Archive for August, 2005
A recent study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, published through the National Academy of Sciences has found certain groups of neurons that are responsible for stress and stress-related inflamatory illnesses such as Asthma.
MRI studies have shown that these brain regions are active in the process of inflamation response to stress. Subjects were given allergens such as ragweed, then had words read to them. Some words were stressful (”loneliness”), others were neutral (”curtains”). Monitoring of lung capacity, neural activity and composition of mucus discharge demonstrated the link.
The study’s research…
“…reveals a functional link between emotion processing centers in the brain and certain physiological processes relevant to disease.
The data suggest potential future targets for the development of drugs and behavioral interventions to control asthma and other stress-responsive disorders, said the researchers.
Previous studies and clinical evidence have shown that stress and emotional turmoil adversely affect people with inflammatory diseases like asthma. And signs of inflammation have been shown to affect the brain. “
Further Reading:
MedIndia.net
WebMD
August 31st, 2005
[Today we have an article by guest author Chileshe Mwape. Thanks, Chileshe! -the Eds]
Walking for exercise is a purposeful, brisk walk specifically designed for the purpose of improving health. It is one of the best and cheapest forms of exercise. If you want to improve your general health and keep fit, or if you want to reduce your weight, walking is a good place to start.
Walking keeps you fit and helps you take off extra weight and keep it off. It’s cheap, it’s simple and almost anybody can do it. Walking has a multitude of health benefits for everyone. Here are some of its many benefits:
- Helps reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
- Lowers high blood pressure
- Helps reduce weight and body fat
- Helps reduce risk of some cancers
- Reduces anxiety and depression and improves your mood and mental well-being
- Helps control joint swelling and pain from arthritis
- Gives you more energy
- Helps you sleep better
- Helps you look better
- Improves bone density and helps reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis
- Helps those people who are recovering from a period of ill-health
Walking for exercise does not need to be strenuous to produce results. Even walking for 30 minutes a day has been reported to produce measurable benefits, even among those who are least active.
If you want to feel great, have more energy and improve your overall health, take a walk. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise and you can do it almost anywhere, anytime, and for free.
Along with its benefits to the heart, walking improves circulation, helps breathing, combats depression, bolsters the immune system, helps prevent osteoporosis, helps control weight and helps prevent and control diabetes. It’s a gentle exercise and it’s suitable if you are recovering from heart trouble, a stroke or other illness. It helps the total circulation of blood throughout the body, and thus has a direct effect on your overall feeling of health.
Remember, if you have a medical condition, are overweight, over 40 years of age or haven’t exercised regularly for a long time, check with your doctor before you start any type of exercise program.
Copyright © 2005. Chileshe Mwape writes for the JustFootball Website at: http://www.justfootball.org.uk/ which features football related articles, news and other resources.
August 30th, 2005
I have just returned from undergoing a Sleep Test. The test was conducted at the Sleep Disorder Center at the Winchester Hospital in Winchester, Massachusetts. It was interesting, frustrating and ultimately very fruitful.
I arrived shortly before 8:00 PM last night and met a very nice and helpful sleep specialist (I really never caught his precise title) who talked me through the plan for the evening. I was to fill in some forms, watch an educational video, get fitted for a (CPAP/BiPAP) sleep mask, get covered in electrodes, then go to sleep. Once I had been observed sleeping for two solid hours, I would (if necessary) put on the mask and return to sleep as they tinkered with my airflow rate. At 6:00 AM I would be woken up and by 6:30 I would be out the door.
That was the plan. Here’s a breakdown of how it all happened:
- Filled in the forms. That was easy. Some standard medical history questions, some self-evaluation of the problem I’m suffering and some questions about the extent of my daytime sleepiness.
- The video: Bland yet lacking presumptuousness. I thought the character development was a bit weak and the plot was flat. Actually it was somewhat interesting, although of the three “real-life patients” one was obviously an actor. The film explained about snoring and how it is also related to other sleep disorders less serious than Obstructive Sleep Apnea. There was a good visual representation of a deviated septum. (Later the tech told me he could tell my septum was deviated just by looking at the underside of my nose.)
- Fitting the mask: Because I have a moustache and beard, the tech suggested a nose-only mask, with a gel-filled gasket. It was comfortable to wear, but something in the environment was setting off my allergies and I was unable to breathe through the nose at all. I ended up being fitted with a mask that covered my mouth and nose, again having the gel-filled gasket. Facial movement would sometimes open the seal, but I was assured that as long as the breach happened on the bottom of the mask, and not near the eyes, I would be OK. If the leak occured near my eyes, I would be “…hating life in the morning”. Apparently this dries out the eyes horribly.
- The electrodes: OK, the electrodes were all attached by adhesives of various kinds. Two on the calves, two near the collarbones, two on the jawline, two on the temples and (I believe) four on the scalp. There was also a light sensitive blood oxygen sensor clipped to one finger. Rolling around in bed was weird, but I was not really uncomfortable while lying down. Still, being a manly man I could see that, with all this adhesive, I would be looking at a bracing morning of rapid hair-removal!
- So then it was sleep. That is to say it was most decidedly not sleep. There followed approximately nintey minutes of not-sleep, tossing and turning in a darkened room. I then gave up and turned on the television. After another ninety minutes of channel surfing, I felt I could give it another go. TV off, I suffered through another bout of attempted-but-failed sleep. This felt like about two hours, but in the end I must have dozed as I was awakened by the tech infoming me that my blood oxygen level was quite serious and he was giving me the mask.
A word about blood oxygen levels. When a normal person sleeps their blood oxygen level is in the mid-to-upper 90% range. When a person is asphyxiating while awake, 80% is about when they pass out. Some people with Apnea can go as low as 60%, but that is double-plus ungood. I was bottoming out at 82% and constantly waking myself up to gasp, then falling back to sleep- without noticing.
- The Mask: On goes the mask. The troublesome thing about a mask is that you have to strike a balance. The pressure needs to be high enough that you feel you are getting enough air, but low enough that you can actually exhale without undue effort. At first I was not getting enough air. I requested an adjustment and got it. It took several minutes to get used to exhaling. Further, my cheeks kept getting inflated by the air pressure. I felt like Dizzy Gillespie. Soon, however I was asleep, and over the course of the remaining time they increased my air pressure three or four more times without waking me.
This morning I awoke with far too little sleep, but much better rested than I would have expected. The very kind and helpful staff told me to expect my insurance company to send me info regarding getting a CPAP for my home, as I obviously need one.
Do you have concerns about Sleep Apnea? Join in the discussion at the HHDC Apnea discussion boards!
August 29th, 2005
Becoming wildly popular in Europe, but relatively unknown in the US, Ski Walking is said to burn up to 40% more calories than walking alone, while loosening the muscles and (it is claimed) improving Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Ski Walking is, simply, walking on bare land with Ski poles, but no Skis. It is rather like hiking with a staff, but twice as much so.
From SkiWalking.com:
“Over 750,000 Finns are Ski Walking everyday - no snow and no skis required. Elite cross-country skiers are the most aerobically fit athletes on the planet and they have been Ski Walking for decades. And now Americans of all ages and all fitness levels can unlock the calorie burning and aerobic benefits of Ski Walking.
Ski Walking burns up to 40% more calories than walking without poles.
Unlike walking, running and biking, Ski Walking works the arms, shoulders and abs. Ski Walking also reduces knee, hip and joint strain. ”
More Information:
SkiWalking.com
Ski walkers make strides
August 26th, 2005
The following is reproduced directly from the US FDA:
What are dietary supplements?
- They are products people use in addition to the foods they eat. They include vitamins, minerals, herbs, and amino acids. They are sometimes called “natural”products.
- They may come as pills, tablets, capsules, liquids, or powders.
-
By law, companies that make these products cannot claim they prevent, treat, or cure disease. For example, a product cannot claim that it can “cure cancer” or “treat arthritis.”
***The choice to use a dietary supplement can be a good decision that provides health benefits. However, under certain circumstances, you may not need them for good health or they may even create risks.
Can dietary supplements be taken instead of eating certain foods? No
-
Supplements should not be taken to replace eating a variety of foods. It is important to eat a healthy diet that includes a variety of foods. Dietary supplements are taken to improve the diets of some people. While you need a certain amount of nutrients, too much of some nutrients can cause problems.
Should I check with my doctor before using a supplement? Yes
- If you have health problems and take these products, you may be placing yourself at risk. Persons who are pregnant, nursing a baby, or a have medical problems, such as, diabetes, or high blood pressure, should talk to their doctor first.
Is it safe to take dietary supplements with other medications?
-
You should talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse first. Taking a number of different dietary supplements or using these products together with medication (prescription or over-the-counter) can sometimes have bad effects, even death. Some of these products may also be very bad to take before surgery.
Does the FDA control dietary supplements? No
The FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are sold.
- Companies are in charge of making sure their products are safe before they sell them.
- FDA can only judge how safe or effective a supplement is after it is for sale.
- Then FDA must show that the product is unsafe before it can limit the product’s use.
Where can I get information about a certain product?
- Contact the company that makes the product directly.
- Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
How do I report a problem or illness caused by one of these products?
- Call 1-800-FDA-1088.
- Go to the MedWatch website at:
www.fda.gov/medwatch/report/consumer/consumer.htm.
Tips on searching the web for information on dietary supplements.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Who runs the web site? (government, college, medical community)
- What is the purpose of the web site? (is it to educate or just sell the product)
-
What is the source of the information on the web site and does it have any references? (reviewed in scientific journals by experts)
- Is the information current? (check the date to see when it was posted or updated)
August 24th, 2005
Freaky…
We occasionally (well, more than occasionally) check our referer logs for search trends; this helps us better understand and serve the needs of our readers. Search engine results can be surprising for users sometimes, but really weird for webmasters on occasion.
Today we noticed a Yahoo search for “diet c0ke and arthritis”. I saw something similar come up a few months ago, but shrugged it off. This time I checked- out of curiosity -to see who was doing the search. Someone at The Dow Chemical Company.
Makes me wonder if they know something we don’t. Obviously, Diet C0ke contains caffeine which can leech calcium from our bones and lead to osteoporosis, but the same can be said of loads of s0das, diet or not. That the search term specified a brand, rather than simply “s0da” is also interesting.
If anyone knows anything about a connection, let us know. In the mean time, I’m calling Scully and Mulder for advice…
August 24th, 2005
Caffeine has been mentioned a good bit in the Blogosphere of late. On the other hand, perhaps it is more noticeable to me since I am trying to quit (again).
I have a few reasons for attempting this leap for the second time in one summer. First, it will free me from the diet s0da monkey on my back, therefore saving precious bladder-space for good old H2O, precious money for my wallet, and my precious carcinogen-free body for longevity; second, I hope to have less jitters (I am naturally a nervous person anyway); and third, I hope to have better, easier sleep.
Normally I go cold-turkey, using frequent doses of Ibuprofin to stave off Migraines. This time I am tapering with graduated doses of NoDoz while drinking only caffeine-free beverages like water and Splenda-sweetened drinks.
Here is a smattering of recent posts from webville on Caffeine and on sleep:
Death by Caffeine: How much of your favorite caffeinated drink would it take to kill you? Take a quick test and find out [Energy Fiend]
C8H10N4O2 and all that [Lifehacker]
Drug Reverses Effects of Sleep Deprivation [Reuters, through Slashdot]
The Function of Sleep [Lifehack.org]
And, just to be silly, here’s a link on Prostitute Phobia.
Sponsor:
ThinkGeek Caffeine
August 23rd, 2005
Scott Reeves, a Personal Finance Editor at Forbes.com, has posted a somewhat misleading article on the prevention of Repetitive Strain Injury. While mainstream coverage of preventive tips and techniques is a wonderful thing, Mr. Reeves has managed to get a few things wrong.
Regarding wrist rests, he says: “A wrist rest will flatten out your hands and provide needed support.” Wrong-o. “Wrist rests” are there to remind you to elevate your wrist, not as a resting surface. Resting your wrist on a wrist rest causes compression of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. In some cases this will cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and can certainly worsen it for those already suffering CTS. The word “rest” in the phrase “wrist rest” is confusing. Think of it as a wrist guide.
Refering to chair adjustment, Reeves writes: “Add or remove extra cushions and padding as you see fit. Arm rests or no arm rests? It’s up to you.” There are actually some pretty good guidelines available for how to tailor lumbar padding and arm rests. “…as you see fit…” and “It’s up to you.” are only useful with some explaination. See below for proper guidance on these areas.
Aside from the above errors, it is an interesting article, especially since we don’t often see this issue addressed from the “Capitalist Tool” perspective (that used to Forbes’ slogan).
Article:
Business Basics: Avoiding Repetitive Strain Injury [Forbes.com]
For more information:
Making Your Workstation Safe, the quick guide to Office Ergonomics. [Our original eBook as a free PDF. Please consider becoming a member of HHDC if you download it. It's Free! It's Easy!]
August 22nd, 2005
Have you noticed the light posting since last week? The entire staff of HHDC (yes, both of us) is vacationing in sunny, tropical Pittsburgh, PA until next week. Next posts will be on monday!
August 16th, 2005
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All original content covered under a Creative Commons license.