Why would my doctor order an HBA1C test?

Dear Dr. Mirkin: I'm not diabetic; why would my doctor order an HBA1C test?

HBA1C is a blood test that measures how much sugar is stuck on cells.

When your blood sugar rises too high, sugar sticks to the surface membranes of cells and can never get off.
It is eventually converted to sorbitol which destroys the cell to cause heart attacks, strokes, nerve damage and more.

A recent study from Australia followed women for 3.5 years and showed that HBA1C is one of the most important predictors of heart attacks.

Normal HBA1C is under 6.0. A woman who had a HBA1C of 5.7 had twice the chance of getting a heart attack as a woman whose HBA1C was below 5.1 (Obesity, January 2009).

HBA1C was a better predictor of a future heart attack than fasting blood sugar or abdominal obesity.

The greatest increase in melanomas has occurred in

Dear Dr. Mirkin: You recommend sunlight for vitamin D, but isn't skin cancer a greater concern?

A single sunburn can cause malignant melanoma, but since 1940, the greatest increase in melanomas has occurred in office workers, not in people who work outdoors.
FDA researchers believe that low vitamin D levels may be responsible (Medical Hypothesis, January 2009).

Ultraviolet light is classified by wavelength into UVA and UVB.
UVB rays cause skin to make vitamin D which helps the body to prevent cancers by inhibiting uncontrolled cell growth and restoring programable cells death called apoptosis.

Since window glass block UVB almost completely, indoor office workers get up to nine times less UVB than people who spend more time outside and therefore, have far lower levels of vitamin D.
Since window glass allow UVA to pass through it, indoor workers have exposure to UVA which causes DNA damage and also breaks down what little vitamin D indoor workers get.
The authors found indoor solar UVA irradiation to be 25 percent of what a person gets outdoors.

So being indoors and exposing skin to the sun mostly through window glass reduces exposure to UVB that causes skin to make the vitamin D that prevents cancer, and increases relative exposure to UVA that destroys vitamin D in the skin and therefore increases cancer risk.

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Both sexes need more colorectal screening, study says

ANDRÉ PICARD
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
September 11, 2007 at 11:49 AM EDT

Only one in six Canadians has been screened for colorectal cancer even though it is one of the easiest cancers to detect early and can be cured with prompt intervention, a new study says.
"Despite the evidence that testing reduces deaths from colon cancer, only 17.6 per cent are participating in screening," Ryan Zarychanski, a physician and clinical researcher at the Ottawa Health Research Institute said in an interview.
"The message doesn't seem to be getting through."

The research, published in today's edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, was based on a 2003 survey of 12,776 people across Canada who, according to medical guidelines, should undergo screening.
The study shows that the single biggest predictor of whether a person is screened is a recommendation from a physician.
But Dr. Zarychanski said these discussions are not taking place often enough.
"There is a lot of room for improvement at the family doctor level," he said. The researcher added that patients also have a role. "People have to take some responsibility and initiate the discussion."

It is recommended that women and men aged 50 to 74 be screened for colorectal cancer every two years. Those at high risk, notably those with a family history of the disease, should be tested earlier.

The easiest and most cost-effective test is a fecal occult blood test, which detects minute traces of blood in stool and can be done at home.
Screening can also be done using sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, but there is little evidence that these invasive tests work better for early detection.
(In both a sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy, the doctor uses a scope, inserted in the rectum, to search for abnormal or cancerous growths in the colon.)

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in both women and men. But the new research shows men are far more likely to be screened, probably because of a mistaken belief that colorectal cancer is a male disease.

An estimated 20,800 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in Canada this year, and 8,700 people will die from it - 4,700 men and 4,000 women - according to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Alan Barkun, director of the division of gastroenterology at McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, said that those deaths could be avoided if Canada had a "more robust and coherent approach to early detection and treatment."

In an editorial also published in today's edition of the CMAJ, he said the "extraordinarily low" number of people being screened for the disease was a big part of the problem, and the shortcoming needs to be addressed urgently.
"A concerted effort to combat this cancer must begin with the adoption of colorectal screening as a national health priority," Dr. Barkun said.
When the data for the new study was being collected, there were no organized screening programs for colorectal cancer in Canada.
Earlier this year, however, three provinces (Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario) announced plans for screening, though each province is taking a different tack.
Ontario is making fecal occult blood tests available through doctors' offices and increasing funding for colonoscopy for those who test positive on those tests.
Manitoba is providing the test kits in physicians' offices, but also mailing them directly to residents over the age of 50.
Alberta is beginning with an education campaign urging members of the public to get screened, and looking at distributing test kits at a later date.

Currently, organized province-wide cancer screening programs exist only in two areas: mammography for breast cancer and Pap testing for cervical cancer.
Barry Stein, president of the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada, decried the fact that provinces are moving so slowly on colorectal cancer screening despite overwhelming scientific evidence of the benefits.
"A lot of provinces are studying the problem, but our experience is that just because a province says it's going to do screening doesn't mean it's going to do it," he told the CMAJ.
He noted that when colorectal cancer is detected early, the mortality rate is low, with 90 per cent of patients surviving five years or more.

Everything you've been taught about CPR is wrong

Here's how to save a life — maybe your own

A Seattle 911 dispatcher receives a call from a woman whose husband has just collapsed and has no pulse. Believing correctly that the man has gone into cardiac arrest, the operator coaches the woman to perform CPR, a rotating series of quick chest compressions followed by two quick breaths into his mouth to provide oxygen. "Why is it that every time I press on his ches, he opens his eyes, and every time I stop and breathe for him, he goes back to sleep?" the woman asks. "

When I heard the tape of this conversation, I was astounded,"says Gordan Ewy, MD, chief of cardiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. "This woman had learned in 10 minutes what it took us 10 years of research to find out." That is to say, giving mouth-to-mouth to someone in cardiac arrest is not only wrong — it could also be deadly.

Every year, about half a million Americans go into sudden cardiac arrest. It's the leading cause of death in America, and 95 percent of its victims die within minutes. Cardiac arrest happesn when the heart stops pumping blood because it rhythm become disordered and unsynchronized (called ventricular fibrillation). This happens most often as the result of underlying heart disease. This happens most often as the result of underlying heart disease.

Experts have taught for more than 40 years to give someone in cardiac arrest mouth-to-mouth between chest compressions, but in a recent study published in The Lancet, scientists found that survival rates of cardiac victims were higher when compressions were not accompanied by mouth-to-mouth (echoing studies that have been coming out for more than a decade). That's because a person's blood remains fully oxygenated when the heart stops.

The only time mouth-to-mouth is necessary, some heart specialists now believe, is in the case of a drowning or a drug overdose. In those cases, the heart is still pumping blood, so the body's oxygen levels are quickly depleted.

"If you see someone drop to the ground suddenly with abnormal breathing and no pulse, that's cardiac arrest," says Dr. Ewy, who has been recognized by the American Heart Association for his contributions to the science of CPR.

"What you need to do is immediately call 911. If there's a defibrillator around, send someone to get it while you start continuous chest compressions (CCC) at a pace of 100 per minute."

A defibrillator is the only thing that can depolarize the muscle fibers that are spasming out of sequence (i.e., jumpstart the heart). Chest compressions simply buy the person time by moving blood into his heart and brain, keeping the blood pressure from falling to zero and the person from slipping into a coma while medical services race to the scene. It takes only six minutes for someone to go from ventricular fibrillation to flat line if nothing is done, but — as we now know — there is a twofold increase in survival when chest compressions are applied.

Learn how to perform CCC's.

Vitamin D increases life expectancy, study finds

10/09/2007 11:20:16 PM
An intriguing new study finds that those who take vitamin D supplements can increase their life expectancies by one to two years.

The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, is just the latest to add to the growing body of evidence that "the sunshine vitamin" is not just good for strengthening bones but also appears to increase survival.
Past studies have suggested that vitamin D deficiencies might be associated with a higher risk of death from cancer, heart disease and diabetes -- illnesses that account for 60 to 70 per cent of deaths in high-income nations.
This study finds that taking extra vitamin D brings health benefits, even in the short term.
This study looked at the results of 18 previously published studies involving a total of 57,311 participants.
Dr. Philippe Autier, of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France, and Sara Gandini, of the European Institute of Oncology, Milano, Italy, analyzed the studies and evaluated doses of vitamin D ranging from 300 to 2,000 international units, with an average dose of 528 international units.
Most commercially available supplements contain between 400 and 1,000 international units.
After an average of 5.7 years, those participants who took vitamin D had a seven per cent lower risk of death than those who did not.
"We had a reduction in all-cause mortality after a follow-up of about six years. So it means that may represent something like an increase of two to three years of your life expectancy," Autier told CTV News.
"With vitamin D, you could say yes, finally, if there is one supplement to take, with all the evidence so far, the best is to take vitamin D -- ordinary doses of vitamin D, not high doses."
The editorial that accompanies the article points out that the study did not consider specific causes of death. The studies were generally short, so the impact of vitamin D was seen on diseases that express themselves in a shorter period of time. For chronic diseases that have a long period of time to develop, the impact of vitamin D would be underestimated by this analysis.
The authors note that it's not clear how vitamin D supplementation lowers death risk. They say it could be that the vitamin inhibits some mechanisms by which cancer cells multiply and grow. Or, it may boost the function of blood vessels or the immune system, they note.
Where the sun don't shine
The editorial notes that vitamin D supplements may simply be compensating for a deficiency that many people appear to have.
"In recent years, an increasing number of researchers from various fields have been arriving at the conclusion that the levels of vitamin D in many people are inadequate for optimal health," the editorial reads.
Heather Chappell of the Canadian Cancer Society says this latest study supports the growing body of evidence of the health benefits of vitamin D. It also supports their recommendations, issued earlier this year, that the entire adult population of Canada begin taking vitamin D supplementation.
"We want to remind Canadians that in Canada, the sun is not strong enough in the fall and winter to produce enough vitamin D. So the Cancer Society recommends that adults start talking 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily.
"The sun's rays become less strong as we move into the fall, so people should start taking a supplement in the fall and winter... probably near the end of September."
Toronto physician, Dr. Linda Rapson says she finds that many of her patients with chronic pain and other ailments are also deficient in vitamin D.
"I have seen people with levels so low that their muscles are weak and they can't get out of a chair easily. After a couple of weeks of taking vitamin D, there is a huge change," she says.
"I think people should be aware vitamin D is essential, that you have to take it. And you don't just take it for a while and you are fine; you have to keep taking it."

With a report from CTV medical specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip
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TAKE VITAMIN D

Sweeping cancer edict: take vitamin D daily
Recommendation comes on heels of U.S. study suggesting supplement slashes risk of disease by as much as 60 per cent
MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT
From Friday's Globe and Mail
June 8, 2007 at 12:00 AM EDT

TORONTO — The Canadian Cancer Society plans to announce Friday that all adults should start taking vitamin D, coinciding with the release of a groundbreaking U.S. study indicating the supplement cuts the risk of cancer by an astounding 60 per cent.


The move is believed to be the first time a major public-health organization has endorsed daily use of the sunshine vitamin as a cancer-prevention therapy for an entire population.
It follows a flurry of research suggesting the low-cost vitamin confers a high degree of protection against a wide variety of cancers. There are also striking study results suggesting that people who develop the disease often have low blood levels of vitamin D.
Although it is not known how many of the approximately 160,000 cancer cases diagnosed annually in Canada might be avoided by regular popping of a vitamin D pill, the cancer society said these findings are so compelling it felt it had to start urging people to act on them.

Videos

Vitamin D and the cancer link
CTV British Columbia: Dr. Rhonda Low on the study
Related Articles
Recent
Q&A, Tuesday: Questions about vitamin D
From the archives
Strategies: Get more out of the sunshine vitamin
Vitamin D casts cancer prevention in new light
Researchers test vitamin D treatment for prostate cancer
Vitamin D linked to lower pancreatic cancer risk

Internet Links
Confronting cancer: Globe stories, photos, profiles, interactives of people living with cancer
"We're hoping that in making this recommendation we'll be able to make some headway in cancer prevention," said Heather Chappell, senior manager of cancer control policy.
The society has tailored its recommendation to skin colour, which determines how much of the vitamin a person makes naturally when naked skin is exposed to strong, ultraviolet sunlight. Darker skin contains pigments that reduce production.

The society says whites should take supplements containing 1,000 international units a day during fall and winter, the six months of the year when sunlight falling on Canada isn't strong enough for skin to fulfill its vitamin D role. Those with dark skin, who don't go outside frequently or wear full body clothing for cultural or religious reasons, such as veiled women, should take 1,000 IU year-round.

It would cost as little as about $15 for a year's supply of this amount of vitamin, indicating that, as an anti-cancer therapy, the over-the-counter supplement has extremely modest cost.
Currently, Health Canada recommends only 200 IU to 600 IU daily, depending on age. These amounts were based on vitamin D's recognized ability to prevent bone problems, but are too low to prevent cancer. Some oily fish, such as sardines, naturally contain low amounts of vitamin D, as does milk, which is fortified with small amounts. Although diet is a source, about 90 per cent of the vitamin in people comes from sunlight.

The federal government says it is watching the cancer research and intends to make the review of its recommendations a high priority.
"Health Canada is aware of recent research on the role of vitamin D and of the evidence suggesting that vitamin D insufficiency may be a concern in Canada," the federal agency said in an e-mail statement to The Globe and Mail.

There are about 200 different kinds of cells with receptors for vitamin D, which plays a strong role in boosting immune function and repairing damaged cells. These factors may explain its anti-cancer properties.

The cause of the cancer epidemic sweeping the world has long eluded researchers, but the U.S. study being released today found that the 60-per-cent risk reduction is the strongest evidence to date that many cases of the disease are linked to a vitamin deficiency. Over the past few decades, vitamin D levels in the public have likely fallen because of lifestyle changes, such as the use of sunscreen in summer and people spending more time indoors.

"It's an important component of cancer prevention," said Joan Lappe, lead author of the study and professor of medicine and nursing at Creighton University in Omaha, who added that there is "overwhelming evidence supporting the need for higher vitamin D intakes in populations throughout the world."

In the experiment, a group of women were given 1,100 IU of vitamin D a day, just a bit more than the cancer society is recommending, over a four-year period. The women taking the supplement had vitamin D blood levels more than double those typically found in Canadians in winter. Their cancer incidence was dramatically lower than another group of women receiving a dummy pill.

It is the first large-scale, randomized, placebo-controlled experiment, the gold standard for testing drug efficacy, to prove cancer-prevention effects from vitamin D. A paper outlining the finding is appearing in the current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Almost every type of cancer monitored, including breast, colon and lung, was lower in the vitamin D group. In the experiment, vitamin D was accompanied by a dose of calcium, part of a separate experiment to see if the mineral helped prevent bone fractures, but the researchers believe the vitamin was responsible for driving down the cancer rate.

"This is really potentially big stuff," said Reinhold Vieth, a University of Toronto professor who is an expert on vitamin D.
There weren't any serious side effects, so the supplement also appears to be an unusually safe therapy.
The cancer society's Ms. Chappell called on health agencies to fund further vitamin D trials to confirm both the findings in the new U.S. study, and do research on higher doses, to see if this cuts risk even further.

Among the cancers linked to low levels of the vitamin in previous research are those of the breast, rectum, ovary, prostate and pancreas, as well as multiple myeloma.

AMAZING BENEFITS OF CHARCOAL

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The Best Over-the Counter (OTC) Drugs

The 20 Best Medicines for Men
15/02/2007
Hidden somewhere in the endless aisles of over-the-counter drugs are the pills that will put an end to what ails you. In this exclusive report, we name names


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Talk to any user and he'll say the same thing: If you want the inside dope on drugs, you go to a drug dealer. And there's none more knowledgeable about over-the-counter drugs than a pharmacist. Well, there is actually one source that's smarter: 3,000 pharmacists.
That's how many pill professors the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) contacted for its newest Pharmacist Survey of OTC Products. The APhA survey asked randomly selected pharmacists from across the country to name their picks for "best med" in dozens of different categories, based on both their clinical knowledge and their practical experience. From antihistamines to acid reducers, itch creams to cough medicines, an ace reliever was chosen for every ailment.
What follows is our exclusive look at the best of the best—a selection of the OTC drugs that men need most, plus our own advice on how to get even more out of every medication. And because there's often no need to spend the bucks on a brand name when a generic will do just as well, we've also provided a cheat sheet to cheap health . So go ahead and clip it out—then open your medicine cabinet and clean it out.

ALLERGIES, MULTISYMPTOM
1. Claritin
Why it won: One dose helps halt hay fever and other sinus allergies for up to 24 hours, compared with 4 to 6 hours for other antihistamines. Claritin is also the first OTC antihistamine that's truly nonsedating, which means you can finally operate heavy machinery (or just drive your car). One caution: Claritin-D also contains a decongesting stimulant, so take it at least 4 hours before bedtime, says Paul Doering, an OTC expert at the University of Florida.
Maximize it: Anytime you're anticipating an allergy attack, pop a preemptive Claritin. "This will make your reaction less severe than if you treated it after it began," says Steven Pray, Ph.D., D.P.H., a professor of nonprescription drugs at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
Generic equivalent: Loratadine, 10 milligrams (mg)

ALLERGIES, SKIN
2. Benadryl
Why it won: Whether it's the burning of a bee sting or the itching of poison ivy, skin reactions involve more histamine—the body's allergy-causing chemical—than sinus flare-ups do. As a result, Claritin may not cut it. "There's some proof that nonsedating antihistamines have an effect on these allergic reactions, but not as great an effect as Benadryl has," says Linda Krypel, Pharm.D., an associate professor of pharmacy at Drake University. But that power comes at a price: Benadryl can make you too drowsy to drive a forklift.
Maximize it: Mix Benadryl with Tagamet, an OTC antacid. Tagamet contains cimetidine, what's known as an H2 histamine blocker. Benadryl uses an H1 blocker. "Take an H1 and an H2 together and you get more relief because they affect different parts of your allergy-response system," says Michael Roizen, M.D., a professor of medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University.
Generic equivalent: Diphenhydramine, 25 mg

ATHLETE'S FOOT
3. Lamisil AT
Why it won: "Lamisil AT inhibits an essential component of the fungal cell membrane," says Donnie Calhoun, R.Ph., owner of Golden Spring Pharmacy in Alabama. "Without its membrane, the fungus will die." In an Australian study of 217 people with athlete's foot, researchers found that terbinafine, the active ingredient in Lamisil, cleared up the symptoms in 85 percent of people who used it for 1 week, compared with only 56 percent of those applying clotrimazole.
Maximize it: Use Lamisil until your symptoms disappear—and then keep on using it for an addi-tional 2 weeks. "Fungal infections are extremely hard to get rid of," says Dr. Krypel. "Even if you can alleviate the symptoms, the under-lying infection may still be there."
Generic equivalent: None

BURNS
4. Solarcaine
Why it won: It uses the king of the 'caines: benzocaine. In addition to being a powerful painkiller, benzocaine may be safer than other anesthetics, such as lidocaine, which can cause side effects, such as blurry vision and dizziness, says Michael Oszko, Pharm.D., an associate professor at the University of Kansas. Another advantage of Solarcaine is that it's an aerosol; creams can hurt when you rub them in.
Maximize it: Before you reach for the benzocaine fire extinguisher, run your scorched skin under cool water to prevent blistering (don't use cold water, because the drastic temperature change can aggravate your epidermis). "The heat starts breaking down the proteins on the surface of your skin, and that's what results in your blister," says Dr. Pray.
Generic equivalent: Benzocaine, 20 percent

CANKER SORES
5. Zilactin Cold Sore Gel
Why it won: It leads a double life at the drugstore. Though Zilactin is marketed as a cold-sore medication, pharmacists chose it for canker sores because it contains benzyl alcohol. Like a liquid bandage, benzyl alcohol temporarily seals off the sore, protecting it from the irritation caused by eating. Minimize the irritation and you'll maximize the healing.
Maximize it: Apply Zilactin about 10 minutes before dining in order to create the strongest possible seal, says Doering.
Generic equivalent: Benzyl alcohol, 10 percent

CARDIAC CARE
6. Ecotrin
Why it won: It may save your life and your stomach, thanks to a special, slow-disintegration coating. "Ecotrin is dissolved and absorbed in the intestines, so it lessens the risk of stomach irritation that can occur with regular aspirin," says Janet Engle, Pharm.D., a clinical professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Illinois at Chicago college of pharmacy. But use only the low-strength version—81 mg. A study in the journal Circulation determined that taking less than 100 mg aspirin daily offers the greatest level of cardiovascular protection, and that higher doses may actually increase the risk of heart trouble.
Maximize it: Don't take Ecotrin and drop an antacid at the same time. The antacid will cause the special coating to dissolve too quickly, turning Ecotrin into reg-ular aspirin.
Generic equivalent: Enteric coated aspirin

COLD SORES
7. Abreva
Why it won: Since cold sores are caused by the herpes virus, the only way to knock the disease back into dormancy is with an antiviral medication. Abreva is presently the only topical antiviral treatment available over the counter. A study of 737 people published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that docosanol (the active ingredient in Abreva) helped heal cold sores 19 percent faster than a placebo (in 4 days instead of almost 5).
Maximize it: After you apply Abreva, rub on a little Zilactin Cold Sore Gel. The Zilactin will help relieve the pain while the Abreva fights the virus, says Dr. Pray. Otherwise, it's hands off. "The virus will heal faster the less you touch the sore, because when you touch it, you can reinfect it with the virus," says Dr. Roizen.
Generic equivalent: None

CONGESTION, NASAL
8. Sudafed
Why it won: It's like nasal Drano. While most other decongestants only reduce sinus swelling, Sudafed also loosens the mucus, thanks to the inclusion of the expectorant guaifenesin. Pharmacists also point out that when Sudafed is combined with a spray decongestant, such as Afrin, it can prevent a person's ears from clogging up during air travel.
Maximize it: Add ibuprofen to your decongestion regimen. A new study published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology showed that stuffed-up subjects who took ibuprofen with pseudoephedrine—the main ingredient in Sudafed—had 22 percent less congestion than those who took pseudoephedrine by itself.
Generic equivalent: Pseudo-ephedrine hydrochloride, 30 mg, and guaifenesin, 200 mg

COUGH
9. Robitussin
Why it won: This cough remedy edges ahead for what it doesn't contain as much as for what it does. Whether you choose Robitussin Guaifenesin to loosen the mucus in a congested chest or Robitussin DM to also help quiet a cough, neither formula contains alcohol. "Alcohol swells bronchial tissues, which could make the cough worse," says Calhoun.
Maximize it: Take up drinking—water. "If your body's cells are hydrated, it will be easier for the medication to work at the receptor sites and provide relief," Calhoun says. "Proper hydration will help you get better faster."
Generic equivalent: Guaifenesin, 100 mg (Robitussin Guaifenesin); dextromethorphan HBr, 10 mg, and guaifenesin, 100 mg (Robitussin DM)

CUTS AND MINOR WOUNDS
10. Neosporin
Why it won: Three reasons: bacitracin, neomycin, and polymyxin. A recent University of Virginia study showed that ointment containing this antibiotic trio eliminated 96 percent of bacteria in 6 hours, while a salve sans neomycin killed 14 percent. That said, if your gash or rash becomes more inflamed after you apply Neosporin, you may be allergic to neomycin. Instead, go with a double-antibiotic ointment, such as Polysporin.
Maximize it: Even the best bandages can become unstuck, allowing the Neosporin to rub off and the wound to dry out. (Moisture speeds healing time.) If the cut is in an inconspicuous place, Dr. Roizen suggests sealing it with a piece of Saran Wrap and two rubber bands instead. "Saran Wrap really protects the wound because it stays tightly pressed against your skin," he says.
Generic equivalent: Bacitracin zinc, 400 units; neomycin, 3.5 mg; and polymyxin B sulfate, 5,000 units

DIARRHEA
11. Imodium A-D
Why it won: Imodium A-D puts the reins on the runs by slowing down the movement of your intestines, whereas other products focus only on decreasing "fluid production." However, if the cause of your distress is payback from a certain Aztec emperor, reach for a bottle of Pepto-Bismol instead: The active ingredient, bismuth subsalicylate, can help kill off stomach bugs.
Maximize it: Drink a milk chaser. "Calcium increases your body's ability to slow the intestines," Dr. Roizen says. Down one glass of skim milk twice a day for the necessary 600 mg calcium.
Generic equivalent: Loperamide, 2 mg

GAS
12. Gas-X
Why it won: Gas-X contains the ingredient proven to stop explosive gas leaks fast: simethicone. "It breaks the surface tension of small gas bubbles, helping them pass quickly through the body," says Dr. Krypel.
Maximize it: Besides altering what you eat—less soda and beans—change how you eat. Specifically, slow the heck down. You swallow more air when you eat quickly, thus increasing the number of gas-producing air bubbles in your system, says Dr. Pray.
Generic equivalent: Simethicone, 125 mg

HEADACHE
13. Regular Strength Tylenol
Why it won: Tylenol held a slight edge in a clinical cage match with Aleve. Research published in Cephalalgia showed that 37 percent of people who took 1,000 mg acetaminophen saw their headaches disappear after 2 hours, compared with 32 percent of those who popped 375 mg naproxen. However, if the pain is between your eyes, skip both meds and see a doctor. "In almost every case, this is a sinus infection with a sinus headache," says Dr. Pray.
Maximize it: Don't delay. "Most headaches are caused by vascular spasm—a tightening of blood vessels in your head—or the release of that spasm," says Dr. Roizen. "Take medication early and you can stop the spasm from reaching its worst level."
Generic equivalent: Acetaminophen, 325 mg

HEADACHE, MIGRAINE
14. Excedrin Migraine
Why it won: In addition to acetaminophen, it also has the proven pain-busters aspirin and caffeine. In a recent study presented to the International Headache Society, researchers compared the equivalent of two Excedrin Migraine tablets with a prescription headache med. Their finding: Eighty-seven percent of people on the acetaminophen-aspirin-caffeine combination reported complete or partial symptom relief after 2 hours, versus only 75 percent of those given the prescription drug.
Maximize it: Make Excedrin's job easier. Researchers at the University of Miami determined that migraine sufferers who received two weekly 30-minute head massages reported decreases in headache pain.
Generic equivalent: Acetaminophen, 250 mg; aspirin, 250 mg; caffeine, 65 mg

HEARTBURN, ACUTE
15. Mylanta
Why it won: Mylanta combines two balms for the burn: aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide. "They work immediately, but their duration is short," says Dr. Oszko. Still, it's a longer reprieve than other antacids offer; University of Oklahoma researchers found that Mylanta's ingredients neutralized acid about 22 minutes longer than calcium-based products did.
Maximize it: Stick with liquid Mylanta. "If you take the tablet form, you have to chew it well and drink water to make sure it's absorbed," says Dr. Krypel. "With liquids, you're already there."
Generic equivalent: Aluminum hydroxide, 400 mg, and magnesium hydroxide, 400 mg

HEARTBURN, CHRONIC
16. Prilosec OTC
Why it won: It contains omeprazole, a chemical that can slow your stomach's acid pumps. Just one pill can decrease acid production, but a 2-week course is necessary for lasting relief; a new University of Michigan study showed that 43 percent of people on omeprazole for 2 weeks stayed heartburn-free for 3 months.
Maximize it: As you're popping Prilosec, try dropping pounds. "Weight loss changes the angle of the esophagus," Dr. Roizen says. "A sharp angle makes it harder for the acid to come back up."
Generic equivalent: None

HEMORRHOIDS
17. Preparation H
Why it won: Hemorrhoids are just dilated blood vessels, which are best treated by chemicals called vasoconstrictors. Preparation H contains a vasoconstrictor—phenylephrine—while other brands have only anesthetics. Caution: If your hemorrhoids bleed or last more than a week, see a doctor.
Maximize it: Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water and down 25 grams of fiber daily. The water and fiber will correct the cause of the hemorrhoids—straining too hard—as well as help promote healing, says Dr. Roizen. "It usually has an effect within a day."
Generic equivalent: Phenylephrine, 0.25 percent

JOCK ITCH
18. Lotrimin AF
Why it won: The fungus in your Fruit of the Looms needs to be treated differently than the type between your toes. The combination of the warm, moist environment in your underwear and the ease with which you can scratch the itch ups the odds of a bacterial infection. Enter Lotrimin AF. In addition to fighting fungus, "the clotrimazole in Lotrimin may help prevent a secondary infection," Dr. Krypel says.
Maximize it: Buy the cream and rub it in well. "The skin protects the fungus, so you need to spend enough time rubbing it into the affected area," Dr. Krypel says.
Generic equivalent: Clotrimazole, 1 percent

JOINT PAIN
19. Advil
Why it won: Advil owes it all to ibuprofen. When French researchers recently studied 222 people with osteoarthritis, they noted that those who took 400 mg ibuprofen had 23 percent more pain relief during the following 6 hours than those who swallowed 1,000 mg acetaminophen. What's more, after 2 weeks of treatment, the people popping ibuprofen still reported less pain and stiffness.
Maximize it: Employ a pincer move: Use Advil to attack the pain from the inside and a heat wrap to hit it from your skin in. Wraps, like those made by ThermaCare, are better than ointments, says Dr. Pray, because they penetrate deeper and last longer (8 hours).
Generic equivalent: Ibuprofen, 200 mg

POISON IVY
20. Cortaid
Why it won: Steroids. Not the Jason Giambi variety, but a topical steroid called hydrocortisone, which helps relieve both the itching and the inflammation that are caused by an ivy attack. Other topical creams, such as Benadryl and Caladryl, work only to soothe the itch.
Maximize it: Soak in oats. Before you rub on the Cortaid, immerse your itch-afflicted area in a mix of warm water and colloidal oatmeal for at least 15 minutes. One Australian study showed that patients who were treated with colloidal oatmeal for minor burns reported less itching and needed less medicine than those treated with another anti-itch ointment.
Generic equivalent: Hydrocortisone, 1 percent

Researched by: Amy Gorin, Men's Health Photographs by: Nicholas Eveleigh
© 2007 Bell Canada, Microsoft Corporation and/or their contributors. All rights reserved.

Folic acid boosts older brains

Folic acid boosts older brains
Last Updated: Friday, January 19, 2007 5:01 PM ET
CBC News

Folic acid supplements may help improve the memory and brain power of people over 50, a new study suggests.
Cognitive function such as memory and processing information quickly declines with age and has been linked to risk of dementia in old age.

Previous researchers have suggested that low folate in the blood may be linked to poor cognitive performance.
To test the idea, Jane Durga of Wageningen University in the Netherlands and her colleagues at the Nestle Research Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, randomly assigned 818 people between the ages of 50 and 70 to take 800 micrograms of folic acid or a placebo orally each day for three years.
The participants had low levels of folate before the experiment began.

"We have shown that three-year folic acid supplementation improves performance on tests that measure information processing speed and memory, domains that are known to decline with age," the researchers concluded in this week's issue of the journal The Lancet.

Memory tests showed some people performed as if they were seven years younger.
Those taking folic acid also showed a significant drop in levels of homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood linked to both heart disease and dementia.

Folate is a B vitamin that the body uses to make healthy new cells. It is found naturally in leafy green vegetables such as spinach, citrus fruits and beans. Dietary supplements offer the vitamin in the synthetic form of folic acid.
Experts caution that an increase in folate levels can also mask a deficiency in vitamin B12 in older people, which can lead to health problems such as nerve damage.
Researchers call for further study

The researchers called for their experiment to be repeated in other populations, such as those with dementia, to clarify the clinical importance of folic acid supplementation.
Researchers are also looking at whether lowering homocysteine levels affects heart disease and brain function. Folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 help the body to process homocysteine.
Folate deficiency has also been linked to neural tube defects, in which the central nervous system fails to develop fully in the fetus, leading to defects such as spina bifida.

The Canadian government introduced mandatory fortification of whole-grain breads, cereals, flour, cornmeal and pasta with folic acid in 1998. Since then, the rate of birth defects such as spina bifida has declined.
European regulators do not allow folic acid supplementation in foods because of concerns over food additives.

Cheap, safe drug kills most cancers!

Cheap, safe drug kills most cancers
11:58 17 January 2007
Andy Coghlan

It sounds almost too good to be true: a cheap and simple drug that kills almost all cancers by switching off their “immortality”. The drug, dichloroacetate (DCA), has already been used for years to treat rare metabolic disorders and so is known to be relatively safe.
It also has no patent, meaning it could be manufactured for a fraction of the cost of newly developed drugs.

Evangelos Michelakis of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and his colleagues tested DCA on human cells cultured outside the body and found that it killed lung, breast and brain cancer cells, but not healthy cells. Tumours in rats deliberately infected with human cancer also shrank drastically when they were fed DCA-laced water for several weeks.
DCA attacks a unique feature of cancer cells: the fact that they make their energy throughout the main body of the cell, rather than in distinct organelles called mitochondria. This process, called glycolysis, is inefficient and uses up vast amounts of sugar.

Until now it had been assumed that cancer cells used glycolysis because their mitochondria were irreparably damaged. However, Michelakis’s experiments prove this is not the case, because DCA reawakened the mitochondria in cancer cells. The cells then withered and died (Cancer Cell, DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2006.10.020).

Michelakis suggests that the switch to glycolysis as an energy source occurs when cells in the middle of an abnormal but benign lump don’t get enough oxygen for their mitochondria to work properly (see diagram). In order to survive, they switch off their mitochondria and start producing energy through glycolysis.

Crucially, though, mitochondria do another job in cells: they activate apoptosis, the process by which abnormal cells self-destruct. When cells switch mitochondria off, they become “immortal”, outliving other cells in the tumour and so becoming dominant. Once reawakened by DCA, mitochondria reactivate apoptosis and order the abnormal cells to die.

“The results are intriguing because they point to a critical role that mitochondria play:
they impart a unique trait to cancer cells that can be exploited for cancer therapy,” says Dario Altieri, director of the University of Massachusetts Cancer Center in Worcester.

The phenomenon might also explain how secondary cancers form. Glycolysis generates lactic acid, which can break down the collagen matrix holding cells together. This means abnormal cells can be released and float to other parts of the body, where they seed new tumours.

DCA can cause pain, numbness and gait disturbances in some patients, but this may be a price worth paying if it turns out to be effective against all cancers. The next step is to run clinical trials of DCA in people with cancer. These may have to be funded by charities, universities and governments: pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to pay because they can’t make money on unpatented medicines. The pay-off is that if DCA does work, it will be easy to manufacture and dirt cheap.

Paul Clarke, a cancer cell biologist at the University of Dundee in the UK, says the findings challenge the current assumption that mutations, not metabolism, spark off cancers. “The question is: which comes first?” he says.

Miracle Treatment for Advanced Melanoma

Friday, November 10, 2006

UofL cancer researcher sees 'miracles' Treatment tackles advanced melanoma

By Deborah Yetterdyetter@courier-journal.comThe Courier-Journal
By Deborah Yetterdyetter@courier-journal.comThe Courier-Journal

Advanced melanoma -- a deadly form of skin cancer -- is almost always a death sentence for patients.

But researchers at the University of Louisville report dramatic progress with an experimental treatment that already is prolonging life for a handful of cancer patients.
"We literally are seeing miracles in the clinical trials," said Dr. Jason Chesney, who presented the findings of his research team yesterday at an international cancer conference in Prague, Czech Republic.

The treatment of seven patients in the clinical trials began last year, and 12 months later all of them are still alive -- although the average life expectancy for advanced melanoma is about eight months, Chesney, 37, said in an interview Friday before he left for the conference.
The trials at U of L's James Graham Brown Cancer Center are being expanded to 50 melanoma patients.

The goal is to prompt the body to fight the disease with a drug that boosts its immune response and helps it identify and attack the cancer. Teaching immune system
The initial results are exciting, Chesney said, because they suggest the body can be prompted to fight melanoma and other cancers.

"The immune system can be taught to kill cancer cells," he said.
Chesney was one of two U of L researchers invited to present papers at this week's meeting of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer. A U of L researcher seeking a cancer vaccine presented findings of a separate study Wednesday at the international conference.

Chesney's work represents a new approach in cancer research aimed at defeating the disease by creating an internal immune response to it, rather than trying to kill it with conventional, more toxic treatments of chemotherapy or radiation, said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society.

Lichtenfeld said he finds Chesney's work encouraging and will be interested in the results as the study expands to more patients. The fact that the experimental drug appears to trigger an immune response to melanoma is especially interesting, he said.

"Melanoma is a disease that fails to elicit an immune response," Lichtenfeld said.
Melanoma, associated with excessive exposure to the sun and a family history of the disease, is an especially deadly form of cancer and doesn't respond well to conventional treatments once it spreads.

Though curable if caught immediately and removed, it can spread and cause tumors throughout the body that are much more difficult to treat.

Women at risk
About 8,000 people are expected to die from melanoma this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Although it accounts for only about 4 percent of skin cancers, it causes most of the deaths, the society reports on its Web site.
It's the No. 1 cancer killer in women ages 25 to 30, Chesney said. Though most cancers attack older people, "melanoma routinely kills people in their 30s," he said.
Chesney said he hopes to use his research to attack other cancers eventually, but for now is concentrating on melanoma.

He said the body's immune system has "blockers" he described as "off switches" that keep it from attacking healthy cells -- but also keep it from attacking some cancers, such as melanoma.
The body's immune system already has a difficult time fighting cancer cells because they are adept at creating defenses, he said.
"These tumor cells are pretty sneaky," he said. "They figure out how to avoid getting killed."
The experimental drug Chesney is using is a combination of a toxin and a drug that frees the immune system to fight cancer. The drug defeats the defenses of the tumor, attaches itself to a cancer cell and injects the toxin into the cell, killing it.

"We're trying to turn off the blocker and turn on the immune system," he said.
Chesney's research showed that five out of the seven patients in the trials experienced significant regression of tumors. One patient experienced complete regression of tumors in the liver, Chesney said, a highly unusual development in a patient with advanced melanoma.

The patients weren't available for comment because of federal rules that require confidentiality for research subjects.
Chesney couldn't say yet how soon the research might result in an approved cancer treatment. But he said he's optimistic it could result in a way to better limit the growth of melanoma and other cancers.
The trend in research is not to eradicate cancer but to make it a disease that can be managed and controlled, Chesney said.
"Our goal is to change cancer from an illness that kills people," he said. "It's more about getting control."
Reporter Deborah Yetter can be reached at (502) 582-4228.

Vegetable-rich low-carb diet cuts heart disease risk

Vegetable-rich low-carb cuts heart disease risk, says study
By Stephen Daniells

09/11/2006- Low-carb diets, like the once fashionable Atkins diet, do not increase the risk of heart disease, says new research from Harvard – and if vegetables rather than meat are the source of fat and protein then the risk of heart disease may be cut by 30 per cent.

Low carbohydrate diets, high in protein and fat, have lost popularity amongst the public with critics saying that the approach puts followers at a higher risk of clogged arteries and heart attack in the long-term.
But the new research, published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (Vol. 355, pp. 1991-2002), reports that, after evaluating data collected over 20 years on 82,802 women, that there is no link between low-carb diets and an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).

“Our findings suggest that diets lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein and fat are not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease in women,” wrote lead author Thomas Halton from Harvard School of Public Health.
The results, while they indicate no risk with the diet, do not show a positive effect on heart health, said Halton in a statement.

"This study suggests that neither a low-fat dietary pattern nor a typical low-carbohydrate dietary pattern is ideal with regards to risk of CHD; both have similar risks. However, if a diet moderately lower in carbohydrates is followed, with a focus on vegetable sources of fat and protein, there may be a benefit for heart disease," he said.

Indeed, the authors found that, when vegetable sources of fat and protein were chosen instead of animal sources, the low-carb-diet score was associated with a 30 per cent lower risk of CHD - the cause of 20 per cent of deaths in the US and 17 per cent of deaths in Europe.

The researchers used dietary data from the Nurses’ Health Study (started in 1976), collected by validated food frequency questionnaires (FFQ). After 20 years of follow-up, Halton and his colleagues report that 1994 cases of CHD were recorded.

After adjusting for potential confounding factors, such as age, BMI, smoking status, physical activity levels, multivitamin use, and so on, the researchers report that the difference between women with the highest adherence to a low-carb diet (highest fat and protein intake and lowest carbohydrate intake) had no statistically difference in the risk of CHD than those who did not consume a low-carb diet (lowest fat and protein intake and highest carbohydrate intake).
The Harvard researchers also considered the relative CHD risk as a function of the percentages of energy from carbohydrate, animal protein and animal fat, or from carbohydrate, vegetable protein and vegetable fat.

For those who consumed protein and fat from animal sources, no significant difference in relative CHD risk was observed, regardless of carbohydrate consumption.
However, the women who consumed protein and fat from predominantly animal sources and who adhered most closely to the low-carb diet, the relative risk of coronary heart disease was cut by 30 per cent, compared to those who followed a more low-fat-type diet.

“When vegetable sources of fat and protein were chosen, the low-carbohydrate-diet score was associated with a moderately lower risk of coronary heat disease than when animal sources were chosen,” the researchers said.

Also, they note that adherence to the low-carb diet had no effect on body weight.

Senior author Frank Hu added a note of caution, saying that the results did not mean people should “load [their] plate with steak and bacon.”

"One likely explanation that we did not see increased risk of CHD with low-carbohydrate diets is that the adverse effects of animal products might be counterbalanced by reducing refined carbohydrates.

The quality of fat and carbohydrate is more important than quantity. A heart-healthy diet should embrace healthy types of fat and carbohydrates,” he said.

Indeed, the authors did note a link between glycaemic load and CHD. The use of glycaemic index (GI) ranks carbohydrates according to their ability to affect blood glucose. To measure of the quality and quantity of carbohydrate intake, the concept of glycaemic load (GL) was created.

“A low-carbohydrate diet tends to have a lower dietary glycaemic index and glycaemic load than a high-carbohydrate diet,” explained the researchers.

“We found that the direct association between glycaemic load and coronary heart disease was much stronger than the association between carbohydrate and coronary heart disease, probably because glycaemic load reflects both the quantity and quality of carbohydrates,” they said.

Other criticisms of the low-carb diet, like the effects on bone health, kidney function, and a decrease in fibre intake were not investigated, said the researchers. Halton and colleagues called for longer-term investigations on the effects of low-carb, high-protein diets on kidney function, especially for people with poor kidney function.

In terms of bone health, however, a recent study, published in the journal Osteoporosis International (Vol. 17, pp. 1398-1403), reported that 15 volunteers eating a low-carb diet for three months did not have higher levels of bone turnover markers than the 15 controls eating a normal diet.
Concerns were raised since consumption of high-protein diets alters the body's acid balance, which could lead to increased bone turnover (bone depletion is faster than formation).

Estrogen Therapy Doesn't Cause Breast Cancer

Estrogen Therapy Doesn't Cause Breast Cancer:

TUESDAY, April 11, 2006 (HealthDay News) --

Estrogen therapy on its own does not increase the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, an extensive new study has found.

The findings, from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), stand in stark contrast to previous results from the estrogen-plus-progestin arm of the trial. That study was halted in 2002, three years ahead of schedule, when evidence showed a higher risk of not only breast cancer, but blood clots, stroke and heart attack.

While the new report found no evidence that estrogen therapy causes breast cancer, other research has found the therapy can cause blood clots in postmenopausal women, potentially leading to cardiovascular problems. So, women need to consult with their doctors to weigh the benefits and risks of estrogen therapy, experts said.

"People have to stop thinking all hormones are the same," said Marcia L. Stefanick, professor of medicine at Stanford University's Stanford Prevention Research Center and chairwoman of the WHI steering committee and executive committee. "There is no contradiction."

"The current findings are good news for women on estrogen but it doesn't help women on the combined therapy," Stefanick added.
The new findings appear in the April 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Outside experts also considered the new finding good news for women struggling with menopausal symptoms, which can include hot flashes, vaginal dryness and loss of energy.
"It does provide reassurance to patients taking estrogen that it might not be as bad as everyone assumed," said Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician/gynecologist with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "Many patients have such severe symptoms that they really don't want to stop taking their estrogen."

Added Dr. Hugh Taylor, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine: "This study is great news for women, especially those entering menopause. We have seen confusing and conflicting information that has led to exaggerated and unfounded fears of estrogen. I think the rollercoaster ride is over."

Taylor spoke at an April 7 teleconference sponsored by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, which makes Premarin and Prempro, hormone therapies intended to mollify symptoms of menopause.
The Women's Health Initiative is a 15-year-long examination of the causes and prevention of diseases affecting older women. So far, the research has produced a complicated picture of the risks and benefits related to hormone therapy.

An earlier set of WHI results found that estrogen therapy did not diminish or increase the risk for heart disease, while leaving open the possibility that it might reduce the risk in women aged 50 to 59.

The estrogen-only portion of the trial -- the subject of the new findings -- was also stopped early (in 2004) because of an increased risk of stroke and blood clots and no reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease. Preliminary data showed no risk of breast cancer; the new findings represent the final data.

For this study, the researchers analyzed data on 10,739 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 at 40 clinical centers throughout the United States. The participants were randomly chosen to receive either estrogen or a placebo and underwent mammography screenings and clinical breast exams at the beginning of the study and annually thereafter. The data was collected between 1993 and 1998.

All the women in the study had undergone a hysterectomy. Estrogen alone cannot be given to women with a uterus because of an increased risk of uterine cancer. Instead, these women take estrogen plus progestin to mitigate the risk. "The addition of progestin is to protect the uterus against the estrogen, but if you don't have a uterus you can take just estrogen," Stefanick explained.

After an annual follow-up of 7.1 years, women in the estrogen group had a slightly and statistically non-significant reduction in their risk for invasive breast cancer (20 percent lower) and total breast cancer (18 percent lower).

When they were diagnosed with breast cancer, however, women in the estrogen group tended to have larger tumors that were more likely to have spread to the lymph nodes. This suggests that estrogen may lower the risk of smaller cancers but not larger ones, the researchers said.

Women who had a low risk of breast cancer -- such as no family history or no benign breast disease -- had fewer breast cancers while on estrogen, while those with a higher risk had more breast cancers.

Overall, though, the evidence seems to indicate that estrogen therapy does not contribute to a higher risk of breast cancer.
"These data are pretty good evidence that estrogen therapy is relatively safe for breast cancer," Stefanick said.

The true existence of breast cancer among the study participants still needs to be double-checked, cautioned Dr. William T. Creasman, J. Marion Sims professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical University of South Carolina. Creasman also spoke at the Wyeth news conference. "We don't know if these are all breast cancers," he said. "We're taking the word of the individuals who reviewed the slides initially and that, we know, has a margin of error."
But other factors, such as the increased risk for blood clotting, still need to be taken into account when prescribing hormone therapy.

In fact, a study published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that estrogen therapy appears to increase the risk of blood clots in the veins of postmenopausal women who have had their uterus removed.

"The paradigm of treating most women who are symptomatic with the lowest effective dose for the shortest amount of time makes sense," Taylor said.

In a prepared statement, Dr. Joseph Sanfilippo, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, cautioned that "women must make decisions about the use of hormone therapy in conjunction with their physician. Each woman is different and her symptoms and risk factors will be different."

More information
Visit the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for more on the Women's Health Initiative.

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Vitamin D intake halves cancer risk

Washington: Vitamin D - known to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus - may also help in reducing cancer risk, a new study has found.

According to cancer prevention specialists at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center, taking 1,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D3 daily appears to lower an individual's risk of developing certain cancers, including colon, breast, and ovarian cancer, by up to 50 percent.

While previous studies by these researchers showed the link between vitamin D deficiency and higher rates of colon cancer, the new study associates the same risks to breast and ovarian cancers.

"For example, breast cancer will strike one in eight American women in their lifetime. Early detection using mammography reduces mortality rates by approximately 20 percent. But use of vitamin D might prevent this cancer in the first place," said co-author Cedric F. Garland.

The researchers said that the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, combined with the discovery of increased risks of certain types of cancer in those who are deficient, suggest that vitamin D deficiency may account for several thousand premature deaths from colon, breast, ovarian and other cancers annually.

The study also found that residents of the northeastern United States, and individuals with higher skin pigmentation were at an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency. This is because solar UVB is needed for the human body to make vitamin D. The increased skin pigmentation of African-Americans reduces their ability to synthesize vitamin D.

"Primary prevention of these cancers has largely been neglected, but we now have proof that the incidence of colon, breast, and ovarian cancer can be reduced dramatically by increasing the public's intake of vitamin D," said Garland.

Since the safety of daily intake of vitamin D3 in the recommended range has been thoroughly assessed and confirmed by the National Academy of Sciences, and the benefits found so far in observational studies are considerable, expanded use of vitamin D as a public health measure should not be delayed, according to the authors.

They recommend intake of 1,000 IU/day of vitamin D, half the safe upper intake established by the National Academy of Sciences.

Garland said that while this study looked at all forms of vitamin D ‘intake through diet or supplements, and photosynthesis through modest sun exposure' as a practical matter, the majority of people will most easily achieve the target levels by eating foods containing vitamin D and taking supplements, which the authors estimated would cost about five cents per day.

"Many people are deficient in vitamin D. A glass of milk, for example, has only 100 IU. Other foods, such as orange juice, yogurt and cheese, are now beginning to be fortified, but you have to work fairly hard to reach 1,000 IU a day," said Garland.

"Sun exposure has its own concerns and limitations. We recommend no more than 15 minutes of exposure daily over 40 percent of the body, other than the face, which should be protected from the sun. Dark-skinned people, however, may need more exposure to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D, and some fair-skinned people shouldn't try to get any vitamin D from the sun.

The easiest and most reliable way of getting the appropriate amount is from food and a daily supplement," he added.

Vitamin D cancer 'breakthrough'

Last Modified: 28 Dec 2005 Source: ITN

US scientists have said that a large daily dose of vitamin D can dramatically lower the risk of developing common cancers. Researchers found that the "natural" form of the vitamin, known as D3, could dramatically reduce the chances of developing breast, ovarian and colon cancer, as well as others, by up to 50 per cent.

But a leading cancer charity is cautious about the claims, with a spokeswoman claiming the the evidence linking vitamin D levels with cancer risk was "complex and confusing".
"There is evidence to suggest that the vitamin plays a role in keeping cells healthy," said Sara Hiom, head of health information at Cancer Research UK. "But further research is needed to understand what role vitamin D may play in preventing cancer in humans."

The research concluded that taking 1,000 international units (IU) of the vitamin daily could lower an individual's cancer risk by 50 per cent. Such large doses of vitamin D must be treated with caution. More than 2,000 IU a day can lead to the body absorbing too much calcium, and possible damage to the liver and kidneys.

D3 is normally produced in the skin by the action of sunlight, but is also obtained from certain foods. Dietary sources are limited, however. A glass of milk, for instance, contains only 100 IU of the vitamin.

The research, published in the American Journal of Public Health, reviewed 63 studies looking at the relationship between blood levels of vitamin D and cancer risk.

Vitamin D deficiency may account for several thousand premature deaths from cancer each year in the United States, said the scientists. The study found that people in the north eastern US, and darker skinned individuals, were at increased risk due to a lack of sunshine-generated vitamin D.

Stroke kills cells... don't delay

Untreated stroke kills millions of brain cells
CTV.ca News Staff
For every minute that a stroke victim goes without medical attention, the brain loses nearly 2 million cells, suggests a new study
When those brain cells die, survivors can be left paralyzed, unable to speak or see, or with a number of other devastating disabilities.

"Stroke is a highly treatable disease, but, unfortunately, the time in which physicians can effectively reveres a stroke is short," said Jeffrey L. Saver, a professor of neurology at the University of California and author of the study.

For the first time ever, Saver has done the calculations on exactly how much loss occurs during an ischemic stroke, caused when blood clots cut off blood flow to the brain.
His research, published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, is based on data from a new brain imaging cell counting technique.
Saver found that for every minute lost in getting treatment, stroke victims lose 1.9 million neurons.

In terms of volume, Saver estimates that for every 12 minutes that treatment is delayed, a piece of brain about the size of a pea dies off.

If a stroke runs its full course, without treatment -- estimated at 10 hours on average -- the brain loses 1.2 billion neurons. That is a region a little bigger than a ping pong ball.

"Precious tissue is lost every second. Patients need to get to the hospital at the first sign that a stroke is occurring," said Saver.

Stroke warning signals come on suddenly. They include:
Weakness, numbness in the arms, legs or face
Temporary loss of speech or trouble understanding speech
Loss of vision in one or both eyes
Trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance
A severe headache that has no known cause.

The good news is that there are drugs and surgery that can reduce the long-term disability of strokes, such as the clot-busting drug tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) or anticoagulants (blood thinners), as long as treatment is delivered quickly.

"Every minute that you wait, hoping your symptoms will go away, you lose almost 2 million brain cells. Don't try and tough it out, and don't waste time trying to get in touch with your primary physician or neurologist. You need emergency help," said Saver.

About 300,000 Canadians are living with the effects of stroke, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Of every 100 people who are hospitalized for stroke, 20 die before leaving hospital, 10 go into an inpatient rehabilitation program, 15 require long-term care, and 50 go home.
Between 40,000 and 50,000 strokes occur in Canada every year, and it is the fourth leading cause of death, the Foundation says.

Pomegranate Juice vs. Prostrate Cancer

Pomegranate juice helps fight prostate cancer
By John Roberts, Ph.D.May 23, 2005, 22:17
Drinking 8 ounces of pomegranate juice daily can suppress prostate cancer activity in men with recurrent prostate cancer, according to a study presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association in San Antonio.

The study included the cases of 48 men with recurrent prostate cancer. The study was conducted by Dr. Allan J. Pantuck and collegues from the University of California at Los Angeles.

The study found that men with recurrent prostate cancer who drank no pomegranate juice got the doubling time of 15 months for prostate specific antigen (PSA) while those who drank 8 ounces a day got 37 months of PSA doubling time. PSA is an indicator for the tumor activity.

The results indicated that pomegranate juice suppresses the cancer activity.It is believed that antioxidants in pomegranate juice have anti-cancer properties. Phytochemicals such as phytoestrogens may also attribute to these benefits.

No serious side effects were found with the use of pomegranate juice. Researchers plan to do phase III randomized trials now that the results of the study showed that pomegranate juice is promising.

Previous studies in lab mice by other researchers found that drinking pomegranate juice may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Pomegranate juice can not only relax the oxidative stress on human coronary artery endothelial cells, but reduce the plague build-up in mice by 30 percent.
# © 2004-2005 by foodconsumer.org unless otherwise specified.

Pacifiers reduce SIDS by 90%!

Pacifiers cut risk of SIDS: Study
Crib death cause remains unknown
Sleeping on backstill safest position
Dec. 9, 2005. 04:48 AM
TANYA TALAGA
MEDICAL REPORTER
Call it a soother, a dummy or even a binky, but for some babies the controversial pacifier is simply a lifesaver.
The use of a pacifier by babies can reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome by 90 per cent compared with babies who don't, American researchers say in a study published in the online version of the British Medical Journal.

Researchers interviewed mothers or caregivers of 185 infants who died and 312 randomly selected others. The babies were matched for race, ethnicity and age.

"A pacifier, if you are really worried about SIDS, I don't think there is any harm," said Dr. Howard Hoffman, study author and a director at the U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders in Bethesda, Md.
"It's good to have results like this instead of negative ones."

SIDS occurs in infants who seem healthy but then die suddenly, for no apparent reason, to the utter devastation of parents and health providers. Most die between 2 and 4 months, but older and younger babies can also fall victim to SIDS.
The diagnosis of SIDS is given after an autopsy shows there is no cause of death.
While the cause of SIDS is still unknown, there are risk factors such as younger maternal age, exposure to smoke before and after birth, soft bedding, and race — North American children of African and Native Indian descent have higher SIDS rates.

During the 1990s, the incidence of SIDS fell dramatically in the Western world after doctors recommended babies should never sleep on their tummies or sides.
Babies should sleep on their backs, experts say, in a smoke-free environment. The study showed if a parent is a smoker and sleeps with a child who is not using a pacifier, the relative risk of their child getting SIDS increases 4.5 times.

In 2002, 111 infants died from the syndrome, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada, citing the most recent figures available. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends pacifier use for infants up to 12 months during nap and bedtimes to lessen the SIDS risk.
Pacifiers can help reduce the effects of other SIDS risk factors, said another study author, Dr. De-Kun Li of the Kaiser Permanente HMO in Oakland, Calif. Among infants who used pacifiers, no increased risk was associated with sleeping position, the study indicates. While sleeping with a mother who smoked is also linked with increased risk of SIDS among infants who did not use a pacifier, there was no such link among those who did.

Doctors don't really have an answer why pacifiers work, Hoffman said. "It's speculative," he said.
It may have to do with sucking, but Li thinks it may be the soother's shape.
"My hypothesis is it is actually mechanical," Li said. "Pacifiers have bulky handles. When you put it in, the whole constellation of the configuration of the airway is changed."
If a loose blanket somehow comes to cover a baby's mouth, the handle of the pacifier will create or prevent the baby from suffocating by creating an air pocket, he believes. Perhaps soother use has something to do with the sleep cycle or calming the baby, Hoffman said.

The presence of a pacifier isn't a saving grace for everyone, cautioned Mary MacCormick, a counsellor with the Canadian Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths. MacCormick lost her grandson Jesse Buck to SIDS in 1990.
"It didn't help my grandson. He died with one in his mouth," she told the Star. "My only problem with the pacifier is it isn't the most important risk reducer, and that is sleeping on the back."
Losing a child to SIDS can change family dynamics forever, said MacCormick. Jesse Buck died two days short of 4 months of age.
"I still feel guilty. My daughter was only 17 at the time and I was the adult," she said. "We didn't know about putting him on his back then."
She hopes people don't assume it's okay to let babies sleep on their tummies as long as they are using a soother.
"I just don't want other parents to forget the other two (risk reducers) — sleeping on the back and living in a smoke-free environment."

Dr. Michael Dunn, chief of newborn and developmental pediatrics at Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, said pacifiers should not be used until after one month so newborns establish good breastfeeding practices and should not be forced on babies who don't want to take it.

Which fats are healthful and which are unhealthful?

Fat is classified into saturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and monounsaturated fats.

Saturated fats appear to increase your risk for heart attacks when you take in more calories than you burn.

Monounsaturated fats are considered healthful because they form LDL cholesterol that is resistant to oxidation; plaques are formed by oxidized LDL. Good sources include olive oil and avocados.

We used to think that all polyunsaturated fats help to prevent heart attacks when they replace saturated fats, but now we have different information. Polyunsaturated fats are classified by their structures into omega-3s and omega-6s, and you need both types; these are called the essential fatty acids because you cannot make them in your body and must get them from your food.

For most of the time humans have been on earth we have eaten foods that contain omega-6's and omega-3's in a ratio of about 2:1. However, over the last 50 years in North America, the ratio has changed; it now ranges from 10:1 to 20:1. Today our diet includes huge amounts of oils that are extracted from plants and used for cooking or in prepared foods. These oils (such as corn oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, soybean oil) are primarily omega-6s. We have decreased our intake of omega-3's, found primarily in whole grains, beans and other seeds, and seafood. Eating too much omega-6 and too little omega-3 causes clots and constricts arteries to increase risk for heart attacks, increases swelling to worsen arthritis, and aggravates a skin disease called psoriasis. It may block a person’s ability to respond to insulin, causing high insulin and blood sugar levels and obesity. It increases hormone levels of insulin like growth factor-1 that causes certain cancers.

To get your ratio on omega-6s to omega-3s back to a more healthful 2:1, eat seafood, whole grains, beans and other seeds, and reduce your intake of foods made with or cooked in vegetable oils.

The most unhealthful fats are the polyunsaturated oils that have been processed to form trans fats (partially hydrogenated vegetable oils)

Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
September 25, 2005

How does pepper cream relieve pain?

Pain messages are passed along nerves by a neurotransmitter called substance P. Capsaicin, the substance that makes peppers hot, blocks substance P and the resultant pain. A cream containing .025 percent capsaicin has been shown to block pain in joints, nerves and skin. It can be used to relieve the pain from a variety of causes: arthritis, surgery, various injuries, tumors, nerve damage from diabetes and so forth. Reports suggest that capsaicin cream also can control the discomfort of cluster headaches, psoriasis or itching from any cause.

Pepper creams are available over-the-counter in most drug stores. When you use pepper cream, you need to know that capsaicin is a very stable alkaloid that does not wash off your skin, even with soap. If you apply it with your fingertips and later touch your eyes, lips, or any mucous membrane or open cuts, you can get a nasty burning sensation that will last about twenty minutes. You can avoid this problem by wearing rubber gloves to apply it, or buy the pepper cream in a special roll-on applicator bottle so you don’t get it on your hands.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
September 25, 2005

Exercise For Arthritis

When you have arthritis, your joints hurt you wake up, but you force yourself to get out of bed and as you keep on moving, the pain lessens. Is your body trying to tell you something when you feel better after you start to move? Many studies have shown that bed rest worsens the pain of arthritis, and a strength training program can help to control it. Most people with arthritis think they should rest their muscles and joints, but resting is the worst thing you can do.

When you move around, the cartilage in your joints acts like a shock absorber. Resting weakens cartilage and increases its likelihood to break. Resting also weakens muscles so they can’t control the joints, allowing more wobble of the joints with each movement and increasing cartilage damage. People with arthritis should exercise, but they should not jog, run or engage in sports that cause your feet to pound on the ground, such as tennis or rope-jumping. When you hit the ground hard with each step, your foot stops suddenly and the force is transmitted up your leg to your knees and hips. This force can break cartilage.

Choose an activity with smooth motions such as cycling, swimming or rowing. You can pedal a bicycle because pedaling is done in a smooth rotary motion that does not jar your joints. People with arthritis should also lift weights because this strengthens muscles to stabilize joints, and helps to strengthen cartilage to protect it from breaking. Ideally, everyone with arthritis should have access to weight machines and be taught how to lift weights with proper form, in sets of ten, two or three times week. The combination of a smooth, continuous exercise and a supervised weight lifting can help protect you from further joint damage and reduce your pain.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
September 25, 2005

Omega-3 fatty acids from plants or seafood?

Dear Dr. Mirkin: Does it matter whether I get omega-3 fatty acids from plants or seafood? I’m a vegetarian and prefer not to eat fish.

By now, most people know that omega-3 fatty acids help to prevent heart attacks, and that they can get lots of omega-3 fatty acids from fish. But most people do not know that the omega-3 fatty acids in seeds such as whole grains may be even more important in maintaining your health than the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish.

Virtually every plant source of omega-3's also contains vitamin E, while fish oils are low in vitamin E. All omega-3's break down very quickly when exposed to oxygen in your body, and vitamin E stabilizes them so they are more effective.

Omega-3s found in fish oils are mostly long chain fatty acids. Omega-3s in plants, particularly seeds, contain much shorter chains and are weaker than the omega-3s found in fish. However, the shorter chain omega-3s, particularly alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), found in leafy greens and seeds are converted to the long chain fatty acids in the human body.

To meet your needs for short chain omega-3 fatty acids found in plants, eat lots of green leafy vegetables, and seeds such as flaxseed, whole grains, beans and nuts.

Wild blueberries called best aging antidote

http://www.50plus.com/

Frank Jones

Meet Canada's sturdy new champ in the exciting field of nutrition and health-wild blueberries. Packed with health-giving antioxidants, the peppy little blueberry stepped into the spotlight recently at The Antioxidant Initiative. This international food and health symposium in Squaw Valley, California described the wild blueberry as perhaps the best single antidote for aging, cancer and heart disease.

"Based on our tests, the wild blueberry has proved to be immensely potent," said Mary Ann Lila Smith, professor of natural resources and environmental sciences at the University of Illinois.
Dr. James Joseph, chief of the Human Nutrition Research Centre on Aging at Tufts University in Massachusetts, described how older rats fed blueberry pellets improved their motor skills and actually recovered short-term memory, in effect, strengthening the brain.

Half a cup daily

Willy Kalt, an Agriculture Canada research scientist in Kentville, Nova Scotia, who eats blueberries daily, reported that half a cup a day would be enough to make a positive change in the health of Canadians.
However, she added, we eat on average only half a cup of wild blueberries a year, and 80 per cent of Canada's crop-the largest in the world-is being exported to Japan and Europe.
The finding that blueberries are the most effective fruit was not such a surprise. Tests were designed to measure the success of various foods in destroying free radicals, the terrorist molecules that disrupt the body. Blueberries came out ahead of even broccoli and Brussels sprouts as free radical fighters.

Newfoundland berries best
Wild versus cultivated berries? The low bush, wild type is 'definitely higher' in antioxidant strength, says Smith, likely because cultivated berries are bred for sweetness.
And, as for the best source, after looking at 150 wild varieties in Ontario, Quebec and on the East Coast, Kalt has no doubts. Newfoundland's abundant crop has the highest antioxidant count.

But blueberries are only one of the wonder foods that, according to the newest research, can make us feel better and live longer. The newest buzzword is PAX-shorthand for phytonutrients and antioxidants.
These are the minute compounds found in plant foods that, according to a recent report in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, can protect against heart disease, stroke, cancer, cataracts, chronic obstructive lung disease, diverticulosis and high blood pressure.
Eat 'Daily Dozen'The Squaw Valley conference was organized by Oldways Preservation and Exchange Trust. This Boston-based non-profit organization popularized the benefits of the health-giving Mediterranean diet. The purpose of the conference was to get people consuming 'the PAX Daily Dozen.' That's a minimum of a dozen servings of foods and drinks high in antioxidants.

Don't panic. No one's expecting you to eat mountains of broccoli or spinach. The message heard from world nutrition experts was that antioxidants can be found in any number of whole foods, including grains, nuts, legumes, juices, tea, wine and, of course, fruit.

Some examples:
And just to make the point, delegates of the conference enjoyed a tasty diet that had us eating way beyond our daily dozen without even trying.

Breakfast typically included whole grain cereals (with, naturally, a handful of blueberries), breads and a cornucopia of California fruits

Mid-morning snacks featured delicious dried cranberries (Craisins), dried plums (they don't call 'em prunes these days), blueberry muffins and green tea (especially high in antioxidants).

Lunch and dinner included thick carrot soup with fresh mint and walnuts, pork tenderloin with wild blueberry barbecue sauce and couscous, and poached leeks with tomato salsa.

Wild Blueberry and Apple Muesli
This version of the Swiss birchermüesli is terrific for breakfast or snack time. It's also chocked full of a variety of disease-fighting phytochemicals-from the oats, wild blueberries, apple and sliced almonds.

2/3 cup large flake oats 150 ml
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt 125 ml
1 apple, cored and coarsely grated
1 cup fresh or frozen wild blueberries... 250 ml
2 tbsp (approx) honey or equivalent low-calorie sweetener... 25 ml
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice... 15 ml
2 tbsp sliced almonds, toasted... 25 ml

In a medium bowl, combine oats, yogurt, apple, blueberries, honey, lemon juice and almonds. Stir to mix. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. Adjust sweetening, if desired. Makes three servings.

Per-serving nutritional information: Calories: 213, Protein: 6 grams, Fat: 3 grams; Carbohydrates: 41 grams; Dietary fibre: 5 grams; Sodium: 35 mg.
(Recipe by Rosie Schwartz, RD)
© October 2001 CARPNews FiftyPlus
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http://www.50plus.com/

Barbecued Foods

Dear Dr. Mirkin: I love barbecued foods, but a friend says they are dangerous. Should I stop eating them? Eating any type of browned foods may contribute to heart attacks, strokes or nerve damage. Diabetics suffer a very high incidence of nerve, artery and kidney damage because high blood sugar levels cause sugar to attach to protein, forming advanced glycation products. The frightening news is that browning foods also forms advanced glycation products, and eating them raises blood and tissue levels and increases nerve damage. Cooking without water causes sugars to bind to proteins, while cooking with water prevents this process. Baking, roasting and broiling cause the advanced glycation products to form, while boiling and steaming do not. This is just one more reason why you should base your meals on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans -- fresh, steamed or cooked with water. Make grilled and browned foods a minor part of your diet.

Fruit, Veggie Juices May Cut Alzheimer's Risk

Original page:http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/107/108607.htm

Antioxidants May Be the Key, Say Researchers
By Miranda HittiWebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Michael Smith, MDon Monday, June 20, 2005
June 20, 2005 -- New research highlights the possibility that antioxidants in fruit and vegetable juices may lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
However, it doesn't prove that the juices can definitely help dodge Alzheimer's, the most common form of mental decline in older adults. Scientists do not yet have iron-clad recommendations to prevent Alzheimer's.
The finding was presented in Washington, at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Prevention of Dementia. The researchers included Amy Borenstein, PhD, MPH, an epidemiology professor at the University of South Florida.
"These findings suggest that something as simple as incorporating more fruit and vegetable juices into our diet may have a significant impact on our brain health," says Borenstein, in a news release.
Want nutrition tips, plus the latest news on healthy eating? Sign up for the Diet & Nutrition newsletter.
Long-Term Study
The results came from the Kame Project, a long-term study of more than 1,800 Japanese- Americans in the Seattle area. When the study started in 1992-1994, no participants had dementia. They were about 71 years old, on average.
At the beginning of the study, participants completed surveys about the foods and drinks they typically consumed. Smoking, alcohol, daily calories, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), vitamin supplements, and other health problems (such as diabetes and cancer) were also noted.
Food Survey Results
The group was followed through 2001. During that time, 81 cases of probable Alzheimer's disease were diagnosed in participants who had completed the food surveys.
The most frequent juice drinkers were the least likely to have developed Alzheimer's. Those who reported drinking fruit or vegetable juices at least three times per week were 73% less likely to have developed Alzheimer's as those who drank juice less than once a week.
Those who drank juice once or twice a week also had a possible advantage, but the effect wasn't strong enough to know for sure.
No associations were seen with intake of any vitamin supplement or dietary intake of antioxidants, including vitamin E, vitamin C, or beta-carotene, say researchers.
Antioxidant Advantage?
"Certain polyphenols abundant in fruit and vegetable juices may play an important role in delaying Alzheimer's onset," say Borenstein and colleagues.
Polyphenols are antioxidants, naturally occurring chemicals found in many plants. Antioxidants have attracted scientific attention for their possible effects against cancer and heart disease.
Animal studies have found that a number of polyphenols from juices may protect brain cells against oxidation more than vitamin E and C, say the researchers. "These results may lead to a new avenue of inquiry in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease," they write.
Borenstein and colleagues did not report any ties to commercial interests (such as juice companies). No particular juices were singled out. Juices were not directly tested for any health benefits. It's always possible that self-reported food surveys may be inaccurate, or that participants' habits changed over time.
SOURCES: Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Prevention of Dementia, Washington, June 18-21, 2005. News release, Alzheimer's Association. WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise, "Alzheimer's Disease -- Topic Overview." WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise, "Antioxidants -- Topic Overview."
© 2005 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
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