health tips

Higher blood pressure threshold safe in older adults

Many older adults with high blood pressure can be treated less aggressively, which could mean taking fewer pills to get it under control, according to new treatment guidelines from an expert panel. But not all experts are on board with the advice – including the federal agency that appointed the group.

Panel members stressed that they are not changing the definition of high blood pressure: 140 over 90. For adults aged 60 and older, they are recommending a higher treatment threshold, prescribing medicine only when blood pressure levels reach 150 over 90 or higher.

Too aggressive blood pressure treatment can cause fainting and falls in older patients, or bad interactions with drugs they’re already taking for other illnesses, panel members said.

The panel does endorse the lower target of 140 over 90 for younger adults – and for all adults who also have diabetes or kidney disease.

The guidelines released Wednesday are based on a review of the most rigorous kind of medical research – studies in which patients are randomly prescribed drugs or dummy pills – published since the last update in 2003. The research suggests older patients can avoid major health problems like heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease even when their blood pressure is above the current recommended level, the panel said.

For many patients, two or three drugs – or more – are needed to bring their blood pressure down. Many older adults could probably reduce their doses, or take fewer drugs, to reach the new, less strict target, said Dr. Paul James, a panel member and family medicine specialist-researcher at the University of Iowa.

While the guidelines were updated by a government-appointed panel, they don’t have the government’s endorsement like previous versions. The panel completed its work earlier this year, around the same time that the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute announced that it was getting out of the guidelines business and turning the job over to the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology. Updated guidelines from those medical groups are expected in late 2014.

In the meantime, the heart association is raising concerns about the new recommendations, saying that many studies they are based on didn’t last long enough to reveal dangers of undertreated high blood pressure in older patients. The panel also overlooked other evidence suggesting the 2003 government-backed recommendations are sound, said Dr. Elliott Antman, the heart association’s president-elect. He noted that his group last month published a treatment formula that echoes the 2003 advice.

Dr. Gary Gibbons, the federal agency’s director, issued a statement Wednesday emphasizing that his agency has not sanctioned the panel’s report, nor has the broader National Institutes of Health. While noting that the panel decided not to collaborate with the heart groups’ efforts, Gibbons said his agency would work with those groups “to transition” the panel’s evidence review into their update. His statement did not address whether the agency opposes all the panel’s recommendations.

James said panel members chose to release their guidelines independently to get the recommendations out sooner and into the hands of primary care doctors, who treat large numbers of patients with high blood pressure. The guidelines were published online Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Curtis Rimmerman, a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist, called the guidelines “exceedingly important” given the prevalence of high blood pressure, which affects about 1 in 3 U.S. adults, or 68 million.

Whether many doctors immediately adopt the advice “remains to be seen,” he said. Rimmerman predicted that some will continue to push to get older patients’ blood pressure lower than the new recommendation, especially those with previous strokes or heart problems.

The panel said their guidelines are simply recommendations, and that doctors should make treatment decisions based on patients’ individual circumstances. The experts emphasized that everyone with high blood pressure can benefit from a healthy diet, regular exercise and weight control, which all can help lower blood pressure.

Source; news.nom

 

Scientists create ‘robotic’ sperm to fight infertility

Researchers in Germany say they have created remote-controlled sperm that could be used to help with fertilization.

These “spermbots” are made by catching sperm cells in nanotubes and fabricating them onto a wafer or “chip.” The tubes are narrower at one end and guided by a magnet to the egg, increasing a patient’s chance of getting pregnant.

How are they doing this?
The method for this technology, is simply using the tail of the sperm to do the electrical work then using a magnetic field to direct the sperm. Think of it like a compass needle aligning with the Earth’s magnetic field. It is far easier to control a single cell (like the sperm) that propels itself through fluid with its whip-like tail.

Until now, researchers had only managed to persuade groups of cells to cooperate, with the help of mathematical measurements over a distance and magnetic fields. To create the “spermbots,” the research team builds the nanotubes from using iron and titanium nanoparticles. They then add the tubes to fluid containing sperm. The nanotubes are designed with one end of each tube slightly narrower than the other. The sperm that swims into the wider end becomes trapped, headfirst, with their whip-like tail propelling it toward the egg.

What is the future of this technology?
If this technology works, you will start to see the use of this method being applied to all fields of medicine. For example, chemotherapy works by stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells, which grow and divide quickly. However, this can harm healthy cells that separate quickly, such as those that line your mouth and intestines. During chemotherapy treatment the patient will typically suffer from damaged healthy cells which can cause serious side effects.

How will this help improve chemotherapy treatment?
With this cutting-edge technology, doctors will be able to deliver chemotherapy and guide the treatment to the specific target. While in the process, eliminating organs and cells from being over exposed to toxicity from the chemotherapy agent. Overall, this method will give physicians and patients a less toxic form of cancer treatment and protect their healthy cells from being over exposed or even killed off.

Source: viral news chart

Apple a Day Could Save Thousands of Lives: Study

The 150-year-old proverb “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” stands the test of time, say Oxford University researchers, and would be effective today in preventing heart disease among people over 50.

Using mathematical models, the researchers calculated that prescribing an apple a day to all adults aged 50 and over in the U.K. would prevent around 8,500 deaths from heart attacks and strokes every year.

They say this is similar to the 9,400 fewer heart deaths that would be seen if everyone over 50 who was not already taking them was given statins – modern cholesterol-lowering heart drugs.

This last figure uses the results of recent large study led by a different Oxford group which found that statins can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, including in people with low risk of heart problems.

Lead researcher Dr Adam Briggs of the BHF Health Promotion Research Group at Oxford University says: “The Victorians had it about right when they came up with their brilliantly clear and simple public health advice: ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away.'”

He adds: “It just shows how effective small changes in diet can be, and that both drugs and healthier living can make a real difference in preventing heart disease and stroke.”

Although apples are more expensive than statins, the researchers conclude that an apple a day is able to match the more widespread use of modern medicine.

The researchers stress that no-one currently taking statins because they are at high risk of heart disease should stop, although they add: “by all means eat more apples.”

Maureen Talbot, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, an organization which funds the research group, agrees: “The ‘apple a day’ message has survived for over a century, though now we encourage people to eat five different fruits and vegetables a day, not just one apple.

“However, while fruit is undoubtedly good for you, it shouldn’t replace vital heart medicines, such as statins, prescribed by your doctor.

“This study reiterates that statins save lives. They are one of the safest medicines available and their benefits far outweigh any risks of side effects. If you’re unsure about your medication, speak to your doctor as there are often different types or doses you could try.”

The study was published in the Christmas edition of the BMJ medical journal.

Source: News Max health

How Viruses Take a Short Trip from London to NYC

Using measures of connectivity between airports, rather than actual distances, makes it possible to better predict where an emerging infectious disease will strike next, the researchers of a new study said.

In the study, the researchers defined an “effective distance” between any pair of airports in the world based on the air traffic between them, rather than the miles. The resulting model predicted when a newly emerged disease could reach any given place, for both simulated future outbreaks and real epidemics of the past — for example, the 2003 SARS epidemic and the 2009 swine flu pandemic.

The model was also able to quickly identify the origin of an emerging pathogen, which is essential for determining a disease’s cause and finding ways to curb its further spread, according to the researchers, whose study will appear tomorrow (Dec. 13) in the journal Science.

“With this new theory, we can reconstruct outbreak origins with higher confidence, compute epidemic-spreading speed and forecast when an epidemic wave front is to arrive at any location worldwide,” said study researcher Dirk Brockmann, a theoretical physicist who conducted the research at the Northwestern University. “This may help to improve possible mitigation strategies.”

The researchers calculated the effective distances between cities based on air traffic because such traffic reflects how many people travel a certain path, and how often. With the results, patterns of disease spread that once seemed complex start to look simpler, the researchers said.

“If the flow of passengers from point A to point B is large, the effective distance is small,” said study researcher Dirk Helbing, a professor of sociology at the Swiss university ETH Zurich. “The only thing we had to do was to find the right mathematical formula for this.” In addition to defining effective distances between airports, the researchers also defined the shortest paths for indirect journeys, and included models of local spread of disease within a city.

Infectious diseases have long been spread across borders by travelers. For historical cases such as the spread of the Black Death in Europe, simple, intuitive models that focused on geographical distances between places could show how a disease spread.

Today, however, travelers are just a few hours’ flight from distant destinations, and so physical distance no longer determines how a disease will spread.

Source: Discovery news

Aloo Methi: Healthy recipe

Servings: 7
Total Time: 35 min
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min

Methi is a common ingredient in many North Indian recipes especially during winter months. This dry potato and methi recipe is very simple and easy to cook. It is cooked as part of a main course meal and is eaten with rotis and paranthas. The characteristic aroma of fresh fenugreek leaves is enhanced with the blend of powdered spices used.

Ingredients
1 pound potatoes
3/4 pound picked fresh fenugreek leaves (methi)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
A pinch of asafetida
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 green chili (finely chopped)

Step by Step:

Wash the fresh fenugreek leaves thoroughly under running water multiple times to remove all the dirt. Drain and finely chop the leaves. Keep aside. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes.
Heat olive oil in a heavy non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and asafetida. Sauté for 2 minutes. When the cumin seeds start cracking add all the powdered spices and stir fry for 1-2 minutes, till a specific aroma comes out.

Now add the potatoes, fenugreek leaves and salt. Mix well so that the potato cubes and fenugreek leaves are coated with the fried masala all over. Cover the pan with a lid. Cook on low- heat for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. You can cook longer if there is water left from the fenugreek leaves and cook until all the water is fully evaporated.

Serve hot with rotis and parathas.

Source: health

One Week of Junk Food May Be Enough to Damage Your Memory

 

Everyone knows that junk food is bad for the waistline, but new research suggests it can damage memory, too.
Australian researchers found that even a short term diet of junk food can have a detrimental effect on the brain’s cognitive ability.
The study suggests that obesity can trigger rapid changes in the brain.

Scientists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) showed for the first time that rats fed a diet high in fat and sugar had impaired memory after just a week.

Interestingly, the results were similarly poor for the rats fed a healthy diet that had been given sugar water to drink, according to the study, which was published in the journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity.

The animals found it more difficult to recognise specific places after their junk food diet and showed a lesser ability to notice when an object shifted to a new location.
The mice also had inflammation of the hippocampal region of the brain, which is associated with spatial memory.

‘We know that obesity causes inflammation in the body, but we didn’t realise until recently that it also causes changes in the brain,’ said Professor Margaret Morris from UNSW Medicine, who co-authored the study.

‘What is so surprising about this research is the speed with which the deterioration of the cognition occurred,’ she said.
‘Our preliminary data also suggests that the damage is not reversed when the rats are switched back to a healthy diet, which is very concerning.’

Some aspects of the animals’ memories were spared, regardless of their diets.
All the animals were equally able to recognise objects after eating either the healthy, healthy with sugar or ‘cafeteria’ diets, the latter of which was high in fat and sugar, including cake, chips and biscuits.
The change in the animals’ memory appeared even before the mice eating junk food gained any weight.
Ongoing work will attempt to establish how to stop the inflammation in the brain of animals with the unhealthy diets, which could unlock secrets relating to humans who eat unhealthily.
‘We suspect that these findings may be relevant to people,’ said Professor Morris.
‘While nutrition affects the brain at every age, it is critical as we get older and may be important in preventing cognitive decline. An elderly person with poor diet may be more likely to have problems.’

The research builds on previous work that has implications for obesity.
‘Given that high energy foods can impair the function of the hippocampus, if you eat a lot of them it may contribute to weight gain, by interfering with your episodic memory,’ Professor Morris said.
‘People might be less aware of their internal cues like hunger pangs and knowing when they have had enough,’ she said.

Source: mail online

American Academy of Pediatrics Advises Ban on Raw Milk

 

The health claims related to drinking raw milk have not been verified by scientific evidence, and therefore do not outweigh the potential health risks that raw milk poses to pregnant women and children, according to a policy statement issued Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the nation’s leading pediatrics organization.

The organization went even further than advising against drinking raw milk by also endorsing a nationwide ban on the sale of raw dairy products.

That recommendation, the organization stated, was based on the plentiful data regarding the burden of illness associated with raw dairy, especially among pregnant women and children, along with the “strong scientific evidence” that pasteurized milk promises the same nutritional value.

While anyone can fall ill from drinking raw milk contaminated with bacterial pathogens, it is especially risky to pregnant women, infants, the elderly, and immune compromised individuals, the statement said.

Before U.S. dairies began pasteurizing milk in the 1920s, raw dairy products caused a significant portion of foodborne illness, including hundreds of outbreaks of tuberculosis and infections such as Brucella abortus, streptococcal species and intestinal pathogens. Today, raw dairy is more commonly associated with E. coli, Campylobcater and Salmonella outbreaks.

According to the academy, 79 percent of raw dairy outbreaks involve at least one person under 20 years old.

Of 121 dairy-related outbreaks reported between 1993 and 2006, 73 (60 percent) were linked to raw dairy, despite only about 3 percent of the dairy products consumed in the U.S. being unpasteurized. And, in those outbreaks, 13 percent of raw dairy drinkers were hospitalized, while only 1 percent of pasteurized dairy drinkers were.

Pregnant women who consume raw dairy products are statistically at five times greater risk of contracting infections of toxoplasma, E. coli or Listeria, which may cause consequential neonatal infections such as sepsis or meningitis.

“In summary, the AAP strongly supports the position of the FDA and other national and international associations in endorsing the consumption of only pasteurized milk and milk products for pregnant women, infants, and children,” the AAP stated.

Source: food safety news

7 Natural Ways to Ease Back Pain

 

1. Capsaicin

Capsaicin is the substance in chili peppers that gives them their red-hot “burn” when you eat them.  Researchers have found that when this substance is used in a cream and smoothed onto the skin, it reduces the levels of a neurochemical compound that transmits pain signals. In a recent study, pain sufferers who were given capsaicin cream experienced more pain relief than those who were given a placebo.

2. Willow bark

The bark of the white willow tree (Salix alba) contains a substance called salicin, which the body can convert to salicylic acid. This is the same compound that aspirin becomes once it’s been metabolized by the body. Salicylic acid is believed to be the active compound in aspirin that relieves pain and inflammation, making white willow tree bark a possible natural alternative to the painkiller.

vitamin B 12

There is some evidence that vitamin B12 may help relieve back pain. In a recent study, Italian researchers gave either vitamin B12 or a placebo to people who suffered from lower back pain. They found that the vitamin B12 users experienced a statistically significant reduction in their level of pain and disability. They were also less likely to use painkillers than those given the placebo.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine practice designed to unlock energy pathways that are causing pain. British researchers found that pain sufferers who received acupuncture reported less pain and less worry about their pain compared to people receiving standard care. After two years, the acupuncture group was significantly more likely to report being pain-free and less likely to use painkillers.

   Chiropractics


Chiropractors use spinal manipulation to restore joint mobility and relieve pain. To do this, these doctors of chiropractics manually apply a controlled force to joints that have become damaged or constrained by muscle injury, inflammation, and pain. These “adjustments” have been found in many studies to relieve pain and muscle tightness and encourage healing.

Yoga


Yoga is the practice of physical postures or poses that are designed to have specific effects on the mind, body, and spirit. A study of people with chronic mild low back pain compared patients who did Iyengar yoga to those who received only back education. After 16 weeks, investigators found that there was a significant reduction in pain, disability, and use of pain medication in the people who did yoga.

Balneotherapy

Balneotherapy is one of the oldest forms of pain relief. This type of therapy involves bathing or soaking in warm water or mineral water to relieve pain. A recent study looked at balneotherapy’s effectiveness for low back pain and found promising benefits. But balneotherapy may not be for everyone. People with heart disease should not use it unless they are under the supervision of a physician.

Source: health line

Diabetes Drug Won’t Help Obese Kids Keep Off Weight

Few children who become obese are able to lose and keep off weight with diet and exercise alone, leading some doctors to prescribe drugs, such as the diabetes drug metformin, to treat childhood obesity. However, a new study suggests that metformin may not help kids and teens without diabetes lose weight over the long term.

The study, which reviewed information from previous research, found no evidence that children and teens who took the drug lost more weight after one year than those who did not take the drug.

While some adolescents who took the drug did experience short-term weight loss (six months or less), the effect was modest, and it’s not clear whether such limited weight loss would actually improve their health, the researchers said. [Lose Weight Smartly: 7 Little-Known Tricks That Shave Pounds]

Given the current evidence, metformin has not been shown to be superior to other weight-loss treatments for kids, such as diet and exercise, the researchers said.

“Unfortunately, this drug is not going to be the answer,” said study researcher Marian McDonagh, of Oregon Health & Science University. Overall, the drug does not appear to provide enough weight reduction for children to experience meaningful health benefits in the long term, McDonagh said.

Still, it’s possible that certain groups of children, such as those who are very obese, may benefit from taking the drug. A large study is needed to identify these groups, the researchers said.

The study analyzed information from 14 previous studies (eight in the United States and others in Canada, Australia, Mexico, Europe, Iran and Turkey), which included a total of 946 children ages 10 to 16 who did not have diabetes. The children’s body mass indices (BMIs) ranged from 26 to 41. In most studies, children who took metformin also engaged in lifestyle changes aimed at helping them lose weight.

On average, children who took metformin for six months achieved a 3.6 percent greater reduction in their BMI compared with those who practiced lifestyle changes alone.

However, studies in adults suggest that, in order for a weight-loss treatment to lead to meaningful improvements in health down the road, it needs to reduce BMI by 5 to 10 percent, McDonagh said.

Children in the studies who took metformin for a year saw about the same decrease in BMI as those who practiced lifestyle changes alone. And after one year, both groups started to slip back to their original weight.

The researchers would like to see more studies on weight-loss treatments that involve a child’s entire family. It’s possible that family-based interventions may help children lose more weight — whether they are taking a drug or not — than interventions that don’t consider the child’s family, McDonagh said.

Metformin is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat children and adults with Type 2 diabetes.

Source: Fresh news

‘Baby Illusion’ Makes Family’s Youngest Seem Tiny

The youngest child in a family may be perpetually the baby, according to new research showing that moms literally perceive their littlest as smaller than he or she really is.

This “baby illusion” often shatters suddenly upon the birth of another child, researchers wrote today (Dec. 16) in the journal Current Biology. In a survey of 747 moms, more than 70 percent reported their first child suddenly seemed larger and older upon the birth of a second baby.

“Contrary to what many may think, this isn’t happening just because the older child just looks so big compared to a baby,” Jordy Kaufman of the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia said in a statement. “It actually happens because all along, the parents were under an illusion that their first child was smaller than he or she really was. When the new baby is born, the spell is broken, and parents now see their older child as he or she really is.”

To get to the heart of the illusion, Kaufman and colleagues asked mothers to estimate the height of one of their children on a blank wall. The researchers then compared the marks made by mom with the kid’s actual height. Some of the kids were older siblings, while others were either the youngest in their family or were only children.

Moms routinely underestimated the size of their youngest or only kids, the results revealed. On average, only children or youngest children were seen as almost 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) shorter than they really were. In contrast, moms were right on target in estimating their older children’s height.

The illusion could be beneficial for kids and parents alike, as seeing their youngest as more vulnerable than they really are could prompt parents to pour more resources into that child — an important key to survival in a family where multiple kids need attention. The findings also might lend credence to the idea that birth order helps shape personality.

“The key implication is that we may treat our youngest children as if they are actually younger than they really are,” Kaufman said. “In other words, our research potentially explains why the ‘baby of the family’ never outgrows that label. To the parents, the baby of the family may always be ‘the baby.'”

Source: live science