I received a very important query regarding the risk of heart disease among OCP users.  A lot of married couples not wanting for more babies are using OCP so I thought of sharing this news bit in terms of what the scientific community thinks with regard to this issue. 

A study published in The Sterility and Infertility 2006 Issue involving 672 postmenopausal women who participated in the Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) showed that Past oral contraceptive use was associated with a reduction in coronary artery disease severity. The observation held true even after accounting for a variety of potential confounders, including age, diabetes mellitus, lipid profile, smoking, aspirin use, and use of lipid-lowering agents.  Likewise, the duration of past oral contraceptive use appeared to have no bearing on the extent of reduced coronary disease seen.

While the study suggests a potential protective effect for past oral contraceptive use, further studies have to be done to confirm this important finding.

For now… this is the first observational link between OCP and Cardiovascular Disease and the results are reassuring to our women OCP takers.

OCP Takers…Be Reassured!

It is now a common knowledge that any disease process starts from the young…the same goes with obesity, diabetes and cholesterol.  Several studies have shown that atherosclerosis or build up of cholesterol plaques in our vessels start from the young.

Eating patterns and genetics play a significant role in increasing ones risk…as well as patterns of obesity and smoking.  Evidence has shown that lowering cholesterol in children and adolescents is beneficial and therefore much be aggressively searched if that child has risk factors.

The National Cholesterol Education Program has come up with these guidelines:

Cholesterol levels in children and adolescents 2–19 years old
Total cholesterol (mg/dL)
Acceptable — less than 170
Borderline — 170–199
High — 200 or greater

LDL cholesterol (mg/dL)
Acceptable — less than 110
Borderline — 110–129
High — 130 or greater

Keep Our Children FIT…Let Them

Play… Support Their Activities

and Watch What They EAT!

Alarm over reports on the dangers of microwave cooking has been around us for quite sometime.  However I cant imagine a home nowadays without the microwave ovens.

There are basically two concerns: radiation and the unknown health effects on the food cooked in microwave.

Let me present the facts:

As of October 1971, the US FDA has regulated the manufacture of microwaves with regard to radiation safety with limits of around 5 milliwatts per square meter which is far below the level known to harm people.  Likewise no residual radiation is present after the microwave is stopped.

The US FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition was tasked to examine the effect of food coverings and the possibility of harm for the particles that migrate to the food.  After a thorough investigation the Cneter then released information to the public regarding safety of  microwave.  The findings include that so far no known health hazards have been proven for these health susceptors like paper, paperboards, polymers and adhesives that are supposed to migrate to the food when we cook in the microwave. However they are reassuring the public that the Center will continue to monitor the safety of the products cooked in microwave and so far no further reports have been made.

If you look at sites that condemn the microwave… don’t be fooled by anecdotal reports.  It has to be science based and well researched.  Anybody can just present their proofs but if no validation is done then the report is not acceptable to the scientific community.

For Now…Enjoy Your

Microwave!

I am a user of iPod… I carry it with me when I exercise everyday and when I travel long distance either by plane or land.  It’s the fad and I think this gadget will be in vogue for quite sometime.  Unlike the older versions of this gadget like the Walkman where you cant increase the volume because the sound turns bad… the sound of the iPod gets better the louder it gets.  As a result, you don’t even feel the loudness because you’re enjoying the music… and that’s where the problem comes in.

According to the Mayo Clinic Hearing Loss Center…Decibels of 80 or below are safe.  Most MP3’s or iPods can expose us up to 120 decibels.  It is now estimated that approximately 1/3 of all the hearing losses are noise induced!  And  MP3 or iPod usage contributes to this statistics… So iPod users… the most important preventive strategy to avoid the problem of hearing loss is to make sure you get the “safe” decibel.

A safe decibel means:

1. if you are able to hear a conversation while listening to the music,

2. If nobody else hears the music in your iPod,

3. If you are able to talk without shouting and

4. If you’re enjoying the music without turning the volume all the way up.

It is recommended that the volume should be less than 60% of the total volume set in the gadget.

For me, it pays to be cautious because hearing loss may not be apparent now because it takes years to develop.  But more importantly… once hearing loss sets in…it’s Permanent!

To be able to hear well is a blessing… So

Let’s Enjoy Our iPods Safely!

MSG or monosodium glutamate has been added to chinese foods for flavoring for decades… but anecdotal reports have convinced a lot of consumers that anything with MSG can be BAD!  It is for this reason that the US FDA launched its own investigation after a flurry of complaints from consumers to determine the truth and facts about the harmful effects of MSG.

In 1995, the US FDA ordered a thorough review on this controversial ingredient and eventually found no scientific evidence to prove that this product is responsible for diseases including Alzheimer’s and other nervous system illnesses as long as typical levels are used in cooking anf food preparation.

The problem that majority of the cases of reactions to MSG happen after eating in a chinese restaurant, one starts to feel the symptoms of the so called MSG Complex. The symptoms include: chest tightness, headache, palpitations, or even shortness of breath which tend to occur within one hour after eating 3 grams or more of MSG on an empty stomach or without other food.  The FDA estimates that a typical serving of glutamate-treated food contains less than 0.5 grams of MSG and that a “reaction is most likely if the MSG is eaten in a large quantity or in a liquid, such as a clear soup. “

The Fact Finding Board further concluded that:

In Short… small amounts of MSG to add to the flavor of our food should be okay…

Chinese Food?  Enjoy It Without

Fear of MSG!