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Healthwise is a regular column written
especially for laterlife.com members and
visitors by Helen Franks, journalist and author.
Welcome to healthwise 81.
For previous articles in the
healthwise series visit
'more
healthwise'
Helen Franks
Helen has specialised in writing about health and
ageing and is a member of the Guild of Health Writers. She has
written for a variety of newspapers and magazines including the
Guardian, Times, Observer, Woman, Family Circle, Vogue and
Choice.
Helen has also written several books including
Getting Older Slowly Your Guide to Successful Ageing and
Bone Boosters
co-authored with Diana Moran of TV Green Goddess fame.
Don't forget to take a look at Helen's separate
talkback
page too.
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A real headache…
Most of us at some time or other have experienced a headache. We might take
painkillers or ignore the problem and carry on regardless.
On the other hand, it could be migraine, which can come in a mild form or
be severely disabling, preventing some people from carrying on their normal
lives. Migraine affects around 6 million people in the UK.
How do you know if the symptoms are migraine?
-
You
may see flashing lights, zigzag patterns
-
You
may crave certain foods
-
You
may feel tired
-
You
may be depressed, find it hard to concentrate
-
You
may have difficulty in speaking
-
Your
coordination may be affected
-
You
may get stiffness and tingling in the neck and shoulders
-
You
may go very pale and have dark circles under the eyes
If you experience any of these symptoms, do
consult your GP.
Exercise and bowel cancer
Regular exercise can significantly reduce one of
the early signs of bowel cancer in men, new research has claimed
says the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre study published
in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and
Prevention.
In men who met the study's exercise
prescription of an hour of aerobic activity per day, six days a
week for a year, the researchers saw a substantial decrease in
the amount of cellular proliferation in the areas of the colon
that are most vulnerable to colon cancer.
The study looked at the rate of new tissue
growth in the tiny pockets, or 'crypts', of cells in the gut. A
certain amount of cellular proliferation is normal. But when the
cells start dividing too quickly, they can migrate up the sides
of the crypt to the surface and eventually form a polyp.
While most polyps are benign, over time some
types can become malignant. The researchers found that rate of
growth slowed in relation to the amount and intensity of
exercise men performed.
Before you say that six days a week of aerobic
activity is too much, even four hours or more of exercise weekly
was enough to produce a significant benefit.
NICE recommends drug for Non Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL)
A five-year study has shown that MabThera is the
first therapy in over twenty years to increase the overall
survival in patients with aggressive NHL.
Treatment with the drug, in combination with
a standard regimen of chemotherapy, has shown that after five
years, 26% more patients were alive as against those treated
with chemotherapy alone. Disease-free survival was also improved
by 50% - 66% in the combined MabThera/chemo group compared to
45% in the chemotherapy group alone.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence
(NICE) recommends that all patients with diffuse large B cell
lymphoma, the most common form of aggressive NHL, should be
offered MabThera in combination with chemotherapy as first line
therapy to tackle the disease. See
www.lymphoma.org.uk
.
Eat lots of vegetables every day to stay mentally alert
Over-65s who eat up to three servings of
vegetables a day reduce the decline in their cognitive abilities
by up to 40 % compared with those who eat almost no vegetables.
The protective effect didn’t seem to get much
better than that, even among those who ate more than four
servings of vegetables a day.
The discovery has been made by the Chicago
Health and Aging Project (CHAP), which has tracked the health of
a group of 3,718 people over a 10-year period.
Fruit didn’t seem to have the same beneficial
effects, even when eaten in high quantities, researchers found.
Osteoporosis risk
formula devised
Osteoporosis sufferers are likely to break
bones. Wrists, hips and the spine are the most common sites for
fractures in people with osteoporosis. A range of treatments
exist, including hormone replacement therapy, vitamin D and
calcium supplements, and non-hormonal medicines.
A formula has been devised that can predict
the risk of bone fractures in women suffering osteoporosis.
Using the mathematical equation, Australian scientists could
calculate a woman's risk with 75% accuracy.
The researchers, writing in the journal
Radiology, said the formula could help inform treatment for
women with the bone disease.
Useful websites
www.mentalhealthproject.com : nutritional help for
mental health problems
www.diabetes.org.uk
: all you want to know about diabetes
www.yorktest.com
: testing for various diseases
www.lighterlife.com
: slimming info plus how to calculate your Body Mass Index
If in any
doubt about any of the information covered in
healthwise articles and it's relevance for you, consult
your GP.
IN THE PREVIOUS EDITION
In edition 80:-
Is green tea
good for lowering heart disease?
A study suggests that green tea can lower risk of heart disease or stroke.
New vits
and herbs.
A new selection of vitamins and herbs is available from Solgar..
Premixed, prefilled syringes for arthritis
New syringe is designed for easier use
Homeopathic podiatry
This may be an alternative to traditional treatments
Relax your
eyes
"Palming" is one of the most relaxing things you can do for your eyes.
Link between hot flushes and insomnia
Researchers are not sure if hot flushes cause insomnia or insomnia causes
hot flushes
Had your flu
jab yet?
Ring your GP to make an appointment
New interactive healthcare website
Dr Chris Steele, the resident doctor from ITVs This Morning has
launched his own health website
The
complete family health guide
 Essential medical reference that's a must for every home. Published
in association with the BMA, it includes comprehensive coverage of
every important aspect of health and medicine, as well as
user-friendly charts for at-a-glance information and easy reference.
Also lists the best medical websites...
 Maximise your memory
This work provides detailed instructions, illustrations and sample
exercises that show the reader how to build a system of personalized
frameworks for storing and recalling information on demand.
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