Health’s Blog

Beg your pardon?According to a recent study released by Energizer Battery, nearly half of all respondents feel that their marriage has suffered due to their partner’s hearing loss. And since more than 28 million Americans now suffer from some type of hearing impairment, this is an issue with which many couples are contending.

What’s so upsetting about hearing loss? Well, aside from the frustration (both of the speaker who is forced to constantly speak louder than comfortable, and the listener who is forced to constantly ask for things to be repeated), hearing loss can also be emotionally draining. Both partners begin to feel that their needs are not being understood as the miscommunications pile up around them.

Furthermore, the study also found that hearing loss is often accompanied by deliberate miscommunication at times. According to the survey, a husband might easily hear his wife preparing snacks in the kitchen and come running for a bite, but moments later when she asks him to take out the trash, he can’t hear her! This so-called “selective hearing” might be amusing to an outsider, but for the spouse who constantly has to repeat herself and beg for errands to be performed, it is certainly no laughing matter.

So how can couples grapple with hearing loss and keep their relationship intact during this difficult time?

Read the rest of this entry »

If home remedies and deep house cleaning aren’t sufficient to treat or control your allergies, your doctor may be able to offer you some additional treatments.

Antihistamines. If over-the-counter (OTC) products aren’t adequate, your doctor can prescribe others. For more, read my entry on antihistamines and sinusitis relief.

Cough medicines. When OTC cough drops and dextromethorphan still leave you coughing, ask your doctor if a prescription for benzonotate is appropriate. Codeine is probably the most powerful cough suppressant, but it’s also a narcotic and so should be used with caution and only when necessary.

Nasal steroid sprays. Nasal steroids can be very effective for allergies, but many people don’t experience their full benefit because they don’t understand how these sprays work. Steroids blunt the immune response to whatever is causing the allergy. By blocking the body’s initial reaction to the allergen, steroids reduce histamine production. Less histamine in turn results in less mucus being secreted into the nose and sinuses.

All this is to say that these medications are meant to prevent future mucus production; they will not clear out any of your current congestion (although the moisturizing effect might provide some relief). This means, first, that nasal steroids are unlikely to make much difference when you first start taking them and, second, they may not effectively reduce the allergic response (and annoying symptoms) if you use them only intermittently.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s true. There’s room for chocolate in any healthy diet, not only because new research indicates that it’s actually good for you thanks to disease-fighting flavanols in the darker varieties, but also because it tastes good and you love it.

The key to including indulgences like chocolate in your diet without blowing your calorie limit is to eat them in moderation. That means limiting yourself to a small piece or two a day (about one ounce or 150 calories worth), and splurging on high-quality chocolate that really satisfies.

Read the rest of this entry »

A Sydney University researcher is helping to alert people in the Asia Pacific region to the deadly impact of smoking.

Dr Rachel Huxley, acting director of the Nutrition and Lifestyle Division at the George Institute, says too few people in the region are aware of the dangers of smoking which is responsible for nine out of ten cases of lung cancer, three out of four cases of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and one in four cases of coronary heart disease.

Public awareness has been raised in Australia, which, over the past few decades, has gone from having one of the highest rates of cigarette smoking in the world to one of the lowest. But in the wider region, especially in developing countries, the number of smokers is enormous - China alone has 320 million smokers, the vast majority of them men. Moreover, a recent report suggests that over 50 per cent of doctors in China smoke.

Dr Huxley has led an international research team - the Asia-Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration (APCSC) - with more than 60 researchers from nine countries examining the impact of risk factors on cardiovascular disease. More than 650,000 people have contributed to the research from 44 studies in the Asia Pacific region since 1999.

The latest research findings indicate that the risk of dying from lung cancer among women who smoke is double that for men. But the study also reported good news for any smoker wishing to quit the habit: stopping smoking can reduce the risk of death from lung cancer by up to 70 per cent. Dr Huxley and her team are trying to help developing countries avoid the “growing pains” that western countries have already suffered. “There is an urgent need to promote public awareness of the harmful effects of smoking within the region - particularly in China, where the numbers of smokers are so high that even a small reduction in the number of people who smoke could save tens of thousands of lives. But if current smoking patterns persist, 100 million smokers in China will be killed by the habit by the end of this century,” she said.

The need for comprehensive tobacco control policies is also highlighted by the research: working with the health departments of developed countries, Dr Huxley suggests that the western model of preventing and controlling smoking can be applied in Asian countries, with strong government controls over tobacco companies and massive advertising campaigns.

Read the rest of this entry »

Poetry is a unique and creative art form that allows us to express and share aspects of our mental lives. We can convey our thoughts and emotions, or experience those of another writer, with a depth and insight that go far beyond simple description.

Someone might say to you, for example, that she feels “very depressed.” But if she were to craft a poetic treatment of those feelings, she might find herself using images of bleak winters and barren landscapes, which could then perhaps suggest abandoned hopes and lost opportunities to the reader.

I confess that I don’t regularly read poetry, but I often listen to it. I delight in the daily 5-minute program, “The Writer’s Almanac,” narrated by Garrison Keillor. It’s on some public radio stations, but is also available as a podcast or on the program’s Web site. Keillor usually ends his daily recordings by reading a poem in that sonorous baritone of his.

I pause from my other activities and allow myself to be briefly transported into the world of the words, where they have been selected and organized just right by the poet to convey feelings and shared symbols from one mind to another. Poems are about compression too: I often marvel at how so few words can express so much emotion.

Read the rest of this entry »

November is American Diabetes Month. So why should you be concerned about diabetes? Some statistics from the American Diabetes Association might pique your interest.

• Diabetes is the 5th leading cause of death by disease; currently, it’s a disease that has no cure.
• Since 1987, the death rate due to diabetes has increased by 45 percent, while the death rates from stroke, cancer, and heart disease have all declined.
• Worldwide, over 246 million people have diabetes. By 2020, that number is expected to rise to 380 million.
• Diabetes is costing our society. In 2002, $92 billion was spent on direct medical costs for diabetes. This means that 1 out of every 10 dollars we spend on health care goes to feed the diabetes beast. The total cost of diabetes to the U.S. each year is estimated to be $132 billion, which includes not only the direct costs but also $40 billion in such indirect costs as disability, work loss, and early death. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are some interesting, and maybe even frightening health facts*, that you probably never knew about. After reading these facts, you might want to think twice about grabbing a cup of coffee or even drinking a glass of orange juice for breakfast! Want to be lazy and lose weight at the same time, just go to sleep!

1) Motorists who talk on cell phones are more impaired than drunk drivers with blood-alcohol levels exceeding .08!

2) Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

3) Some parts of the world protect their babies from disease by bathing them in beer.

4) The word ‘gymnasium’ comes from the Greek word gymnazein which means ‘to exercise naked.’

5) There are more than 1,000 chemicals in a cup of coffee. Of these, only 26 have been tested, and half caused cancer in rats.

6) The average American eats at McDonalds more than 1,800 times in their life.

7) A hard working adult sweats up to 4 gallons per day.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pilot screening programmes for abdominal aortic aneurysms in men aged 65 are due to be launched in England this year, but is this move too hasty? Two experts debate the issue in this weeks BMJ.

Around 90% of people with a ruptured aortic aneurysm die. But if the aneurysm is discovered before it ruptures and is repaired by an experienced vascular surgeon, mortality is around 7.4%, writes James Johnson, consultant surgeon at Halton General Hospital, Runcorn.

Around 5% of men aged between 65 and 74 have abdominal aortic aneurysms, but they rarely cause symptoms, so screening in this age group would potentially ensure that most aortic aneurysms are diagnosed and repaired.

But the case for screening is not clear-cut claims Johnson.

He points to wide variations in the mortality for surgical repair between hospitals in England. In addition, a number of patients will not be fit enough to have a repairaneurysm is a disease that rarely exists in isolation. Most patients will also have hypertension, or a history of myocardial infarction, stroke or diabetes.

As a result, a number of patients will be left with the knowledge that they have a life threatening condition that is liable to cause sudden death and that nothing can be done about it, writes Johnson.

Read the rest of this entry »

by Aimee Amodio 

The food you eat helps build a strong, healthy body — that includes your teeth! Adding a few simple things to your diet can help your choppers stay strong and healthy.

• Watch when you eat your carbs. Carbohydrates break down into sugars, which can be converted to plaque in the mouth. Plaque is the primary cause of gum disease and cavities! If you snack on carbs like chips, cookies, and crackers, foods can get caught between teeth and under the gum line, making it easy for bacteria to get to work. If you eat your carbs at mealtimes, you’ll be producing more saliva and washing food particles away.
• Behold! The power of cheese. Enzymes in cheese can help neutralizing acids and sugars that come from sodas and other sugary snacks. Follow your sugary drinks and snacks with a piece of cheese to help reduce your risk of cavities.
• Make sure you get your vitamin C. Folks who don’t get enough vitamin C in their diet are 25% more likely to end up with gum disease than people who ate enough — according to a study from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Be sure you get plenty of vitamin C: 180mg daily or more. Read the rest of this entry »

by Aimee Amodio

You can help keep your teeth healthy from the inside out — certain diet choices can help keep your choppers strong and shiny. Here are some tips to help protect your mouth against decay, disease, and more!

• Sugar isn’t the only thing that’s bad for your teeth — carbs can be just as damaging. After all, carbohydrates break down into simple sugars in your body. In your mouth, sugars are converted into plaque.
• That doesn’t mean you have to give up carbs! Just try to eat them only at mealtimes. Carbs are kind of sticky, so they tend to adhere between teeth or below the gum line. Eating your carbs at mealtime will give your mouth a chance to clean the carbs away. The more you eat, the more saliva you produce. Spit helps wash food particles away.
• Make sure you get plenty of vitamin C in your diet. Vitamin C helps hold all your cells together — from your skin to your gums. If you get less than 60 milligrams of vitamin C daily, you are 25% more likely to have gum disease than folks who get 180 milligrams or more every day. As a measure, one eight ounce glass of OJ contains 80 milligrams of vitamin C or more.
• Make sure you eat plenty of calcium in your diet. The majority of the calcium in your body lives in your bones and your teeth. 800 milligrams of calcium every day (for the average guy) will help reduce your risk of developing gum disease. Women under fifty probably need more — around 1000 milligrams daily. Women over fifty should get 1200 milligrams daily. Read the rest of this entry »