Aspirin
– good for you or not?
Daily
doses of aspirin have long been recommended by doctors as a preventative
against heart disease and stroke. But
who should take it, and from what age?
Anyone who has had a mild stroke or a heart attack is
usually advised to go on to aspirin in order to reduce the chance of blood
clots and clogged up arteries. Similarly,
anyone with a family history of heart disease would be a suitable
candidate.
People
with raised cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and smokers, should
discuss the aspirin idea with their doctor. But anyone who has had an
ulcer or is on anti-inflammatory drugs would be better avoiding aspirin.
Whatever
the situation, always talk about it first with your doctor or practice
nurse, and make sure you go no higher than 150 mg a day, which usually
means half a tablet.
What’s
best for neck pain?
Neither
special exercises nor even relaxation. You
could be doing just as well carrying on with your usual daily activities,
new research reported in the British
Medical Journal has concluded.
A study of nearly 400 women in
Finland
,
all suffering from chronic neck pain, were given three different routines.
One group got relaxation training, another dynamic muscle training
and the third carried on as normal for a period of 12 weeks.
When each group was assessed at the end of the study,
they all reported similar levels of neck pain. However, those who
exercised or did relaxation gained some reward
in the form of greater flexibility, including the ability to move
the head round.
Want
the benefits of red wine without the hangover?
Medicinal
claims for the benefits of red wine have been boosted further today when
research from the National Heart and Lung Institute at
Imperial
College
,
London
, suggested it could
help treat serious lung disease and also suggested that a glass of red
wine could reduce the harmful effects of smoking.
Past studies have linked components
of red wine with helping to prevent cancer, protecting against heart
problems and improving brain function.
The
latest study, published in the journal Thorax,
suggested that the component resveratrol, which is in the wine, seemed to
"damp down" the inflammatory process in chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD), which causes the lungs to deteriorate, making it
difficult and eventually impossible to breathe.
For
people who want the benefits of red wine without the alcohol, French
Parad’Ox from Arkopharma, is an alternative in the form of a
daily supplement. It is a special red wine extract in capsule form, with
each capsule containing an amount of antioxidant polyphenols equivalent to
the amount in two glasses of red wine.
Resveratrol,
the most studied antioxidant of red wine, is found in grape skins, not the
seeds. French Parad'Ox contains extracts from the skin and leaves. Being a
very powerful antioxidant, there’s some evidence that it is good for
skin too;
One
capsule should be taken daily in the morning. French Parad'Ox costs £5.45
for one month (30 capsules) or £9.15 for two months (60 capsules) and is
available from independent pharmacies and health food shops or the Nutri
Centre.
Could
exercise protect against breast cancer?
Researchers
have found that women who had a brisk walk several times a week reduced
their breast cancer risk by 18 per cent. The
best protection was gained by walking for up to two-and-a-half hours a
week – better even than vigorous exercise.
The study from
Seattle
,
published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, observed
women from all age groups, but those between 50 and 79 who had a brisk
walk for as little as one-and-a-quarter hours a week enjoyed a high
protective effect.
Latest on arthritis
No
link with the weather…
Sufferers swear that cold and damp weather makes their
osteoarthritis worse. But a
study from
Florida
,
published in Rheumatology, suggests
that it could be all in the mind.
Men
and women aged between 49-90 with osteoarthritis of the hand, shoulder,
knee, foot or neck were asked to report weekly pain scores.
The only related result, among 154 patients, was among women with
osteoarthritis of the hands, who had more pain on days of ‘rising
barometric pressure’. The rest
showed no change whether it was colder, hotter, wetter or windier.
But we bet that won’t convince anyone.
More
evidence for glucosamine and chondroitin.
… An
overview of 15 trials assessed by scientists at the
University
of
Liege
in
Belgium
,
showed that both of these supplements yield results.
Glucosamine had a highly significant effect on symptoms
and joints, while chondroitin helped with
some symptoms. Glucosamine
specifically showed beneficial effect on osteoarthritic knees, and the
combination is considered to be the best remedy overall.
(NB
The Nutri Centre can supply several brands on line.)
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Rheumatoid
arthritis link with heart disease…
People
with this version of arthritis have altered cholesterol levels that could
put them at risk from heart disease or thickened arteries sat researchers
at the VU University Medical Centre in
Amsterdam
.
Patients
with established rheumatoid arthritis had
slightly raised total cholesterol levels. Those
with early symptoms had low HDL (the good cholesterol) in proportion to
total levels which indicated they were at increased risk of thickened
arteries. Fortunately,
anti-rheumatic treatments for active rheumatoid
arthritis, including steroids, restored levels to a healthy balance.
HRT and heart disease
– the final results
The evidence has gone
from an association with reduction of 40 or 50 per cent risk of heart
disease in takers of HRT to a possible increased risk.
Now final results of the Women’s Health Initiative study have
been published in the
New
England
Journal of Medicine.
The study covered the relationship between use of
oestrogen plus progesten in 16,608 healthy postmenopausal women aged
between 50 and 79, followed up for an average of 5.2 years with half on
placebo (dummy pills) and half on the real thing.
Risk of heart disease was found to increase most in the
first year of the HRT takers - 81 per cent higher than those on the
placebo. Over the 5 years, risk of heart disease was 24 per cent higher
plus non-fatal heart attack 28 per cent higher and fatal heart attack 10
per cent higher.
So no cardiac protection then, only increased risk.
However, another study looked at 227 postmenopausal women with
heart disease taking oestrogen with or without
progestogen. After 3
years there was no significant change in their arteries.
Finally, from the INSERM
Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit in
Villejuif
,
France
, comes a study suggesting that
postmenopausal women with
blood clots in their veins are safer with oestrogen patches.
Oestrogen taken orally among this group is known to increase risk
of blood clotting. This is the first
study suggesting patches are safer, and more research is needed.
Drinking
fluids and exercise
We’re
always told to drink lots of fluid before, during and after exercise, but
new thinking flies in the face of this advice.
Though it may seem natural to
replace fluids lost during exercise,
it could be dangerous, according to the British
Medical Journal.
They report that at least seven athletes have died after
drinking too much liquid, and another 250 have needed hospital treatment.
It seems that the advice to drink lots of water is fairly new and has never been
underpinned with science. In fact,
until the late 1960s athletes were advised not to drink during exercise,
as it was thought that this would impair performance.
A study in 1969, gave advice to
marathon runners, advocating lots of water, without any proper background
research, and then the sports drinks bandwagon encouraged the idea.
Hence a myth was born.
This doesn’t mean there are no dangers
of dehydration. Just drink in
moderation, maybe a gulp or two before exercise, some more during if you
feel you need it, and the same afterwards.
Commonsense really.
If in any doubt about any of the
information covered in healthwise articles and it's relevance for you, consult your GP.
In edition 44:-
For
overactive bladders
Rushing
to the toilet could be a thing of the past with a new treatment...
Dairy
colostrum for colds & flu
This
could reduce the rates of colds and flu by up to 30%
Tooth
loss & vitamins
If
you suffer from tooth loss, check out your fruit intake
Brain
Power
If
you want to improve your brain power, take an afternoon nap
Breast
cancer prevention
More
help could be on the way
Hip
Hoorah
Imagine
havine a hip replacement and going home after 24 hours
Index to
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