Our Bodies Ourselves

   MSNBC is hosting a special report tonight on their nightly news broadcast on menopause and alternatives to using HRT to treat it. The trailer for it looked pretty good. You can see what time MSNBC is on in your area by clicking to their program schedule at this link here. You can check out their health reports on menopause by clicking to the women’s health section of MSNBC as this link here.

(photo courtesty of Looper-312 Photos, used under Creative Commons license)

Could a sad heart lead to an unhealthy heart? That seems to be what is suggested from a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) led by Dr. Mary Whooley, a physician at the University of California, San Francisco (see link to abstract at JAMA here). A recent article published by her discusses how major depression is a risk factor for the development of heart disease in healthy patients and for poor outcomes in patients with known heart disease.

In Dr. Whooley’s study she looked at over 7500 elderly women and tracked them over 7 years. She tracked them on a sort of depression scale to see how many symptoms and signs of depression they had. What she discovered was that 7% of women with no signs of depression passed away over the period of her study while 17% of women with three to five signs of depression passed away. Most alarming of all, 24% of the patients with six or more signs of depression passed away. In short, the more depressed her study subjects were the more likely they were to die of heart disease. Dr. Whooley was able to make the link between heart disease and depression by correlating her data with that of many other studies, most notably:

• A study in Denmark of 700 men and women that was followed for 27 years showed that those with depression had a substantially greater risk of hear attack and death
• Another study of 8000 men and women that showed an increase risk of coronary heart disease in depression patients
• a study of patients who were healthy and free of heart disease but for whom the risk of developing heart disease and dying from it was actually caused by depression.

But what might be the connection between depression and heart disease? Is it simply being blue clogs your heart or is depression a trigger for biological changes that bring on the disease? In an article by Dr. Tedd Mitchell for USA Weekend (July 28-30, 2006 edition) and an in an interview for National Public Radio (NPR) of Dr. Sydney Spiesel, Yale Medical School professor and Slate medical columnist, they both note the following possible biological connection between heart disease and a sad heart:

• Depressed people have a greater resting heart rate potentially leading to heart stress or abnormal heartbeats
• Hormones that control blood pressure and heart rate are higher in depressed patients
• Blood platelets are more activated in depressed patients that could lead to a greater incidence of blood clots and heart attack or stroke
• Behavioral issues come to play too, depressed patients tend to generally smoke more, exercise less, eat more poorly and are less compliant to taking medications that you’ve been prescribed to help keep heart disease from advancing.

So since being depressed is one cause of heart disease, what to do if your so blue? There are a number of potential weapons at your disposal that will help your mood and your heart too. Anti-depressants are one way to go. Dr. Whooley notes in her study that treatment with anti-depressants with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors is a generally safe approach to alleviate depression. But some studies have shown that exercise is actually more effective.

In a study done in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (April 2001;35:114-117) found that just 30 minutes of walking daily improved depressed patients symptoms faster than medication. And in another study, published in Psychosomatic Medicine (September/October 2000;62:633-638) the researchers found when comparing treating depression with either 45 minutes of exercise three times per week or Zoloft, a popular anti-depressant that is a selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor, the exercise group were more likely to be partially or fully recovered from depression than those in the medication group.

So a sad heart can indeed be a sick heart too and treating it best may include anti-depressant medication or perhaps plain old exercise to make your heart happy and healthier too. My bet is on the exercise, it’s easy and cheap and has many side benefits in helping you physically and mentally, a combination that is time efficient and can’t be beat.

(silver heart photo from Lonely Angel Photos, used under Creative Commons license)

I know two people who had cervical cancer. One caught it early enough and lived. The other did not and died just two weeks ago. I can’t answer why one figured it out somehow and the other did not. Maybe one had regular check-ups and pap smears and the other did not. I just don’t know. But what I do know is that it’s caused by a virus of all things. That virus is HPV.

HPV is short for human papillomavirus. It’s present in both men and women. For men, the risks include anal and penile cancers and genital warts. For women, there is also the risk of genital warts as well as cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths among women. The American Cancer Society has determined that 38% of all diagnosed cervical cancer cases will end in death in 2006. A large and very sobering number.

So what to do? Well the most important thing to do is get a regular pap smear. As Merck points out at it’s excellent web site on this subject:

A: Most women learn they have HPV as a result of abnormal Pap tests. A Pap test (also known as a Pap smear) is part of a gynecological exam that can help detect abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix before they have the chance to become precancerous or cervical cancer. Many cases of cervical precancer are related to HPV and can be treated successfully if detected early. It’s also important to note that cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers. That’s why it’s really important to follow your doctor’s advice regarding how often you should have a Pap test.
Learn about Pap tests and other follow-up tests.

The keys to prevent or limiting your chance to getting HPV? Either abstain from sex or use condoms to protect both the guy and the girl. And guys, this is a SHARED responsibility - you own this too.

To learn more about the serious dangers on HPV and to get tools to tell others click to Merck’s excellent site on the topic at “Tell Someone“. You can also learn about this silent killer at the Centers for Disease Control site at this link HERE.

If you know anyone undergoing treatment for breast cancer you and they will like the sound of this I think. Shorter, simpler treatments for breast cancer that are also more convenient for the patient and potentially less expensive for everyone. Sounds like a great deal!

Radiotherapy is a therapy given to women who are post-operative for breast cancer surgery to reduce the risk of the cancer returning. Generally 25 doses are given over a five week period. But what if the number of exposures to radiotherapy as well as the time period could be reduced?

Professor John Yarnold of The Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and his team have been studying just that. They have been performing breast cancer treatment trials using short course radiotherapy. They’ve been experimenting with this for the past 10 years. As reported in the journal, Lancet Oncology (see link to abstract abstract HERE), their study compared the shorter and more concentrated dose of radiotherapy with the standard treatment on 1410 women. After monitoring the health of the participants for a ten year period, Yarnold and team found that the shorter course was as good as the standard extended treatments.

Dr. Yarnold and his researchers are awaiting the results of other trials in order to confirm that the proposed shorter course is more effective in the long run. If these results are confirmed there is a real opportunity here for less hospital visits and better outcomes for patients. Good news indeed.

(source information for this post came from the 5/31/06 edition of the Wall Street Journal)

(Photo courtesy of Gretchen’s Photos, used under Creative Commons license)

You may have seen the headlines that exploded across the headlines in February, in referece to the results of two studies considering the connection between dietary fat and health: The Women’s Health Initiative Study and the Nurses Health Study

“Low Fat Diets do not cut the risk of breast cancer”
“Low-fat diets not as effective as expected: Little change in cancer, heart disease risk”
“Low-Fat Diets Disappoint for Cancer and Heart Disease”

But what is the skinny on these corpulent quotes packed with controversy? Could it be that we need to re-think of using hot fudge and fatty steaks medicinally? I’m not so sure that’s the whole story. So let’s take a look at some alternative views, maybe there’s some cream to be skimmed from this after all? It’s almost Summer and while food is fun, what we eat is important to our health.

Let’s take a look at a letter that was originally sent out by Dr. T. Colin Cambell. Dr. Cambell co-authored the first ever study on the connection between dietary fat and health in 1982 during his time at the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Cambell’s letter was submitted widely to major newspapers but rejected by each one. You can read the full letter at this link HERE But here are some excerpts. In referring to both studies, Dr. Campbell states that:

Both studies were prompted by a major 1982 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report that was the first major document to recommend cutting fat consumption from 40% of calories to 30% to prevent cancer risk, a report that I co-authored. But the researchers who subsequently organized these two very large studies misinterpreted our report’s findings, then designed studies that were seriously flawed, despite recommendations to the contrary. Aside from their recommendation on fat, the committee also advocated increased consumption of “fruits, vegetables, and whole grain cereal products” but cautioned that this did not apply to the effects of individual nutrients. They made clear that the 30% fat recommendation was arbitrary and was only meant as a “practical target” to monitor dietary change, adding that the evidence on fat even suggested, “the[sic] data could be used to justify an even greater reduction”. Together, these recommendations emphasized the effect of whole foods on cancer risk, not the effects of individual nutrients.

Dr. Campbell has more to say regarding the results of his original work on this topic compared with the current studies:

The available evidence for our NAS committee showed that the association of dietary fat with breast and other cancers was attributed to the consumption of animal protein, reflecting excessive consumption of animal based foods, perhaps also inadequate consumption of plant based foods. Laboratory evidence, including our own, also was showing that consuming animal protein had multiple adverse health effects. It could markedly increase cancer development, elevate blood cholesterol and atherosclerotic plaque and induce loss of calcium needed for strong bones. But all of this evidence was minimized and ignored, and continues even today. This also was a personal challenge for me. I was raised on a dairy farm milking cows, then started my research career at Cornell University attempting to promote more not less animal protein consumption. This negation of the evidence has had serious consequences. For example, the vast majority of subjects in both of these recently reported studies used diets rich in animal protein, total fat and animal based foods, leaving virtually no opportunity to experimentally investigate the effects of a diet of whole plant based foods naturally low in fat. Women who consumed less fat, actually consumed more animal protein. Indeed, they were urged and coached to do this. At best, these women only made minor changes in fat consumption, leaving intact their imbalanced consumption of foods likely to make the most difference.

It strikes me as a real injustice to the public, and women in particular, that evidence to the contrary was ignored regarding the link of dietary fat and breast cancer.

Besides Dr. Campbell’s commentary, is there any evidence that might be to the contrary? Well, turns out there is. The University of California published a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The researches did an analysis of 13 studies on diet and breast cancer between the years 1966 and 1998. What they found was that reducing fat intake below 20% of calories will reduce breast cancer risk. You can read the report’s abstract at the Journal of the National Cancer Institute HERE.

But there’s not just that report, Dr. Dean Ornish, one of the most influential researchers on low fat diets and health has this to say regarding another study that alleges no link to breast cancer and low fat diets:

One study from Dr. Michelle Holmes of the Harvard School of Public Health was widely quoted to have found no relationship between dietary fat and breast cancer, but the group of women who ate the most fat before being diagnosed had a 70% greater risk of death than the women who ate the least fat. Also, they found that women who ate the most vegetables were less likely to die from breast cancer.
It’s not just a question or reducing the amount of dietary fat but also increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, especially soy products. There are at least 1,000 substances that have anticancer properties, and with few exceptions these are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans.

You can read Dr. Ornish’s full statement on breast cancer and low fat diets at this link HERE

You can read a news article on this controversy at SFGate.com at this link HERE

If your getting up there in years you probably have read or heard something in the press that your brain needs lovin’ attention to stay healthy. Despite the fact our bodies are extraordinary machines they need maintenance, and that is so with your brain too. The May 1st, 2006 issue of Bottom Line magazine has a great article on ways to keep your brain healthy and alive.

What’s one of the first things you should do? (aren’t I sounding like a nag already?) You should exercise. Ah yes, the very activity that can make you healthier, help you shed pounds, and improve even your mood will even help your brain. Dr. Gene Cohen, M.D., Ph. D, professor of health-care sciences and psychiatry and Director of The Center on Aging, Health and Humanities at The George Washington University says, in the Bottom Line article, that 30 to 45 minutes at least four days a week is what is needed. The more vigorous the better based on what kind of shape you are in now (if your just starting out, a brisk walk including going up and down some hills is sufficient; work harder as you get fitter). Interestingly, aerobic workouts are preferred over strength training since they appear to increase the networks of blood vessels in the frontal par of the brain and stimulate the release of chemicals that improve brain cell survival and plasticity.

Another strategy cited in the Bottom Line article is to stimulate your brain. Not by an electric probe plunged into your ear mind you, but by mentally challenging yourself. Mental activities that really push your capacity to learn are what does the trick; leaning a new language, learning how to play an instrument, playing scrabble or chess, or even doing a challenging crossword puzzle. Such activities can increase the connections of the cells in your brain by at least 20% and literally help in the formation of new brain nerves.

Did you know your brain has two halves? Surely most of us know that, (thought it’s not always clear which half is working at a given time, especially on Monday mornings!) but what you may not realize is that you can strengthen both sides. Bottom Line’s article points out that engaging in creative activities draws on both sides of your brain and thus strengthens the entirety. What could you do? Paint, draw, or even write (ah yes, now blogging may be considered a therapeutic exercise not just frivolous banter!).

Finally, keep those friendships. People who maintain active social schedules - such as going to church, getting together with friends and spending time with family - have lower blood pressure and less risk of stroke. In addition, folk who engage in such practices have lower levels of stress hormones that can damage the brain leading to an increase in anxiety and depression.

So get tough with your brain! Get it going on these regimens and you too may preserve one of your most important assets - your mind

Having a near death experience with streptococcus got me thinking about alot of things. If such a small thing can so quickly destroy our health, what little things can so quickly help our health? Well there are a few that I used to consider unimportant, but now, I think they have alot of value and you might find this is true too. Each of these takes less than 5 minutes to do each (well except for one).

Flossing Your TeethI personally have real difficulty getting this to work for me. But, it’s tough for me to whine about this when flossing can reportedly add 6.4 years to your life! In fact, 21st Century Dental notes on their site some studies on flossing and health:

The best of these studies done at Emory University with the Centers for Disease Control, indicated that people with gingivitis and periodontitis have a mortality rate that is 23 percent to 46 percent higher than those who don’t… why? They are linked to increased rates of cardiovascular disease and stroke, as well as to an increase in mortality from other causes, such as infections.

Taking care of your feet
Obviously, I have an appendage fetish (I wrote about hands last week here , now feet, what??) in any event…would you let your hands look like the bottom of your feet, provided you actually looked at the bottom of your feet? If you have big cracks and fissures in your feet, going to the local drug store to buy some off the shelf anti-athlete’s food medicine isn’t likely to really fix the problem. Your probably going to need a prescription drug like Lamisil to really clear up the infection. Then you need to make your feet pretty - no ugly cracks and callouses! I’ve been using a foot emery board (also known as fine grit sand paper mounted to a stick) and Burt Bee’s Coconut foot creme. Vaseline works pretty well too, and is alot cheaper.

Washing your hands
We covered this one pretty well when I posted on hand washing at this link here. Suffice to say, wash ‘em!

Sleep
This is a toughie isn’t it? Of all the things you can do, this one is probably at the top of the list of important things but at the bottom of what we really do. Why is that? Guilt (”Oh no I’m actually resting!”), too big a todo list stealing hours when we should be resting, other more exciting things to do (like eating chocolate).

There is so much data on the benefits of a good nights sleep it’s hard to believe most of us simply don’t do it. To quote Dr. Ellington Darden in a chapter on sleep and recovery from exercise, from his excellent book, “A Flat Stomach ASAP“:

Your body is a complex factory that is constantly making hundreds of delicate changes to transform food and oxygen into many chemicals required by various parts of the system. But there is a limit to the chemical conversions that your recovery ability can make within a given time. If your requirements exceed the limit, your body will eventually be overwork to the point of collapse.

Important to note if you fall asleep while driving. Some states are trying to put accidents caused by drivers who fall asleep into the same category as accidents caused by the driver being drunk.

You can find reams of information on sleeping on the net, most of it accurate (click to this Yahoo search link for a few of them here). But let me just highlight a few points (from page 67, “A Flat Stomach ASAP”, and the APA)

• Sleeping in 90 minute increments is best. That’s a complete sleep cycle in which your body goes through normal sleep, rem sleep, and then normal sleep again. Practically, this means 7.5 hours of sleep will be better for you than 8 or 7 due to it being six 90 minute cycles

• Having trouble figuring out complex issues? Sleep on it. That’s when your brain works out complex problems. Your much more likely to have the solution in the morning Can’t sleep because of the complex issue keeping you awake? Don’t take a shot of whiskey! Instead, write the problem out on a piece of paper, sort of placing it to the side in a sense.

• Do you have a few pounds to shed before lounging at the beach this Summer? Sleepers (those with 7 hours or more on their pillow) are much more able to control their appetite and as a result their eating. While those who sleep 6 hours or less put their bodies under stress. The body responds many times by craving carbohydrates (can you say a whole bag of Oreo’s!!)

Fish Oil
No you won’t grow fins, scales and crave krill. BUT you will have healthier skin and hair, strengthen your immune system and reduce your risk of both cancer and heart disease! Wow, now that sounds fishy doesn’t it? Well fish oil will do that for you. It’s so proven that the American Heart Association recommends it (see info here). BUT (there’s alway a but buttin’ in…) Most fish are spoiled with mercury, so it’s wise to consider a supplement that actually screens that out. There are two that I know of, there are probably alot more. One is Carlson’s Brand Fish Oil and the other is from the Stop Aging Now website (note, Beck’s Cafe gets no reimbursement for pointing you to those links, we just want to be nice to you ).

So, to ward off some of the little nasties that can fell you, try the little giants to get health on your side.

When I entrusted my very sick body to the wonderful team at my local hospital (as I wrote about here), I didn’t think twice if they were clean or not. I was near death and frankly, it just wasn’t on the top of my mind. But as I’ve slowly recovered, I read an interesting article in the April 5th, 2005 Wall Street Journal entitled, “Hospitals Get Aggressive about Hand Washing”. I was surprised, to say the least, about what doesn’t happen to keep the bacteria out of the hospital. I had no idea that hospital infections themselves are a critical problem effecting patient care. Well isn’t that a bit disturbing! And it seems the simple act of handwashing can cut those infections in hospitals dramatically - but it works outside of hospitals just as well too.

Some of the statistics are interesting regarding hand washing and how amazingly effective this simple step is to keeping ourselves and others health. Read the rest of this entry »