|
|
Laterlife Healthwise - 71
| ||||||||
|
Healthwise is a regular column written especially for laterlife.com members and visitors by Helen Franks, journalist and author. Welcome to healthwise 71. 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.
|
|
It is well-known that children of parents who have had heart disease are twice as likely themselves of developing it. Now researchers reporting in the Journal of the American Association have found that brothers and sisters are another indicator. If they have the disease, your own risk of developing it increases dramatically. In a study of 2,475 participants, researchers found that those who had siblings with the disease were twice as likely themselves of developing it - the same risk factor as parents. If you had a parent or sibling who died of a heart attack (or had heart problems) when under 50 years of age, you might want to investigate further. Go to www.heartuk.org.uk to learn more about the risks and what you can do about them.
Our experience of pain is triggered in the brain. Electrochemical impulses from the body during injury or chronic pain send messages to the brain, resulting in a conscious experience of pain. The placebo effect (a dummy pill, for instance) can lessen pain intensity, as can any form of distraction. But anxiety or fear can heighten pain. And fear of pain can in the long run make us overprotective, so we might avoid exercise and end up with even more pain through lack of mobility. Now, you can retrain your brain, according to researchers at Stanford University medical school. A new type of scanner called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) shows the brain’s responses to pain. Scientists think that one day patients will actually control these responses with various mental tricks, including distraction.
Think of it as a kind of biofeedback machine (they have been used
to reduce raised blood pressure by getting the person to relax when
they witnessed their tensions increasing on a monitor). When
researchers asked patients to think of their pain as something fairly
pleasant, the patients experienced a reduction in the area of brain
activity that produced the pain.
An extreme reaction to certain foods, drugs and insect bites can be life-threatening. Immediate treatment may be needed to remove the danger of an anaphylaxis shock (as this form of extreme allergy is called), and people who know their reactions always carry appropriate antidotes. The Anaphylaxis Campaign advises members and offers information on food contaminants, for instance when some products contain nuts. The Campaign offers a telephone helpline on 01252 542029 and has a website: www.anaphylaxis.org.uk
What can you take to reduce stress besides tranquillisers or antidepressants? Herbal remedies that help include ingredients like valerian or vervain. The herbal company Potter’s produces a combination of these called Femmeherb Newrelax.
Potter’s has been making herbal medicines for almost 200 years and
works closely with the UK healthcare regulatory bodies to ensure its
products are safe and effective. Femmeherb Newrelax costs ?4.99 for 60
tablets. For stockists call Potter’s on 0191 523 6578 or visit
www.femmeherb.co.uk
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...
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.
|
|
Reducing cholesterol levels without drugs Diet alone can reduce cholesterol levels by 9%, but diet plus a new natural product called Reducol has resulted in a 24% reduction in blood cholesterol. Reducol is a plant sterol extract of pinewood, which has been launched in the UK to be blended into cholesterol-lowering spreads, yoghurts, food and drinks. Reducol was developed in Canada by Forbes Medi-Tech. Professor Peter Jones, School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Montreal, whose laboratory researched plant sterols used in Reducol, says, “There do not appear to be safety concerns with plant sterols. They appear to be extremely safe, with no long-term side effects”. Research showed that cholesterol levels would gradually fall for about 30 days when taking the sterols. Best results were in people who took them daily on a long-term basis. When they stopped, cholesterol levels rose again. The cholesterol-lowering plant sterol is available at Tesco in a new range of foods. Reducol has been approved by the European Commission and is clinically proven to significantly lower ‘bad’ cholesterol levels when used in conjunction with a low fat diet and exercise. Next time you cook with butter don’t feel guilty. And if you keep the skin on chicken pieces when you cook them, accept that the dish will not only taste better, it might be healthier. The idea that animal (or ‘saturated’) fats should be avoided because they lead to high cholesterol levels and heart disease is not set in stone. There is a fairly substantial history of research studies showing that people who consume reasonable amounts of saturated fats show no ill effects. You will be better off avoiding polyunsaturated oils and the kinds of processed fats (ie hydrogenised) found in some processed foods. It’s all a question of moderation. And don’t forget those healthy fish oils containing essential fatty acids, such as sardines, mackerel, herring.
This one is for grandparents looking after their grandchildren. Valuable early-warning signs of meningitis have been added to the accepted symptoms to look out for. The red rash that does not disappear when a glass is pressed on the skin and the stiff neck, headache, sensitivity to light that make up later signs of meningitis are being substituted with earlier signs.
Leg pains, cold hands and feet, abnormal skin colour, loss of
appetite, nausea or vomiting, fever, irritability are early signs now
identified by scientists. Since the disease progresses rapidly, the
sooner a child is seen by a GP the better. And if the symptoms get
worse, the advice is to get back to the doctor within 4 to 6 hours.
In edition 70:- In edition 70 of healthwise Helen covers 7 new topics:
NHS Direct has produced a new leaflet, Heartburn Explained
A quarterly newsletter for anyone interested in the menopause and midlife issues.
Suffering from a cold or flu? You can speed up recovery time...
A list of support groups and charities.
Are you at risk of heart attack? Check your shape.
Survival improvement for pancreatic cancer Early trial results are promising.
Dementia has perhaps come a step closer to being slowed or halted.
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.
|
The
complete family health guide
Maximise your memory
|
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
Make someones life easier.
|
|
| Back to laterlife today | |
|
|||||
|
