That Health Rules

The debate on the merits and demerits of drinking alcohol has been with us for centuries.  We drink to have fun, or for some… too much fun!  The question always is how much alcohol is safe for me? Or Can I drink?

So far, more than 100 prospective studies show that drinking alcohol in MODERATION can lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and sudden cardiac death by as much as 20% to 40%.  These heart benefits we all know are the reasons why we drink!

However the risks associated with alcohol intake begin to exceed benefits until middle age, when cardiovascular disease begins to account for increasingly large share of the burden of disease and death.  The Harvard Health Study Group has given these guidelines as follows:

• For a person with liver disease, and people taking one or more medications that interact with alcohol, moderate drinking offers little benefit and potential risks.
• For a 30-year-old man, the increased risk of alcohol-related accidents outweighs the possible heart-related benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.
• For a 60-year-old man, a drink a day may offer protection against heart disease that is likely to outweigh potential harm (assuming he isn’t prone to alcoholism).
• For a 60-year-old woman, the benefit/risk calculations are trickier. More than ten times as many women die each year from heart disease than breast cancer! However, studies show that women are far more afraid of developing breast cancer than heart disease, something that must be factored into the equation.

So what’s moderate drinking? That’s 1-2 drinks a day. 

and What’s a Drink?  Its….12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1½ ounces of spirits (hard liquor such as gin or whiskey).  Each of the them delivers about 12 to 14 grams of alcohol.

Yes…You can drink… but my recommendation is:

Drink in Moderation! 

Internet has revolutionized the way we do things whether in business, personal life or in Medicine.  We can now diagnose diseases from areas where there are no doctors based on Internet transmission of images.  I find it useful to browse through medical journals every morning to see what’s the latest and what’s no longer acceptable in terms of treatment or diagnostic tools.   However it is said that approximately 5 to 10% of adult population are now hooked to Internet and are spending more time then they should.  The era of Internet ADDICTION!

In one study done by Stanford University researchers recently published in Journal of Neuropsychiatric Medicine,it is estimated that” more than one in eight U.S. adults finds it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time and about one in eleven tries to hide his or her on-line habit.”

The implication of the study is that a sizable number of subjects had their marital or social relationships suffering due to Internet use.  So far however no clinical or medical disorder has resulted arising from Internet addiction.  But what we know about the Internet is that it may promote addictive behaviors and pseudo-intimate relationships like “cybersex.”

Some of the signs that a person is suffering from Internet Addiction are:

1. disregard for health or appearance,
2. sleep deprivation
3. decreased physical activity and social interaction with others
4.  dry eyes
5. carpal tunnel syndrome and
6. repetitive motion injuries of hands and fingers. 

Enjoy the benefits of the Internet but as the saying goes…

Too Much of a Good Thing Can be

BAD for Your Health!

As we age … whatever work we do… we eventually succumb to annoying joint pains.  The aches and pains of growing old so they say.  It is estimated that approximately 2.5 million Americans have a form of joint disease called Rheumatoid Arthritis. Our parents may have and you may have it too as we age.

Often times our patients complain that certain foods affect the onset of joint pains.  Almost always we don’t put too much weight on the food triggers except if we are talking about Gouty Arthritis due to excessive uric acid in the blood.  Here, food triggers are very important.  But with this new study published in the Journal GUT our attitude will have to change.

The study showed that the “production of antibodies to certain foods is strikingly increased in the gut of many patients with rheumatoid arthritis  It may be that hypersensitivity to certain foods leads to a flare-up in the joints.” 

The foods known to trigger the joint pains included : milk, eggs, pork and fish.

This study further elucidates an important fact that medical practitioners always fail to understand:

Patients know what they feel…and that instead of relegating the complaints of food triggers to joint pains as mere psychological in nature… there may in fact be a true immunological basis to it!

My recommendation: If you feel a certain food exacerbates your joint pains then avoid it.  You may be right that certain food that you like can trigger the inflammatory process.

Joint Pains?… Check Your Food!

Those working overtime or late nights may resort to the so called Energy Drinks to hopefully boost their energy level and keep them awake.  However recent research has shown otherwise. 

The findings of a rersearch done in Sleep Center in University of Loughborough in UK published in Human Psychopharmacology found that one hour after drinking a high-sugar, low-caffeine drink… ” people had slower reaction times and experienced more lapses in concentration than if they had consumed a caffeine- and sugar-free beverage.”

It was noted that majority of these energy drinks actually contain lots of sugar around 8 teaspoons that can induce sleepiness around 70 minutes after consumption rather than boosting ones energy.  The short “sugar rush” effect also disappears right away within minutes.

My advise is… if you have to use energy drinks… choose one with caffeine in them because it is actually the caffeine that counteracts sleepiness.  But keep in mind that a dose of caffeine large enough to have an energizing effect like the one present in 1 regular soda or cup of coffee can only last for 3 hours… which should be good enough.

Another reason to enjoy coffee while working late!

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• Coffee or Tea: Any Benefits?
• Is Diet Soda Safe?
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This warning comes in timely because if you read the papers you can see ads of spas or beauty centers offering different cosmetic procedures.  Am also sure you’ve heard stories of horrible outcomes among your peers or even national artists due to so called botched procedures.  It is said that cosmetic procedures that entail incisions or peeling require expertise and if done by someone who’s improperly trained can result in scarring and burning. There are even reports of deaths.

The New England Journal of Medicine reported 5 deaths related to liposuction procedure concluding that tumescent liposuction can be fatal.

But what concerns us most are the pseudo spas that offer medical procedures done by improperly trained personnel and non-physicians performing procedures such as Botox injections, laser hair removal, microdermabrasion and chemical peels.  Reports include loss of pigmentation,improper setting of laser or using untested versions of materials injected into the skin to fill wrinkles.

Guidelines for the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery recommend that a physician should always perform a cosmetic surgical procedure — and should be a dermatologist, rather than a family practitioner or gynecologist.

My advise is to ask these questions before having a procedure done :

1.What procedures are in place in the case of an emergency? Cases of pulmonary embolism or blood clot after liposcution have been reported and this is manifested by shortness of breath. Do they have emergency kits?

2, Inquire about the training of a person who will perform the procedure… where and when? How many procedures have been done because the skill of the surgeon is dependent on the number of procedures done.

3.Are there comlications arising from the procedure… any side effects and how many so far? Do they resolve overtime? 

4. Ask for a before and after photographs of another patient who had a similar procedure.  The clinic should have a collection of these photos to prove their work is done properly.

The best clue is to ask around, your friends and colleagues if results of the procedure done by this clinic has been excellent based on feedback.

Be careful…

Plastic Surgery May Not Turn Out The Way You Perceived It to Be!

Cant help it but overheard 2 ladies in the airport lounge while on the way to Manila for a lecture yesterday talking about how her skin became so white! I thought of asking these ladies to be careful because recently  The Food and Drug Administration proposed a ban on over-the-counter sales of skin-lightening products, saying possible health risks cannot justify their being sold without a prescription.

Yo can see these creams being marketed on TV or radio and at present there are now 135 products being sold as bleaching creams.  What the public is unaware of is that these creams have been linked to possible side effects. Specifically careful with creams that contain a drug called hydroquinone.  This substance is a possible carcinogen that has been researched to cause cancer in rodents as well as linked to a skin-disfiguring condition called ochronosis that results in darkening and thickening of the skin with occasional grayish spots. While the actual risk of the drug is unknown, the US FDA expressed that the products should be restricted to prescription use under medical supervision.

It is to be recalled that in 1990, the FDA also declared another skin-bleaching drug ammoniated mercury as unsafe.

 The NIH website mentions that under the proposed FDA rule, “all skin-bleaching products — prescription and over-the-counter — would be considered new drugs. Manufacturers would have to seek FDA approval to sell them, and only then with a doctor’s note.”

So my friends… who are into vanity and skin whitening regimen…it’s about time for you to take a second look at those creams and reconsider and weigh the risks and benefits you’ll get from using them!

Protect Your Skin From Harm!

We may be working overtime lately, we may be doing a lot of things at the same time, we have kids and family problems…they can be work related etc…all contribute to “stress”.  It is inevitable…we cant escape from it but we should know how to handle it!  Especially with this new research that showed that stress can SHRINK your brain and prematurely age your immune system.

Essentially, the study mentioned in the NIH website presented at the 2006 Annual convention of American Psychological Association emphasized that “stress can addle your mind and make you older.” The study involving rats showed that stress causes neuron in the brain to shrink resulting in memory impairment and this may be happening to humans too. 

With stress, our body starts to produce the so called ” stress” hormones like steroid, catecholamines that have been shown to cause some changes in the brain which result in poor memory with less ability to remember and learn.  The same mechanism may be true why stress in one study can affect one’s mood and result in depression.  Likewise the immune system of a stressed individual tend to age faster due to the shortening of the chunks of DNA which make cells work properly.

But there’s a upside to this news according to the researchers: Exercise has been shown to reverse the defect.  And, in the case of the brain at least, “time might heal the wounds caused by stress.”

So what do we need to do: My Threesome Rules Of Stress Relief!

1. Get sufficient sleep most days of the week,

2. Make an effort to be active throughout life, and

3. Have a healthy diet 

My Practical Tip: solve a problem right away once it crops up.  Delaying action on one issue while analyzing another endeavor will contribute to unnecessary stress. So while seeing a patient in my medical clinic, and if a problem crops up in my research clinic… I pause first, excuse myself from my patient and settle the research problem.  In so doing I am now free to listen and deal with the problems of my patient! And I tell you…it works to lessen the stress! Again it’s how you handle the stress!

Take Good Care of Your Brain…Beat The Stress!

Related Articles:

• Are You Under Stress? 
• Brain Healthy Tips
• Working Overtime Again?
• Sleepless Nights?
• What You Eat Matters