Despite decades of advice that the cholesterol in eggs is bad for you, researchers now report evidence that eggs might actually reduce high blood pressure. The scientists found egg proteins that, in laboratory simulations of the human digestive process, seem to be as good as common prescription medications for lowering blood pressure. However, it should be noted that funding for the research came from livestock and poultry industry groups. And the researchers emphasized that further study is needed to determine if the proteins actually work in humans.
Sources:
Live Science February 23, 2009
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry February 11, 2009, 57 (2), pp 471–477
Dr. Mercola says that eggs are one of the healthiest foods you can eat and that cholesterol is your friend. The type of egg matters, though, and the way it is prepared. You can read the entire article here.
Read more!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
First signs of spring
They're kind of hard to see but the crocuses have appeared, assuring me that spring is really here, even though the temperature is sometimes 30 degrees. Read more!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Burn More Calories by Walking Slower
By: Ray Browning, PhD
University of Colorado at Boulder new study has found that obese individuals who walked one mile at a leisurely pace burned more calories than if they walked a mile at their normal pace. In addition, those who walked at two miles per hour rather than three miles per hour reduced the load on their knee joints by up to 25%. The message is that by walking more slowly, obese individuals can burn more calories per mile and may reduce the risk of arthritis or joint injury.
Bottom Line/Retirement interviewed Ray Browning, PhD, department of integrative physiology, University of Colorado at Boulder. Read more!
University of Colorado at Boulder new study has found that obese individuals who walked one mile at a leisurely pace burned more calories than if they walked a mile at their normal pace. In addition, those who walked at two miles per hour rather than three miles per hour reduced the load on their knee joints by up to 25%. The message is that by walking more slowly, obese individuals can burn more calories per mile and may reduce the risk of arthritis or joint injury.
Bottom Line/Retirement interviewed Ray Browning, PhD, department of integrative physiology, University of Colorado at Boulder. Read more!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Sun Protection
Here's an article that was in a newsletter I received from my naturopathic doctor.
Did you ever wonder why people who live in tropical climates where they are constantly exposed to the rays of the sun year round do not get skin cancer? In the US we are constantly warned about the dangers of sun exposure, and yet the sun helps our bodies produce nutrients such as Vitamin D. Coconut oil is probably one of the main reasons people in tropical climates can spend so much time in the sun and not get skin cancer. Coconut oil has antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. When coconut oil is consumed and used topically on our skin, it helps our bodies absorb nutrients more effectively. According to the "Coconut Diet" website, reports of people using Virgin Coconut Oil exclusively as a sunscreen have kept them from burning and allowed them to get a nice golden tan. Read more!
Did you ever wonder why people who live in tropical climates where they are constantly exposed to the rays of the sun year round do not get skin cancer? In the US we are constantly warned about the dangers of sun exposure, and yet the sun helps our bodies produce nutrients such as Vitamin D. Coconut oil is probably one of the main reasons people in tropical climates can spend so much time in the sun and not get skin cancer. Coconut oil has antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. When coconut oil is consumed and used topically on our skin, it helps our bodies absorb nutrients more effectively. According to the "Coconut Diet" website, reports of people using Virgin Coconut Oil exclusively as a sunscreen have kept them from burning and allowed them to get a nice golden tan. Read more!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
10 More Reasons Why Sugar is Bad for You
More from the list I got from my naturopathic doctor:
Sugar causes copper deficiency.
Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
Sugar can weaken eyesight.
Sugar raises the level of neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine.
Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
Sugar can cause premature aging.
Sugar can lead to alcoholism. Read more!
Sugar causes copper deficiency.
Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
Sugar can weaken eyesight.
Sugar raises the level of neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine.
Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
Sugar can cause premature aging.
Sugar can lead to alcoholism. Read more!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Do you have microwave illness?
This was in a newsletter I received from my naturopathic doctor.
Do you have any of the following symptoms? Insomnia, unexplained anxiety, vision problems, painful lymph nodes, recurrent sore throat, headaches, loss of appetite, rapid weight loss or unexplained weight gain, extreme thirst, night sweats, extreme fatigue, memory loss, inability to concentrate, muscle pain, weakened immune system, allergies, heart pain or palpitations, etc.? Then you might very well have microwave illness! To learn more about this illness, check out their website at Health By Choice. Read more!
Do you have any of the following symptoms? Insomnia, unexplained anxiety, vision problems, painful lymph nodes, recurrent sore throat, headaches, loss of appetite, rapid weight loss or unexplained weight gain, extreme thirst, night sweats, extreme fatigue, memory loss, inability to concentrate, muscle pain, weakened immune system, allergies, heart pain or palpitations, etc.? Then you might very well have microwave illness! To learn more about this illness, check out their website at Health By Choice. Read more!
Friday, March 13, 2009
10 Reasons Why Sugar is Bad for You
I got this list from my naturopathic doctor:
- Sugar can suppress the immune system.
- Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
- Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and crankiness in children.
- Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
- Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
- Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function; the more sugar you eat, the more elasticity and function you lose.
- Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.
- Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
- Sugar leads to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate and rectum.
- Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Surprising Link Between Acid Suppressants and Your Bones
Regular readers have heard from me before about the dangers associated with long-term use of drugs that suppress stomach acid, specifically the powerful proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) including esomeprazole (Nexium), omeprazole (Prilosec) and lansoprazole (Prevacid). So it's no surprise to us that here comes yet another study adding to the alarm about the use of PPIs. This latest research shows an increased risk for hip fractures among older patients using PPIs, and that the risk is especially high for those using higher doses or for those using PPIs for longer periods -- or, most especially, both. This latest study takes the risk of PPIs to a whole new level, never before discussed here.
The study, from the University of Pennsylvania, reviewed 13,556 hip fractures and 135,386 controls from the United Kingdom General Practice Research Database, a collection of electronic medical records taken from 1987 to 2003. All of the data were from people older than age 50 at enrollment; some used PPIs and others were non-users but matched for sex, age and other factors. The mean age at enrollment in the database was 77, and 79% were female. Researchers found that people who had used a PPI for more than a year had an associated increased fracture risk of 44%... long-term use of higher doses was even more startling, with 2.6 times elevated risk compared with non-users. Because 20% of the cases of hip fractures lead to death within a year, and older adults are increasingly being prescribed PPIs, these findings are especially scary.
what's the connection
I called Daily Health News consulting medical editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, who has been extremely vocal about the dangers of acid-suppressing treatments to find out what is behind this problem and what steps people on PPIs can take to help avoid a future fracture. He noted that PPIs are effective medicine for people who have evidence of an ulcer. But protracted use of a PPI, for more than four weeks, is always risky, he says, to say nothing of the dangers to those in the study who had used the medication for a year or more. In truth, says Dr. Rubman, many people take a PPI not because of ulcers but to treat gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach lining that causes pain, belching, bloating and nausea. But, says Dr. Rubman, many of them are also hoping the PPI will protect them from developing the much worse GERD (which, in fact, only rarely happens). "I would argue," says Dr. Rubman, "that most often GERD is not present as a significant health risk and is used as a fear goad to steer the patients and physicians into the prescription."
Thus, taken to quiet the stomach, when used for more than three weeks, the drugs can end up significantly disabling the body's natural ability to produce digestive acids, says Dr. Rubman. This not only creates havoc in the digestive process, but also intrudes on the body's ability to absorb calcium and magnesium. Both of these minerals are essential for strong bones, but must be transformed in the stomach first in order to be absorbed and used in the body. This process requires a strong acidic environment, not one that has been suppressed. Without adequate levels of stomach acid, calcium and magnesium won't be absorbed properly, no matter how much you ingest.
Given the enormous popularity of PPIs, it's evident that there are many people who have compromised their stomach acid, and who may be in danger of fracture. One problem, notes Dr. Rubman, is that it's likely that many older adults who have been long-term users of PPIs will have become hypochlorhydric -- meaning that they can no longer make enough hydrochloric acid to properly digest a meal. The solution, says Dr. Rubman, is to work with a naturopathic physician or other medical professional highly trained in enzyme use to begin rebuilding the body's ability to produce enzymes on its own... that will then trigger the natural production of stomach acid. Indeed, he adds, this is a necessity for anyone who has taken PPIs for longer than three weeks. It's quite possible that many people will have to take enzyme supplements with meals for the rest of their lives... but, Dr. Rubman says that even in people who have healthy stomachs, regular digestive enzyme use can be beneficial, so, in general, no worries there.
Source(s):
Andrew L. Rubman, ND, consulting medical editor, Daily Health News, and director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut.
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News Read more!
The study, from the University of Pennsylvania, reviewed 13,556 hip fractures and 135,386 controls from the United Kingdom General Practice Research Database, a collection of electronic medical records taken from 1987 to 2003. All of the data were from people older than age 50 at enrollment; some used PPIs and others were non-users but matched for sex, age and other factors. The mean age at enrollment in the database was 77, and 79% were female. Researchers found that people who had used a PPI for more than a year had an associated increased fracture risk of 44%... long-term use of higher doses was even more startling, with 2.6 times elevated risk compared with non-users. Because 20% of the cases of hip fractures lead to death within a year, and older adults are increasingly being prescribed PPIs, these findings are especially scary.
what's the connection
I called Daily Health News consulting medical editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, who has been extremely vocal about the dangers of acid-suppressing treatments to find out what is behind this problem and what steps people on PPIs can take to help avoid a future fracture. He noted that PPIs are effective medicine for people who have evidence of an ulcer. But protracted use of a PPI, for more than four weeks, is always risky, he says, to say nothing of the dangers to those in the study who had used the medication for a year or more. In truth, says Dr. Rubman, many people take a PPI not because of ulcers but to treat gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach lining that causes pain, belching, bloating and nausea. But, says Dr. Rubman, many of them are also hoping the PPI will protect them from developing the much worse GERD (which, in fact, only rarely happens). "I would argue," says Dr. Rubman, "that most often GERD is not present as a significant health risk and is used as a fear goad to steer the patients and physicians into the prescription."
Thus, taken to quiet the stomach, when used for more than three weeks, the drugs can end up significantly disabling the body's natural ability to produce digestive acids, says Dr. Rubman. This not only creates havoc in the digestive process, but also intrudes on the body's ability to absorb calcium and magnesium. Both of these minerals are essential for strong bones, but must be transformed in the stomach first in order to be absorbed and used in the body. This process requires a strong acidic environment, not one that has been suppressed. Without adequate levels of stomach acid, calcium and magnesium won't be absorbed properly, no matter how much you ingest.
Given the enormous popularity of PPIs, it's evident that there are many people who have compromised their stomach acid, and who may be in danger of fracture. One problem, notes Dr. Rubman, is that it's likely that many older adults who have been long-term users of PPIs will have become hypochlorhydric -- meaning that they can no longer make enough hydrochloric acid to properly digest a meal. The solution, says Dr. Rubman, is to work with a naturopathic physician or other medical professional highly trained in enzyme use to begin rebuilding the body's ability to produce enzymes on its own... that will then trigger the natural production of stomach acid. Indeed, he adds, this is a necessity for anyone who has taken PPIs for longer than three weeks. It's quite possible that many people will have to take enzyme supplements with meals for the rest of their lives... but, Dr. Rubman says that even in people who have healthy stomachs, regular digestive enzyme use can be beneficial, so, in general, no worries there.
Source(s):
Andrew L. Rubman, ND, consulting medical editor, Daily Health News, and director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut.
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News Read more!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Heal Pneumonia Faster with Osteopathic Manipulation
Pneumonia is a serious problem in the elderly. When hospitalized for it, they are there longer and also are at greater risk of dying from the illness compared with younger people. In a recent study of 306 pneumonia patients, ages 50 to 74, researchers found that when osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) was added to the antibiotic therapy pneumonia is always treated with, it resulted in one full day reduction in the length of hospital stay.
THE STUDY
The patients were divided into three groups. Those receiving only conventional medical treatment (antibiotics) were hospitalized an average of 3.9 days... while patients who received conventional treatment plus OMT spent only 2.9 days (on average) in the hospital. A third group that received a placebo treatment of light touch and antibiotics was discharged in an average of 3.5 days. A provocative and intriguing finding was that patients aged 75 and older who received either OMT or light touch had no deaths, compared with a 9% death rate for those receiving antibiotics alone.
In the study, the OMT and light touch groups received two 15-minute treatment sessions daily, six hours apart. The OMT session consisted of standardized osteopathic treatment techniques designed to improve chest wall mobility and circulation, plus five minutes of non-standardized treatment. The light touch treatments mimicked the OMT treatments but with only "minimal movement" of tissue, lymph flow, etc.
MOBILIZING THE IMMOBILE
Research has already established that when hospitalized patients are able to get out of bed and walk around, they recover faster. However, many elderly patients with pneumonia are too sick to get out of bed. Osteopathic manipulation can accomplish many of the same physiological benefits of early mobilization, explained study coauthor Donald R. Noll, DO, an osteopath at A.T. Still University in Kirksville, Missouri. "It's a way to mobilize the immobile."
Osteopathic physicians treat various ailments by manipulating soft tissue and joints. For this study, the researchers used techniques designed to influence the respiratory system -- for example, rib raising, which helps patients take deeper breaths and therefore relieves congestion. "The techniques used in the study are gentle ones that older people can tolerate," says Dr. Noll, describing them as "similar to massage, but more focused and based on each patient's physical examination."
To find an osteopathic physician in your area, log onto www.osteopathic.org.
Source(s):
Donald R. Noll, DO, A.T. Still University, Kirksville, Missouri.
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News Read more!
THE STUDY
The patients were divided into three groups. Those receiving only conventional medical treatment (antibiotics) were hospitalized an average of 3.9 days... while patients who received conventional treatment plus OMT spent only 2.9 days (on average) in the hospital. A third group that received a placebo treatment of light touch and antibiotics was discharged in an average of 3.5 days. A provocative and intriguing finding was that patients aged 75 and older who received either OMT or light touch had no deaths, compared with a 9% death rate for those receiving antibiotics alone.
In the study, the OMT and light touch groups received two 15-minute treatment sessions daily, six hours apart. The OMT session consisted of standardized osteopathic treatment techniques designed to improve chest wall mobility and circulation, plus five minutes of non-standardized treatment. The light touch treatments mimicked the OMT treatments but with only "minimal movement" of tissue, lymph flow, etc.
MOBILIZING THE IMMOBILE
Research has already established that when hospitalized patients are able to get out of bed and walk around, they recover faster. However, many elderly patients with pneumonia are too sick to get out of bed. Osteopathic manipulation can accomplish many of the same physiological benefits of early mobilization, explained study coauthor Donald R. Noll, DO, an osteopath at A.T. Still University in Kirksville, Missouri. "It's a way to mobilize the immobile."
Osteopathic physicians treat various ailments by manipulating soft tissue and joints. For this study, the researchers used techniques designed to influence the respiratory system -- for example, rib raising, which helps patients take deeper breaths and therefore relieves congestion. "The techniques used in the study are gentle ones that older people can tolerate," says Dr. Noll, describing them as "similar to massage, but more focused and based on each patient's physical examination."
To find an osteopathic physician in your area, log onto www.osteopathic.org.
Source(s):
Donald R. Noll, DO, A.T. Still University, Kirksville, Missouri.
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News Read more!
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