14/4/11
The temperature’s dropping and I no longer kick the duvet off my husband overnight. So less complaints from him. Winter must be just around the corner. Damit!
The worst aspect is sitting next to someone coughing and spluttering. My eardrums want to bleed form the repetitive noise. Where do all those Pre-Neolithic sounds come from? Like some blunt rusted instrument is trying to get ignited! You just know you’re going to get it. There’s no escape! You’re going to feel miserable and struggle for weeks to come right. Winter viruses seem to hit hard and last longer than ever – and you think you’ll never recover, especially if you’re a man. Man Flu doesn’t just affect one man – it’s a misery for everyone in the household – sometimes in the entire world. So here’s how you take action to minimize the risk:
The double blind study followed 57 women and 87 men over two years. These findings contradict some earlier studies but this one involves more subjects and was measured over a longer period of time. Also the Mayo Clinic’s research team used a placebo controlled double blind randomized test. DHEA was also only given to people with low DHEA and testosterone levels.
(1) Wash your hands at every opportunity. Door handles and computer keyboards are alive with all kinds of transferable diseases desperate to climb aboard a fresh host.
(2) While Vitamin C in 1000mg doses and lashings of fluid can help in the early stages, new research from Australia, says eating eggs (protein to keep your energy levels up so your body has a fighting chance), Avocado rich in vitamins and minerals that help build your immunity and yogurt. Yes that’s not a mistake. Apparently the natural acidophilus bacteria in yogurt attacks winter viruses as they tend to use your stomach as a launching pad to your entire body. They sit there for a day or two having transferred from your hands to your mouth. For a couple of days they lie about in your stomach, building up strength to attack your whole body. But it’s good wholesome yogurt that can kill those bugs before they enter your blood stream. I’m not big on dairy products and prefer taking multi-vitamins. Not cheap, imported, limp wristed ones you get in supermarkets. But a good quality New Zealand made health supplement will boost your immunity. Even my old body always manages to fight the virus intruder off by following these tips.
(3) The next stage is usually the headache, burning eyes and sore throat. It’s as if you’ve swallowed a blowtorch that wont quit. Some people tend to gargle with some of those commercially available and explosive mint flavoured liquids. This is not good. They are so antiseptic that they tend to kill all the good bacteria in our mouth at the same time leave you more vulnerable to infection. Best to do what your grandmother used to advise. A Tablespoon of salt in warm water (as hot as your raw sandpaper stinging throat can take). Do this every hour or two to try and kill it before the bugs get into your lungs.
(4) Well there’s no saving you now – once you’re coughing and chocking and your joints are aching it’s down to treating symptoms. I am incredulous every winter at how much mucous the flu virus can generate in children. I want to isolate them and push food to them through a hatch in their bedroom door. Why do they insist on blowing their nose on every tissue in the box then leave the crumpled tissues carpeting the room, usually the lounge where we all partake of the viral atmosphere. Their grubby fingers have spread their evil germs all over the remote, the coffee table and everything they’ve come into contact with. For weeks after they’ve recovered you find crispy bits of tissue paper under their beds, or in corners of the room negotiating a revival with the dust bunnies. The only advice I can give here is to leave home. Take a quality multi-vitamin and yogurt in hand and beat a retreat to some far off sunny island. Of course if it really does get bad, always consult your Doctor!
5/4/11
I guess it depends on the question. But most people associate DHEA with anti-aging but this is a myth. A recent study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in USA states that dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has no effect on the key markers for anti-aging. DHEA supplements have been widely consumed to improve healthy aging in both men and women. This two year study found it can’t reverse age related changes in the body such as muscle strength, endurance, muscle and fat mass or glucose tolerance.
"For almost two years we restored DHEA in older men and women to the high “normal” levels usually found in young people, but discovered no beneficial effects on age-related changes in body composition and function," one of the Mayo Clinic researchers, Dr. Nair says. "No beneficial effects on quality of life were observed. There's no evidence based on this study that DHEA has an anti-aging effect."
The double blind study followed 57 women and 87 men over two years. These findings contradict some earlier studies but this one involves more subjects and was measured over a longer period of time. Also the Mayo Clinic’s research team used a placebo controlled double blind randomized test. DHEA was also only given to people with low DHEA and testosterone levels.
DHEA has been promoted as an anti-aging supplement, partly because high levels of DHEA have been associated with longevity. Dr. Nair calls DHEA use a controversial issue, and he advises elderly people to stop using DHEA because it is unlikely to offer any anti-aging effect.
The study also gave low-dose testosterone to elderly men who had low testosterone. The authors found testosterone offered minimal beneficial effects on bone density, and far less than those offered by many currently accepted therapies. Investigators found no negative side effects, although they caution that the study was conducted only in men without prostate problems.
The New England Journal of Medicine published an accompanying editorial to Mayo's study, with Paul Stewart, M.D., of the University of Birmingham, Ala., saying the search for eternal youth will continue. But in light of the Mayo findings, he suggests DHEA should no longer be accepted as a food supplement and should instead be treated as a regulated drug. "Appropriate regulation would dispel much of the quackery associated with this elusive hormone," Dr. Stewart writes
In order to maintain good health and support the nutritional balance as we age, it’s been suggested that a good quality multi-vitamin rich in antioxidants, minerals and amino acids can help improve overall energy levels and body function. Our body becomes less efficient at extracting the nutrients from the food we eat as we get older. This is where a good supplement can help maintain energy levels and mental alertness. Have a look at the New Zealand designed and manufactured Health Script AMPM Dual pack which has all the nutrients often missing from our diets.
http://www.healthscript.co.nz/Products/vitamins-supplements-products.aspx
Mayo's study was independently conducted by the study team without industry support.
The Mayo study's other authors are Robert Rizza, M.D.; Peter O'Brien, Ph.D.; Ketan Dhatariya, M.D.; Kevin Short, Ph.D.; Ajay Nehra, M.D.; Janet Vittone, M.D.; George Klee, M.D., Ph.D.; Ananda Basu, M.B.B.S.; Rita Basu, M.D.; Claudio Cobelli, Ph.D.; Gianna Toffolo, Ph.D.; Chiara Dalla Man, Ph.D.; Donald Tindall, Ph.D.; L.J. Melton, III, M.D.; Glenn Smith, Ph.D.; Sundeep Khosla, M.D.; and Michael Jensen, M.D.
Written and compiled by Nicky Webber www.healthscript.co.nz
1/4/11
Nearly everyone gets them but is poor health or diet the cause of them or is the headache a result of having a nutritional or hormonal imbalance?
If you suffer with blinding headaches you already know the answer is not that simple.
A new nationwide health study looking at the risk factors associated with headaches among teenagers was carried out in Norway among 5,857 teens
between 13 and 18 years old.
With some of the unhealthy habits undertaken by teens, like drugs, drinking and smoking, is it more likely they will suffer
more migranes than other types of headaches?
After trawling through all the data the researchers founds some common factors. Being overweight, failing to get regular exercise, and smoking
were all associated with having more headaches.
Specifically, they found that smoking was associated with an 80% increase in migraines; being overweight was associated with a 60% increase in
migraines; and failing to exercise at least twice a week was linked to a 50% increase in migraines. All three unhealthy behaviors were also linked
to elevated rates of tension headaches and other headaches, according to a study published online by the journal Neurology.
It was no real surprise to note the more unhealthy a teen’s lifestyle the more headaches they reported. For instance, an overweight teen who smokes and
rarely exercises is 3 to 4 times more likely to have recurrent headaches than a nonsmoking teen who exercised and maintained a healthy weight. So it
stands to reason that this common sense logic could be transferred across to us all. Next time you get a headache think about what you’ve eaten, drunk
and how much sleep or stress you’re handling – those factors alone may explain the pain between the eyes! Getting your blood circulating with regular
exercise – even a brisk 30 minute walk will make all the difference. Make sure you keep your fluid intake up too (the water kind!) as when stressed and
busy in an air-conditioned office you can quickly become dehydrated, triggering a headache too.
This study couldn’t answer the fundamental question of whether frequent headaches are a cause or a consequence of an unhealthy lifestyle. For instance,
it’s impossible to exercise with a migraine, and some patients say that exercise triggers the attacks. However, doctors believe that regular exercise
helps keep migraines at bay.
Likewise, obesity has been shown to increase the risk of having headaches, perhaps because it promotes inflammation
in the blood vessels in the head. On the other hand, people who get a lot of headaches have fewer chances to exercise, and that could lead to weight gain.
The only way to unravel the cause-and-effect here is to conduct more studies, the researchers said. But in the meantime this study suggests strong evidence that we
could all reduce our risk of headache by adopting healthier habits – especially those teenagers!