Fw: [SPAM] Supercharge Your Brain

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[sPAM] Supercharge Your Brain

Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):1. Supercharge Your Brain2. LASIK Surgery Safe and Effective3. Menopausal Hot Flashes Worse for Heavier Women4. Allergic Reactions to MRI Contrasting Injections Are Rare.5. Many Americans Ignorant About Nutrition and Multivitamins

1. Supercharge Your Brain

Two British authors have written a book that tells people how to rev up their brains to maximum speed, and it isn’t by working crossing puzzles and getting up at the crack of dawn — they say if you really want to get your brain into high gear, you need to eat lots of dark chocolate, have cold meat for breakfast, and have plenty of S-E-X! Co-authors Terry Horne and Simon Wooten say their book, Teach Yourself Training Your Brain, is based on the latest research of experts from around the world. Horne, who is a business lecturer at the University of Central Lancaster and himself an expert on learning and thinking, said, “For decades we have thought that the cognitive capacity of our brains is genetically determined, whereas it’s now clear that it’s a lifestyle choice. What we eat and drink, how we learn at school and what type of moods we have are all crucial.” Can sex really really help? They claim that four of the seven different chemical reactions that take place in the brain in the sexual process definitely help the thinking process. They say, for instance, that the post-coital rise in the level of serotonin jumpstarts creative thinking and, at the same time, promotes logical decision making. Chocolate? Dark chocolate, which is chocked full of magnesium and antioxidant flavonols, boosts the supply of oxygen to the brain while reducing chances of a stroke. And cold meat for breakfast? They recommend either that or other protein-based foods such as eggs or fish, and the same for lunch, with the addition of green vegetables. Stay away, they say, from bread, pasta, and cookies, and eat carbohydrates only in the evenings, while avoiding red meat, alcohol, and caffeine. The authors believe that Britons (and Yanks as well, to be sure) need to power-up their thinking capacity because of a switch from an economy based on manual labor to what they call a “knowledge economy.” Improving the brain by following their precepts can make the difference, they say, between getting an average job and a great one.

Editor's Note:

Stress May Be Causing Your Brain to Shrink. Stop it Now!

2. LASIK Surgery Safe and Effective

Laser surgery to correct vision problems has been in use since the early 1990s. Photorefractive Keratotomy (PRK) is typically used to correct low to moderate myopia, while laser in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) is preferred for high myopia corrections. Although over 18 million LASIK procedures have been performed worldwide, there is still some controversy regarding the maximum correction possible and efficacy with this technique. In an article published in the January 2008 issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology, researchers from University, Medical School, Alicante, Spain; and Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey; report on a study of high myopia patients ten years after LASIK surgery. The findings show that LASIK for myopia over -10 D is a safe and effective procedure in the long-term. 196 high myopic eyes of 118 patients, preoperatively needing at least 10 diopter (10 D) corrections to achieve 20/20 vision, were evaluated ten years following surgery. Uncorrected vision was 77% of best-corrected vision (BSCVA) before surgery. BSCVA improved 1 line. Only 5% of eyes lost more than 2 lines of BSCVA and 40% avoided the use of glasses. 119 (61 %) of eyes were within ± 2.00 Diopters at 10 years. Only 2 eyes (1%) developed corneal ectasia. The retreatment rate was 27%. According to lead investigator L. Alió, “These results are extremely encouraging considering that this refractive correction implies the maximum limit of application of this technique. This study has allowed us to demonstrate that, in spite of the prejudices about the limits of LASIK technique, the results regarding predictability, efficacy and safety for high myopic patients are very good in the long term. The optimum limit of predictability for this technique is around 10 D of myopia. This reference study, with a long time perspective, allows us to know the safety, precision and limits of LASIK in highly myopic eyes.”

Editor's Note:

Millions Go Blind Each Year. Protect Your Eyes With Three Nutrients.

3. Menopausal Hot Flashes Worse for Heavier Women

Contrary to expectations, the higher a woman's percentage of body fat at menopause, the more likely she is to experience symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, a new study shows. Such so-called "vasomotor symptoms" had previously been thought to be less common in heavier women at menopause, because body fat can convert male hormones into estrogen, Dr. C. Thurston of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and colleagues note. Fatter women would therefore have a reserve source of estrogen that could shield them from these symptoms. However, there is mounting evidence that heavier women may actually experience more vasomotor symptoms with menopause, the researchers add in their report in the American Journal of Epidemiology. To better understand the relationship between body fat and menopausal symptoms, Thurston and her team looked at 1,776 women going through menopause. Fifty-nine percent reported having vasomotor symptoms. As body fat increased, the researchers found, so did the likelihood that a woman would have hot flashes and night sweats. The findings contradict the hypothesis that being fatter protects women from vasomotor symptoms, they write. Instead, they suggest, it's possible that excess fat makes it more difficult for the body to dissipate heat. Based on the findings, Thurston and her colleagues add, weight loss — especially loss of fat — may help women going through menopause to reduce hot flashes and night sweats. SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, January 1, 2008. Copyright Reuters

Editor's Note:

Your Belly Fat May Mean Heart Disease.

4. Allergic Reactions to MRI Contrasting Injections Are Rare.

Allergic-like reactions to gadolinium-containing contrast injections in adults and pediatric patients (those younger than 19 years of age) are rare, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan Health Systems in Ann Arbor. “When these reactions do occur, most of them are mild,” said R. Dillman, MD, lead author of the study. “Over the past few years, the utilization of contrast-enhanced MRI has markedly increased; it’s increased by 65% at our institution over the previous five years,” said Dr. Dillman.. This is due, at least in part, to a variety of new applications, such as magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and abdominopelvic MR imaging,” he said. “Consequently, the number of intravenously administered gadolinium-containing contrast material doses over the same time period has significantly increased. Based on the extensive use these intravascular contrast agents, we felt that it was once again time to study their safety profile,” he said. The study included 78,353 gadolinium-containing contrast injections over a five year period. Acute allergic-like reactions occurred following 54 injections. According to the study, 48 reactions involved adults and six occurred in pediatric patients. The study showed that 74% of these reactions were mild, 19% were moderate, and 7% were severe. “Despite recent concerns that have emerged about the gadolinium-based contrast agents and the development of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis in patients who have severe chronic kidney disease, our study supports the long-held belief that gadolinium based contrast agents can be used safely in both pediatric and adult patients with normal or with only mildly impaired renal function,” said Dr. Cohan, co-author of the study. “The risk of allergic-like reactions is exceedingly low (0.07% of administrations in our study), and no fatal reaction occurred at our institution in more than 78,000 intravenous administrations. Patients should feel reassured, based on our results, that the intravenous gadolinium-contrast agents included in our study are quite safe when administered to patients with ample renal function,” he said.

Editor's Note:

You Could Be Getting the Wrong Tests – These Are the Ones You Really

5. Many Americans Ignorant About Nutrition and Multivitamins

While the majority of Americans believe they are very or somewhat knowledgeable about multivitamins (67 percent), many do not know which vitamins and minerals are essential for the body or what vitamins and minerals are responsible for specific functions in the body, according to a survey released today by the not-for-profit National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC). For instance, when asked which vitamin is essential for calcium absorption in the body (vitamin D), more than a third said they were not sure. Surprisingly, when asked to identify vitamins and minerals that are not essential, only 44 percent correctly recognized that arsenic — a poison — is not an essential nutrient. "When it comes to ensuring people get the vitamins and minerals they need in their daily diet, we were concerned by their lack of knowledge — especially among women, who are more likely to take an active role in maintaining their family's health," says Battaglino Cahill, RN, Executive Vice President of NWHRC. "We want people to have the knowledge and resources to understand what their bodies should have and to help people choose a multivitamin that fits their nutrition and lifestyle needs if they are not getting the right nutrients from their diet." Only about 24 percent of people surveyed believe they get the vitamins and minerals they need by diet alone, and, although 51 percent of the individuals surveyed said they take a multivitamin, most of them do not know which vitamins and minerals are essential for their bodies. "People should know what nutrients their bodies need so they can make informed health decisions," says Pamela Peeke, M.D, NWHRC medical advisor and internationally recognized physician, scientist and expert in the field of nutrition. "There are specially formulated multivitamins that have a balance of essential nutrients at recommended levels that work together to help people better customize their nutrition regimen to fit their health and well-being needs." The survey also uncovered that although 49 percent of Americans are very or somewhat concerned about LDL or bad cholesterol, it appears that less than a quarter (24 percent) understand that some multivitamins can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. "The good news is that now there is a complete, daily multivitamin containing phytosterols which can help lower LDL or bad cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease and the number one killer of American women," says Dr. Peeke. The survey did show that women are significantly more likely to encourage other family members to take a multivitamin — supporting their role as the primary caregiver in the home. When individuals are not getting the nutrients their bodies need from diet alone, multivitamin use can help promote and maintain good health, fill gaps in the diet and help bodies to function well. Log on to www.healthywomen.org/multivitamins for simple nutrition tips, as well as important information about essential nutrients and multivitamins to help ensure that women and their families can make educated decisions about their nutrition needs. About the Survey Findings Women: What They Do — and Do Not — Know

— Even though women (86 percent) are more likely than men (77 percent) to say they take an active role in maintaining their health, among those who said they take a daily multivitamin, men are more committed vitamin takers. Men (92 percent) are more likely than women (84 percent) to take a vitamin five to seven days a week. — Women (74 percent) are more likely than men (60 percent) to say they are very or somewhat knowledgeable about multivitamins. — Among vitamin takers, women (48 percent) are significantly more likely than men (25 percent) to take a multivitamin to help decrease the risk of bone fractures. Vitamins and Nutrients: Not Making the Grade — When asked to choose (from a list) which vitamin can help maintain healthy eyesight, only 27 percent of participants correctly identified vitamin A. — Only 17 percent correctly identified folic acid and 5 percent correctly identified calcium when asked to choose which vitamins or minerals can help maintain blood pressure already within a normal range. — Many Americans do not understand some of the key benefits of taking a multivitamin: — Only 28 percent indicated that multivitamin use can help maintain healthy blood pressure. — Less than half (47 percent) of survey participants understood that vitamin D and calcium often are paired together for their known health benefits.

Multivitamins and Heart Health

— Although 49 percent of Americans are very or somewhat cholesterol concerned, it appears that less than a quarter (24 percent) would take a multivitamin to help lower LDL cholesterol. — Americans are unfamiliar with the benefits of phytosterols, a natural ingredient derived from soybeans that can be found in a multivitamin: — Only 20 percent understand that phytosterols can help lower LDL cholesterol.

Editor's Note:

Doctor Reveals the Truth About Vitamins and Supplements and Which Ones Are Worth Your Money.

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