Obesity ops 'raise fracture risk'

Posted by Neill Abayon

People who have obesity operations, such as gastric bypasses or banding, double their risk of suffering fractures, US research suggests.

Researchers for the Mayo Clinic in the US reviewed nearly 100 surgical cases spanning 21 years for their study.

They found a fifth of patients suffered fractures - twice the rate typical for their age - with most breaks occurring in the bones of the hands and feet.

The findings will be presented at the Endocrine Society Annual Meeting.

In the study, 21 individuals experienced 31 fractures within an average of seven years after their weight loss or bariatric surgery.

View the full article here.

Researchers uncover how nanoparticles may damage lungs

Posted by Neill Abayon

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Researchers in China appear to have uncovered how nanoparticles which are used in medicine for diagnosis and delivering drugs may cause lung damage.

Nanotechnology, or the science of the extremely tiny, is an important industry. One nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.

Apart from medicine, it is used in products like sporting goods, cosmetics, tires and electronics and has a projected annual market of around US$1 trillion by 2015.

However, concerns are growing that it may have toxic effects, particularly to the lungs. But it has never been clear how the damage is caused.

In an article published in the Journal of Molecular Cell Biology, the Chinese experts said a class of nanoparticles used in medicine, ployamidoamine dendrimers (PAMAMs), may cause lung damage by triggering a type of programed cell death known as autophagic cell death.

In experiments, they observed how several types of PAMAMs killed human lung cells but found no evidence that the cells were dying by apoptosis, a natural and common type of cell death.

View the full article here.

Can Omega-3 Fatty Acids Prevent Depression In Coronary Heart Disease?

Posted by Neill Abayon

Depression is an established risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) in healthy patients and for adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with existing CHD. Dietary factors resulting in lower levels of omega–3 fatty acids not only increase CHD risk, but may also be involved in the pathophysiology of depression.

The investigators measured red blood cell levels of two omega–3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and assessed depressive symptoms in a cross-sectional study of 987 adults with CHD. Omega –3 fatty acids were blindly measured in fasting venous blood samples using capillary gas chromatography to measure the fatty acid composition of red blood cell membranes. Red blood cell levels of EPA and DHA are presented as a percentage composition of total fatty acid methyl esters.

View the full article here.

Acupuncture Can Relieve Symptoms Of Indigestion In Pregnancy

Posted by Neill Abayon

A new study has suggested that acupuncture can help ease the symptoms of indigestion in pregnancy.

Digestive disorders are one of the most frequent complaints in pregnancy, with 45 to 80 per cent of women reporting heartburn, pain or discomfort, egurgitation, belching and bloating.

Researchers from Sao Paulo University in Brazil say that such symptoms tend to get worse as a pregnancy progresses.

For the study, they involved 36 women aged 15 to 39 who were 15 to 30 weeks into their pregnancy.

All were suffering symptoms of indigestion and none had had acupuncture in the previous year or had an underlying condition that could have caused the symptoms, and none had a history of similar problems before they fell pregnant.

On average, 12 needles were used and were left in the body for about 25 minutes per session.

The researchers found that average heartburn intensity fell by at least a half in 75 per cent women receiving acupuncture compared with 44 per cent women not receiving it.

Read the full article here.

Even modest exercise can reduce negative effects of belly fat

Posted by Neill Abayon

URBANA – A new University of Illinois study suggests that moderate amounts of exercise alone can reduce the inflammation in visceral fat—belly fat, if you will—that has been linked with metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that predict heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

"In the study, the benefits of exercise were apparent, even without a change in diet. We saw improvements in insulin sensitivity, less fat in the liver, and less inflammation in belly fat," said Jeffrey Woods, a U of I professor of kinesiology and community health and faculty member in the U of I Division of Nutritional Sciences and the Integrative Immunology and Behavior Program.

Belly fat is particularly dangerous because it produces inflammatory molecules that enter the bloodstream and increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes, he said.

"Scientists now know that obesity is associated with a low-grade systemic inflammation. Obese people have higher levels of circulating inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), which are produced and secreted by fat tissue. This inflammation then triggers the systemic diseases linked with metabolic syndrome, such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease," he said.

In the study, Woods and his colleagues examined the effects of diet and exercise on the inflammation of visceral fat tissue in mice. A high-fat diet was first used to induce obesity in the animals. After 6 weeks, mice were assigned to either a sedentary group, an exercise group, a low-fat diet group, or a group that combined a low-fat diet with exercise for 6 or 12 weeks so the scientists could compare the effects in both the short and long term.

Read the full article here.

Can Essential Oils Help Prevent Influenza?

Posted by Neill Abayon

Many essential oils have been used to help prevent influenza and other viral infections, as well as to help treat symptoms in those who are ill. Some essential oils are thought to act in positive ways to help defend against influenza infections or shorten the time that flu symptoms are experienced. Some are used in baths, massage oils or applied to the body in various ways. Here are a few:

Angelica -- (Angelica archangelica or A. officinalis) Anti-infectious and strengthens the immune system, but is photosensitizing so do not used on areas of the skin that will be exposed to sunlight.

Bergamot -- (Citrus bergamia) An antiseptic essential oil that not only helps destroy infectious microbes, but also helps strengthen the immune system. Photosensitizing.

Black Pepper -- (Piper nigrum) A warming essential oil that acts against respiratory congestion, viruses and bacteria.

Eucalyptus -- (Eucalyptus globulus, E. radiata, E. citriodora) Helps clear respiratory congestion and kills bacteria as well as other germs.

View the full article here.

Home computer injuries are rife

Posted by Neill Abayon

Over 78,000 patients were treated for such injuries in US hospitals between 1994 and 2006, and 93% of the trips, bumps and falls occurred in the home.

Over the 13-year study period the injury rate increased by 732%, which is more than double the increase in household computer ownership.

The findings appear in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Children under five had the highest injury rate, mainly due to falls after tripping over cables or head injuries from falling monitors.

Similarly, in the UK computer-related accidents in the home sharply increased from around 800 in 1995 to more than 1,800 in 1999 and 2,100 in 2002 - the latest figures available.

A third of the incidents in 2002 involved a child under the age of 15, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa).

Although most result in minor bumps and bruises, some injuries can be more serious.

One case in 1998 involved a six-year-old boy who was burned by a fire caused by spilling a drink on a computer.

Read the full article here.

Dioxins in food chain linked to breastfeeding ills

Posted by Neill Abayon

Exposure to dioxins during pregnancy harms the cells in rapidly-changing breast tissue, which may explain why some women have trouble breastfeeding or don't produce enough milk, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study.

Researchers believe their findings, although only demonstrated in mice at this point, begin to address an area of health that impacts millions of women but has received little attention in the laboratory, said corresponding author B. Paige Lawrence, Ph.D., associate professor of Environment Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology at URMC.

"Estimates are that three to six million mothers worldwide are either unable to initiate breastfeeding or are unable to produce enough milk to nourish their infants," Lawrence said. "But the cause of this problem is unclear, though it has been suggested that environmental contaminants might play a role. We showed definitively that a known and abundant pollutant has an adverse effect on the way mammary glands develop during pregnancy."

Dioxins are generated mostly by the incineration of municipal and medical waste, especially certain plastics. Most people are exposed through diet. Dioxins gets into the food supply when air emissions settle on farm fields and where livestock graze. Fish also ingest dioxins and related pollutants from contaminated waters. When humans take in dioxin – most often through meat, dairy products, fish and shellfish – the toxin settles in fatty tissues; natural elimination takes place very slowly. The typical human exposure is a daily low dose, which has been linked to possible impairment of the immune system and developing organs.

Read the full article here.

Save Money by purchasing Tramadol online

Posted by Neill Abayon

People now a days are intimidated when it comes to online shopping. But, it is not the reason if you really needed the medication for your health. Tramadol is trusted when it comes to pain relief and most of the doctors have trusted this product already.

What is tramadol used for? It is used for pain relief such as body aches like back pain, stiff neck, arthritis and tooth ache. It is safe to use for people with past histories of drug abuse because Tramadol has a weak narcotic effects and it has also a very little potential for abuse.

What has your experience been on Tramadol? You can read all the testimonies here from many patients who used Tramadol for their medications. You will know their different experience of Tramadol and you can determine if it will suit to your health situation.

Most people are busy and the time is all that matters, it is difficult for us to see our doctors everyday and especially the medications that they gave. If you also don't have enough money, you can buy Tramadol online and it is cheaper and more effective. You can find various Licensed Online Pharmacies in the net which you can make your order to get Tramadol.

Diet May Reduce Risk Of Prostate Cancer

Posted by Neill Abayon

A new review published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics assessed whether certain modifications in diet have a beneficial effect on the prevention of prostate cancer. Results suggest that a diet low in fat and red meat and high in fruits and vegetables is beneficial in preventing and treating prostate cancer.

Robert W.-L. Ma and K. Chapman conducted an evidence-based review of dietary recommendations in the prevention of prostate cancer as well as in the management of patients with prostate cancer.

The researchers found that a diet low in fat, high in vegetables and fruit, and avoiding high energy intake, excessive meat, and excessive dairy products and calcium intake may be helpful in preventing prostate cancer, and for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Read the full article here.

Even Cell Phone Ringtones Can Be a Problem

Posted by Neill Abayon

A flurry of recent research has documented that talking on a cell phone poses a dangerous distraction for drivers and others whose attention should be focused elsewhere. Now, a new study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology finds that just the ring of a cell phone may be equally distracting, especially when it comes in a classroom setting or includes a familiar song as a ringtone.

"In any setting where people are trying to acquire knowledge and trying to retain that information in some way, a distraction that may just seem like a common annoyance to people may have a really disruptive effect on their later retention of that information," said the study's lead author, Jill Shelton, a postdoctoral psychology fellow in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

The study includes an experiment in which Shelton poses as a student seated in the middle of a crowded undergraduate psychology lecture and allows a cell phone in her handbag to continue ringing loudly for about 30 seconds.

Students tested later scored about 25 percent worse for recall of course content presented during the distraction, even though the same information was covered by the professor just prior to the phone ring and projected as text in a slide show shown throughout the distraction. Students scored even worse when Shelton added to the disturbance by frantically searching her handbag as if attempting to find and silence her ringing phone.

Read the full article here.

Semen quality depends upon antioxidants

Posted by Neill Abayon

Low antioxidant intake is associated with low reproductive capacity in semen. This is the finding of a new study carried out in two infertility centres in Alicante and Murcia, and which has been published online in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

"Our previous research study, published in March, showed that men who eat large amounts of meat and full fat dairy products have lower seminal quality than those who eat more fruit, vegetables and reduced fat dairy products. In this study, we have found that people who consume more fruits and vegetables are ingesting more antioxidants, and this is the important point", Jaime Mendiola, lead author of the article and a researcher at the University of Murcia, tells SINC.

The experts have spent the past four years analysing the link between dietary habits or workplace exposure to contaminants and the quality of semen among men attending fertility clinics.

The objective was to find out whether a higher or lower intake of vitamins, which act as antioxidants, could affect semen quality. These molecules, which are present in foods such as citrus fruits, peppers and spinach, work by lowering the level of oxidative stress that can affect semen quality, and improve sperm concentration parameters as well as sperm mobility and morphology.

Read the full article here.

Exercise more, not less, to ease aching back

Posted by Neill Abayon

People with lower back pain are better off exercising more, not less.

A University of Alberta study of 240 men and women with chronic lower-back pain showed that those who exercised four days a week had a better quality of life, 28 per cent less pain and 36 per cent less disability, while those who hit the gym only two or three days a week did not show the same level of change.

"While it could be assumed that someone with back pain should not be exercising frequently, our findings show that working with weights four days a week provides the greatest amount of pain relief and quality of life," said Robert Kell, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of exercise physiology at the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus.

About 80 per cent of North Americans suffer from lower back pain.

Kell presented some of the findings May 30 at the American College of Sports Medicine conference in Seattle, Wash.

Read the full article here.

Health Benefits of Dates

Posted by Neill Abayon

The date is a laxative food. It is highly beneficial in the treatment of constipation as the roughage provided by it stimulates sluggish bowels. They should be immersed in water at night and taken after making them into fine syrup the next morning to secure laxative effect.

•Dates are easily digestible, so they an excellent source for quick energy and repairing waste.
•Eating dates cures intestinal disturbances.
•Regular eating of dates is found to check the growth of pathological organisms and help in the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestine.
•Eating dates helps constipation because of their laxative properties.
•Studies have reported that dates are helpful in preventing abdominal cancer.
•It is reported that eating dates prevents the spread of cancer cells.
•Studies have shown that dates soaked overnight and taken crushed in the morning helps people who have a weak heart.
•Eating dates are helpful in treating anaemia and heart problems as they are rich in iron.
•Eating dates helps in reducing heart burns and acidity.
•Studies have reported that eating dates are beneficial for nursing mothers and pregnant women
•Milk boiled with dates acts as an invigorating and nutritious drink for adults and children during convalescence.
•Dates act as a perfect energy boosting snack because of their varied nutrient contents.

Ginger Found to Ease Nausea

Posted by Neill Abayon

Grandma was right when she recommended ginger for an upset stomach — at least for cancer patients.

A randomized clinical trial has confirmed what many people suspect — that ginger can decrease nausea caused by chemotherapy. The effect goes beyond that provided by standard anti-vomiting drugs.

The results will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which begins May 29 in Orlando, Fla. Abstracts of most of the studies to be presented at the conference were made public Thursday.

The trial, financed by the National Cancer Institute, involved 644 patients, mostly women with breast cancer, who were undergoing chemotherapy at 23 oncology practices in the United States.

All patients took a standard anti-vomiting drug on each day of chemotherapy. They also took specially made capsules containing either extracts of ginger root or a placebo for six days, starting three days before each round of chemotherapy.

View the full article here.

Diet Tips: How To Eat Less

Posted by Neill Abayon

1.Eat less. More often. Rather than eating large meals, chop up your eating into smaller portions throughout the day. I found myself eating 3 meals most days and having a snack around 3pm as well as another in the evening. That was enough to keep me from feeling hungry while still eating less in total.

2.Don't eat right before going to bed. I've read this numerous times and don't get why it works, but it does. I set a limit of 3 hours. So I planned to go to bed at midnight, I wouldn't eat past 9pm.

3.Brush your teeth early. For whatever reason, I won't eat when my teeth still feel clean. By brushing them several hours before bed, it was easier to accomplish #2.

4.Kick the sugar habit. If you drink sugared soft drinks (I used to be a Mt. Dew and Coke fan), replace them either with their diet counterparts or water. This can make a very, very big difference.

5.Eat vegetables before the main course. Whenever possible, I'd make sure to have an ample serving of a vegetable (you get very few calories for the amount you eat) before eating the denser main course often a meat or fish. You'll need less of the dense stuff to be happy.

6.Update your spreadsheet daily. Keeping a running count will help you ration out the rest of your daily calorie allowance, which we'll talk about tomorrow.

7.Get used to leftovers. When you eat out, expect to take some of your meal home. If you eat standard restaurant portions, you'll almost certainly overeat.

8.Shop with calories in mind. When you're at the grocery store, spends some extra time reading the labels and nutritional information. You'll probably end up changing your shopping habits along the way. You'd be surprised by the how widely the calorie counts in various granola bars varies, for example.

9.Slow down! When you eat fast, you end up ingesting more food before you body has a chance to figure out that it's satisfied (not full).

10.Drink more water during the day. This is fairly generic advice, but definitely seems to help.

11.Trick yourself with gum. Sometimes we eat out of habit or because it just feels good to get some flavor in your mouth and chew for a while. Find yourself some sugar-free chewing gum and use it when the urge strikes.

12.Reduce the amount of breads, chips, crackers, and salty snacks you eat. A lot of starchy and/or salty food make you want to eat and drink even more. This comes straight out of Atkins diet culture.

The Health Benefits of Pineapple

Posted by Neill Abayon

Pineapple is one of those foods that is heaven to eat. A good, juicy ripe pineapple can satisfy a sweet craving as well as any chocolate bar. In addition to being a delicious food, there are many health benefits of pineapple.

Pineapple is Loaded with Vitamins and Minerals
The obvious benefits of pineapple are all the vitamins and minerals the fruit is loaded with. Its nutrients include calcium, potassium, fiber, and vitamin C. In addition it is low in fat and cholesterol.

The benefits of pineapple can be achieved through eating fresh, canned, or frozen pineapple or by drinking its juice.

Pineapple Strengthens Bones
One of the benefits of pineapple is that it helps to build healthy bones. Pineapples are rich in manganese, a trace mineral that is needed for your body to build bone and connective tissues. Just one cup of pineapple provides 73% of the daily recommended amount of manganese. The benefits of pineapple can effect the growth of bones in young people and the strengthening of bones in older people.

View the full article here.

Women 'fight off disease better'

Posted by Neill Abayon

Research suggest that men’s immune systems are not as strong as women’s. A new study indicates that the female sex hormone estrogen gives women’s immune systems added strength for fighting off infection.

Estrogen seems to counter an enzyme, Caspase-12, which blocks the inflammatory process. The inflammatory process is your body's first line of defense against harmful invaders such as bacteria and viruses.

Human Caspase-12 genes were implanted into a group of male and female mice, but only the males became more prone to infection.

The researchers concluded that oestrogen produced by the female mice blocked the expression of the human Caspase-12 gene.

They were also able to locate the precise place where oestrogen binds to the gene in order to block its activity.

Since the experiments were conducted using a human gene, the researchers are confident their work is applicable to humans.

Lead researcher Dr Maya Saleh said: "These results demonstrate that women have a more powerful inflammatory response than men."

View the full article here.