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Laterlife Healthwise - 62
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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 62. 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. For previous articles in the healthwise series visit 'more healthwise' Don't forget to take a look at Helen's separate talkback page too. |
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If you consume three or more alcoholic drinks a day you could be at risk of a stroke. The warning comes from a long-term study of American male health professionals conducted at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Men who consume one or two drinks per day were found to be at lowest risk - same as abstainers. The three-or-more drinkers were at risk of diabetes and coronary heart disease as well as stroke. So it's not just binge-drinking that's out. Even
moderate intake is dodgy. Earlier assessment of what's safe for men,
were 21 units of alcohol per week (1 unit being a glass of wine, a
shot of spirits or half-pint of beer), but maybe that needs a rethink.
And as for women, 14 units were thought to be the upper limit, which
sounds about right for men now, so it could be even less for women.
Just keep away from those 24-hour opening pubs. The arthritis painkiller Bextra is now being withdrawn in Europe and the US because of its association with heart disease and skin reactions - yet another treatment discovered to have dangerous side effects, along with Vioxx. The two are from a class of drug known as Cox-2 inhibitors. Ibuprofen is a related drug. But there are others in this category that may be considered safer. Anyone taking them should get to their doctor to talk about alternatives. Glucosamine and chondroitin are complementary remedies
with a respectable body of evidence backing up their claims to
increase cartilage and reduce pain. You can get these via the web on
the NutriCentre website,
www.nutricentre.com Nearly 1000 Italians aged over 65 were given daily supplements of vitamin C, vitamin E, betacarotene and retinol and then assessed for physical performance, with before and after comparisons. The results, published in the American Journal of Nutrition, were pretty impressive. The group were assessed for walking speed, ability
to rise from a chair, standing balance and knee extension. Vitamin C
and betacarotene were significantly associated with knee extension and
physical performance, suggesting that taking these antioxidant
vitamins has a positive effect on body strength.
Extracts of horse-chestnut seed can be just as good as compression stockings for varicose veins, according to a report in the Lancet. Patients with varicose veins received the seeds or a placebo or compression stockings in a trial involving 240 people. Over a period of twelve weeks, effectiveness was measured by a machine measuring the volume of fluid in the leg. After three weeks the volume decreased by over 50 ml in those taking the seeds or using the compression stocking, while those on the placebo had an increase of fluid by nearly 10 ml. Horse chestnut seed extracts have anti fluid-retention and anti inflammatory properties. Quest Vitamins sell the the extract, and you can order them via the NutriCentre website www.nutricentre.com
For anyone with a disability, there is a Sex and Disability helpline run by an organisation called Outsiders: 0707 499 3527.
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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Women in the UK tend to live five years longer than men. Yes, they do go to the doctor more often, and take symptoms more seriously. But researchers at John Moores University in Liverpool have found a more scientific reason. A study of men and women aged 18 to 70 showed that a healthy woman of 70 has a heart that performs as well as it did when at the age of 20, whereas a man's heart loses up to a quarter of its power over the same period. If men take regular exercise, however, they do as well as women. Those between 50 and 70 in another study were found to have hearts has healthy as any 20-year-old male. But women should not get too complacent. They tend to develop heart problems about 10 years later than men, and also need exercise to avoid artery stiffness and increased blood pressure in later life.
UPDATE ON PRODUCTS CONTAMINATED WITH PARA RED
In edition 61:- n edition 61 of healthwise Helen covers 13 new topics: Early screening for breast cancer works for all age groups Last year, over 11,000 women had breast cancer detected and treated quickly thanks to the NHS breast screening programme. For many years, doctors and researchers in the UK have used the Yellow Card Scheme to report side effects of drugs. Read what`s new for this scheme. Costing less to call the doctor From this month, National and Premium Rate Phone Numbers are banned, thus protecting patients from paying over the odds to call local NHS healthcare services. The NHS is planning to supply a new breed of doctors trained in all aspects of Sports & Exercise Medicine. If you need to avoid dairy products, or go easy on meat and cut down on fats, you might want to consider tofu. Arnica makes it as a painkiller It is claimed that Arnica Gel is as effective as ibuprofen for osteoarthritis of the fingers. The therapeutic value of magnets is gaining respect in the medical world. Good news and bad news for patients taking NSAIDs If you live in England and have an E111 form, entitling you to free or reduced-cost healthcare in EU countries, you should know that it’s probably out of date. Green tea can boost athlete’s endurance by nearly a quarter... A new natural remedy for warts and veruccas is on the market. Trying to keep to the healthy limit of 6gram salt intake per day isn’t simply a matter of what you add to your food. Nine websites dedicated to health matters..
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.
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Visit our Product section too: Health and Beauty in laterlife where we have selected a small range of Health stores where you can buy products online. Between them they cover the spectrum of traditional and alternative health products and therapies that you might be interested in. For more information on Health and Health related matters visit our Health section
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