Doctor HealthHealth Tips

It’s been a stressful two years for Barack Obama. He’s campaigned nonstop, day-to-day, hour-to-hour, flying to different states and sleeping in different time zones. He’s also had to fight off the typical character attacks and mudslinging that hit any candidate for office.

And, on the eve of the election, his grandmother, a woman he credits for helping to raise him, died of cancer.

As studies have shown and many a doctor has seen with his own eyes, stress takes a toll on the body. It can lead to premature aging, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, depression and cancer.

So how old is Obama? Biologically, he’s 47 years and 3 months old. But a program called Realage.com says his “true age” is at least 49 years and 8 months old. The Web site claims it can calculate your “true age” based on a myriad of factors, including how often you visit your doctor, what your vital signs are, how often you exercise, what you eat, what your extracurricular activities are, and how much stress you have in your life.

There are many unknowns concerning Obama’s health. What is known is that he’s been a smoker on and off for many years, he’s African American, he’s middle aged and, as his doctor attested to in a statement released earlier this year, he’s in excellent physical condition.
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Once elderly patients are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the presence of other illnesses and the patients’ ethnic background appear to affect their length of survival, investigators report in the medical journal Neurology.

Led by Dr. Yaakov Stern, the research team at Columbia University Medical Center identified 323 cases of Alzheimer’s disease from a group of approximately 4300 Medicare recipients who were enrolled in the Washington Heights Inwood Columbia Aging Project in New York.

More than half of the subjects were Hispanic, one third were African American and about 10 percent were white. Stern’s group followed these patients for an average of 4 years, to a maximum of about 13 years.

Although overall the overall average lifespan (92 years) and age at diagnosis (83 years) did not differ by racial or ethnic group, the average length of survival after Alzheimer’s disease was diagnosed was 8 years among Hispanics, significantly longer than among whites (4 years) and African Americans (5 years).

A history of diabetes and high blood pressure both independently shortened survival. Closer analysis of the data revealed that the mortality risk was increased by 2.6-fold among Alzheimer’s disease patients with high blood pressure, and by 2-fold among patients who also had diabetes, both statistically significant differences.
Age was also a significant predictor of shortened survival time, with an average post-diagnosis survival of 10 years among those between 67 and 74 years old; 7 years among those between 75 and 84 years; and 4 years among those between 85 and 100 years old, all statistically significant differences.

In contrast to most other studies, the team did not detect any association between survival duration and gender, history of heart disease or malignancy, or the presence of APOE-epsilon-4 alleles - the gene associated with Alzheimer’s disease that is detected in some but not all who develop this type of dementia.

The lack of any apparent association with the APOE gene, Stern’s group suggests, “may reflect a differential effect of epsilon-4 in the earlier stages of disease that is eclipsed by other factors (medical, social, or disease-related factors) later in the disease course.”
By FoxNews

When we reach 50 years of age or there about many of us become more concerned than ever before about our health and weight. Subsequently if we are over 50, overweight or obese we become more mindful of the fact. Should we be concerned? You bet we should (That is if we care about the longevity and the quality of our life as we get older). There is a direct correlation between weight and health. We know inherently if we are indeed carrying more weight than we should and that we need to lose extra weight in order to cut body fat. How do we know we are overweight or obese? Well, we can look in the mirror. But a more scientific approach would be to calculate what is called the BMI (Body Mass Index). This is simply put - a ratio between weight and height letting us know if we have more body fat than we should. In the USA alone 27% are obese and 64% are overweight. If you are overweight or obese you are not alone. You are among 130,000,000 US adults. Obesity is the 2nd leading cause of preventable death and as many of us are already aware obesity is closely related to conditions such as: Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Cancer, Diabetes, Arthritis, Gout, Asthma, and Gum Disease. Obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories than (s)he burns. What causes this imbalance between consuming and burning of calories can be any of the following: Age, Gender, Genetics, Environmental Factors, Physical Activity, Psychological Factors, Illness and Medication. Here we will focus on one aspect of this weight and health correlation – telomeres. Telomeres are part of the cells’ chromosomes, which house DNA. They are part of what our body uses for cell repair. White blood cells show telltale signs of aging when weight gain or insulin resistance is present. The length of the white blood cells’ telomeres naturally gets shorter with age. So we do not want them to shorten any faster than they will naturally. Why does obesity cause them to shrink faster than normal? Cell damaging free radicals and inflammation might be responsible. Obesity is associated with increased inflammation because fat tissue is a major source of inflammatory chemicals. Inflammation burns out white blood cells faster and the effort of replacing them wears down the telomeres. Obesity is also thought to be linked to free radical damage. The damaged cells become free radicals. That can hurt DNA in normal cells laying the foundation for health problems. No matter what you think, you can lose weight and start living a better quality of life no matter what your age. Go to your doctor for a checkup. So decide now (especially if you are neer or over 50, overweight or obese )to lose extra weight and cut body fat. You can do it and it is not that hard, all you need is a commitment to yourself and those you love.
by ELIZABETH MUESCH

If you have ever looked through the pages of a fitness magazine you could not miss all the different advertisements on diet pills. Some even look like articles as they can be two or three pages in length. I regularly buy these magazines for tips on exercises and nutrition, but there always seems to be more pages about diet pills then anything else. So this brings me to ask the question are diet pills harmful or not?

I have read different views on television, the internet and in newspapers and some say that diet pills are harmful and some say they are safe. There have even been cases of people dying or getting extremely sick from taking certain pills that say they are to help you lose weight. Here are some negative effects of diet pills:

" Most diet pills suppress appetite, which in turn helps you consume fewer calories in a day, but consuming fewer calories gives your body less energy and slows your metabolism. And a slower metabolism is usually a reason for being over weight as your body will store and not use as many calories.

" Ephedrine is used in a large number of diet pills as it increases the heart rate and metabolism rate which could lead to heart attack or stroke. This is a drug that should not be taken if you have high blood pressure, or heart and thyroid problems. This has been linked to a number of deaths and serious illness. Health Canada has even gone on the record and said that people should stop taking diet pills with this drug. Some diet pills have an "excessive amount of ephedrine," which could cause "potentially fatal adverse health effects".

" Caffeine is a common ingredient in diet pills. Always read the label and any that say they contain more then 300mg of caffeine should not be taken as this could be very harmful to your health, because like ephedrine, caffeine raises your heart rate and blood pressure and again could lead to a heart attack or stroke.

" Symptoms of diet pills can be few to severe depending on what is in them. Dependence to diet pills could occur, especially those that are stimulant-based.

Though these pills or supplements can help you lose weight always do your research before taking a diet pill or food supplement and contact your doctor to make sure that they are safe for you to take. Also make sure to exercise regularly and eat healthy as these will help improve your chances on reaching your weight loss goals.

by PATRICK TODD

High blood pressure appears to be associated with an increased risk for mild cognitive impairment, a condition that involves difficulties with thinking and learning, according to a report in December issues of Archives of Neurology

“Mild cognitive impairment has attracted increasing interest during the past years, particularly as a means of identifying the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease as a target for treatment and prevention,” the authors write as background information in the article. About 9.9 of every 1,000 elderly individuals without dementia develop mild cognitive impairment yearly. Of those, 10 percent to 12 percent progress to Alzheimer’s disease each year, compared with 1 percent to 2 percent of the general population.

Christiane Reitz, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at the Columbia University Medical Center, New York, followed 918 Medicare recipients age 65 and older (average age 76.3) without mild cognitive impairment beginning in 1992 through 1994. All participants underwent an initial interview and physical examination, along with tests of cognitive function, and then were examined again approximately every 18 months for an average of 4.7 years. Individuals with mild cognitive impairment had low cognitive scores and a memory complaint, but could still perform daily activities and did not receive a dementia diagnosis.

Over the follow-up period, 334 individuals developed mild cognitive impairment. This included 160 cases of amnestic mild cognitive impairment, which involves low scores on memory portions of the neuropsychological tests, and 174 cases of non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Hypertension (high blood pressure) was associated with an increased risk of all types of mild cognitive impairment that was mostly driven by an increased risk of non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment; hypertension was not associated with amnestic mild cognitive impairment, nor with the change over time in memory and language abilities.

“The mechanisms by which blood pressure affects the risk of cognitive impairment or dementia remain unclear,” the authors write. “Hypertension may cause cognitive impairment through cerebrovascular disease. Hypertension is a risk factor for subcortical white matter lesions found commonly in Alzheimer’s disease. Hypertension may also contribute to a blood-brain barrier dysfunction, which has been suggested to be involved in the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Other possible explanations for the association are shared risk factors,” including the formation of cell-damaging compounds known as free radicals.

“Our findings support the hypothesis that hypertension increases the risk of incident mild cognitive impairment, especially non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment,” the authors conclude. “Preventing and treating hypertension may have an important impact in lowering the risk of cognitive impairment.”

This study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health; the Charles S. Robertson Memorial Gift for Research in Alzheimer’s Disease; and the Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Foundation. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Source: Arch Neurol

Alzheimer’s disease may progress more rapidly in people with high blood pressure or a form of irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, according to results of a Johns Hopkins study published in the Nov. 6, 2007, issue of Neurology. The findings suggest that treating these conditions may also slow memory loss in people with Alzheimer’s.

While current medications for Alzheimer’s disease are effective for some patients in slowing the rate of Alzheimer’s progression, many patients do not benefit from the treatments or cannot tolerate them, says leAlzheimer’s researcher Michelle M. Mielke, Ph.D., of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

“The possibility that specific vascular conditions may affect how fast a person with Alzheimer’s declines,” Mielke says, “provides new opportunities for slowing the rate of Alzheimer’s progression. Treatments for atrial fibrillation and high blood pressure are relatively inexpensive and safe and may reduce memory decline in Alzheimer’s patients with these conditions.”

The study examined 135 men and women over 65 who were newly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. All hAlzheimer’s undergone annual memory tests for an average of three years.

Results showed that 10 with high blood pressure (systolic pressure over 160) at the time of Alzheimer’s diagnosis showed a rate of memory loss roughly 100 percent faster than those with normal blood pressure.

In Alzheimer’sdition, 10 with atrial fibrillation at the time of the diagnosis showed a rate of memory decline that was 75 percent faster than those with normal heartbeats.

The study participants were part of the Cache County Study on Memory Health and Aging, which has been following a group of 5,092 people 65 or older living in Cache County, Utah, since 1995.

“What makes this group and study unique is that we have been following these participants in the community for over a decAlzheimer’se, even before they were first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, so we know a good deal about their medical history,” says Mielke. “Studies that enroll Alzheimer’s patients only from clinics may miss key factors, such as date of onset and history of cardiovascular disease and treatment.”

Mielke says she is currently working on similar studies using larger sample sizes to better understand the potential role that vascular factors play before Alzheimer’s diagnosis and their role over the course of the disease’s progression.

Mielke also recently contributed to a study by Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Paul Rosenberg, M.D., that examined drugs that modify high blood pressure and high cholesterol, such as beta-blockers, diuretics, calcium-channel blockers and statins, and their effects on cognitive and functional decline. Results from that study are expected to be released this year.

Constantine Lyketsos, M.D., Paul Rosenberg, M.D., and Peter Rabins, M.D., M.P.H. of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine also contributed to this study. Alzheimer’sditional researchers include JoAnn Tschanz, Ph.D., Maria Norton, Ph.D., Ron Munger, Ph.D., Larry Cook, and Chris Corcoran, Ph.D., of Utah State University in Logan, Utah; Kathleen Hayden, Ph.D., and Kathleen Welsh-Bohmer, Ph.D., of Duke University in Durham, N.C.; Robert Green, M.D., of Boston University; and John Brietner, M.D., of the University of Washington in Seattle.

This study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging.

Source: Neurology, November 6, 2007

The skin disorder psoriasis is not only painful and hard to treat, but a new study suggests that psoriasis may be an independent risk factor for heart attack, particularly in young individuals with severe psoriasis.

But not just young individuals with psoriasis are at risk. Researchers studied medical records for more than 680,000 British patients, and found that people in their 40s with severe psoriasis were more than twice as likely to have a heart attack than people without the skin disease.

The study involved over 127,000 patients with mild psoriasis, 3,837 with severe psoriasis, and 556,995 controls. The patients all had a follow-up period of just under 5.5 years. Over that time, the heart attack rate in the control group was 2.0 percent, while the rates in the mild and severe psoriasis groups were 1.8 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively.

Researchers said, “Our findings are novel and therefore it is important that additional studies be performed to confirm these results and determine their therapeutic implications.” They added, “In the meantime, as part of good medical care, patients with psoriasis should be encouraged to aggressively address their modifiable cardiovascular risk factors.”

Although current research supports a link between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease, all the research thus far has come from hospital-based studies that did not control for known cardiovascular risk factors. The researchers of the current study addressed these non-controlled issues by conducting a population-based cohort study to examine the risk of heart attack in patients with and without psoriasis. They also adjusted the study to exclude high blood pressure, diabetes, lipid abnormalities, and other heart risk factors.

“The unstated implication in all of this is that if psoriasis is linked to heart attacks, consumers can reduce their heart attack risk by treating their psoriasis with drugs. But this logic is absurd,” explained Mike Adams, a holistic nutritionist. “Both conditions may, indeed, have a common cause, but that cause is certainly not a lack of medication. The real cause common to both conditions is a variety of nutritional imbalances and deficiencies, including a lack of omega-3 oils, zinc and other nutrients.”

by: Jerome Douglas

Tea is the dried plant Camelia sinensis.True tea includes black, green, white and oolong teas. Drinking two or more cups of tea a day can provide many health benefits. What is in tea that makes it so special? EGCG

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a powerful antioxidant, has shown remarkable health-promoting properties in laboratory studies. Included are anti-viral actions, which offer more cold protection than either vitamin C or Echinacea. It is thought that the chemicals in tea stimulate gamma-delta T-cells that boost the bodies own natural immunity against both bacteria and viruses. Tooth decay or gingivitis causing bacteria are also killed.

EGCG is very effective at destroying free radicals, which cause cell-mutations that can lead to cancer. It even fights existing cancer by preventing the tumors from developing their own blood supply. Flavonoids

Flavonoids, more antioxidants, lower LDL cholesterol levels benefiting the heart and circulatory system. These powerful antioxidants protect against hypertension by suppressing the production of a hormone, angiotensin II, which can contribute to high blood pressure. Further protection against heart attacks and strokes comes from actions that inhibit the abnormal formation of blood clots. In addition, anti-oxidants show effectiveness in lowering blood sugar and protecting against diabetes.

A diet rich in anti-oxidants can to slow the aging process by attacking free radicals before they have the opportunity to damage cells. Anti-inflammatory properties of these anti-oxidants also protect against arthritis. A diet rich in anti-oxidants can to slow the aging process by attacking free radicals before they have the opportunity to damage cells. Anti-inflammatory properties of these anti-oxidants also protect against arthritis.

Minerals

Drinking tea provides important minerals such as zinc and folic acid. An eight-ounce cup of tea provides 25% RDA of manganese, a mineral essential for bone growth and body development. Drinking tea hydrates the body and, as a good source of potassium, helps maintain healthy body fluid levels. Fluoride strengthens teeth and bones and can help protect against osteoporosis.

So the next time you need a break, make it a tea break with a warm, soothing cup of anti-oxidants and minerals!

Article by JEAN FISHER

It is simple to understand.If your blood pressure is below the normal level, taking into consideration your age and activity levels, you have low blood pressure. Prolonged illness, taking drugs that have reputation for lowering the blood pressure like alpha blockers could be the other reasons for your low blood pressure condition.

In low blood pressure you feel dizzy, you are unable to stand up, and may even faint sometime. Hence you need to consult your physician immediately when you have a low BP.

The causes for low blood pressure are too many. With the advancing age, blood pressure problems surface. The arteries stiffen and become less supple and the even blood flow is hampered. When you stand up, your blood pressure may fall. You can still carry on with the normal life with low blood pressure and there is not much to worry. But if the BP is too low, it is a dangerous situation. It could be an invitation to death!

The following are the possible symptoms of abnormal low blood pressure: Fainting, transient blurring of vision, over exertion, extreme confusion. But with the normalization of the blood pressure, these symptoms will subside gradually.

Now medications prescribed for high blood pressure, heart diseases, anxiety, depression and some of the diuretics or “water-tablets” and painkillers could also cause low blood pressure. Pain killers with the combination of alcohol could also pave a way for low blood pressure. More serious causes of low blood pressure are heart disease and heart valve disease, changes in heart rhythm, kidney diseases, bacterial infection in the system and bleeding.

In general terms, poor diet, and unimaginative lifestyles are the prime causes of this medical condition of low blood pressure. The type of food that you take must assist the perfect metabolism in your body. If the metabolism is perfect, the blood flow also will be perfect, to all part of your body. Once you have the problems like blood pressure, recurring medication could well be a cause of some other ailments. So, your health care strategy needs a total revamp!

During a comprehensive eye exam,
your eye care practitioner may notice ocular signs prior to stroke/TIA. When people are warned that fatty foods and a lack of exercise can clog arteries, most immediately think of the arteries surrounding the heart. In fact, the human body is an intricate system of arteries and veins, shuttling blood to the tips of the toes and the top of the head – and they are all prone to damage from an unhealthy lifestyle. One such artery, which supplies blood to the head, brain, and eyes, is called the carotid artery. There are two carotid arteries in the body – one on each side of the neck (you can feel them pumping blood if you put your fingers on your neck “pulse”). The carotid arteries supply the areas of the brain where thinking, speech, personality and sensory and motor functions reside.

As we age, a natural plaque begins to form in our arteries, just as plaque forms on our teeth if we don’t brush them. This happens to everybody, but only escalates into carotid artery disease if the amount of plaque creates a loss of elasticity and hardens the arterial wall. As the plaque hardens, hard deposits form along the inner wall of the artery. These deposits are made up of calcium, cholesterol, or fatty tissue, and eventually may cause a blockage of the artery. Consequently, there is decreased blood flow to the brain. Another possibility with heavy plaque build-up is the potential for “debris”; some hardened pieces of plaque get knocked off the wall by flowing blood, and can lodge in the brain, triggering a stroke.

The following can increase the production of plaque along the arterial wall:

• family history of artery hardening (atherosclerosis)
• smoking
• high cholesterol
• high blood pressure
• diabetes
• obesity
• lack of exercise

Some cases of carotid artery disease are asymptomatic. In these instances, the only indicator will be a “bruit”, which is a turbulence-type noise in the neck (caused by plaque debris) that can be heard by your general practitioner using a stethoscope. In more severe cases of carotid artery disease, reduced blood flow to the brain may lead to warning signs of a stroke. A transient ischemic attack (also called a TIA or mini-stroke) acts as a warning signal to seek medical treatment. Symptoms can include:

• temporary vision loss in one eye lasting seconds to hours
• weakness, numbness on one side of the face, arm, or leg
• inability to speak, slurred speech
• loss of consciousness, coordination; dizziness

These symptoms may appear alone or in combination with one another, and they can vary in length from a few minutes to a few hours. A TIA is an emergency and requires immediate medical attention.

During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye care practitioner may notice many ocular signs prior to any stroke/TIA. These signs can include plaques in retinal blood vessels, leaking blood vessels, and retinal swelling.

Carotid artery disease is treated through lifestyle modifications, medication, and surgery. A combination of treatment options may be considered in order to minimize the risk of stroke. Patients are generally urged to make lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, getting regular exercise, and eating foods low in saturated fats. Blood thinning medications are often prescribed to decrease the risk of stroke due to blood clots. Surgery called carotid endarterectomy is considered in people with severe blockages in their carotid arteries. This procedure removes the plaque from inside the artery wall and restores the artery to normal. Newer surgery options include the placement of stents to expand the wall of the artery thereby improving blood flow.