Fw: [SPAM] Strawberries Lower Blood Vessel Inflammation

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[sPAM] Strawberries Lower Blood Vessel Inflammation

Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):1. Strawberries Lower Blood Vessel Inflammation 2. Effects of Sleep Deprivation Can Be Reversed 3. Annual Tests That Can Help Keep You Healthy 4. Got Flu? Take Out Your Contacts 5. Antidepressants Don’t Help Lower Back Pain

1. Strawberries Lower Blood Vessel Inflammation Strawberries are not only delicious and nutrient-rich, new research from Harvard Medical School found that they may offer cardiovascular disease protection. The new study found that those who reported eating the most strawberries experienced lower blood levels of C-reactive protein, a biomarker for inflammation in the blood vessels. Sesso, ScD and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health reported their findings in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Using dietary intake records of approximately 27,000 of the women who participated in the decade-long Women’s Health Study, Sesso looked at levels of strawberry consumption and several risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The findings revealed that women who ate the most strawberries — two or more servings per week — compared to those who reported eating none in the past month, were 14 percent less likely to have elevated C-reactive protein levels. C-reactive protein or CRP is a blood biomarker that signals the presence of inflammation in the body. Elevated levels of CRP have been shown in multiple studies to be a potentially good predictor of risk for both heart disease and stroke, as it is generally a signal of atherosclerosis. As a result, The Centers for Disease Control and American Heart Association have established guidelines suggesting that blood levels of CRP higher than 3 mg/L may be important in the risk stratification and prevention of cardiovascular disease. Researchers found that those women who had higher strawberry intakes were also more likely to lead a heart-healthy lifestyle. On average, women in the highest strawberry intake group ate about twice as many servings of fruits and vegetables every day as did women in the lowest intake group. Not surprisingly, they had much higher average intakes of important heart-healthy nutrients like fiber, vitamin C, potassium and folate. They were also most likely to be non-smokers and get daily physical activity. In addition, the high strawberry consumers had modestly lower levels of both total and LDL cholesterol, the so-called “bad” cholesterol. “Higher intakes of fruits and vegetables have consistently been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Strawberries are a rich source of several key nutrients and phytonutrients that may play a role in protecting heart health. This is the first study to show that strawberries may help reduce the likelihood of having elevated CRP levels in the blood. While more research is needed, this study helps provide more evidence that eating fruits and vegetables will help reduce risk for cardiovascular disease,” said Sesso.

Editor's Note:

Heart Attacks Caused by Inflammation, Not Cholesterol.

2. Effects of Sleep Deprivation Can Be Reversed Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have shown that the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance can be reversed when the naturally occurring brain peptide, orexin-A, is administered in monkeys. Their results are published in this week’s Journal of Neuroscience. “These findings are significant because of their potential applicability,” said A. Deadwyler, Ph.D., professor of physiology and pharmacology at Wake Forest. “This could benefit patients suffering from narcolepsy and other serious sleep disorders. But it also has applicability to shift workers, the military and many other occupations where sleep is often limited, yet cognitive demand remains high.” Orexin-A, also known as hypocretin-1, is a naturally occurring peptide produced in the brain that regulates sleep. It’s secreted by a small number of neurons but affects many brain regions during the day and people who have normal amounts of orexin-A are able to maintain wakefulness. When people or animals are sleep-deprived, the brain attempts to produce more orexin-A, but often without enough success to achieve alertness past the normal day-night cycle. The research team, consisting of Porrino, Ph.D., and Hampson, Ph.D, also of Wake Forest, and Jerome Siegel, Ph.D., of the University of California at Los Angeles, studied the effects of orexin-A on monkeys that were kept awake overnight for 30 to 36 hours with videos, music, treats and interaction with technicians, until their normal testing time the next day. They were then allowed to perform their trained tasks with several cognitive problems that varied in difficulty, and their performance was significantly impaired. However, if the sleep deprived monkeys were administered orexin-A either intravenously or via a nasal spray immediately prior to testing, their cognitive skills improved to the normal, non-sleep-deprived, level. The researchers also noted that when the monkeys received the orexin-A via the intranasal spray they tested higher than when it was administered intravenously. “Assessments of the monkeys’ brain activity during testing through noninvasive imaging techniques also showed improvement by orexin-A which returned to its normal non-sleep-deprived pattern during performance of the task,” said Deadwyler. “In addition, we observed that orexin-A at moderate dose levels had no effect on performance if the animals were not sleep-deprived.”

Editor's Note:

Sleep Well Naturally — Don’t Believe the Pill-Pushing Ads.

3. Annual Tests That Can Help Keep You Healthy It can seem impossible to keep track of all the screenings you’re supposed to have, but this helpful list can get you started on 12 months of healthy living. Start with a phone call to your doctor. He or she can recommend self-tests and help you set up the screening tests that may uncover health problems early, when they’re most treatable. Your doctor may recommend earlier or more frequent screenings for you, based on your family history or other risk factors. Physicians on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie, recommend the following screening tests. UNDER 40 Men and women: Blood pressure. Age 18 and older, every two years if normal. Cholesterol. Start at age 20, at least every five years. Skin cancer. Adults 20 to 39, every three years. Self-test: Once a month, look over your skin for any changes. Diabetes. “If you have any of the following risk factors for diabetes, you should talk to your doctor about including a fasting glucose test as part of your annual physical,” says Astbury, M.D., an internal medicine physician on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie.

Family history of diabetes Personal history of gestational diabetes Overweight with sedentary lifestyle Alaskan Eskimo, American Indian, African American, Hispanic/Latin American, Asian American or Pacific Islander History of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), cardiovascular disease or impaired fasting glucose from previous testing

Women:

Breast self-exam once a month. “No one knows your body as well as you do, so check your breasts every month for any abnormalities. Even if you’re not sure about what you find, get it checked out anyway just to be on the safe-side,” says Jasbir Singh, M.D., obstetrician and gynecologist on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie. Clinical breast exam by a physician, annually. Mammogram. Screening mammograms starting annually at age 40. Pap smear (cervical cancer). Annually beginning at age 21 or as soon as sexually active.

Men:

Testicular self-exam once a month. Check each testicle for any lumps or swelling.

OVER 40 Men and women: Continue self-tests and screenings recommended for those under 40 and add: Skin cancer after age 40, once a year. Colorectal cancer. Have a sigmoidoscopy with digital rectal exam every five years starting at age 50, or consider the more thorough colonoscopy every 10 years starting at age 50. You also should consider having a fecal occult blood test annually after age 50. “This test is linked with a 33 percent reduction in mortality — that’s impressive for a test that’s very easy to do,” says Nordstrom, M.D., an internist on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie. Women:

Clinical breast exam by a physician annually after age 40. Mammogram annually starting at age 40. Bone density scan. Ask your doctor whether you should have a bone density scan. If you’re over 65, you should have your bone density tested.

Men:

Prostate cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends a digital rectal exam and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test annually for men 50 and older. If you’re African American and/or have a family history of prostate cancer, you should have a digital exam and PSA annually starting at age 40.

If you would like recommendations on what types of screenings you need, visit BaylorHealth.com and choose Health Library under Health Information, then click on Tests.

Editor's Note:

You Could Be Getting the Wrong Tests — These Are the Ones You Really Need.

4. Got Flu? Take Out Your Contacts Whether it’s the low temperature and humidity facilitating the spread of viruses, or the fact that people spend more time cooped up together indoors, winter is the season for colds and flu. Experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Optometry advise those who catch a virus to avoid wearing contact lenses. “Many people don’t realize that their eyes function differently when they’re sick,” said “Joe” , Ph.D., professor of optometry at UAB. “Tear production is altered, and eyes tend to get very dry. People may develop pink eye, conjunctivitis or other eye infections. The cornea can swell. Contacts can aggravate these symptoms.” says people who are sick should stick to glasses. For those who must wear contacts, they should make sure to clean them thoroughly or, if possible, switch to daily wear lenses to avoid infection. Even taking contacts out to let eyes recuperate during the day can be beneficial.

Editor's Note:

Simple Precautions, Not Flu Shots, Fight Winter Viruses.

5. Antidepressants Don’t Help Lower Back Pain Antidepressants might be worthless for treating low back pain, suggests a new review that found no evidence to support using the drugs in this way. Yet, up to 23 percent of U.S. physicians report prescribing antidepressants to patients with low back pain. “The prescription of antidepressants as a treatment for back pain remains controversial,” Donna Urquhart, Ph.D., research fellow at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and lead review author. The review appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic. Physicians commonly prescribe antidepressants for patients with low back pain to provide pain relief, aid in sleep and treat coexisting depression. Chou, M.D., is the director of the American Pain Society’s Clinical Practice Guideline Program, which recently published new practice guidelines for the management of low back pain in conjunction with the American College of Physicians. “Antidepressants are considered second- or third-line agents in the treatment of low back pain,” Chou said. “It’s very common to be depressed with chronic pain, so that may be when clinicians are inclined to try a medication for both the chronic pain and the depression.” Chou, an associate professor at the Oregon Health and Science University, was not involved with the Cochrane review. For the review, Urquhart and colleagues analyzed 10 published studies that compared antidepressants to placebos in patients with low back pain. The studies included patients with problems such as ruptured discs, slipped vertebrae and pain due to pinched nerves. Four studies included both depressed and non-depressed patients. In two studies, it was not clear whether patients were depressed. One study targeted patients with low back pain and concurrent depression. In most studies, patients could continue taking other pain medications such as aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Five studies reported no differences in pain between patients receiving antidepressants and those receiving a placebo; however, two studies reported less pain in patients receiving antidepressants. Seven studies reported no differences in depression in patients receiving antidepressants who also had low back pain compared to patients receiving placebo. “The review found no convincing evidence that antidepressants relieve back pain or depression more effectively than placebo,” Urquhart said. Nor did researchers find any difference in patients’ ability to function, whether receiving antidepressants or placebo. The majority of the studies looked at tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline, nortriptyline and clomipramine. Two studies evaluated the effectiveness of paroxetine (Paxil is one brand), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). In addition, two studies evaluated the ‘atypical’ antidepressants, bupropion (Wellbutrin) and trazodone. After analyzing the findings of these studies, the researchers concluded, “Both tricyclics and SSRIs were no more effective than placebo in reducing pain.” Chou, of the American Pain Society, said that three previously conducted systematic reviews have found that some antidepressants are modestly effective in the treatment of low back pain. “It’s striking that the Cochrane review came to different conclusions than the older reviews.” This might have occurred because the review measured improvement in symptoms using different criteria than the previous reviews, he added. “It’s been pretty well shown that tricyclic antidepressants and antidepressants that modify norepinephrine uptake, such as duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine (Effexor), do have an effect on reducing chronic pain,” he said. Urquhart cautioned that patients with significant depression should not avoid antidepressants based on the findings of this review, because there is evidence that antidepressants can help patients with clinical depression. “However, existing studies do not provide adequate evidence for or against the use of antidepressants in low back pain and further research is needed,” she said. “In the meantime, antidepressants should be regarded as an unproven treatment for nonspecific low back pain.” Chou said that reviews like this are important for patients so they can learn about what options are available and which ones are effective. “There are so many treatments and it’s very confusing for patients and clinicians alike.”

Editor's Note:

Don’t Let Stress Steal Your Happiness. Treat It Naturally.

Editor's Notes:

Heart Attacks Caused by Inflammation, Not Cholesterol. Sleep Well Naturally — Don’t Believe the Pill-Pushing Ads. You Could Be Getting the Wrong Tests —– These Are the Ones You Really Need. Simple Precautions, Not Flu Shots, Fight Winter Viruses. Don’t Let Stress Steal Your Happiness. Treat It Naturally. Omega-3 – Why It Can Slash Your Risk of Disease and Depression. Your Belly Fat May Mean Heart Disease. Tea — It's Not Just a Drink, It's a Miracle Beverage. Can Eating the Right Foods Prevent Cancer? Yes! Discover Details Here.

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