| Healthier
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Cardiovascular
disease is the UK's biggest killer and cholesterol is considered to be the most
significant risk factor. Statins (prescribed cholesterol lowering drugs) effectively
reduce levels of LDL (low density lipoprotein - or bad cholesterol). It is believed that
soon, about half of middle aged and elderly people in the UK will be taking statins.
For those who want to consider a
natural alternative, comes news of Policosanol, a nutrient
that scientists are taking pretty seriously. A
study at the Centre for Cardiovascular Disease, Institute for Clinical Research in Germany
concluded that Policosanol seems to be a very promising phytochemical alternative to
classic lipid-lowering agents such as statins and deserves further evaluation.
It appears to work with aspirin to reduce abnormal clotting, and the research suggests
that it inhibits the liver's production of LDL cholesterol, but unlike statins, does not
interfere with other healthy liver function. If you would like to know more about this
supplement, contact suppliers Earth Force at earthforce@blueyonder.co.uk. Source Naturals' Policosanol is available from all good
health stores and costs from £15.99 (for 30 doses).
Before you try any alternative treatment for heart disease, discuss the
subject with your doctor.
Healthier
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You’ve
heard it before, but here it comes again. A cup of tea is good for the heart and could
increase chance of survival in those who have suffered a heart attack. Doctors at Harvard Medical School in Boston found that
drinkers of up to 14 cups a week were 28% less
likely to die than non-tea drinkers in the 3 to 4 years following a heart attack. Those who drank more than 14 cups a week fared
even better,
The secret could be in flavonoids, antioxidants found in tea that may prevent
degeneration of the arterial wall. Flavonoids are believed to have an anti-clotting
effect.
So where does this leave the other
big favourite drink, coffee? The findings conflict
as to whether it’s good or bad. Rheumatoid
arthritis, heartburn, heart disease - bad. Colon cancer, Parkinson’s disease, allergies and
even depression - good. Not in amounts of 14 cups daily, though. Stick to 3 or 4 cups a day.
Travelling
safeguards
Any
form of travel lasting over 3 hours carries a risk of DVT, deep vein thrombosis. It’s not only aeroplanes that restrict mobility and
limit leg room. Long distance coach or train rides
and long stretches in a car can present similar risks. If
you suffer from varicose veins, or aching, swollen legs you add further to the risk.
Yet a survey has shown that only 9-11% of long-distance car, train or coach
passengers would consider wearing protective socks or stockings, and under 20% of those
with varicose veins would do so. Few passengers
know that even a recent minor leg injury or a wound on the ankle or leg that is slow in
healing also add to the risk.
For best protection, you need to get
socks that are a perfect fit, and pharmacists are now being trained to help with this. One brand, Activa Air Socks, is working with the
National Pharmaceutical Association to train pharmacists in the art of fitting the correct
DVT sock. Visit their website
www.legshealth.com or talk to your pharmacist. And if in any doubt, have a word with your GP too before
you travel.
Exercise
against osteoporosis
When
Australian Rosemary Pierse was diagnosed with osteopenia (thinning of the bones) and later
osteoporosis, she decided to compile a programme of exercises, not only for people with
the brittle bone condition, but also for those who want to keep their bones strong.
The result is her Osteo Exercises Video, containing 40
exercises, including warm-ups, light exercises, light weights and cool-downs. The
programme is designed to build bone and muscle strength and to improve balance, reducing
the chance of a serious fall, which can often result in bone breakage.
The video costs £14.80 plus £3.70, post and packing. Order at www.osteoexercisevideo.com.
Seasonal sneezes and wheezes
The
pollen count is said to be 5 times higher than normal this year, and some people are
getting hay fever reactions for the first time ever. Breathlessness and other symptoms that are severe enough to disturb sleep or curtail
normal activities require a doctor’s attention and possible drug treatment, often for
the duration of the high pollen season.
A new action group called
A.L.E.R.T. has been launched to offer advice
to the 9 million hayfever sufferers in the UK. (The
initials stand for Allergy, Lifestyle, Education, Research and Treatment, so hayfever is
not the only allergy they tackle.) There’s
a new leaflet available called ‘Wake up to Allergy Treatment’ and a telephone
helpline. Get the leaflet by sending an
s.a.e. to A.L.E.R.T. Allergy Leaflet, PO Box 6 Hampton TW12 2HH or call the helpline on
0870 727 6956.
You might also like to check out on a
new alternative aid. Nasaleze is an organic, non-drowsy-making product that is sprayed
into the nostrils to create a thin gel that behaves like natural mucus and can help reduce
allergic responses. Log on to www.hayfevertreatment.co.uk for more
information or buy on-line at www.nasalese.com.
Price is £9.99 per bottle plus post and packing.
Ten-minute
yoga
Can
a 10-minute yoga fix do what the more usual solid hour and a half session achieves in
terms of relaxation, body strength and suppleness? Miriam
Freedman, yoga teacher who has trained in the Iyengar and Wheel of Yoga methods, clearly
thinks so.
She has devised a series of programmes involving breathing exercises and yoga
positions that take up no more than 10-minutes a day.
There are standing, sitting and whole3 body workouts explained simply and clearly.
If you can’t get to classes or
want a taste of yoga in the privacy of your home, Yoga for Busy
People - Simple 10-minute Exercises is a useful guide. By Miriam Freedman and Janice Hankes, it costs £6.99
and is published by Vega. If you have any doubts
about starting a yoga course, talk to your doctor first.
Eat yourself slim
 Based on the recipes and menus that will feature in Rosemary
Conley's television series, of the same name, this book has suggestions for those who want
to enjoy fine food and control their weight, or lose some weight at the same time.
The natural beauty
& bath book
This book gives you 70 recipes for beauty and bath
products that you can make yourself, using ingredients you will find at your local grocery
and health food shops. Pamper yourself from head to toe with these natural formulas:
 6 weeks to super health
Whether you are looking to lose weight, get healthy or
get out of a rut, this eminently readable, well-designed, informative and authoritative
guide is guaranteed to have a permanent effect on your lifestyle. |
 |
Pain
and Painkillers
A HEALTHWISE
SPECIAL REPORT
NOP
Research interviewed nearly 4,000 people throughout Great Britain to discover their
experiences of pain and painkillers. The results showed:
Who takes painkillers?
90% of us take painkillers
Women
are slightly more likely to take painkillers than men (12% of men claim to have never
taken painkillers as opposed to 7% of women)
Middle-aged people appear to be the top
consumers of painkillers, and perhaps surprisingly, of the people aged above 65, l5% claim never to have taken painkillers
Why do we take
them?
30% are regular
back pain sufferers
26% regularly
suffer from aching bones or aching joints
8% regularly
experience pain from osteoarthritis
Where do we get
our painkillers from?
71% buy from the pharmacy, 54% have had
painkillers prescribed by a doctor
Over half of those
who buy from the pharmacy would not consider going to a doctor
Reasons for not
going to the doctor
Of those who would
not consider going to the doctor:
45%
say
it is because they do not want to make a fuss about pain
24% believe that
all painkillers are the same
18% do not want to
take time off work to visit the doctor
What’s new in
drug treatment?
It
might be worth going to your doctor to try a new prescription-only painkiller. Arcoxia is
a new NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) that makers Merck Sharp & Dohme
claim will work against acute pain in 24 minutes and gives relief for as long as 24 hours. Clinical trials suggest that recommended doses
produce fewer side effects than other similar drugs.
Gastric
irritation or bleeding, indigestion, nausea are known side effects from NSAIDs, and anyone
who has had a bad experience should consider talking to their doctor about COX 2
inhibitors instead. These are now the preferred
drugs for anyone over 65 and people with a history of gastrointestinal problems, recommended by NICE (the National
Institute for Clinical Excellence), the body that reports on drug treatment to the
Government.
What works in
alternative medicine?
A
combination of glucosamine, chondroitin and collagen appear to be the most advanced
alternative treatments. Collagen has been written
up in an earlier laterlife article. Click here to read
all about it.
A pen to relieve
pain
This
gadget works by delivering a controlled electrical frequency straight to the point of the
pain. You press the button on the top of the
‘pen’ as you touch the point to the pain source and then click away 30 or 40
times. The process is based on TNS,
transcutaneous nerve stimulation, and is
thought to stimulate the body’s natural endorphins to kill pain.
The
pen is called PAIN®GONE and a trial of 50 patients at the Northern General Hospital in
Sheffield with chronic pain in the lower back or major joints showed ‘significant reduction in pain,
increase in mobility and a reduction in daily analgesic consumption’ say the
distributors. A second trial of 36 patients
at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Wales resulted in a positive response from 61% of patients.
PAIN®GONE
is available at a discount price of £49.95
with free postage and packing (full price is
£59.95 plus £2.50 p&p) from the
helpline telephone number 0870 20 40 60 80.
If in any doubt about any of the
information covered in healthwise articles and it's relevance for you, consult your GP.
In edition
26:-
Zapping cold sores
Are you among
the 1 in 5 people in the UK who regularly suffer from cold sores?
Hi Tec for cold sores
Virulite
gadget for zapping cold sores when they start.
Does your doctor raise your blood
pressure
Around 20% of
the population get a falsely high reading when their blood pressure is taken by a doctor
The secret in tomatoes
Recent studies
have been providing more and more evidence of the health benefits of lycopene which
is found in tomatoes.
Test for bowel cancer
A national
bowel cancer screening programme for 60 year olds could dramatically reduce deaths
according to Cancer Research UK.
Getting a fast
screening
A range of
healthscreening tests are available direct to members of the public.
Fish oils -free offer
A new fish oil
supplement that has no adverse health effects
Walk it off
Studies show
that 70% of people don`t take enough exercise and 37% of deaths from coronary heart
disease are directly related to lack of physical activity.
Natural hair dyes
Following
recent health scares we have information about safe, natural hair dyes
Index to
all previous Healthwise editions
For books on Health visit the Amazon
Family and Health Section.
Don't forget if you buy books or videos from Amazon by linking from
laterlife, you generate money for Charity.
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.
 Stop smoking
This new edition of the bestseller aims to help the reader use the "Easy way"
method to eliminate the psychological reasons for smoking, handle withdrawal symptoms,
avoid temptation situations, and stay a non-smoker!
 Tai Chi
This book explains: what Tai Chi is; how to use Tai Chi
for health and healing; the best way to train in Tai Chi. This book is an ideal guide for
anyone who wants to understand the fundamental ideas and practices of this ancient martial
art. |
