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Did you know?
Dec 2009
H1N1 or the "Swine Flu"
If you are sick with influenza-like illness (fever >100'F plus cough or sore
throat and runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, vomiting, and
diarrhea): stay home and keep away from others as much as possible for at least
24 hours after fever is gone without fever reducing medicine. If your symptoms
are severe (shortness of breath, productive cough, high fever), you should be
seen by a health care practitioner, or go to the ER. If you are pregnant, a
recent report noted that one third of pregnant women with confirmed cases of
pandemic H1N1 were hospitalized (mostly with severe respiratory distress).
Pregnant women have a death rate from H1N1 flu six-times greater than any other
population group! So, pregnant women should call their obstetrician or
nurse-midwife if they have influenza symptoms. Additionally, it is quite
possible for an individual to experience both seasonal influenza and H1N1
influenza simultaneously or in tandem with serious results.
Whooping Cough
Whooping cough (Pertussis) vaccine wears off after about 10 years. Everyone
ages 19-65 should be revaccinated. Ask your primary health care provider for a
combination vaccine that also protects against tetanus and diphtheria, which
also wears off after 10 years.
- from University of California, Berkeley, Wellness Letter.
Muscle Pain
Cherry juice relieves muscle pain. Runners who drank pure tart cherry juice
immediately after a long run had 23% less pain than those who drank a placebo
cherry drink. Tart cherry juice has strong anti-inflammatory properties that
also could help fight arthritis and heart disease. Tart cherry juice comes from
the Montmorency (sour pie), cherry and may have properties similar to
anti-inflammatory medications.
- from Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, presented at
the American College of Sports Medicine Conference.
Sleep vs Making Love
51% of people would prefer to catch up on sleep than make love. A decade ago,
only 31% preferred sleep!
- from a survey of 12,500 people in 12 countries, conducted by Westin Hotels
& Resorts.
Cognitive therapy helps control overactive bladder
In a recent study, women who suffered from overactive bladder - difficulty
holding urine in the bladder until making it to a toilet - and incontinence
listened to 15 minute audio recordings twice a day for two weeks. The recordings
were designed to help the women recognize the link between the bladder and the
brain. They featured visualization, such as strengthening the connection between
the brain and the spinal cord to help control the bladder, as well as relaxation
exercises. The women's average number of overactive bladder incidents per week
decreased from 42 to 16!
-by Aaron Michelfelder, MD, Loyola University, Chicago, Stritch School of
Medicine, and leader of a study published in the Journal of Urology.
High Blood Pressure and Memory
High blood pressure can lead to memory problems in people over age 45 years.
Every 10 point increase in diastolic pressure raises the odds of cognitive
problems by 7%. Talk with your doctor about maintaining a healthy blood
pressure.
- from Georgios Tsivgoulis, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, lead author
of a study of almost 20,00 people, published in Neurology.
Eat less, Remember more
Overweight people who reduced their calorie intake by 30% a day scored 20%
higher on a word-based memory test than they had before dieting. The dieters had
lower levels of glucose and insulin in their blood - factors liked in earlier
studies to improved brain function.
- from a study of 50 people, average age 60, by researchers at University of
Munster, Germany, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Challenging your brain
Games on your cell phone are better for your brain than crossword or sudoku
puzzles. Why? They have a timing component. As you age, your brain faces more
challenges with short-term memory and the cognitive tasks of paying attention
and juggling multiple abilities. It's important to challenge these skills, and
playing games against a clock provides a better brain workout than puzzles and
board games.
- Cynthia Green, PhD, president, Memory Arts, LLC, New Jersey.
www.memoryarts.com
Hot Flashes last longer than thought
Hot flashes — also known as vasomotor symptoms — affect up to 75% of women
during the menopausal transition. For some women, these symptoms are no more
than mildly annoying; for others, they can be extremely bothersome and may
involve drenching sweats day and/or night, palpitations, anxiety, and confusion.
Lifestyle measures may help — keeping the thermostat turned down, dressing in
loose layers, drinking ice water, and avoiding hot or spicy foods, for example.
But severe symptoms may require medication. The most effective treatment is
hormone therapy — estrogen with or without a progestin. Deciding whether to
start hormone therapy might be easier if women knew how long they were likely to
be experiencing hot flashes. Current health information suggests that symptoms
typically go on for six months to two years, but no investigation has actually
lasted long enough to collect data on these symptoms — from start to finish — in
a given cohort of women. Until now. An Australian study, published in the
journal Menopause (May/June 2009), tracked women from premenopause through the
menopausal transition and reported that hot flash duration averaged more than
five years — well above previous estimates.
Investigators with the Melbourne Women’s Midlife Health Project analyzed data
from 438 women ages 45 to 55 who were still menstruating when the study began in
1991. Subjects were interviewed annually and completed health questionnaires,
including questions about bothersome hot flashes. After 13 years of follow-up,
the researchers found that hot flashes lasted, on average, 5.8 years in HT users
and 5.2 years in nonusers. They also noted links between high exercise levels
and shorter hot flash duration.
- from the Harvard Women’s Health Watch, Volume 16, Number 10
News Archive
Baby Blues and Postpartum Depression
CDC advice to pregnant women concerned
about H1N1
Bio-Identical Hormones
Did you know
Should I take only
Bioidentical Hormones?
Cholesterol drugs lower cancer
risk
Music Therapy
Nature's Pharmacy
Have you heard about HALO Breast Pap Test?
Supplements with multiple benefits a
great investment in your health
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