Category: Health Conditions

Household cleaners linked to breast cancer

Study shows breast-cancer risk was highest among women who reported the most use of cleaning products and air fresheners, and was double the risk for those who reported low use of the products.

The Cape Cod Breast Cancer & Environment Study assessed the health of women in Massachusetts and found a likely link between home cleaning products and air fresheners use and breast cancer.  The researchers determined that the risk of breast cancer was highest in those women who used the products the most:  double the risk of women who used such products infrequently.

Editor’s Note: We recommend using natural house cleaners and air fresheners as these are free from chemicals and potentially hazardous products. You can get these online or at your health food store. Other natural cleaners include Murphy’s and Dr. Bronner’s cleaners which may be available in your supermarket.  Even better, and far more economically, you can use baking soda and white vinegar for almost all cleaning tasks.  Here’s a great article on cleaning your home with baking soda, white vinegar and lemon.

 

Antioxidants Can Help Protect Against Metabolic Syndrome

A diet enriched with antioxidant nutrients can help to improve insulin resistance in adults with metabolic syndrome.  Individuals with metabolic syndrome exhibit increased some or all of the following: waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose and triglycerides, and a reduction in high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.  They have a reduced ability to utilize insulin, and are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Subjects participating in the study were all placed on 1,500 calorie per diets for 3 months, but only a subgroup were provided with fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants.  All lost weight, but only those who received the antioxidant-enriched diet had significant reductions in insulin resistance.  The antioxidants were thought to have helped reduce oxidative stress, which may help protect against a number of conditions, including metabolic syndrome.

Source: https://www.lef.org/newsletter/2010/0629_High-Antioxidant-Diet-Improves-Insulin-Sensitivity-in-Obese-Men-Women.htm

Antioxidants play a vital role in the reduction of eye disease too.  Learn more about antioxidants.

Cell Phones, Airport Scanners & Radiation Exposure

People who use cell phones for at least half an hour every day over many years (ie, 10 years) have more than 33% chance of developing malignant tumors in the brain, according to a landmark 2010 study from the World Health Organization. (reported by the New York Times)

Researchers  examined the amount of radio frequency (RF) exposure cell phone users undergo in various scenarios. The findings, published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, show that older analog technology produced the highest RF levels.  Of the various digital communications networks used by cell phones CDMA networks had the lowest RF (major carriers include Sprint PCS, Verizon and Virgin Mobile) while with GSM (AT&T and T-Mobile) and TDMA  (major US carriers have left this system)  showing similar intermediate levels. Generally users are exposed to higher RF power output in rural areas.

Source: http://www.nature.com

Radiofrequency is a form of electromagnetic radiation.  The National Cancer Institute states that there is no known links between cancer risk and RF, but research is still ongoing.

Source: http://www.cancer.gov

While the debate continues, the Environmental Working Group, based in Washington, says it makes sense to chose a cellphone or wireless device with low radiation. They published a report on Cell Phones and Radiation Exposure and recommends specific makes and models.

Radiation and Airport Security Scanners

Researchers have determined that the airport security full-body scans with machines made by Rapiscan Inc. do expose the body to high levels of radiation that may contribute to cancer and other health conditions.

The travelers who are the most vulnerable are the elderly, pregnant women, and those with weak immune systems.

It should be noted that the amount of radiation exposure is no more than that received by two minutes flying at cruising altitude.  Nonetheless, those who don’t want to be screened may request a full body pat-down instead.

Researchers: University of California, San Francisco

 

Self-Awareness Training Can Ease Fibromyalgia Pain

A new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine finds that a technique designed to deal with chronic pain called “affective self-awareness” can help those suffering from fibromyalgia.

As part of the therapy, patients learn about the emotion-pain connection.  Specific techniques, including mindfulness meditation and “expressive” writing, are applied to help people recognize and deal with the emotions that may be contributing to their pain. Science recognize that fibromyalgia sufferers are more like to have experienced stressful life events, such as childhood abuse, marital problems and high levels of job stress. There is also evidence that they are relatively less aware of their own emotions and more reluctant to express their feelings, particularly anger.

Patients are also encouraged to return to any exercise or other activities that they have been avoiding due to pain.

Six months later, 46 percent of the treatment group had at least a 30-percent reduction in their pain ratings compared with scores at the outset. Twenty-one percent had a 50-percent or greater reduction.

SOURCE: link.reuters.com/bes55m

The Connection Between Gout and Diet

Gout is a painful form arthritis marked by joint inflammation that is most likely to affect older men.  Uric acid in the bloodstream has been implicated in attacks of gout.  Levels rise in men after puberty but estrogen is thought to protect many women from the condition.

Genetics is generally blamed for gout, a rich but changes to the diet can affect the course of the disease.  A poor diet without adequate fruits and vegetables and too much fat from meat can increase the risk of an attack.  Avoid foods called  purines including many organ meats, legumes and yeast.

See more about gout.

The right diet can influence all aspects of your health.  Please read more about the best sources of nutrients for eye health and overall wellness.

Blood Sugar Control & Exercise Can Slow Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy progresses more slowly when people with type 2 diabetes adhere to intensive blood sugar control rather than standard blood sugar control

Controlling diabetes makes a big difference in controlling or avoiding development of diabetic retinopathy.

Blood Sugar Control

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine asserts that retinopathy progresses at a slower rate when people with type 2 diabetes adhere to intensive blood sugar control rather than standard blood sugar control. There can be risks associated with intensive blood sugar control regimes that bring glucose levels to near-normal levels including increased the risk of death and severe low blood sugar, so patients should work closely with their doctors when considering a new treatment plan.

Source: LA Times

 Exercise

Researchers out of Old Dominion University recommend that people with type 2 diabetics should get 150 minutes of moderate to strenuous aerobic exercise to control their condition.

They remind people that medications are the second line of treatment of diabetes; exercise and a healthy lifestyle are the first line of defense.  It is possible to reduce one’s medication intake if other healthy changes are made.

Source: https://www.lef.org

 

 

Pumpkin Seed, Macular Degeneration & BPH

Macular Degeneration:

Pumpkin seed oil is rich in zeaxanthin, which protects the retina and slow the progress of macular degeneration. In 2003, the Medical Research Council Environmental Epidemiology Unit at the University of Southampton in England announced that zeaxanthin “may be far more important in preventing or stabilizing macular degeneration than previously realized.”  Learn more about zeaxanthin.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia:

When pumpkin seed is taken along with saw palmetto symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia can be reduced (BPH).   Scientists have noted that the benefit may arise from some of the contents of pumpkin seed, such as plant sterols, zinc, and  fatty acids. Learn more about benign prostate hyperplasia.

 

Common Food Additive Bromide Endangers Thyroid Function

Bromide is a common food additive and pesticide that is known to be an endocrine disruptor (exogenous substances that act like hormones in the endocrine system and disrupt the physiologic function of endogenous hormones).  It is also a halide, meaning that it competes for the same receptors that the thyroid gland uses to capture the iodine that is essential for the production of vital thyroid hormones and thus contribute to hypothyroidism. Bromide is most commonly found in the form of methyl bromide, a common pesticide used on strawberries; as brominated vegetable oil which is often added to citrus drinks and asthma inhalers; as a fire retardant in fabrics and mattresses; and as potassium bromate, a dough conditioner found in commercial bakery products and some flours.

Source: NaturalTthyroid Choices

USDA: Vitamin D And Mental Agility in Elders

New study shows seniors with higher levels of Vitamin D had better cognitive performance on the tests than those in the deficient and insufficient categories.

In a recent study of seniors ages 65-99, only 35 percent had sufficient vitamin D blood levels. Those with higher levels of Vitamin D had better cognitive performance on the tests than those in the deficient and insufficient categories, particularly on measures of “executive performance,” such as cognitive flexibility, perceptual complexity, and reasoning.

Metabolic pathways for vitamin D have been found in the hippocampus and cerebellum areas of the brain involved in planning, processing, and forming new memories. This suggests that vitamin D may be implicated in cognitive processes

The 2009 study appears in the Journals of Gerontology, Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.

Coffee & tea lower heart disease risk

Scientists in Holland report that moderate intake of tea and coffee lowers heart disease risk.

They reported that tea was more effective than coffee in this regard. People who drank  three to six cups of tea every day were 45% lower risk of heart disease compared to people who drank one cup or less and those who consumed more than six cups — had a 36% lower risk.  The size of the sample was more than 37,000 people over 11 years.

Coffee drinkers, consuming 2-4 cups of coffee daily had a 20% lower risk.  One factor as to why this risk level was not as good for coffee drinks may be that coffee drinkers are more likely to smoke than are tea drinkers.

Published: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association, 2010

Editor’s Note: We do not recommend drinking large amounts of coffee for a number of reasons including: 1) coffee is a diuretic which results in excess urination and therefore loss of nutrients, 2) coffee generates heat in the body so can contribute to heat related health conditions (glaucoma, palpitations, migraines, etc.), 2) coffee and dark tea is acidic. Excess acidity in the body can lead to excess inflammation, so is bad for people with inflammatory diseases.

Learn more about information on nutrition and heart disease.