Healthwise 83     February 2007

Healthwise is a regular column written especially for laterlife.com members and visitors by Helen Franks, journalist and author. Welcome to healthwise 83.  

For previous articles in the healthwise series visit 'more healthwise'

The power of honey

An ancient remedy is gaining new respect. Researchers in Manchester are treating mouth and throat cancer patients with honey, to see if it will reduce their chances of contracting bacterial infections, especially ones who are resistant to antibiotics. Honey has been shown to have an antimicrobial effect against many bacteria and fungi.

A 1992 study also found that honey sped up the healing of wounds caused by Caesarean sections. And another study found that honey cured the intractable wounds of 59 patients.

A bounty of medical studies have found that honey can help heal ulcers, as well as offering relief from diarrhoea, insomnia, sunburn, and sore throats.
 

Foot comfort

Do you suffer from corns, calluses or sore spots? For added comfort between your toes, you could try Profoot’s Soft Gel Toe Separators. The transparent Toe Separators relieve pain between the toes by providing cushioning.

What’s so different about these toe separators? They contain mineral oil which can help soften and prevent corns as well as relieving pain between the toes.

Profoot products are available from most independent pharmacies, and on line at www.wellbury.co.uk  or directly from Profoot by telephoning 0208 492 1600. Further information can also be found on the website www.profoot.co.uk . Priced ?1.99.

 

Facts about kissing

• A good passionate smooch burns up to 28 calories per minute.

• A kissing session will exercise and tone all of the underlying muscles of your face.

• A kissing session enables you to let down your defences, release tension and burn off stress chemicals.

• Kissing also regulates breathing, as when our mouths are pressed together, our breathing becomes slower as we focus on the moment.

• Wonderful endorphins are released into the brain, making us feel dizzy with excitement!

• Kissing helps fight tooth decay, as you will produce more saliva when locking mouths, which in turn washes bacteria off your teeth.

• Kissing boosts your internal immune system as the extra-friendly bacteria help your body fight the harmful bacteria.

This information comes from Astral Cosmetics

Why chocolate protects the heart

Chocolate has a strange biochemical effect. It reduces the clumping of platelets, which cause blood to clot. Platelet clumping can be fatal if a clot forms and blocks a blood vessel, causing a heart attack.

This was discovered when chocolate lovers were rejected from a Johns Hopkins University study on aspirin and heart disease. It helped researchers accidentally find an explanation for why small amounts of chocolate can cut the risk of heart attack.

Some 139 "chocolate offenders" were volunteers taking part in a 1200 person study. The subjects were all asked to stay on a strict regimen of exercise, and to avoid smoking, caffeinated drinks, wine, grapefruit juice and chocolate, all of which are known to affect heart disease risks.

Those who cheated on their diet regimen by eating chocolate were removed from the aspirin study, but the researchers still looked at their blood. Those who ate chocolate not only had lower levels of a platelet waste product (thromboxane) in their urine, but their blood clotted more slowly than samples taken from the non-chocolate-eating patients.

 

The Alzheimer’s Society

The Alzheimer’s Society is the leading care and research charity for people with all forms dementia and their carers. It provides information and education, support for carers, and quality day and home care.

It funds medical and scientific research and campaigns for improved health and social services and greater public understanding of dementia.

The Alzheimer’s Society provides a national help line on 0845 3000 336 and their website is www.alzheimers.org.uk.

What laser eye surgery can’t do…

Those who hope that laser eye surgery will improve their vision if it’s deteriorated with age will be disappointed.

A new study in the journal Ophthalmology reveals that laser treatment cannot reverse age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common problem that affects many over the age of 50.

Laser eye surgery was tested on 1,000 participants who were in the early stages of AMD. Each participant had one eye treated by lasers, and the other was untreated, yet vision loss was similar in both eyes after five years.

 

Remedy for rheumatoid and osteoarthritis?

A pair of studies in the same journal (Arthritis and Rheumatism) suggests that acupuncture and an extract of turmeric (a spice found in curry) may both offer significant pain relief to arthritis patients. A German research team found that a combination of acupuncture and conventional medicine can increase the quality of life of osteoarthritis patients.

Meanwhile, American researchers found that a special turmeric extract, composed largely of chemicals called curcuminoids, can prevent both acute and chronic rheumatoid arthritis. In experiments on rats, the turmeric extract appeared to block inflammatory pathways associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

As for acupuncture, the study of some 3,500 subjects showed that chronic osteoarthritis patients who received it in addition to their more traditional care showed marked improvement, with only 5 percent experiencing minor side effects.

Osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, is a progressive degeneration of bone cartilage. Rheumatoid arthritis is an immunological disorder leading to painful inflammation of the lining of the joints.

 

It’s all due to the sun

We are destined to live to about 100, and that’s all, according to research group Psybernetics Inc. They say it’s not your genes or scientific advances that determine longevity, but solar cycles.

The theory is that the sun emits more radiation every decade or so, resulting in DNA damage. These cycles occur every 8 to 14 years and can release up to 300% more ultraviolet rays.
 

Useful websites

www.patient.co.uk : produced by doctors with an information systems company.

www.bupa.co.uk/health_information: BUPA sells health insurance but this is an excellent website, full of information as it says on the tin.

www.mysimpleguide-bloodpressure.com: comprehensive advice on hypertension.

 

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 82:-

Oily fish latest

Good news on Alzheimer's & heart disease

Salt reminder

Around 75% of the salt we eat comes from processed food.

Dirty dozen?

A list of the Fruit & Veg most contaminated with pesticides

Game for healthy living

Game meat shows low level of fat

Pancreatic cancer & Vit D

Taking Vitamin D can reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer by 43%

Drinking overtime

Some over 60s are drinking too much alcohol

New name for cancer centre

Bristol Cancer Help Centre changes its name

Useful websites

Some useful health websites

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.