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Acupuncture works
With recent news
that NSAID painkillers cause gastric bleeding and the COX-2 variety
can lead to heart problems, it’s good news for acupuncture, the
traditional Chinese painkilling method. Two separate trials published
in the Annals of Internal Medicine confirm that acupuncture does work.
Researchers found it was an effective pain reliever for people with
neck pain and also for sufferers of osteoarthritis.
In the first trial, Dr George Lewith and colleagues
at Southampton University compared genuine acupuncture with electrical
stimulation at acupuncture points on a group of 135 patients with neck
pain. Those in the genuine acupuncture group reported a 'statistically
significant' reduction in pain.
Acupuncture was also found to be effective for
osteoarthritis by Dr Brian Bergin, director of the Center for
Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
A group of 570 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee were treated
either with 26 sessions of acupuncture, or of 'sham' acupuncture where
the needles are not inserted, or had educational sessions on lifestyle
changes. The acupuncture group experienced greater improvements in
pain levels and general mobility than those in either of the other two
groups.
There’s still no ‘proof’ in the sense of knowing
why or how it works, but the tests demonstrate that acupuncture is an
effective painkiller. In some hospitals, it is available on the NHS,
so talk to your doctor if you would like to try it. Normally, around
six sessions are needed.
And so do copper bracelets
A report in the BMJ provides
medical authenticity for copper bracelets as a way to relieve the pain
of osteoarthritis. A group of 194 participants aged 45-80 years with
osteoarthritis of the hip or knee were recruited from five rural
general practices in Mid Devon.
They were divided into three groups and were
studied over a period of twelve weeks. One group was given bracelets
of full magnetic strength, the second was given bracelets with weak
magnets and the third received non-magnetic bracelets.
Most of the participants wore their bracelets for 100%
of waking hours and also continued their usual drug treatments. The
research team found evidence of a beneficial effect of magnetic wrist
bracelets on the pain of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. Even the
weak magnets produced some improvement, though the fake bracelets did
not.
The researchers are, inevitably, cautious in their
assessment (this is the British Medical Journal after all). But they
concede that the bracelets seem ‘clinically useful’. The most powerful
ones used in the study were Bioflow (with a field wrist contact
surface 170-200 mTesla if you want the technical detail). Look up
Bioflow on the internet for distributor. Cost of a bracelet is from
£30
through Ecoflow Distributor – UK.
Polarised light therapy
The use of light
for healing can be traced back as far as the Greeks and Romans, but in
modern times it was the Danish physician, Neils Finsen, who first
brought the importance of light to prominence, and was awarded the
Nobel prize in 1903.
Now, a polarised lighting device for home use is a
new way to treat leg ulcers, pressure sores, chronic pain, sinus
problems, even severe toothache. Based on the same technology as
Bioptron lights used in hospitals and clinics in many countries, the
Bioptron Compact 3 is a small, hand-held device specifically designed
for home use.
It uses 'polarised light', meaning its light waves
move on parallel planes, delivering only light that is beneficial for
healing, without any harmful UV radiation. By directing the light at
the affected area for 5-10 minutes a day, Bioptron Compact 3 can be
used to treat pain from a variety of conditions, say its makers.
It gets an endorsement from Dr Mary Dyson, tissue
healing expert and founder of the Tissue Repair Unit at Guy's Hospital
in London. She says, "The polarised light produced by the Bioptron
Compact 3 is absorbed by cells, stimulating their activity so that the
healing of injured tissue is accelerated and pain is relieved. Some of
the light is used by the mitochondria, the power packs of the cell, to
make energy-rich adenosine triphosphate (ATP), needed by cells to
power many of their activities.”
Clinical trials – on a small number of patients - show the health
benefits of polarised light. One from Sweden by K. A. Samoilova
involved 24 patients who were found to have “rapid changes of all
circulating blood cells, improved blood flow and circulation and
detoxicational blood functions” when exposed to polarised light.
Another trial investigated the role of
polarised-light therapy in the treatment of deep dermal burn wounds.
In 22 of 67 patients, doctors at the Department of Medical Computer
Science, University Hospital, Gent, Belgium, pronounced that there was
little hope for spontaneous healing and recommended surgery.
Instead, they were treated with polarised light
therapy. This resulted in significantly shorter healing time with
almost no scarring. The study concluded that polarised-light therapy
may be a valuable way of avoiding surgery in patients with deep dermal
wounds.
The Bioptron Compact 3 is not exactly a whim buy.
It is priced at RRP £197 plus VAT. But for someone with severe chronic
pain, it might be an option. Talk to your GP about it. You never know
– a hospital might offer it for a brief treatment to see if it helps.
For stockists email
glowingh@globalnet.co.uk or visit
www.bioptron.com.
Over the counter heart treatment
In the last 15
years, statins have provided a major breakthrough in the fight against
coronary heart disease and stroke, saving around 6,000 to 7,000 lives
a year. While there have been some risks associated with certain drugs
in the range, there is no doubt of their overall importance. Now there
is an opportunity for another large group of the population to
consider reducing their future risk of coronary heart disease by
identifying their own risk factors with the help of the community
pharmacist.
The switch of Zocor Heart-Pro from a
prescription-only medicine to one that is also available from
pharmacies, brings statins to a wider public. Statins are a type of
drug that effectively reduces the body's production of bad cholesterol
and thereby reduces risk of heart attack.
Zocor Heart-Pro, with a lower-dose of simvastatin, is
specifically aimed at individuals at moderate risk of heart disease,
i.e. those with a one in ten/one in seven chance of a heart attack in
the next ten years. Estimates suggest that this could mean 7.4 million
people in the UK. Individuals likely to be at moderate risk are men
aged 55 and over, and women aged 55 and over with one other risk
factor.
These risk factors are as follows:
-
being overweight
-
having a family history of early heart disease (i.e.
father/brother had heart attack/angina before age 55, mother/sister
had heart attack/angina before age 65)
-
being a smoker (current or within the last 5 years)
-
being of South Asian origin (Bangladesh, India,
Pakistan, and Sri Lanka)
Anyone at moderate risk can be easily identified by
assessing factors such as the above. A simple questionnaire has been
created for the pharmacist to use with customers for this purpose. The
scheme is supported by HEART UK and the British Heart Foundation.
Zocor Heart Pro contains 10mg of simvastatin which
can reduce 'bad' (LDL) cholesterol in the body. This in turn helps
to reduce the harmful furring-up of coronary arteries, a process
that normally increases with age and can lead to a heart attack.
Zocor Heart Pro should be taken on a long-term basis to reduce the
risk of a heart attack. Naturally, a healthy lifestyle, which
includes exercise and diet care is necessary too.
Although it is not necessary to know cholesterol
levels before starting to take Zocor Heart-Pro, cholesterol testing
can be useful to show the effects the product is having. You might
want to discuss your health situation with your doctor, and possibly
have a test. It is also possible that this low-dose statin might be
available on prescription.
Recommended retail price of Zocor Heart-Pro is
£12.99 for 28 tablets and it is widely available in pharmacies
throughout the country.
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Food Dye Warning
The Food Standards Agency is advising people not to
eat foods that have been inadvertently contaminated with an illegal
dye, Sudan I. This dye was in a batch of chilli powder used by
Premier Foods to manufacture a Worcester sauce, which was then used
as an ingredient in a wide range of products.
If people have any at home they are advised not
eat them and to contact the store they bought them from for a
refund. A list of affected foods is provided at
www.food.gov.uk/sudanlist and will be updated as further
information becomes available.
Breast cancer drug
A new drug, Arimidex, has been found to dramatically improve survival
chances of older women. It is considered superior to Tamoxifen,
currently the standard survival drug for women who have had breast
cancer or are at high risk of getting it.
Arimidex is for postmenopausal women only. It combats the kind of
breast cancer that thrives on the hormone oestrogen. Arimidex
suppresses an enzyme triggered by the adrenal gland which would
otherwise convert to oestrogen circulating in the body.
There are side effects, including some also associated with Tamoxifen.
In the clinical trial, the most common side effects seen include hot
flashes, joint problems, pain, nausea. Fractures (including spine,
hip, and wrist) occurred more frequently with Arimidex than with
Tamoxifen (7% as against 5%).
Nevertheless, Arimidex is now considered the drug of choice. It slows
the growth of advanced cancer within the breast, and cancer that has
spread to other parts of the body. Arimidex is also used to treat
advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women whose disease has
spread to other parts of the body following treatment with tamoxifen.
But there is a snag – the cost. Arimidex has been estimated as costing
£800-£1000 per year per patient, considerably more expensive than
Tamoxifen. So getting it on the NHS could be a problem. Discuss with
your doctor if you already take Tamoxifen or know you are at special
risk.
Sexually high and dry?
Vaginal discomfort is one of the most common problems encountered by
women during their menopause, with at least 50% of menopausal women
suffering from dryness, and even pain during intercourse.
Why does vaginal dryness occur? Oestrogen is responsible for the
plumpness and elasticity of the lining of the vagina and for the
production of the moisture from the cervix. When oestrogen levels fall
at the menopause, the vagina loses some of its elasticity, its lining
becomes thinner, and it feels dryer.
There are also fewer of the 'friendly' bacteria that help to keep the
vagina acidic. When this happens, infections such as thrush can take
hold, which cause further irritation and discomfort.
Another factor is that lubrication takes longer. The American sex
researchers Masters and Johnson showed that whereas younger women may
become sufficiently aroused for penetrative sex in as short a time as
a few seconds, menopausal women may take five minutes or more.
There are various treatments available on prescription, and also a
variety of complementary remedies. Arkopharma's Phyto Soya Vaginal Gel
is among the latter. Makers claim that their product goes further than
merely easing pain and dryness. They say that it leads to a
significant regeneration of the vaginal wall, so that the vagina
regains its suppleness and elasticity.
Phyto Soya Vaginal Gel is contained in single-dose applicators. They
need to be applied twice a week, with improvement felt after a month's
use. Arkopharma Phyto Soya Vaginal Gel is available from the
Nutri
Centre priced £10.55.
Free Bone Mass Density Testing
Currently one in three women over 50 has osteoporosis and this rate is
expected to double in the next 50 years as the average age of the
population increases. Binge-drinking among young people today may also
contribute to an increase. A recent survey found that more girls are
now binge-drinking than boys.
A high intake of alcohol, especially early in life, is associated with
‘brittle bone’ disease osteoporosis.
Bone density peaks in the mid-thirties and bone mass is lost slowly
after that point. Women’s bone mass decreases rapidly after the
menopause when oestrogen levels drop and the bone protecting-qualities
that the hormone provides are lost. Bone health in later years depends
on the development of strong bones during the formative years before
this peak.
Makers of BioCalth, a bone health supplement, will be offering free
bone mass density (BMD) tests to the public along with advice on
prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, and follow up tests during
2005.
BioCalth contains calcium L-threonate, an ingredient that works as a
‘biocarrier’ for calcium, say its makers, ensuring a 95% absorption
rate direct to the bone, unlike the 10% normally absorbed from an
average calcium supplement. It is available from Biocalth Direct on
01756 790009 or from Nutri Centre, priced at £14.99 for a month’s
supply.
Details of dates and locations for bone density checks are available
from www.biocalth.co.uk .
If in any
doubt about any of the information covered in
healthwise articles and it's relevance for you, consult
your GP.
In edition 58:-
Why do
older people fall over?
Vision plays a part
Three questions that could save a life
Could you recognise the symptoms of a stroke?
Heart attack
- self help
Surviving a heart attack until help arrives
HRT (again)
Have we heard all there is to hear about HRT? Watch this space.
And
a new drug for osteoporosis
A drug is available that combines reducing the rate of bone loss and
accelerating bone growth
Hearing
aids of the future
A whole new generation of hearing aids could be on the way
Heard the
one about GORD
Only 20% of the public have and its definitely no joke.
Hangover cure? Call it detox
Nowadays, the smart thing is not to talk about hangovers. The
key word is detox.
Relief for the bedfellow of snorers
A new
product that reduces snoring
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.
Index to all
previous Healthwise editions
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