Dr. John's Health Matters
Welcome to Dr. John's Health Matters blog.
The articles posted here are from various sources who are duly acknowledged. I would appreciate being immediately notified, if any copywritten material needs to be removed. This blog is not intended to replace the qualified advice of a licensed health practitioner. Readers should exercise their own judgment. Enjoy, subscribe, participate and tell others :)
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Posts tagged "air"
Wednesday, Sep 2nd, 2009 ↓Diesel Exhaust Is Linked To Cancer Development Via New Blood Vessel Growth →
Sept 2, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Scientists have demonstrated that the link between diesel fume exposure and cancer lies in the ability of diesel exhaust to induce the growth of new blood vessels that serve as a food supply for solid tumors.
The researchers found that in both healthy and diseased animals, more new blood vessels sprouted in mice exposed to diesel exhaust than did in mice exposed to clean, filtered air. This suggests that previous illness isn’t required to make humans susceptible to the damaging effects of the diesel exhaust.
The tiny size of inhaled diesel particles, most less than 0.1 microns in diameter, potentially enables them to penetrate the human circulatory system, organs and tissues, meaning they can do this damage just about anywhere in the body. A micron is one millionth of a meter.
Diesel exhaust exposure levels in the study were designed to mimic the exposure people might experience while living in urban areas and commuting in heavy traffic. The levels were lower than or similar to those typically experienced by workers who use diesel-powered equipment, who tend to work in mines, on bridges and tunnels, along railroads, at loading docks, on farms and in vehicle maintenance garages, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
“The message from our study is that exposure to diesel exhaust for just a short time period of two months could give even normal tissue the potential to develop a tumor,” said Qinghua Sun, senior author of the study and an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Ohio State University.
“We need to raise public awareness so people give more thought to how they drive and how they live so they can pursue ways to protect themselves and improve their health. And we still have a lot of work to do to improve diesel engines so they generate fewer particles and exhaust that can be released into the ambient air.”
For full article, see link above.
Tags: disesel exhaust air damage risk cancer blood vessel tumor organ tissues circulatory system traffic environmental pollution
Heart Suffers From Just a Few Whiffs of Smoke →
Sept 1, 2009 (Therapytimes.com)—Just a few whiffs of tobacco smoke or dirty air can have a profound negative impact on your heart’s health.
Study results released today by the American Heart Association suggest that exposure to even a small amount of smoke — whether it’s from your own cigarette or someone else’s — greatly increases your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. The same goes for breathing in air polluted with carbon monoxide emissions.
“It doesn’t require extreme exposure to have significant cardiovascular effects. Even passive exposures to ambient air pollution and secondhand smoke contribute to significant increases in cardiovascular mortality,” study author C. Arden Pope III, PhD, says in a statement.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: heart cardiovascular risk disease smoke tobacco risk danger exposure cigarette breathing air pollution
Health Tip: Avoid Your Child's Asthma Attacks →
Aug 20, 2009 (Therapytimes.com) — One of the first steps toward managing your child’s asthma is to recognize the allergens or irritants that can trigger an attack. Frequently, these may include dust, pet dander, smoke, exercise or polluted air.
The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions:
- During allergy seasons, run the air conditioner and keep the windows in your home and car closed. Regularly replace filters from your home’s cooling system.
- Keep bathrooms, kitchens and basements clean and allow them to air out. Run a dehumidifier, if needed, in these areas.
- Reduce dust and dust mites by frequently washing bed linens in hot water. Remove any carpets and rugs, if possible.
- Keep pets out of your child’s bedroom.
- Keep your child away from tobacco smoke.
— Diana Kohnle
Tags: asthma attack children child kid allergy air conditioner window dehumidifier dust mite pet tabacco
Even Healthy Lungs Labor At Acceptable Ozone Levels →
July 24, 209 (Sciencedaily.com)—Ozone exposure, even at levels deemed safe by current clean air standards, can have a significant and negative effect on lung function, according to researchers at the University of California Davis.
“The National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone was recently revised to set lower limits for ozone concentrations. Our research indicates that the threshold for decrements in ozone-induced lung function in healthy young subjects is below this standard,” said Edward Schelegle, Ph.D., of the University of California Davis. “Specifically, we found that 6.6 hours exposure to mean ozone concentrations as low as 70 parts per billion have a significant negative effect on lung function, even though the current NAAQS standards allow ozone concentrations to be up to 75 parts per billion (ppb) over an eight-hour period.”
The results we published in the August 1 issue of the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
To test whether mean ozone concentrations above and below the new standard induce lung function decrements and to further study the time-course of these decrements, Dr. Schelegle and colleagues recruited 31 healthy nonsmoking individuals to participate in 6.6-hour sessions during which they were exposed to ozone at 60, 70, 80 or 87 ppb or filtered air while undergoing six 50-minute bouts of moderate exercise followed by 10-minute breaks. A 35-minute lunch break separated the third and fourth bouts of exercise.
Lung function for each subject was assessed before, during and after exposure, and each individual answered a questionnaire evaluating their subjective symptoms. Of the four levels of ozone concentration tested, Dr. Schelegle and colleagues found significant decrements in both lung function and subjective respiratory symptoms at 70 ppb and above, beginning at 5.6 hours after exposure.
“These data tells us that even at levels currently below the air quality standard, healthy people may experience decreased lung function after just a few hours of moderate to light exercise such as bicycling or walking,” said Dr. Schelegle. “While these changes were fully reversible within several hours, these findings highlight the need to study susceptible individuals, such as asthmatics, at similar ozone concentrations and durations of exposure. These studies are needed to better understand the acute rise in hospitalizations that often occur in conjunction with high-ozone periods.”
For full article see link above.
Industrial Air Pollution Worse Than Vehicle Exhaust For Breathing Problems In Children →
July 23, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Increasing numbers of children around the world are suffering from respiratory problems – coughing, wheezing and asthma attacks. Although the key external causes of these diseases were identified a long time ago (traffic and industrial air pollution), it had not previously been possible to distinguish clearly between these two factors so as to have a targeted impact on them.
Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the University of Leipzig carried out research in this area together with colleagues from the University of La Plata and can now confirm that air pollution caused by industry has even more grave effects than vehicle exhaust fumes.
The recently completed study on ‘Combined effects of airborne pollutants as risk factors for environmental diseases’ was conducted as part of a long-standing collaborative venture, supported by the international office of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, between the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), the University of Leipzig and the University of La Plata in Argentina. The results have been published in several journals, including the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and Toxicology.
For full article see link above.
Tags: pollution environment asthma respiratory cough wheezing traffc industrial children child airborne air
Summer Is Here And The Mercury Is Rising ... Literally →
July 16, 2009 (sciencedaily.com)—Hot town, summer in the city. When it comes to air-quality advisories, city residents are no strangers, especially during the dog days of summer. But smog is made up of an array of air pollutants, including the mad hatter’s muse, mercury. One Ryerson University researcher has found that summer is the peak season for this atmospheric toxin, and that higher levels of mercury species exist in the urban atmosphere as compared to rural regions.
Julia Lu is an Associate Professor in Ryerson’s Department of Chemistry and Biology, where she conducts research identifying and quantifying different forms of trace metals in the environment. Her main focus, however, is mercury, an element that can be found in many places, which explains why Dr. Lu’s work has involved such diverse locales as the Canadian Arctic and, more recently, Toronto, Canada’s largest city.
One of many contributing poor air factors, mercury is well-known for its toxic effects on the environment and human health. Airborne mercury’s greatest threat is that it will settle into the surface environment and be converted into the much more toxic organomercury species which can be accumulated and magnified up the food chain, reaching our dinner table through fish and shellfishconsumption.
For full article see link above.
How to Get Relief from Hiccups →
July 9, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— In the wide range of human illnesses, a case of hiccups is not that big of a deal. Much like the common cold, hiccups are common to everyone at one time or another in their life, but are not actually life threatening. They usually disappear by themselves pretty quickly. However, when you get an onset of the hiccups, there may be times they remain with you for hours. It can seem as if they will last forever and you long for immediate relief. There are natural remedies that can help to calm these annoying hiccups.
Hiccups can be rather violent and shake your whole body. A severe hiccup attack can interrupt a person`s normal breathing, eating and sleeping habits and may cause unusual anxiety. The longest reported case of hiccups is by a man from Iowa, a farmer, named Charles Osborne. His hiccups were said to have lasted sixty-eight years! He hiccupped an estimated four hundred and thirty million times! This poor man definitely had something to be anxious about!
When you develop a case of the hiccups, the esophagus (the tube that connects your mouth and stomach) passes directly through the diaphragm is disturbed. Hiccups are formed by an upward spasm from the diaphragm. These spasms are caused by swallowing air, hyperventilating, eating too quickly, laughing and being overly excited. The act of fast, repeated swallowing seems to overwhelm and disables the diaphragm from performing its job properly. When your diaphragm begins to spasm, hiccups are produced. So the key to curing hiccups is to calm the spasms.
Here are some natural remedies to help overcome bothersome hiccups. Fill a glass with water and take small sips for sixty seconds. If your hiccups persist, keep taking small sips until they are relieved. Although your family may think you are nutty, another remedy is to sing like crazy. This helps fill the diaphragm with bursts of oxygen and will regulate your breathing. Placing a paper bag over your mouth and nose, while breathing in and out, may alleviate the hiccups. If you happen to have a lemon wedge handy, all it takes is sucking on it for a few seconds and the hiccups will diminish. Place an ice bag gently on your diaphragm and try to relax as it calms your diaphragm. Sucking on crushed ice helps, as does chewing on a tiny piece of fresh ginger. Mint leaves work equally as well. Drinking a shot of lime juice may make you pucker, but it is said to cure the hiccups.
The next time you experience these bothersome spasms of your diaphragm, think of the poor farmer. He survived through sixty-eight years. You can make it through a few irritating minutes!
Sources:
www.natural-homeremedies.com/homere…
www.farmersalmanac.com/natural_cure… stop_the_hiccups
lacetoleather.com/hiccups.html
Tags: hiccups diaphragm breathing remedy disruption esophagus spasm air laugh hyperventilating
Environmental Air Pollution May Stunt Fetal Growth →
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Apr 08 09 - Increased air pollution during pregnancy, particularly pollution associated with road traffic, appears to raise the risk of fetal growth restriction. According to investigators at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Piscataway, some late pregnancy complications may make the fetus even more vulnerable to these adverse effects.
To study these issues, Dr. David Q. Rich and his associates accessed New Jersey databases to identify full-term single births between 1999 and 2003. Their findings were released online today by the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
For full medical article, see link above.
Laser Printers Emit Toxic Micro Dust →
Apr 07 09 (NaturalNews) A new study from researchers at the Queensland Institute of Technology has shed some light on exactly what factors lead laser printers to emit toxic particles into the air, making them the single most polluting piece of equipment in the typical office.
The same research team that initially showed the threat from laser printers conducted a study comparing two different printer models, the HP 2200 and the HP 1320n. They found that the dangerous particulates emitted by printers are apparently produced by an interaction between volatile organic compounds, ozone and heat.
For full article, see link above.
Airplane Cabin Air Filled with Toxic Chemicals →
(NaturalNews) A new undercover investigation has found traces of toxic chemicals on board the planes of several popular commercial airlines, bolstering claims from pilots and others that contamination of the air in jet cabins is widespread.
A Swiss and German television network collaborated to secretly swab the cabins of 31 airplanes from several popular airliners. The swabs were then sent off to the University of British Columbia for analysis. Twenty-eight of them tested positive for high levels of a jet oil ingredient called tricresyl phosphate (TCP).
TCP is used to prevent wear inside jet engines, but is also known to cause respiratory distress, drowsiness, headaches or other neurological problems in humans.
This cluster of symptoms is known as Aerotoxic Syndrome. Former British Airways pilot Tristan Loraine has conducted research into the condition for seven years, leading eventually to a documentary about his findings. Loraine claims that it was contaminated cabin air that made him unable to work after 19 years as a pilot.
For full article, see link above.
Atmospheric Free Radicals May Cause Lung Cancer →
Mar 17 09 (NaturalNews) Free radicals produced during combustion may last much longer than previously thought, binding to other particles of air pollution and causing a variety of lung diseases including cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers from Louisiana State University and presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia.
For full article, see link above.
Drop in Air Pollution Improves Airway Function in Asthmatic Children →
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Mar 11 09 - A fall in air pollution levels rapidly reduces airway inflammation in children with asthma and improves airway function, according to study findings reported in the March issue of Pediatrics
For full medical article, see link above.
Air pollution increases risk of heart disease and stroke
by David Gutierrez
(NewsTarget) Feb 09 07 - A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has discovered a significant correlation between the air pollution around a woman’s home and her risk of heart disease.
While only women were studied, researchers believe that air pollution has the same effects on men. However, women are at greater risk for heart disease in general, because their arteries are narrower and thus more easily blocked.
Researchers in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study studied more than 65,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79 in 36 different U.S. cities for nine years. At the beginning of the study, none of the women had heart disease. At the end of the study, researchers compared the frequency of heart disease among participants in the different cities with information on local air quality. They found a substantial correlation between the density of particulate matter in the air and the occurrence of cardiovascular disease.
“These soot particles … are typically created by fossil-fuel combustion in vehicles and power plants, ” said lead researcher Joel Kaufman of the University of Washington. “The tiny particles — and the air pollutant gases that travel along with them — cause harmful effects once they are breathed in.”
The average particulate levels varied by city, from four to nearly 20 micrograms per cubic meter of air. A 10 microgram increase in particulate concentration corresponded to a 76 percent greater chance of a woman dying from cardiovascular causes, including heart attacks and strokes.
“This adds to the mounting evidence that air pollution should be taken seriously as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease,” said Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director for the British Heart Foundation.
The study’s authors also urged stricter standards on particulate emissions.
According to Pearson, the British Heart Foundation is funding research on how to minimize the harm from air pollution. “In the meantime,” he said, “when localized air pollution is particularly high, people with … coronary heart disease should avoid staying outside for long periods.”
Drop in Air Pollution Increases Life Expectancy in the US →
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 21 09 - A reduction in fine-particulate air pollution in the last few decades is credited with significantly increasing life expectancy in the US, according to a report in The New England Journal of Medicine for January 22.
“Although previous studies of air pollution have provided evidence that air pollution is a risk factor for respiratory and cardiovascular disease, this is the first study that provides direct empirical evidence that long-term reductions in air pollution contribute to significant, measurable increases in life expectancy,” lead author Dr. C. Arden Pope, III, told Reuters Health.
For full medical article, see link above.
Seat Belt Plus Air Bag Protect Against Spinal Fracture in Accident →
MILWAUKEE, Jan. 23 09 (medical news) — The combined use of a seat belt and an air bag decreases the risk of suffering a fractured spine in a car accident by 33%, a retrospective cohort study showed.
In an analysis of more than 20,000 motor vehicle accidents in Wisconsin, the risk of a severe spine fracture was reduced even further, by 59%, when using both devices (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.76, P<0.01), Marjorie Wang, M.D., M.P.H., of the Medical College of Wisconsin here, and colleagues reported in the February issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine.
For full medical article, see link above.
