Health News - November 2004The Olive Branch |
========================================== Featured in this month's issue:
1. HEALTH BYTES: Facts and Tips for Better Living! 2. WELLNESS QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 3. THE HERBAL CORNER: Dandelion - "Natural Diuretic and Antioxidant" 4. HEALTHY RECIPE-OF-THE-MONTH: Sweet 'N Spicy Chicken ==================================================================== 1. HEALTH BYTES Facts and Tips for Better Living
UNDERSTANDING FOOD LABELS -- The "ingredients" on a food label are listed in descending order according to their quantity in that food. The first three or four ingredients listed usually make up most of the product. Keep in mind, however, that fat and sugar come in many different forms; even if they are not one of the first three ingredients, the food can still be very high in fat and/or sugar. Other "names" of fat include hydrogenated vegetable shortening, butter, margarine, oil (coconut, safflower, palm, etc.), lecithin, lard, and cream solids. Other names of sugars include fructose, honey, corn sweeteners, molasses, maltose, corn syrup, fructose, galactose, glucose, and dextrose. If only one of these names appears among the first few ingredients on the label, or if several of them are listed throughout the label, this food is likely to be high in fat or sugar.
USE GOOD EXERCISE TECHNIQUE -- The most common and critical training mistakes may be those of exercise technique. The tendency to use too much weight typically results in poor form, which decreases your ability to get results, and increases the risk of injury. Examples of poor form or technique are: bouncing the bar off the chest on the Incline Bench Press; using hip and back extension to initiate Bicep Curls; arching the back or bending backward under Shoulder Presses; using any sort of momentum in any exercise; and training at fast speeds. These mistakes will not send the blood you need into your muscles and will work counter to your goals. Be aware of this common mistake and eliminate it from your program entirely.
WHOLE GRAINS FOR WEIGHT LOSS? -- Slipping more fiber-filled foods into your daily diet could help boost your efforts to keep off extra pounds. Women who opt for whole-grain cereals and breads tend to put on less weight as they age compared to women who opt for refined breads and cereals that are short on fiber. In a study, the whole grain lovers were half as likely to become obese compared to the women who favored refined grains.
MUSIC AS THERAPY -- Just as some hospitals and nursing homes have allowed pet therapy - wherein a pet is brought in to engage the patients and provide a warm contact on a different level - some are also using music. It has been used for a variety of ailments from nausea to cancer treatment. Music therapy can include listening to music, creating it, analyzing it, or using it to set a mood. The type of music we listen to can have a positive or negative affect on the body as well as the mind. If the blood pressure is too high, simply listening to the right music before and after work may be the prescription. Therapists may ask a patient to write a song or to set their favorite poem to music, opening up the person to creative sides and giving them something to concentrate on while undergoing physical therapy. Music can also set a person at ease, allowing the body to relax. There is a famous story of a man who played music for a king and this simple gesture seemed to calm the King's anger and set the atmosphere at ease.
ALLERGY PREVENTION TIPS -- Shower and wash hair every night to remove pollen. Do not line-dry clothes. In the home, change air conditioning filters often. Dust and vacuum your home at least twice weekly.
ALCOHOL EXPOSURE AND BABIES -- Babies exposed to alcohol in the womb or soon after birth may be at increased risk for developing type-2 diabetes later in life. Previous studies have documented the diabetes-promoting effects of alcohol during pregnancy, and now researchers at the University of Manitoba, in Winnipeg, Canada, find exposure to alcohol through breast milk during the first postnatal month also could lead to diabetes. The study, conducted on rats, suggests exposure to alcohol during early development may result in abnormal glucose homeostasis during adulthood. Further, while the underlying mechanisms still are unknown, alcohol exposure during the prenatal or early postnatal period resulted in insulin resistance and glucose intolerance later in life. Alcohol is commonly believed to stimulate lactation and is therefore often consumed by new mothers so the findings could provoke changes in early child care.
TIPS FOR RIDDING FATIGUE -- There is nothing worse than feeling tired during the middle of the day. Often times we feel we are getting enough sleep, and yet are still badgered by exhaustion. Now exhaustion has been linked to certain medical conditions. Many women feel tired in the afternoon because of their internal rhythms, so you should fit a nap into your schedule. Try to do so in the early afternoon and for no more than 30 minutes. Also many women suffer from loss of sleep during the five days before their period. The reason is the lack of the hormone progesterone, which helps induce sleep. Taking calcium and magnesium have been shown to ease PMS symptoms. Exercise is also a great option to restore sleep, and stave off insomnia. Stress is also a major cause of fatigue. The next time you feel stressed, try and evaluate who or what is causing the feeling, and try to confront the issue. Also, try relaxation techniques like deep breathing or focusing on things that bring you pleasure.
TIME TO RUN -- If you hate getting up early to exercise, rest easy. A late-day workout may be best. According to studies, most people perform better when physical activities are done in the late afternoon or early evening. This could be because core body temperature tends to be highest during these times, which may help muscles to produce more power.
==================================================================== 2. WELLNESS QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
** Q & A #1: Can zinc lozenges really shorten colds?
A study of 48 volunteers who had just caught a cold concludes that sucking on zinc lozenges can significantly shorten the bug's symptoms. Each lozenge contained either a 12.8 milligrams of zinc acetate or a placebo, and both groups of patients took them every two to three hours during the day. Dr. Ananda S. Prasad and colleagues at Detroit Medical Center say those whose lozenges contained zinc suffered cold symptoms for 4.5 days on average. In contrast, those given a plain lozenge averaged 8.1 days. Coughing was the specific symptom most reduced - 3.1 days versus 6.3 days - with nasal discharge shortened from 5.8 to 4.1 days on average. The researchers note that such cold therapy should be limited to about three days because zinc can cause copper deficiency. Their findings appear in the "Annals of Internal Medicine."** Q & A #2: Is it true that sugar increases disease-causing free radicals?
Foods high in sugar may be bad for more than your teeth. Researchers at the University of Buffalo say their data show excess glucose in the bloodstream spawns free radicals at the same time as a radical-quenching form of vitamin E drops. Lead researcher Dr. Paresh Dandona says, "This is the first time anyone has shown that nutrition has a role in generating free radicals." The team has published the study in the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism." Fourteen healthy subjects quaffed a sugar solution on an empty stomach that was equivalent to about two cola drinks. Two hours later, average levels of free radicals in their blood had doubled compared with those who drank a saccharin solution. The antioxidant level had dropped 4 percent. Free radicals, highly unstable molecules, can attack and damage cells that line the inside of blood vessels, those of other organs and even DNA itself.** Q & A #3: What exactly is autism and what causes it?
Autism is a condition or brain disorder occurring in young children before the age of 3 years characterized by unresponsiveness to human contact, deficits in language development, and bizarre responses to environmental stimuli. There are many different levels of Autism - from mild to severe and that would explain the varied types of behavior from one Autistic child to the next. The exact cause of autism is unknown but it may include psychological, physiological, and sociological factors. It is generally accepted that autism is caused by abnormalities in brain structures or functions. The autistic child is unresponsive to other people, communicates poorly, and may seem to be repulsed by physical contact. Parental behavior towards autistic children may seem distant and unaffectionate. This type of response from parents may be a reaction to the disorder rather than a cause of autism. While there are many suspected causes of Autism not listed here, the disorder has generally been associated with maternal rubella infection, phenylketonuria (an inherited disorder of metabolism), tuberous sclerosis (an inherited disease of the nervous system and skin), lack of oxygen at birth, encephalitis, and infantile spasms.** Q & A #4: What is aspartame and its associated health problems?
Aspartame is the technical name for artificial sweeteners sugar substitutes) Nutrasweet and Equal. It accounts for 76% of adverse food reactions to food additives reported to the United States Food and Drug Administration. These include migraines, fatigue, palpitations, and joint pain. Researchers into the adverse effects of aspartame claim it can also trigger or worsen many chronic illnesses, e.g. - multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. Aspartame is an "excitotoxin" (like monosodium glutamate) which stimulates brain cells to the point of death. Seventy-five percent of the cells in a particular area of the brain can be destroyed before symptoms are noticed, meaning that the problem is usually irreparable and becomes chronic. Aspartame is made up from: aspartic acid (40%), an excitory amino acid which causes serious chronic neurological disorders, phenylalanine (50%), which increases naturally-occurring phenylalanine in the brain leading to emotional disorders, depression and, occasionally, death, and methanol (10%), a deadly poison also known as wood alcohol, which breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. The recommended maximum daily intake of methanol is 7.8 mg a day and 1 pint of aspartame-sweetened drink contains 25 mg.==================================================================== 3. THE HERBAL CORNER - Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Did you know that the obnoxious weed in most everyone's lawn, the DANDELION, is edible, contains many nutrients, and is considered a natural diuretic? DANDELION is also noted for supplying potassium, a mineral often lost through diuretic use. The DANDELION, also known as Blowball, Cankerwort, Lion's Tooth, and Puffball, is a perennial plant found, to the dismay of many, almost everywhere. It is a bitter but nutritious herb prepared from the roots and leaves of the common yellow-flowered plant. Cultivated DANDELION greens are less bitter and have longer leaves than their wild cousins. The leaves, provided they have not been sprayed with garden chemicals, work well in salads, soups, stews, or even as part of a mixture of steamed greens. DANDELION has traditionally been used as a digestive tonic, blood cleanser, mild diuretic, and laxative. Today, DANDELION is also used as a weight loss aid, to relieve inflammation of the liver and gallbladder, congestive jaundice, skin diseases, dyspepsia, and PMS. It may also be useful to lower blood cholesterol levels, reduce high blood pressure, and prevent heart disease. Although the active compound underlying DANDELION's many health effects has not been identified, the fresh leaves are high in several nutrients including beta carotene, vitamin C, and potassium. DANDELION is sold as tablets, capsules, concentrated drops, tinctures, fresh leaves or roots, and extracts. People have been known to eat all parts of the plant, and it appears to be safe and nontoxic, with the exception of provoking allergic reactions, flu-like symptoms, or upset stomach in some persons. If any of the following conditions apply, use DANDELION only in consultation with a professional herbalist or naturopath: pregnancy, heart condition, or inflamed stomach or colon. Children under 2 years of age should not be given the herb and adults over 65 should use low-strength preparations only.
==================================================================== 4. HEALTHY RECIPE-OF-THE-MONTH
Sweet 'N Spicy Chicken
http://www.theolivebranch.com/recipes/chicken-spicy.htm
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Please note: the information contained herein has been compiled from various sources. The above statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. We make no claims, either expressed or implied, that any products mentioned in this newsletter will cure disease, replace prescription medication, or supersede sound medical advice.