Health ShortsMay 2003Lose Weight While You Sleep?
If see an ad about a product that helps you lose weight while you sleep, don't believe it. A good night's sleep, however, may well be beneficial to your body composition as well as your overall health. Growth hormone is released during the deepest stages of slow wave sleep, and a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association confirmed that decreases in total sleep and slow wave sleep that typically occur from youth to middle age were associated with similar decreases in growth hormone. Growth hormone is a factor in body composition, and obesity is associated with reductions in growth hormone output.
[SOURCE: "How To Avoid Middle-Aged Weight Gain-Sleep on It," Running & Fit News, June, 2001; JAMA, 2000, Vol. 284, No. 7; Hormone Research, 2000, Vol. 53, No. 5, Clinical Endocrinology, 1993, Vol. 38, No. 1] Native Americans Had Cure for Scurvy
Exploring the St. Lawrence River in 1534, Jacques Cartier's crew developed scurvy as a result of their subsistence diet of salted meat and hard biscuits. Recognizing the symptoms-muscle aches, weakness, bruising, bad breath and rotting gums-Native Americans encountering the explorers had a cure: tea brewed from pine bark. Scientists now know that pine bark tea is a major source of oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), antioxidants which boost the activity of vitamin C. Scurvy is an extreme vitamin C deficiency. OPCs are also abundant in purple grapes, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, red wine and grape seed extract.
[SOURCE: J. Jamison Starbuck, "The Very Picture of Health: OPCs," Better Nutrition, June, 1999; Dr. Robert Goldman and Dr. Ronald Klatz, "OPCs: Harvesting Nature's Anti-Aging Bounty," copyright, 2002] Some Fats Are Good for You
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), found primarily in the meat, milk, butter and cheese of cows and sheep raised on green grass, has been found in animal studies and a few human trials to be protective against some cancers and to aid in reduction of body fat. In a Scandinavian study, subjects consuming 1.8 grams of CLA a day had greater reduction of body fat than those ingesting a placebo. Both groups were involved in strenuous 90-minute exercise sessions three times a week. Other studies have found three to four grams of CLA daily to be an effective dose for fat reduction. The average ingestion of dietary CLA, according to a German study, is 0.35 grams a day for women and 0.43 grams for men.
[SOURCE: "Study Reveals Body Fat Impact of Conjugated Linoleic Acid," Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, March 2, 2002; Dr. John Stanley and Kirsty Hunter, "The wonder Nutrient: Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) Is Present in Dairy Products and Meats, with Beneficial Effects beyond Belief. So Why Aren't We Consuming More?" Chemistry and Industry, November 19, 2001] Supplements: Beware of Fakes
Herbal supplements are not always what they claim to be. In one recent report, state investigators in California found that about 30 percent of products imported from Asia were spiked with a drug not listed on the label or contained dangerous substances such as lead, arsenic or mercury. Five Chinese herbal supplements contained diabetes drugs. Dietary supplements are not subject to federal regulation, but some states have passed their own restrictive legislation.
[SOURCE: "Herbal Supplements: More Dangerous than You Think?" Urology Times, May, 2000] Do You Need a Multivitamin?
A recent study confirmed the health benefits of taking a multivitamin tablet a day. In a group of 158 patients, age 45 and over, significantly fewer subjects taking vitamins (43 percent) reported symptoms of infection (such as colds) than did those taking placebo (73 percent). The study was small, however, and the groups may not have been perfectly matched in terms of physical activity and nutrition. More studies are needed, the authors concluded, before multivitamins can be recommended for everyone.
[SOURCE: Richard Saitz, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P, "A Multivitamin a Day?" Journal Watch, April 15, 2003; T.A. Barringer, et al, "Effect of a Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement on Infection and Quality of Life: A Randomized, Dlouble-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial," Annals of Internal Medicine, March 4, 2003; W. Fawzi and M.J. Stampfer, "A Role for Multivitamins in Infection?" Annals of Internal Medicine, March 4, 2003] Prostate Cancer Linked to Diet
American men are 10 times more likely than Japanese men to get prostate cancer, and Japanese-American men develop a markedly higher cancer risk within one generation of moving to the United States. A preliminary study presented at the American Urological Association meeting [April 28, 2003] concluded that diet may be responsible for the difference. Studying blood and prostate cancer tissue samples from 50 men-half of whom were living in Japan and the other half California men born to Japanese parents-researchers found that the genetic material of the cancer cells differed between the two groups, suggesting a "gene-nutrient interaction...that may be a result of diet." The Japanese-American men ate substantially more animal fat than their Japanese counterparts, and they had higher triglyceride levels and more body fat.
[SOURCE: "Study Suggests Western Diet Tied to Prostate Cancer," Reuters Health, April 28, 2003] Little League Pitchers at Risk
A study of about 450 Little League pitchers found that at least half experienced either shoulder or elbow pain over the course of a year. The number of pitches thrown in a game was significantly associated with the risk of pain and injury. Pitchers throwing a curveball were more likely (52 percent increased risk) to have shoulder pain; those throwing a slider were likely (86 percent increased risk) to have pain in the elbow. The researchers cautioned parents and coaches against allowing young pitchers to throw curveballs and sliders and recommended limitations on pitch counts during a game and during a season.
[SOURCE: "Strike Three You're Out? Maybe for Your Career!" Sports Medicine Reports, November, 2002] Correcting Swimmer's Shoulder
Young athletes with "swimmer's shoulder" can usually be identified by their forward slumping posture. The problem is that chest muscles are stronger than the corresponding back muscles-an imbalance that eventually leads to injury. Rest and antiinflammatory medications can treat pain associated with swimmer's shoulder, but the long term solution is diligent stretching plus a training program aimed at strengthening muscles in the back of the shoulder.
[SOURCE: Heidi Splete, "Secrets of Diagnosing Overuse Shoulder Injuries," Family Practice News, October 15, 2002] Golf Injuries Linked to Biomechanics
Poor biomechanics are usually the cause of shoulder injuries suffered by golfers. The problem typically occurs in the lead shoulder at the top of the back swing, when the shoulder is stressed, fully adducted across the body and sometimes elevated 30 degrees above shoulder height.
[SOURCE: W. David Hovis, Mark T. Dean, William J. Mallon and Richard J. Hawkins, "Posterior Instability of the Shoulder with Secondary Impingement in Elite Golfers," The American Journal of Sports Medicine, November-December, 2002] Swimming Lessons Save Lives
The rate of drowning is 12 to 15 times greater for African American males, ages 10 to 19, than for whites males the same age. Officials at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development stress the need for swimming lessons to protect these teens from drowning incidents.
[SOURCE: Heidi Splete, "Drowning Deaths by Age, Race," Pediatric News, August, 2001] Early CPR Crucial to Recovery
When a drowning child is pulled from the water, early CPR by family and bystanders is crucial while waiting for emergency medical personnel to arrive. Researchers have found that children getting early CPR have better outcomes even if the technique is less than perfect. In one 1999 study, all 41 of the children who were breathing and had pulses when the emergency medical team arrived survived with full neurological recovery; none of the subjects who failed to get early CPR survived.
[SOURCE: Mary Desmond Pinkowish, "Drowning: A Preventable Cause of Death," Patient Care, April 15, 2000] Head Injuries: When To Call a Doctor
After suffering any blow to the head, your child should be monitored closely for at least 48 hours to be sure that no troubling symptoms develop. You should seek immediate medical attention if: - the skin is cut enough to require stitches;
- your child has a headache severe enough to require medication;
- he or she vomits repeatedly;
- vision is blurred or double;
- walking or talking is difficult;
- your child is confused or difficult to awake, or
- if you have any doubt about the child's condition.
[SOURCE: B.D. Schmitt, "Head Trauma, "Clinical Reference Systems, Annual 2001] Brain Injury Is Major Threat
For Americans up to age 44, traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability. More than half a million persons suffer brain injuries each year, with about 30 to 40 percent severe. With improved medical technology, a greater number of patients survive severe brain injuries...but often with severe repercussions.
[SOURCE: Thomas D. Upton, Luis Fontan, Paola Premuda, Jorge Lorenzo and Nila Quinteros, "Comparing Brain Injury Rehabilitation Practices: What Can Northern and Southern Americans Learn from Each Other?" The Journal of Rehabilitation, October-December, 2002] | 
