Daily Aspirin help or hazard?

If you are taking a low dose aspirin on a daily basis to prevent heart problems, it seems that it does not offer protection but in fact might be harmful.A recent study reported in the Lancet showed that in people taking aspirin on that basis have very marginal protection than if they took nothing at all. The study focused on people who had no history of cardiac disease – the ones most targeted by previous information – and that their rate of occurrence of heart attack, strokes and death from heart disease was reduced to 0.51% per year. This sounds OK, until you see that the control group who took no aspirin had a rate of occurrence from the same conditions of 0.57%.

The benefit therefore is small, but there is a corresponding rise in the rate of major gastrointestinal and extracranial bleeding. This went up from 0.07% a year to 0.10% among the aspirin group, and showed that the risk of such bleeds rose along with their cardiovascular risk level.

The study analysed results for 95,000 people who took part in long-term primary prevention trials and has made the study’s authors speak out about the need to review the current guidelines for patients looking to lower their risk of heart disease.

Dr. Baigent, the main study author, recommends that to prevent heart disease we go back to basics. Primary prevention with aspirin could be expected to prevent five nonfatal heart attacks but cause three extra gastrointestinal bleeds and one extra intracranial hemorrhage per 10,000 people treated per year, To avoid these incidents the advice is to stop smoking, and to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels through diet and exercise. His last word on the subject,” The benefits of adding aspirin clearly outweigh the hazards.”

BUT ..

Researchers never do seem to agree with each other, and a study at the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands came to a similar, but different, conclusion. They used the same research data to analyse and agreed that the risk of aspirin was not acceptable in people who took it purely as a preventive but that there were significant gender and baseline risk factors to take into account. They recommended that a low dose daily aspirin was justified for the following groups:

** Men age 50 to 59 who are at five times the average cardiovascular risk
** Men age 60 to 69, who have at least twice the average cardiovascular risk
** Women in the same age range with at least five times the average risk
** All men age 70 to 79 regardless of risk
** Women in the same age range with at least double the average risk

SO?
As ever, you have to look at your own potential risk for heart disease and I would suggest you put all the lifestyle factors of diet and exercise in place and discuss this with your doctor before starting, or stopping, a daily aspirin habit.

Health benefits of Dandelions

As summer appears to have suddenly burst upon us, you may soon be wrestling with that common misplaced flower – the dandelion. It may be a weed to you, but it can have some useful health benefits so save a corner of the garden for it and you might be surprised at how useful it can be.

It contains a host of good ingredients such as vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, and the minerals iron, potassium, and zinc and has been used across the world. Native Americans used dandelion to treat kidney disease, swelling, skin problems, heartburn, and stomach upset. Chinese practitioners traditionally used dandelion to treat digestive disorders, appendicitis, and breast problems such as inflammation or lack of milk flow. In Europe, herbalists incorporated it into remedies for fever, boils, eye problems, diabetes, and diarrhea.

Today, dandelion roots are mainly used as an appetite stimulant, to improve upset stomach, flatulence, and constipation. Dandelion is a natural diuretic that increases urine production by promoting the excretion of salts and water from the kidney and so is used for poor digestion, liver disorders, and high blood pressure. Research also suggests that dandelion root may improve the health and function of natural bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.

How to use it:

** Dandelion tea has been used for many years to treat colds, diabetes, tuberculosis, rheumatism, and arthritis. You can get it ready made at a herbalist or health shop, but if you are making your own only pick tender, young leaves. Leave them any longer and they will taste very bitter.

** To use it as a diuretic, simmer two ounces of the sliced root in two pints of water. Boil it down to one pint. Drink half of a glass two or three times a day.

** To make a dandelion coffee to help you sleep, and solve your digestive problems, you need to roast the roots until they’re brown and hard. Grind into a power and treat like an instant coffee (but without the caffeine).

** An ‘old wives’ remedy for warts was to squeeze the stems of dandelions until the white milky substance inside comes out. Put this liquid onto the wart, let it dry and don’t wash off. Reapply when you can no longer see it on the skin and in three days it should have dried the wart so that turns black, and drops off. No need to wear a pointy hat and have a black cat, unless of course you want to.

Precautions
Plants contain powerful substances and are not to be taken lightly. Dandelion is generally considered safe but it’s possible to have an allergic reaction to even the most natural substance. If you have an allergy to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigold, chamomile, yarrow, daisies, or iodine, you should avoid dandelion. In some people, dandelion can cause increased stomach acid and heartburn and it may also irritate the skin if applied directly to it. If you have gallbladder problems and gallstones then best to avoid this should consult a health care provider before eating dandelion.
Because of it’s diuretic effect, dandelion may increase the excretion of drugs from the body and if you taking any of the following drugs check with your doctor first: Lithium, Antibiotics, Antacids and other medicines that lower stomach acid, such as Zantac.

Sports drinks beaten by cereals

After training, athletes look to restore their energy and they often do it with sports drinks. However, there is another option that will help them recover faster according to the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition and it’s found in most kitchens. The answer lies in a bowl of cereal with non-fat milk as that provides similar results as athletes look for from an electrolyte drink. Athletes may get the same post-workout boost from a bowl of cereal as they might expect from a sports drink, researchers found.A bowl of cereal with nonfat milk after exercise produced statistically similar results as a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink for nearly all measures of muscle glycogen and protein synthesis, Lynne Kammer, M.S.E., M.A., of the, and colleagues reported.

The researchers at the University of Texas at Austin findings, who carried out the study, focused on cyclists and triathletes and they were looking to see how when muscle is broken down and depleted of oxygen by exercise, what is the best way to restore it to normal levels. The researchers looked at how exercise depletes muscle stores of glycogen and turns it into glucose, which fuels the physical activity, and in doing so it breaks down muscle protein. This led to the researchers investigating the logical extension of this, which is that to replace the lost protein any post-exercise food or drink needs protein as well as carbohydrate to replace that which has been lost.

By having a bowl of cereal after exercise you get carbohydrate replacement and the milk that accompanies it provides essential, easily digestible protein and in a less expensive form than sports drinks.

Ginseng is a natural anti-inflammatory

Ginseng has long been used for stamina and supporting the immune system, but new research shows that it can also be an affective anti-inflammatory. Chinese medicine has used ginseng for treating many conditions and it is a powerful adaptogen – a substance that has a normalizing effect on the body and helps to support the body to deal with stress and illness. Ginseng is able to stimulate functions that regulate the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system, and the endocrine glands.It was researchers from the University of Hong Kong who identified seven ginseng constituents that showed immune-suppressive effects. Their study involved treating human immune cells with different extracts of ginseng and was the first to identify ginseng as a potential anti-inflammatory.

Ginseng has already been extensively studied, and among it’s many benefits are it’s ability to reduce the effects of both physical and emotional stress, improve stamina and cope with fatigue without stimulants like caffeine. All of this has made it a popular supplement for various armies around the world, particularly in the Soviet Union.

For non-military types, it is also heart protective as it’s anti-clotting effects reduce the risk of arterial blood clots and it will help reduce cholesterol levels.
Diabetics also often favour it as a supplement as it reduces sugar levels, which in turn helps them control their diabetes. Those who need to be on a permanent drug regime find it valuable for it’s ability to protect the liver from the effects not just of drugs, but also alcohol and environmental toxins.

Kava helps reduce anxiety

Australian researchers at the University of Queensland have used Kava – which has a long history of medicinal use in the South Pacific – to treat anxiety.  They found a traditional extract of Kava, a medicinal shrub, to be safe and effective in reducing anxiety. When taken in small doses, kava helps increase awareness and activity without increasing tension.As a natural mood enhancer Kava is often suggested by naturopathic practitioners for those suffering from chronic anxiety and mild depression.
It has no addictive properties, unlike antidepressants, and has less risk of any side effects. Taken in excess Kava has been linked to liver problems, though this is still debated, and does not occur with water soluble extracted Kava, the traditional way of producing it. It should be taken occasionally for anxiety, or for a period of less than a month for more chronic conditions.

Kava is not available for sale in the UK, though it is perfectly legal to order it online for personal use.

Surgery broadcast on the web

If you had a malignant tumour threatening to paralyze you then you would happily embrace the necessary surgery, but how do you feel about having it filmed and put on the web by the hospital to promote their services? This is what happened to Shila Renee Mullins when she was filmed praising the care she received at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis and her surgery and care were turned into a promotional video for the hospital to attract more patients.Can’t see it happening on the NHS, or at least not yet, though given the desire for self promotion and our five minutes of fame that seems to have gripped the nation I am certainly not counting it out. This particular surgery requires the patient to be awake and conscious during it and she was filmed talking while the scalpels went in. The resulting operation was then promoted as a webcast and with ads in the newspapers and on tv. America being the land of the beautiful, sadly Ms. Mullins was replaced in the media with an attractive model, though presumably they couldn’t CGI a more beautiful head on to the poor woman while she had the surgery.

The resulting webcast certainly had a good number of ‘hits’ as their marketing department kept track. A preview on YouTube netted 21,555 viewers while the entire webcast of the surgery slumped dramatically to 2,212 and only 3 people requested appointments – which was presumably the object of the exercise. Hospitals in the US have to compete for patients in the marketplace as does every other commodity and they have spent large sums on conventional media to attract patients, but these are highly expensive compared to the Internet. Hospitals have previously used Twitter from operating rooms, showed surgery on YouTube and had their patients blog about their procedures – back to that five minutes of fame.

Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit uses Twitter from the operating room and surgeon Dr. Craig Rogers operating room had an online observing chief resident who Twittered the following while Dr. Craig was removing an unexpectedly large tumour from a kidney. I give you his exact words online, live as it happened: “Gosh, this is big. Could I have picked a harder case for this?” The fact he knew he was being broadcast could have affected what he said, and any distraction from the surgery seems to me to e downright dangerous – if not actually unprofessional. Hospitals say patients give consent and are not compensated for any videoing but there are already plenty of people seeking surgery as a way of body sculpting and enhancing rather than as a medical procedure and there are concerns that if you will do anything to get on TV then this could be one way to do it.

My nightmare is an extension of Big Brother set in a surgical ward where they are competing for the most outrageous operation and the winner has their brain removed on prime time TV – though how much brain they would find in those contestants would be open to doubt.

Not all blogging and tweeting is a bad thing; some hospitals are using it to gain patients for clinical trials that are otherwise difficult and expensive to recruit, and to publicise fundraising or legislation for increased funds for new hospitals. However, with more than 250 hospitals now using YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or blogs, may I suggest that the moral of this story is to beware of hospitals with marketing departments.

Antidepressant drug statistics turn out to be depressing

My views on antidepressants are that they be necessary for some people, at some time, but that natural methods and therapy work just as well. Now it seems, I have support from Stephen Wisniewski, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, who set up a study of data compiled in a massive, government-funded review of more than 40 psychiatric facilities. Known as the ‘Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression’, it’s catchy title reveals that antidepressants are only effective in a small percentage of patients and then only within a very narrow spectrum of conditions.However, most patients have multiple issues and it appears the majority (around 60 percent) are not benefiting from being given antidepressants. What is as troubling is the fact that the ‘great results’ given out by the pharmaceutical companies have been carefully selected so that patients in their particular drug’s trial are only those within the spectrum that the drug can help – in other words it seems they exclude the multiple issue patients. When Wisniewski did a comparison of patients in drug trials, against those whose data was in the Sequenced Treatment research it appeared that only 22 percent of the people he studied would have been eligible for the drug trial. Hardly a representative sample of the general population who suffer from depression.

Depression can be debilitating and destructive and I am all in favour of doing what works, but a preliminary step of seeking help from counselling, hypnotherapy, cognitive behaviour and herbs such as Rhodiola and St John’s Wort would seem like a good first step.

Common virus may be cause of high blood pressure

High blood pressure can lead to an increased risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease with 1 in 20 adults in the UK being affected and as many as 70 percent of adult diabetics. It’s causes can be varied, from genetic predisposition, medical conditions and stress, but now there may be a completely different explanation. Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center believe that a common viral infection might also be a cause.

The virus in question is cytomegalovirus, part of the herpes family, and it infects between 40 and 80 percent of adults worldwide. It is spread through bodily fluids such as saliva and urine, and can be transmitted from person to person through close bodily contact. Like most other herpes-type viruses, once you’re infected by CMV it will remain dormant in your body for the rest of your life, though you may never show any symptoms. If a woman has CMV it can be passed on to her unborn child and it is estimated that one in every 200 babies will be born with congenital CMV.

Viruses have the ability to turn on human genes and, in this case, the CMV virus is enhancing expression of renin, an enzyme directly involved in causing high blood pressure a whole new approach to treating hypertension, with anti-viral therapies or vaccines becoming part of the prescription.”

This breakthrough came about because for the first time researchers were brought together from a combination of disciplines including allergies, cardiology, infectious diseases and pathology. This collaborative venture meant that insights were shared and led to a statement from author Clyde Crumpacker, MD the co-author of the study and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School that.. “This new discovery may eventually provide doctors with a whole new approach to treating hypertension, with anti-viral therapies or vaccines becoming part of the prescription.”

Ginger root reduces chemotherapy nausea by 40 percent

Ginger is an incredibly versatile spice; it’s recommended for travel and morning sickness and recent research showed it could also be used in the third world to inexpensively treat bacteria-induced diarrhoea, which is the leading cause of infant death in many countries. It is certainly a popular remedy for conditions as wide apart as arthritis and supporting the cardiovascular system, and certainly for treating stomach upsets. It eases stomach cramps, calms any upset and helps increase the amount of bile, for better digestion.

Now it seems there is proof in a study reported by the American Society of Clinical Oncology that it could also help with the nausea experienced by as many as 70% of patients after receiving chemotherapy. MLA University of Rochester Medical Center carried out a study by using ginger capsules, in conjunction with anti-nausea drugs, before their treatment on 644 cancer patients.The figures speak for themselves, with 40 percent of patients reporting much less severe and frequent attacks of nausea when they took the ginger supplement three days before they had their chemotherapy, and for three days afterwards. It’s important it is taken before the chemotherapy to allow the spice time to do it’s work in the body, it’s thought that it is the anti-inflammatory benefit of ginger is an important factor here in preparing the body to withstand the drugs onslaught. The recommended way to take it is in ginger supplements though some crytallised ginger or the odd slice of gingerbread won’t harm either.

This is the biggest study undertaken on this natural spice, and the first to investigate whether ginger could make a difference if taken before the chemotherapy occurs.

I have mentioned the various homoeopathic treatments available to help with the side effects of homoeopathy, but it is good to also have another option, and ginger certainly has a long pedigree in natural medicine as it has been in use by the Chinese for over 2,500 years.

Salmonella in space

Salmonella is something we are continually battling here on earth, and there is no currently available vaccine to control it. Now, a series of experiments conducted aboard the International Space Station may soon lead to a vaccine against food poisoning from that particular bacteria.

It is bacteria brought back by the shuttle Discovery crew last month that researchers have been examining, because it seems that previous studies showed salmonella can become more virulent in weightlessness; and that its virulence can be controlled so that it can be switched on and off. NASA has been concerned that because being in space weakens the immune system, that astronauts might be more susceptible to food poisoning.

Bizarrely, or at least to me, the environment inside the intestines is similar to weightlessness and this latest research shows that microgravity actually changes salmonella itself and this gives researchers hope that this could help us tackle the problem back here on Earth.

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