Fucoxanthin has also been found in animal studies to decrease insulin and blood glucose levels. Researchers hypothesize that fucoxanthin anti-diabetes effect may be because fucoxanthin appears to promote the formation of DHA (the omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil). DHA is thought to increase insulin sensitivity, improve triglycerides and reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol.

Cancer

Preliminary research in test tubes suggests that fucoxanthin may have anti-tumor effects. No studies have looked at whether this holds true in humans or if taken orally. It's far too early for fucoxanthin to be used as a complementary treatment for cancer.

Side Effects
Because there hasn't been research on fucoxanthin in humans, the possible side effects aren't known.

People shouldn't consume large amounts of wakame or other types of seaweed as a source of fucoxanthin. Seaweed is rich in iodine and excessive consumption may result in iodine poisoning. High levels of iodine can interfere with the function of the thyroid gland. Also, consuming excess amounts of iodine-rich foods isn't recommended if there is a known allergy or hypersensitivity to iodine.

OK, I Lost the Diet Competition

But the not-quite-miracle Grape Tomato Diet will go on and on and on
by Scott Mowbray

I’ve probably eaten about 25,000 grape tomatoes in the past three-plus months, part of my now-failed campaign to beat Sean Kelley in the weight-loss smackdown. Yes, I concede: Kelley lost 20 while I lost something between 11 and 12 (you have to shave it finely when you've lost), and that's that.

But it's turned me into an unpaid shill for the grape tomato.

What's interesting about the grape tomato is that it defies the "local and seasonal is better" argument about fresh produce. The clothy, pink supermarket impostor has justifiably been the whipping boy of the green-market movement, because bad tomatoes are further removed from the tomato ideal than SPAM is from crown roast of pork. But the little grape tomatoes are often better in the dead of winter than the Jersey beefsteak or cherry varieties I get at the green market at the peak of summer, and I’ve had some gnarly "heirloom" misfires that deserved to be history. Nothing compares to the best garden fruit, but the grape varieties are notable for consistency, and they're year-round contenders. The only real criticism is that they can sometimes be too sweet.

The U.S. grape tomato is a child of the global foodways. Probably Asian in origin, it was launched here in the late '90s from seeds imported from a Taiwanese company called Known-You. The newcomer quickly upset tomato carts across the country and led to court actions over who could call it what and who could sell it how. Procacci Brothers in Philadelphia won the right to market the Santa seed variety, though there are lots of imitators. Procacci claims to produce the "authentic" grape tomato and has named its Santa mascots Matt, Otto, and Tom. There is grape tomato blog, and apparently there is a baby in Winston-Salem who was named Otto, after one of the Procacci mascots, in late 2007.

So people have gotten rich, and a baby has been given an unfortunate first name. Meanwhile, I've moved way past eating grape tomatoes raw in butter-lettuce salads. Lately I've been using a razor-sharp Shun Pro six-and-a-half-inch Nakiri Knife to slice the little buggers into thin, dime-size disks that sauté in seconds in olive oil and garlic to yield a vibrant, two-minute pasta sauce. I also shower slices on pizza dough with fresh mozza and basil. Half-grapes in a salad of Israeli feta, English cucumber, Vidalia onion, lemon juice, olive oil, and black pepper is mighty good, the tomato-sweet doing a contrapuntal thing with the lemon-sour.

Procacci has moved onto another obsession: the UglyRipe tomato—a Florida-grown, creased fruit that it claims delivers real heirloom quality even in the off-season. I owe Sean Kelley something for kicking my ass. Maybe I'll send him a box of Uglies.

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

The pH Miracle

Forget cholesterol counts. Forget calories and fat grams. Forget blood pressure, blood sugar, hormone levels, or any of the other markers of health you're used to at the doctor's office.

It turns out that the single measurement most important to your health is the pH of your blood and tissues - how acidic or alkaline it is. Different areas of the body have different ideal pH levels, but blood pH is the most telling of all. Just as your body temperature is rigidly regulated, the blood must be kept in a very narrow pH range - mildly basic or alkaline.

The body will go to great lengths to preserve that, including wreaking havoc on other tissues or systems.

The pH level of our internal fluids affects every cell in our bodies. The entire metabolic process depends on an alkaline environment. Chronic over acidity corrodes body tissue, and if left unchecked will interrupt all cellular activities and functions, from the beating of your heart to the neutral firing of your brain. In other words, overacidity interferes with life itself.

It is at the root of all sickness and disease.

If that's not enough to get you interested in balacing your body pH naturally, nondestructively, keep this mind: Overacidity is also what's keeping you FAT!

The goal then - and what this program allows you to do - is to create the proper alkaline balance within your body. The way to do that is by eating the proper balance of alkaline and acid foods.

That means 80 percent of your diet must be alkalizing foods, like green vegetables. (That percentage will go down somewhat once you've successfully rebalanced yourself.)

In addition, high quality food supplements will help you achieve and maintain pH balance.
"The pH Miracle" Dr. Robert O. Young and Shelley Redford Young, Warner Books; (May 2002)

Starting January 4th an interactive teleseminar called "pH Miracle Secrets."

ph Miracle Center

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