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By admin, March 15, 2010 12:53 pm

Doctors of Western medicine may ask you to stick out your tongue so they can look down your throat. Doctors of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), on the other hand, find your tongue itself to be of great interest. To the skilled eye of a TCM practitioner, the topography of the human tongue is more than a collection of tiny crevasses and multi-hued surfaces — it reveals nutritional deficiencies, flags the presence of infection and also identifies strengths and constitutional weaknesses that can bring on health challenges.

Tongue Diagnosis made easy.

Tongue Tells All

I recently spoke with Maoshing Ni, DOM, PhD, LAC, author of Secrets of Self Healing and a licensed acupuncturist and doctor of Oriental medicine who cofounded Yo San University in Los Angeles. He told me that for more than 5,000 years Chinese medicine has consistently used tongue diagnosis as a fully developed system of assessing health. “The shape, color and movement of tongue body, color, and the texture of the coating all are indicative of body function and pathology,” Dr. Ni explained. “For example, a healthy person should possess a pink tongue body with very little coating. In general, having a red tongue would mean hyperfunctioning (an overreactive system, prone to agitation, fast metabolism and overheating) and a pale tongue hypo-functioning.” A tongue with a yellow coating usually indicates the presence of a bacterial infection elsewhere in the body, while a white coating can be a sign of a fungal infection/mucus condition that sometimes leads to thrush.

Dr. Ni said there are many other specific nuances that a trained professional looks for in tongue diagnosis and that there are other factors that may influence the appearance of your tongue — beyond what you’ve recently put in your mouth — including age, the time of day and season of the year.

Map of the Tongue

The ancient Chinese concept of energy channels, or meridians, is at the core of tongue analysis, just as it is with acupuncture and reflexology. Different parts of the tongue are associated with different body systems and organs. Dr. Ni explained that if you were to look at a diagram of your tongue with the tip in the southern position and the back of it in the north, your organs would be represented in these areas:

• Tip of tongue: Heart
• Just behind the heart area: Lungs
• Center of tongue: Spleen and stomach
• Back of tongue: Kidney, bladder and intestines
• Sides of tongue, running from front to back: Liver and gallbladder

Changes in color, coating, appearance, etc., are reflective of issues in the corresponding organs. Extensive research in modern-day China has confirmed this ancient knowledge, Dr. Ni told me.

Are you Sharp-Tongued?

The shape of your tongue, as well as the way it moves, also may reveal your personality tendencies. “For example,” said Dr. Ni, “a narrow, sharply shaped tongue that moves quickly and with agility indicates someone who is impatient and tends toward anger and flying off the handle — people with this tongue presentation are more likely to be Type A. A more lethargic and flabby, swollen tongue that moves sluggishly indicates a person may be more withdrawn, tired and melancholic.” If you want to try to glean some information from your tongue, take a look at the Web site Beyond Well Being, which provides a guided self-diagnosis (http://beyondwellbeing.com/herbs/tongue-diagnosis.shtml) of the tongue based on color, vein patterns, coating and basic characteristics, including cracks and fissures.

While it’s possible to examine your own tongue and make a preliminary assessment based on some common markers and characteristics, Dr. Ni cautions that it’s always best to get a thorough examination by a qualified TCM practitioner, as the nuances of color and texture can be misleading to an untrained eye. And, importantly, a TCM physician will make his/her diagnosis based not only on a tongue examination but also will perform a pulse diagnosis, and combine these assessments with other markers, including what he/she smells, hears and observes. If he/she feels it is needed, a TCM practitioner will not hesitate to order a blood test or an imaging scan if the patient’s condition calls for further confirmation.

Also, Dr. Ni cautioned that you shouldn’t try to “clean up” your tongue by tongue brushing, rinsing or scraping prior to examination by a doctor of TCM, as doing so may mask what’s to be learned. The tongue serves as a barometer for overall health, he said, noting that altering its appearance can impair the doctor’s ability to perform an accurate reading. Note, too, that a simple cup of tea or coffee may bring temporary changes as well, so it might be best to hold off till after your appointment.

Source(s):

Maoshing Ni, PhD, DOM, ABAAHP, is chairman and cofounder of Yo San University (http://www.yosan.edu) in Los Angeles, California. He is a licensed acupuncturist and doctor of Oriental medicine, and author of multiple books including Secrets of Self Healing (Avery). Dr. Ni maintains a practice at the Tao of Wellness (http://www.taoofwellness.com) in Santa Monica, California.

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By admin, March 14, 2010 12:44 pm

When it comes to health care reform, the Obama Administration is insisting that our health care system is fundamentally broken and needs drastic change. They cite the facts that nearly 50 million people are reportedly uninsured and that health care costs are soaring ever higher. They make much of the policies of insurance companies, which often deny coverage or treatment in their efforts to improve their own bottom lines.

Making a change for the better now.

But Dick Morris, past adviser to former President Bill Clinton, current political analyst to FOX News Channel and coauthor of the best-selling bookCatastrophe, which details many of the issues surrounding health care, has a different take. He says that the American health care system is the best in the world. “What other country has long lines of people waiting to get in for medical treatment?” he asks. He warns that the 1,000-plus-page health care reform bill from the House of Representatives and the Senate version introduced by Senator Max Baucus will severely hurt our health care system and will not end up providing coverage to those who need it. He says that we don’t have medical resources to provide care for the 30 million new patients projected to be covered by the House and Senate bills. He says that we need to expand the number of health care providers as we are expanding the number of patients. But, he warns, the cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates contemplated by Obama are likely to force more retirements among medical professionals and result in fewer doctors, constraining our resources still further. The political wrangling involved with the various proposals has led to fear, misinformation and a rising tide of skepticism that has exploded in town hall meetings across the country and even a march on Washington, DC.

I asked Morris to explain the truth behind some of the hot-button issues in order to separate myth from reality…

Issue: Health care coverage for all.
Fear: We’ll end up with socialized medicine — and how will we pay for that?
Reality: Though many are against the “public option” proposed in the House bill, the administration appears to be backing down on that and exploring other alternatives — and anyway, Morris told me, insurers have already agreed to halt the practice of denying coverage to those who are sick, have preexisting conditions or are at risk for illness. Under the new plan, everyone — including all the American citizens who are now uninsured — will be able to get insurance, through either a private or public option or, in the latest iteration, health care cooperatives that function like credit unions, owned and operated by their members. (However, notes Morris, since these would have to be set up by the government, they would end up serving as just another government agency in the interim until they could be organized and elections held.) “It’s not necessary to redo the entire medical-care system to accomplish the goal of insuring everyone,” Morris says. “A simple expansion of the Kassebaum-Kennedy Act passed in 1996, which bans discrimination against those with preexisting conditions when changing jobs, would suffice.”

One frequently contested issue concerns just who gets counted in the “50 million” people who are supposedly uninsured. Though this is the figure that the administration uses to describe how many “Americans” lack health insurance, Morris said, the truth is this estimate includes an estimated 10 million illegal immigrants, plus approximately nine million people with household incomes of more than $75,000/year but who choose not to buy health insurance — so in reality, the number of Americans who actually are in need of coverage is more like 31 million. “President Obama claims his bill would not cover illegal immigrants, and both the House bill and the Baucus proposal clearly exclude them,” Morris notes. “But that’s not the end of the story. Neither bill provides for citizenship or legal status verification before a person is given a subsidy. Indeed, the Democrats have explicitly rejected the idea of including provisions for verification. This opens the door to massive fraud.”

Issue: The vast majority of people are happy with their coverage.
Fear: Health care reform will make things worse for the many who don’t actually “need” reform.
Reality: Several polls, including those done by the Kaiser Family Foundation and FOX News, report that approximately 80% of Americans are happy with their current plan and the health care they receive. Morris adds that other polls, including one done by Rasmussen, suggest that nearly half of Americans believe the quality of their personal care under proposed changes will get worse… so, he asks, why do we need broad “reform”? Doesn’t it make more sense to just figure out a way to cover the 31 million Americans who need health care coverage?

Also, the President has said repeatedly that Americans who like their private health insurance coverage would be able to keep it. However, that’s only if they stay at their current jobs and their employer continues to offer the same private insurance coverage. The House bill sets standards for acceptable health care coverage, specifically delineating essential benefits and permissible co-payments, and allows small businesses the option of deciding which insurer their employees should use. This means that employers will shop for the cheapest coverage and may force their employees to change plans. Of course, Morris notes, they do this now, so we have limited control over our own insurance anyway.

Issue: Increased demand will lead to doctor shortages.
Fear: Covering these many millions of currently uninsured people (including illegal immigrants) places excessive demands on the health care system.
Reality: This is the biggest issue of the proposal, says Mr. Morris, because insuring more people will inevitably lead to greater need for services. Cost-effective solutions to this problem must be a part of the plan. “With no expansion in the number of doctors or nurses or even licensed alternative practitioners, there will be a shortage of doctors’ time and medical equipment,” says Morris. “Large numbers of patients will get treatment, but at the cost of quality and availability of care to each one.”

Issue: Health care reform will cost more than $1 trillion over a decade — where will the money come from?
Fear: Drastic cuts to Medicare will affect care available to the elderly.
Reality: The Senate bill provides that $500 billion of the approximately $900 billion price tag will come from cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. The administration says they really aren’t cuts but rather reductions in the program’s growth. Morris disagrees, “A cut in the projected growth of a plan is a cut in the program.” Obama also says that the cuts will not reduce patient benefits but will only eliminate “fraud and abuse.” Morris points out that administration officials have indicated that cuts in reimbursements to doctors and hospitals are likely — and that this will lead to shorter doctor visits and a reduction in the quality of care. He also notes that the bills vest the power to cut Medicare and Medicaid in a board within the executive branch, so these cuts would not be subject to legislative amendment, only to an up or down vote in their entirety which must be cast within 60 days, as was the case in the closing of military bases. It is designed, he says, “to ram through cuts without letting the elderly protest them.”

The rest of the money to pay for health care reform comes from a tax on health insurance premiums. Currently, the Baucus Bill provides that the tax will be triggered by policies with premiums above $8,000 per person — and the Congressional Budget Office estimates that 10% of all plans now fall into this category. But, Morris notes, “The $8,000 figure is not indexed for inflation, let alone for medical inflation, which usually is twice as rapid.” Therefore, says Morris, it will increasingly cover more and more families “just like the Alternative Minimum Tax, which started as a levy only on the rich.” Indeed, by the time the bill takes effect in 2013, the number of people subject to the tax would likely be far greater than the current 10% estimate. The tax in the Baucus Bill would be 35%. So a policy that now calls for $8,000 premiums would rise to $10,800. Morris calls this “a tax on the middle class.”

Issue: Helping the uninsured.
Fear: The legislation requires tens of millions of people to buy insurance even though they don’t have the money to pay for it — because it does not provide adequate subsidies to make it affordable.
Reality: The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the average person who is currently uninsured and not eligible for Medicaid will have to pay between 15% and 20% of income in premiums, deductibles and copayments under the Baucus Bill before subsidies kick in, or face very heavy punitive fines. But what about the many who now lack insurance but really only want catastrophic coverage, which is not an acceptable alternative under either bill? Only full coverage will satisfy the requirement. “This bill is funded by taxing middle-class health insurance, cutting Medicare and penalizing the uninsured and forcing them to buy policies that they may not want or need — all to get revenue to pay for the plan,” Morris points out.

Issue: Health care costs are exorbitant and must be controlled.
Fear: Cost-cutting measures will lead to lower quality of care and will eliminate choices for patients and doctors.
Reality: A key factor in the escalating costs of health care is that doctors are forced to practice “defensive medicine,” ordering every possible test to rule out every possible diagnosis in the event that the outcome is poor and the patient or family decides to file a suit. This is an issue that needs to be addressed with tort reform, says Morris. For example, he cites the recent request by the administration of the insurance industry to stop paying for C sections when they are not necessary, without providing a clear definition of what “necessary” means. As Morris points out, “OB-GYN doctors often have to perform C sections to avoid being liable for bad outcomes in natural childbirth.” Until this concern is alleviated, he says, cuts in the cost of care are just not possible.

Issue: Determining who gets care and who does not.
Fear: Rationing of health care will disproportionately affect the elderly and terminally ill.
Reality: In determining who will receive care and who won’t, medical professionals will be encouraged to apply the QALY system (Quality-Adjusted Life-Years), a statistical analysis that uses cost of treatment and remaining quality years of life to reach a conclusion. There is great concern that assessments such as these will diminish the importance of the remaining days and years in the lives of the elderly and, as Morris says, “condemn them to infirmity, pain and an earlier death than might otherwise be their fate.”

Issue: Reducing wasteful spending at end of life.
Fear: The plug will get pulled on grandma.
Reality: One of the most emotionally charged issues concerning health care reform has centered on the provision authorizing Medicare to pay doctors for voluntary end-of-life counseling about living wills, hospice care and other issues. This is, in theory, an excellent idea since research has shown that providing such counseling improves quality of life for both patients and family members, but, as Morris points out, in practice this may not be as successful as proponents might hope. And the big question is, does government even belong in the business of personal choice and legal advice?

Morris notes that there is an increasing focus on end-of-life care for the elderly. As we’ve written previously in Daily Health News (see November 18, 2008, issue), there is more and more evidence that quantity of care doesn’t correlate with quality of care — The Dartmouth Atlas of Care study found that regions where older patients received costlier and more aggressive care in the last few years of life did not have lower mortality. In fact, in some cases, patients even die slightly sooner, on average.

However, Morris cautions that in the hands of a cost-conscious medical administrative board within the government, this could be a slippery slope. Inevitably this will lead to situations where an individual is unable to get health care that he/she would benefit from because broad rules are being applied. Of course, the removal of the end-of-life counseling from the bill makes no difference anyway, Morris adds. “The incentive to economize and the need to dole out scarce resources will remain and will serve to curb end-of-life treatment for the elderly.”

Dick Morris’s Blueprint for Change

“Taken together, President Obama’s decision to cut the Medicare budget and to expand insurance coverage to 50 million new patients without any new doctors or nurses will significantly impact health care for those 80% who are satisfied with their current health care coverage… and not for the better. The high cost of medical care should not be accepted as a fact of life. Truly effective health care reform must lower costs, trim unnecessary spending and address tort reform,” says Morris. “The biggest danger is that Congress will be motivated to pass something in order to be able to say they did it — but in rushing it through will end up with a pile of compromises that do nothing to improve health care. In that case, nobody wins.”

Source(s):

Dick Morris, past adviser to former President Bill Clinton, political analyst to FOX News Channel and coauthor of the best-selling book Catastrophe (Harper).www.dickmorris.com.

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By admin, March 13, 2010 10:38 am

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria presents a medical conundrum — while the gut bacteria has been implicated in ulcers and stomach cancer, it also seems to confer protection against other health problems, including esophageal cancer. What’s a person to do? One helpful strategy might be to eat broccoli sprouts. It seems they are a natural way to help maintain H. pylori at a level that is helpful, not harmful.

The benefits of broccoli sprouts and your health.

Sitting right next to the much more popular alfalfa sprouts in groceries and health-food stores, these “baby broccoli plants” are even better for you than in their grown-up form. New research from Tokyo University of Science and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine investigated how regular consumption of broccoli sprouts affected people with H. pylori infection, the frequent cause of peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. The study included 48H. pylori-infected adults who were randomly assigned to consume 70 grams a day (about two and one-half ounces) of either broccoli sprouts or alfalfa sprouts. Researchers found that after eating broccoli sprouts for eight weeks, participants significantly lowered biomarkers for H. pylori while those who ate alfalfa sprouts did not show this benefit.

Jed W. Fahey, ScD, a faculty research associate in the department of pharmacology and molecular sciences, was a study coauthor. He told me that the active component against the bacterium is a phytochemical called sulforaphane. This natural substance induces and boosts some of the body’s protective anti-inflammatory enzymes and also has antibiotic properties particularly effective against some strains of H. pylori. Broccoli sprouts are a much more potent source of sulforaphane than is even the freshest broccoli, Dr. Fahey said.

A dietary source to combat H. pylori is excellent news for many people. Estimates are that as many as 50% of Americans harbor the bacteria, though they don’t always have symptoms. However, when the H. pylori runs rampant and causes infection, treatment can be tough — typically it involves taking two different antibiotics simultaneously, often in addition to a bismuth preparation or an acid-suppressing protein-pump inhibitor. The end result of all this is, quite often, yet another ulcer — and, in about 20% of patients, it doesn’t even solve the problem.

Broccoli sprouts offer a natural alternative and an easy and tasty way to combat H. pylori. Note, however, that the protective effect fades if you stop eating the sprouts, so you should eat broccoli sprouts regularly (two to three times a week). Dr. Fahey points out that they keep for several days in the refrigerator and are wonderful in salads, sandwiches and wraps.

Source(s):

Jed W. Fahey, ScD, faculty research associate, department of pharmacology and molecular sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

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By admin, March 12, 2010 9:33 am

Our contributing medical editor, Andrew L. Rubman, ND, has been vocal about his enthusiasm for the trace element selenium for years — including defending this important antioxidant mineral against research that seemed (wrongly, in his view) to link it to diabetes. Along with others, he was unsurprised by new research showing it to be valuable in the fight against assorted cancers including lung, colon and prostate. Beyond cancer, studies show that selenium also appears to stimulate the immune response in general and contributes to the health of the thyroid gland.

See the benefits of selenium

There’s still lots to learn about selenium, but we do know it’s complicated. To find out more about what these research findings mean to you, I called selenium expert Julian Spallholz, PhD, professor in the department of food and nutrition at Texas Technology University (Lubbock). He affirmed that selenium is vitally important as a cofactor both for antioxidant enzymes and in 25 vital human proteins that cannot function without it. Though the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for adults is 55 mcg/day, whether or not an individual gets enough from dietary sources depends on how much selenium normally exists in the soil in your region and/or where your food (plant- and animal-based) originates. Parts of the US and much of Europe are known to have low levels of selenium, while other areas — notably the Midwest and Western states, including Colorado, Texas, Nebraska, Utah, Montana and Northern Arizona — have more. (Note: A selenium country-wide map can be found athttp://tin.er.usgs.gov/geochem/doc/averages/se/usa.html.)

While symptoms of selenium deficiency are up for debate (possibly including muscle weakness, and immune, digestive and respiratory disorders) what’s known for sure is that severe deficiency causes several terrible diseases. In particular, in regions of Asia, where the levels of dietary selenium are as low as 10 mcg a day or less, people may be affected by Keshan disease, which harms the heart, and Kashin-Beck disease, which attacks the joints.

Advice on supplementation is far from simple — it’s not as easy as taking a daily pill and being done with it. Taking too much can be dangerous, though Dr. Spallholz said that the 200 mcg/day used in studies is considered well within the safe range. Even in the same region, different people will have different requirements. Dr. Rubman told me that while he often prescribes selenium to his patients for a variety of symptoms, he always adjusts dosage and duration for each patient individually.

Selenium Benefits

A believer in the immune-boosting qualities of selenium, Dr. Rubman has used it to fight skin lesions in a teenage boy caused by the resistant bacterium MRSA. Suspecting a selenium deficiency, in part because of his tendency toward dry skin and dandruff (possible indications of low levels), Dr. Rubman prescribed a liquid form (selenious acid) to be taken orally, along with other supplements to maximize his immune functions, along with a topical form of selenium. Symptoms improved in days and within a few months the lesions were gone.

Even the toxicity of selenium has a useful aspect — Dr. Spallholz told me that he’s been involved in development of several drugs using it as an experimental coating to prevent bacteria from growing on orthodontic braces and bands. It’s easy to see it might also have the potential to protect hospital catheters from bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant ones, as well.

Going forward, I believe that we will be hearing much more about selenium as a cancer-fighting and immune-boosting nutrient. In the meantime, both Dr. Spallholz and Dr. Rubman advise taking a high-quality multivitamin that contains selenium. Dietary selenium is available through grains grown in selenium-rich soil and also from Brazil nuts, as well as from seafood and animal products, including eggs and dairy. That advice, at least, is easy enough to understand and the health benefits that may follow make it well worth doing, in my view.

Source(s):

Julian Spallholz, PhD, professor in the RHIM Department, Nutritional Sciences division at Texas Technology University, Lubbock.

Andrew L. Rubman, ND, medical director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut. www.naturopath.org.

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By admin, March 11, 2010 1:25 pm

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter manufactured in the brain that has a major impact on mood, learning, appetite and sleep… right? Yes, insofar as it goes… but once again digestion expert Andrew L. Rubman, ND, wants us to know there is more to the story. It turns out that 5% or less of the body’s serotonin is made in the brain, while 95% is manufactured in the gut. Not only that, new research has also found that this gut-derived serotonin, which is different than that manufactured in the brain, plays a major role in bone formation. Yet again we learn, everything in the body relates to everything else.

Understand the connection between bones and serotonin

I sat down with Dr. Rubman to learn more about what these findings mean to our health — physical as well as emotional — since most people equate serotonin with mood and not much else. He made no bones about his hopes that the finding will be used to help improve overall health, not just as the rationale for development of a new anti-osteoporosis drug.

About the Research

Interestingly, this particular research finding was an incidental one. Researchers at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons happened upon the link between serotonin and bone density while studying the role of the Lrp5 gene in one form of osteoporosis. Working primarily with mice, they set out by introducing genetic mutations that reduced production of the Lrp5 gene in the gut. This caused higher than normal levels of gut serotonin and also low bone mass. Next they introduced a mutation that increased Lrp5 activity, which resulted in lower levels of gut serotonin and denser bones. The investigators were surprised to find that Lrp5 regulates the production of serotonin in the gut. Further research is needed to confirm and expand upon these results, which were published in the November 28, 2008, issue of Cell.

Dr. Rubman applauds this research, being hailed as a landmark study, for confirming what had previously only been suspected, but notes that many blanks need to be filled in. For instance, will altering the levels of gut-produced serotonin turn out to affect mood, even indirectly? What happens to digestion if you manipulate the process of serotonin production in the gut? Are there other factors not yet identified that will be affected by taking such action? Is there a natural cycle we don’t yet understand?

Serotonin Smoothes Life

In reality, the extent to which life’s bumps are smoothed out is affected by how much serotonin is manufactured in the gut as well as the brain, says Dr. Rubman, noting that inevitably the function of the digestive tract impacts the central nervous system and therefore, the brain. “We always need to look at the community of influence,” he said, pointing out that a well-known example of this is irritable bowel syndrome, which is linked with emotional aspects as well as digestive ones. Tinkering with the production of serotonin in the gut may indeed someday lead to new solutions to one problem — preventing osteoporosis — but before that is set in motion, we must understand more about what else will happen too.

One thing that is known is that gut-produced serotonin does not cross the blood-brain barrier (as SSRI class drugs do), and so is not directly related to that manufactured by the brain. But Dr. Rubman reminds us that this does not mean it doesn’t play a role in stress. For example, think about that queasy feeling you get in your stomach before making a speech or opening your credit card bill. Both kinds of serotonin — that produced in the gut as well as that produced in the brain — help soothe this type of stress by contributing to our ability to maintain equanimity in the face of challenges.

Look at the Big Picture

The best strategy to promote health and suppress disease processes is to enhance normal function, observes Dr. Rubman, adding that this research is a good illustration of why, whenever and wherever possible, this should be accomplished without the assistance of medication. It’s like that old children’s song about how all the bones connect to one another — but in this case, the bone turns out to be connected to everything else in the body, too.

Source(s):

Andrew L. Rubman, ND, medical director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut. www.naturopath.org.

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By admin, March 10, 2010 2:12 pm

In-flight medical emergencies are now more common than ever, with nearly two billion people flying each year, including many older people with chronic illnesses such as heart and lung disease. More sophisticated aircraft make extended flights of 18 hours or longer more available, which can intensify conditions that could cause problems while also increasing the amount of time people are out of reach of medical care. Since one out of every seven in-flight medical emergencies requires diversion, it’s important to realize that flying when it might not be safe for you not only endangers your health — but also can affect everyone else on your flight.

Can you fly?

Mark A. Gendreau, MD, senior staff physician and vice chair of Emergency Medicine at Lahey Clinic Medical Center and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Massachusetts, has studied this problem, publishing his findings in the February 19, 2009, online edition of The Lancet. He explained some of the risks and offered advice on air travel for people with medical conditions.

People who already have health problems are more vulnerable to the environmental and physiological changes associated with air travel. The most common in-flight emergencies are neurological (ranging from fainting to seizure to stroke), respiratory and cardiac emergencies. If you have any known medical problems, Dr. Gendreau advises consulting your doctor about whether it is safe for you to fly — most especially if it is a long flight.

If You’ve Had Recent Surgery

People who have undergone surgery within three weeks of air travel can face a variety of increased risks. Circulation is affected by long periods of sitting. Blood begins to pool in the calves, raising the risk of potentially fatal blood clots (deep-vein thrombosis or DVT). Risk is higher on flights longer than eight hours.

Reduced cabin air pressure causes gases in the body to expand by as much as 30%, which can lead to abdominal cramping, particularly if you already have a digestive disorder or have undergone abdominal surgery. In rare cases, it has even caused stitches in surgical incisions to open.

Following surgery, to be on the safe side…

• Wait at least two to three weeks to fly. If you must fly sooner, discuss possible precautions with your surgeon.
• Be sure you’re fit enough to fly. According to Dr. Gendreau, you should be able to walk about 160 feet or climb a flight of stairs without experiencing chest pain or getting out of breath.
• Wear graduated compression stockings. Available at pharmacies, these stockings keep blood moving in your lower legs. They’re also a good idea if you are pregnant or obese, have varicose veins, smoke or take birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy.
• Sit on the aisle. An aisle seat allows you to stretch your legs and get up and walk around the plane more easily.
• Do seat exercises. When seated, perform simple exercises such as rotating your ankles or alternately pointing your heel and toe. Take advantage of foot rests and change position frequently.
• Stay hydrated. To reduce dehydration, which increases risk of developing blood clots, drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol and caffeine.
• Wear loose and comfortable clothing. Avoid tight pants and other snugly fitted garments, especially around the waist and lower extremities (excluding graduated stockings).

If You Have Heart or Lung Disease

Reduced oxygen levels are also problematic for people with cardiac or pulmonary problems, such as an uncontrolled heart rate, heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Dr. Gendreau told me that nearly one in five passengers with COPD experiences at least mild respiratory distress during flights, due to reduced oxygen coupled with low humidity. The post-surgery tips above also hold true for those with chronic medical conditions like these, says Dr. Gendreau. Additional precautions include…

• If you have COPD or an acute episode of asthma, don’t fly until it is under control. If you have fluid in your lungs, an uncontrolled heart rate, heart failure or pulmonary infection, ask your physician whether it is safe for you to fly.
• Discuss possible supplemental oxygen requirements with your physician. Before traveling, if necessary, get a statement of need and a prescription for compressed supplemental oxygen from your physician. Be sure to give the airline this information when you book your ticket — and be aware that the law requires they make necessary accommodations.

Although the aircraft ventilation system is designed to minimize the spread of infection, the truth is that germs can still spread in an aircraft cabin. Their low humidity dries out the mucous membranes in the mouth and nose that normally act as a natural barrier to disease-causing microbes. Even healthy people can leave the plane with an impending case of the sniffles courtesy of an ill seatmate — it’s of even greater concern if you are undergoing cancer treatment, taking immunosuppressant medications or have HIV.

Also practice good hand hygiene. Contagious microorganisms get into our bodies when we touch our eyes, nose or lips with our hands, notes Dr. Gendreau. He recommends bringing aboard an alcohol-based hand wash gel — use it before eating (whether at the airport or on the plane)… after boarding… whenever returning to your seat from the lavatory (even if you’ve washed your hands)… and after leaving the airport.

American air travelers can feel confident that US consumer safety mandates are the best in the world, says Dr. Gendreau. Federal regulations require commercial aircraft in the US to carry emergency medical kits and an automated external defibrillator (AED). For international travel, carefully check the policies of individual airlines before booking your ticket.

Source(s):

Mark A. Gendreau, MD, senior staff physician and vice chair, Emergency Medicine, Lahey Clinic Medical Center, assistant professor of emergency medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Burlington, Massachusetts.

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By admin, March 9, 2010 12:15 pm

For thousands of years, countless cultures and spiritual traditions have relied on rituals of cleansing and detoxification to purify body, mind and spirit, but with the advent of food production as big business our current culture has completely abandoned these simple practices. Now a growing number of conscious leaders and holistic health practioners have begun to study the destructive effects of our poor quality food and soil. They also speak out about the excessive eating habits of our industrialized society and advocate our return to these simple cleansing rituals.

Improve your body and soul

It’s time to turn back to Mother Earth and to synch our heart beats together as one.

I believe that everyone can benefit from a cleanse at least once in their life! If you have any of these symptoms: skin breakouts, frequent colds, allergies, muddled thinking, weight gain, exhaustion, constipation or difficulty digesting food, a body cleanse can especially benefit you.

Or if you are tired of being dependent on sugar or caffeine to energize you and you want to tap into the infinite power source of your Soul then you’re ready for a cleanse!

Here are my favorite reasons for cleansing.

1. A cleanse can be a profound turning point in your relationship with food (it was for me). When you break from foods that you know do not support you for a period of time, it can loosen their negative grip on you. This results in feeling more powerful and confident in your body.

You can let go of unhealthy food cravings and bad habits and never crave them again. I know this is true because every time I cleanse I have intense cravings for particular foods. For example, during one of my first cleanses, I had been eating processed protein bars every day. During the cleanse I stopped eating them. I craved them like crazy, then once the cleanse was over I had one and was disgusted by the artificial-ness of it.

Taking a break from unhealthy food you know doesn’t support your body and spirit can break you free from the power of unhealthy habits and cravings and give you the confidence and trust in your body to not eat them any more.

2. Cleansing can add years to your life by restoring your internal organs and moving toxins out of your body.The time you spend cleansing will rest your digestive system so that your liver, kidneys and lymphatic system can move the toxins and accumulated waste out of your body. This process enables the body to rid itself of excess weight, prevent disease and bring overall balance to the body.

3. My favorite part about cleansing is the spiritual awakening that may occur in the absence of using food to stuff our emotions or habitual food cravings we can be present to our Spirit and gain total clarity and vision.

While breaking from unhealthy and habitual foods the body may have cellular memories of past emotions and experiences.When you rid the body of these old memories and emotions, space for new intentions, dreams and visions is created. It clears the space so that your Spirit can talk to you. While cleansing it’s possible to feel an intense high, unbounded energy, clarity and radiance.

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By admin, March 8, 2010 4:04 pm

If you’ve ever wanted to get rid of cellulite you are not alone! I think every Western woman on the planet has had this thought cross her mind at least once in her lifetime.

Cellulite–also lovingly called “cottage cheese”–is fat cells that have bulged through cell walls into the skin’s middle layer, where they pull on connective tissue to create an unattractive, dimpled skin surface.

To repair cellulite, you need to strengthen and hydrate your body’s cells and the connective tissue in your body.

Here’s what will help:

1. Nourish your body with an abundance of real, whole, organic foods from the earth. This means eating lots of fruits, greens and sea weed (think sushi.)

2. Avoid toxins like junk food, diet soda, processed food, excessive alcohol and cigarettes.

Drink water to improve your skins health.

3. Drink an abundance of filtered water to hydrate and flush out toxins. Eight to ten glasses a day are recommended.

4. Use a dry skin brush daily, preferably before bathing. This simple and affordable technique stimulates blood andlymph flow, removes dead skin cells and encourages new cell growth. I’ve done this for years, it keeps my skin radiant and beautiful! Purchase one at your local health food store for around $8.

5. Exercise your body every day to stimulate your lymphatic system. Try rebounding on a mini trampoline, yoga, brisk walking or swimming.

6. Start a cellulite loving ritual. Gently massage your cellulite with a mixture of almond or coconut oil and few drops of lavender, lemon and peppermint essential oil every day. Breathe and think loving, accepting, positive thoughts as you massage the oils into your skin.

7. Finish your daily shower with a cold rinse to tone your skin, refresh and energize your body and soul! I do this every day and I love it!

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By admin, March 5, 2010 2:27 pm

Chocolate is one of those items many love but are worried that it is unhealthy for them. You will be happy to learn that not all chocolate is bad for you and some can actually help your health out if ate in the right amounts.

Healthy chocolate is out there...

It seemed too good to be true when studies began to tell us, seven or so years ago, that dark chocolate actually is healthy… but since then additional research has made the claims sweeter yet. Cacao beans, the base of chocolate, contain flavonoids (antioxidant-containing plant pigments) that make the antioxidants in dark chocolate nearly eight times as abundant as those in strawberries, which are themselves considered an excellent source. And then we learned that cacao beans help lower blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol and that they can increase levels of serotonin, a natural antidepressant, as well.

With all that going for chocolate, it’s not surprising that there’s now a wide array of “healthy” chocolates for sale pretty much everywhere, from bustling national supermarkets to tiny, Zen-like health-food stores. Soon you will even be able to buy camel-milk chocolate, said (of course) to have health benefits unique to its unusual source. But what makes the difference between a healthful piece of chocolate and just a fattening indulgence? I called über nutritionist and weight-loss expert Joy Bauer, MS, RD, CDN, regular contributor to the “Today” show and author of several books, including her newest, Your Inner Skinny, to ask the question.

Healthy Chocolate

Bauer says the only way to be sure you are getting a reasonable amount of flavonoids in chocolate is to select those containing at least 70% cacao, noting that the health value escalates the higher that percentage climbs. She said that milk chocolate — including the camel-milk variety — can’t compete in the healthy sweepstakes, since the added milk reduces the body’s ability to absorb the antioxidants in cacao. Bauer gave a thumbs down to the heart-shaped boxes of Valentine’s chocolates that have those creamy or caramel centers — these are very heavy on sugar and should definitely be left in the box, she says. On the other hand, “mix-ins” made of nuts and berries are good. As for white chocolate — it isn’t a true chocolate and, not surprisingly, contains almost no flavonoids.

If you are looking for a healthy dark chocolate, Bauer says you don’t have to pay up for a premium brand. While upscale brands use very high-quality cacao beans and are “incredibly delicious,” she says that the health benefit is about the same no matter the price, noting this is true of mass-produced brands, such as Hershey’s and Dove (which is owned by M&M/Mars), and mid-priced brands, such as Lindt or Ghirardelli. And it must be said… allchocolate contains lots of calories along with the flavonoids — averaging 150 calories per ounce, says Bauer — so it is important to enjoy it in moderation.

Source(s):

Joy Bauer, MS, RD, CDN, Today show contributor, and author of several books, including her newest, Your Inner Skinny (William Morrow Cookbooks).

Take the time to look through all your meal options and get exactly what you want. Make sure that you include one of the Medifast Coupons so that you can get a great discounted price on your next Medifast Diet Plan.

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By admin, March 4, 2010 2:16 pm

It sounds very serious when you hear that someone “needed” a blood transfusion. According to research I’ve recently read, what necessitates a transfusion varies dramatically from one hospital to the next. That’s surprising enough, but I also learned that receiving a transfusion of someone else’s blood lowers immunity to the point that it doubles the likelihood that a patient will suffer infection in the hospital.

Dangers of blood transfusions

I called Neil Blumberg, MD, director of the Transfusion Medicine/Blood Bank at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, to learn more. With an estimated five million Americans receiving blood transfusions each year, it seems to me that this is something we need to know more about.

Transfusion Impacts Your Immune System

Now that strict safety rules regulate the nation’s blood supply, the risk for direct infection (e.g., with the hepatitis B or C virus or HIV) from transfusions is very small, observes Dr. Blumberg — but, he said, many other serious risks persist. Though doctors don’t fully understand why, they know that transfusions dramatically affect your immune system, likely in both the short and the long term. Receiving another person’s blood increases the risk for harm to lung tissue and red blood cells and can trigger an array of allergic reactions. Also, in the immediate post-procedure period, transfusions raise the risk for bacterial infection due to decreased immune function, potential organ failure and possible clotting in key veins and arteries. These problems can lead to heart attack, stroke or deep vein thrombosis.

What Researchers Learned

To measure the health risks posed by transfusions, Dr. Blumberg and his colleagues examined the outcomes of a specific procedure that often involves a large transfusion of stored blood over two to six hours — cardiac bypass surgery. In nearly 25,000 people who underwent a cardiac bypass, they found that…

• About 30% of the variation in transfusion practices (the likelihood of whether or not a person would be transfused) was attributable to the hospital where the procedure was performed, a figure high enough that Dr. Blumberg calls it “striking.”
• Among patients who received another person’s blood, about twice as many suffered postoperative infections as did those who didn’t receive a transfusion.

Findings were published in the July 2009, issue of BMC Medicine.

Less is More

While guidelines regarding blood donation are safe and uniform, guidelines for when a transfusion is needed are imprecise, leaving doctors to make transfusion decisions based on prevailing practices at their own hospitals and on their own training and experience, rather than on scientific evidence, says Dr. Blumberg. He told me that some cardiac surgery programs transfuse almost all patients, others transfuse very few, and the rest are scattered along the spectrum in between.

One fact stands out, however — in most studies to date, fewer transfusions correlate with fewer complications and deaths in surgical patients. Dr. Blumberg believes these programs have better clinical outcomes becausethey are more conservative in their use of transfusion and have technically sophisticated surgeons who take various steps to minimize bleeding, such as using scalpels that clot blood as they cut tissue.

I also asked Dr. Blumberg about bloodless surgery, which uses new surgical techniques and equipment to minimize the use of blood and blood-related products during surgery. This was first developed in the 1960s to meet the needs of Jehovah’s Witnesses, whose religious beliefs do not permit blood transfusion, but it has since become more widely available, as its medical advantages have become apparent. In Dr. Blumberg’s opinion, the presence of a bloodless surgery program or other blood-management program at a hospital is a quality indicator, suggesting that health-care providers pay more attention to transfusion issues. This might translate to better outcomes.

The Underused Safety Measure

There is a process that can dramatically reduce the risk for infection and death in transfusion patients, yet some hospitals still don’t use it. Calledleukoreduction, it is the removal of white blood cells from donated blood. This reduces risk by lowering immunologically driven problems. An array of evidence supports the efficacy of leukoreduction, and the cost is modest. Dr. Blumberg told me that he would like to see this process made universal in every hospital.

In the meantime, if you are going to have surgery, Dr. Blumberg advises that you protect yourself by asking in advance whether you might require a transfusion. If the answer is yes…

• Ask whether the hospital uses leukoreduced blood. If the answer is no, consider looking for a different hospital. Dr. Blumberg advises having surgery at hospitals that have 100% (universal) leukoreduction of transfusion blood — meaning that all the blood for transfusions has the leukocytes removed. “It’s just too risky otherwise,” says Dr. Blumberg.
• Donate your own blood for your exclusive use. This is called autologous donation and is the safest of all ways to receive blood. You can donate your blood in advance of the scheduled surgery, or your surgeon can collect your blood just before surgery and return it to your body at the end of the procedure.

By the way, there is no evidence that receiving blood donated by family members or friends is safer than receiving blood from the national blood supply.

Source(s):

Neil Blumberg, MD, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, director, Transfusion Medicine/Blood Bank, and director, clinical laboratories, Strong Memorial Hospital and Highland Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York.

Take the time to look through all your meal options and get exactly what you want. Make sure that you include one of the Medifast Coupons so that you can get a great discounted price on your next Medifast Diet Plan.